Traditional Bracing For Monday Open Thread

Comments

[Destiny Ignatz]

What's happening Monday I need to brace for?

[narciso]

SMOD coming within 6 million miles,

[Buford Gooch]

Monday is happening on Monday.

[Threadkiller]

Monday is when Trump starts to wane.

[narciso]

there's a reason they gave him the boot,

http://dailycaller.com/2015/12/26/obamas-former-intelligence-director-presidents-strategy-not-working/

[narciso]

shouldn't it be the other oway around,

https://twitter.com/pdanahar/status/711694863478202368

[narciso]

well there's this to look forward to,

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-ukraine-crisis-russia-idUSKCN0WL0EV

[narciso]

was it over when the german bombed pearl harbor,

https://twitter.com/ByronYork/status/711628871641276417

[Captain Hate]

Congratulations to my fellow Terp, danoso, on making it back to the Sweet 16. It's been 13 years since we've gotten out of the first weekend, no? Everything from this point is gravy, but why not just win it all?

[daddy on iPad]

It's already Monday where I am and it's nasty and raining and I can't find the NCAA Playoffs even at a local Kowloon Sports Pub#%^*

So screw bracing for Monday. im bracing for Tuesday.

[daddy on iPad]

Captain, I imagine you were sweating the first half. I could get coverage on radio in the room and Hawaii sure played tough. Welcome back to the dance.

[Captain Hate]

Thank you, Tarhole; the first half was pretty brutal and then, right after Trimble hit the three (on a fast break after Gottlieb said that a faster pace favors Hawaii) my March Madness app telecast time expired so I had to go to some Bing game tracker to see that they jumped to a double digit lead which they didn't squander. Nothing comes easy with my fandom.

Good luck the rest of the way.

[Buckeye]

narciso

Didn't know you had an interest in astrophysics until I saw what you posted in last thread.

You probably know about this:

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/found-the-most-powerful-supernova-ever-seen/

Kris Stanek (one of the co-discoverers) lives across the street from me. I was at a party a couple of weeks ago and saw some of his digital images. Fantastic.

Yes I have friends who are nerds.

[narciso]

oh space exploration and astronomy was one of my earlier interests, of course they don't point out what angular plane, the asteroid is arriving at,
that's the three dimensional perspectives,

[daddy on iPad]

Good link Buckey/Narciso. Fascinating.

[Buckeye]

narciso

You are going to force me to dig out my old Astronomy textbook.

Maybe if I bone up I can ask Kris and not sound like an idiot when I do;)

[narciso]

no worries, that's an interesting development,

[Buckeye]

I was a little kid when Sputnik was launched. I remember my dad taking me out to a friends farm one night to see if we could see it. Never did, but it captured my imagination.

When Gagarin and Glenn started making news, I was hooked. Grew up thinking I wanted to be an astronaut.

Learning to fly was the closest I came, but still find it facinating. Have seen the ISS making a pass at night.

[Porchlight]

Hey Buckeye,

My great-uncle was one of the original 32 finalists in the Mercury 7 tryouts. Friends with Glenn and Yeager, Alan Shepard's roommate. Damned if you can get him to say a thing about it - he is of that quiet WWII generation. But I learned a lot than he will tell us from this book:

http://www.amazon.com/Selecting-Mercury-Seven-Americas-Astronauts/dp/1441984046

[narciso]

how about that, was he navy like shepherd and conrad or air force like yeager.

[Buckeye]

Porchlight

That's cool:) Did you ever try lubricating with alcohol?

[daddy on iPad]

Really fine Pieces, Clarice.

Many thanks, and glad to see that Newt is stil talking more sense than anyone on TV.

[Porchlight]

Navy. Small town North Dakota kid, started off at USNA and got shipped off to the Pacific in 1944. Became a test pilot after the war.

One thing he did tell us - in the trials at Wright-Patterson his squad always went into testing before Glenn's squad, so he would brief Glenn on what to expect.

He was philosophical about not making it; he went on to command the Forrestal post-fire and eventually the 7th fleet and retired as Chief of Naval Personnel. In the book he mentions my grandmother as his closest sibling; they were orphaned when he was nine. My dad, cousin and son are all named for him. Bob Baldwin - here are his citations:

http://valor.militarytimes.com/recipient.php?recipientid=34637

I never tried alcohol, I was too young and now we live too far apart. But my dad has, with little luck. :) I didn't even learn about most of this stuff until recently - the family aren't big talkers.

