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Thursday Open Thread

I've got motions due, so no blogging for a day or so.

Has anyone noticed that Donald Trump's ex-wife Marla Maples will be on DWTS starting next week? She supports Donald. Isn't that just like more free publicity for him? [More...]

Geraldo is also competing. (He was on Celebrity Apprentice and came in second.) DWTS has the worst track record when it comes to picking political contestants....from the wooden Bristol Palin to Tom DeLay. I don't think ABC is trying to promote Trump, I think it's trying to profit off of him...it realizes that anything associated with Trump will perk viewer's interest. A year ago casting Marla Maples would bring yawns and most people would ask, "Marla who?" Now it's going to bring in viewers, and up ABC's ratings and the amount it can charge advertisers. I'd watch if it was just Geraldo, but no way will I watch Marla Maples.

I'd like to know the name of the Trump family dentist. These are Marla Maples' teeth. Those were not what her teeth liked when she was Miss Georgia. Those are Trump-era teeth. I think she had them done before their wedding. Ivanka has beautiful teeth too. And, of course, there's Trump's veneered teeth. I'm not criticizing them, they all have beautiful teeth. I just want to know if they all have the same cosmetic dentist and who he or she is. (Years ago it may have been Dr. Larry Rosenthal, not sure it still is.) Here's a different looking Melania with dentist Michael Apa, who is or used to be in the same practice as Rosenthal.

Here's an analysis by a dentist of the Democrats' teeth. (Obama's are natural, Joe Biden probably spent the most on his, and Bernie has a very old three tooth bridge -- why am I not surprised?)

Ivanka and Melania also have similar noses now (neither used to.)

This is an open thread, all topics welcome.

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    Happy St. Patrick's Day, one and all! (5.00 / 1) (#1)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Thu Mar 17, 2016 at 04:25:51 AM EST
    This year marks the 100th anniversary of the Easter Rising in Dublin, a seminal event in Irish history which marked the beginning of the end of British rule over the territory that today comprises the Republic of Ireland.

    While the British quelled this initial rebellion at a cost of 466 dead on both sides (which also left a good portion of Dublin in ruins), and subsequently executed 16 Irish rebel leaders for high treason against the Crown, their failure to corral 25-year-old Michael Collins allowed him to regroup and reorganize the remnants of the rebellion into a potent force that eventually became the Irish Republican Army (IRA).

    Sinn Fein, the IRA's political arm, dominated  island-wide parliamentary elections in December 1918, and unilaterally declared the country's independence one month later on January 21, 1919, sparking the Irish War of Independence.

    Under Collins' brilliant leadership, the 10,000-strong IRA fought the much larger British Army to a virtual stalemate in a vicious three-year guerrilla campaign, eventually forcing the negotiations which eventually lead to British recognition of the Irish Free State on December 6, 1921. The six counties in the north that had a majority Protestant population remained loyal to the Crown, and eventually became Northern Ireland.

    If you go out and celebrate tonight, please do so in moderation and / or designate someone else to drive.

    "May the road rise up to meet you.
    May the wind be always at your back.
    May the sun shine warm upon your face;
    The rains fall soft upon your fields and until we meet again,
    May God hold you in the palm of His hand."

    Aloha.

    Proof again. (5.00 / 1) (#2)
    by Chuck0 on Thu Mar 17, 2016 at 08:03:48 AM EST
    That one man's terrorist, is another man's freedom fighter.

    Parent
    That phrase is false (none / 0) (#8)
    by nyjets on Thu Mar 17, 2016 at 10:09:56 AM EST
    One mans terrorist is a terrorist period.

    Parent
    I guess you still want to be (none / 0) (#10)
    by CST on Thu Mar 17, 2016 at 10:12:26 AM EST
    A part of the british empire.

    Parent
    In for a farthing; in for a pound, (none / 0) (#12)
    by Mr Natural on Thu Mar 17, 2016 at 10:30:34 AM EST
    as we say here in the Jolly Olde USA.

    Parent
    On that subject (none / 0) (#13)
    by CaptHowdy on Thu Mar 17, 2016 at 10:32:43 AM EST
    AMCs excellent revolutionary war spy series TURN starts again soon

    Parent
    not the same (none / 0) (#17)
    by nyjets on Thu Mar 17, 2016 at 11:36:18 AM EST
    terrorist dont slaughter civilians. Terrorist dont blow up schools and hospitals.
    And yes, I will not dispute the fact that our military does behave like terrorists.


    Parent
    So when they planned the strategic (5.00 / 1) (#33)
    by jondee on Thu Mar 17, 2016 at 03:48:36 PM EST
    bombing campaigns in WWII, no one knew that thousands of innocent people would be killed, maimed, and traumatized?

    It is forbidden to kill; therefore all murderers are punished, unless they kill in large numbers and to the sound of trumpets.

         Voltaire

    Parent

    The question, (5.00 / 1) (#41)
    by NYShooter on Thu Mar 17, 2016 at 05:56:43 PM EST
    "no one knew that thousands of innocent people would be killed, maimed, and traumatized?" is a moot point.

    Eisenhower, and his General Staff, were concerned that, after months of heavy bombing on Industrial, military, and other strategic sites, the German population maintained a positive attitude, and their moral continued to remain high. The bombing of Dresden, which had little strategic value, was chosen specifically because of its, virtually total, civilian population. We were going to teach them a lesson they wouldn't soon forget.

    Firebombing the city was approach they chose. The city was laid to waste. Tens of thousands of civilians were killed. While they achieved a short term success in destroying the city, they failed in their primary goal of demoralizing the population. Moral remained high, and the Allies, admitting they had made a huge mistake, never used that strategy again.

    Parent

    Precisely. (5.00 / 1) (#142)
    by oculus on Fri Mar 18, 2016 at 06:46:18 PM EST
    I luv you, (none / 0) (#148)
    by NYShooter on Fri Mar 18, 2016 at 07:20:31 PM EST
    really.

    Parent
    About ten years ago I met a man from Dresden. (none / 0) (#159)
    by oculus on Sat Mar 19, 2016 at 12:16:49 AM EST
    I had just finished listening to Shirer's magnum opus. I opined that it was not necessary for the Allies to destroy Dresden, which did not have military targets. First the man curtly corrected my pronunciation of his ciry's name. Then he lambasted me--it is never necessary to  destroy cities with civilians.

    Parent
    NYShooter: "While they achieved a short term success in destroying [Dresden], they failed in their primary goal of demoralizing the population. Moral remained high, and the Allies, admitting they had made a huge mistake, never used that strategy again."

    ... in mid-February 1945, the Soviet Red Army was at the Oder River and about 70 miles from Berlin, Anglo-American ground forces had broken across the Rhine River and were driving through the German heartland, much of Germany's industrial capacity lay in ruins because of Allied bombing, and the British and American air forces were clearly running out of targets.

    And while the war in Europe continued until May 7, 1945, Nazi Germany was obviously prostrate by the time Dresden was marked for destruction, and it was only a matter of weeks before the war would be over. The Anglo-American air forces never used that strategy again because there was no need to do so, because by March 1945 most of Germany was firmly under Allied military control. And that's why the Dresden bombing was completely unnecessary and likely constituted a war crime.

    While the point you're making about German morale is not wrong, a much better example than Dresden would be "Operation Gomorrah," the carpet-bombing of Hamburg in July-Aug. 1943 by Royal Air Force Bomber Command and the U.S. Army 8th Air Force. That act killed, which killed some 42,000 civilians, was specifically intended to demoralize the German populace.

    It backfired badly. Instead of driving the German people and Adolf Hitler apart, the destruction of Hamburg brought them closer together in common cause -- although Nazi Minister of Propaganda Josef Goebbels did confess in his private diary that upon touring the ruins of Hamburg, for the very first time since the war began he feared that Germany was losing.

    Aloha.

    Parent

    Interesting, thanks (none / 0) (#182)
    by NYShooter on Sat Mar 19, 2016 at 07:37:33 PM EST
    With so much negative description of the German civilian population during The War, here's a big positive.

    When my family departed Germany in December, 1951 for its epic voyage to America, the city we left from was the port of Hamburg. In the few short years between Hamburg's virtually total demolition, and our leaving from it, the Germans managed to build a new city, leaving little visual reminders of what had, just recently, happened to it.

    Industriousness is certainly a quality the Germans had/have in spades.

    Parent

    Northwestern Germany was still ... (5.00 / 1) (#190)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Sun Mar 20, 2016 at 12:01:11 AM EST
    ... under British military control at the time your family departed for their new life in the United States, even though the Federal Republic of Germany, aka West Germany, had come into political existence in 1949 with the merger of the British, French and American zones of occupation. (Southern Germany, including Bavaria, constituted the U.S. zone, as did the German port city of Bremen in the north.)

    And yes, the Germans are certainly industrious. For the better part of 50 years in Long Beach, CA, there existed a massive harbor floating megacrane known as YD-171, and unofficially called "Herman the German." It was originally designed and built by the Germans during the Second World War to lift U-Boats clear of the water for repair. Herman the German was one of three such megacranes seized by the Allies in Hamburg at the end of the war and divvied up between the Americans, British and Russians as some of the spoils of the conflict.

    The U.S. shipped Herman the German to Southern California in 1948, where it was reassembled in the Long Beach Naval Shipyard and put to work. It had an enormous lift capacity of 475 tons. (Here's a photo of it about to lift Howard Hughes' megaplane "The Spruce Goose.") In the 1990s, with the closure of the naval shipyard, Herman the German was sold to Panama and shipped to the Panama Canal, where it's still in operation.

    Aloha.

    Parent

    That's just nonsense. (none / 0) (#19)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Thu Mar 17, 2016 at 12:07:00 PM EST
    The Irish Free State (now the Republic of Ireland) would never have won its independence, were it not for the asymmetrical war waged against the British by Michael Collins and the Irish Republican Army.

    The IRA's "Bloody Sunday" attack of November 21, 1920, a preemptive series of simultaneous early morning assassinations which targeted and wiped out to a man the "Cairo Gang" -- the elite British intelligence unit that had been specifically deployed to Dublin to kill Collins and decapitate the IRA leadership, but whose members had instead been identified by Collins' own espionage network which had infiltrated Dublin Castle -- was arguably one of the most brilliantly conceived operations in the history of guerrilla warfare.

    In fact, Collins' men had only managed to eliminate half the number of British officials and local collaborators he had actually marked for death that morning. But his quick and ruthless destruction of the Cairo Gang shook and unnerved the British military leadership in Dublin to its very foundations, and finally convinced Whitehall to open the peace negotiations with Collins in London that eventually led to the complete British withdrawal from southern Ireland one year later.

    Aloha.

    Parent

    Speaking of Brits (none / 0) (#3)
    by CST on Thu Mar 17, 2016 at 09:12:21 AM EST
    Happy Evacuation Day!

    Or - the random holiday that the city of Boston dug up to give them an excuse to take St. Patrick's day off.  It's still a school holiday, but unfortunately, not a holiday for most offices.

    "Evacuation Day remembers the first major American military victory in the American Revolutionary War, which saw the British troops leave Boston on March 17, 1776.  General George Washington, who became the United States' first president, fortified Dorchester Heights by using cannons captured earlier from Fort Ticonderoga. The armies lobbed shells at each other during the movement, with colonists escalating the action on March 4, distracting the British soldiers' attention.

    General William Howe, of the British Army, woke up on March 5 that year to find that there were heavy guns aimed at his solders and down at the British fleet. Rather than repeat the heavy casualties of the Battle of Bunker Hill, the British troops left in haste on March 17 and never returned. This was a major psychological victory for General Washington and the colonists.

    The American Continental Army's sacrifices and efforts played a big role in establishing what is known today as the United States of America. The Evacuation Day holiday was proclaimed in 1901 after a failed attempt in 1876."

    Parent

    Bernie ' s campaign manager now says (5.00 / 1) (#5)
    by sallywally on Thu Mar 17, 2016 at 09:54:35 AM EST
    they will try to get Clinton ' s pledged delegates --the ones she has earned by winning states -- to vote for Sanders. As he wins all these western states, his earned delegate count will go up, they are saying, and her pledged delegates will become amenable to switching to him.

    He also wants to save her time being in needless battle with Trump, which "might not be healthy for her." They also would not change to a less personal - attack  mode  with her. Not switching to a general campaign mode of running against Trump -- maybe he thinks it wouldn't be healthy for him!

