Democrats In The City Of Brotherly Love (Final Report)
This is definitely going to be my final report from Philadelphia. I realize I'm almost a week late with it, but it was a busy and sleep-deprived week all around. In case you missed it, I reviewed the primetime speeches Monday and then yesterday posted my photos from the trip. Today I'm going to cover Day Three and Day Four (outside of the primetime hour), as well as give a few closing thoughts and general impressions.
Day Three
After the first two days of the Democratic National Convention, Day Three seemed to be a turning point of sorts. The pro-Bernie crowd staged their last effective protest inside the arena (and also staged a smaller protest in the media tent), but by the end of the night Democrats had come closer to unity than they had yet managed during the convention to date.
The third night was the most star-studded of the entire convention, with the sitting vice-president, the sitting president, and the new vice-presidential nominee all slated for the closing speeches. Seating inside the arena was at a premium. The ushers at the doors stopped letting people in when their section was full, which left a whole lot of people watching on monitors in the hallways (and lining up at the doors, in the hopes that someone would exit). The place was packed to the roof hours before the main speeches began. Whereas the arena was mostly full on the first two nights, the last two nights it was beyond "standing room only."
There were a few kerfluffles in the media before the evening began. Terry McAuliffe apparently stepped in it by saying Hillary Clinton would likely get behind the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement after she was in office. This is precisely what the Bernie Sanders supporters have suspected all along, so it was precisely the wrong thing for a Clinton surrogate to say at this particular time. He later tried to walk it back, but it merely added to an already tense situation between the two camps of supporters. In the Rightwingistan media, the big complaint was that there were "no flags" at the Democratic convention. Day Three didn't see the Democrats' response, but Day Four certainly did -- but I'm getting ahead of myself here.
Tonight's theme seemed to be a combination of national security, law-and-order, and belittling Donald Trump's business record. To put it another way, it was designed to show how incredibly weak and vague Trump has been on any and all of these subjects. The conservative complaint up until tonight that Hillary wasn't talking about foreign policy at all (or honoring slain police) was put to rest by the roster of speakers. Things got underway at 7:00, for instance, with a veteran's widow praising Clinton for raising military survivor's benefits from $12,000 to $100,000.
Martin O'Malley then got his consolation-prize speaking slot (which he had to have been disappointed about, since he was essentially running to be Hillary's veep all along). O'Malley, as usual, had a rather boring delivery, but did get in a few zingers on Trump (on the "wages are too high" Trump line, O'Malley responded: "Donald Trump's opinion of himself -- that's way too high!").
Next up was Sigourney Weaver, who introduced a film produced by none other than James Cameron, on the threat of climate change. As you'd expect, the film was brilliant in every respect.
Jerry Brown spoke next, which the crowd certainly enjoyed. A "Jerry! Jerry!" chant was even heard, briefly. Brown extolled California's record of recovery under Democratic government, which is about par for the course for a governor in a Democratic convention. I enjoyed hearing him speak, since he is my governor, but have to remain somewhat objective about how others may have seen him.
We then got a bunch of grieving relatives. A mother of a victim in Orlando was impressive, especially when she shared that her (Japanese, I assume) grandparents met in a U.S. internment camp during World War II, and still managed to fall in love. Connecticut Senator Chris Murphy spoke next on the Sandy Hook tragedy, and championed (as he did recently during his 15-hour filibuster in the Senate) some commonsense gun control measures (which got a big hand from the crowd). A video of other family members of those killed by gun violence was shown, and more grieving relatives spoke as well. The former top cop in Philadelphia spoke next, giving a strong endorsement of Hillary Clinton from a big-city police chief.
The gears shifted at this point to national security. A really excellent video started this off, with poignant quotes from former presidents (Truman, Eisenhower, Reagan) on the importance of a firm (but sane) hand on the wheel of the ship of state. This was interspersed with quotes from fellow Republicans (Mitt Romney, Lindsey Graham, Marco Rubio) on how unacceptable it would be to have Donald Trump as commander-in-chief. If you haven't seen this video, search it out because I thought it was one of the best of the entire convention. It really needs to be made into a series of ads which should run in Virginia and perhaps even places like South Carolina.
Rear Admiral John Hutson (retired) was next up. He gave Donald Trump a dressing-down worthy of the best drill sergeant you can imagine. He even had some funny lines, something I wouldn't have expected from such a speaker. He started off his speech with: "My name is John Hutson and unlike Donald Trump there are two things I know an awful lot about: law and order." Later, in response to Trump's invitation to Russia to hack Hillary's email and meddle in an American election (which Trump had said only that morning), the Admiral shot back: "That's not 'law and order' -- that's criminal intent!" The crowd got a big laugh out of that one. On Trump denigrating John McCain being a prisoner of war, Hutson sneered: "Donald -- you're not fit to polish John McCain's boots." This got an enormous cheer from the audience, which is pretty extraordinary considering that he was the man Barack Obama beat eight years ago. Nothing like a bit of bipartisanship at a national convention, eh? All in all, the Admiral got the blood flowing and woke everyone up for the next phase of the program.
This is where things got a bit ugly, though. Leon Panetta was the next speaker. He's an obvious choice, since he's headed both the C.I.A. and the Pentagon. However, Panetta wasn't exactly the right cup of tea for the Bernie crowd. I thought Panetta's speech would be nothing more than a less-forceful repeat of the Admiral's full-throated remarks, and I even wrote in my notes during the early part of his speech: "Nat'l sec., etc., etc., etc."
But Panetta was the chosen target for the Bernie protests tonight. This was probably a smart move on their part for a number of reasons. The other (more prominent) speakers of the night are far more sympathetic to far more Democrats inside the building. Protesting Obama or Biden would have triggered an even bigger reaction from the pro-Hillary folks in the crowd -- who now vastly outnumbered the Bernie diehards. So choosing Panetta to make their point was probably the best way to go.
After Panetta had been speaking for a few minutes, a big chant of "No more war!" broke out all over the building. It could even have been led by the New York delegation, who were front-and-center on the floor, but I couldn't swear to it. Perhaps they were the ones leading the counter chant, I couldn't tell from my elevation in the arena. Panetta looked somewhat shocked (he hasn't given a political speech in quite some time, and the Monterey, California district where he's originally from isn't exactly a hotbed of lefty protesters), but he steamrolled on with his speech, ignoring the noisemakers.
At this point the crowd either began channelling a Republican convention, or perhaps even a Trump rally. Don't believe that shocking statement? The chant that went up in the hall was: "U-S-A! U-S-A!" In a Democratic convention hall.
A couple of comments are necessary for context. First, the whole Jingoistic "U-S-A!" chant has always been an almost exclusively Republican thing to do at political rallies. Maybe Democrats are stealing it away? On Day Four, the crowd was actually given red-white-and-blue "USA" signs to wave as well. So who knows?
Which brings up my second point, the one about channelling a Trump rally. The crowd was restless throughout Panetta's speech. The protests and chants cropped up time and time again. And Panetta was, after all, talking about military might and Hillary having a plan to defeat the Islamic State. So chanting "U-S-A!" would be a timely reaction. But what might have been happening as well (it certainly seemed like it, at times) was protesters trying to get another round of "No more war!" going, and counterprotesters shouting them down with "U-S-A!" Exactly as Trump's supporters do at his rallies, when protesters interrupt.
The Panetta speech, as I said, was the point where the protests really reached their high-water mark. I should also mention that earlier, another (and much smaller) occupation of the media tent happened with a group supporting ("I'm with Nina") Nina Turner, a delegate to the convention who had been slighted by the Democratic National Committee. Turner herself was at the center of the group, but again they were much smaller and less noticeable than the tail end of the walkout which happened Tuesday night. By the fourth night, the protesters were reduced to a few dozen marching by the media tent and unable to raise the numbers to force the doors. The diehards thinned out as time went by, in other words, at least from the perspective of media-tent protests.
Four major speakers were left for the final two hours of Day Three. Dr. Jill Biden appeared to introduce her husband, to kick the main portion of the evening off. A video of Joe Biden's famous quotes on gay marriage (when he pushed Obama to "evolve" quicker) then played, followed by Joe himself walking out on the stage -- to a thunderous crowd reaction (and also to the theme from Rocky, for some reason).
Now, I've already written that I thought Joe Biden's speech was the second-best at the entire convention. Indeed, rather than writing this article when I should have last week, I instead took the time to write about how Team Clinton should immediately start sending Joe out to campaign -- in the exact same towns Trump visits, a few days later. So I'm not exactly the best objective observer to report on his speech, because I thought (as I wrote in my notes) that Joe "knocked it out of the freakin' park" with his speech.
After the extensive "Joe! Joe! Joe!" chanting died down, Joe gave a few nods to other Democrats before digging into the meat of his remarks. He thanked Barack Obama, and said of his wife's speech (which was the only one I rated higher than Joe's): "Michelle -- I don't know where you are, kid, but you're incredible." He followed this up with the folksy: "As they say in southern Delaware, Barack and I 'married up'."
The only time the crowd was quiet during Biden's speech was when he spoke of his son Beau's death and when he specifically asked them to consider a point in all seriousness -- how downright despicable it was for anyone to actually get enjoyment out of firing people. The entire rest of the speech Biden was awash in cheers, applause, and standing ovations. The crowd reacted more adoringly than for any previous speaker (Michelle included). The biggest cheer (until his finish) was likely when he began talking about Hillary.
