I'll Take The Crazy Old White Guy

2020 looks like a Hall of Mirrors to Dana Milbank of the WaPo:

Bernie Sanders has emerged as the Donald Trump of the left

In politics, as in physics, every action has an equal and opposite reaction.

Hence, Sen. Bernie Sanders’s emergence as the Donald Trump of the left.

Fundraising and polls show that many Democrats think the best answer to an angry old white guy with crazy hair, New York accent and flair for demagoguery is, well, another angry old white guy with crazy hair, New York accent and flair for demagoguery. It’s not difficult to picture a scenario in which Bernie captures the Democratic presidential nomination with the same formula that worked for Trump with Republicans in 2016.

Which is why so many of us think Bernie would have been more successful than Hillary in 2016. Fortunately, the Dem Establishment was too stupid to see it.

Meanwhile, Sanders himself remains untouchable, in a Trumpian way. Claims of mistreatment by male staffers from women who worked on his 2016 campaign? Yawn. His resistance to releasing his tax returns? Whatever. The idea that Democrats need a unifying figure to lure disaffected Trump voters in key states? Never mind.

Sanders isn’t Trump in the race-baiting, lender-cheating, fact-avoiding, porn-actress-paying, Putin-loving sense. But their styles are similar: shouting and unsmiling, anti-establishment and anti-media, absolutely convinced of their own correctness, attacking boogeymen (the “1 percent” and CEOs in Sanders’s case, instead of immigrants and minorities), offering impractical promises with vague details, lacking nuance and nostalgic for the past.

Milbank left out "Authenticity" as part of their appeal. And as everyone in Hollywood knows, authenticity is essential to success - once you can fake that you've got it made (Hillary never could; her hubby was this generation's master.)

Comments

[Jim Eagle]

So am I. A crazy old guy of JOM.

[henry]

The only thing Sanders ever built was vacation house #3.

[Captain Hate]

Typical fact free Milbank upchuck.

[henry]

What did Sanders’ family do about student loans?

His wife fleeced then bankrupted a college. (Resulting in vacation house #2?)

[Narciso79]

Yale '90, just rampant category error,

[Comanche Voter]

What Bernie offered (and I've got some friends--not the sharpest tools in the shed where I keep my friends--who were and are devout Bernie Bros) is a Democrat candidate who was simply crazy. There weren't many, if any, credible assertions of corruption where Bernie was involved. Compare and contrast that with Hillary who was corrupt, crooked, and contemptible.

[Narciso79]

Brezhnev loving rape crazy also a little handsy.

[Lili-beth]

A very belated thanks to D, JIB and Caro!

[Jane]

I want a new law: No one who has never held a real job (not government) can run for president. No one who has spent 10 years in government can run for president. I'm tempted to say that no one who has not earned a billion dollars can run for president but that might kill my bill.

[Beasts of England]

I agree with maryrose - as it stands right now, it's gonna be crazy uncle Bernie. Are we not entertained? ;)

[Gentlejim]

I suppose I’d find Bernie entertaining if he elicited more than an itching and burning sensation. :)

[Beasts of England]

I was worried about a Sanders/Warren ticket in 2016. I'm less concerned today, thanks to the economy, but those two represent their energetic base - a base looking for revenge from their 'stolen' nomination last time.

[JimNorCal]

Is it not true that Bernie is the only Dem candidate ... who does not belong to the Dem Party?

Don't they have _anybody_??!!??
There is no Dem that can beat an old, worthless, socialist ne'er-do-well?

[JimNorCal]

And I love TM's snark (it IS snark, yes?) about how Bernie could have done well against Teh Donald in 2016.

"Which is why so many of us think Bernie would have been more successful than Hillary in 2016. Fortunately, the Dem Establishment was too stupid to see it."

OK, maybe this a species of "sets a low bar" Hillary insult. Sure, Bernie could have been "more successful".

[Extraneus]

I thought the last election would have been healthier for the nation if Bernie had won the nomination, and I hope he does this time. All other candidates are phony slime-balls. Let's have it out honestly for once.