    He has given up staying out of the gutter completely.

    "Let's steal the voters' delegates!" (5.00 / 6) (#11)
    by Towanda on Thu Mar 17, 2016 at 10:20:34 AM EST
    I used to respect Sanders.  Sure, pols will be pols.  But them came blatant hypocrisy, from the "purity" candidate betraying his promises.  

    And now this?  He ought to be drummed out of the party that he just joined.  And now I can see why he previously was a party of one.

    Parent

    "And now this?" (5.00 / 2) (#39)
    by christinep on Thu Mar 17, 2016 at 05:20:53 PM EST
    I wonder: Could it be that service to an ideology often leads to any means in service to an end? Once one side/one person claims ownership of purity, the other side/person easily can be characterized by the pure one as bad, evil, or (at best) full of fault.  IMO, Towanda, his tactics will worsen as the desperation of his camp grows.

    It would be good if we Democrats can start shepherding the primary phase to a just conclusion before the acrimony of the campaign intensifies.  While the Repubs face near disintegration as their hatred turns inward, a major concern could develop if realistic understandings within the Democratic Party aren't reached as to deceleration later in April ... because the likes of Tad Devine and other operatives within Sanders' campaign seem to be playing a destructive side-game these days. Defeat snatched from the jaws of victory ... oh no!

    Parent

    I think you are right (none / 0) (#56)
    by sallywally on Fri Mar 18, 2016 at 10:39:17 AM EST
    about the purity/true believer aspect of this possibly leading to an anything is acceptable if it furthers the "mission."

    Parent
    Might not be healthy for her? (5.00 / 2) (#27)
    by nycstray on Thu Mar 17, 2016 at 01:53:15 PM EST
    Sounds like Trump's playbook where he is saying she isn't strong and has no energy. . .

    Parent
    Good luck with that (none / 0) (#6)
    by jbindc on Thu Mar 17, 2016 at 10:00:40 AM EST
    In a poll out today (Merrill), HRC is up +26 in Arizona and just yesterday Her SuperPac said after Arizona, it's not spending more money on the primary.  THAT'S how confident they are.

    Parent
    Yeah, pretty huge assumptions he is making (none / 0) (#21)
    by ruffian on Thu Mar 17, 2016 at 01:08:44 PM EST
    Hope next Tuesday is just like last Tuesday and we can put these fantasies to rest.

    I have no issue with him going out and making speeches, spreading a positive message. But at the moment his campaign seems incapable of doing that.

    Parent

    The Hillary campaign (none / 0) (#23)
    by CaptHowdy on Thu Mar 17, 2016 at 01:18:54 PM EST
    Put out a statement saying Bernie was very likely going t have a series of good contests.

    Pretty sure next Tuesday won't be like last Tuesday

    Parent

    I'm sure he will (none / 0) (#26)
    by jbindc on Thu Mar 17, 2016 at 01:49:25 PM EST
    There are several states that seem that they would more naturally align with Sanders. But Arizona is a little too Hispanic for him, I think, and Utah?  Lots of conservative Dems,  which are more in Hillary's camp, but lots of gun lovers, so maybe Sanders.  I can see Idaho for sure be8ng friendky to Bernie.

    Thar's the three up next Tuesday - 131 total delegates.  According to 538, she needs 57 to stay on target, so I don't think that should be difficult.

    Parent

    I can see her winning Arizona. Not sure about.. (none / 0) (#29)
    by Cashmere on Thu Mar 17, 2016 at 03:05:09 PM EST
    the rest.  Hopefully they will be close so the delegates roughly split.  The states that Bernie will likely win by  large margins, I predict, as I live in Portland, OR, are:  Washington and later Oregon.  I realize I live in a city that does not surprise anyone re: the extreme support for Sanders.

    Parent
    He'll take Wisconsin, too (none / 0) (#34)
    by Towanda on Thu Mar 17, 2016 at 04:15:24 PM EST
    which did not go to Clinton in 2008, either. Too much of Wisconsin remains very backward toward women, in politics or otherwise.

    But like the other states ahead, its delegate numbers just are not sufficient for Sanders to make up his massive deficit in delegate counts to date.  (Of course, most in the media can only count by states, so they will become even more confused.)

    Parent

    Any polling in Wisconsin? (none / 0) (#40)
    by christinep on Thu Mar 17, 2016 at 05:30:34 PM EST
    Also: What are your expectations about Milwaukee? Actually, I'm very interested in the large city/small city and exurb/suburb profile.  I guess my question really goes to the organization or interest level outside Madison et al?

    Parent
    Very little polling (see 538 or RCP) (none / 0) (#42)
    by Towanda on Thu Mar 17, 2016 at 06:17:46 PM EST
    and not in recent weeks -- which is weird, as I had calls from PPP and other pollsters.  Maybe they do internals for the candidates that we don't see.

    The Clinton campaign is staffing more offices, as I got a call from an organizer now here.  But he did not have a good grasp of my record with the campaign, so I found the discussion futile.  Perhaps my record was stolen in the Sanders' campaign's hacking?

    Milwaukee will go for Clinton -- the city, that is . . . but only if the voter-suppression tactics of Walker and his cohort can be countered.  That's a tough call now.  If only Obama's DoJ had acted when it could have done so; the belated current work and our case before the Supreme Court will not fix the mess even by fall.

    But the solid ring of almost-all-white burbs around the city and even whiter exurbs probably again will be pranking the Dems' campaign with the usual sport of crossover voting, because those areas are so red.  (Do not believe those who say that crossover is a myth; the very good analysts here have solid, persuasive evidence.) And those votes will be for Sanders, because: CDS, and a bad state for women in politics, and for women in just about everything else, too.

    The other big blue area, of course, is Madison.  It will go madly for Sanders.  Because, as we say, it's in Wisconsin but not of Wisconsin.  It's mainly non-Wisconsinites who despise the Sconnies (locals) and imagine themelves in places more like . . . well, Middlebury, Vermont.


    Parent

    Towanda: As always, thank you (5.00 / 1) (#48)
    by christinep on Thu Mar 17, 2016 at 10:05:41 PM EST
    While I was wishing for some cheerful news ... realistically, I agree that the cross-over routine is a killer in open primaries. The unusual situation in Ohio where the Repubs & Independents had to choose their own Kasich or Sanders deterred cross-over maneuvers. Maybe we could draw a Dem Primary Circle around Minnesota, Michigan, & neighbor Wisconsin; and, if that is the case, making headway in the populist climate there may be one of the general campaign's biggest challenges.

    Parent
    I (none / 0) (#43)
    by FlJoe on Thu Mar 17, 2016 at 06:59:36 PM EST
    would think that most Republicans would be voting in their own race, I think it's going to be pretty close. Any Republican who is smart enough to be tactical voting (ie. Non Trump voters) might already be conceding the nomination and will be thinking of trying to right their own ship.

    Parent
    Why would you think that? (none / 0) (#46)
    by Towanda on Thu Mar 17, 2016 at 08:31:52 PM EST
    Do you know Wisconsin?  Or are you also in, so know, an open-primary state?  Did you see the evidence of considerable crossover in Michigan?

    Or are you reading different GOP blogs and FB sites and such here?  I don't see what you see, at all.

    Parent

    I (none / 0) (#51)
    by FlJoe on Fri Mar 18, 2016 at 08:54:27 AM EST
    don't know WI and Fl is closed, thank goodness, but I do understand crossover voting and the "pranking" effect. I just think that having a close and bitter fight on the GOP is going to spur those voters to participate in their own race rather than just vote for Sanders just to poke Hillary in the eye in a likely futile gesture.

    For what its worth some analysis has suggested that the crossover has been going the other way (maybe contributing to Clinton loss in MI). The exit polls seem to back that up.
    With 4% R's voting D and 7% D's voting R in MI, and a similar 3%/6% in VA.


    Parent

    Bernie courting Latinos... (none / 0) (#60)
    by sallywally on Fri Mar 18, 2016 at 10:52:11 AM EST
    He is in AZ talking to Latinos and native Americans about non-deportation and a path to citizenship, same as Hillary.

    Parent
    Bernie knows he's in another bind (5.00 / 1) (#63)
    by CoralGables on Fri Mar 18, 2016 at 10:57:14 AM EST
    He could win 2 out of 3 next Tuesday and fall further behind.

    Parent
    Seems to be (none / 0) (#164)
    by Nemi on Sat Mar 19, 2016 at 08:16:46 AM EST
    his new default: Ask him any question and as a supplement to answering 'Warle Street!' he has now added 'Blacks! Latinos!'

    Parent
    Please tell me that Sanders is not (none / 0) (#175)
    by Towanda on Sat Mar 19, 2016 at 03:19:17 PM EST
    talking to Native Americans about deportation and a path to citizenship.  Please.

    Parent
    Sorry (5.00 / 1) (#189)
    by sallywally on Sat Mar 19, 2016 at 11:43:12 PM EST
    Latinos about deportation and just visiting the Navajo Nation and talking.

    Parent
    We'll see. I think that email is 50% innoculation (none / 0) (#77)
    by ruffian on Fri Mar 18, 2016 at 12:11:58 PM EST
    Once the bubble bursts, deflation can happen pretty fast.

    Parent
    ruffian (none / 0) (#45)
    by CaptHowdy on Thu Mar 17, 2016 at 08:29:39 PM EST
    Got Glanders?

    Parent
    LOL - no thank god (none / 0) (#57)
    by ruffian on Fri Mar 18, 2016 at 10:46:29 AM EST
    But I did accidentally stick myself int he knuckle with the needle I used to give my dog sub-Q fluids! OUCH! Spent 3 hours in the urgent care waiting room yesterday, in case it was infected...or I was going to start chasing squirrels!  got a tetanus booster and antibiotics. A day in the life....

    Parent
    I love Elizabeth bugging the pastor (none / 0) (#58)
    by ruffian on Fri Mar 18, 2016 at 10:48:25 AM EST
    That is going to be good.

    and as always, #poorMartha

    Parent

    Did you by any chance Google glamders ? (none / 0) (#67)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri Mar 18, 2016 at 11:36:08 AM EST
    Apparently it was a big search.  Which means they are finally building an audience I guess since many of the links were show related.

    Yeah
    I was screaming at the tv "NO NO NO FER GOD SAKES DONT TELL RELIGIOUS TEEN AGER!!!"

    I knew that would not end well.

    Poor Martya and poor Beeman.

    "Fer god sakes stop shaking me I'm carrying a deadly biological weapon"

    Parent

    Yay - we need a season 5! (none / 0) (#72)
    by ruffian on Fri Mar 18, 2016 at 12:06:10 PM EST
    Phillip is a super good spy, to keep from using his well honed murderous skills on Beeman....yet!

    Parent
    Here's a ... (none / 0) (#15)
    by Robot Porter on Thu Mar 17, 2016 at 11:11:29 AM EST
    link featuring the actual comments.

    Sallywally characterizes them accurately.

    But I'm posting this so people can check for themselves.

    Parent

    I wonder where they got the idea from? (none / 0) (#35)
    by pitachips on Thu Mar 17, 2016 at 04:24:32 PM EST
    Personally I think this is a stupid idea and at the end of the day will backfire in a way that the Sanders campaign will regret. That being said a short trip in the way back machine...

    http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/03/26/more-clinton-hints-that-pledged-delegates-are-up-for -grabs/

    As you know so well, Mark, every delegate with very few exceptions is free to make up his or her mind however they choose," she told Time's Mark Halperin in an interview published Wednesday. "We talk a lot about so-called pledged delegates, but every delegate is expected to exercise independent judgment."


    Parent
    I don''t blame them for making the argument (none / 0) (#36)
    by jbindc on Thu Mar 17, 2016 at 04:47:06 PM EST
    The difference between now and then is, in 2008 she actually had more votes cast for her than Obama did.  (Yes, there was the nonsense in Michigan where Obama and Edwards made a tactical decision to remove their names from the ballot because the votes "wouldn't count" [like Florida, but they couldn't remove their names there], so they got zero votes, but no one who had more than a quarter of a brain cell thought the DNC was ACTUALLY going to not count two huge and important states at the convention.)  It was a decision that worked, but the fact remains that HRC still had more votes than Obama, even though he got more delegates.  THAT was her argument.

