2016 elections - because it's never too early

[Legbiter]

American voters hate people who pee sitting down, film at 11.

Naw, it's just that Trump owns that particular real estate now.

[derspiess]

Is the rise of the far left a joyous occasion for you? They might actually take over your state at some point.

Tell me how they will take over Ohio.

[Admiral Yi]

Has Bernie been talking any about carbon emissions or anything else that affects coal?  It seems he has been winning primaries in Appalachia (or coming close as in Kentucky) largely on the basis of Hillary's association with anti-coal regulations.  Is Bernie more pro-coal than Hillary, or are those voters just being ignorant?

[Martinus]

Has Bernie been talking any about carbon emissions or anything else that affects coal?  It seems he has been winning primaries in Appalachia (or coming close as in Kentucky) largely on the basis of Hillary's association with anti-coal regulations.  Is Bernie more pro-coal than Hillary, or are those voters just being ignorant?

I think he is pro-green but this is not something he stresses. He is kind of an old style socialist, focusing more on the working class than on pet causes of upper middle class urban professionals like garbon.

[Admiral Yi]

I think he is pro-green but this is not something he stresses. He is kind of an old style socialist, focusing more on the working class than on pet causes of upper middle class urban professionals like garbon.

That argument doesn't work for coal miners.  The US is an exporter of coal; coal wouldn't benefit from protectionism.

[derspiess]

Has Bernie been talking any about carbon emissions or anything else that affects coal?  It seems he has been winning primaries in Appalachia (or coming close as in Kentucky) largely on the basis of Hillary's association with anti-coal regulations.  Is Bernie more pro-coal than Hillary, or are those voters just being ignorant?

I think he just kept his mouth shut about it and talked about other things.  Let Hillary put her foot in her mouth.  And it worked. 

[Admiral Yi]

I think he just kept his mouth shut about it and talked about other things.  Let Hillary put her foot in her mouth.  And it worked.

Has she though?  It's not like I've been recording every word she utters, but it doesn't seem that she has been making carbon emissions or anything else impacting coal a centerpiece of her campaign.

[Martinus]

I think he just kept his mouth shut about it and talked about other things.  Let Hillary put her foot in her mouth.  And it worked.

Has she though?  It's not like I've been recording every word she utters, but it doesn't seem that she has been making carbon emissions or anything else impacting coal a centerpiece of her campaign.

"We are going to put a lot of coal miners out of business" was all that was needed.

[jimmy olsen]

Sanders may be about to claim his first scalp.

http://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/281147-dems-discuss-dropping-wasserman-schultz

Democrats on Capitol Hill are discussing whether Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz should step down as Democratic National Committee (DNC) chairwoman before the party's national convention in July.

Democrats backing likely presidential nominee Hillary Clinton worry Wasserman Schultz has become too divisive a figure to unify the party in 2016, which they say is crucial to defeating presumptive GOP nominee Donald Trump

Wasserman Schultz has had an increasingly acrimonious relationship with the party's other presidential candidate, Bernie Sanders, and his supporters, who argue she has tilted the scales in Clinton's favor.

"There have been a lot of meetings over the past 48 hours about what color plate do we deliver Debbie Wasserman Schultz's head on," said one pro-Clinton Democratic senator.

The lawmaker said senators huddled on the chamber floor last week to talk about Wasserman Schultz's future and estimated that about a dozen have weighed in during private conversations.

"I don't see how she can continue to the election. How can she open the convention? Sanders supporters would go nuts," said the lawmaker, who requested anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the discussions.

There is no indication Wasserman Schultz, who is also a Florida congresswoman, has any plans to leave her post. And Senate sources stress that a final decision won't be made until Clinton and Sanders negotiate some type of deal aimed at healing the party. President Obama, who selected Wasserman ­Schultz as chairwoman in 2011, is expected to play a major role in any such talks.

The Clinton and Sanders campaigns have already struck a deal with Wasserman Schultz to limit her role in the convention's platform committee.

Under DNC rules, she could have appointed all 15 members of the platform committee but instead picked only four. Clinton got to fill six positions, and Sanders chose five.

The concession, however, may not be enough to keep her in the job through the Democratic National Convention.

A senior Senate Democratic aide said, "There's a strong sentiment that the current situation is untenable and can only be fixed by her leaving. There's too much water under the bridge for her to be a neutral arbiter."

Another Democratic senator who supports Clinton said Wasserman Schultz will hurt her chances of rallying the liberal base in the fall.

"We need to get this figured out and come together," said the lawmaker. "Hillary's got the nomination. She needs Bernie's energy. It's time for her to accommodate. It's time to pick hard-nosed people to cut through things and figure out a deal.

"They need to know this is their party," the lawmaker said, observing that if Wasserman Schultz were to be replaced as party leader, young liberals may become more enthusiastic about the ticket.

Lawmakers who have discussed the end of Wasserman Schultz's tenure acknowledge the fate would be unfair because she's worked hard to help the party. But they say the greater priority is to mollify restive liberals backing Sanders.

Wasserman Schultz and Sanders backers have clashed on Twitter in the wake of the chaotic Nevada Democratic convention earlier this month.

Sanders, who claimed the party establishment gave Clinton an unfair advantage in Nevada, has since endorsed Wasserman Schultz's primary opponent. He also said he would not want her to continue as DNC chief if he were to become president.

Among Democrats, the view that Wasserman Schultz should go in the name of party unity isn't unanimous.

Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.), the dean of Senate Democratic women, said Wasserman Schultz has done well in moderating the primary fight between Clinton and Sanders.