[JM Hanes]

"disaffected Trump voters?"

What manner of beast is that? Apparently even Dems are smarter than Dana Milbank.

Beasts:

Love the boat (thanks for the link, Porch). It looks sleek & comfy, and 69,000 acres sounds like enough lake to keep you occupied. My only question is why are we all sitting on the dock?

[KevlarKid]

Bernie wins nomination and then the Dems take the House and Senate in 2020?

[henry]

“Disaffected Trump voters”

The ones in WI that Holder just waltzed through?

Milbank, here’s a hint. Kristol, Ryan, and SS Cuck crew were not Trump voters... thought they remain disaffected.

This Trump voter would prefer they were disinfected instead, but we don’t have survivable answers to all swamp pathogens yet.

[JM Hanes]

After the airfield exercises the other day, the video of the
World’s BIGGEST plane taking a practice taxi run was a pretty uninspiring! I'd be interested in seeing it really take off though.

I thought there was something wrong with the camera focus in the first couple of pix, till I realized that the thing actually does have two complete fuselages, one for the crew, one for the computers. The stresses on the center section holding them together must be enormous, and I wondered how they could avoid tearing apart from each in any sort of complex turbulence. Or is it sort of the aeronautical version of a catamaran? This "photo" is what I think they call an "artist's rendering" as the plane has yet to leave the ground:

It's a strange sight for sure.

[Beasts of England]

Thanks, JM Hanes - and that's a good question!! :)

[henry]

@CNBC

House Democrats formally request Trump tax returns

[clarice]

He should tell them they'll get it when they produce theirs and the names of the sexual predators whose victims they paid off with our money.

[JM Hanes]

Trump's tax returns? Fox News reporters' files! Sheesh. There is absolutely no conceivable legal basis for any of this stuff the Dems are demanding Team Trump hand over. It's like the energizer witch hunt.

[Gentlejim]

Ext,
By “having it out honestly for once” are you suggesting Trump drag Bernie’s ass to NJ and Burr him? :)

[henry]

@StevenSGoddard

The last 6 months were wettest and third coldest on record in the US. Climate experts blame the record cold and snow on an overheated atmosphere.
In 2012 they also blamed the warm dry winter on an overheated atmosphere..

Shameless liars
realclimatescience.com/2019/04/near-r…
@ScottAdamsSays

https://twitter.com/stevesgoddard/status/1113314574084714496?s=21

[JM Hanes]

Does anyone have a read on Benny Gantz, who is challenging Netanyahu?

I'm afraid I haven't been paying attention.

[henry]

Bernie’s response to a challenge from Trump would be the shart heard round the world.

[MissMarple2]

https://www.thenational.ae/world/the-americas/us-senate-confirms-john-abizaid-as-ambassador-to-saudi-arabia-1.844822

I didn't know he had even been nominated.

[Gentlejim]

I think “climate experts” are the same as “unnamed sources”, “a person familiar with”, and “WH officials”. I’d believe the Tooth Fairy sooner than I’d believe those 97%er climate experts.

[henry]

Gentlejim, climate experts are “studies majors.”

[Porchlight]

Which is why so many of us think Bernie would have been more successful than Hillary in 2016.

Not according to Helmut Norpoth, one of the few modelers who predicted a Trump win.

http://primarymodel.com/2016-forecast-full

Admittedly, he predicted a Trump popular vote win, so technically he got the election wrong. But he had Trump crushing Bernie.

[Gentlejim]

Henry,
Excellent. I can see the documentary of the event: Trump versus Crazy Uncle Bernie Tunguska II: The Shartering.

[Extraneus]

You mean Weehawk him?

No need. Trump would crush Bernie, or any other candidate who told the truth about what they want to do. Bernie is just their most honest commie.

Right now my gut tells me it's Kamala.

[MissMarple2]

https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/437229-new-book-trump-responded-who-the-f-are-you-to-gop-rep-who-called-him

I am not at all upset by this. A lot of those reps and senators thought they knew more than Trim,p because they had been in DC for a while.

