In only a few hours Super Tuesday will be upon us.
Tomorrow will be primary or caucus day for both Democrats and Republicans in (in no particular order) Alabama, Arkansas, Vermont, Massachusetts, Texas, Oklahoma, Colorado, Minnesota, Georgia, Virginia and Tennessee. In addition Republicans in Alaksa and Democrats in American Samoa will caucus that day.
Many are predicting that Trump and Clinton will be the conquering victors for their respective parties with some predicting doom for VT Sen. Bernie Sanders. While Hillary Clinton will likely win the southern states, Sanders will likely to get Vermont and is looking good in Massachusetts as well as a couple of swing states. In addition, We're still in a race for delegate counts (not including superdelegates) so even if Sanders doesn't win it's possible for him to get some delegates in the states he doesn't win. Add to this the fact that there are many states ahead to primary or caucus and, contrary to the mainstream media drumbeat, it's too soon to call it over.
As for South Carolina, Sanders did lose badly. However, surprises took his supporters when DNC vice chair Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D, HI) resigned her position to support the Senator with Rep. Alan Grayson (D, FL) endorses Sanders today. While these endorsements might have little effect on what happens tomorrow they might make a dent as the primary race continues (and there are still a lot of states ahead). While the push for young voters still needs to happen (though I wonder how many of them may be voting where their parents live and haven't had their primaries yet) things are in a strange state.
As for voting in the primaries, I don't do endorsements on primciple (maybe in part rooted from college activism lessons but who knows). However, to riff on an idea attributed to the late Molly Ivins, if you can't vote your heart in the primaries and caucuses then when the hell can you do so?
As for tomorrow, while Trump will be declared the GOP winner (even despite his refusal/inability to disavow the support of David Duke and the KKK) and Clinton will be declared the Democratic victor what will happen with the delegate count is anyone's guess. Regardless the story will continue.
Monday, February 29, 2016
Saturday, February 27, 2016
The Long Slow Primary Race Update
Hey! My apologies for not posting sooner but I've been busy with life in general and wifi problems have kept me largely unable to connect until now. So let's get to a brief spiel on the current Presidential race.
Today is the Democratic primary in South Carolina. By most accounts Hillary Clinton will be the likely winner. The question isn't that as much as whether Bernie Sanders can crack what Clinton supporters have called the 'firewall" she has in that state, especially among African American voters. Given that, superdelegates notwithstanding (and they can switch their support between now and the convention), Clinton beat Sanders by a little over five points in the Nevada caucus but only has one or two more actual delegates this could put her ahead - as well as give her a boost for Super tuesday in a few days.
While the media will likely claim this is it, there are still states who have caucuses and primaries after Super Tuesday and what happens there is anyone's guess. Yes, it's possible that the pundits will be right and Clinton will get the nomination but Sanders can also make a dent in these states and make the race close enough that it will take some time to determine who actually gets it. Regardless, it's not over yet on this side of the race.
As for the Republicans, Donald Trump is appearing to be unshakable for the party's nomination, much to the supposed chagrin of the GOP establishment. The irony here is that Trump's positions aren't that much scarier than Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, Ben Carson, or John Kasich. All are going extreme right (and some even view Cruz as worse than the Donald). However, Trump's refusal to disavow support from white supremacists and his unwillingness to see where his ego can be a detriment if he actually got the nomination is what makes him scary - especially when polls in SC and Nevada find Trump supporters actually believing that the executive order to end slavery was wrong and that in SC 20% of his supporters consider themselves to be "white supremacists".
There are some ironic moments here. For example, in South Carolina, one percent of Ben Carson supporters consider themselves "white supremacists." While that is a dark comedy that could almost write itself, it does still bode some concern. Also, the fact that Trump is leading mongst conservative christians (i.e.: fundamentalists/evangelicals/charismatics - I'm using all three terms because they differ amongst themselves. Granted they differ in such subtle ways many would think they're all evangelicals but it's important to not that). Put aside that he called Second Corinthians "two corinthians" the fact that he's pandering by claiming he'll strengthen a religion that already faces way less blowback than other faith traditions shows that he may be more than willing to destroy the First Amendment for everyone else in order to protect those who vote for him.
What's happens this Tuesday for either party can either go like many of the polls predict - or they might not. Considering that each of the two parties has one candidate people in their party establishment didn't expect to stick around this around means things can be uncertain until the votes are counted and delegates get counted and divided.
P.S.: Almost forgot to mention how this has shaken up the GOP over the past few weeks with Chris Christie, Carly Fiorina and Jim Gilmore dropping out before SC and the confirmation of Jeb Bush's fall from presumed front runner to also ran after Trump got all the delegates in South Carolina. Who will be the next to fall? Who knows but more will fall on the right side of the spectrum.