"I think Debbie Wasserman Schultz has done a good job. If you look at her platform committee appointments, she really gave a lot of room to Bernie supporters," Mikulski said.

Mikulski said she was not aware of conversations about replacing the DNC chairwoman.

"That's not going to happen. I certainly wouldn't let it happen," Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) said of the prospect of Wasserman Schultz leaving the DNC before the convention.

Nelson was one of several senators who called to speak on the record after The Hill contacted the DNC for comment.

Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), a former DNC chairman whose name has been floated as a possible running mate for Clinton, said: "We don't need to be making a change in chairs right now as we're coming to the conclusion of this. I strongly believe that."

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), one of the rising female stars of the upper chamber, said, "She helped elect Barack Obama twice, and she's going to help elect our nominee, whom I believe should be Hillary."

In an emailed statement to The Hill, House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi (Calif.) said, "DNC Chairwoman Wasserman Schultz enjoys the support of members of the House Democratic Caucus for her leadership in unifying the party and winning in November."

An aide to Vice President Biden said, "He supports her and her leadership of the committee."

Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), House Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer (Md.) and House Democratic Caucus Chairman Xavier Becerra (Calif.) also contacted The Hill to express their support for her.

"The real story is you have a bunch of notable U.S. senators and members of Congress on the record expressing support for the strong leadership Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz has provided at the party, and an anonymous source who disagrees," said Luis Miranda, the DNC's communications director.

"She's going to continue to focus on uniting Democrats and on being an asset to help elect them up and down the ballot in November, just as she's done for many in both chambers," he added.

But a neutral Democratic strategist involved in talks between constituencies on either side of the Clinton-Sanders divide said electing a new chairman "would help everyone."

"I think that would help the Hillary campaign. That would be a symbol to the Bernie people that Hillary is hearing them," he said.

Still, Clinton is known for valuing loyalty, and pushing Wasserman Schultz out could signal weakness. The Florida legislator endorsed Clinton over Obama in 2008.

The Sanders campaign and its allies have accused her of giving Clinton favorable treatment in an array of areas.

They point to several instances of perceived bias, such as scheduling televised debates at times of lower viewership, suspending Sanders's access to a shared voter database and setting up a joint fundraising committee with Clinton's campaign.

Sanders campaign manager Jeff Weaver recently alleged that Wasserman Schultz has been "working against" Sanders for "personal reasons."

"It's been clear there is a pattern of conduct from the beginning of this campaign that has been hostile to Bernie Sanders and his supporters, and really, she's become a divisive figure in the party," he told MSNBC host Steve Kornacki.

The Clinton and Sanders campaigns did not respond to requests for comment.

Following the uproar at the Nevada convention earlier this month, some pro-Clinton lawmakers wanted Sanders to call for party unity, but he opted instead to rip the party establishment.

"Unfortunately, the senator's response was anything but acceptable," Wasserman Schultz told CNN. "It certainly did not condemn his supporters for acting violently or engaging in intimidation tactics, and instead added more fuel to the fire."

That response struck many Democrats — Clinton and Sanders supporters alike — as tone-deaf.

"It's very important for her to adopt a role of pouring oil on troubled waters. She did the opposite last week when she poured gasoline on the events that occurred in Nevada," said Sen. Jeff Merkley

(D-Ore.), the only member of the Senate who has endorsed Sanders.

He said, however, that he was "heartened" that Wasserman Schultz allowed Sanders to appoint five members to the platform committee.

When asked if Wasserman Schultz should stay on as DNC chairwoman through the convention, Merkley said, "I'll leave that to others."

[jimmy olsen]

 
http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/politics/2016/05/newt_gingrich_is_the_perfect_donald_trump_running_mate.html

Though Gingrich has said Trump would need "psychiatric help" if the presumptive nominee were to select him as his running mate, he definitely will not rule himself out.

[Martinus]

Albuquerque police threw smoke canisters and used what appeared to be pepper spray on crowds Tuesday after anti-Donald Trump protesters threw rocks and bottles at officers, officials said.

http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2016-election/albuquerque-cops-use-smoke-horses-after-anti-trump-protests-turn-n579906

When Trump's enemies are violent thugs and criminals like that, surely he must be doing something right.

[Admiral Yi]

When Trump's enemies are violent thugs and criminals like that, surely he must be doing something right.

Much like Hitler.

[Phillip V]

Albuquerque police threw smoke canisters and used what appeared to be pepper spray on crowds Tuesday after anti-Donald Trump protesters threw rocks and bottles at officers, officials said.

http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2016-election/albuquerque-cops-use-smoke-horses-after-anti-trump-protests-turn-n579906

When Trump's enemies are violent thugs and criminals like that, surely he must be doing something right.

New York Times headline:  Protesters Throw Rocks at Police Horses Outside Trump Rally in Albuquerque

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/25/us/protesters-throw-rocks-at-police-horses-outside-trump-rally-in-albuquerque.html

[Jaron]

Oh good. Bernie referred to people voting in general for Hillary would be doing so because they view her as the lesser of two evils.

How's that even remotely not true?

I am yet to see one celebrity or public person (I am not counting Goldman Sachs CEOs and their ilk) say they will vote for Hillary out of convinction that she is the best possible candidate - almost everyone is giving some variation of "she is far from ideal, but we need to stop the Trumpnado".

Hi. Have we met?

[Martinus]

Apparently Milo's latest appearances was stopped by Bernie thugs as well:

http://www.breitbart.com/tech/2016/05/24/milo-yiannopoulos-protesters-storm-stage-depaul-university/

I hope America chooses wisely and elects someone who would put these savages behind bars where they belong.