I still think it would be a great show. And after all, a show is all we are getting these days from either party.
Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard (D) Hawaii, vice chairwoman for the DNC was uninvited to tomorrow night's Democrat debate. This woman is one of the smartest people in congress IMO. She was uninvited supposedly because she has called for more debates. News alert! Bernie Sanders has invited her to sit with him and his wife.
This is odd, but not entirely unheard of either. Between elections I've noticed that democrats are in full "go for the throat" mode toward anyone who seems to be in the way or on the offensive. Once they are down to a single candidate running against the republicans, the democrats will align like a phalanx of interlocking shields to protect the democrat who made it to the race. Afterward the democrats go back to their own kingdoms and the tribal squabbles resume. Till the next election. It's a practical strategy. The GOP simply smile at each other and backstab or bicker indecisively. Bernie showed class, but it could be seen as a conflict of interests for Gabbard if anyone wanted to play hardball. I'm thinking maybe tomorrow nights chat room political debate drinking game will indeed call for scotch. But I'll start with the IPA I set aside for it.
I wouldn't be surprised if Hillary and O'Malley throw the most barbs. But I've got my Innis & Gunn Toasted Oak IPA at the ready. Currently half-watching the CNN pre-show, which seems to be amounting to "We're here and there's a stage and soon, there will be people on that stage." I'll be in the chat room around the time the debate actually starts... see y'all there!
The only reason the other guys like Chaffee and O'Mally are in this one is to be selected VP or a cabinet position. Sanders was probably the same way until his numbers put him in a competitive 2nd place. Biden needs to stop beating around the bush and make up his mind very soon or it'll be too late.
As expected, the three bottom feeders came off looking like lightweights tonight. Bernie versus Hillary... no surprises there for me. I already knew all their positions on all the major issues, and I knew that Bernie can be very effective in a large room, in a way that you wouldn't guess from seeing his frequent TV appearances in quiet settings. Hillary is so much better known to people who don't follow politics closely, so he had more to gain from a high profile event like this. I guess it will be a day or so before we see fresh poll numbers and find out how much of a boost he got out of tonight's exposure. Did you notice how much Anderson Cooper pushed Bernie over details of his definition of socialism? So many people find that word to be scary. I often wonder how much that label is impacting his poll numbers.
I'm kind of looking forward to seeing what people think of the debate. I didn't watch it since I don't have cable and wasn't home anyway. But I'm not putting a lot of weight into whatever the major media outlets are going to be saying about it. The slant that I've seen from them so far has been pretty obvious.
I like how Hilary blatantly dodged the question about her voting for the Iraq War in 2002 and writing it off as a 'simple mistake' as she said (paraphrased) "Barack Obama supported my decision making enough to appoint me as Secretary of State"
He was very nice to her. Everybody was polite. Such a different feel from a GOP debate. Hillary smiled and shook Bernie's hand when he said America was "tired of hearing about the damn e-mails" and he got a standing ovation. Anderson Cooper didn't like that. So I guess you could say Anderson got berned.
And therein lies the rub. Mention socialism to most people in this country, and they either don't know what It is, or think communism.
It's very logical to connect communism to socialism. But it lies in the details. For example socialism doesn't have anything to do with stalinism and it doesn't rule out a proper functioning democracy by default.
I was wondering what happened to my post. I made it as a thread to discuss the controlling of the candidates by the DNC, but now I see it was put here instead. Kind of made me wonder if the DNC was controlling HF. The debate sure was a kiss kiss event, compared to the Trump debate. I really like Gabbard ruffling dem feathers. I'm pretty sure Sanders knows that the DNC is about as ready for him as they were for Ralph Nader.....Sanders is just trying to open some eyes. Still....there's no cure for stupid....that's why we have a GOP congress.
Agreed, Bernie is proof that just being right is not enough to win a election. Who knows though, Hillary still has a year to deflect her back issues. Some crafty republican might actually find some dirt that sticks, not unheard of with the Clintons. If she's somehow taken out of the race, Bernie could pull it off. But otherwise it was a pretty boring debate, only put away a half pint of scotch and a couple of beers on the cheap shots (most of which seemed to come from Cooper). And wtf is Webb? The opposite of Jeb? The two of them should swap places and parties!
I only like James Webb . He is pro-democracy and will not rule the world , be a priest king nor consort with the queen of war . Who is that promises once again to make you rich ? James Webb does not . He is like a George Washington with tattoos . Clinton+Sanders - is that your ticket ? Who's on top ? It'll be a sex fest without the pistols .
I finally watched te debate. I don't understand how there are people out there who aren't voting for Bernie. Does it bother anyone else how smug Hilary Clinton is? I respect her as a woman in a man's world, but she also bothers me.
I like how every time someone tries to back him into a corner, with his views on gun control just as anexample, he comes back with a clear, concise and perfectly logical answer free of the usual bullshit we've come to expect from politicians
He has decades worth of sticking to his principles to assure you that you're right, he won't back down. If you look at everything he's done, you can see he's stuck up for civil rights, gay rights, women's rights and so on... most for decades. All of the positions he holds now are positions he's held since he first formed an opinion on them. The only thing I know of him being willing to take another look at is gun legislation. Even then, he holds to the same basic principles.