Today is the Democratic primary in South Carolina. By most accounts Hillary Clinton will be the likely winner. The question isn't that as much as whether Bernie Sanders can crack what Clinton supporters have called the 'firewall" she has in that state, especially among African American voters. Given that, superdelegates notwithstanding (and they can switch their support between now and the convention), Clinton beat Sanders by a little over five points in the Nevada caucus but only has one or two more actual delegates this could put her ahead - as well as give her a boost for Super tuesday in a few days.
While the media will likely claim this is it, there are still states who have caucuses and primaries after Super Tuesday and what happens there is anyone's guess. Yes, it's possible that the pundits will be right and Clinton will get the nomination but Sanders can also make a dent in these states and make the race close enough that it will take some time to determine who actually gets it. Regardless, it's not over yet on this side of the race.
As for the Republicans, Donald Trump is appearing to be unshakable for the party's nomination, much to the supposed chagrin of the GOP establishment. The irony here is that Trump's positions aren't that much scarier than Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, Ben Carson, or John Kasich. All are going extreme right (and some even view Cruz as worse than the Donald). However, Trump's refusal to disavow support from white supremacists and his unwillingness to see where his ego can be a detriment if he actually got the nomination is what makes him scary - especially when polls in SC and Nevada find Trump supporters actually believing that the executive order to end slavery was wrong and that in SC 20% of his supporters consider themselves to be "white supremacists".
There are some ironic moments here. For example, in South Carolina, one percent of Ben Carson supporters consider themselves "white supremacists." While that is a dark comedy that could almost write itself, it does still bode some concern. Also, the fact that Trump is leading mongst conservative christians (i.e.: fundamentalists/evangelicals/charismatics - I'm using all three terms because they differ amongst themselves. Granted they differ in such subtle ways many would think they're all evangelicals but it's important to not that). Put aside that he called Second Corinthians "two corinthians" the fact that he's pandering by claiming he'll strengthen a religion that already faces way less blowback than other faith traditions shows that he may be more than willing to destroy the First Amendment for everyone else in order to protect those who vote for him.
What's happens this Tuesday for either party can either go like many of the polls predict - or they might not. Considering that each of the two parties has one candidate people in their party establishment didn't expect to stick around this around means things can be uncertain until the votes are counted and delegates get counted and divided.
P.S.: Almost forgot to mention how this has shaken up the GOP over the past few weeks with Chris Christie, Carly Fiorina and Jim Gilmore dropping out before SC and the confirmation of Jeb Bush's fall from presumed front runner to also ran after Trump got all the delegates in South Carolina. Who will be the next to fall? Who knows but more will fall on the right side of the spectrum.
Tuesday, February 9, 2016
NH Primary Is Today (Two Down, A Hell of a Lot More to Go)
Hey! Sorry for not posting sooner but I had been busy with other things in my life and hadn't been able to post until now,
So today is the New Hampshire Primary for both the Republicans and Democrats. While the results are far from certain, if polls are to be believed then it appears the winners this time around will be Bernie Sanders for the Dems and Donald Trump for the GOP. Again, the polling places are far from closed so the actual outcome could very well be different but that's what's predicted.
In truth, it appears the race itself is getting to be more the story than the actual primaries and caucuses for both of the major parties. Between three candidates dropping out within 72 hours of the Iowa caucus and the heated battle between the Donald and Ted Cruz (including the former mock chastising a woman for calling Cruz a pussy only to repeat what she said at a rally last night) it has taken the right wing's tendency to wrap themselves in the Bible while supporting all sorts of shit Jesus would supposedly never do in a million years and putting it on a speed binge for a creepiness (the "vulgar insult" was invoked over whether Ted Cruz supports waterboarding or not) that would've scared people across the political spectrum in the U.S. 25 years ago. Add to this Ted Cruz's victory speech for winning Iowa sounding like he already won the election in a way so pompous that he manages to make himself even less likable and one side of the spectrum is heading for a scary nine months.,
On the Democratic Party side, Martin O'Malley's departure on the night of the Iowa caucus leaves just Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders in the ring. It has also made the race real in a political sense as the civil tone seems to fade away as the typical race with Clinton accusing Sanders of using an "artful smear" against her by claiming her as part of the Establishment and her accepting speaking feed from Wall Street firms. She even tried to claim that Sanders accepted Wall Street money via the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee for his Senate campaign, imply that every cent of that is from Wall Street. All the while Clinton claiming that her speaking to wall Street firms didn't affect her vote, even if there may be evidence that claims otherwise.
