Saving Ben Sasse

The highest elected NeverTrumper is in trouble in his home state.

Comments

[Agent J]

Good Morning!

[Theo]

I am glad this is about politics and not some internet story about pedophilia.

[RattlerGator]

That internet story may in fact be what (on the down low, of course) finally prompted this push. Whatever the case, he needs to renounce that #NeverTrump stand of his.

[Threadkiller]

Bye bye, Sassehole.

[Threadkiller]

Last page, Theo:

http://justoneminute.typepad.com/main/2016/05/saving-ben-sasse/comments/page/99

[Threadkiller]

How have you been, RattlerGator?

[Threadkiller]

It appears SasseBackwards was elected in 2014.

Stuck with him untill 2020.

:-(

[RattlerGator]

Threadkiller: All in all, I've been pretty good. Confused at first by this political paradigm shift that is ongoing. But, I've come to terms with it. Rubio was my guy, still quite favorable to him, but I understand the anger and exasperation.

Pretty simple choice in November; we cannot have a President Hillary and anything other than a vote for the Republican nominee -- no matter how you slice it, rationalize it, and dice it -- is an affirmative vote for Hillary in my book.

[GUS]

Hey Theo, I've been CONCERNED about you!!!

[Captain Hate]

Greetings RattlerGator.

If it's true that Sasse can't find it in him to say anything bad about Diddling Denny, then he's not exactly on the A list to turn thumbs up or down on a primary winner. Just take care of your state, son, and STFU about everything else.

[GUS]

RattlerGator, you are 100% correct. There is NO CHOICE. If you recognize that Rodham is a CRIMINAL, a LIAR, and a RADICAL, (and I do), then it's quite easy to pull the lever for Trump. Take a legal pad and list Rodhams accomplishments in life on on side, and her CRIMINAL ACTIVITIES, LIES and eff ups on the other.
Do the same for Trump. Trump has never left 4 men to die, then LIED IN FRONT OF THEIR DEAD BODIES.
Point, game, set, match.
I'm going to laugh when Rodham's campaign tries to impune Trump for being married 3 times. Billy Jeff doesn't marry his rape victims.

[Miss Marple 2]

At the end of the previous thread, Ignatz pointed to a fascinating story on the capture of Adolf Eichmann. Here is the direct link to the story:

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/05/14/how-the-israelis-captured-nazi-mastermind-adolf-eichmann.html

[Skeptical Voter]

I'll go with Rattler Gator. And to paraphrase Winston Churchill, if Satan himself were running against Hillary Clinton for any office--from dog catcher in Muleshoe Missouri, to President of the United States, I would feel compelled to at least put forth a favorable mention of the Devil. I can feel dirty about voting for The Donald, but my mortal soul would be in peril if I voted for Hillary.

[Appalled]

Well, Trump has been highly effective in dispatching his Republican enemies. Let's see if he displays the same vigor against his Democratic ones.

[Miss Marple 2]

The other day we were discussing how Gowdy's Benghazi investigation hasn't brought forth anything. I was following Adam Housley's (Fox reporter) time line on Twitter and he said the reason none of these military guys have been interviewed is that witness lists have been denied to investigaators.

Here's the tweet:

Adam Housley ‏@adamhousley May 12

The reason most of these men & women have not been interviewed by any committee..because witness lists have been denied to investigators

------------------------

Because I had been upset all of those airmen hadn't been interviewed and was rather exasperated at Gowdy, I felt like it was important to make sure this information got posted.

[Momto2]

Worth watching just to see the guy's hat - interviews with "millennials"

http://insider.foxnews.com/2016/05/12/watters-world-asks-millenials-about-donald-trump

[Beasts of England]

Oh, noze!! Not the darling of Patterico's macho grande brigade? Maybe they can hire him to lead the new political party they're forming... ;)

And howdy, RattlerGator!!