[Porchlight]

Sorry, 1945 not 1944. Just in time for Okinawa.

[narciso]

yes here's a summary,

http://www.epnaao.com/BIOS_files/EMERITUS/Baldwin-%20Robert%20B.pdf

[clarice]

Wow, Porchlight!

Nytol

[Porchlight]

Yep, that's him, narciso. I think I was right the first time - he started as class of 1945, but they sent them out in 1944 to go find the war - in his case starting the day after D-Day.

[Porchlight]

Night, Clarice - thanks for the awesome Pieces!

[DrJ]

Your daily Wretchard:

https://pjmedia.com/richardfernandez/2016/03/20/the-thin-blue-line/

[Destiny Ignatz]

Those who KNOW Trump is a guaranteed loser should steer clear of Wretchard's column, as their biases will not be confirmed.

[daddy]

And the horse Trump rode in on

Kansas City police arrested a woman accused of slapping a police horse outside a Donald Trump rally last weekend shortly before officers released pepper spray on a crowd of protesters.

Friendly looking gal, ain't she? Just brimming over with Kumbaya Lefty love.

PETA I am sure will be on the case any second now...
...any second...

[Man Tran]

Clarice,

I missed all the movie talk, but have a connection to Officer and Gentleman. It was filmed in my family home town just a few miles across the Straits from where we live now. The base is actually Ft. Warden not active since the war. My fave and namesake uncle was maintenance chief there for decades after he left the Air Corps as a crew chief on B-29s.

The tavern scene was shot on the first floor of the hotel my grandfather bought for back taxes back in the mid-20s. My two oldest sisters were born in that hotel. It is still an active hotel/tavern and the plumbing my gf installed still works. All the older generations are gone now and the older ones in my generation are starting to take their last ride.

[daddy]

Instapundit (Glenn Reynolds), has an excellent column up at USA Today:
Glenn Reynolds: How David Brooks created Donald Trump

[cheerleader]

Investor’s Business Daily
Stephen Moore

"What bothers me most is that Republicans don’t seem to be learning anything from Trumpism.

Jeb Bush and Trump were the two polar opposites ‎of this election. Bush was obsessed with raising money and spent all his time pulling in dollars six figures at a time. His idea of a political rally was to go to a posh country-club home, chat with 30 to 50 donors and swoop up checks with lots of zeroes. Trump’s events attract actual voters in the tens of thousands. Bush wouldn’t have won if he’d had a billion dollars."

http://www.investors.com/politics/brain-trust/stephen-moore-trumps-new-coalition-of-voters-who-put-america-first/

[GUS]

Yes, Daddy, I'm sure that young lady is just upset because of all of Donald Trump's "HATE".
Like all LIBTARDS' self awareness doesn't exist.

[cheerleader]

daddy, G. Reynolds is blaming Brooks for trashing the tea party, but Glenn himself and his "God Help Us" is trashing Mr. Trump, so only the names have changed.

Just like the lefty media, he links to a byte of Trump's response to a violent disruptor at a peaceful rally, as if that is the whole story about the Trump movement, which it isn't.

Isn't Glenn someone who is against pc, but when Mr. Trump says something that is not pc, Glenn grabs his smelling salts and furthers the msms's narrative that Trump and his supporters are violent.

Some of the past tea party supporters are now the worst haters of Trump and are onside with the msm's manufactured false narrative about the Trump movement.

That same msm painted the tea party as racist, so it's amazing how Mr. Trump's Republican coalition is bringing together black Democrats who are fleeing the Democrats and the Sarah Palin side of the tea party, in a love fest.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hgM2xN5TPgw

[Threadkiller]

"Here’s a little inside baseball from someone who actually knows the truth: the GOPe dislikes Cruz NOT because he’s an outsider, but because he’s an INSIDER who decided the best way to advance himself was to bite the hand that fed him. Let’s just say I am very close to someone in the GOPe machine and I’ll leave it at that.

When Ted worked for Bush, he was angling for a bigger position than he got. He actually wanted to be the Attorney General.

He thought he had more pull than he actually did, more juice because of some of his Texas connections. His marriage to Heidi was supposed to solidify his position because she was actually held in higher regard than Ted within the Texas/GOPe sphere. He was seen by the insiders as over ambitious, an opinion that was only ENFORCED by his reach to be named AG.