Add to this Bill Clinton increasing the heat on the attacks in a similar way he did against Barack Obama in the 2008 race and that leaves us with a more typical political race than the just short of something that made an episode of Mr. Rogers seem angry feel of the early Democratic primary debates.
There are some other factors to include but I feel I should leave that in a separate post.
This leaves us to the primary election today. While at the time of my typing this in, the results may be somewhat clear it's important to remember that we're still in the beginning stages of the long race to November and nothing should be taken for granted.
Regardless of the outcome, the long crazy ride will continue.
So today is the New Hampshire Primary for both the Republicans and Democrats. While the results are far from certain, if polls are to be believed then it appears the winners this time around will be Bernie Sanders for the Dems and Donald Trump for the GOP. Again, the polling places are far from closed so the actual outcome could very well be different but that's what's predicted.
In truth, it appears the race itself is getting to be more the story than the actual primaries and caucuses for both of the major parties. Between three candidates dropping out within 72 hours of the Iowa caucus and the heated battle between the Donald and Ted Cruz (including the former mock chastising a woman for calling Cruz a pussy only to repeat what she said at a rally last night) it has taken the right wing's tendency to wrap themselves in the Bible while supporting all sorts of shit Jesus would supposedly never do in a million years and putting it on a speed binge for a creepiness (the "vulgar insult" was invoked over whether Ted Cruz supports waterboarding or not) that would've scared people across the political spectrum in the U.S. 25 years ago. Add to this Ted Cruz's victory speech for winning Iowa sounding like he already won the election in a way so pompous that he manages to make himself even less likable and one side of the spectrum is heading for a scary nine months.,
On the Democratic Party side, Martin O'Malley's departure on the night of the Iowa caucus leaves just Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders in the ring. It has also made the race real in a political sense as the civil tone seems to fade away as the typical race with Clinton accusing Sanders of using an "artful smear" against her by claiming her as part of the Establishment and her accepting speaking feed from Wall Street firms. She even tried to claim that Sanders accepted Wall Street money via the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee for his Senate campaign, imply that every cent of that is from Wall Street. All the while Clinton claiming that her speaking to wall Street firms didn't affect her vote, even if there may be evidence that claims otherwise.
Add to this Bill Clinton increasing the heat on the attacks in a similar way he did against Barack Obama in the 2008 race and that leaves us with a more typical political race than the just short of something that made an episode of Mr. Rogers seem angry feel of the early Democratic primary debates.
There are some other factors to include but I feel I should leave that in a separate post.
This leaves us to the primary election today. While at the time of my typing this in, the results may be somewhat clear it's important to remember that we're still in the beginning stages of the long race to November and nothing should be taken for granted.
Regardless of the outcome, the long crazy ride will continue.
Thursday, January 28, 2016
Pre Last Pre Caucus Debate Thought Bubble
With the Iowa Caucuses only a few days away we are nearing the end of what some refer to as the "silly season" of American electoral politics as we begin the long, sometime brutal, often media over-saturated road to the upcoming elections in November. However, as with a lot of the silliness leading to now the last few days has to have a massive belch of stupidity that we can't escape from.
The time around it's GOP Presidential candidate Donald Trump's refusal to appear at tonight's Republican Presidential Debate on Fox News, claiming he wouldn't be treated fairly. On the surface it appears silly enough but when one factors in his long running feud with Fox News show personality Megyn Kelly it becomes apparent that his not appearing (and refusal to do so) seems fueled by a mix of implied misogyny and a massively over-inflated sense of privilege from someone too often used to getting everything he wants.
While time will tell whether this benefits the Donald or blows up in his face, it should seem apparent that someone willing to be this thin skinned on the issue might not be the best person to run the last remaining superpower. Much of his followers seem to be blindly sticking with him even after his claim last week that he could shoot somebody and not lose a single vote. Add to this his refusal to apologize for a number of comments that can be seen as racist and misogynistic as well as his willingness to support the most extreme positions of the American right wing and you get a glimpse of someone maintaining his popularity by appealing to the worst elements of its populace. Even with a race where many predicted he would get bored and quit it's
While his boycott of tonight's debate is a risky move those thinking it could strike a blow may find that Trump will still remain popular to his base.
The time around it's GOP Presidential candidate Donald Trump's refusal to appear at tonight's Republican Presidential Debate on Fox News, claiming he wouldn't be treated fairly. On the surface it appears silly enough but when one factors in his long running feud with Fox News show personality Megyn Kelly it becomes apparent that his not appearing (and refusal to do so) seems fueled by a mix of implied misogyny and a massively over-inflated sense of privilege from someone too often used to getting everything he wants.