[Truthbetold5]

What's Donald Trump hiding?

https://m.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=69&v=OxK2fzaka80&ebc=ANyPxKoaZYrkncQ9C1iwewvSAqVj5A2JAzMd_4SY3JujOjITLm1v4vvAT4WgkmvVfLllWanhb6Y6JR7CvDerZW9sgQO4knuSyw

[JMHanes]

I finally got around to reading the NYTimes’ profile of Ben Rhodes in full. With regard to the much quoted Iran maneuvering:

In the narrative that Rhodes shaped, the “story” of the Iran deal began in 2013, when a “moderate” faction inside the Iranian regime led by Hassan Rouhani beat regime “hard-liners” in an election and then began to pursue a policy of “openness,” which included a newfound willingness to negotiate the dismantling of its illicit nuclear-weapons program….

The idea that there was a new reality in Iran was politically useful to the Obama administration…. Obama was able to evade what might have otherwise been a divisive but clarifying debate over the actual policy choices that his administration was making.

In the real reality, of course:

Obama’s closest advisers always understood him to be eager to do a deal with Iran as far back as 2012, and even since the beginning of his presidency.

As did almost anybody else who was paying attention. Two things amaze me about this story. The first is that Rhodes apparently thinks everybody actually swallowed his narrative. Second, that he thinks the White House made a successful sale, when, in fact, Democrats had to block a vote they would have lost in the Senate to salvage the deal. I certainly share Rhodes contempt for our know-nothing press, but I didn’t even notice the “new political reality” narrative. Obama’s trajectory seemed clear to me in his reaction to the green protests way back 2009.

It wasn’t just the weasel worded statement he was finally embarrassed into issuing. It was that he simultaneously cut U.S. support to the Iran Human Rights Documentation Center, one of the only organizations reliably tracking the egregious abuses there. His desperation for a deal at any cost just grew clearer with every one of his countless deadlines that Iran just blew on by.

The White House may have run similar victory laps over Obamacare, but in that case, Democrats had to nuke the rules just to get it on the table. Both deals went through, and both are indisputably transformative achievements, but it was the Democratic machine, not Obama’s superior salesmanship or a “winning argument,” that made it happen. We should all remember that.

I’d be interested in knowing if author’s description of “the actual policy choices [Obama’s] administration was making,” is based on what he was told or what he surmises, because it confirms what most of us have probably long suspected:

By eliminating the fuss about Iran’s nuclear program, the administration hoped to eliminate a source of structural tension between the two countries, which would create the space for America to disentangle itself from its established system of alliances with countries like Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Israel and Turkey. With one bold move, the administration would effectively begin the process of a large-scale disengagement from the Middle East.

The push for an Iran agreement was never really about disarmament, it was about disengagement. It was also the product of hopelessly simplistic, magical, thinking.

[Miss Marple 2]

JMHanes,

Good assessment. My only quibble is that most of the people in the administration adhere to magical thinking, but I believe they are dupes and that Obama and Jarrett are involved in intentional destruction.

[_peter]

excellent post, JMH.

I cancelled my Popular Science subscription because they ran a cover with 404 on it.

Now my Popular Mechanics arrived with a picture of Slo Joe. Last issue for this one too.

If Car and Driver runs a Dem on the cover, I'm not going to have anything to read

[Miss Marple 2]

Heh. Apparently the Nevada Bernie people are not happy with the allocation of delegates. Here is a Nevada reporter's Twitter feed, which if you scroll down you can get a feel for how it went:

https://twitter.com/RalstonReports

[Theo]

TK

Thanks for the last page link.

[Miss Marple 2]

peter,

Martha Stewart lost me when she was going to run a feature n a fundraiser for Clinton.

House Beautiful lost me when they ran Hillary on the cover back in 97.

I am down to 2 magazines: Better Homes and Gardens and Southern Living. BH & G will end when the subscription expires this year, as they are nothing but healthy food and Millennial decorating. Southern Living still has good taste and they do not bother me about political stuff (guess they know their clientele).

[JMHanes]

Thanks Miss Marple. I actually think Obama and Jarrett are also true believers, who would call themselves builders, and who don't see anything that goes wrong as the natural consequence of anything they've done.