So Ted decided since he knew the ins and outs of the GOPe (insofar as the GOP and Bushes were one and the same), and since he couldn’t advance any further within that sphere, that he would run against them.

He ran for Senate against a GOPe favorite and won. He hoped this would show the GOPe that he was a serious contender and that they would welcome him back into the fold. It backfired, mostly because of Ted’s outsider rhetoric.

Now Ted chose to run for POTUS, which on its surface was a slap in the face to Jeb Bush and the GOPe. In truth, it was an olive branch by Ted to the GOPe.

Why? Because he was there to split the conservative vote in order to help Jeb win. He was never supposed to be in this position, but if it got down to him and Jeb, the fact that Ted isn’t natural born was going to come out, forcing him to drop out, leaving Jeb and his millions in donor money as the last man standing.

Why do you think Jeb always spoke about winning without the base and losing the primaries to win the nomination? It all makes sense now, doesn’t it?

Trump was the wildcard they didn’t expect. Ted was sent to cozy up to him with a non-aggression pact, but Trump was no dummy. He kept the Canadian Ted thing in his back pocket to use when needed.

I could go on but bottom line, the GOPe is warming to Ted because he’s is not actually an enemy, but a prodigal son who tried to earn his way back into the fold by helping Bush."

http://theconservativetreehouse.com/2016/03/20/ted-cruz-motive-the-theory-of-everything-currently-political/#more-114059

Speculation I can agree with.

[GUS]

Trump has come to be because the GOP didn't do what it was hired to do.
The TEA PARTY came to be, because the GOP didn't do what it was hired to do.
Much of the GOP embraced the TEA PARTY movement, up to and until the GOP realized the THREAT that the TEA PARTY posed to THE GOPe and the money/access related.
Quite simply, TRUMP was seen as an alternative to the lying (redacted for Lent) GOPeePee.
So what's left. The GOPe is determined not to let go of the POWER and PURSE strings.
Yet when given both POWER and MANDATE, the ESTABLISHMENT MOTHER F(REDACTED FOR LENT), abandoned Conservative principles for POWER and WEALTH for themselves. I give you KARL ROVE.

[daddy]

Isn't Glenn someone who is against pc, but when Mr. Trump says something that is not pc, Glenn grabs his smelling salts and furthers the msms's narrative that Trump and his supporters are violent.

Cheerleader,

You and I have very different reads on Glenn Reynolds. Here's every column he's written at USA Today for the last year or so (at least 5 on Trump) and tho' he's correctly linked to factual stories of Trump saying 'I'd like to punch him in the face', I have missed Glenn categorizing Trump's supporters as "violent", and I in no way see Glenn getting the smelling salts or vapors about anything Trump said because it's not sufficiently PC. He may have said it, and I may have missed it, or maybe one of his regular guest posters over at Instapundit have posted such sentiments, but I just don't see that in Glenn Reynolds.

What I do see from Libertarian Glenn as his primary point, is that the rise of Trump, and of Bernie Sanders as well, is due to the failure of the Establishment on both sides in DC. As Glenn sums up at the end of one column: "Trump and Sanders are only symptoms. Failed leadership is the disease." That's the point he constantly harps on.

He gets more specific in posts like these:

Trump indicts America's ruling class (9 Aug 2015)
and
Liberals have chosen The Donald as their 'Destructor'. (9 Dec 2015)

And if saying "God help us" at the end of a column where we're looking at the likely election of Hillary Clinton isn't time for smelling salts, then I don't know what is:)

[daddy]

Trump has come to be because the GOP didn't do what it was hired to do.

Great minds GUS:)

I also have to say that I'm proud of Trump for criticizing Raoul Castro for dissing Obama's arrival at the arrival in Havana. Trump is correct. This is intentional disrespect, and if it was happening to a Republican Prez the Media would be reporting on that disrespect and the President's weakness 24/7.

Off to work. Cheers.

[cheerleader]

daddy, why did he link to that particular link that fits the msm narrative like a glove, and end his article with "God help us"?

[danoso]

Ah yes, CH - a good weekend for the Terps. I turned the volume off at 0-14 from downtown, but figured if they're tied shooting that bad they'll eventually pull away.

0-14 start against Kansas and I'll turn off more than the volume.

