Joe Biden Explaining Why Bernie Sanders Is The Best Candidate To Beat Trump

Elizabeth Warren Slaps Down Homophobia

Electable? Can Beat Trump? Hmmm

Pundits and the status quo keep telling voters it's Joe Biden's race to lose.  He's electable.  He can beat Trump.

Let's review the two other times Joe Biden ran for President.

1984 Democratic National Convention (Presidential tally):

• Walter Mondale – 2,191 (56.41%)
• Gary Hart – 1,201 (30.92%)
• Jesse Jackson – 466 (12.00%)
• Thomas Eagleton – 18 (0.46%)
• George McGovern – 4 (0.10%)
• John Glenn – 2 (0.05%)
• Joe Biden – 1 (0.03%)
• Martha Kirkland – 1 (0.03%)

1988 Democratic National Convention (Presidential tally):

• Michael Dukakis – 2,877 (70.09%)
• Jesse Jackson – 1,219 (29.70%)
• Richard H. Stallings – 3 (0.07%)
• Joe Biden – 2 (0.05%)
• Dick Gephardt – 2 (0.05%)
• Lloyd Bentsen – 1 (0.02%)
• Gary Hart – 1 (0.02%)

Maybe it's time for the Democrats to listen to the people and vote for the candidate with the best ideas for how to move the country forward; instead of looking to the past and pretending it was something it wasn't.

Getting to Know Elizabeth Warren

Extra Sauce And Two Scoops Of Ice Cream

Sheriff Wingnut Threatens To Grab Himself By The Throat

"When I hear people say that we need to reach across the aisle and work with people, with the Democrats, you know what I say? The only reason I'll be reaching across the aisle is to grab one of them by the throat," Clarke said to raucous cheers and fist-pumping. [source]

Maybe most of the deplorables outside of Wisconsin are not aware (and even some inside Wisconsin), but Sheriff David Clarke runs for office as a Democrat.

So maybe he's just letting the cat out of the bag here - that he's a complete political opportunist who will do and say anything, buddy up to anyone and lie to his constituents for his own benefit. 

It seems he's trying to set himself up for a position within the Trump administration, so he may not really care about running for County Sheriff anymore. Although, if he does try to run for another term as Milwaukee County Sheriff, he should have to run as a Republican. 

Words mean things. The Trumps, Clarkes and the rest of that basket should have to mean what they say and stand behind the garbage that spills out of their mouths. Enough of their mealy-mouthed bullshit, saying whatever will gain applause from the crowd and fanning the flames of anger and misinformation, while shamelessly changing positions every other day.

Clarke is glad to call himself a Democrat to get elected in Milwaukee County, yet he wants nothing to do with the Democrats? 

So, Mr. Clarke, if you're going to run around spouting conservative bromides, start labeling yourself a Republican. Until then, grab yourself by the throat, squeeze and don't let go until that last breath leaves your hateful and ignorant body. 

Why Do Bad Things Happen To Good People? The Electoral College

Deplorables 1, Sanity 0

A few things we can glean from the Wisconsin exit polling:

Third party candidates either held Trump back from a blowout or cost Clinton the election, more likely the latter. Again, third party candidates are a wrench in the system. Unless we move to something like an instant run-off voting system, third party candidates are destructive. Other than a sense of smug self-righteousness, what do Johnson and Stein voters have to show? 

Persons 45 and older seemed to have tipped the election to Trump. Amazing that folks receiving, or close to receiving, Medicare and Social Security would vote for the party that wants to end those programs. I really have no clue what these people think Donald Trump or the Republican party will do for them. 

Those with only some college or a high school diploma or less tilted toward Trump. Ignorance is bliss.

The US Elections Project estimates that 128.8 million Americans cast a ballot in 2016, out of 231 million eligible voters — a turnout rate of 55.6 percent. Thus, around 45% of eligible voters did not vote. In 2012, there were 153 million registered voters out of 235 million eligible voters. Nearly 133 million people voted in that presidential election.

Wisconsin, by a thin margin, went for Trump. Odd. Has the state learned nothing from the disaster that has been Scott Walker? 