    That is not the case here.  Now, Sanders is currently trailing by millions of votes AND is 300+ delegates behind and wants the SD's to switch sudes.

    Parent

    I actually agree with you (none / 0) (#37)
    by pitachips on Thu Mar 17, 2016 at 05:04:13 PM EST
    Its just a slippery slope once you've argued that pledged delegates can be lobbied. I don't think the Clinton campaign will even bother to respond.

    Parent
    I disagree and agree (5.00 / 2) (#38)
    by jbindc on Thu Mar 17, 2016 at 05:19:43 PM EST
    I don't think the two situations are remotely the same, but I do agree that HRC won't say anything unless it gets to the point where Bernie hangs on way too long and is hurting her for the general.

    Parent
    vessel by cannon fire.

    That's about as a declarative middle finger as I've seen lately.

    Hey sarc... (5.00 / 1) (#31)
    by fishcamp on Thu Mar 17, 2016 at 03:19:59 PM EST
    Any fish over there in the big ocean?   We're getting ready for the tarpon season that usually starts next month.  Went over to the Everglades, in the wind last week, and saw a few laid up, but they couldn't get to my fly.  Lotta nervous water in my canal, caused by bait.  Something is down there chasing them.  Good signs.

    Parent
    Things are starting to warm up here too. (5.00 / 1) (#84)
    by sarcastic unnamed one on Fri Mar 18, 2016 at 12:25:59 PM EST
    Some big white sea bass taken recently, yellow tail moving northward as the water warms. I've been super busy, but have hit the kelp for calico olive rockfish.

    Heading to st Maarten in April. Will be my first time chasing tarpon, bonefish, permit, snook, etc...

    Parent

    RANT ALERT (5.00 / 1) (#111)
    by ragebot on Fri Mar 18, 2016 at 02:36:07 PM EST
    The signs are bad where I am.  My mast is 52'10" and I can't get under the 54' bridge between me and the Gulf because the Corps is releasing a billion gallons of polluted water a day from Lake O in the Caloosahatchee River so it is running about two feet above flood stage.  Guess I should feel lucky since the St. Lucie is getting 1.7 billion gallons of the same polluted water from Lake O.

    A little shocked you did not mention this since there seems to be a massive sea grass die off,  red tide, dead fish, dead manatees, and by some accounts a back lash against Rubio that some claim is the result of him supporting big sugar, who are responsible for the pollution.  Of course it is not just Rubio as big sugar has been bribing pols from both parties for decades.  There are plenty of pix of the destruction on the internet.  The fishing guides on both coasts have been getting coverage and there is already evidence it is not isolated around Ft. Myers and Stuart.  Backwater guides in the Keys are also claiming fish are scarce.  So much so that Rick Scott has a Lake O Loan Program, not that the guides think it will do any good.

    For more details go here, but I am not optimistic there will be any good solutions.  Just glad I can, and may have to, lower my mast for the trip to open water.

    Parent

    Have fun with Big Sugar. (none / 0) (#115)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Fri Mar 18, 2016 at 03:23:38 PM EST
    Hawaii's last sugar plantation and mill, over in Central Maui, is shutting down after its final harvest later this year.

    Parent
    Short history of (5.00 / 1) (#137)
    by ragebot on Fri Mar 18, 2016 at 05:08:18 PM EST
    Big Sugar.

    Clinton and Walkin Lawton really started the modern era of big sugar polluting in Florida with the origins being when JFK/congress embargoed Cuban sugar  in 1959 and provided huge subsidies to the sugar barons.  Not that the Republicans are blameless, especially in recent history, just that the origins were with Democrats.  A big part of the problem is the ACE controls digging canals to drain swamps, store the water, regulated how much water big sugar can back pump into Lake O, and the release the polluted water.  If a private business did that there would be big fines and probably law suits with big damages, but it is almost impossible to sue the Corps.


    Parent

    When greed is involved, party is irrelevant. (none / 0) (#141)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Fri Mar 18, 2016 at 06:37:36 PM EST
    The Kingdom of Hawaii was seized by the GOP-led United States in the 1890s, in part because of its strategic location, but primarily because the islands at the time provided over one-third of the sugar consumed in the U.S.

    The so-called "McKinley Tariff" of 1891, which wasn't really a tariff at all but a 5 cents / lb. federal bounty to U.S. sugar producers to strengthen the home market, was ostensibly meant to ween the American markets off its over-reliance on Hawaiian sugar. Instead, it provided a lucrative incentive to the mostly American-born sugar barons in Hawaii to plot the overthrow of Queen Liliuokalani's government and seek annexation to the U.S., in order to receive that 5 cents / lb. bounty. They succeeded in Jan. 1893 with the direct assistance of U.S. Ambassador John L. Stevens and the U.S. Navy.

    What cotton was to the world economy in the late 17th and early 18th centuries, that is, a mainstay which spurred dramatic economic growth, sugar was in the late 19th and 20th centuries. Both made for some fabulous fortunes for the few and well-placed, but brought an untold amount of misery and degradation to millions of others who were not so fortunate.

    Aloha.

    Parent

    Overpopulation... (none / 0) (#25)
    by Mr Natural on Thu Mar 17, 2016 at 01:22:57 PM EST
    ... It's what's for dinner!

    Parent
    Maybe a little OT and from (none / 0) (#168)
    by ragebot on Sat Mar 19, 2016 at 10:39:29 AM EST
    FOX Latino, but still something I did not know.  Wonder how the illegal fishing fits into this.  In any case it is something I was not aware of.

    Parent
    Interesting is an understatement (none / 0) (#170)
    by Mr Natural on Sat Mar 19, 2016 at 12:20:15 PM EST
    Good article and video of Yale sexual assualt case (5.00 / 2) (#47)
    by McBain on Thu Mar 17, 2016 at 09:36:48 PM EST
    Link
    From the article by Dan Wetzel...
    It is a reminder why colleges and universities should work to change federal government and get out of the business of trying to handle complex cases involving what is otherwise criminal conduct, such as sexual assault. No matter how noble the goal, they aren't equipped for it.

    In the video, CBS legal annalist Rikki Klieman talks about the Title IX aspect...

    In that move to protect these women, we've gone overboard and forgotten about the rights of the accused....... this case could have precedential value, not only in the law,  but also how universities are going to have to look at least cases

    I agree with both quotes.  If something terrible happened it should have been investigated by the police not Yale.  This wasn't a case plagiarism, it was far more important.  

    Wetzel discribes the "fact finding" process that voted for expulsion...

    There is no right to discovery. There is no right to know of exculpatory evidence. There is no statute of limitations. There is no right for the defendant to confront his or her accuser. The "complainant and the respondent" do not appear together. Each side can speak for just 10 minutes. Neither is allowed to call any witnesses - only the panel can do that and if it does, only the panel can ask them questions.

    What a nightmare to have to appear before such a panel at such a young age. You have 10 minutes to convince, potentially biased people that you're telling the truth.  Does anyone know if a student is allowed to have legal counsel? I believe an episode of the Good Wife dealt with a similar topic and the accused was able to bring in Alicia to save the day.  Maybe it differs from school to school?


    "Is Montague guilty? Is Montague innocent? I have no idea. I am not arguing either thing and couldn't at this point, although many others are convinced one way or the other."

    [...]

    "Due to the private nature of the procedures, only limited facts have been made public, all via Montague's lawyer, Max Price. Who knows what he didn't include? The problem is: he didn't need to tell everything on Monday. Because of the system's inherent deficiencies, Price was able to piggyback off the media attention for the NCAA tournament to turn Montague into a martyr for the wrongly convicted and attack campus political correctness while leaving the woman to deal with stories that suggest she was dishonest. For Montague, it was a smart play."

    [...]

    "Are these undisputed facts in the case? There's no way of knowing right now because unlike the judicial system, nothing else is public. This is one side's story. It may all be true. It may not. It has received all the publicity this week though. ... In this case the system either failed Montague originally with an undue expulsion or it is currently failing the woman who is open to post-verdict attack because the system is so poorly conceived."

    [...]

    "False allegations of rape are rare, falling in single-digit percentages, according to the FBI. Nothing is more damaging to future sexual assault cases than the public believing they are common. There's a reason so few assaults are reported at all. Yet here is another high-profile campus incident where it is being suggested, without rebuttal, because of a campus judicial system trying to comply with federal law."

    (Emphasis is mine.)

    Parent

    First poll out of New York in a month (5.00 / 2) (#54)
    by CoralGables on Fri Mar 18, 2016 at 09:47:25 AM EST
    Sanders expects to compete there with the NY primary just a month away.

    Clinton +48

    Tad Devine will continue to make up stories trying to show a path to the nomination, but there is an old racetrack saying from long ago...he's dead, he just doesn't know it yet.

    Talking (5.00 / 1) (#55)
    by Ga6thDem on Fri Mar 18, 2016 at 10:25:37 AM EST
    about competing NY is completely stupid. I can't believe they went there. The equivalent of that would be Hillary saying she was going to compete in Vermont.

    I also understand the Sanders campaign is suing NY to try to change it to an open primary.

    Parent

    Jeez. Stop at nothing. (5.00 / 2) (#65)
    by sallywally on Fri Mar 18, 2016 at 11:07:32 AM EST
    No longer a message candidate, and no respect for the Democratic party and its rules and customs. He is not even a Democrat! He won't pay the party any mind when it is no longer useful to him, even though the party generously allowed him to run as a Dem, which has made possible any wins he has/had.

    Parent
    Bernie is behaving just like (5.00 / 2) (#66)
    by sallywally on Fri Mar 18, 2016 at 11:23:39 AM EST
    Trump, who also is pushing to change his party's rules while running as  an outsider and taking the advantages of both insider and outsider. I really want to see both of them soundly defeated. Neither one thinks they need the party, no doubt a view shared by their supporters. Bernie continues to try to steal delegates from Hillary if he can.  

    Parent
    Fascinating ..."authenticity" (5.00 / 2) (#80)
    by christinep on Fri Mar 18, 2016 at 12:20:18 PM EST
    Since it seems ol' Frank Luntz is pedaling the same notion on CBS morning show today and since the usual bunch of ol' boys in the DC/NY media re-discovered the vessel of "authenticity," I suppose that we will be hearing and reading about how HRC has a "flaw" there.  Who knows? Luntz even cued John Dickerson that CBS polling should ask about HRC and this vacuous, but useful, word "authenticity."  The answer to leading questions(s) is mostly foreordained ... that is why the pushers of same lead with a few weeks of concentrated stories on the word, then ask the question responders have wittingly/unwittingly been prepped to answer.

    Remember how "authentic" Bush was portrayed by AP and others as people were led to feel that they would want to have a beer with him. At the same time in the summer of 2000, we read repeated news tales of Al Gore's preppiness, clothes-advisor, & image of the know-it-all who sat in the front of the class wanting to answer every question.  What characters the press created ... and, it seems, more than some swallowed those tales of Bush' compassion and "authenticity."  

    Indeed--and tho I gag with disgust thinking of it--the next few weeks will stress how people (aka the press who are about the task of imbuing the word with new meaning)do not view her as "authentic." Blah, blah, blah. Two initial remarks: (1) Note that polls to date typically evidence strong support for HRC among Democrats on a number of personal characteristic issues; whereas, it is the Repubs who are already prepared--overwhelmingly--to denounce her on all personal characteristic questions. Perhaps, the press will clearly reveal that existing distinction ... don't hold your breath :)  (2) Timing, as ever, is important in the presentation of the press gambit.  For example: I think that the appeal of the "authentic" trope will tank in the immediate aftermath of the New York Primary should that contest be decided (as expected) strongly in Hillary Clinton's favor.  If the outcome in NY, New Jersey, Rhode Island, and Pennsylvania favors HRC it would be nigh to impossible to assert that voters in those key states (aka "the people") agree with any fabricated notion of authentic/inauthentic & HRC.

    Parent

    But, but, but--what about the while males? (none / 0) (#82)
    by oculus on Fri Mar 18, 2016 at 12:23:57 PM EST
    He is actually (none / 0) (#69)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri Mar 18, 2016 at 12:00:45 PM EST
    Talking about a contested convention.

    Don't believe it?

    Watch him on Maddow last night.  I did not but I saw that part.