Biden lit into Trump in a fashion nobody else has managed to achieve -- which is the big reason why I strongly urge Hillary to use Biden out on the campaign trail as much as humanly possible. Here's the key reason: Biden speaks to the same audience Trump reaches. Biden is an average Joe, whereas Trump is merely pretending to be one. Biden wouldn't be photographed eating KFC with a knife and fork, for instance. Biden speaks to the people who are currently only tuned in to Trump. "[Trump's] trying to tell us he cares about the middle class -- give me a break! That's a bunch of malarkey." That's something neither Hillary nor anyone else can do as well. I heard many a wistful voice after Biden's speech wishing he had run this time around, in fact -- that's how potent a force he is within the Democratic Party.
Biden kept his cadence simple and had a great call-and-response section on Trump: "He has no clue, period." The audience screamed back "NOT A CLUE!" when Biden listed some of the things Trump is clueless about. More "U-S-A!" chanting broke out as well, when Biden castigated Republicans for holding such a fearful convention: "We do not scare easily."
Biden's speech was one for the ages. There's just no other way to put it. Seek video of it out online, as it is definitely worth watching if you missed it last week. You can thank me later.
We then got the mayor of Atlanta, who did some city boosterism, and Michael Bloomberg, who seemed an odd choice for a Democratic convention. But Bloomberg did make a strong case of (to paraphrase a bit) "I'm a New York billionaire too," which gave him a unique perspective to knock down Trump's supposed business prowess: "I'm a New Yorker, and I know a con when I see one." The other excellent line Bloomberg got in about Trump was: "The richest thing about Donald Trump is his hypocrisy." After begging America "let's elect a sane, competent person," Bloomberg left the stage.
This brought us into the final stretch after some music played (the "Fight Song" parody, I believe). We got a biography of Tim Kaine, and then he tried to live up to his billing between Biden and Obama. The crowd was favorable towards Kaine, but not overwhelmingly so. As I've written previously, he did better than expected. But you can read my review of his speech and President Obama's in the primetime review article I wrote earlier.
Overall, Day Three was pretty much a whopping success. The lineup of Biden, Kaine, and Obama was pretty stellar (and that's not even mentioning all the other good performances). The protests happened, but began to wane overall. One point worth mentioning before I begin with the final night's coverage was that we had a lot of grieving relatives. President Obama himself was introduced by a Gold Star mom, and not the one that made the news afterwards. I offer this up in my own defense, but again I am getting ahead of myself. Overall, Day Three achieved its goals. It focused on serious subjects that Donald Trump has no clue about, it highlighted Democrats' (and Hillary's ) support for the military, veterans, and police, and it went a long way towards deconstructing the myth of Trump as business genius. All around, that's a pretty good evening, but then it's usually always a good evening when both Biden and Obama are on the bill.
Day Four
This was only my second national convention, and the first one that ran the full four days. I have to say, four days of this is exhausting! But Philadelphia has certainly been welcoming, I do have to admit.
Thursday, we awoke and decided to take some time to see a few historical sights. Alas, we had not realized that the super-convenient "Political Fest" buses that we had relied upon earlier (after signing up for their service) had ceased operation on Wednesday. In fact, the whole Political Fest had decamped entirely, which was a shame. Inside the convention hall where we had to pick up our press credentials every morning was a huge space with a mockup of President Kennedy's Air Force One jet, a mockup of the Oval Office, and a store selling nothing but older pins from conventions and campaigns throughout history (my eye was caught by an authentic Yippie Party button, but they wanted like 130 bucks for it -- although most of them were a lot cheaper than that). They also had a more traditional gift shop, which we really wanted to drop some money at since there were not a whole lot of independent vendors out on the streets selling T-shirts. So this was the day we had planned to buy souvenirs and do touristy things. But for some incomprehensible reason, Political Fest left before the final day of the convention. Go figure. Rather than walk 12 or 15 blocks in 95-degree heat, we decided to just punt on the whole idea, so even though we were in Philly all week, we never saw the Liberty Bell. We did see Independence Hall from outside it, but it wasn't the same.
When we got to the arena, I sent my wife inside to provide first-person coverage, while I stayed in the media tent (we only had one credential for the arena, but thankfully you can swap them throughout the convention). It was only fair, since she had supported Hillary Clinton all along while I was more a Bernie guy. These notes are a combination of what I saw on the screen and what she saw in the hall, I should mention (she also took most of the photos throughout the whole event).
But while listening to the earlier speeches in the background, I was typing out my "send Biden out now" article, so I wasn't listening with undivided attention. Hence, I largely missed one of the most talked-about speeches of the entire convention. As I said in my introductory column, attending a convention is like riding a whirlwind and you're never sure where you are is where you should be -- perhaps news will be made elsewhere. In this instance, news was made and I wasn't really paying attention. In my defense, however, over the course of the final two nights we had heard a lot of very similar stories from bereaved family members. Khizr Khan's stood out for his eloquence and emotion, but the story he told was a familiar one by the time he took the stage.
I did notice something of import was happening, about halfway through Khan's speech, and did listen to all of his amazing finish. But I had to watch the whole thing on video later to really see what everyone was talking about. His forceful challenge to Donald Trump was extraordinary, from how Trump doesn't know what sacrifice means to how he just doesn't understand the Constitution at all.
Trump later proved Khan right, in the most oxymoronic (or, at the very least, irony-impaired) statement I think he's uttered during the entire campaign season, which is indeed quite a feat. Trump responded: "Mr. Khan, who has never met me, has no right to stand in front of millions of people and claim I have never read the Constitution (which is false), and say many other inaccurate things." Actually, Donald, he does have that right. You know what guarantees him that right? The United States Constitution. Flip to the back, where the Bill of Rights starts the amendments. The very first one guarantees the right to free speech, and also (just for good measure) the right of the people to freely assemble to hear that free speech. It's almost as if... Trump hadn't read the Constitution, which is where all the irony-impairment comes in.
The Khan controversy aside, the theme for the night seemed to be women. Breaking the glass ceiling once and for all. It wasn't just a women's card, it was the whole deck, really. We got speeches from Tammy Duckworth, Nancy Pelosi, Barbara Mikulski (and many other female Democratic senators), Jennifer Granholm, and then Hillary was introduced by her daughter Chelsea. There were plenty of other accomplished women whose names aren't as familiar, including a Medal of Honor winner, the Dallas sheriff, the co-founder of Republican Women for Hillary, and some working-class women with stories of pay discrimination and low wages. Among the music acts lined up were Carole King, Sheila E, and Katy Perry.
Now, I'm not saying that only women were allowed to speak the final night or anything. We also got speeches from prominent male politicians such as James Clyburn, John Hickenlooper, Sherrod Brown, and Andrew Cuomo. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar introduced a video segment (with a funny joke about how Trump couldn't tell the difference if he introduced himself as Michael Jordan). But the theme of women's power and women's strength came through clearly. Hillary Clinton was certainly entitled to such a final night, after her historic achievement, so I am certainly not criticizing this choice in any way. Millions of women will be excited to vote for the first major-party woman candidate for president that they've ever been able to. Millions of little girls will now start truly believing that they too could grow up to be president. It's a very big deal, and Hillary was right to showcase it to pump the crowd up for her speech.
A few of the speakers really stood out. Doug Elmets, a former official from the administration of Ronald Reagan, had some sneering things to say about any comparisons between his former boss and the current Republican candidate: "Donald Trump -- you are no Ronald Reagan." He then pointed out one of Reagan's famous lines was "tear down this wall," while Donald Trump wants to build a wall here. He was very effective, and was immediately followed by the Republican Women for Hillary speaker. Clinton is already trying to poach moderate Republican voters, many of whom are absolutely disgusted (or, at the very least, highly embarrassed) by their party's current nominee. Will some of the former "Reagan Democrats" become "Clinton Republicans" this year? It's certainly worth a try.
For all the family members of dead police and soldiers, I though that the best speaker to address how Hillary Clinton feels about such things was the Dallas sheriff, who gave a very moving personal story of overcoming the tragedy of the slain police officers in her city. She humanized the story more than anyone else managed (with the exception of Khan, who was in a class by himself), and yet still showed her inherent toughness -- something she'd have to have had to become a sheriff in a Texas city, one assumes.
The other speaker who woke everyone up was a retired four-star general from the Marine Corps, General John Allen, former commander of the U.S. forces in Afghanistan. My guess is that he rose from the ranks of an artillery unit, from listening to him speak. He had the type of penetrating and commanding voice that projected so well he probably didn't even need the microphone. A voice that could make itself heard even with Howitzers going off in the background, in other words. He wasn't the only member of the military on stage this evening, but he certainly was the most memorable.
The crowd loved his performance, which was once again the voice of reason from the military warning of the dangers of putting Donald Trump in charge of the nation's armed forces. We got plenty of "U-S-A!" chanting, and tonight there were even "USA" signs to wave as well.
Just before the primetime part of the show, where Chelsea introduced Hillary's acceptance speech, we heard from Senator Sherrod Brown and Representative Xavier Becerra. Both tried their best, but gave largely forgettable speeches.
