;)
The Commentariat -- March 6, 2016
Ashley Parker of the New York Times: "Senator Marco Rubio of Florida won the Puerto Rico primary on Sunday, The Associated Press reported, giving him a much-needed victory after a string of losses that threatened to push the Republican presidential nomination further out of his reach." ...
... Maybe that's because Marco is such a good friend to Puerto Rico. Also from Parker's report: "Puerto Rico is embroiled in a debt crisis, with the territory facing a deficit of more than $70 billion. Mr. Rubio took a tough line on the matter in Congress, urging Puerto Rico to focus on improving its economy and fixing its troubled fiscal situation rather than seeking bankruptcy protection."
Lou Cannon of the New York Times: "Nancy Reagan, the influential and stylish wife of the 40th president of the United States who unabashedly put Ronald Reagan at the center of her life but became a political figure in her own right, died on Sunday at her home in Los Angeles. She was 94." ...
... Nancy Reagan's Los Angeles Times obituary, by Elaine Woo, is here.
Forgot to post this this morning. SNL does a pretty good job in capturing the essence of last week's presidential primary races:
... AND this ad features Trump voters at their best. Hey, it's who they are:
Presidential Race
Hillary Clinton & Bernie Sanders debate at 8:00 pm ET tonight in Flint, Michigan. Noah Weiland of Politico: "CNN hosts and plans to distribute half a million water bottles to four locations around town before the debate."
Maine's Democratic primary caucuses are today. Republicans vote in Puerto Rico.
Saturday's Primary & Caucus Results
Where Have You Gone, Marco Rubio? Jose DelReal of the Washington Post: "Sen. Ted Cruz's bid to become the chief alternative to Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump gained steam Saturday, as he secured commanding victories in the Kansas and Maine caucuses while Sen. Marco Rubio withered with a string of third-place finishes.... Taken together, the results marked a devastating rebuke of the Republican establishment, which has settled on Rubio as its standard-bearer. He not only failed to win any states Saturday, but he also finished in third place in every state that voted Saturday except Maine, where he was projected to finish fourth behind Ohio Gov. John Kasich.... Meanwhile, Sen. Bernie Sanders defeated former secretary of state Hillary Clinton in the Kansas and Nebraska caucuses. But Clinton's forceful projected win in delegate-rich Louisiana keeps her vast delegate lead for the Democratic party's nomination intact."
The New York Times has full, updated results here.
Democrats
Yamiche Alcindor of the New York Times: "Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, energized by victories Saturday in Kansas and Nebraska, declared that people should not 'write off' his campaign and that the caucus wins show that he has the momentum to gain the Democratic presidential nomination. Mr. Sanders, in an interview from the hotel where he is staying in Detroit, said he won Kansas by a 'pretty good margin' (indeed, it was 2-to-1) and that he expected to do well in contests in Maine, Michigan, California, New York, Oregon and Washington."
Kansas. Sanders won the state with 68 percent of the vote, with 100 percent of the precincts reporting.
Louisiana: Clinton won with 71 percent, with 100 percent of precincts reporting.
Nebraska: Sanders won with 56 percent, with 89 percent reporting.
Republicans
Jonathan Martin of the New York Times: "Mr. Trump's losses underlined his continued vulnerability in states that hold time-intensive caucuses: He has lost five of seven such contests. He has performed far better in states holding primaries, which require less organization, and some of which also allow Democrats and independents to vote in Republican races.... A notably restrained Mr. Trump, addressing supporters and reporters in West Palm Beach, Fla., called on Mr. Rubio to withdraw from the race. 'I want Ted one-on-one, O.K.' Mr. Trump said.... The results on Saturday represented another stinging setback for Mr. Rubio.... Mr. Rubio, who backed out of trips to Kentucky and Louisiana on Friday to make three stops across Kansas, has an increasingly narrow path and is confronting the prospect of a humiliating loss in his own state next week. He has won just a single state, Minnesota, and lags well behind Mr. Trump and Mr. Cruz in delegates." ...
... Jonathan Easley of the Hill: "... Marco Rubio downplayed his performance in the four states that held GOP caucuses or primaries on Saturday, saying that he had had long known 'this would be the roughest period of the campaign.' Speaking primarily in Spanish at a press conference in Puerto Rico, where voters will head to the polls on Sunday, the Florida senator noted that the contests in Kansas, Maine, Kentucky and Louisiana are proportional, saying he'll leave them with more delegates than he started with. But so far on Super Saturday, Rubio has failed to meet the threshold to qualify for any delegates in Louisiana and Maine." ...