    Parent

    Yes, I saw that, too. (5.00 / 1) (#73)
    by KeysDan on Fri Mar 18, 2016 at 12:08:19 PM EST
    He said he will try to capture the super delegates from those states that gave him a large majority, such as New Hampshire.  Along with giving voters a chance to vote for him in western states.  He is trying his best to give his supporters a modicum of hope and keep the donations coming in.  

    Rachel, after the Sander's interview was ecstatic. Oh boy, it was just great.  It took her special guest Chris Hayes to apply a little reality therapy. You just know it was odd, when Hayes has to temper the Sander's juggernaut.

    Parent

    Before I read the last sentence (none / 0) (#79)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri Mar 18, 2016 at 12:16:27 PM EST
    I was about to say exactly the same thing.

    Parent
    Captain, (none / 0) (#87)
    by KeysDan on Fri Mar 18, 2016 at 12:52:27 PM EST
    was it my TV, or was Senator Sanders face red, as if he was badly sunburned?   Did not look good to me. Hopefully, it was my TV.

    Parent
    I think he hasn't looked good (5.00 / 1) (#94)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri Mar 18, 2016 at 01:07:33 PM EST
    For a while.  I've said it before.  But yeah.  That was weird maybe just because it was such a closeup.

    You could count the pours on his bulbous red nose.

    Parent

    Um (none / 0) (#95)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri Mar 18, 2016 at 01:09:26 PM EST
    Pores


    Parent
    I think perhaps (5.00 / 2) (#187)
    by athyrio on Sat Mar 19, 2016 at 08:34:25 PM EST
    winning the nomination has become more and more important to the senator...more than he figured at the beginning which is sad...IMO...

    Parent
    W.C. Sanders? (none / 0) (#139)
    by Mr Natural on Fri Mar 18, 2016 at 06:04:19 PM EST
    Senator Sanders (none / 0) (#140)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri Mar 18, 2016 at 06:08:19 PM EST
    Do you like children?

    I do if they are properly cooked.

    Parent

    He was extremely red on my TV too. (none / 0) (#155)
    by sallywally on Fri Mar 18, 2016 at 09:06:05 PM EST
    I wondered if he could be in danger of a stroke.

    Parent
    It's really difficult (5.00 / 2) (#89)
    by CoralGables on Fri Mar 18, 2016 at 12:58:50 PM EST
    to have a contested convention when you're opponent walks away with the nomination on the first ballot. Clinton looks to be on track to win the nomination by about 1000 votes.

    Parent
    My interpretation of that (none / 0) (#92)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri Mar 18, 2016 at 01:05:30 PM EST
    Was you will have to drag me off the stage kicking and screaming

    Parent
    Once the funds start drying up (5.00 / 2) (#68)
    by CoralGables on Fri Mar 18, 2016 at 11:49:31 AM EST
    you have to go extreme for any chance to garner more. The Sanders campaign dropped big bucks into the vote last Tuesday and came up empty. There was no positive or even false narrative from the night to raise more funds.

    Once the nomination path hits a blockade the link to send money doesn't gather many clicks. No one wants to throw good money after bad. The media is starting to do the math and that's bad news for Sanders.

    Parent

    I hope that's true (5.00 / 1) (#70)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri Mar 18, 2016 at 12:01:43 PM EST
    I'm afraid they will send him money as long as he asks for it.

    Parent
    It seems (5.00 / 3) (#78)
    by Ga6thDem on Fri Mar 18, 2016 at 12:12:59 PM EST
    to me that the funds should have long ago dried up however if Republicans are funding him then he will get money until he drops out.

    Parent
    How much do we know (5.00 / 1) (#93)
    by sallywally on Fri Mar 18, 2016 at 01:07:03 PM EST
    about whether/which Republicans are funding him and if he knows?

    Parent
    honestly who cares (5.00 / 1) (#85)
    by CST on Fri Mar 18, 2016 at 12:26:16 PM EST
    He's not going to win a contested convention, and frankly, this is the kind of thing that will turn people off.  Maybe not his die-hard supporters, but you are seeing people start to break ranks.

    It's unfortunate because I would actually have liked him to have more influence in the Dem party but this is just burning bridges.

    That being said, it will not have any impact on who the eventual nominee is.  If there were a contested convention he's lose it, and there won't be.

    Parent

    IMO (5.00 / 2) (#90)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri Mar 18, 2016 at 01:03:38 PM EST
    It could have significant effect on how much of his support goes to the nominee.

    Again IMO h seems to have no problem with the role of spoiler.

    Parent

    I think you are right. (5.00 / 2) (#96)
    by sallywally on Fri Mar 18, 2016 at 01:10:17 PM EST
    And his young supporters don't realize how he has turned his back on his stated values.

    Parent
    I Made That Arguement a Week... (5.00 / 1) (#108)
    by ScottW714 on Fri Mar 18, 2016 at 02:19:10 PM EST
    ... or so ago, that him staying in won't effect HRC.  Now I am beginning to disagree, if he keeps feeding people with the notion that he has a real chance, they are going to flip out when he doesn't win, especially if they start believing that something was rigged or that he was cheated.

    HRC needs those people to go to the polls.

    I get the feeling that Sanders is taking direction from his supporters instead of the other way around.  He is starting to lose it, time for him to take some reality pills and bow out gracefully while making sure his supporters understand that he lost fair and square.  That he exceeding any expectations and will continue his fight, but as a Senator.  We need him fighting the good fight and if he pulls this BS, he will get zero support in the Senate for any financial reforms.

    He also needs to get his people on team D, and make sure they vote.  We don't have time to discuss mathematical possibilities, contested conventions, and changing rules.  That is only taking away from the circus show that looks like they might actually have a contested convention.

    It's done, time to save his reputation and ensure Trump is not the next president.

    Parent

    Agreed. (5.00 / 3) (#112)
    by KeysDan on Fri Mar 18, 2016 at 02:46:48 PM EST
    It is beginning to look like Senator Sanders is leading or following his own establishment, and not in a responsible way.  Mrs Clinton can't make the suggestion of his bowing out, so it must come from him. But, it needs to happen. Democratic energies need to turn to voter registration, getting the vote out campaigns, and organizing against the Trumpian menace. Senator Sanders has made his contribution to the primary, and, Mrs. Clinton has demonstrated that she was not just the coronation candidate.    

    Parent
    Yes (5.00 / 1) (#75)
    by Ga6thDem on Fri Mar 18, 2016 at 12:09:39 PM EST
    but once he wins a caucus next week I'm sure some will start sending money. He did blow through a wad of money this week for no results.

    Parent
    And he will go at it harder yet. (none / 0) (#156)
    by sallywally on Fri Mar 18, 2016 at 09:08:39 PM EST
    Closed primary... (none / 0) (#88)
    by kdog on Fri Mar 18, 2016 at 12:56:14 PM EST
    means no chance...I and all the other Bernin' independents can't vote for him.  He'd win a popularity contest in NY, but has no chance in a primary.

    Yeah I know I could have changed my sh&t from I to D...but not even I like Bernie that much to put a Scarlet D after my name on the rolls.  I'm proud of my good name and wanna keep it! ;)

    Parent

    Grow a pair kdog (5.00 / 1) (#91)
    by CoralGables on Fri Mar 18, 2016 at 01:05:23 PM EST
    Cast a ballot that's meaningful even if it's against my preferred candidate.

    You have one week from today to have it postmarked

    Parent

    Why SHOULD you and other I's (5.00 / 1) (#100)
    by jbindc on Fri Mar 18, 2016 at 01:32:56 PM EST
    Get to vote in a Democrat8c primary?

    Parent
    Because in kdog's case (5.00 / 1) (#103)
    by CoralGables on Fri Mar 18, 2016 at 01:42:09 PM EST
    The state of NY lets him change his voter registration for the primary as long as it's postmarked by 3/25.

    In such a case, under NY statutes, he would no longer be an independent and thus permitted to vote in the NY primary in April within his party of choice.

    Parent

    I understand that (5.00 / 2) (#105)
    by jbindc on Fri Mar 18, 2016 at 01:53:55 PM EST
    I'm asking generally  - why does think ANY primaries should be open?

    If someone can't be bothered to register (if it is necessary in your state), then why should that person be allowed to help pick a party's nominee?

    Bernie really needs to put the brakes on this argument.

    Parent

    With or without Bernie (5.00 / 1) (#106)
    by CoralGables on Fri Mar 18, 2016 at 02:00:04 PM EST
    as part of the discussion, I completely agree with you.

    Parent
    So independents and those... (none / 0) (#109)
    by kdog on Fri Mar 18, 2016 at 02:25:32 PM EST
    who prefer a candidate from the other party to the candidates in their own party in a particular primary have a democratic say in the matter?  Which is especially critical in a country dominated by a mere two political parties, leaving very limited choices compared to countries with 4,5,6 parties.  

    I know, I know...the two parties are not democracies and are basically free to nominate whoever the hell they want in any way they want...but I think it's f8cked up.

    And I know the argument for closed parties, to keep people from playing Machiavellian games.  Not everybody plays Machiavellian games though...some of us actually would like to just vote for somebody without having to join a party we have issues with.  

    Parent

    Bernie's not even a Democrat (5.00 / 3) (#124)
    by jbindc on Fri Mar 18, 2016 at 03:47:08 PM EST
    Why aren't you demanding that he should have run as an Independent? Why should he actually be the Democratic nominee if he has no desire to actually register as a Democrat? (I know, as he said, he just did it for the media exposure and money).

    By your logic, I should be able to vote in NYC elections because I may like a mayoral candidate that's running and think she'll do a great job for the city and bring back a broken windows policy.  I don't live there and I have no desire to live there,  but hey,  I think I should get a vote.

    Parent

    Because the People Who Decide... (none / 0) (#110)
    by ScottW714 on Fri Mar 18, 2016 at 02:29:01 PM EST
    ...elections switch parties.

    The number of people doing it is so small it's hardly worth discussing.  For me personally, I don't want to be on some list of political preference.  People end up dead when chaos ensues and while the likelihood is small, certainly folks with a D were fired during GWB.

    There is no valid reason for anyone to declare their party affiliation in order to vote.

    As far as Sanders goes, bring it up before you can use it to your advantage.  It is what it is and Sanders needs to get over the fact that he will not be the democrat nominee, even with the help of republicans.

    Parent

    Democratic nominee (5.00 / 1) (#152)
    by sallywally on Fri Mar 18, 2016 at 08:36:16 PM EST
    At least on this site we should be grammatical.

    Parent
    But to be clear (5.00 / 1) (#104)
    by CoralGables on Fri Mar 18, 2016 at 01:45:42 PM EST
    I'm not an independent. I'm a Democrat and have been since I registered to vote at 18 years of age. And I did so specifically so I could vote in all primaries in Florida which is a closed primary state.

    Parent
    You're crazy... (none / 0) (#98)
    by kdog on Fri Mar 18, 2016 at 01:26:32 PM EST
    I am not now, nor have I ever been, a member of a Wall Street Party.  Maybe, at some later date, if the Democratic Party shifts dramatically and shows me something other than looking good only in comparison to Republicans I'll consider joining.  

    Bernie's special, but he ain't that special!  I wouldn't even do it for Liz.  

    Parent

    But you'd vote for (5.00 / 1) (#102)
    by CoralGables on Fri Mar 18, 2016 at 01:37:24 PM EST
    someone that peaked as Town Meeting Representative of Lexington, MA for President.

    Change to a "D" for one election. Hell, change to an "R" for one election. Just vote for someone that is actually running for office. Us old folks would be proud.

    Parent

    kdog: You may be boxing yourself in (none / 0) (#113)
    by christinep on Fri Mar 18, 2016 at 03:01:52 PM EST
    Take a breather on the over-my-dead-body-stuff.  Honestly.  Look ... from everything that I've read, you have quite a supply of practicality ... and, if only as a New York man, you know that is how the world runs.  With a cave-like attitude, you can effect nothing--practically--other than contributing to the vote for Trump or Cruz or wolf-in-sheep's-clothing Kasich.

    Think. Think with your head (yes, you are smart:)) about this longtime, real-life dilemma: Seeing some significant advances in areas that you care about, in your lifetime, via compromise OR sadly seeing no change and even some setbacks in those same areas because all-or-nothing almost always realizes nothing.  