Persons identifying as religious leaned toward Trump. How is this even possible? Trump is one of the most obscene and deplorable candidates to ever run. He's mean-spirited, twice-divorced, sexist and racist. Not really in keeping with the teachings of Jesus. So, how about this, all you conservative gas-bags talking about values and family and church, shut the fuck up! You are full of shit. You have no spine and Jesus is ashamed of you. Grab 'em by the pussy!



The majority of non-college educated white women (64%) voted for Trump. Unbelievable. Do they really think Trump gives a shit about them? I can only play armchair psychiatrist and assume these women must really hate themselves to vote for such a vile and sexist man.

The fact that any women or any person who calls him or herself religious would vote for Trump is sad and disturbing. As a John Mulaney joke states, "You have the moral backbone of a chocolate éclair."



Lets flash back to the George W Bush presidency. Mired in war, economy in ruins, retirements wrecked, there really wasn't any good news from the two terms. Since President Obama, millions now have health care, unemployment is down from over 10% to under 5%, the stock market is at all-time highs, and the country has seen years of steady job growth, to name a few positives.

Trump voters were supposedly voting for change. Do they want to go back to the recession economy of George W Bush? I guess I'm still feeling a bit squishy about what the Trump voters actually want. I mean, platitudes are great, we want our country back, make America great again, build a wall, kill health care...but how and what exactly is Trump going to do? Exit polling showed Trump voters believe he can "bring needed change." (Although, again, the things they seem to want to change would make all of us worse off, not better.) Their most important issues were terrorism and immigration. Funny, Obama was actually Commander in Chief when Osama bin Laden was killed. Net migration from Mexico has been negative every year since 2008. So, really, what are you talking about? I have a hunch (as always) it's about taxes, deregulation, racism and sexism.

They really can't logically claim Trump would be better for the economy. Just leading up to the election, with the chance of a Trump victory, the market began a downturn. As the headline the day after the election stated, Trump Win Leaves Dollar, Stocks, Mexican Peso Reeling. Investors fear a Trump victory could cause global economic and trade turmoil and years of policy unpredictability.

Hillary Clinton actually won the popular vote. More of the people that actually voted wanted Hillary Clinton to win (and 45% were either discouraged, disenfranchised or didn't vote). Yet the antiquated Electoral College gave the victory to Donald Trump. The Electoral College is gerrymandering at the Federal level. If we must keep the Electoral College, why not just give the electoral votes that match the percentage of votes won? Using Wisconsin as an example - Trump got 48% to Clinton's 47%, thus, of Wisconsin's 10 electoral votes, Trump would get 4.8 and Clinton 4.7. Or we could just go by the popular vote, seen as that best represents direct democracy.

One of the lessons we can take from this election is that Republicans, or at least those voting that way, really have no principles. Voting has become a contest for them. The ends justify the means. They really don't care about the details. They just want their guy to be in power...and then they make excuses and outright lies when the reality of that candidate doesn't match the rhetoric.

Another lesson Democrats need to learn, which I thought they would have by now, is that they need to, just as the Republicans do, passionately and relentlessly pursue and push the policies they want, win, lose or draw. Can we make elections public? Get rid of Citizens United? Get rid of the Electoral College? Get rid of gerrymandering? After Gore v Bush one would have thought this would have been a more pressing issue for Democrats.

Also, how about making voting a national holiday? Turnout for elections in the U.S. is embarrassing. Not to mention the fact that Republicans are continually trying to restrict voting rights and disenfranchise voters. (Yes, Republicans are cheaters, just like Donald Trump.) How about more polling places. Newer, modern voting equipment. More early voting. If anyone really cares about the will of the people, democracy, the constitution and all the other bromides that get shouted around, voting would be a mandatory duty of American citizenship.

And, as far as elections laws are concerned, can we put some rules in place for what can be televised in election ads? We allow outright lies to pass as persuasive campaigning. Can we exercise some control over the allowable content of campaigns like the Canadian Elections Act, which sets out various provisions regarding the publication or broadcast of election advertising?

As Bruce Bartlett put it, "The lesson of this election is that when the media normalize racism, sexism, fascism, lying & stupidity, it has political consequences." This is truly horrifying; to think that our nation is still so sexist, racist and stupid. Donald Trump and a pliable media have normalized our national discourse into a reality television program.