[Miss Marple 2]

Good morning!

I will be interested to see if there is coverage of Trump's speech on Israel today. I linked an article last night which said that this would be a serious speech, pre-written and read. No winging it.

He also is supposed to meet with a couple dozen GOP leaders today in DC.

[anonamom]

Trump as Black Swan, by a finance guy:

http://blog.semilshah.com/2016/03/21/black-swan-politics/

some good links

[Miss Marple 2]

anonamom,

That's an interesting article. I see Scott Adams blog is mentioned.

BBC this morning had an interview with some American finance guy who explained how the British shouldn't be afraid because even if he got elected, the Congress would stop his more audacious schemes. He went on to explain how small businesses and workers in America have been left behind and the parties haven't addressed that. Of course his answer was we need more re-training (which we have heard about a gazilion times and doesn't really work in a lot of cases).

Then they had a Mexican official on who was just sputtering and said that despite what we think, NAFTA has been GOOD for the US. He thinks Americans should not elect Trump, of course.

I think it would be pretty hard to convince those Carrier employees that NAFTA has been a good deal for them.

[anonamom]

These two links from the above article are even better. Second one a "must read" if pressed for time

GREAT history of political campaigning the past 30 years:
(in Tweets--50 of them--so choppy)

https://looseleav.es/XOuTVa4eY-2aBEHM5FG7lw

even easier to read: another finance guy:

http://startupboy.com/2016/01/15/american-spring/

[anonamom]

Oh, and that all applies equally to Sanders, and explains Obama too.

Here's the Party of Stupid columns from the weekend. Or should it be Party of Clueless??
Glenn Reynold's USA Today (LUN)

and Stephen Moore's:

http://www.investors.com/politics/brain-trust/stephen-moore-trumps-new-coalition-of-voters-who-put-america-first/

[Porchlight]

Clay Shirky, the guy on Twitter in anonamom's first link, was the author of the best postmortem analysis of the Howard Dean campaign, called Exiting Deanspace. He is a really good analyst of social media.

I referred back to this piece several times in 2008, hoping the Obama phenomenon would turn out like the Dean phenomenon, but the Obama people probably hired Shirky because they learned how to work social media and data tech to great advantage. I'm interested to see his thoughts on Trump.

He turned the Dean piece into a book chapter so it's not as easy to find online as it used to be, but here's a PDF:

http://extremedemocracy.com/chapters/Chapter15-Shirky.pdf

[Porchlight]

All really interesting - thanks anonamom!

[Sandy Daze]

Good Morning !

Posted by: Man Tran | March 21, 2016 at 03:08 AM

I too have a small. very small connection to Officer and a Gentleman...

GySgt Buck Welcher, USMC was my DI. (nb: I just googled his name and lo and behold--google is your friend.) Buck Welcher had then and retained a OUTSIZED personality, as you might imagine. That linked 4' 04" video has some very nice comments from O&AG Director Taylor Hackford regarding Buck, a short clip from O&AG which included Buck with the second half including a series of images of Buck in his official capacity back at AOCS in P'cola.

We were his first class (29-81) after coming back from O&AG participation. As you might imagine, there was no end of laughter and finger-pointing (not from us !!) and comments about the "Hollywood DI" The other DIs presented Buck with a Smokey Bear (Campaign Hat) which had been painted white and covered in sequins !

We always thought his notoriety led him to demand extra "Rose Garden" training time with we candidates, although in hindsight our training was well defined.

He used to keep an image of Debra Winger and him under the glass plate on top of his desk. In the image, Debra Winger looks like Debra Winger would off-set--she looked like she did in O&AG. But Buck had been with the make-up department, and with a wig and some other clothes, looked entirely different. He said Debra Winger introduced him to everyone as her boyfriend from East LA--you would have been convinced he was some drug-dealer to the Hollywood stars.

~~

Our first morning with Buck--and those who've been there will remember the script--around 0430 maybe earlier a trash can was thrown down the passageway, and all of a sudden this deep, booming voice commands, COMMANDS:

"OUT ON LINE."
"O U T. O N. L I N E !"

At first we weren't sure what was happening, disorientation, etc, but we learned quickly. What we did not know at the time is that one of the other officer candidates was recording the entire event. Three months later, a few nights before commissioning, we went out to dinner with Buck at a local place. We had decided to give a gift from the class--what remained of it, I think about ten may have dropped. The gift was a new-fangled device called a "Walkman" which played "cassettes" (remember all of that stuff?).