While time will tell whether this benefits the Donald or blows up in his face, it should seem apparent that someone willing to be this thin skinned on the issue might not be the best person to run the last remaining superpower. Much of his followers seem to be blindly sticking with him even after his claim last week that he could shoot somebody and not lose a single vote. Add to this his refusal to apologize for a number of comments that can be seen as racist and misogynistic as well as his willingness to support the most extreme positions of the American right wing and you get a glimpse of someone maintaining his popularity by appealing to the worst elements of its populace. Even with a race where many predicted he would get bored and quit it's
While his boycott of tonight's debate is a risky move those thinking it could strike a blow may find that Trump will still remain popular to his base.
Friday, June 19, 2015
Remembering the Charleston Shooting...A Very Brief Comment.
First, I'd like to offer my condolences to the survivors, friends, and family members of the nine people killed in Wednesday night's shooting at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, SC. Keeping you in my thoughts at this time.
Like most of you, the shootings in Charleston, SC has been a punch in the gut. While most people appear to have gotten that the shooter Dylann Storm Roof was motivated by racial hatred when he killed those nine people I'm troubled (to put it mildly) by those who either want to write Roof's actions of as a sign of mental illness or even worse those trying to claim this the massacre was an attack on religious liberty and Christianity in particular.
Never mind that Roof reportedly told the people at Emanuel AME that "they had to go" because they were "raping our women and taking over our country." There are some people that want to claim that it is unknown why this happened (despite what Roof reportedly said). To claim this as a sign of mental illness is an injustice to those people who may either actually deal with mental illness themselves as well as those that care about them. In addition, the most known photo of Dylann Storm Roof shows him wearing patches on a military style flight/bomber jacket; patches of the flags of white ruled Rhodesia (now known as Zimbabwe) and apartheid era South Africa. Add to that a friend's claim the Roof apparently had been planning this attack for six months and hoped to start a civil war and blaming it on mental illness(while comforting to some confused white people who may not want to face the dark side of white privilege) falls apart.
As for the claims (mainly on Fox News but some GOP Presidential candidates have stated it as well [hint, Rick Santorum, Lindsey Graham]) that the attack was a war on religious liberty and an attack on Christians, the only thing this act of domestic terrorism has in common with this claim was it happened in a church. Roof waited 45 minutes in the church before acting and didn't say anything about religion when he unloaded his weapon. That the shooter reportedly brought up race, not jus tto his victims but to several of his friends in the time leading up to this, should prove this claim to be built on a foundation of sand. However, those taking this road only marginally care about the Emanuel AME victims at best and are really trying to spin what this asshat did to make white conservative christians appear to be by proxy victims.
We must not let them do this. The shootings on Wednesday night should only be debated on whether they are either a hate crime, an act of domestic terrorism, or both. They weren't about attacking religion and any talk otherwise should be quickly and unapologetically quashed.
In the days to come we will likely learn more about Roof's motivations (though I have a feeling we'll learn subtle details of what we already know). For now, we should look at this horrific event and talk about it for what it is, not what certain people with theocratic or political machinations want it to be.
Like most of you, the shootings in Charleston, SC has been a punch in the gut. While most people appear to have gotten that the shooter Dylann Storm Roof was motivated by racial hatred when he killed those nine people I'm troubled (to put it mildly) by those who either want to write Roof's actions of as a sign of mental illness or even worse those trying to claim this the massacre was an attack on religious liberty and Christianity in particular.
Never mind that Roof reportedly told the people at Emanuel AME that "they had to go" because they were "raping our women and taking over our country." There are some people that want to claim that it is unknown why this happened (despite what Roof reportedly said). To claim this as a sign of mental illness is an injustice to those people who may either actually deal with mental illness themselves as well as those that care about them. In addition, the most known photo of Dylann Storm Roof shows him wearing patches on a military style flight/bomber jacket; patches of the flags of white ruled Rhodesia (now known as Zimbabwe) and apartheid era South Africa. Add to that a friend's claim the Roof apparently had been planning this attack for six months and hoped to start a civil war and blaming it on mental illness(while comforting to some confused white people who may not want to face the dark side of white privilege) falls apart.
As for the claims (mainly on Fox News but some GOP Presidential candidates have stated it as well [hint, Rick Santorum, Lindsey Graham]) that the attack was a war on religious liberty and an attack on Christians, the only thing this act of domestic terrorism has in common with this claim was it happened in a church. Roof waited 45 minutes in the church before acting and didn't say anything about religion when he unloaded his weapon. That the shooter reportedly brought up race, not jus tto his victims but to several of his friends in the time leading up to this, should prove this claim to be built on a foundation of sand. However, those taking this road only marginally care about the Emanuel AME victims at best and are really trying to spin what this asshat did to make white conservative christians appear to be by proxy victims.