All of this has left H.L. Mencken's quote ringing in my head, “No one ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American public.” Indeed, a good portion (but not a majority) of America has now shown itself to appreciate lies, chest-thumping and stupidity over all else.

Deplorables 1, Sanity 0

For Further Reading:
Election 2016: Exit Polls (NY Times)
Election 2016 National Exit Poll Results and Analysis

U.S. Election Results 2016

America hits new landmark: 200 million registered voters

Voter turnout in 2016 looks low so far — and that may have helped Donald Trump

Clinton clenched the popular vote, but both candidates missed out on half of voters
Michael Moore: Morning-After To-Do List

More Americans Voted for Hillary Clinton Than Donald Trump
America Elected A Man Who Said ‘Grab Them By The P***y’ Over The First Female President
Trump needed a huge drop in turnout to win and that’s exactly what happened

Hillary Clinton’s campaign was crippled by voters who stayed home

Hedge Fund Manager's Simple Reason Why The Rich Should Vote For Hillary Clinton

Hedge fund manager has a simple reason why the rich should support Hillary Clinton

Billionaire Marc Lasry, who runs distressed-debt hedge fund Avenue Capital, laid out a simple explanation why he’s voting for Hillary Clinton even though his tax bill will likely go up. 

“At the end of the day, an individual has to decide whether he or she is going to do what’s best for the country or what’s best for them,” Lasry told Yahoo Finance in a recent phone interview. 

“If you vote for Trump, your taxes will go down and the deficit goes up $5 trillion. If you vote for Hillary, taxes go up and the deficit stays where it is. So, I get it, but you’ve got to decide. We’ve all done extremely well. You’ve got to decide — Are you looking out for your kids’ interests or your own? 

“It’s not more complicated than that,” he added. 

Yahoo Finance’s Rick Newman recently reported that under Clinton, the 1% would pay an extra $117,760 in taxes per year, with the bill rising $805,250 for the top 0.1%, according to data from the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center. Meanwhile, under Donald Trump’s tax plan, the top 1% would save $214,690 per year, with the top 0.1% saving $1.066 million. 

“If my taxes go down, will that change my life? No. But it will make future generations’ lives much more difficult as there will be less money for infrastructure and other social services,” Lasry said. 

In other words, saving a few hundred thousand on a tax bill isn’t going to make that big of a difference for someone like Lasry. 

It’s along the lines of what billionaire investor Warren Buffett recently said about money.
“There comes a point where money really has no real utility,” Buffet said. “You can use it to show off, but you can’t do much else with it. I don’t think it’s good for your family. It can do wonders for people around the world.”

Ron Johnson Invests In Irish Company That Resembles A Tax Shelter

GOP Senator Invests In Irish Company That Resembles A Tax Shelter

While it may be perfectly legal, Ron Johnson’s stake in the multimillion-dollar firm with one employee sure seems odd.

Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), who has defended corporate tax dodging throughout his Senate career, owns part of an Irish company that bears some of the hallmarks of a tax avoidance scheme. 

Johnson has a 9.9 percent stake in DP Lenticular, a Dublin-based company, according to his Senate financial disclosure for 2015. His investment is worth between $250,001 and $500,000 and he earned $5,001 to $15,000 in dividend income from the company that year, the disclosure indicates. 

The 9.9 percent stake is just below a cutoff that requires private citizens to disclose their ownership. Americans who own 10 percent or more of a foreign business must report it to the federal government. Now that Johnson is a member of Congress, he has to report all of his assets.

Trump in 2008, "Hillary, A Great Woman and A Good Woman."

Another Blast From The Past (starting at 2:02):

GOP States Keep Ignoring Court Orders to Restore Voting Rights

 GOP States Keep Ignoring Court Orders to Restore Voting Rights

 Wisconsin, Ohio, Texas, and North Carolina won’t stop suppressing the vote.



On July 29, US District Judge James Peterson called Wisconsin’s process for issuing voter IDs “unconstitutional,” “a wretched failure,” and “pretty much a disaster.” The state’s strict voter-ID law “has disenfranchised a number of citizens who are unquestionably qualified to vote, and these disenfranchised citizens are overwhelmingly African American and Latino,” he wrote. 