Well, now you know, I am guessing... the recording on the cassette was that first 30-45 minutes getting to know Buck, while we were "Out On Line."

"What are you staring at Rice Ball?"

"If you look at me again I will rip your head off and XXXX down your throat."

He even punched the drywall in a place which left a deep dent in the wall, which was not repaired the entire time we were in those barracks (later we were moved to another location).

Ah, good times.

[Sandy Daze]

He really liked the Walkman. Really liked it.

~~

[James D]

Then they had a Mexican official on who was just sputtering and said that despite what we think, NAFTA has been GOOD for the US. He thinks Americans should not elect Trump, of course.

I think it would be pretty hard to convince those Carrier employees that NAFTA has been a good deal for them.

Exactly.

NAFTA may well be good, overall, for the U.S. I don't know enough to say one way or the other. But there is no question that even if it is a net benefit to the country, there are still costs, and they are not borne equally.

It's not the same thing as the rise of automobiles putting buggy whip makers out of business. Private companies that come up with a better product have no responsibility to the competitors (or whole industries) they displace.

But when the displacement is the reslut of deliberate government policy, then the government DOES have a responsibility to those who are displaced. And telling people "isn't it nice that you can buy cheaper stuff, now shut up already" when their jobs are wiped out and their communities are devastated by shuttered factories, is not fulfilling that responsibility.

Again, that doesn't mean we shouldn't have entered into NAFTA. But it does mean there are things that need to be addressed, and haven't been for a long time.

[Sandy Daze]

A few years ago, while in Iraq, I was enjoying some cool daddies with a buddy, an Honorably Discharged MARINE, and happened to mention "my DI, Buck."

He says, "Buck? Buck ! Do you mean Buck Welcher? There can be only one Buck." Indeed, one and the same. Turns out that the gent I was talking with had been assigned with Buck at 8th & I much earlier in both their lives. Right then and there we googled, got the name of a third Marine who maintained contact with many, left a long, confused message on the answering machine. 24 hours later, we are sitting in the same space, and who calls ?

Small world.

[James D]

anonamom @ 6:44

Good article. This quote is really telling:

It’s like shipping a good product on paper with a really good executive team that has a great LinkedIn profile, but none of the consumers (the users) are downloading the app, that’s basically the problem… It’s not necessarily obvious what to do when the people are just rejecting the traditional candidates

At some point, if the dogs won't eat the dog food, you have more than just a marketing or branding problem.

[Jack is Back!ll]

!st Day of Spring in Southampton. About 4". Sunshine later. Gone by tonight.

[Miss Marple 2]

James D.,
It occurs to me that there is enough cheap stuff floating around this country that people could make do with second hand for quite a while, with no appreciable difference in their standard of living.

The amount of good used stuff I see in my little small auction house would allow me in about 2 months, to fit up a 3-bedroom house with furniture, appliances, small appliances, kitchen ware, dishes, linens, etc. All perfectly good, but left over as heirs didn't want it, people downsizing, people moving cross country, etc.

So the "cheap goods are necessary" isn't exactly true. There might be some inconvenience for a bit, but I am pretty sure we could adapt.

[Threadkiller]

A comment on one of my oddball sites suggests Trump will be asking Tom Cotton if he wants the VP slot.

Anyone else hear this?

[Miss Marple 2]

TK,

That wouldn't be a bad choice. Conservative, military, pretty good speaker, etc.

I aven't heard anything about it, though.

[Porchlight]

Wasn't Cotton at the Sea Island gathering of stopTrumpers? I remember being surprised to see his name. Maybe he was a Trump mole, heh.

If this is true, it's an interesting, intuitive choice. Kind of a psychout with the Clinton-Arkansas connection. Also young, energetic, military, etc.

[Porchlight]

Man Tran and Sandy Daze, cool stories! I need to see that movie again.

[Porchlight]

Googling, I see several reports that Trump and Cotton are meeting today.

[Truthbetold]

Trump Will Drop Out By Mid-October And Endorse Hillary Clinton

http://www.redstate.com/diary/Martin_A_Knight/2016/03/20/trump-will-drop-mid-october-endorse-hillary-clinton/

[Porchlight]

http://www.politico.com/blogs/2016-gop-primary-live-updates-and-results/2016/03/trump-sen-cotton-to-meet-monday-221010

Joining a meeting, not one on one, if this is true.