... CW Translation: I lost all but one one of the first 22 states to vote or caucus, but just you wait. ...
... Jonathan Swan of the Hill: "... Marco Rubio on Saturday declined to say whether he will drop out of the race if he loses his home state primary in Florida. 'Well, I've never based my campaign on one state, but I can tell you this, we will win the state of Florida,' Rubio said at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC)."
Kansas. Cruz won the state with 48 percent of the vote, 100 percent of the precincts reporting. Trump was second with 23 percent, 100 percent reporting.
Kentucky. Trump won the state with 36 percent of the vote, 100 percent of the precincts reporting. Cruz was second with 32 percent, 100 percent reporting.
Louisiana. Trump won the state with 41 percent of the vote, 100 percent of the precincts reporting. Cruz was second with 38 percent, 100 percent reporting.
Maine. Cruz won the state with 46 percent of the vote, 100 percent of the precincts reporting. Trump was second with 33 percent, 100 percent reporting.
CW: So in a brokered convention, somebody tell me how the boys in the back room would justify throwing the nomination to Rubio when perhaps two-thirds of the voters & caucus-goers will have chosen Trump or Cruz. Dream on, Marco. I have seen the future, & it is a confederate think-free tank.
Maggie Haberman of the New York Times: "Donald J. Trump said he would seek to 'broaden' laws regarding the torture of terrorism suspects, a day after he said that as president he would be 'bound by laws and treaties' that he would not order the military to violate." ...
... Maureen Dowd thinks it's "wicked fun" watching Trump & his adversaries. I wrote a comment (and a so-far unpublished follow-up noting Haberman's report linked above) on one aspect of the "fun" in the Comments section of Dowd's column on one aspect of the "fun." ...
... Heil Drumpf! Janie Velencia of the Huffington Post: "On Saturday..., footage surfaced of Trump at a rally in Orlando, Florida, that was eerily reminiscent of 1930s Nazi rallies. Toward the end of his speech, Trump can be seen addressing the crowd forcefully. He tells them to raise their right hand and asks them to repeat after him that they will vote for him for president, no matter what." Thanks to MAG for the link. Here's the video:
... Marianne Zumberge of Variety: "In a Saturday morning email blast announcing the sixth episode of his web series 'Horace and Pete,' [comedian Louis] C.K. included a lengthy postscript urging readers not to vote for Trump." CW: The P.S. is pretty good & might have more resonance with Trump voters than would Mitt Romney's complaints about Trump's random thoughts on international trade. ...
... Dylan Byers of CNN: "Donald Trump consulted with his campaign manager during the first commercial break at Thursday night's Republican debate, violating ground rules from Fox News stating that candidates would not be allowed to have contact with their campaigns, rival campaign sources told CNNMoney. While that exchange was the clearest violation of debate rules to date, the sources said, it followed a pattern: At multiple debates, Trump has consulted with his campaign manager Corey Lewandowski backstage even though it was expressly forbidden by the networks." CW: I'm sure everybody is shocked that Trump cheated on his debate test.
Kyle Cheney & Alex Isenstadt of Politico: "Cruz and Trump ... agree on one thing: It's time for their other rivals to drop out.... Now, Cruz is pouring resources into Rubio's home state of Florida, where polls show Trump leading -- and where a Rubio loss would effectively end his campaign. Cruz's maneuvering is even more striking because he's is unlikely to compete for a win in Florida, which awards all of its delegates to the top finisher. Instead, his decision to open 10 offices there on Friday seems aimed at suffocating Rubio's support and knocking him out of the race." ...
... CW: Not sure how great a tactic this is, at least in terms of crushing Rubio. It seems to me the Tailgunner is likely to take more votes from Trump than from Rubio. Both Cruz & Trump are courting the angry-nut voter while Rubio is pretending to be the moderate, establishment candidate. ...
... Eliza Collins of Politico: "Texas Sen. Ted Cruz won the straw poll at the Conservative Political Action Conference on Saturday. Cruz was named the winner with 40 percent of the attendees' support, while Florida Sen. Marco Rubio came in second place with 30 percent. Donald Trump, who was scheduled to speak at CPAC on Saturday morning before pulling out, came in third place with 15 percent, and Ohio Gov. John Kasich had 8 percent." ...