Which brings me to the end of Day Four (again, I already reviewed the primetime portion of the night earlier this week). Except for one thing worth noting. As I mentioned, the right-wingers who seem to always find something to get their panties in a bunch over (even if there's nothing there to be outraged about -- they'll easily manufacture something, on the spot) were complaining about the lack of American flags at the Democratic convention, from about Day One through about Day Three. Well, on Day Four, the Democrats responded with an absolute avalanche of flags. When Hillary Clinton took the stage at the end of her bio video -- to the tune of Hillary's theme "Fight Song" -- there were thousands and thousands of American flags waving in the audience. Tens of thousands, in fact. There were people in the aisles with giant American flags, waving them proudly and joyfully. There almost literally could not have been any more flags being waved in the arena.
This put the lie to the whole Republican "Democrats are such America-haters they won't even allow American flags in their convention" line of moose poop, forever. Now, you could be cynical and conspiracy-minded, and posit that it would be possible for the Democrats to have actively reacted to the conservative complaints by providing these flags. It is indeed within the realm of believability that some party wholesaler in the Philly metro area could have filled a rush order if someone had called them up and demanded: "We need 30,000 person-wavable American flags within the next eighteen hours, and we'll pay any price." Philadelphia is a big city, and they probably have warehouses that do indeed have stockpiles of this sort. But whether the order was placed weeks in advance or at the last minute, the order was placed. Every man, woman, and child inside the arena had a flag to wave. The volunteers in the aisles had huge flags, just in case the smaller ones didn't show up on television well enough. It was an absolute patriotic frenzy of flag-waving. And it's a lot easier to believe (especially given the "USA" placards handed out the same night -- which couldn't have been produced on such short notice) that the Democrats in charge of the convention, and Hillary Clinton's team, had indeed planned this for the final night, right from the beginning.
To put this bluntly, and in other words, Republicans don't have a lock on American patriotism. They never did have one, no matter all their garment-rending angst over flag pins or flags or any of the other symbols of patriotism that Republicans hold higher than actual patriotism itself. Hillary Clinton, and Democrats in general, stood up for what this country stands for. They stood up for freedom, inclusiveness, and equality, in a manner the Republicans under Trump were simply incapable of. If we're going to get into a pissing contest over flags, well then, where were the tens of thousands of American flags being waved at the Republican National Convention? You see how silly such metrics are, in fact, just by posing the question.
Which leaves me with only a few closing thoughts about the entire convention.
Closing Thoughts
The 2016 Democratic National Convention certainly had its challenges. Has either party ever given a convention the day after the head of the party has been forced to step down? The WikiLeaks scandal hung over the start to the convention like a shroud. The fallout from this still isn't over, as three more high-ranking Democratic National Committee members just had to step down this week. And the party itself was still pretty divided at the start of the convention as well, with Bernie Sanders diehards refusing to admit that Hillary Clinton was indeed the party's unquestionable nominee.
There were geographical problems to holding the convention in Philadelphia, as well. All convention activities were split into two areas, separated by a few miles of "South Philly." The evening events all happened in the big sports complex at the base of the downtown area, while all morning caucuses and events happened close to the center of town (the historical district). In 90-plus-degree heat, walking between the two areas was just not humanly possible. Charlotte was much denser, with the external (or satellite) events happening within a short walk of the arena. So this led to a rather disjointed feel to the convention. In Philly, once you were inside the security perimeter, you pretty much stayed there for the whole night. You couldn't drift off to visit a watch party, or a journalists' wingding, or any of the other peripheral events. But that was really dictated by the geography of the city center, so it was an inherent logistical problem rather than some lack of preparation by the convention planners.
Still, all of that's a lot of headwind to face into. But through it all, the Democrats and the convention progressed. They largely kept to their schedule and kept to each nightly theme. There were minor logistical hiccups, but no major breakdowns in the flow of the convention. Just on scheduling an event for television, the Democrats managed to do far better than the Republicans -- who have nominated a guy who is supposed to know how television works and be a master at it. Democrats had flawless primetime hours, putting the best or biggest speaker last every night (rather than having the audience stream out the doors halfway through, as the GOP did on multiple nights). The Democrats obviously had a much wider pool of talent to draw from, and presented music and speakers worthy of a national convention, rather than putting an underwear model and Chachi on the stage.
The Bernie Sanders faction was much more committed and had much deeper feelings about how things had played out than anyone in the Hillary camp realized, I think. But even this was pretty well stage-managed. The first day was pretty much conceded to Bernie, which is astonishing enough in a national nominating convention. His supporters reveled in the spotlight, but by the next day the roll call was complete -- completed by none other than Bernie himself. This damped down the outrage of his own supporters considerably, and the protests waned thereafter.
Overall, the Democrats showed America the stark difference between their vision for the future of the country versus what Donald Trump and the Republicans had to offer. Hillary Clinton and the Democrats showed level-headedness, seriousness of thought, and openness to all. Republicans, to put it mildly, did not.
When you attend a national convention, as I wrote in my preface to the event, you get caught up in the whirlwind. You have no idea how things look to those outside the torrential pace of events you are experiencing. When a strong speaker gets everyone on their feet, you have to wonder: "Did anyone else even notice, out there?" It's a microcosm far more intense than the usual "inside the Beltway" bubble that most political journalists and politicians reside within. And, as I said, you're always left wondering if something more newsworthy is going on over there, where you aren't. So these have been my experiences at the Democratic National Convention. I hope at least some of it wasn't ever covered or even addressed by the big media outlets, which would only vindicate the trust that the Democrats placed in me by allowing me my press credentials to cover it. After attending two of these, in Charlotte and Philadelphia, I certainly am looking forward to the next one, in whatever city the Democrats choose next.
This has been your roving reporter, blogging his fingers off from the 2016 Democratic National Convention. Until next time -- four years from now -- this is Chris Weigant... signing off.
-- Chris Weigant
Cross-posted at The Huffington Post
Follow Chris on Twitter: @ChrisWeigant
"Maybe Democrats are stealing it away? On Day Four, the crowd was actually given red-white-and-blue "USA" signs to wave as well."
Really? Around here, it's not stealing when you take something that somebody else has set out to the curb.
"This country is a hellhole" - Donald Trump, bankrupt casino guy
It's difficult to imagine just what The One Who Watches Words is objecting to.
JFC -
Um... what?
Last transmission was garbled, please rephrase....
-CW
Oh, wait -- you mean my autofilter, don't you?
Sigh... OK, gimme a minute...
-CW
OK, there we go! Comment #1 has been reborn anew!
Mea culpa for the delay...
-CW
OK, I'm about to post the Day Four stuff. JohnFromCensornati (and anyone else who read the earlier post of Day Three), please excuse the stuff about the Admiral which was really a note taken about the Day 4 General, and has been moved to its proper place. If you're reading the article for the first time, then you read the fixed version, so please disregard this note.
-CW
I have enjoyed your take on the conventions. My view of the GOP's gloom and doom portrayal of America was that it was in large part due to them not having the presidency. This gives the Dems the high ground (figuratively, not a moral judgment) which puts Republicans in an attack posture. I don't think they were particularly effective at it. I find the whole "lock her up" thing amusing.
Mr. Trump gave a reasonably effective closing speech which helped their poll bump. His subsequent actions and the well organized Democratic convention have led to the frittering away that bump and more.
Perhaps this is sacrilege, but the "Gamesters of Triskelion" is in my bottom two episodes from the original series. I am, however, ready to wager Quatloos should the occasion arise.
OK, here's my final take (final edit) of the above article.
It's now posted permanently, so have at it.
BigGuy -
Ah, c'mon, the Gamesters of Triskelion is a classic! Have you seen the South Park takeoffs of it?
Heh.
We've always bet Quatloos here, becuase it just seems fitting somehow. But seriously, doesn't the liberation of the Thralls give you some sort of uplift?
:-)
-CW
JFC,
It's difficult to imagine just what The One Who Watches Words is objecting to.
Jeezus H Christ, chillax!!
Every time someone gets a comment stuck in the NNL Filters, they go apeshit and start slammin' CW as if he has some personal vendetta against them.
It's a goddamn software algorithm that is doing it, not CW himself.. Like he has the time to sit around and wait for a comment "he doesn't like" so he can withhold it...
Take a damn chill pill... Jeeesh....
Michale
BigGuy,
Let's face the facts here..
The DNC was nothing but a Pollyanna convention, totally devoid of ANY reality...
The RNC was steeped in reality. Was it dark?? Yes, it was because our reality in the here and now is dark...
Democrats are all about "safe spaces".. They can't handle the facts...
Perhaps this is sacrilege, but the "Gamesters of Triskelion" is in my bottom two episodes from the original series. I am, however, ready to wager Quatloos should the occasion arise.
A little story on the GAMESTERS episode.. I went camping with my parents when I was a kid. I think 13 or 14... Met a girl about my age and we hit it off, especially after I found out she was as much of a Trek geek as I was.. Her big sister tagged along with us.. Anyways, we set about naming EVERY Trek episode (at that time, we ONLY had TOS :D) So we spent hours naming all 79 episodes and we got all but one.. We spent several more hours trying to come up with that ONE episode.. Then this girl's sister pipped up, "The only episode I remember was that one where that bald guy had the glowing eyes and the chick in the silver bikini" and I yelled out, "THAT'S IT!!! Gamesters Of Triskelion!!!""
Heh True story...
Michale
CW,
We've always bet Quatloos here, becuase it just seems fitting somehow.
Well, we don't ALWAYS bet Quatloos.. :D
There have been several T-SHIRT bets.. :D
And I also seem to recall this little gem..
http://www.chrisweigant.com/2008/05/23/friday-talking-points-33-if-it-quacks-like-a-lame-duck/#comment-2383
Although the picture is lost.. :^(
Michale
The 2016 Democratic National Convention certainly had its challenges. Has either party ever given a convention the day after the head of the party has been forced to step down? The WikiLeaks scandal hung over the start to the convention like a shroud. The fallout from this still isn't over, as three more high-ranking Democratic National Committee members just had to step down this week.