[Miss Marple 2]

Boy, Romney's gone nutso!

http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/presidential-races/279926-report-romney-met-with-kasich-sasse-about-third-party

[Miss Marple 2]

I was going to do yard work today.

Right now it is gloomy, stiff breeze, and 45 degrees!!!

Yikes!

I made chili for supper! It's in the crock pot now.

I sure would like to have a little global warming!

[Beasts of England]

How in the heck can the establishment ask Trump to heal the party while Romney is driving the news cycle with the tax return and third party crap? There needs to be a reckoning. Enough.

[henry]

Miss M, small world. It's cold out with a frost / freeze warning for tonight, windy, and I have chile cooking. :)

[Porchlight]

Well, Trump has been highly effective in dispatching his Republican enemies. Let's see if he displays the same vigor against his Democratic ones.

I think we're already seeing it, but YMMV.

Thunderstorms here. House is quite dark in the middle of the day - love it.

Hi RattlerGator!

[Miss Marple 2]

henry,

It feels like November outside!

Waaaaa! I want summer!

[Miss Marple 2]

Beasts,

One would think Priebus would have some stern words, wouldn't one?

Ha ha.

I despise Romney and his loser group. He is uncaring about anything except stopping Trump.

I think someone should check to see if he has a brain tumor or something.

[Miss Marple 2]

Oh, look here!

http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/presidential-races/279927-report-republicans-approached-mark-cuban-about-possible

Apparently these purists went after Mark Cuban, who, if I remember correctly, is a DEMOCRAT.

[Beasts of England]

There's no telling what Rheinhold (his given name) really thinks about Trump. As paranoid as it may sound, he could be behind the Romney machinations. ;)

p.s., who picks 'Reince' as a nickname? Why not 'Bubba' or 'Killer'?

[henry]

I assume Cuban would hire Rove to dispense pelf to the self anointed. Seems to be the main problem they have with Trump anyway.

[henry]

Beasts, maybe the choice was "Heinyhole"

[Miss Marple 2]

You know, Beasts, I don't think you're paranoid. Not at all.

I thought the big deal about Trump was that he wasn't conservative. So why are Republicans trying to get Cuban to run 3rd party?

The ONLY thing that makes sense is that they fear Trump ending the gravy train.

[JMHanes]

The Rhodes profile also confirmed that Democrats really do have people officially tasked with sitting around, thinking up adjectives and substitutions designed to orient public narratives in their preferred direction. This is not your daddy’s wordsmithing, it’s institutionalized word bending of a newly supersized order. A notable example surfaced in the article posted earlier about DoJ's threats in the NC privacy law suit/countersuit business (emphasis mine):

"The administration will not take action to withhold funding while this enforcement process is playing out in the courts," White House spokesman Josh Earnest told journalists during the daily press briefing.

I'm sorry I never really got started compiling the Dictionary of Doublespeak I once contemplated producing years ago.

[Lurker Susie]

Mark Cuban said yesterday that Hillary should pick him as her running mate
to take on Trump.

[rich@gmu]

flagged up at drudge

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-venezuela-usa-idUSKCN0Y42MT

news from Workers Paradise: Venezuela ... looting &c.

[rich@gmu]

and a good afternoon to RattlerGator-good to see you again.

[Lurker Susie]

Link for mark cuban

http://cnb.cx/1X7G2RJ

[rich@gmu]

Posted by: JMHanes | May 14, 2016 at 01:07 PM

get that over to American Thinker stat.

[Beasts of England]

Will Wilcox showed how you celebrate an ace at Sawgrass's 17th. 6,300 attempts during tournament play since the previous '1' on that hole. Good stuff!

[Beasts of England]

Plenty warm here, but the winds are steady at close to 8 mph, with gusts to 14 mph. The sailboater dudes and dudettes are in tall cotton. Pffft! ;)

[Captain Hate]

One would think Priebus would have some stern words, wouldn't one?

Ha ha.

Although I've blasted him at nearly every opportunity he was urging the troops to rally behind the nominee before being trampled by a herd of RINOs.

Excellent analysis, JMH.