... Frances Langum of Crooks & Liars: "A sizable number of attendees at a Ted Cruz speech booed and then walked out when the Texas Senator criticized Donald Trump. Trump didn't attend the conservative convention this year...."
Thomas Kaplan of the New York Times: "Gov. John Kasich of Ohio released partial tax returns on Saturday showing that he and his wife earned more than $5 million from 2008 through 2014. Mr. Kasich follows two of his Republican opponents, Senators Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio, who released partial tax returns last weekend. Their actions, followed by Mr. Kasich's disclosure on Saturday, add to the pressure on Donald J. Trump to release his returns."
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Reader Comments (21)
So Drumpf violated Fox's rules by overtly strategizing with his campaign manager during the debate, and how does Fox rectify the situation? They open the barn doors and let all the candidates in on the slop. That logic just seems so, "Foxy", doesn't it?
If we catch you cheating, or even if we just have one of those funny intuitions, in any way, shape or form, AND you're not on our team, then we're going to raise holy hell and drag out any supposed "there" there for weeks, months, even years if need be (BENGHAZI!!!). Broken "rules" can be invented at the drop of a hat, giving talking heads and those accredited as "journalists" free creative license to blow out of proportion and finger point as long as the issue can hold traction with the proletarian masses.
Yet, if illegalities or broken rules should be perpetrated by a member of our own clan, then blind eyes and shoulder shrugs have been established as the official order of the day. Hardly any level of egregious flaunting of basic established rules are punishable by any means worse than a demotion or reassignment within the party structure. It seems only outside legal recourse, literally finding yourself sitting your ass behind bars, is the actual means to be expelled from the party structure. Even then, once time served: no harm, no foul. The party motto goes: "Do your time (if you can't get around it), rework your shtick, and get back out there!"
So, how does Fox react to Drumpf's constant indifference to established rules? Free-for-all!!! For their clan, of course.
Which brings up another idea, as well: is Drumpf officially a member of the clan? All the wallowing has left his membership credentials in limbo. If they truly wanted to hold to their "follow the rules", "don't step out of line" approach to governance and, well, life in general, they could have easily taken a few moments during the debate to inform their authoritarian-minded audience that Mr. Drumpf was in violation of previously established rules, didn't play fairly, and thus will be punished by not being asked the next question (or whatever). A sanction could have very easily been imposed as a slap on the wrist in rectification of his blatant disregard of protocol, but Fox, immersed in their "win at all cost/scorched earth" strategy doesn't even hesitant to do away with established boundaries, in order to "level" the cheating field.
The fact that they didn't call out Drumpf until afterwards demonstrates both the fear of the Drumpf Wrath he could bring onto their network, and the timid acceptance of the demagogue into their inner circle, effectively handing him the gilded membership card to the Club.
And, in a twisted bit of winger logic, had Fox actually called out Drumpf for "breaking the rules", his supporters would have assuredly cried foul in angry temper-tantrums, for abiding by rules is an activity reserved for Those people. Yet Drumpf, and through ritual kinship, his supporters, believe they walk to a different beat, beholden to no one but their Maker who is similarly self-styled to individual beliefs and norms: a whole movement of political Frankensteins, stitched together with fear and anger, stuffed with bigotry and extreme individualism, and unraveling at their seams before our very eyes.
Safari,
In other words, Gadarene swine: possessed, crazed, filled with irrational hatred and fear, and headed for the edge of the cliff as quickly as their little pigs' feet can carry them. All in worship of Beelzetrump.
Trump is pushing it in everyone's face. Smug bastard.
Did you see the story where he asked his supporters to raise their right hand in approval/salute(allegiance) to him? The parallel is disgusting. He continues outrageous taunting " and appears to get away with it.
Two things. For the last two days, as I read the 'news', I kept track of the "Trump words".
Crazy
Delusional
Weird
Insane
Megalomaniac
Fascist
Hitler
Mussolini
Frankenstein's monster
There was an interesting article in today's Star Ledger (can't find it online yet) about the end of the two party system in America.
Some variation in the Democrat side but three parties claiming to be Republican.
The nativist party (only white), the 'Christian' party that wants to create a version of Saudi Arabia, and the the traditional party (just give me the money you idiots).