[Miss Marple 2]

Porchlight,

That is interesting news.

I think I will turn on the TV. Probably will have to watch CNN due to Fox ignoring a lot of Trump stuff, now. I will give Fox a chance first.

[Threadkiller]

Cotton voted for TPA, which, according to McClintock, was the correct vote.

Has TPP been voted on? Trump slams it quite a bit.

I have to admit, the whole trade issue was confusing.

[Marlene]

CNN is wall to wall Cuba coverage. Chris Cuomo is wearing a short that Fidel gave his father,Mario. Isn't that sweet? Barf.

[Threadkiller]

Thanks for the research, Porch.

[Marlene]

*shirt*

[Porchlight]

Listening to libs wax sentimental/nostalgic over Cuba is revolting. "I want to see it before it gets ruined by capitalism!"

[Porchlight]

NP, TK.

[Appalled]

The lovely things about Cuban culture (music, architecture, music) were in place long before Castro. It got preserved in amber because Cuba under Castro went into deep freeze.

What the Libs love about Cuba was built under capitalism. It's all still there because Castro didn't build very much.

That said, most of Miami Beach that was around in 1959 is still around.

[Truthbetold]

Trump picked stock fraud felon as senior adviser

http://bigstory.ap.org/article/29c255c0b69a48258ecae69a61612537/trump-picked-stock-fraud-felon-senior-adviser

[cheerleader]

At the speech Mr. Trump gave to an all Republican audience in Palm Beach last night, with Dr. Carson in attendance, Mr. Trump said Dr. Carson could have anything he wants. I'm ondering if he wants to be VP ... ????

He said Dr. Carson is interested in working on education, and Mr. Trump said he wants him involved in the overturning and replacing of Obamacare. (Dr. Carson campaigned on the idea of health care savings accounts.)

Since day one I was for Trump-Carson, but never expected that to actually happen. I see Dr. Carson as a quiet man, but very strong and courageous, like Porchlight described her grand uncle. I'm not sure if he has the executive skills needed to be Chief Exec, if there was ever a need for that, God forbid. But I think he could learn a lot in an "apprentice" relationship with the boss. One thing's for sure, the people who work for Mr. Trump are going to have to be worker bees.

[henry]

On the radio this morning Carson said he doesn't want to be in the cabinet or VP.

[James D]

Insty linked an article by Joel Kotkin (about trump and the collapse of the GOP, of course), and I just couldn't believe the ignorance of this paragraph:

GOP libertarians want more social freedoms; social conservatives want less. Neocons hunger for war, while most other Republicans, both libertarian and constitutionalist conservatives, reject Bushian interventionism. The rising populist wave now inundating the party and driving the Trump juggernaut both detests, and is detested by, the party’s media, corporate and intellectual establishment.

Social conservatives want less freedom? Neocons "hunger" for war?

What a load of garbage. If this is what passes for analysis among supposedly conservative writers, you can keep it.

[cheerleader]

Miss Marple, it looks like a busy day for him. The only thing on his web site schedule is:

Monday, March 21, 2016
Washington DC
The Old Post Office
2:15 PM

Press Availability and tour of the Old Post Office, soon to be Trump International Hotel, Washington, D.C.

[squaredance]

Prediction: Obama's trip will result in the USA giving gitmo back to Cuba. He will get away with it.

[Elaine]

"But when the displacement is the reslut of deliberate government policy, then the government DOES have a responsibility to those who are displaced."

I want you to understand that I understand that Ohio manufacturers are hurting, that there's a problem with the manufacturing sector. And I understand for a full recovery, to make sure people can find work, that manufacturing must do better. And we've lost thousands of jobs in manufacturing...some of it because production moved overseas.

We have a responsibility that when somebody hurts, Government has got to move.

— President George W. Bush, Labor Day, 2003
http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid=63752

Maybe Jeb would have been the better bet if you wanted W's third Compassionate Conservative term?