And frankly, who the f were they to tell him what to say?

[JM Hanes]

Set your dial on the Discovery Channel Sunday at 8:00PM, for the Egyptian mummy sarcophagus to be opened on live TV, which they characterize as a WORLD FIRST!

In other news, it has now been confirmed that Herodotus was an honest journalist.

[Jim Eagle]

I can not wait for the Donald’s response on all these Dem demands. They act as if Obama delivered his records. We are really living in zizard land.

[henry]

Miss M 6:40, ah, the “don’t you know who I am” caucus. I believe Clarice can increase pike production to include them, assuming she hasn’t already done so,

[henry]

This is beyond crazy, but since everyone wants your phone number as a security feature I shouldn’t be surprised.

BREAK THEM UP: Just two weeks after admitting it stored hundreds of millions of its users’ own passwords insecurely, Facebook is demanding some users fork over the password for their outside email account as the price of admission to the social network.

https://pjmedia.com/instapundit/326560/

[Jim Eagle]

Abizaid is a bad as but also the right person for SA considering there Israeli emergence and there issues with Iran. Good choice.

[Captain Hate]

Right now my gut tells me it's Kamala.

Maybe. At first I thought they would hold her out until post Trump as *the* *next* *big* *thing* except she seems more of an instant gratification type and quite stupid. So why not?

[JM Hanes]

Me, neither Miss Marple. In fact that whole article was such a yawn, it's hard to believe anybody would want to buy the book. In fact, I'm realizing that I couldn't care less any more about the whole "inside scoop" genre of books and articles on petty pols, and who's backstabbing whom. It's like looking down on a mole hill that thinks its a mountain.

[Jim Eagle]

..bad ass... their issues.. their Israeli ...

Fuck iPad

[Jane]

Well if they figure out Kamila and her pal Corey we’re behind the Smollett hoax they should be screwed. We’ll see.

Biden and Bernie have never had a job in their lives, that should disqualify both. We need to make sure our country is no longer run by corrupt fools.

[Dave (in MA)]

Several minutes of googling and all I can find about the suspect arrested in the London machete attack is that it was "a man".

[Dave (in MA)]

London's Metropolitan Police stressed it had not launched a murder investigation, but instead was treating the death as "unexplained".

[Captain Hate]

In other news, it has now been confirmed that Herodotus was an honest journalist.

Well yes; he dutifully reported what was told him even if the geography was badly wrong or things like giant ants mining gold in India were what you'd get from a progenitor of Sid Blumenthal.

[Narciso79]

Gantz is another one of these lefty generals akin to Anthony Zinni or James Jones, now the latest scandal is over German Subs shipped to Egypt or something

[Extraneus]

I have a friend who was a big Bernie supporter. Smart regular guy, former history major, prisoner, single father. I heard him out over some drinks one night, and before it ended kind of badly with him pissed at some of my retorts, he brought up the topic of corruption that I think Bernie and Trump voters could both agree on. We did, anyway.

[sbwaters]

Herodotus never quoted an unnamed source from the State Department. That makes him more of a journalist than many.

[Narciso79]

I think thucydides is more problematic:

https://www.ancient.eu/amp/1-234/

[Narciso79]

Winning the future is this congressman

That planr rivals the spruce goose, in absurdity

[MissMarple2]

Why we need Space Force:

https://www.theepochtimes.com/china-is-advancing-artificial-intelligence-technology-to-fool-us-satellites_2865010.html

[Another Bob]

Willowed.

Another Bob
“The Bosphorus Strait is one reason to keep Turkey in NATO."

Was in Istanbul a while back. At my age, I remember Cold War stuff, and it was kind of fun to see US and Russian warships in what amounts to a deep river.

Whether it matters strategically anymore I don’t know. But Turkey’s days as a US ally are over.

Anyone know if we’ve removed the nukes from Incirlik?

[MissMarple2]

POTUS_Schedule
‏ @45_Schedule
38m38 minutes ago

As of 6:23PM, White House Press has been sent home for the day. POTUS will now have a closed briefing and supper with his military leaders before heading back to the White House.