We must not let them do this. The shootings on Wednesday night should only be debated on whether they are either a hate crime, an act of domestic terrorism, or both. They weren't about attacking religion and any talk otherwise should be quickly and unapologetically quashed.
In the days to come we will likely learn more about Roof's motivations (though I have a feeling we'll learn subtle details of what we already know). For now, we should look at this horrific event and talk about it for what it is, not what certain people with theocratic or political machinations want it to be.
Thursday, February 26, 2015
Net Neutrality Vote today - UPDATED
Today the Federal Communications Commission is set to vote on whether or not to save Net Neutrality on the Internet. Net Neutrality means that service providers have to allow every website no matter how big or how small equal access to the public. What this means is that someone surfing the net can access any website at supposedly equal speeds. For example, in this framework a small independent business' website can sell its goods with equal access as a large commerce web sites.
Today's vote will be on whether the Internet will be regulated as a public utility and keep the net neutral, thus allowing every website to be equal rather than the possibility of service providers controlling which websites get faster access to consumers. While some forces claim this is a government tax that will interfere with the Net, Net Neutrality proponents claim this merely protects the status quo.
What is interesting here is the forces in support of Net Neutrality. It has fairly wide public support yet is also being supported by large websites, and Internet start-ups. More importantly it's being supported by those who fund Internet start-ups: venture capitalists who may invest in something reportedly started in a garage but are definitely hoping for a return on their investment. Because of this crossroads there may be a chance that Net Neutrality is preserved via regulation as a public utility.
I'll likely update this later today once the vote is known. However, here's some information on what the vote means. Keeping my fingers crossed on this one, even if it appears likely that NN will be preserved.
UPDATE: The FCC Panel voted 3-2 in favor of the proposed plan to make broadband a public utility and keep strong Net Neutrality protection. While some opponents are talking about lawsuits or Congressional undoing, this is still an example of rare good news out of Washington.
Today's vote will be on whether the Internet will be regulated as a public utility and keep the net neutral, thus allowing every website to be equal rather than the possibility of service providers controlling which websites get faster access to consumers. While some forces claim this is a government tax that will interfere with the Net, Net Neutrality proponents claim this merely protects the status quo.
What is interesting here is the forces in support of Net Neutrality. It has fairly wide public support yet is also being supported by large websites, and Internet start-ups. More importantly it's being supported by those who fund Internet start-ups: venture capitalists who may invest in something reportedly started in a garage but are definitely hoping for a return on their investment. Because of this crossroads there may be a chance that Net Neutrality is preserved via regulation as a public utility.
I'll likely update this later today once the vote is known. However, here's some information on what the vote means. Keeping my fingers crossed on this one, even if it appears likely that NN will be preserved.
UPDATE: The FCC Panel voted 3-2 in favor of the proposed plan to make broadband a public utility and keep strong Net Neutrality protection. While some opponents are talking about lawsuits or Congressional undoing, this is still an example of rare good news out of Washington.
Monday, June 30, 2014
A Brief Thought on The Hobby Lobby Ruling
Been at work at the paying job today when I learned that the Supreme Court ruled in favor of Hobby Lobby and Conestoga Wood that employers can object to covering contraception in their health care plans if it goes against their "deeply held religious beliefs." Because of that I haven't been able to comment until now.
While I will go into this in further detail in the new print issue (this had to fall into my lap just at deadline time), there are a few things I want to point out. First, this was based on a claim that brith control is the same as abortion (it isn't). In addition, until the last few years contraception was required to be covered in health care plans in 28 states since the mid 90s (passed in part out of fairness because of coverage of Viagra in health care plans).
Does anyone else find it both humorous and fucking nauseating at the same time that these employers feel their beliefs are against something that can stop pregnancy but have no problems with a medication that can lead to creating pregnancy. I guess a sanctified stiffy is a fucking god given right.
Disgusting.
While I will go into this in further detail in the new print issue (this had to fall into my lap just at deadline time), there are a few things I want to point out. First, this was based on a claim that brith control is the same as abortion (it isn't). In addition, until the last few years contraception was required to be covered in health care plans in 28 states since the mid 90s (passed in part out of fairness because of coverage of Viagra in health care plans).
Does anyone else find it both humorous and fucking nauseating at the same time that these employers feel their beliefs are against something that can stop pregnancy but have no problems with a medication that can lead to creating pregnancy. I guess a sanctified stiffy is a fucking god given right.
Disgusting.
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