But... But.... But.....
Apophis and Balthasar said that this was NOTHING but a "usual" turn-over for Party executives at a convention!??
SOMEONE is spin'ing their arses off.. I bet I know who... :D
Just on scheduling an event for television, the Democrats managed to do far better than the Republicans -- who have nominated a guy who is supposed to know how television works and be a master at it.
Yea, but that guy is, yunno, running for President and doesn't have the time to dot every 'T' or cross every 'I'.. :^/
Yes, the Democrats can put on a great show..
But they can't govern fer scheisse....
Overall, the Democrats showed America the stark difference between their vision for the future of the country versus what Donald Trump and the Republicans had to offer. Hillary Clinton and the Democrats showed level-headedness, seriousness of thought, and openness to all. Republicans, to put it mildly, did not.
Yes, like I said... Democrats put on SOUND OF MUSIC... Republicans put on the nightly news..
It WAS a stark contrast to be sure..
Democrats FANTASY
Republicans REALITY
That sums it up...
This has been your roving reporter, blogging his fingers off from the 2016 Democratic National Convention. Until next time -- four years from now -- this is Chris Weigant... signing off.
Was that fun or what!!?? :D
Awesome job, CW... Loved it... :D
Michale
OK, I'm about to post the Day Four stuff. JohnFromCensornati (and anyone else who read the earlier post of Day Three), please excuse the stuff about the Admiral which was really a note taken about the Day 4 General, and has been moved to its proper place. If you're reading the article for the first time, then you read the fixed version, so please disregard this note.
I'm so confused. :(
Actually, Donald, he does have that right. You know what guarantees him that right? The United States Constitution. Flip to the back, where the Bill of Rights starts the amendments.
I think what Trump was saying is that Kahn doesn't have the right to attack Trump with LIES..
Even THAT is a stretch, because as a public figure, anyone has the right to say anything about him, even with lies...
But the point is.. When Trump is attacked with lies, does Trump have the right to respond??
According to the totality of the Left Wingery, the answer is, apparently, NO....
Michale
I'm so confused. :(
Just roll with it.. :D It makes things a lot easier.. :D
Michale
List of Islamic Terror:
Last 30 Days
https://www.thereligionofpeace.com/attacks/attacks.aspx?Yr=Last30
Every Islamic terrorist attack makes Donald Trump look like a wise old Sage and makes Hillary Clinton and all the Democrats look like moronic ostriches who don't have CLUE 1 what is going on in the world......
Michale
The Republican base: https://t.co/er6iUcmaaO
To all - please call me Guy. The "Big" refers to my height, not the size of any extremities.
Michale, my thoughts on the conventions were not presented as facts just as your rebuttal should not have been. They were my perceptions. The Democrats did a far better job of laying out their agenda to which I give great weight when assessing effectiveness. Neither party went enough towards the center to reel in many of the disaffected of the other side.
Sitting over here a bit left of center, I think the Trump camp is running scared. The response to Mr. Kahn is one example. The most telling was was Manafort and Spicer's defense (screeching in the case of Spicer) of Mrs. Trump's convention address. A simple MFA culpa would have been the end of it. They clearly knew a mistake had been made. If there was any accountability they should have been shown the door. I am sure Fox, CNN, or Hasbro would have given them high paying positions.
Clint Eastwood says the Democrats used the Gold Star family as pawns at the convention.
We got Clint leaving Craig's in WeHo Wednesday night, and he had criticism for both parties. He clearly thinks Trump crossed the line in his now-famous feud with the Khan family, but he thinks the Dems share in the blame for putting the grieving family on display for political gain.
Yep.....
Michale
To all - please call me Guy. The "Big" refers to my height, not the size of any extremities.
Yer extremity never entered my thoughts.. :D
Trust me on that one. :D
Michale, my thoughts on the conventions were not presented as facts just as your rebuttal should not have been
Fair enough.. I just can't keep facts out of things, but I'll try.. :D
Neither party went enough towards the center to reel in many of the disaffected of the other side.
Troo dat... :D
Sitting over here a bit left of center, I think the Trump camp is running scared.
I see no factual evidence of that... I see Trump being Trump, thin-skinned and lashing out...
They clearly knew a mistake had been made
No more a mistake than Obama and Biden have made in the past. Hell, Biden had to drop out of the election over his plagiarism... No one wants to address that.. Wonder why? :D
If there was any accountability they should have been shown the door.
Would you expect/want accountability for Biden and Obama??
How come??
Michale
The Republican base: https://t.co/er6iUcmaaO
And we have heard much MUCH worse from the Demcorat base..
I would post it all, but why bother?? It will just be ignored..
There is nothing ya'all can accuse the Right of that the Left is not equally guilty of..
NO..... THING.....
Michale
To all - please call me Guy. The "Big" refers to my height, not the size of any extremities.
" I'm not even supposed to be here. I'm just "Crewman Number Six." I'm expendable. I'm the guy in the episode who dies to prove how serious the situation is. I've gotta get outta here."
-Guy, GALAXY QUEST
:D
Michale
[23] Michale: Nope. This is your base. These are your people.
[23] Michale: Nope. This is your base. These are your people.
I have no base.. I am not part and parcel to the Republican Party..
This is fact..
Regardless of that, I simply point out the facts..
YOUR base is no better than what you accuse the Republican Base of..
YOUR base is violent and foul mouth-ed and attack Trump supporters.
This is documented fact....
Michale
Paula,
When you start condemning Left Wingers when they attack Trump supporters, then... and ONLY THEN, will you have a moral leg to stand on... ONLY then will you have a legitimate foundation to call into question the actions of the Republican base...
Until that time, it's all nothing but pure unadulterated bigotry...
Michale
Polling results from individual swing states are starting to come in:
New Hampshire: A new poll of New Hampshire shows Clinton with a commanding 15-point lead over Donald Trump, finding Granite State Democrats coalescing around their nominee after their convention while state Republicans remain resistant to Trump. Clinton leads Trump 47% to 32% among likely New Hampshire voters, according to the poll from WBUR, with third-party candidates Gary Johnson and Jill Stein included. Matched up one-on-one, Clinton's lead grows to 17 points, 51% to 34%. The WBUR New Hampshire poll was conducted from July 29 through August 1, and surveyed 609 likely New Hampshire voters. The margin of error is +/- 4 points.
Pennsylvania: Clinton leads Trump 49% to 38% among likely Pennsylvania voters, according to the Franklin and Marshall College poll. Her lead swells to 13 points, 47% to 34%, with Johnson and Stein included.The Franklin and Marshall College poll of Pennsylvania was conducted from July 29 through August 1. The poll surveyed a random sample of 661 registered voters with a margin of error of +/- 4.8 points, and 389 likely voters with a margin of error of +/- 6.3 points.
Michigan: Clinton is ahead of Trump by 9 points, 41% to 32%, among likely Michigan voters, according to a Detroit news/WDIV-TV poll. Clinton's lead is smaller, 6 points, without third-party candidates included. The Detroit News/WDIV-TV poll was conducted from July 29 through August 1, surveying 600 likely Michigan voters. It has a margin of error of +/- 4 points.
Colorado: POLITICO Battleground States polling average has her up 8 points on Trump — the largest margin in any battleground state, except Michigan, where Clinton leads by 10.
Isn't it funny how you ONLY choose to talk about states where Clinton is ahead???
Why is that??
Because you want to IGNORE anything that doesn't fit your ideological agenda...
:D
Michale
[26] Michale: "I have no base.. I am not part and parcel to the Republican Party.."
And that handed me today's biggest sardonic laugh. But then self-deception is a HUGE part of being a republican these days…
[28] John M: Yep! Lot of good looking polls coming out. We need them to hold and increase going forward. Definite post-convention bounce for HRC, though, and that is what we want! Yay!
And that handed me today's biggest sardonic laugh. But then self-deception is a HUGE part of being a republican these days…
You have your laugh..
I have the facts...
That pretty much sums things up... :D
: Yep! Lot of good looking polls coming out.
And a lot of polls show how badly Clinton is losing...
But, of course, ya'all ignore those polls.... :D
That's kewl... When Trump is elected, it will make things all that much sweeter... :D
Michale..
It's funny.. Ya'all cherry pick single polls here and single polls here that feed ya'all's delusion that Hillary is winning..
Yet the facts on the ground, the REALITY is that Trump has the momentum and Hillary is losing ground...
I would show you the facts, but I know from a LOT of experience that it does no good... Ya'all simply ignore what doesn't fit yer agenda...
Michale
So, Trump has a long history of being a successful businessman??? The following are excerpts from an article by Kurt Eichenwald in NEWSWEEK:
In 2000, Trump won a contract to manage the casino for the Twenty-Nine Palms Band of Mission Indians, but after Trump Hotels and Casino Resorts declared bankruptcy in 2004, the tribe paid Trump $6 million to go away.
In 2004, he presented unaudited financials to Deutsche Bank while seeking a loan, claiming he was worth $3.5 billion. The bank concluded his net worth at $788 million, records show. (Trump personally guaranteed $40 million of the loan to his company, so Deutsche coughed up the money. He later defaulted on that commitment.)