[D]

Kamala is too aggressive and goofy.
Plus if she gets a question she isn’t prepared for she doesn’t have a sensible true answer.
She has to clarify answers the next day.
Not very smart and she turns people off.
Warren is fading.
See Boston Herald article today.
Her time has come and gone.
Hillary missed her boat in 2008 when Obama lapped her.
Look at the money Sanders brought in.
He is at the top of the heap.
If he takes Beto as VP he is in.
Harris won’t play second fiddle to Bernie.
She has an air of entitlement about her just like Hillary.
She is off-putting.

[Another Bob]

MM, what’s going on?

[Narciso79]

Only the Express even noticed the story among the dailies.

[Captain Hate]

We did, anyway.

I have a neighbor who was a Bernie Bro. He's a nice guy who couldn't stand the corruption of the Clintons, I guess. I'm sure he's reflexively lib and doesn't see how things would fall apart quickly under what he thinks he prefers.

[D]

Porch:
Thanks for the boat link.
That is a honey of a boat.
Not one that would make you seasick.

[Ignatz Ratzkiwatzki]

Judging by history, stupidity does not seem a particularly difficult hurdle to overcome on the road to the presidency.
Kameletoe's biggest problem is her arrogant anger and, yes feminists, her bitchiness.
Appeals to nutcake progs but no one else.

[Extraneus]

Did everyone but me know that the guy who invented oyster sauce was also the founder of Lee Kum Kee?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oyster_sauce

[Extraneus]

I?

[MissMarple2]

Another Bob,

The President is having dinner and a meeting with his military leaders. It was on the schedule yesterday. I don't think it is anything urgent.

[Another Bob]

TY MM

[MissMarple2]

https://www.theepochtimes.com/trump-to-press-amazon-alibaba-ebay-to-police-counterfeit-product-sellers_2865009.html

[Another Bob]

I’ve been underwater lately.

Did I hear this right? Cocaine Mitch blew up the rules and now the Ninth Circus is conservative?

[henry]

AB, you heard it. No more 30 hour debate for anything less than Cabinet post. Now 2 hours (the R’s waive theirs it’s one hour).

[Captain Hate]

I don't know if these guys are funny but they're doing what others won't:

https://dailycaller.com/2019/04/03/hodgetwins-conservative-comedians/

[JM Hanes]

Another Bob:

It may relate to the Russians in Venezuela. A few news outfits I've never heard of reported that the Chinese had also sent a 100+ troops to Venezuela too, which the Chinese emphatically deny, but they have spoken out publicly in defense of Maduro and the Russian initiative. I wouldn't be surprised if White House is considering their options in the event of potential escalations, but I have not seen that suggested anywhere with regard to this specific meeting. It's just a guess on my part.

Narciso:

Thanks for the comment on Gantz. I'd never heard of him.

[D]

Chris Rock eviscerated Smollett this past weekend?
Said “What were you thinking?
Said “You are just Jessie to me.
You don’t deserve the “U”

[MissMarple2]

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/13-year-old-boy-sells-xbox-does-yard-work-to-buy-his-single-mom-a-car/

This is a really wonderful story.

[Another Bob]

Henry, suppose it’s too much to expect that Mitch slipped some MAGA types in?

[D]

JMHanes:
You are probably right on target.
Time to take Maduro out.

[Another Bob]

Baby steps, I suppose.

[Another Bob]

JMH, what’s the Russian initiative?

[D]

So many of these judges are conservative.
It is our chance to transform the judiciary.
Heard from Trey Gowdy after his weekend at Mar a Lago that President beat Graham and Mulvaney at golf.
Still a fan of Trey. Lots of southern charm.

[Another Bob]

Trey Gowdy?

All hat. No cattle.

[MissMarple2]

President Trump hosted senior military leaders at the White House tonight for a briefing and dinner.

“We are on the cusp of doing something very important: We're rebuilding our military.” pic.twitter.com/Jc2o36Ur37

— The White House (@WhiteHouse) April 3, 2019

Video at the link. A little over a minute.