[Captain Hate]

JMH,

The only thing I would add to your post was that Zippy completely squandered an opportunity lead the world in putting an attractive face on the Iranian freedom movement when Neda was murdered in 2009 iirc. It was at that stage that he was revealed as, at best, a fraud or, more likely, a shameless admirer of the totalitarian nutjobs.

[Janet S.]

Here's a reminder about Mark Cuban.
He is laughing it up while Dan Savage & Marc Maron** talk about having violent hate sex with Michele Bachmann & Rick Santorum.

from 2011 - http://newsbusters.org/blogs/noel-sheppard/2011/07/16/real-time-guests-discuss-having-violent-hate-sex-michele-bachmann-and

**BTW President Barack Obama did an interview with Marc Maron on his WTF radio show in 2015
http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/the-10-most-fascinating-quotes-from-obamas-wtf-chat-with-marc-maron-20150622?page=2

How low can he go....

[Miss Marple 2]

Captain Hate,

I know he has discounted the 3rd party talk in general, but I would like to know he has specifically come down on Romney.

But perhaps Romney is a big RNC donor. Who knows?

[Miss Marple 2]

Janet,

You are truly a treasure and a font of all knowledge when it comes to tracking these low-lifes down!

Thanks!

[Captain Hate]

Mark Cuban lost his purpose in life when Devil Stern retired.

[Captain Hate]

Miss Marple,

I have no idea what type of constraints RP operates under but his actions since heading up the national GOP are at great odds to what I was expecting after Walker came into power in Wisconsin.

[Miss Marple 2]

Captain Hate,

I get so frustrated with Priebus. It's like we are at war and instead of having a general we have an insurance salesman.

[Captain Hate]

The reason most of these men & women have not been interviewed by any committee..because witness lists have been denied to investigators

How is this legal and why hasn't Gowdy made this widely known? If this is legal then the investigation is a fraud and anybody responsible for finding out the facts should refuse to play along.

The Uniparty at its finest.

[Miss Marple 2]

Captain Hate,

I wondered about that but it IS possible it got covered and I missed it. It is also possible that Gowdy had a press conference which did not make any broadcast news.

However, it does seem that SOMEONE on our side could have publicized this information.

[anonamom]

peter, there's always Garden and Gun. I'm pretty sure you won't see either Obama on their cover. Or Biden, or Cankles.

[daddy]

Has there been any public statement from any GOP leaders about the Obama's edict yesterday?
Ryan? McConnell? Any of the Bushes, since education is their signature issue? Romney?

How about going after John Kerry's comment to prepare for a world of no borders.

Kerry to College students in Boston: "The future demands from us something more than a nostalgia for some rose-tinted version of the past that did not really exist in any case. You’re about to graduate into a complex and borderless world.”

So borders don't/didn't exist, they're only the product of looking at the past through "rose-tinted glasses?"
Where did this come from? What is this lunacy?
When there are no borders there are no countries, no National identities, no National anything---only some rainbow unicorn One World dreamland, spouted by Marxist dictators and head-chopping Caliphatists.

Any push back on that?

How about any one of our solons on our side step up and pound the carp out of this idiocy.

[Captain Hate]

Not giving him a pass on this, Miss Marple; he knows how to get the towel folders' hearts a-flutter with his witty banter. Nope, no dice.

[Miss Marple 2]

Yeah, Captain Hate. You're probably right.

I as just trying to be fair.

It's very disappointing.

[Captain Hate]

Rose-tinted version of the past: Lurch being in Cambodia.

[Captain Hate]

Rose-tinted version of the past: Clutch Cargo not being laughed at by the troops when trying to match wits with the Huntress.

[Beasts of England]

Garden and Gun is a great magazine. Kind of a Town & Country meets Robb Report meets Field and Stream vibe. It even feels swanky in your hands.

[clarice]

Brava, JMH..NYT also has an article by Samuels responding to his criticism of Rhodes if you are interested.

[daddy]

An update on "Containment."