The judge ordered that “Wisconsin may adopt a strict voter ID system only if that system has a well-functioning safety net” and that the state must “promptly issue a credential valid as a voting ID to any person who enters the [ID petition process] or who has a petition pending.” 

But Wisconsin never followed the court’s order. On September 22, the same day Wisconsin assured the judge in a legal filing that everything was hunky-dory, Zack Moore, a 34-year-old homeless African-American man who moved from Chicago to Madison, was turned away from the DMV without a voter ID despite bringing an Illinois driver’s license, Social Security card, and proof of Wisconsin residency. He was told to go back to Illinois and get his birth certificate, or else it would take six to eight weeks for him to get an ID for voting, despite a sign in the DMV that said, “Get your ID to vote! No birth certificate? No problem!” 

Reporting in The Nation and the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, based on DMV recordings provided by VoteRiders, confirmed that across the state Wisconsin was systematically failing to promptly issue IDs for voting as required by the court order. In response, Peterson ordered an investigation and held a hearing on October 12 and 13. 

Kristina Boardman, the DMV’s administrator, admitted on the stand that for two months after the court’s July order, the DMV was giving voters incorrect information about the voter-ID law. “I’m very disappointed to see that the state really did nothing in response to my order,” Peterson said on October 12. “There was really, as far as I can tell, no effort made…to inform the public.” He called the DMV’s voter-ID training “manifestly inadequate” and said, “Undeniably there are people who have been disenfranchised.” He concluded, “The state really needs to step up and make sure the IDs get into the hands of voters who can’t have them [under the current system].”

Michelle Obama Campaign Speech For Hillary Clinton & America At A Crossroads

And, for all you racists and imbeciles that are incapable of reading a book, research paper or newspaper article, life in America has improved since Barack Obama became president. You aren't improving anything by hurling racial epithets and regurgitating disproven Sean Hannity talking-points.

In case you haven't noticed anything over the past four decades, supply-side/trickle-down economics has been disproven. Tax cuts and deregulation are no panacea. Government is not bad. Government is us. It's only as bad as our weakest link. The weak link in the U.S. is the Republicans, and their supporters, that keep pushing these debunked policies, along with inciting violence, hatred and racism.

For those of you supporting the orange buffoon, spouting your hatred and stupidity, take a deep breath, step back and put aside your preconceived notions that you wrap yourself in, like a blanket, and try to reasonably and rationally absorb what has taken place in the last 8 years.

Specifically, during President Obama's two terms, he has brought our country back from the brink of a second Great Depression. He and the Democrats have also (in the face of Republican obstructionism): regulated the banks, reformed health care, eliminated Osama bin Laden, signed a nuclear agreement with Iran, created over 13 million jobs (almost 7 straight years of expansion), gotten unemployment down below 5%, helped the stock market set record highs, reduced the Federal budget deficit by two-thirds, held government spending increases to only 3.3% annually (the lowest rate since Eisenhower was president), lowered income taxes - for 95% of Americans - as low or lower than they were at almost any point in the last 50 years, and shrunk dependence on foreign oil due to record domestic oil production and improved fuel efficiency standards, to name a few.

Can we actually try to be a sane, civil, reasoned country? How does demeaning minorities or women, or using ethnic slurs, or sticking your head in the sand and refusing to believe reality help grow the economy, create jobs, or improve education or health care?

Maybe these Republicans yearning for yesteryear, the old times, should remember the great years they are always memorializing were due to the New Deal - a progressive idea of shared prosperity, public work, public infrastructure and high taxes on the wealthy. As Paul Krugman described, "An era of widely shared growth. Real wages rose 81 percent, and the income of the richest 1 percent rose 38 percent."

It's sad the knuckle-draggers prefer the bluster and braggadocio from their representatives, rather than actual effective policies. Luckily, they, too, will be pulled further into the 21st Century by Democrats that are actually trying to make all of our lives, and the world around them, a better place.

Hillary 2016!