[Narciso79]

Your welcome, jm

The labour party found success with Barak and they keep trying that formula.

[JM Hanes]

Another Bob:

Russia has sent troops to Venezuela to support/protect Madura.

[Narciso79]

This inspired a thread on althouse:

https://www.mediaite.com/trump/mayor-buttigieg-its-hard-to-look-at-trumps-actions-and-think-he-believes-in-god/

I thought Obama was insufferable sheesh

[lurkersusie]

Everyday another awful crime committed by an illegal.

Man charged with murder in county park was deported twice before: ICE - nj.com
https://www.nj.com/hudson/2019/04/illegal-immigrant-charged-with-raping-strangling-woman-in-jersey-city-already-deported-twice.html

[Narciso79]

100 seems a small force multiplier, the russiams are still using Wagner corps in Africa after thr beat down in Syria

[JM Hanes]

Narciso:

Ditto your sheesh! Who the hell is he to judge? I don't think that kind of thing is going to go over well. It's so politically obtuse, I think we can cross Butt-ieg off the list of contenders. I'm not even bothering to look up how to spell his name.

[henry]

Narciso, 100 is plenty to stiffen the existing gendarmes. How many troops does the opposition have? All Maduro needs is a security element and hi lt squad for his opponents.

[MissMarple2]

lurkersusie,

Couldn't agree more. Get a load of this:

https://www.cbs17.com/news/national-news/illegal-immigrant-arrested-on-100-child-sex-crime-charges-in-louisiana/1895157062

[Buckeye]

Maduro should have been dealt with long ago.

Now he has Russian special forces protecting him.

[JimNorCal]

OK, punch line is on its way ...

[Ignatz Ratzkiwatzki]

--mayor-buttigieg-its-hard-to-look-at-trumps-actions-and-think-he-believes-in-god--

Well, I suppose if there's a guy who would know them by their fruits it's Mayor Buttguy.
Read Roman's 1 lately Mr Mayor?

[JimNorCal]

Punch line ...

[JM Hanes]

Narciso: I think that's probably all they dared start with. I suspect they may see Venesuela as their best bet for establishing a permanent foothold in this hemisphere on their own terms, while Maduro is at his weakest but still in power.

[Captain Hate]

Mayor Buttplug is easy to remember. Sounds like someone Patterico could get behind.

[Narciso79]

In addition to the 10-15,000 Cuban forces, the ideal would have been a proxy force as worh the sandinistas but neither Santos nor Rousseff were willing

[Captain Hate]

Venezuela still has a lot of oil and gas, especially because they screwed up the means of extracting and refining it.

[MissMarple2]

That Buttigieg is a sanctimonious twerp.

How about all of the GOOD President Trump has done, including getting those prisoners released under that new program? How about trying to make peace in North Korea? How about saving and creating all of the jobs?

But no, one of that matters, because he doesn't act humble.

What a crock.

[Ignatz Ratzkiwatzki]

Except in Syria which was close to home and of considerable strategic interest, Russia and Putin [but I repeat myself] are only interested in and largely only capable of token and cheap provocations. He knows he can commit to low level harassment with little risk because he has a lot of nuclear weapons, but above a certain threshold at which our nukes enter the equation, he is a paper tiger. He knows it. Trump knows it. The world knows it.

[henry]

Trump’s not a backdoor man. Despite SJW hype, neither are 98% of men. Science doesn’t care about Buttgig’s feels.

[Captain Hate]

Tucker is IDing Josh Campbell as a likely candidate for an FBI leak to CNN about the Stone raid.
Posted by: JackStraw at April 03, 2019 08:37 PM (/tuJf)

[MissMarple2]

https://abcnews.go.com/US/teen-claims-timmothy-pitzen-illinois-year-missing-2011/story?id=62143057&cid=social_twitter_abcn

Teen claims he is a boy who went missing in 2011.

[JimNorCal]

Ext 7:15 "prisoner" ??