    A political election is a political election.  Spiritual journeys, canonization processes, powerful artistic & musical transformations should not be confused with the very earthly reality of administering the government.  Don't mistake idolization of a human being for effective government leader.

    I wish you the best.

    Parent

    Relax... (none / 0) (#119)
    by kdog on Fri Mar 18, 2016 at 03:36:20 PM EST
    You said it yourself, I live in NY where the democratic candidate can't lose if they tried.  It gives me the liberty to protest vote...the only box I'm in is the one I wanna be in.  

    NY Republicans have it much worse...with the electoral college, their vote is truly pointless, where as my vote for the Greens has at least some meaning...election funds, getting on the next ballot automatically if they hit a number, etc.

    Parent

    For now: okay (none / 0) (#126)
    by christinep on Fri Mar 18, 2016 at 03:54:20 PM EST
    The last sentence has its own pragmatism, I'll acknowledge.  For the overall general election, tho ... that box sure must be comfortable.

    Parent
    It is... (none / 0) (#127)
    by kdog on Fri Mar 18, 2016 at 03:59:21 PM EST
    a very cozy box, with a mirror I can look in no problem, which is all anyone can ask of themselves when it comes to their votes, and how they live their lives.

    I've only regretted one vote in my whole life Chris, and it wasn't Ralph Nader as a Florida resident in 2000. It was Kerry for Pres in '04.  I gave into the fear, and I was ashamed of myself.    

    Parent

    A theoretical, but real, question (5.00 / 2) (#131)
    by christinep on Fri Mar 18, 2016 at 04:19:36 PM EST
    kdog: What if others--other people, other citizens with lesser advantages or less skills--were hurt by George W? If your vote could have prevented that war or that social services cut or other social intransigence effecting daily civil rights .... Yes, what if?  I know each of us has to answer to our own conscience; so, should the conscience include the projected and real hurts to others?

    It really isn't answerable, I guess. For any of us.  But, the question of responsibility--personal and/or more broadly in a societal, civic sense--does loom out there in any polity that would be premised on something beyond the mirror. For example: I do still hold a bit of blame against Nader & his voters (no matter the counter argument that Gore should have been a better campaigner & done better without needing a special count.)  And example #2: In the more recent situation involving passage of the ACA, I definitely believe that the good obtained in terms of coverage & basic care for the many additional millions of people far outweighs the purist argument urged by the "perfect" detractors.  

    Ah well ....

    Parent

    This is (5.00 / 4) (#99)
    by Ga6thDem on Fri Mar 18, 2016 at 01:28:33 PM EST
    a great article Hillary voter

    It makes the most salient point how the press talks about how nobody is "excited" about Hillary yet she has more votes than any other candidate out there running on either side.

    Who is the Hillary voter? (5.00 / 1) (#169)
    by jbindc on Sat Mar 19, 2016 at 12:09:48 PM EST
    Link

    The voter we almost never hear about, however, is the Clinton voter. Which is surprising, since Hillary Clinton has won more votes in the primaries than any other candidate so far. She has amassed over 2.5 million more votes than Sanders; over 1.1 million more votes than Trump. Clearly Clinton voters exist, yet there has been very little analysis as to who they are or why they are showing up to vote for her. Sure, there has been talk of Clinton's dominance among African-American voters, and, to a lesser extent, Hispanic voters. Her voters seem to skew older and more affluent. But these are demographics. (And even demographics have a hard time explaining her commanding win in Ohio, or her wins in Massachusetts and Missouri.) There is almost no discussion of what is motivating these voters. If anything, the media seems to think they are holding their noses as they vote for Hillary. As a recent New York Times article suggested, Clinton is winning "votes, not hearts."

    We never hear that Hillary Clinton has "momentum"--what she has is a "sizable delegate lead." No one this cycle has described Clinton supporters as "fired up"--it's simply not possible that people are fired up for Hillary. No, what we gather about Clinton from the press is that she can't connect. She has very high unfavorable ratings. People think she is dishonest and untrustworthy. She is not a gifted politician. She is a phony. Hated by so many. The list goes on.

    Considering that narrative, one would expect Clinton to be faring far worse in the primaries. Instead, she currently holds a popular vote and delegate lead over Sanders that far surpasses Obama's lead over her at this point in the race in 2008.

    This is no accident. An examination of Clinton voters and their motivations might reveal that the narrative that most media outlets have been feeding us this election cycle is dubious at best. Because if the biggest vote-getter of either party is Hillary--by a large margin--then that suggests the electorate is not necessarily as angry as pundits claim. It further suggests that perhaps some people are tired of hearing about how angry they are, and are quietly asserting their opinions at the ballot box. If Democrats are so angry, Clinton would not be in the position she is today. Is it really so farfetched to claim that quite a few Democrats aren't voting for Sanders precisely because he seems angry? Which isn't to suggest that people aren't angry--certainly many Republican primary voters seem to be. Rather, it is to suggest that voters who aren't angry are still showing up at the polls, despite being ignored in news stories.

    SNIP

    So perhaps Clinton voters don't show up at rallies so much. Perhaps they are a bit less passionate on Facebook, share fewer articles, give less money to their candidate (she does have a super PAC, after all). But what they are doing is perhaps the only thing that actually matters in an election. They are showing up to vote. In numbers that no other candidate can boast.

    It's certainly curious to presume, as many do, that Clinton's supporters are somehow less enthusiastic than Sanders's are. How is enthusiasm measured, if not by actual vote count? And they are doing so despite the media narrative surrounding their candidate, despite hearing very little about themselves in the media, despite her "damn" emails, despite Benghazi, despite her low Gallup favorables, and despite how everyone else is "Feeling the Bern." If anything, Clinton might need to thank the press for consistently underestimating her. Perhaps this is why her supporters are coming out for her in such strength: to assert their existence in the face of a narrative that both overlooks them and disparages their candidate.



    Parent
    I would (5.00 / 2) (#174)
    by FlJoe on Sat Mar 19, 2016 at 01:52:57 PM EST
    also add that Obama's job approval ratings have been steadily climbing over the last several months reaching positive territory after years in the dumps, that's hardly the sign of increasing anger, especially from the democratic base.

    Parent
    David Brooks, the conservative (5.00 / 1) (#132)
    by KeysDan on Fri Mar 18, 2016 at 04:36:49 PM EST
    Republican columnist for the NYT, has concluded that Trump is not terrific, after all.  in his column (March 18) "No, Not Trump, Not Ever," he presents his mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa.

     But, he has learned a lesson, he has to change the way he does his job if he is going to accurately report on the country. As if he ever did.  He just can't believe what has so suddenly gone wrong with his party that they would go for Trump, an ignorant, child seeking the presidency.Someone who lies at the rate of once every five minutes, based on a study of Trump speeches.

    Brooks says he just hasn't socially mingled with the Trumpettes, so as to feel their pain.  But, he does understand that they lost their dream and, of course, what else can they do but become angry, racists and nativists seeking scapegoats and violence.

    No mention if Brooks will now hang out in dive bars or move from his suburban cul-da-sac to a double wide next to Kim Davis, but he knows Trump is bad.  Because he will lose the election and do bad things if elected. Of course, it is just Trump, no mention of him being the love child of anger and hate, 40 years in gestation.

     Or, Republican policies.  Or, how different Trump is from Cruz, or his, latest boy crush, the sad little Marco.  Angry Trumpettes just arrived, tax cuts for the one percent and removal of regulations did not get them into the country club,  but Brooks does not recognize that you can only pIss on people so long before they realize it is not raining.  Forty years is about what it takes for a Republican.  And, Brooks still does not say that he will not ever, never VOTE for Trump.

    Schadenfreude is so unseemly (5.00 / 1) (#134)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri Mar 18, 2016 at 04:51:06 PM EST
    But it's getting harder and harder to stay  seemly

    Parent
    SMH (none / 0) (#145)
    by Ga6thDem on Fri Mar 18, 2016 at 06:58:20 PM EST
    That Brooks column is so full of smarm and condescension and he does not even realize it. Yeah, all that is going to do is make Trump more popular.

    Parent
    Charles Pierce (none / 0) (#150)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri Mar 18, 2016 at 08:24:03 PM EST

    Moral Hazard, the Irish setter owned for photo op purposes by New York Times columnist David Brooks, was worried. Master couldn't get off the floor. He had laid down on a small throw-rug in the club room of the Young Fogies Club on 44th Street shortly after dinner on Wednesday night. He had not since moved from that spot. Moral Hazard had done everything he could. He had licked Master's ear. He had dropped an old slobber-thick tennis ball on Master's forehead. He had chewed Master's left wingtip shoe even though it still was on Master's right foot. Now, he lay across the room in front of the cold empty hearth, licking his balls in deep contemplation, and wondering if he should alert Douthat, the houseboy, that Master seemed to be in a state of coma and that he was endangering the rest of the members of the Young Fogies Club as a danger to navigation on their way to the Gentleman's Lounge, where it was Fish Taco Friday and three-for-one Jell-O shots.

    Moral Hazard noticed that Master had left his computer on, and that there were words on the screen, arranged in paragraphs. He wandered over and put his paws up on the desk. He looked over at Master again. Master's eyes were open but he was not seeing anything. Moral Hazard read, and he understood. He walked sadly out of the room, through the kitchen, and out onto the fire escape over the alley. He let the afternoon breezes wash over him. He wondered if Master would ever wake up, or if anyone would notice if he did.

    Schadenfreude?

    Parent

    Oh Danny Boy (5.00 / 1) (#138)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri Mar 18, 2016 at 06:01:38 PM EST
    The most amazing rendition I have ever heard of a song I didn't even know I liked

    just in time to be a day late for St Patrick's Day

    Pretty good. (5.00 / 2) (#151)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Fri Mar 18, 2016 at 08:31:26 PM EST
    Irish music is always most welcome. That said, I find this amazing vocals-only cover by Sinéad O'Connor to be one of the most haunting versions of "Danny Boy" I've ever heard.

    The traditional Irish group The Chieftains have regularly collaborated with Ms. O'Connor to great effect, most notably on "He Moved Through the Fair" from the soundtrack to director Neil Jordan's 1996 biopic "Michael Collins," which played (SPOILER ALERT) during the climactic scene in which Collins himself is killed by radicalized elements of the IRA he founded and forged in August 1922 at Béal na Bláth, County Cork.

    Very seldom seen nowadays, I've heard that "Michael Collins" is due for a general re-release in Ireland this year on its 20th anniversary. It's a compelling work and remains the highest grossing film in that country's history, despite Jordan having taken a considerable historical liberty with his thinly-veiled insinuation that future Irish President Eamon de Valera may have orchestrated Collins' assassination. (There's absolutely no evidence to that effect, even though de Valera was clearly that primary political beneficiary of the crime.)

    Aloha.

    Parent

    Love Sheneeda Wig (none / 0) (#153)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri Mar 18, 2016 at 08:37:37 PM EST
    And the Chieftains.

    Parent
    Never too late, (none / 0) (#173)
    by KeysDan on Sat Mar 19, 2016 at 01:41:38 PM EST
    ....very pretty.

    Parent
    NSA Refused to provide Secretary Clinton (5.00 / 2) (#192)
    by Mr Natural on Sun Mar 20, 2016 at 10:44:55 AM EST
    a secure Blackberry, emails show.

    "We began examining options for (Secretary Clinton) with respect to secure 'BlackBerry-like' communications," wrote Donald R. Reid, the department's assistant director for security infrastructure. "The current state of the art is not too user friendly, has no infrastructure at State, and is very expensive."

    Reid wrote that each time they asked the NSA what solution they had worked up to provide a mobile device to Obama, "we were politely told to shut up and color."

    Standard smartphones are not allowed into areas designated as approved for the handling of classified information, such as the block of offices used by senior State Department officials, known by the nickname "Mahogany Row" for the quality of their paneling. Mills said that was inconvenient, because they had to leave their offices and retrieve their phones to check messages.

    Mills also asked about waivers provided during the Bush administration to then-Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice for her staff to use BlackBerrys in their secure offices. But the NSA had phased out such waivers due to security concerns.



    Read (none / 0) (#196)
    by TrevorBolder on Sun Mar 20, 2016 at 01:08:51 PM EST
    A couple of interesting articles regarding this, but not too many here consider it relevant. It appears the NSA also had issues with Madame Sec and her lieutenants.