Obama on ISIS in November 2015:

Obama: I don´t think they´re gaining strength. What is true is that from the start, our goal has been first to contain, and we have contained them. They have not gained ground in Iraq. And in Syria they´ll come in, they´ll leave. But you don´t see this systematic march by ISIL across the terrain.

WaPo yesterday: Islamic State, growing stronger in Libya, sets its sights on fragile neighbor Tunisia

Times of India today: Islamic State asked us to infiltrate Kanhaiya stir, set fire to vehicles: Recruits

I guess John Kerry's right. Borders don't seem to mean squat to ISIS.

[Agent J]

GUS @ 12:04

I stole it and posted it on my FB. Permission is harder to get then forgiveness.

:-)

[cheerleader]

"The FEC’s website discloses that one month and 8 days ago on January 31, 2016, Mitt Romney and House Speaker Paul Ryan — the GOP’s 2012 nominees for president and vice-president, respectively — had filed precisely FEC Form 1, indicating their intention, once again, to run for the presidency. Their filing number is 1047622. At the bottom of their FEC Form 1 is the notation “Generated Thu Mar 3 21:32:42 2016,” which means that despite Romney’s denials to the press, his intention to run for the presidency remains contemporary and operative."

https://fellowshipoftheminds.com/2016/03/08/its-deja-vu-all-over-again-romney-ryan-filed-intention-to-run-for-presidency-with-fec/

[LHR]

The Billionaire Investor, Chris Sacca, was interviewed on Apri 28th on the Bill Simmons podcast. He made the prediction Mark Cuban will be president of the United States. He said he thinks Hillary Clinton will win this election cycle, but afterwards he thinks it will be an open field and Mark runs.... as a vey "moderate" Republican and wins. Hm.

[peter]

Is there really a Garden and Gun magazine?

[daddy]

romney-met-with-kasich-sasse-about-third-party

Rub-a-dub-dub,
Three men in a tub,
And who do you think they were there?
The Mailman, The Mormon,
The #NeverTrump foreman
All clueless and quite unaware,
‘Twas enough to make a man stare.

[maryrose]

Rove is not an idiot
Romney is not nutso
Sasse is a conservative who doesn't like our candidate
There fixed it.
Ryan is one of the leaders of the Republican Party
These are facts not innuendo and conjecture.

[daddy]

I thought the big deal about Trump was that he wasn't conservative. So why are Republicans trying to get Cuban to run 3rd party?

Miss M, you're brilliant! A beautiful 60 degrees and sunny up here.

[maryrose]

I posted months ago about Gowdy's concerns he couldn't get names to interview or e-mails from the State Department.
It must have gone down the proverbial memory hole

[sbw]

Ryan is one of the leaders of the Republican Party

My expectations at his election to the position of speaker have not played out.

Were the election to be held today, I would encourage our representative to support someone else.

If Ryan were to run for president at this late date, or were he to support an insurrection within the Republican party or without, I would oppose him.

[sbw]

Rove is not an idiot

That does not make him either right or wise.

[sbw]

Romney is not nutso

If “nutso” can be interpreted as engaged on a path that might torpedo the Republican Party, I might beg to differ.

[Miss Marple 2]

Your are warmer in Alaska than we are here, daddy!

By the way, my concern about the interviews with the airmen is that it is the DEFENSE DEPARTMENT who is dragging their feet on submitting the names of the airmen.

So obviously the military command structure has been politicized.

I wonder why we haven't heard from McCain about this, since he is the chair of the Armed Services Committee in the Senate. Who is the head in the House, doyou know?

[maryrose]

Jay Cost has an interesting article in the Weekly Standard.
In the past many enjoyed his articles.
It is a look at this election from another point of view.
Happy Anniversary Jeff Dobbs!

[maryrose]

Romney has a contrary point of view something that is occasionally unacceptable to some members of JOM.

[Miss Marple 2]

Meanwhile, back in Nevada, a hillary supporter tweets about clowns (Bernie supporters):

https://twitter.com/CMPreciado/status/731547437047775233

BONUS! Video of Barbara Boxer getting booed and hooted at!!

[buccaneer morgan]

Chris sacca, big zaphod donor, quelle surprise, there wasn't even a pretense to a investigation.