Trump’s personal finances were a disaster. In 1978, the year his father set up that sweet credit line at Chase, Donald’s tax returns showed personal losses of $406,386—$1.5 million in present-day dollars. Things grew worse in 1979, when he reported an income of negative $3.4 million, $11.2 million in constant dollars. All of this traced back to big losses in three real estate partnerships and interest he owed Chase. With Trump sucking wind and rapidly drawing down his line of credit, he turned again to Daddy, who in 1980 agreed to lend him $7.5 million.
n September, Trump informed his bankers that he would not be paying the $1.1 million in interest due and asked that they defer $245 million of future loan payments. Once again, the banks could do little but agree. The shuttle business was put up for sale, as was his $29 million yacht, the Trump Princess. (In 1992, Trump defaulted on his debt for the shuttle and turned it over to his creditor banks.) By December, Trump was on the verge of missing an interest payment on the debt of Trump Castle, and there was no room left to maneuver with the banks this time. So, just as he had in the past, Trump turned to Dad for help, according to New Jersey state regulatory records. On December 17, 1990, Fred Trump handed a certified check for $3.35 million payable to the Trump Castle to his attorney, Howard Snyder.
It didn’t matter—Trump’s casino empire was doomed. A little more than a year after the opening of the Taj, that casino was in bankruptcy court, and was soon followed there by the Plaza and the Castle. Under the reorganization, Trump turned over half his interest in the businesses in exchange for lower rates of interest, as well as a deferral of payments and an agreement to wait at least five years before pursuing Trump for the personal guarantees he had made on some of the debt. The total debt remained huge, weighing down the reorganized company for years. In 2004, Trump Hotels & Casino Resorts—the new name for Trump’s casino holdings—filed for bankruptcy, and Trump was forced to relinquish his post as chief executive. The name of the company was then changed to Trump Entertainment Resorts; it filed for bankruptcy in 2009, four days after Trump resigned from the board.
In 2008, he defaulted on a $640 million construction loan for Trump International Hotel & Tower in Chicago, and the primary lender, Deutsche Bank, sued him.
Trump hosted a glitzy event in 2006 touting Trump Mortgage, then proclaimed he had nothing to do with managing the firm when it collapsed 18 months later. (Trump tried again, rechristening the failed entity as Trump Financial. It also failed.) That same year, he opened GoTrump.com, an online travel service that never amounted to more than a vanity site; the URL now sends searchers straight to the Trump campaign website. Also in 2006, Trump unveiled Trump Vodka, predicting that the T&T (Trump and Tonic) would become the most requested drink in America (he also marketed it to his friends in Russia, land of some of the world’s greatest vodkas); within a few years, the company closed because of poor sales. In 2007, Trump Steaks arrived. After two months of being primarily available for sale at Sharper Image, that endeavor ended; the head of Sharper Image said barely any of the steaks sold.
In 2009, Trump and a developer named Jorge Pérez unveiled plans for Trump Hollywood, a 40-story oceanfront condominium that they boasted would sell at premium prices and feature such luxuries as Italian cabinetry. But with the entire real estate market imploding, condo buyers were looking for bargains, and sales were minuscule. In 2010, lenders foreclosed on the $355 million project.
A similarly sordid tale unfolded for Trump Ocean Resort Baja Mexico, a 525-unit luxury vacation home complex that Trump proclaimed was going to be “very, very special.” His name and image were all over the property, and he even personally appeared in the marketing video discussing how investors would be “following” him if they bought into the building. Scores of buyers ponied up deposits in 2006, but by 2009 the project was still just a hole in the ground. That year, the developers notified condo buyers their $32 million in deposits had been spent, no bank financing could be obtained, and they were walking away from the project.
Michael wrote:
"Isn't it funny how you ONLY choose to talk about states where Clinton is ahead???
Why is that??"
Because, the states where Trump is ahead are the traditional die hard Republican states, that would never vote for Clinton or ANY Democrat anyway, and are NOT the states that Trump MUST carry in order to win the Presidency. If Trump can't win in states like Colorado, Florida, Pennsylvania, Michigan or Ohio, where polls all show that Hillary is currently ahead, with the exception of Ohio, where it is tied, then Trump can't win period, no matter what any national polling average might say.
Michale wrote:
"Yet the facts on the ground, the REALITY is that Trump has the momentum and Hillary is losing ground..."
Actually that is NOT the REALITY at all. The REALITY is just the opposite. But you go ahead with your delusional position that fits YOUR partisan political agenda Michale, and just like all those who said that Romney was going to win in a landslide in 2012. Then you can have the same kind of meltdown that Karl Rove had when it doesn't come true.
Because, the states where Trump is ahead are the traditional die hard Republican states,
Of Course they are.. :D
Ohio, where polls all show that Hillary is currently ahead, with the exception of Ohio, where it is tied, then Trump can't win period, no matter what any national polling average might say.
And you don't mention Ohio in your initial comment.. Why is that??
Because it doesn't fit your agenda...
THAT is my point..
In a REALITY based forum such as... oh I dunno.. chrisweigant.com... one examines the good AND the bad..
Ya'all only want to examine the good (for you) and ignore the bad (for you)...
THAT is my point..
Irregardless of all that, you are talking about conventional elections where past performance equals future indications..
This election is anything BUT conventional because the GOP candidate runs to the LEFT of the Demcorat candidate on many issues..
ANOTHE *fact* that ya'all want to ignore because it doesn't fit ya'all's agenda...
Actually that is NOT the REALITY at all. The REALITY is just the opposite.
No, it's the reality. YOUR truth is different because you REFUSE to even consider the FACTS that disrupt your truth..
The fact that you ignore Ohio is proof of this...
This is an ANTI-ESTABLISHMENT election.. Ya'all ignore that fact..
Ya'all ignore ANY facts that don't support your truth... your reality...
Michale
If you were to look at the RCP poll of polls, they are the ONLY polls that are bona-fide acceptable for "proof"...
Things are a LOT closer than you want to believe...
Michale
And RCP clearly shows that, in EVERY battleground state, Trump is within the margin of error..
Which begs the question that NO ONE here will answer..
If Trump is really that bad as ya'all claim......
WHY can't Clinton shut him down... Put him away...
Answer: Because A> Trump is NOT that bad as ya'all claim and... 2> Clinton is NO WHERE near as good as ya'all claim...
These are the facts. And they are indisputable...
Michale
If you really want to get your polling geek on, try the PEC.
http://election.princeton.edu/2016/08/03/why-is-the-pec-polls-only-forecast-so-stable/#more-16741
If you really want to get your polling geek on, try the PEC.
ANY process that relies on hysterical...er.. sorry.. HISTORICAL data, will be useless this election..
Michale
I have no base.. I am not part and parcel to the Republican Party..
"A difference which makes no difference IS no difference"
This is fact..
You have posted a high number for independents in this election, not going to look it up but something like 40%? Then went on to say that 95% of those folks are voting for Trump. This means a large chunk of Trump voters are exactly like you. They are your political persuasion. Of course there is another possibility, you are just talking out your ass and are basically a troll.
So which is it? Are you a Trump supporter or troll?
"A difference which makes no difference IS no difference"
This is fact..
Yes... A difference which makes no difference IS no difference..
This means a large chunk of Trump voters are exactly like you. They are your political persuasion.
Yes.. They are my political persuasion..
INDEPENDENT... Or NPA, if you prefer...
Paula accused me of being a Republican...
She is in error..
But not that I would expect that anyone here (besides me and a couple other select few) would ADMIT that they were wrong..
"Don't cross brains with Spock. He will cut you to pieces every time."
-Ensign Hikaru Sulu
:D
Michale
HA!!!!
https://youtu.be/119AmkkXAR4
Hillary shit her pants!!!!! :D
I can't wait for the debates...
Ya'all know what a deer looks like when it is caught in headlights??
Remember that look..
That's going to be Hillary... :D
Michale
CW-
Having nothing much to do (it's really hot outside) I Googled "Wrath of Khan Trump." A gratifying number of hits...lead off by Ann Coulter of all people. Many pages deep. We Are Everywhere...at least in the English speaking part of everywhere. Wrath of Khan is a thing.
Bashi- 40 You can check off both boxes.
Wrath of Khan is a thing.
Yea, only among the Left Wingery.. It's the same sort of OBAMA IS THE MESSIAH "thing"...
Amongst real Americans, patriotic Americans, it's recognized for what it is.. A luser trying to make money off his dead son...
Bashi- 40 You can check off both boxes.
___ Thank you for your concession that you have no logical or rational response and must therefore resort to childish personal attacks and immature name-calling. Your concession of my superior argument is appreciated, albeit irrelevant..
Just as you can check THAT box..
I get it. Really I do.. You don't have any response to the facts, so you have to play childish "NYAAA NYAAA NYAAA I'M IGNORING YOU!!!" games..
But, seriously.... I would have thought that such kindergarten crap would be beneath someone of your apparent intelligence..
I guess I over-estimated...
Michale
Eastwood's chess analogy is apt. A pawn is lowly until it advances to the end of the board and suddenly becomes very powerful. Mr. and Mrs. Khan got to the end of the board with a powerful presentation getting National exposure.
[45]
TheStig
If Mr Trump would have ignored it as political rhetoric his campaign might not be imploding as fast as it is...
INDEPENDENT... Or NPA, if you prefer...
Which can and usually does have political bias...
"Don't cross brains with Spock. He will cut you to pieces every time."