[James D]

Also noted at Insty:

“Arizona is an early-voting state, and people can cast ballots up to 26 days before the actual primary. As of last Thursday, 249,000 Republicans in Maricopa County alone (where Phoenix is located) had already cast ballots. That’s already more votes than the total cast in Maricopa in the 2012 GOP primary. . . . Marco Rubio was drawing 16 percent of the vote in Arizona, according to recent polls. Anyone who voted before last Wednesday didn’t know that Rubio would no longer be in the race. Any votes for Rubio will therefore be wasted and will increase Trump’s chances of sweeping all 58 delegates.”

Forget about the specifics of who the "lost' Rubio votes benefit or hurt - the whole idea of early voting (especially in a presidential primary with many candidates, where it's a given that candidates will drop by the wayside as the campaign goes on) is a terrible one.

One day for voting, everybody has to vote on that day, everybody has to vote in person at their correct polling place, everybody needs a photo ID to vote.

It worked for a couple of hundred years. It really doesn't seem that complicated.

[Mahan moans.]

Yup, a high misdemeanor.

[Momto2]

Good morning all! Cool weather has returned to Ga.

Prediction: Obama's trip will result in the USA giving gitmo back to Cuba. He will get away with it

Sadly true - I'm still waiting for one SINGLE thing he doesn't get away with.

[Appalled]

James D:

We agree on that one...I can't stand early voting (and don't get me started on Oregon's mail it in approach).

So, let's talk about this Trump fellow. Don't know that I like the cut of that man's jib...;)

[narciso]

Cotton, would be an interesting chiice, recall he couldn't get anyone in the gop to follow the constitution, but trump already has the south.

[narciso]

Well cloward and piven were for it, so it can't be a good thing, in the final analysis.

[Momto2]

One day for voting, everybody has to vote on that day, everybody has to vote in person at their correct polling place, everybody needs a photo ID to vote.

I am 100% with you on that! I stubbornly vote ONLY on election day despite all of the options Ga. has now put in place. When my kids were small we all dressed up in red, white, and blue and went together to the polls and the poll workers always gave them a sticker. Now, to some, it's become another errand - pick up milk and eggs - oh and stop by to vote.

I do not think it is too much to ask people to show up on election day. If it isn't that important to them - they probably know nothing about the candidates anyway and are voting for (______) Fill in the blank - as someone told them to vote.

[cheerleader]

Thanks for the info about Dr. Carson, Henry.

[narciso]

Its poor shorthand, it's like saying Mahan was for quaqmires, quite the reverse, they just happened in the Philippines.

[narciso]

Ah red queen is addressing aipac, off how they don't pocket her.

[Miss Marple 2]

Hillary is giving her speech before AIPAC now.

Sounds like she's got some groupies to cheer in the back of the hall.

Her speech content might be good, but her delivery is so plodding it's hard to listen to.

[narciso]

Its trite pretensious twaddle, one recalls how likud was not welcome in europe, because they weren't as sophisticated as labor.

[narciso]

Well that was the image of begin and Sharon re eban and rabin, vs

[DebinNC]

It's astounding how off the radar HC gets away with being. No protests, no hard questions repeated at every stop until answered, and very, very few public appearances. Bernie's only purpose is to offer the illusion that there's any obstacle at all in HC's path, when it's obvious there isn't.

[James D]

The only obstacle in HC's path is the leadership of the DoJ deciding to do their job, obey the law, honor the Constitution & develop a conscience.

Right. There are no obstacles.

[James D]

The glory of socialism, part MCXVII:

Venezuela: March 21-25th, Venezuela’s businesses, government buildings and offices will shut down for an entire week in an effort to conserve energy. Expect mail delays.

(from a weekly email I receive from our international postal vendor)

[narciso]

I didn't know about this,

http://www.livescience.com/54092-goth-greek-battle-revealed-in-ancient-text.html

[narciso]

yes, you were really a light to the world, red queen,

http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2016/03/veteran-egyptian-jihadist-now-an-al-qaeda-leader-in-syria.php

[hrtshpdbox]

Bush wouldn’t have won if he’d had a billion dollars.

I think we can all agree that's true, though I'm sure we don't all agree on why it's true. While some see a grand revolt from a disenfranchised citizenry, I believe it's mostly because voters aren't all that bright.

[maryd]

Just WOW, JamesD! Makes me wonder what else we never hear about.

[narciso]

of course, bezos employs the sun in law of a cuban general, so how can they not be fair,

https://twitter.com/NickMiroff?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

[common man]

It might be that we dont all agree only because you dont, however...