Sohrab ahmari,who I've linked before, blows a hole right through Roger Cohen.

[Miss Marple 2]

Think I will go back to work.

I am feeling tempted to go nuclear, which is not at all how I want to behave.

Back later!

[Beasts of England]

lol, daddy!!

[maryrose]

SBW
No one is going to torpedo the Republican Party.
In Cost's article he talks about the Election of 1912

[Jack is Back!]

maryrose,

With all due respect where has Rove ever been right since GWB left office? Rove is a problem for future Republican wins as POTUS. Ryan is absolutely wrong and even stupid for not endorsing the presumptive nominee of his party. Its not Trump dividing the party its the likes of Sasse, Rove and Ryan. They didn't win any GOP primaries, Trump did.

What does Trump have to do further? Nothing. But if those recalcirant crybabies don't come around than you will see a new GOP that will be without spoil brats milking the voters with false promises.

[sbw]

something that is occasionally unacceptable to some members of JOM

Hahahahahaha!

[sbw]

Election of 1912?

What happened in 1912 is interesting and worth knowing, but not compelling.

What Jay Cost presumes to extract as a lesson from history need not necessarily be the salient points.

[Michael (fpa Patriot4Freedom)]

There needs to be a reckoning. Enough.
Posted by: Beasts of England | May 14, 2016 at 01:55 PM

Beasts - Do you think this guy might be right for the job?

[anonamom]

maryrose, Romney doesn't "have a contrary point of view"--Romney lost one presidential election because he is out of touch, among other reasons, and his behavior may damage the Republican nominee's chance of winning this one, which the vast majority of the posters here see as vital to our children's future liberty.

However---maybe it's a good thing to see Romney opposing Trump. That gets all of the people who think Romney is a twit behind Trump...

I'd love to know what your Meyers Briggs is, if you happen to know it.

[Beasts of England]

Exactly who I had I mind, Michael!! lol

[Threadkiller]

I am glad that contrary points of view are now accepted at JOM.

It times well with the stompy-feet ship jumping by the so-called best and brightest.

#ThanksTrump

[maryrose]

Ryan Romney and Sasse have a conscience which at this time does not allow them to totally endorse our candidate.
I do not begrudge them that.
In the end all will rally around our nominee
Rove has raised tons of money and has helped down ticket races in 10. 12 and 14.
Crybabies is a word that tries to minimize them as individuals.
We don't have to walk in lockstep.
We want a better candidate and growth in stature and respect for others is a goal worth pursuing in this case.
We need to beat the Democrat and make those unfavorable numbers decrease.

[maryrose]

TK
Stompy feet comment only diminishes does not enhance or embrace another point of view.

[Beasts of England]

I'm an INTJ. I forget which letter represents 'asshole'. ;)

[Beasts of England]

Sasse has been in the Senate for a whopping 16 months. Too many degrees and not enough real world experience. He needs to know his role and shut his hole.

[maryrose]

Anonamon
Romney's can't harm our candidate.
Not many undecideds at this point
The election won't be won or lost on tax returns.
Yes I do know what my Meyers Briggs score is but why is that relevant.
I am an extrovert who feels and senses situations.

[Threadkiller]

Criticism of stompy feet comments shouldn't be seen as association with the stompy feet crowd.

It is rising above...

[clarice]

Cruz, rotting and yet still pining for the fjords.http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/during-major-speech-cruz-avoids-talk-of-trump/article/2591365?utm_campaign=Washington+Examiner%3A+News+From&utm_source=Washington+Examiner%3A+News+From+-+05%2F14%2F16&utm_medium=email

[Threadkiller]

He went to Harvard, BoE.

[maryrose]

I don't think someone who become a Senator duly elected by his home state voters needs to shut his mouth. They sent him to Washington to represent their concerns.
No one needs to be censored in this election.
Our candidate has to be strong enough to overcome all commentary and show us his best self.

[Threadkiller]

Harry Reid and Barbra Boxer shouldn't shut their mouths.

They were duly elected.