-Ensign Hikaru Sulu
Spock in the midst of the Pon Farr, maybe...
Veterans deliver 100,000 petitions to McCain's office asking him to un-endorse Trump.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wuKlWLb9tp4
CW:
Thanks for the tip to watch the Truman-Reagan video. Powerful words against the orange menace.
You can see it here: http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/dnc-donald-trump-solemn-responsibility
If you were wondering if your hands are bigger than Trump's (as 85% of American men's are), you can check here:
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/sites/default/files/custom/Meena/TrumpsHand-outline.pdf
If You Go Chasing Rabbits
When logic in conversation is as good as dead
And the Trumpthugs are talking Baghdadbobese
And the Orange Queen says "off with Hillary’s head!"
Remember what the internet said
Don’t feed the troll
I'm trying to think of Trump's greatest hits for an ad to run in the week before the election (he could easily create 10 worse moments than the ones I've listed below before November). Let me know if you have others:
1. Insulting the Khans
2. Insulting the NY Times disabled reporter
3. Congratulating himself after the Orlando shooting
4. Calling Mexicans "rapists"
5. Lying about 9/11 celebrations in NY
6. Not knowing what the Nuclear Triad is
7. Lying about Melania's plagiarism
8. Not releasing his tax returns
9. Inciting Russia to hack the U.S.A.
10. Promoting Nuclear proliferation
LizM [14] -
Yeah, I confused myself by editing-on-the-fly. Just read those last four words, they're the only ones that apply: "please disregard this note."
:-)
Michale [20] -
Um, yeah, because Clint proved last time how politically savvy he is... I mean, was he talking to an empty chair at the time?
Heh. Couldn't resist.
[24] -
OK, now that was funny!
JohnM [28] -
Yeah, I saw those (except CO, somehow missed that one). I'm going to try to put together my first "Electoral Math" column for next Monday. I've been entering data and getting my spreadsheet ready, now that electoral-vote.com is posting data for 2016....
neilm [49] -
Thanks for the link! What with writing this massive column, I didn't have time to look stuff up and provide links, so thanks for doing my job for me!
:-)
Everyone should watch that movie -- it's powerful.
and I'd add to your list: "blood coming out of here wherever."
-CW
Oh, new column is up, everyone (this month's OPW, kinda short)...
-CW
neilm-
Don't forget the reddit AMA debacle. Great for reminding younger folk how out of touch he is...
[52] Insulting that "Mexican" judge and pretending that he doesn't know who David Duke is.
[52]
neilm
Trump lies that he watched a Top Secret video of money landing in Iran.
[52]
neilm
Asking why we can't use nuclear weapons if we have them 3 times in a 1 hour briefing...
[52]
neilm
Claiming that the election will be “rigged” against him...
And I also forgot "Trump University"
It is going to have to be a top 25 list!
The attack ads just write themselves. I was on Florida on business just before the 2012 election and was amazed at the number of ads everywhere (TV, posters. radio, etc.). I live in an expensive media part of a "safe" state so we see none of them.
neilm [52] a whole subcategory of disrespecting the military:
1. Going after John McCain for being a POW
2. Being smarter than the generals
3. Saying he always wanted a purple heart - I would lobby President Obama to give him one if he were to embed with a front line unit in Afghanistan or against ISIS.
Endorsing torture/waterboarding
Here's a wonderful "behind the scenes at the DNC Convention" video -- not very long, but really nice to watch: http://www.dailykos.com/stories/2016/8/4/1556810/-Behind-the-scenes-at-the-Democratic-National-Convention-video
neilm [52]
Trump's comments regarding how sexy he finds his own daughter.
Trump's favorite book of the Bible is "Two Corinthians".
Good list guys!
[62]
Paula
Thank you for that link. I hadn't seen it before..
[52]
neilm
kicked a crying baby out of one of his rally
In other news...
Secret service agents stepped on stage next to Hillary Clinton after protesters interrupted a Thursday campaign rally in Las Vegas.
The protesters were animal rights activists.
If Mr Trump would have ignored it as political rhetoric his campaign might not be imploding as fast as it is...
And another Trump is toast prediction..
I think we're well up into the 40s on that. :D
And yet.. And yet..
Ya'all have been WRONG and I have been RIGHT every single time..
EVERY... SINGLE.... TIME....
Funny how that is, eh? :D
Michale
Secret service agents stepped on stage next to Hillary Clinton after protesters interrupted a Thursday campaign rally in Las Vegas.
Old news. I posted that way up there.. :D
Michale
If you were wondering if your hands are bigger than Trump's (as 85% of American men's are), you can check here:
And the obsession with Trump's hands continues..
Creepy...
Michale
Bashi,
INDEPENDENT... Or NPA, if you prefer...
Which can and usually does have political bias...
Of course... NO ONE can be bias free..
The difference between ya'all and me is that I freely admit my bias.. Ya'all claim ya have none..
The second difference is that my bias is rooted in common sense and not based on Party ideological slavery..
Ya'all can't make the same claim..
Michale
Like I said..
Don't cross brains with Spock.. :D
Michale
CW,
Um, yeah, because Clint proved last time how politically savvy he is... I mean, was he talking to an empty chair at the time?
And THAT is why his words resonate..
Because he is NOT politically savvy..
This country is in REALLY bad shape *BECAUSE* of people who were "politically savvy"...
That's the point ya'all miss...
Michale
If You Go Chasing Rabbits
When logic in conversation is as good as dead
And the Trumpthugs are talking Baghdadbobese
And the Orange Queen says "off with Hillary’s head!"
Remember what the internet said
More incoherent rantings (not my words.. :D ) from JFC... :D
Michale
And in other news..
That moron Kahn's 15 minutes is over...
Thank the gods....
Michale
Good list guys!
Yes. GREAT list..
And yet, Trump is STILL kicking Hillary's ass..
No one can address this one simple fact..
Only two possibilities exist..
Ya'all's list is in your heads...
or
Hillary is much MUCH worse...
Personally, I think it's a combination of the two... :D
Michale
Secret service agents stepped on stage next to Hillary Clinton after protesters interrupted a Thursday campaign rally in Las Vegas.
The protesters were animal rights activists.
Yea.. And after Hillary finished pee'ing her pants she attacks Trump's kids..
Nice.... :^/
Michale
Gay Syrian refugee found beheaded in Istanbul amid concerns Turkey does not protect EU asylum seekers..
A gay Syrian refugee found beheaded in Istanbul had previously been kidnapped and raped, his friends said.
Muhammed Wisam Sankari, known to his friends as Wisam, vanished after leaving his house in the district of Aksaray on July 23. He was found dead two days later, a mile away from his home.
His flatmate Gorkem, who went to identify his body, told the Turkish LGBT magazine KaosGL: “They had cut Wisam violently - so violently that two knives had broken inside him.
“They had beheaded him. His upper body was beyond recognition, his internal organs were out. We could identify our friend from his pants.”
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/08/04/gay-syrian-refugee-found-beheaded-in-istanbul-amid-concerns-turk/
There is Zwahiri Kahn's "peaceful" and "tolerant" religion..
It's simply beyond the pale that ya'all DEFEND this religion...
But, when one takes into account the ideological slavery and the PARTY UBER ALLES mentality, it makes sense.. :^/
Michale
Clinton's third-party headache
Polls show younger voters are taking a long look at the Libertarian and Green Party nominees this year. That could be a big problem for Hillary Clinton in a close race against Donald Trump.
http://www.politico.com/story/2016/08/clintons-third-party-headache-226700#ixzz4GSYOzmzE
Once again, ya'all are blinded to the reality....
Michale
NeilM-52
I would keep an eye on Trump's July fund raising claims... the only "evidence?" seems to be a press release from the Trump camp.
Apophis - 38
Thanks for that link...the older I get, the more Bayesian I become.
Since this race will be settled by the Electoral College, I put a lot of weight on state and DC data, as opposed to national polling.
The New York Times Upshot gives estimated quantitative probabilities of Clinton/Trump winning each state and DC from NYT, 538, Predict Wise and PEC.
If you rank order the states from highest to lowest prob. of victory and sum the cumulative electoral votes, the probability of the state taking the tally to 270 or more is a good estimate of the NYT, 538 and Predict Wise estimated probabilities of winning the general election. I have not checked this against PEC, but since PEC estimates are similar to the other three, I think it likely this swag would work for PEC as well.
The reason this works is 1) there aren't very many competitive states and 2) all competitive states tend to move in the same direction (they are high to moderately correlated, so all presidential elections are in large part wave elections).
Since this race will be settled by the Electoral College, I put a lot of weight on state and DC data, as opposed to national polling.
Glad ta see you have stopped crowing about the betting markets..
Their credibility is worse than Nate Silvers.. :D
Michale
Allah Is Causing Trump to Make Stupid Mistakes
-Khizr Khan
BAAWWHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
How do ya'all like your savior now??? :D
Michale
I used to wonder how Michael could honestly say he supported a man so delusional and narcissistic as Trump -- given that Trump openly admits that he says whatever he thinks people want to hear him say at any given moment, thus discrediting any position he might take on an issue before he even says it -- but I get it now.
"I have no base.. I am not part and parcel to the Republican Party.."
"The second difference is that my bias is rooted in common sense and not based on Party ideological slavery..
Ya'all can't make the same claim.."
"Ya'all have been WRONG and I have been RIGHT every single time..
EVERY... SINGLE.... TIME....