    I believe the The NSA is also conducting a review of how their information ended up in e mails from Sid Blumenthal to Madame Sec.
    Among others.

    I believe The Bern will not suspend his campaign as long as the FBI/NSA probe is ongoing. He would not want any interloper like Biden or Kerry be handed the nomination, in case the unthinkable happens,

    Once the FBI gives the all clear signal, then The Bern might suspend his campaign

    Parent

    All I can say is..... (5.00 / 1) (#197)
    by NYShooter on Sun Mar 20, 2016 at 01:52:55 PM EST
    Thank goodness this thread is almost at its 200 comment limit!


    Parent
    My issue was why wouldn't the NSA (5.00 / 1) (#198)
    by Mr Natural on Sun Mar 20, 2016 at 02:31:50 PM EST
    provide a hacked blackberry.  Were they ordered to allow someone to listen in?

    Parent
    They only (none / 0) (#200)
    by TrevorBolder on Sun Mar 20, 2016 at 05:45:41 PM EST
    Provided one Blackberry, against their wishes.
    To President Obama

    "It just really bothered a lot of people -- nobody wanted to put anything out there that wasn't completely secure," said retired NSA technical director Richard "Dickie" George in an interview with CNNMoney.
    George's role was to review the BlackBerry's algorithms and write and engineer diagrams for the phone.
    In response to Obama's request, the NSA set up a lab where dozens of experts performed surgery for several months on a high-profile patient: the soon-to-be presidential BlackBerry. The course of treatment was to manipulate the device's innards to weed out potential threats to secure communication.

    http://tinyurl.com/ncz5zqg

    Parent

    Actually (none / 0) (#199)
    by jbindc on Sun Mar 20, 2016 at 04:18:34 PM EST
    I thinknit lends credibility to her arguments about having a more secure private server.

    Parent
    Krugman Then vs Now (none / 0) (#4)
    by pitachips on Thu Mar 17, 2016 at 09:35:07 AM EST
    http://www.thenation.com/article/paul-krugman-raises-the-white-flag-on-trade/

    It's also true that much of the elite defense of globalization is basically dishonest: false claims of inevitability, scare tactics (protectionism causes depressions!), vastly exaggerated claims for the benefits of trade liberalization and the costs of protection, hand-waving away the large distributional effects that are what standard models actually predict.

    Our party better wise up. A candidate that speaks like Trump on trade/finance (but without the overt racism/xenophobia and outright lies) WILL emerge within the next couple of presidential cycles and could do to our party what he has done to the GOP.

    Krugman's the man! (none / 0) (#7)
    by Mr Natural on Thu Mar 17, 2016 at 10:04:54 AM EST
    but "large distributional effects" is an understatement.

    Most people don't discuss economic policy; they trade platitudes.

    "Man does not live by cheaper flatscreens alone"


    Parent

    Candidate Speech analyzed: (none / 0) (#9)
    by Mr Natural on Thu Mar 17, 2016 at 10:10:24 AM EST
    Donald Trump 'uses grammar typical of children aged 11 and under'

    In the study, 'A Readability Analysis of Campaign Speeches from the 2016 US Presidential Campaign', researchers from Carnegie Mellon University's Language Technologies Institute (LTI) wanted to establish the reading level of the candidates' speeches. They analysed a number of transcripts for each candidate, including campaign trail speeches, victory speeches and defeat speeches.

    They found that the Democratic presidential candidates also used grammar typical of students aged between 11 and 14.

    But the vocabulary used by Bernie Sanders was more advanced than that used by Hillary Clinton. The 74-year-old Vermont senator uses words similar to those used by students aged between 15 and 18.

    Elliot Schumacher, one of the people behind the study, said the speeches of Mr Trump and Ms Clinton showed the greatest language variation, indicating that they worked harder to tailor them to appeal to particular audiences along the campaign trail.



    His Latest... (none / 0) (#14)
    by ScottW714 on Thu Mar 17, 2016 at 10:50:28 AM EST
    ...when asked he is consulting with about foreign policy.  Ready for this one, himself.

    Asked on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" who he talks with consistently about foreign policy, Trump responded, "I'm speaking with myself, number one, because I have a very good brain and I've said a lot of things."

    "I know what I'm doing and I listen to a lot of people, I talk to a lot of people and at the appropriate time I'll tell you who the people are," Trump said. "But my primary consultant is myself and I have a good instinct for this stuff."

    Jesus, even SNL couldn't come up with a gem like that.
    LINK

    Michael Hayden on Fox News

    When co-host Brian Kilmeade mentioned Trump's answer Wednesday on whom the candidate consults with on foreign policy issues (himself), he followed it with, "I think he was kidding."

    "I don't think he was kidding," Hayden responded seriously.

    Asked whether he would field Trump's call seeking advice, Hayden, who has been critical of Trump's past boasts that he would order the killing of terrorists' families and bring back waterboarding "and a hell of a lot worse," spoke of the difference between advising a candidate and a president or president-elect.



    Parent
    The worst part of that article (none / 0) (#16)
    by Chuck0 on Thu Mar 17, 2016 at 11:29:27 AM EST
    was the last paragraph about Ted Cruz's foreign policy team. Frank Gaffney. Really? Frank Gaffney? That right there ought to scare the hell out of everyone. Gaffney is a conspiracy theory nut and extreme Islamaphobe.

    Parent
    Cruz has consistently (none / 0) (#24)
    by CaptHowdy on Thu Mar 17, 2016 at 01:21:13 PM EST
    Chosen the most extreme and crazy people to surround him.

    Yes, it's frightening, otoh it would make him a cakewalk to defeat.  Hillary could take the summer off if it was candidate Cruz.

    Parent

    More Like You Got to Be... (none / 0) (#28)
    by ScottW714 on Thu Mar 17, 2016 at 02:01:41 PM EST
    ... literally, mental to voluntarily spend time with Cruz every day.  I am guessing that even if he wanted to, and not saying he does, choose a rational expert, there ain't many filling out apps.

    Parent
    That's (none / 0) (#32)
    by Ga6thDem on Thu Mar 17, 2016 at 03:21:39 PM EST
    why I feel for people like you that actually have him as your Senator.

    Parent
    When Youi Start Looking at Our... (none / 0) (#59)
    by ScottW714 on Fri Mar 18, 2016 at 10:50:55 AM EST
    ... representatives, Cruz doesn't look nearly as bad especially when you lived in Tom Delay's district.

    Randy Weber, Louie Gohmert, and Lamar Smith make Cruz look like the rational politician.

    Parent

    Sad (none / 0) (#62)
    by Ga6thDem on Fri Mar 18, 2016 at 10:56:05 AM EST
    but true it seems. Cruz looks like Einstein compared to Gohmert.

    Parent
    I'll say. (none / 0) (#30)
    by Chuck0 on Thu Mar 17, 2016 at 03:17:00 PM EST
    Latest thing from his buddy, that fine christian pastor, Kevin Swanson, execute Girl Scout leaders for promoting "lesbianism and abortion." What a guy.

    Parent
    With All the Fighting on the D Side... (none / 0) (#18)
    by ScottW714 on Thu Mar 17, 2016 at 11:43:55 AM EST
    ...this really puts things into perspective.

    A Republican Party that's confronting only bad choices

    It increasingly appears that the Republican Party faces only bad choices when it comes to the two biggest political stories in America -- the 2016 presidential race and President Obama nominating Merrick Garland to fill the Supreme Court vacancy. Regarding 2016, the GOP has two real options:

    • Acquiesce/surrender to Donald Trump, who is on track (though it's not a slam dunk) to obtain a majority of Republican delegates. The problem here? Almost every poll we've seen shows Trump to be the weakest GOP candidate to face Hillary Clinton.

    • Fight Trump to stop him from getting the 1237 delegates he needs. The problem? Trump has talked about "riots" if he's leading in delegates but is denied the nomination, and we don't think he's kidding.

    It's a political Sophie's Choice for Republicans -- try to save the 2016 election, or save the party. And when it comes to the Garland Supreme Court nomination, the GOP faces these options:

    • Oppose the older and more moderate Garland (even hearings and consideration of his nomination), and hope that Republicans don't lose the 2016 election, which would result in, say, a President Hillary Clinton nominating younger and more liberal replacement.

    • Relent on Garland, knowing the opposition hurts your vulnerable Senate incumbents up for re-election (Kelly Ayotte, Mark Kirk, Ron Johnson, Rob Portman, Pat Toomey), but welcome the wrath of the GOP base.

    Another political Sophie's Choice -- save your vulnerable incumbents, or save your base.


    MLB Baseball player quits for odd reason (none / 0) (#20)
    by McBain on Thu Mar 17, 2016 at 12:14:46 PM EST
    Adam LaoRoche quit his $13 million job with the White Sox because they didn't want him to bring his son to the clubhouse everyday.

    I'm not sure what to make of this.  On the one hand I think it's great to see an athlete make a decision that's not all about money.  On the other, it's kind of silly to expect to be able to bring your kid to work every day you're there.  

    General Manager Kenny Williams had this to say...

    "It's not because the young man was a distraction, and not because he wasn't well liked or well received by players, but in management, sometimes you have to make some unpopular decisions ... and sometimes they center around things you don't necessarily want to do," Williams told the Chicago Tribune.

    One a side note, in 1988, I caught a Kenny Williams's home run in the left field bleachers at the Oakland Coliseum. After the game, I rushed home and recorded myself on the 11 o'clock news and was big man on campus for a day.  I have no idea where that ball and videotape is now.

    NCAA Tournament time! (none / 0) (#44)
    by Dadler on Thu Mar 17, 2016 at 07:30:07 PM EST
    DUNK CITY is giving North Carolina all it can handle, trailing by a single point, 41-40 at the half. Florida Gulf Coast is probably the most talented and athletic 16-seed in tournament history. Hope they can pull off the miracle. Yale and Arkansas-Little Rock already pulled off versions of their own. A plague of brackets have been busted today.

    Interestingly, USC plays right after the FGCU game on the same floor in Raleigh. USC coached by Andy Enfield, the original Dunk City coach who took them to the Sweet 16. He was kind of a controversial hire at USC, but I remember commenting here, maybe with Donald and a few others, that it was a GREAT hire, and that UCLA should've hired him first. But they went with Bobby Knight student Steve Alford, who just finished one of the worst seasons in Westwood. Meanwhile, across town, Enfield, in his third season, has the USC program on the big rise. My hunch was right (and I loathe USC). He's a player's coach to the max, in the Shaka Smart, Jim Larranaga mold. Dan Guerrero, the AD at UCLA really screwed up going with Alford, whom I do not think is going to last much longer at Pauley Pavilion.

    Never begin your hype (none / 0) (#61)
    by CoralGables on Fri Mar 18, 2016 at 10:53:49 AM EST
    until they get through the 1st round games.

    Now you're stuck with "there's always next year".

    Parent

    Not doing real great in my pool (none / 0) (#76)
    by ruffian on Fri Mar 18, 2016 at 12:10:03 PM EST
    But I was the only one that picked Villanova to go all the way, so there is still hope!

    Parent
    ... overmatched UNC-Asheville team, winning by 30.

    Parent
    Hey, Congrats! (none / 0) (#116)
    by ruffian on Fri Mar 18, 2016 at 03:27:56 PM EST
    Hawaii upset Cal!  and upset my bracket, but that's ok!

    Parent
    We just watched it. (none / 0) (#122)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Fri Mar 18, 2016 at 03:42:12 PM EST
    The game began at 8:00 a.m. Hawaii time. It was a huge win for the program, its first ever in NCAA tourney play.

    Parent
    This is more Dadler-esque. (none / 0) (#86)
    by oculus on Fri Mar 18, 2016 at 12:28:11 PM EST
    Love it.

    Parent
    Final: Hawaii 77, California 66. (none / 0) (#120)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Fri Mar 18, 2016 at 03:39:50 PM EST
    It's been a nightmarish first round for the Pac-12, which has seven teams in the NCAA tournament. In today's first upset, the fourth-seeded Golden Bears washed out this afternoon against a 13th-seed Rainbows squad that at 28-5 is actually much better than the sports pundits have thus far credited them with being. This is Hawaii's first-ever victory in the NCAA tourney. The Rainbows now await the winner of the game between Maryland and South Dakota State.