For Further Reading:
14 Facts About Obama's Presidency
Life Got Better Under Obama, According to Gallup

400 Obama Accomplishments So Far, With Citations

Democrats Are Best For The Economy

Republican Scapegoat Politics or Demeaning Government: Cutting Off Our Nose To Spite Our Face

Democrats Punished Again (And Again) For Republican Policies
What the f—- does it take' for GOP die-hards to be 'human beings' and not vote for Trump?

Poor Scotty

"Scott Walker is still a disgrace, just no longer national," AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka said in a one-line statement as news outlets began reporting Walker's exit from the campaign.

Escape From Rich Mountain

The Daily Show
Get More: Daily Show Full Episodes,Indecision Political Humor,The Daily Show on Facebook

Wisconsin's $2.2 Billion Deficit

State faces $2.2 billion deficit heading into 2015-17 budget cycle

So surprising this article surfaces just after the election. All we've heard over the past few months is how Wisconsin has been moving forward and Scott Walker had saved the Wisconsin economy.

Somehow, in the past few weeks, the media has discovered billions in deficits. How convenient for Scott Walker.

It was actually estimated at $1.8 billion back in September. Nary a peep was heard from the media (or the Democrats, for that matter) questioning Walker about this during the campaign.

Can anyone (other than the MacIver Institute or the Wisconsin Policy Research Institute) name something positive Scott Walker has done for Wisconsin during his time in office?

Walker Getting Desperate

It's understandable why the Walker campaign is grasping at straws and manufacturing gotcha moments. But why is the media running with it? (As usual, Journal Sentinel, I'm looking at you.)

Of course I'm referring to the latest dust-up - Wisconsin Republicans complaining because Mary Burke's job growth plan is similar/identical to other Democrats' plans.

If we dig into the Scott Walker playbook we'll see that major parts of it were written by ALEC, the Koch brothers, the Heritage Foundations, etc. And, similar language and prescriptions were used by numerous Republicans in the State and around the country.

The fact that Mary Burke wants the same things as other Democrats ... what is so strange/nefarious about that? Best practices that grow jobs in one part of the State or the country usually will have the same results elsewhere.

The Walker campaign is obviously feeling the pressure from Mary Burke. Walker's desperation and lack of any positive accomplishments of his own are leading his campaign to invent scandals.

The only real scandals are the broken promises of Scott Walker and how truly horrible he has been for Wisconsin.

For Further Reading:
Wisconsin's private-sector job growth ranks 33rd in U.S., quarterly report shows

Nine Charts on Recent Trends in Employment Growth in Wisconsin

Wisconsin Voter Suppression

Walker says ID law won't disenfranchise voters

To vote under the law, people must show poll workers their driver's licenses, state ID cards, passports, limited types of student IDs, military IDs, naturalization certificates or IDs issued by a tribe based in Wisconsin.

There the Republicans go again ... solving problems that aren't there.

There is no voter identification/fraud issue in America. There has only been a handful of hucksters across the country who've perpetrated voting illegalities over the past decade. That's millions of votes with only a few bad apples. (And the majority of those bad apples were actually voting Republican.)

The demographics of the country are turning to the Democrats. The Republican "ideas" just aren't appealing to many voters. The only way the Republicans can win elections is through gerrymandering and voter suppression (one must have an ID, even if you've been voting at the same location for decades).

Even more curious, how many jobs does Scott Walker believe this policy will create? 

For a guy who isn't even going to create half of the jobs he promised, focusing on an issue that has nothing to do with job creation seems odd. 

But when your interest is not for the State or its citizens (or for democracy), when all the Republicans actually care about is winning elections and maintaining power, their policies are simply a means to an end for outcomes in their favor.

Hence, the Walker administration has loosened regulations on business, funneled public dollars to corporate buddies, weakened Labor, reduced education spending, increased regulations on the poor, and created obstructions for voters. Using public office to further personal political aspirations and to enrich dutiful donors. Crony capitalism at its finest. Great for Republican's moneyed-friends, but terrible for citizens.

With such low voter-turnout in so many of our elections (is this the miracle democracy we keep trying to spread across the globe?), we should be trying to encourage more participation, not less. 

Forward

What A Night It Was