Funny how that is, eh? :D"
Michael IS Trump! He sees himself when he looks at Trump! The belief that his every opinion is "factual", how quick he is to attack anyone who disagrees with him, his narcissistic rants.... Holy-overly-orange-body-spray-Batman! The evidence has been in front of my face this whole time and I just ignored the obvious!
Listen,
It's not as big of a revelation as you make it out to be.. :D
I have always claimed that I share aspects of Trump insofar as his utter contempt for political correctness and and his "call a spade a spade" mentality..
But what you seem to decry as a weakness is a source of great strength..
It's you and those who think like you who are weakened by your rose-colored slavish adherence to Party loyalty..
It's what causes you to turn the other cheek when your Democrat Party honors scumbags and thugs like Trayvon Martin and Michael Brown...
The belief that his every opinion is "factual", how quick he is to attack anyone who disagrees with him, his narcissistic rants.... Holy-overly-orange-body-spray-Batman!
I wonder if you can appreciate the irony of accusing me (and Trump) of attacking anyone who disagrees with us BY attacking me (and Trump) because we disagree with you...
Don't worry, though. I can appreciate the irony enough for both of us.. :D
But that's the problem with you and those others enslaved by Party dogma and ideology..
Ya'all project YOUR faults and YOUR liabilities onto others..
Michale
[83]
ListenWhenYouHear
You nailed it!! His psychosis is a textbook case, just like Mr Trump...
Michael IS Trump!
But, regardless of what I said above..
Thank you... That's a great compliment you just gave me...
Michale
What's next???
Ya'all are going to "insult" me by saying I am Ronald Reagan?? :D
hehehehe
Michale
You nailed it!! His psychosis is a textbook case, just like Mr Trump...
Says the sockpuppet who had to bail from an earlier posting name.. :D
Michale
Apophis,
Seriously...
Which failure are you??
Biga??? Michy???
Which past luser are you?? :D
Michale
[89]
Michale
Maybe CW can verify that I've never posted under any other name than apophis..
Maybe CW can verify that I've never posted under any other name than apophis..
Max nichts.. I let my gloat mechanism get the better of me.. :D
It doesn't really matter one way or the other..
Yer on the wrong side of this and that's all that is important..
Michale
Max nichts.. I let my gloat mechanism get the better of me.. :D
That was a roundabout way of apologizing.. My comments in that regard were uncalled for and not worthy...
Michale
Pupaphobia
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LLXc4OalIn8
neilm [52]
Don't forget that he loves poorly-educated trumpthugs.
Don't forget that he loves poorly-educated trumpthugs.
And THAT's what passes for "serious" conversations around here.. :^/
Sad.....
Michale
TS [93]
I wonder if maybe Homer's pupaphobia originated with an encounter with "John Miller".
I wonder if you can appreciate the irony of accusing me (and Trump) of attacking anyone who disagrees with us BY attacking me (and Trump) because we disagree with you...
I could....if maybe there was a pattern of my doing so that supported your claim. Paula, Liz, Joshua, and others (yourself included) have disagreed with points I have made in the past, yet you do not see me accusing them of being brainwashed tools who blindly serve some imaginary political agenda in response!
Michael, it is YOU that refuses to address the reality of events more than anyone here. Any mention of a current misstep by Republicans is instantly met by you with a cry of hypocrisy against the rest of us for not bashing a Democrat, who may or may not have done something similar back in 1985! You automatically accuse us of not speaking out back then, when you have absolutely no possible way of knowing whether what you are condemning us for supposedly doing is true! Nor is it relevant to the discussion at hand to anyone but you, because you would rather attack the individuals commenting than have a real political debate of ideas! You respond the same way to every freaking comment on here! You refuse to acknowledge that what the political figure did was wrong; you think it is far more important to attack everyone's moral character and claim your own moral superiority based on "facts" that only exist in your head! It doesn't seem to matter that you contradict yourself constantly or that your arguments are based in psuedo-reality; you are right and everyone else is wrong! The best is when you know that your position is complete bullshat and you hijack the entire conversation, demanding that everyone defend an argument that none of us has made or claims to be true, OR we must admit that you are correct. Seriously, the level of mental gymnastics that you perform at times is almost beautiful in its complexity! And while the level of mind-numbing cognitive dissonance it must require for you to stand behind the hogwash you expel might impress some people, it becomes tiresome very quickly.
Think I am full of crap? Please, go reread your posts! It's the same MO time after time!
Michael,
It's what causes you to turn the other cheek when your Democrat Party honors scumbags and thugs like Trayvon Martin and Michael Brown...
Turn the other cheek??? Oh, you mean that I don't bash everything that the Party stands for just because I do not agree with the opinions of some members on this topic! But one "turns the other cheek" only when one has been personally attacked or injured by another. This is where you and I differ greatly, apparently! Paula and I may not view the Trayvon Martin case the same way, we may completely disagree with the other's views on some aspects...but I never consider that to be an attack on me, personally! I don't feel the need to "turn the other cheek" because my cheeks are just fine!
LWYH,
"the level of mind-numbing cognitive dissonance it must require"
It's a chatbot.
[97]
ListenWhenYouHear
Yes, it does become tiresome very quickly.
JFC-99
Exactly. Scroll over it.
[97-98] Listen: Yep!
But, if Michale is true to form, your points will be ignored and he will simply proceed to do, again, everything you have just admonished him for.
I was at a party last night and conversation turned to Trump and friends of mine were lamenting the inability to even talk to Trump supporters and get any kind of coherent response. The my one friend said he'd fallen back on something his mother told him years ago: "You can never win an argument with a fool."
So he doesn't bother trying anymore -- and that's pretty much what happens with people vs. Michale -- you realize there's nothing to work with.
Separate from whatever sort of human Michale is (if he IS human) -- he may be decent, humorous and kind to animals, etc. his purpose for posting here is, I've concluded, simply to bait people. He gets attention and he gets off on what he thinks is scoring points. Contrary to any claims he might make, he's not interested in discussion or genuine debate. He's actually seems very Trumpy -- the more we learn about Trump. There was an article in The Guardian today talking about Trump's "psychological trap" created by his two most prominent dispositional qualities:
A central thesis in my argument was that two prominent dispositional traits define Donald Trump’s temperament: sky-high extraversion (suggesting emotional exuberance and social dominance) and rock-bottom agreeableness (suggesting a decided lack of empathy, caring, kindness and altruism). Especially rare among people seeking public office, this combustible combination produces a social actor who is explosive, threatening and unpredictable.
It goes on to talk about how Trump seems unable to regulate his responses, etc. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/aug/05/donald-trump-psychology-personality-republicans-election
I think Michale is kind of like that.
[102]
Paula
"But, if Michale is true to form, your points will be ignored and he will simply proceed to do, again, everything you have just admonished him for."
His psychosis will not allow him...
I could....if maybe there was a pattern of my doing so that supported your claim. Paula, Liz, Joshua, and others (yourself included) have disagreed with points I have made in the past, yet you do not see me accusing them of being brainwashed tools who blindly serve some imaginary political agenda in response!
Uh.... :D
Turn the other cheek??? Oh, you mean that I don't bash everything that the Party stands for just because I do not agree with the opinions of some members on this topic!
Yet, you bash me and everything the GOP stands for..
You see my point??
Paula and I may not view the Trayvon Martin case the same way, we may completely disagree with the other's views on some aspects...but I never consider that to be an attack on me, personally!
And reads Paula's comment and tell me that it's not an attack on ME personally..
You see the point??
Michale
Listen,
Michael, it is YOU that refuses to address the reality of events more than anyone here.
As I said, you are projecting what ya'all do onto me..
On the one hand, ya'all bitch and moan that I post TOO much, but on the other hand, ya'all bitch and moan that I don't address anything..
Completely non-sequitor..
Your problem is that ya'all want a nice echo chamber where you can fawn over the Democrat Party with comments like "Ditto" and "uh-huh".. This was proven to be factual beyond ANY doubt when I gave ya'all a little vacation during the Demcorat Convention...
All this place was, was an echo chamber...
Nor is it relevant to the discussion at hand to anyone but you, because you would rather attack the individuals commenting than have a real political debate of ideas!
Again, read Paula's comment and then tell me that *I* am the one who is always attacking..
Again, your statement is nothing more than projecting what YA'ALL do onto me...
And while the level of mind-numbing cognitive dissonance it must require for you to stand behind the hogwash you expel might impress some people, it becomes tiresome very quickly.
And yet, here you are making more personal attacks....
I don't think it's becoming "tiresome" to ya'all. You and Paula et al are so desperate to shut me up that you spend HOURS making personal attacks on me..
How about addressing the ISSUES under discussion rather than attacking me, personally??
Let me give you a little bit of advice.. I am not going anywhere. No matter how many times you or Paula or JFC or Stig or anyone else calls me names or attacks me personally or any of that... It won't change a thing. I will always be here..
So, your choices are clear.. You can ignore me like everyone TRIES to do, but fails miserably... You can continue to attack me personally, which will result in hundreds of comments from me in my defense showing ya'all with facts and logic how exactly you are wrong... Or, you can actually address the facts and logic I bring up regarding issues that are in the here and now..
Obviously, the last option is the best for everyone concerned... But make no mistake..
I... AM... *NOT*... GOING... ANYWHERE...
No matter how much ya'all make EVERYTHING about me, no matter HOW many personal attacks or name-calling comments ya'all make... I am not going anywhere..
So, quit trying...