    As for the Pac-12, it's been five up and four down -- with a thud. In addition to Cal going down today, Arizona got casually tossed aside by Wichita State, Colorado lost to UConn, and USC got dropped by Providence in the final seconds. Only Utah's made it out alive so far, having eliminated Fresno State.

    Parent

    Oregon upholds Pac-12 honor (5.00 / 1) (#154)
    by caseyOR on Fri Mar 18, 2016 at 08:52:43 PM EST
    by beating Holy Cross 91-52.

    GO, DUCKS!!!

    Parent

    Gooo DUCKS! (5.00 / 1) (#157)
    by Cashmere on Fri Mar 18, 2016 at 10:06:18 PM EST
    :)

    Parent
    Of the 14 first-round games involving teams from those conferences, they were the higher seed in each one. They lost nine of them.

    Pac-12 Conference:

    • Connecticut 74, Colorado 57
    • Hawaii 77, California 66
    • Wichita State 65, Arizona 55
    • Oregon 91, Holy Cross 52
    • Virginia Commonwealth 75, Oregon State 67
    • Providence 70, USC 69
    • Utah 80, Fresno State 69

    Big 12 Conference:
    • Kansas 105, Austin Peay 79
    • Yale 79, Baylor 75
    • Northern Iowa 79, Texas 72
    • Oklahoma 82, Cal State Bakersfield 68
    • Stephen F. Austin 70, West Virginia 56
    • Butler 71, Texas Tech 61
    • Iowa State 94, Iona 81

    I would also note that 13 regular-season champions from mid-major conferences were left out of this year's NCAA tournament altogether:
    • Monmouth (27-7, 17-3 MAAC)
    • St. Mary's (West Coast)
    • North Florida (Atlantic Sun)
    • Winthrop (Big South)
    • UAB (26-6, 16-2 Conf. USA)
    • Valparaiso (26-6, 16-2 Horizon)
    • Akron (26-8, 13-5 MAC)
    • San Diego State (25=9, 16-2 Mountain West)
    • Wagner (22-10, 13-5 Northeast)
    • Belmont (20-11, 12-4 Ohio Valley)
    • Bucknell (17-13, 14-4 Patriot)
    • Texas Southern (18-14, 16-2 SWAC)
    • New Mexico State (23-10, 13-1 WAC)

    With 12:00 left in their second-round game, Gonzaga is mauling Utah, 60-39, so barring a complete collapse by the Zags, Oregon will be the only Pac-12 team left after tonight. By any standard, the first weekend of the NCAA tourney has been a disaster for the self-styled "Conference of Champions."

    Best conference thus far appears to be the ACC, which is 9-1 in games involving their teams.

    Aloha.

    Parent

    All this week, Coach Tom Izzo and his No. 2-seeded Spartans were touted with near-universal acclaim by many TV pundits and analysts as a very real and significant threat to go all the way this post-season. In fact, no small number of sports shows were devoted to complaining that Michigan State deserved a No. 1 seed.

    So just imagine the huge shock it must be to all of TV Sportsland right now, that the Spartans instead became this year's biggest NCAA first round washout.

    Congratulations to the 15th seed Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders, who saw their opportunity with Michigan State clearly looking past them to inevitable dreams of glory, and took advantage of it.

    Aloha.

    Parent

    Air Force General Fired over Email Affair (none / 0) (#49)
    by Mr Natural on Thu Mar 17, 2016 at 10:48:30 PM EST
    'Sexually Suggestive' Relationship Ends Career Of Air Force General Who Ran Air War

    Lt. Gen. John Hesterman was removed from his position as Air Force assistance vice chief of staff, service spokeswoman Anne Stefenek said Tuesday. Hesterman previously served as the commander of Air Forces Central Command (AFCENT), leading the early days of the U.S. air war against the Islamic State militant group while deployed at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar from July 2013 to last June.


    The DOJ Bureacracy (none / 0) (#50)
    by Mr Natural on Fri Mar 18, 2016 at 05:59:25 AM EST
    America's steely-eyed defenders of the square-jawed way of life, has completely, and I mean completely, bungle-blurted out its deepest darkest super-double-secret secret.

    Government Error Just Revealed Snowden Was the Target in the Lavabit Case

    But federal authorities recently screwed up and revealed the secret themselves when they published a cache of case documents but failed to redact one identifying piece of information about the target: his email address, Ed_Snowden@lavabit.com. With that, the very authorities holding the threat of jail time over Levison's head if he said anything have confirmed what everyone had long ago presumed: that the target account was Snowden's.

    You can add free secrets to that free money our government is so good at throwing around.

    Something to think about if you're ever tempted to believe the FBI/DOJ/TLA promises to keep Apple's encryption secrets secret.

    At This Point... (none / 0) (#53)
    by ScottW714 on Fri Mar 18, 2016 at 09:47:10 AM EST
    ... I think you would have dig pretty deep to find anyone that trusts what the FBI, DEA, CIA, or NSA has to say in regards to privacy and security.

    They might back them out of fear, but they don't believe them.

    I wonder if the Apple case will usher in services like Lavabit email ?  They were shut down for basically the same reason, not giving the government access to encrypted data.

    Parent

    As someone (none / 0) (#52)
    by Nemi on Fri Mar 18, 2016 at 09:08:20 AM EST
    who were moved by Hillary Clinton's speeches, not least her concession speech, even back in 2008 - and still - and finding her speech on Tuesday night energetic, inspiring; as someone who listened to Kasich for the first time on Tuesday night thinking: a bit weird but nice family; who find it hard - and evermore hard - to listen to Bernie Sanders' finger wagging yelling, I found this piece by Tom Sullivan at Hullaballoo interesting:

    In contrast to Clinton's boilerplate and Donald Trump's egoist bombast, Kasich was aspirational. Folksy. He spoke of Americans being "all part of a giant mosaic, a snapshot in time." He seemed touched by the faith Ohio had placed in him, finishing with "This is all I got, okay?" This is who I am and I'm giving it to you. However one might dissect his actions as governor of Ohio, his stances as a Republican, or his chances going forward, the contrast with Clinton was marked. Kasich seemed authentic and sincere. I believed him.

    Hillary Clinton? Not so much. It was not lost on me that had Sen. Elizabeth Warren given the very same speech as Clinton, I would have believed her. There's passion in her. When Bernie Sanders speaks, you believe him even when you don't agree with him. You cannot focus-group that. You cannot bottle it. After last night's victories, Clinton is firmly in control of the race for the Democratic nomination. But Hillary Clinton doesn't seem ever to have cracked the code for moving an audience, and it has not rubbed off from Bill. Going into the fall, she is going to need it. Maybe the NSA can help?

    Perception really does vary from person to person doesn't it. :) But what I wonder is, were 'authenticity' ever as prevalent and seemingly all-important an issue in politics pre-Hillary Clinton?

    And ... what am I missing with his last sentence? NSA?

    Kasich (5.00 / 1) (#64)
    by sallywally on Fri Mar 18, 2016 at 10:58:45 AM EST
    is a wolf in sheep's clothing. He is just as bad as the other Republicans. As a cizen of Ohio, I assure you. Don't buy his disguise. Glad he expanded Medicaid, though.

    Parent
    Dead on! (5.00 / 1) (#81)
    by NYShooter on Fri Mar 18, 2016 at 12:22:28 PM EST
    I don't know what it is about Republicans, but, it seems that in order to move up the ladder in that Party, hating women is a prerequisite. There isn't an anti-female bill he hasn't salivated on while signing all the anti-women bills that have crossed his desk as Governor.

    "Under Governor Kasich, Ohio has passed 17 restrictions on women's health, closing nearly half the abortion providers in the state," Cecile Richards, president of Planned Parenthood, said.

    I guess he learned how to be a "compassionate Conservative" as a senior executive at Lehman Brothers, the bank whose bankruptcy started the 2008 Financial Catastrophe.

    And, that "smile?" It's saying, "I got mine, you're on your own."


    Parent

    I think Tom Sullivan, et al., ... (5.00 / 3) (#146)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Fri Mar 18, 2016 at 06:58:29 PM EST
    ... ought to consider instead their own lack of authenticity in persisting to offer such tired and shopworn tripe about Mrs. Clinton.

    Parent
    Now (none / 0) (#165)
    by Nemi on Sat Mar 19, 2016 at 08:19:58 AM EST
    I don't know much about Tom Sullivan. I believe Hullabaloo is the only place he's contributing to, and he comes across as a decent man with decent views. That's why the above surprised me. As if even in decent Democrats the meme that Hillary Clinton is inauthentic has taken hold over personal observations. I'm just puzzled.

    Parent
    Perception really does vary (none / 0) (#135)
    by ruffian on Fri Mar 18, 2016 at 05:06:05 PM EST
    When Bernie Sanders speaks, you believe him even when you don't agree with him.

    I have the opposite reaction to Sanders. As I have said before, his tone and style threaten to talk me out of stuff I already believed in.

    I agree with people that HRC's voice is not as warm as some others, like Warren. Warren has that honey-dripped mellow tone. That's just how some people are built. I think HRC is best in a town hall setting, or talking with an interviewer, not in a speech. Everyone has different talents.

    Obama's great speaking ability has not been as much of an asset as it could have been, had he not heeded GOP complaints that he was 'overexposed'.

    All of this to say...yes, it varies, and that it might not matter as much as people think.

    Parent

    Yeah, well, it might not matter (5.00 / 3) (#143)
    by NYShooter on Fri Mar 18, 2016 at 06:53:06 PM EST
    as much as people think. But, I've seen her when she's in that special groove, when she's talking calmly, personally, and instinctively. It's so magnetic, so personable, that you simply can't believe this is the same person who's gotten that unfair, "insincere" rap.

    Look, like they say, running for President ain't beanbag. So much of it (if you want to be successful) is show business. Since she's shown this, extremely positive side of herself, why not try and make it more prevalent. Back in '08, she was at her best towards the end of that campaign, when she knew the contest was pretty much over. She threw  away the scripts and teleprompters, and just spoke like she was talking with her college roommates at a sleepover.

    The criticism about how her voice is "grating," and such is warranted at times. It's usually when she's giving a prepared, and, practiced speech. You know, where she does the bit, building up to a crescendo, and finishing with......."and I will work for ALL AMERICANS!" (punctuated with an air- fist punch.) That's also where the Media snaps a picture of her face, intense, tightened, almost snarling. You know what I'm talking about.

    Anyway, just saying, if you've got a gift doing things a certain way, well, that's your schtick, baby! Work it!

    And, if you free lance, and make a mistake, big deal. Give us one of your patented belly laughs, and let that gorgeous accompanying smile light up the room.

    p.s. O.K. I've had enough; we've got an election to win. Somebody give her my phone number....lol

    Parent

    People VS OJ (none / 0) (#71)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri Mar 18, 2016 at 12:03:30 PM EST
    It was glove night

    Assuming that was factual I take back some of the things I've said about Marsha.

    I remember reports at the time (none / 0) (#74)
    by ruffian on Fri Mar 18, 2016 at 12:08:41 PM EST
    backing up the part that it was Darden's idea. Can't remember if they reported, or even if reporters knew, if Marcia was that strongly against it.

    What a disaster. Gooding really played that well. Of course there is endless video he could cull from. I think the case was already lost by then, but it certainly put the last nail in it.

    Parent

    You know what else I liked about (5.00 / 1) (#114)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri Mar 18, 2016 at 03:22:11 PM EST
    That episode.   The 5 minute destruction Marsha did of the whole "the cops framed him" thing in the bar with the shot glasses.  It was great.  Better than anything I've seen in the courtroom so far.

    Parent
    Yes, that was good. (none / 0) (#118)
    by ruffian on Fri Mar 18, 2016 at 03:29:33 PM EST
    Really well done. I think Sarah Paulson is getting the Emmy...not that that is the ultimate judge of quality, but she is really nailing this role.

    Parent
    If the jurors (none / 0) (#83)
    by NYShooter on Fri Mar 18, 2016 at 12:25:58 PM EST
    couldn't see through Simpson's obvious acting job in putting on that glove, well, then you're right, it was already lost.

    Parent
    Not sure why the prosecution (none / 0) (#101)
    by jbindc on Fri Mar 18, 2016 at 01:35:38 PM EST
    Never emphasized that OJ was a professional actor.

    If MY life were on the line, you can bet those gloves would not have fit me, and I'm certainly not OJ's size.  I could have fake struggled getting them on just as well as he did.