Good comment, Marie, on Dowd's piece today and since I always read gemli I agree with him re: the secret desire to let Trump have a go at it, fail miserably, and then shout, See? this is what will happen to our country if this buffoon takes over. Although gemli really doesn't go that far, he already imagines we'd all be destroyed ––maybe by some errant bomb–-and end up dead in cornfields. What I do wish is that someone, quickly, makes a film depicting a Trump like character that becomes president and ruins the country. "Being There" came close, but Trump is nothing like Chauncey Gardner who resembles more Ben Carson. Whether that could open the eyes of the great unwashed, I don't know. What I do know is that this man, the Donald Duck of the GOP's, is sucking the life out of other news that is important to learn about. For instance:
The Editorial Board of the NYT gives us a take on a Judge's message to the Xenophobes––those two dozen or more Republican governors who are trying like the devil to bar any resettlement of refugees in their states. In this particular case, it's the Governor of Indiana, Mike Pence, that silver haired dimwit who, when in Congress, accomplished little but always looked like a model for J.M. Banks––spiffy suits–-buy one, get one free.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/06/opinion/sunday/a-judges-message-to-the-xenophobes.html?smid=nytcore-ipad-share&smprod=nytcore-ipad
And look at what many Republican governors have done to their states––this should be front and center during the campaigns. Also much more emphasis on people voting in local elections which is always sparse–-this is how we get these loonies in congress along with the help of gerrymandering. and wouldn't it be loverly if we had more Republican voters who discover that by jove, Obama Care saved their life! like the young man who did just that last week.
P.S. It's another perk for MoDo that she recognizes we have a president who has class, and dignity (she can only go so far with praise). The other nuget a few weeks ago, was for the Obama family unit.
I second the sentiments that it was mighty fine to see Marie's comments in the NYT (the second one is now posted). She concludes that reply comment with this: "There is nothing "fun" about watching this spectacle, Miss Dowd. Donald Trump is one scary guy, better suited to play an unbalanced villain in a movie thriller than a candidate for president."
Lawrence O'Donnell took an identical tack on MSNBC after Chris Matthews made some inane comments that Trump sparked "joy" in his supporters or some such nonsense. This is part of what O'Donnell had to say:"People on TV laugh about it because he's a sick, pathological liar who's allowed to get away with it. And the media thinks that, 'Oh, he said something half funny, badly delivered, at one of these events, and so let's call this fun.' It's not fun. This is ugly fascism in America. This is 21st century American fascism."
I take exception to characterizing Le Donald as "Frankenstein's Monster".
The real Monster is the scores of millions of who support him. That is the Monster that the Cons have created by decades of pandering to bigotry, hate, and every hot-button, single issue, gun-toting, anti-feminist, anti-choice, anti-gay, anti-everybody and everything that doesn't look, think, believe, and act like them.
Without that monster, Le Donald is nothing but another loud-mouthed, foul-mouthed, two-bit con artist. And no matter what happens between now and November, Donald could drop dead tomorrow, the real Monster will still be among us.
Looking down the road, was interested to see this short AP analysis of Clinton's emails, now that all have been released, in this morning' paper. I wouldn't call all the conclusions incisive and some are downright mealy-mouthed, but in sum the way I read them is that the fairest interpretation is there's no there there. Not the way the R's will play it in the next few months (is the Benghazi inquiry still in session?) but still some useful ammunition for the side that retains some respect for fact and reason.
http://bigstory.ap.org/article/clinton-emails
@D.C.Clark: You're quite right, but Trump adds another layer to what the GOP has done for years: he has now made overt racism acceptable to people who kept their racism in what Mitt called "quiet rooms" (the only appropriate places to talk about income inequality). When supporters say they admire Trump because "he tells it like it is" or because "he says out loud what the rest of us were only thinking," what they mean is, "He's made my racist views okay to share in public." Also, incidents at his rallies demonstrate he's made it okay to physically harm minorities & to shout racial epithets at them.
Years ago, during the latter part of the Clinton presidency, I questioned my own values. As I listened to Clinton espousing what I considered conservative views & as I saw him approving conservative legislation, I thought, "Well, maybe he's right & I've been wrong all these years. Maybe I'm 'too far' out of the mainstream." That is, Bill Clinton made me feel I should shift to the right. When I first started commenting in the New York Times in 2008 & 2009, I did so with some trepidation. I thought other readers would think my views were left-wing bordering on nuts. I really was surprised when I found that hundreds of Times readers agreed with me on various issues.
So while I think Trump is merely validating the views of many of his followers or "giving them permission" to hold those views, he probably also is encouraging others to become more racist; he's telling people inclined toward some of his beliefs that all of his beliefs -- including the darkest ones -- are acceptable or even honorable.
