2016 elections - because it's never too early

[The Brain]

La Duce Vita.

[mongers]

This article from CNN depressed me:

How Trump's bumptious body language dominates

CNN)For anyone who watched Wednesday night's Republican primary debate with the volume turned down, there was a clear winner, communication experts say: Donald Trump, hands down.

"When it comes to body language, nobody does it better," says David Givens, director of the Center for Nonverbal Studies in Spokane, Washington. "He just neutralizes the opposition."

While Trump's opponents appear to be "wooden," Givens says, Trump is "exceptional" at communicating with his body.

"Nobody has done it this well since John F. Kennedy. Or Mussolini," Givens says, referring to the founder of Fascism, who ruled Italy from 1922 to 1943.

Have we actually reached the point where the average CNN reader doesn't know who Benito Mussolini was?   

Probably the majority of people in most Western countries.

[garbon]

To be fair, they often will explain things that the general public should know.

[The Brain]

The Economist is good with that. "Apple, a computer company, ..." (this was many years ago).

[mongers]

So who's it likely to be, Trump vs 141.101.89.23 (Clinton's email server)

[Valmy]

No idea. Nobody has even voted yet 

The whole circus is so absurd.

[Malthus]

He needs to keep his skills at master debating at home.

His skills at flashing likewise.

[alfred russel]

This article from CNN depressed me:

How Trump's bumptious body language dominates

CNN)For anyone who watched Wednesday night's Republican primary debate with the volume turned down, there was a clear winner, communication experts say: Donald Trump, hands down.

"When it comes to body language, nobody does it better," says David Givens, director of the Center for Nonverbal Studies in Spokane, Washington. "He just neutralizes the opposition."

While Trump's opponents appear to be "wooden," Givens says, Trump is "exceptional" at communicating with his body.

"Nobody has done it this well since John F. Kennedy. Or Mussolini," Givens says, referring to the founder of Fascism, who ruled Italy from 1922 to 1943.

Have we actually reached the point where the average CNN reader doesn't know who Benito Mussolini was?   

Democracy is beautiful in theory; in practice it is a fallacy. You in America will see that some day.

My guess is the author welcomed the opportunity to introduce the word "fascism" and a WWII axis reference into a quote about Trump.

[The Minsky Moment]

"Margaret Thatcher"

What could be more American than putting a British peer on the currency?   

[The Brain]

This article from CNN depressed me:

How Trump's bumptious body language dominates

CNN)For anyone who watched Wednesday night's Republican primary debate with the volume turned down, there was a clear winner, communication experts say: Donald Trump, hands down.

"When it comes to body language, nobody does it better," says David Givens, director of the Center for Nonverbal Studies in Spokane, Washington. "He just neutralizes the opposition."

While Trump's opponents appear to be "wooden," Givens says, Trump is "exceptional" at communicating with his body.

"Nobody has done it this well since John F. Kennedy. Or Mussolini," Givens says, referring to the founder of Fascism, who ruled Italy from 1922 to 1943.

Have we actually reached the point where the average CNN reader doesn't know who Benito Mussolini was?   

Democracy is beautiful in theory; in practice it is a fallacy. You in America will see that some day.

My guess is the author welcomed the opportunity to introduce the word "fascism" and a WWII axis reference into a quote about Trump.

CNN are n00bs. Swedish media has already established that Trump is Hitler.

[The Brain]

I'll never eat at McD's again.

[Razgovory]

"Margaret Thatcher"

What could be more American than putting a British peer on the currency?   

That is so embarrassing.

[Savonarola]

This article from CNN depressed me:

How Trump's bumptious body language dominates

CNN)For anyone who watched Wednesday night's Republican primary debate with the volume turned down, there was a clear winner, communication experts say: Donald Trump, hands down.

"When it comes to body language, nobody does it better," says David Givens, director of the Center for Nonverbal Studies in Spokane, Washington. "He just neutralizes the opposition."

While Trump's opponents appear to be "wooden," Givens says, Trump is "exceptional" at communicating with his body.

"Nobody has done it this well since John F. Kennedy. Or Mussolini," Givens says, referring to the founder of Fascism, who ruled Italy from 1922 to 1943.

Have we actually reached the point where the average CNN reader doesn't know who Benito Mussolini was?   

Democracy is beautiful in theory; in practice it is a fallacy. You in America will see that some day.

My guess is the author welcomed the opportunity to introduce the word "fascism" and a WWII axis reference into a quote about Trump.

CNN are n00bs. Swedish media has already established that Trump is Hitler.

So you're ramping up production of ball bearings then? 

[HisMajestyBOB]

Quick recap video in case you missed it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQeqJng5vq8
Worth checking out the highlights.

[jimmy olsen]

Fiorina vs. Clinton? 

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/political-animal-a/2015_09/finally_the_gop_establishment057655.php

Finally, the GOP Establishment Has a Candidate They Can Embrace
By Nancy LeTourneau

In terms of last night's Republican debate, this is an instance where conventional wisdom is probably right...Carly Fiorina "won." And while I am usually loath to make political predictions, I think its a pretty sure bet that over the next couple of weeks we'll see that translated into rising poll numbers.

What's interesting about this is that the Republican base has been itching to support a political "outsider" - which has put them at odds with establishment love for candidates like Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio (the latter of whom also helped himself with his performance last night). But based on what I'm reading this morning, it looks like the establishment has finally found an outsider they can embrace in Carly Fiorina.

Last night Fiorina was articulate, forceful and came off as "presidential." In doing so, she demonstrated that there is a clear policy vacuum when it comes to Donald Trump. I have no doubt that his hardcore nativist base will continue to support him. But there is now some very real competition for those Republicans who have been uncomfortable with his candidacy.

As Democrats, last night gave us some good insight about Carly Fiorina. While being articulate, she was grossly negligent when it came to facts. Steve Benen did a good job of summarizing that (click on the links for the specifics).

Her rhetoric about Planned Parenthood was plainly at odds with reality. She said it takes "two-thirds of the states" to ratify a constitutional amendment, but it actually takes three-fourths. Her comments about the criminal justice system were simply untrue. She insisted that Democrats, who've been pleading with Republicans for years to pass immigration reform, "don't want" to pass immigration reform. Her defense of her failed tenure at HP was hard to take seriously. Her rhetoric about foreign policy was "bizarre."

So what does that tell us about Fiorina? It's obvious that she's a smart woman and prepared very well for this debate. So I doubt that any of those arguments were based on ignorance. What it tells us about her is that she is a gifted liar (I'd suggest, the best on that stage last night) - and is not real worried about being outed as such. After all...the Republicans have shown over and over again that they are in an age of "truthiness." In other words, if it sounds good and reinforces my biases, it must be true.

Last night Carly Fiorina put on a masterful performance. I don't know that it means she'll get the nomination. But I doubt she'll be making the kinds of gaffes/mistakes that sunk the candidacies of people like Rick Perry and Herman Cain last time around. And she has a lot of potential to bridge the gap that has developed between the Republican base and establishment. That means she'll be one of the "top tier" contenders for a while.