    Parent

    Why did he have on rubber gloves? (none / 0) (#117)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri Mar 18, 2016 at 03:28:02 PM EST
    After Shapiro picked them up and tried them on without gloves.  As an experiment (I actually did this) I put on one of the rubber gloves I have in the kitchen and then tried putting one of my gloves in.   Guess what, it was really hard to get on.
    Plus the fact they had been soaked with blood and allowed to dry and shrink.
    Non of this was mentioned? WTF?

    Parent
    Btw (none / 0) (#121)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri Mar 18, 2016 at 03:40:45 PM EST
    The rubber gloves I have are not the thick yellow kitchen rubber gloves.  I buy the boxes of the medical ones, just like the ones used in court, for chopping jalapeños and stuff

    Parent
    I think that was mentioned in closing arguments (none / 0) (#123)
    by ruffian on Fri Mar 18, 2016 at 03:44:04 PM EST
    IIRC, and also the talking heads of the era pointed all of that out.

    Probably they had OJ use the rubber gloves because they did not want to take a chance of any of his DNA getting on the gloves if it was not already there.

    Parent

    Or mess up the evidence that was on it already. (none / 0) (#125)
    by jbindc on Fri Mar 18, 2016 at 03:48:12 PM EST
    It was soaked in blood, remember.

    Parent
    Also Saul (none / 0) (#130)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri Mar 18, 2016 at 04:10:58 PM EST
    How great is the guy who plays Hector Salamanca, Mark Margolis?  The guy seems able to be any age he wants.

    Parent
    yes! Can't wait to see how he ends up (none / 0) (#136)
    by ruffian on Fri Mar 18, 2016 at 05:07:50 PM EST
    in the chair with the little bell!

    Parent
    It Wouldn't Surprise Me... (none / 0) (#128)
    by ScottW714 on Fri Mar 18, 2016 at 04:00:20 PM EST
    ... if he did something that cause his hands to swell, like taking in a lot of salt the day before or doing something physically to make them swell.  

    As an athlete whose position revolved around his hands, he surely knew what activities would make them swell.  And while he was an actor, I don't think it takes much talent to act like gloves don't fit for someone with big hands.

    The notion that him not being able to put on gloves proves he didn't do it was a very odd thing to watch unfold on the TV.

    Parent

    Yeah (none / 0) (#129)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri Mar 18, 2016 at 04:05:04 PM EST
    That is one of the few moments from the trial that I saw because it was played over and over.  And over.

    As mentioned I was unimpressed with it as proof of anything and he certainly seemed to be "acting" like he was trying to put them on.  That type of glove is supposed to be tight.   I believe they were the same kind Dexter always wore.

    Parent

    I Have Big Hands... (none / 0) (#133)
    by ScottW714 on Fri Mar 18, 2016 at 04:48:43 PM EST
    ...and even really good gloves take an effort.  The stitching generally gives out on gloves long before they need replacing because of the effort it takes for me to put them on.

    For me it's like putting on shoes with the laces tied.  They go on, but I know it causing damage.

    Maybe if I ever get the urge to kill someone I will wear gloves and have my own trial defining moment.  But probably not a prosecutor alive would allow that to happen after OJ.

    Parent

    Well, if they ask you to put on the gloves, (none / 0) (#147)
    by NYShooter on Fri Mar 18, 2016 at 07:12:31 PM EST
    make sure, as you're trying to figure out how to do it, open your hand, with your fingers spread wide apart. Then grimace and groan, stamp your feet in frustration, as, try as you might, your spread open, racquet-size hand just won't slide into that tiny, scrunched up, water & blood soaked, leather glove. It don't fit!!

    Oh, and, don't forget, after your failed attempt, look at the jury with that puppy look on your face, "I tried and tried, I really did," then stop, just short of breaking out in tears. (They're ready to breast feed you right about now.)

    Parent

    The Most Wanted, (none / 0) (#97)
    by KeysDan on Fri Mar 18, 2016 at 01:15:43 PM EST
    Salah Abdeslam, on the lame since the Nov. 13 Paris terrorist attack, has been caught. His fingerprints were found in the recently raided apartment in the Forest neighborhood of Brussels and was captured today in the Molenbeek area of Brussels in a shoot-out that wounded him.  It has been feared that he escaped to Syria.  

    I was sure this had to be satire (none / 0) (#149)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri Mar 18, 2016 at 07:32:31 PM EST
    but it's not

    114th CONGRESS
    2d Session
    H. RES. 642

    Recognizing magic as a rare and valuable art form and national treasure.



    Appeals court says Trump will (none / 0) (#158)
    by sallywally on Fri Mar 18, 2016 at 11:06:20 PM EST
    be tried for fraud re: Trump "University."


    I believe that news (none / 0) (#160)
    by NYShooter on Sat Mar 19, 2016 at 12:55:03 AM EST
    is over 2 weeks old.

    Check the date.

    Parent

    Yes, I see a writeup. (none / 0) (#163)
    by sallywally on Sat Mar 19, 2016 at 08:07:56 AM EST
    Duh.

    Parent
    Bernie blanketing Arizona bigtime (none / 0) (#162)
    by sallywally on Sat Mar 19, 2016 at 07:44:49 AM EST
    Huge  crowds, from the big cities to the border.

    Is it a mistake to let  him freely court the Latino population? It sounds like he will have a good chance of taking the state.

    Will this affect her ability to win these folks in  the Western states?

    As (none / 0) (#166)
    by Ga6thDem on Sat Mar 19, 2016 at 09:05:36 AM EST
    we've seen in numerous other states the crowds don't mean anything when it comes to actual voting. I don't know if he's actually courting latinos or more trying to repair the damage his wife did by visiting with Sheriff Arpaio.

    Parent
    OK, good point. (5.00 / 1) (#167)
    by sallywally on Sat Mar 19, 2016 at 10:27:28 AM EST
    I don't think I'll relax until he lets go and convincingly gives his voters to Hillary.

    Parent
    It's looking bad in AZ (none / 0) (#171)
    by CaptHowdy on Sat Mar 19, 2016 at 12:53:12 PM EST
    Protest starting early.  Blocking highways.  Armed Trump supporters.  90+ degrees.  Sherrif Joe promising to fill up the tent city.  Could easily be the day bad  things happen

    NOOZE talk (none / 0) (#172)
    by CaptHowdy on Sat Mar 19, 2016 at 12:57:34 PM EST
    "Not only will every network and news channel cover the event tonight but the 5 hours leading up to it."

    "Will this hurt Donald in any way?"

    "Probably not."

    I'm all for protests.  This is not helping.  IMO

    Parent

    It seems (5.00 / 1) (#177)
    by Ga6thDem on Sat Mar 19, 2016 at 06:27:41 PM EST
    to me people need to get out of the way of Donald shooting himself in the foot.

    Parent
    I'm all for disruption (none / 0) (#180)
    by CaptHowdy on Sat Mar 19, 2016 at 06:45:31 PM EST
    Disrupting the rallys, fine.  There are many more effective ways to demostrate your opposition to Donald.

    Parent
    Heck (5.00 / 2) (#181)
    by Ga6thDem on Sat Mar 19, 2016 at 07:32:34 PM EST
    letting Donald have the mike and spew stuff like he's going to round up all the Hispanics in the country is doing a lot of damage to himself. Protesters are accomplishing exactly what? Donald doesn't need attention drawn to his stances.

    If I lived in Cleveland I think I would plan to be out of town the week of the GOP convention. Ohio is an open carry state and I hope no one gets killed at the GOP convention.

    A friend of mine that lives in Columbus said they were vying for the GOP convention. She has now decided that they lucked out not getting the GOP convention.

    Parent

    That's what Napoleon Bonaparte said. (none / 0) (#186)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Sat Mar 19, 2016 at 08:23:08 PM EST
    Never disrupt your opponent when he's making a mistake.

    Parent
    Aren't protests (none / 0) (#176)
    by TrevorBolder on Sat Mar 19, 2016 at 04:57:56 PM EST
    Actions to bring attention to a cause?
    Raise awareness?
    I do not think that this protest, illegally stopping traffic and disrupting the lives of all Arizonians in the area, drew any more awareness to the intemperance of The Donald. He does that when he opens his mouth, and he has had wall to wall coverage for months.
    What is does bring attention to is the intolerance of the left, taught that way since their college days (in colleges today if liberals do not like the message of a speaker, they are not allowed to speak to anyone on campus, no matter if some students do want to hear them).
    This just demonstrates that both parties have fringe elements, at least the fringe on the right lets Sanders and Clinton  give their speeches....for now.


    Parent
    I don't really agree with much of that (5.00 / 1) (#179)
    by CaptHowdy on Sat Mar 19, 2016 at 06:42:35 PM EST
    Except that blocking roads and impacting the lives of innocent bystanders in very unpredictable ways is a bad strategy.

    Blocking streets is unwise.  Blocking a three lane highway is just dumb.  Aside from the 10,000 things about some strangers life you could fu@k up, what if someone dies because medical or emergency crews can't get through.   Just dumb.

    To often it seems like liberals pat themselves on the back for winning a battle and losing the war.  This is not winning anyone over to your side.  More likely exactly the opposite.  It might feel good but it's dumb.

    Parent

    Yes (none / 0) (#178)
    by Ga6thDem on Sat Mar 19, 2016 at 06:29:19 PM EST
    we all are quite aware that conservatives all consider themselves the ultimate victims.

    Parent
    That (none / 0) (#183)
    by TrevorBolder on Sat Mar 19, 2016 at 07:40:28 PM EST
    Is the absolute funniest thing you have ever said.

    Everyone is a victim in todays society, except a conservative.

    Black conservative  Uncle Tom
    Woman Conservative  Traitor to her gender, a                special place in hell for her
    White Male   The ultimate villain, source of all the evil in world.
    Couldn't figure out what part Howdy didn't agree with, it was all pretty straightforward.
    Protests bring attention to issues, Trump has done that all by himself, this protest just shows how the Trump protesters are willing to endanger the lives of others.
    Colleges today, no need to explain further, they shut down more speech that the left doesn't agree with. It is depressing what so called centers of learning have become

    Parent

    Why (5.00 / 2) (#184)
    by Ga6thDem on Sat Mar 19, 2016 at 07:59:27 PM EST
    do you think Trump is leading in the GOP? It's because they believe he will stand up for them and the fact that they see themselves as victims of minorities, political correctness and religious suppression. Really you need to get out more Trevor.

    And you're just actually proving my point. Your statement about white males is ultimate victim statement.

    Parent

    So we agree (none / 0) (#191)
    by TrevorBolder on Sun Mar 20, 2016 at 05:32:37 AM EST
    we all are quite aware that conservatives all consider themselves the ultimate victims.

    That your statement above is incorrect.


    do you think Trump is leading in the GOP? It's because they believe he will stand up for them and the fact that they see themselves as victims

    Trump does not have the support of Conservatives, his coalition is a entirely different breed,
    And his 2 main issues are securing the border, and  trade deals.

    Parent

    Quit (5.00 / 1) (#193)
    by Ga6thDem on Sun Mar 20, 2016 at 11:35:30 AM EST
    denying that conservatives support Trump. Conservatives DO support Trump. The fact that he is exposing what conservatives really are is the problem. Is Pat Buchanan not a conservative? The no true Scotsman argument is silly and no one made you judge and jury as to who is a conservative or not.

    Parent
    Lol (none / 0) (#195)
    by TrevorBolder on Sun Mar 20, 2016 at 01:03:07 PM EST
    So I should take your word for it?

    Lol, No thank you

    Better me than you

    Trump is not a conservative, he has quite a few liberal positions

    The conservatives in the Republican party primary,  made up most of the Not Trump movement

    Parent

    Apple Tells Court That The DOJ Is Lying (none / 0) (#194)
    by Mr Natural on Sun Mar 20, 2016 at 11:41:34 AM EST
    About It Advertising The Fact That Encryption Keeps Out Law Enforcement

    Apparently, the United States Department of Justice now numbers among its many Constitution superceding superpowers, the freedom to lie to the Courts.

    How do you fight this?  It's easy if you've got $100B in loose cash.  It's more of a problem if you can't afford a Gibson, Dunn, & Crutcher.

    There's another takeaway.  When they're lying at the top, they're lying at the bottom.

    Precedent.