Sure, ordinary people have held those racist views for years, but Trump has now got his fans, as MAG showed up, to pledge allegiance to them.
Marie
At my birthday dinner last week, there was a discussion of short term
memory loss, (we're all of a certain age), like going into the pantry
and just standing there wondering what you came for. A few days
later I received a link to this article:
http://www.defenseone.com/technology/2015/11/us/military-
developing-brain-implants-boost-memory-and-heal-ptsd/123784/
The article goes on to state that over 300,000 gulf war veterans
came back with brain damage. Trump supporters? My apology
to veterans but not to those supporting Trump.
Here's a link to an interview with one of my heroes, E.O.Wilson, on his latest book:
http://nyti.ms/1Qocv00
@PD,
This Unwashed thinks your movie could only be some bizarre mashup of Bananas, Blazing Saddles and Dr. Strangelove.
Marie -
So good to see your smart reply published - and applauded - in response to Dowd's drivel. (My friends & former NYT co-workers still marvel that she manages to maintain her Bull-shit Pulpit . . . 'though we've had our own "wicked fun" with thoughts on the matter.)
D.C. Clark -
Thank you for mentioning the wonderful & wondrous E.O. Wilson.
(My late Father was a Microbiologist & they shared many a POV). While I was unsuccessful with your posted link - owing, no doubt, to my low-tech IQ - I was reminded of the following interview . . . which features this gorgeous quote:
"Search until you find a passion and go all out to excel in its expression."
http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2014/04/search-until-you-find-a-passion-and-go-all-out-to-excel-in-its-expression/
RE: Die Drumpf-gruB -
Waiting for the elbows to stretch into full extension.
@D.C. I could not access your link. Wilson's "The Diversity of Life" is one of my bibles.
@Unwashed: Yeah, along with the farts and the precious bodily fluids.
Try this link to Wilson interview:
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/01/science/e-o-wilson-half-earth-biodiversity.html?emc=eta1&_r=0
My favorite quote:
“The real problem of humanity is the following: we have paleolithic emotions; medieval institutions; and god-like technology."
HEIL TRUMP! Does anyone know where he plans on building the ovens?
D.C.Clark, you are correct. Just like Hitler, the word game is to open up the truth about a substantial part of our population. Fortunately is is not the majority. As I have said before, the biggest mistake in US history was Lincoln's decision to keep the confederates . He should freed the slaves and sent the South to hell. In today's world the CSA would be a third world country.
I think this just popped up. Saturday Night Live
https://www.google.com/webhp?hl=en&tab=ww#hl=en&q=rascists+for+donald+trump
Damn, I am sorry to hear Marie is commenting on the Times again, it means that I am going to have to consider subscribing (unless she can limit herself to less than 10 comments a month!) Probably like many who initially visited this website I was drawn to it by Marie's comments on various opinion pieces, which were easy to find as they ALWAYS topped the readers pick. As some one from many miles away I have found Reality Chex invaluable source "right" (is there anyway we can reclaim that word) minded thinking. I am glad Marie didn't follow through on her decision to pull the pin after the last election.
Whilst I'm here can anyone explain to a simple Australian how a single Senator can virtually veto the Flint assistance bill? I would also like to nominate the awful "who let the dogs out" as the official song of the RNC
John
@John Carey: You don't have to subscribe to the Times. Just open the Times in a private (or "incognito") window. When you get at or near your 10 freebies, close the window & open a new private window; that puts your count back to 0. This works for the WashPo, too, which I think is down to 5 freebies, & for the LA Times & many other news sites.
It doesn't work for sites like the WSJ, which is subscriber-firewalled & doesn't have any freebies.
As for the Senate, any senator can put a "hold" on any bill or nomination, preventing the action from coming to the floor for a vote. These holds are usually supposed to be secret, but when a hold is particularly egregious, another senator or staffer is apt to leak the name of the senator who put the hold on the action, to put pressure on him/her to lift the hold. And sometimes, after a long while, the other side gets pissed off enough to ignore the hold, which is an "informal objection." Wikipedia has a more precise explanation of the hold, as the rules have somewhat changed recently.
Marie
I find the following chillingly reminiscent of "Invasion of the Body Snatchers":
"The FBI Has a New Plan to Spy on High School Students Across the Country" - From Truthout
http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/35097-the-fbi-has-a-new-plan-to-spy-on-high-school-students-across-the-country
Ed Wilson is one of the great minds of our age. If all else fails, use this link.