Michale
Paula,
Separate from whatever sort of human Michale is (if he IS human) --
See my comment above to Listen..
No matter HOW many personal attacks you make, I am not going anywhere...
Live with it...
Michale
[102]
Paula
"But, if Michale is true to form, your points will be ignored and he will simply proceed to do, again, everything you have just admonished him for."
His psychosis will not allow him...
Do you ever get tired of being wrong?? :D
So, since I DID address the points and did NOT ignore the points, I guess you have to concede that there is no psychosis...
But I get it... None of ya'all can EVER concede when yer wrong... :D
Michale
Listen,
I think what got you on this tear is the fact that I am right vis a vis ya'all's enslavement to Party...
Two points show this..
Ya'all's support of the Demcorat Party, even though they honor scumbags like Martin and Brown and jeer and boo during the moment of silence for fallen officers..
I mean, honestly..
The second point is ya'all's support of muslims and countries that execute gay people... But, once again, it's PARTY first and everything else takes a back seat.. Morality, integrity, principles..
Now, I know, I know.. You say you don't agree with EVERYTHING the Democrat Party stands for.. I get that.
But, seriously.. That's just a cop-out.
That's like saying, "I don't agree with everything Stalin does, but I support him completely"
So, blame me all you want. Attack me with dozens and dozens of posts..
It won't change the FACTS one iota..
Ya'all support a Party that is in bed with thugs and scumbags and countries that execute gay people..
Don't get pissy at me just because I expose ya'all's enslavement to Party dogma...
Michale
Now, I know, I know.. You say you don't agree with EVERYTHING the Democrat Party stands for.. I get that.
Allow me to illustrate my point..
Does anyone here support HAMAS???
Anyone???
Michale
Of course, no one here will address that....
Which perfectly indicates who has the "psychosis" and who does not.. :D
Michale
his purpose for posting here is, I've concluded, simply to bait people.
Actually, my purpose for posting here is to help out a friend..
Not that it is any of your business, I might add...
I simply ask ya'all to defend the indefensible.. Now, if that makes ya'all cranky and pissy, I don't give a rat's ass...
"Now if that's a source of tension or embarrassment for you, well, I don't give a shit. We're in the business of saving lives, Lieutenant Colonel Markinson. "
-Colonel Nathan R Jessup, A FEW GOOD MEN
If ya don't like having to defend the indefensible, the solution is simple..
QUIT DEFENDING THE INDEFENSIBLE..
Duh...
Michale
his purpose for posting here is, I've concluded, simply to bait people.
"Why is he here?"
"He's just here for a slice of cake."
"And, I'm a big part of the game technically speaking. Uh. Why are YOU here, Gene?"
-Wreck It Ralph
Michale
Ya know, when ya think about it, this is a lot like WRECK IT RALPH around here.
Ya'all are the clique-ish Nicelanders, preening and prawning all over yerselves, patting yerselves on the back and congratulating yerselves how nice and tolerant ya'all are..
Of course, the Nicelanders are only "tolerant" of those who think exactly as they do.. Let some big guy who is completely agnostic to their way of thinking and what do they do?? They're shown to be completely and utterly bigoted to anyone but themselves..
The parallels are uncanny... :D
Life imitating art... :D
Michale
Paula,
But, if Michale is true to form, your points will be ignored
You mean like ya'all do when I totally prove how wrong ya'all are..
Your claims that TRUMP is a racist.. Totally bogus claims that I *PROVED* ya wrong on..
Did you ignore that point??
Yes, ya'all did..
Your claim that Trump said he wants to ban all muslims. I TOTALLY proved ya'all were full of shit when ya'all made that claim..
Did ya'all ignore that point??
Yes.. Ya'all did..
Ya'all's claim that McCarthy stated unequivocally that the Benghazi hearings were meant to take down Hillary..
I PROVED beyond any doubt that those claims were 1000% bullshit..
Did ya'all ignore those points??
Yes. Ya'all did...
Once again. Ya'all make totally false accusations against me, that YA'ALL are guilty of...
I DON'T ignore points... That's ya'all's game.. Not mine.,.
Michale
[102]
Paula
"But, if Michale is true to form, your points will be ignored and he will simply proceed to do, again, everything you have just admonished him for."
His psychosis will not allow him...
Apparently, we now know who has the psychosis and who does not??
:D heh
Michale
Michael,
Again, you go with the dishonest argument. When did I ever claim to support the Saudi government? Never have. Nor do I approve of any government's acts that are a violation of human rights, including our own government's! Russia's laws are extremely anti-gay, but your boy Trump sure loves Putin! You bash us for supporting the Democrats because they support thugs and countries that kill gays, so would I be better off supporting the Republicans like you do? Tell me, why would I support a party that has made it clear that they want to strip gay people of their rights and support pseudo "therapies" that result in people committing suicide? And do not try the bullshit, "I don't support the Republicans, only Trump", because that is, oh how did you put it,
"That's just a cop-out."
And then there is this:
You mean like ya'all do when I totally prove how wrong ya'all are..
Your claims that TRUMP is a racist.. Totally bogus claims that I *PROVED* ya wrong on..
Did you ignore that point??
Yes, ya'all did..
Your claim that Trump said he wants to ban all muslims. I TOTALLY proved ya'all were full of shit when ya'all made that claim..
Did ya'all ignore that point??
Yes.. Ya'all did..
Ya'all's claim that McCarthy stated unequivocally that the Benghazi hearings were meant to take down Hillary..
I PROVED beyond any doubt that those claims were 1000% bullshit..
YOU PROVED NONE OF THOSE THINGS, BUT DID PROVE YOU HAVE NO GRASP ON REALITY WHEN IT COMES TO FACT/FICTION!
You tried to explain what Trump and McCarthy were trying to say, which was based entirely on your own opinion. Your opinion isn't "fact"! Your failure to understand that makes me glad you are no longer a police officer!
You think Trump is against corporations ability to buy political power in this country, and that he would fix the problem? Like what, wanting more justices on SCOTUS like Clarence Thomas -- one of the biggest defenders of unlimited outside money being allowed into our elections? Thomas is Trump's favorite member of the Supreme's. So how can you follow Trump who is lying to you every chance he gets?
Found this from an article in the Atlantic from June:
Assessing the truthfulness of the 2016 candidates’ campaign statements, PolitiFact recently calculated that only 2 percent of the claims made by Trump are true, 7 percent are mostly true, 15 percent are half true, 15 percent are mostly false, 42 percent are false, and 18 percent are “pants on fire.” Adding up the last three numbers (from mostly false to flagrantly so), Trump scores 75 percent. The corresponding figures for Ted Cruz, John Kasich, Bernie Sanders, and Hillary Clinton, respectively, are 66, 32, 31, and 29 percent.
I was glad to see Kasich's numbers were that low -- it shows the GOP hasn't completely gone over to the dark side.
Listen,
Again, you go with the dishonest argument. When did I ever claim to support the Saudi government?
And, again, you go with the dishonest argument..
When did I ever say that you support the Saudi government??
Russia's laws are extremely anti-gay, but your boy Trump sure loves Putin!
And, again, you go with the dishonest argument.. There is absolutely NO FACTUAL EVIDENCE to support your accusation that Trump "sure loves Putin"...
Tell me, why would I support a party that has made it clear that they want to strip gay people of their rights and support pseudo "therapies" that result in people committing suicide?
And, once again, you go with the dishonest argument. I never claimed you should support any Party that does that..
YOU PROVED NONE OF THOSE THINGS, BUT DID PROVE YOU HAVE NO GRASP ON REALITY WHEN IT COMES TO FACT/FICTION!
I proved ALL of those...
Do you have ANY facts to prove your accusation that Trump is racist?? No you do not..
You tried to explain what Trump and McCarthy were trying to say, which was based entirely on your own opinion. Your opinion isn't "fact"!
It wasn't an opinion. It was FACT..
YOUR'S is the opinion that McCarthy "meant" such and such...
My FACT is based on McCarthy and Trump's words...
Your failure to understand that makes me glad you are no longer a police officer!
Low blow, Russ.. I served with honor and retired..
Not that I expect you to acknowledge the facts.. You seem to have a problem with them..
Like what, wanting more justices on SCOTUS like Clarence Thomas -- one of the biggest defenders of unlimited outside money being allowed into our elections?
As opposed to Hillary and Obama, two of the BIGGEST USERS of unlimited outside money for our elections???
Your bigotry is showing...
Thomas is Trump's favorite member of the Supreme's. So how can you follow Trump who is lying to you every chance he gets?
Considering you support Hillary, you are the LAST person to try and make a moral case against Trump's lies.. You have absolutely NO MORAL FOUNDATION to do so..
Michale
You tried to explain what Trump and McCarthy were trying to say, which was based entirely on your own opinion. Your opinion isn't "fact"!
It wasn't an opinion. It was FACT..
YOUR'S is the opinion that McCarthy "meant" such and such...
My FACT is based on McCarthy and Trump's words...
In other words, it's your *OPINION* that McCarthy MEANT this or Trump MEANT that when they said what they said..
However, it's a *FACT* that neither Trump nor McCarthy SAID what you are accusing them of saying...
As per the norm, the *FACTS* are on my side...
Michale
So, Paula accuses me of not addressing points and then runs away and hides when she CAN'T address the points..
Funny... :D
Michale
So, Paula accuses me of not addressing points and then runs away and hides when she CAN'T address the points..
Funny... :D
Michale