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A long and plodding primary season has hurt Hillary Clinton.

And part of that is the continued agitation from the Berners.

Explaining Hillary Clinton’s Lost Ground in the Polls

What I think we are seeing are bounces.

First bounce is Trump basically winning the Republican nomination. Conventional wisdom, which is conventional because it is usually correct, says that this will cause a bounce for the candidate.

The "know nothing" voters will follow along temporarily because sheep!

The Democrats are engaged in a philosophical battle between Sanders and Ms. Clinton. The ideologists do not give up as easily as the wing nuts.

They will hold out for Bernie whether it hurts Ms. Clinton or not.

I have written here about this. It pisses me off.

It is too early to conclude anything from all this but as a fan boy of the process I am beginning to re-up with some of the more interesting political blogs. The ones I put aside four years ago.

Here. You might want to do the same.

TPM used to called Talking Points Memo. It has interesting insights into what is going on. Today the headline is about Trump's bump. Right on time.

If you do not mind wandering off the path a bit, FiveThirtyEight is a mishmash and always fun. Run by Nate Silver, the political prognosticator, it provides useful color to a lot of stuff other than politics. Today, how the media gets around using the term "groin" when a player gets kicked in the balls. Fun. Mr Silver, incidentally, has a pretty good record of prediction although he missed Trump by a mile. He admits it prettily.

And, to really piss you off we have The Drudge Report

Rhymes with "sludge". Drudge is an aggregator. Nothing but headlines, dense and hard to read. But he finds acorns like no other squirrelly sniffer. You have to comb in the denseness to find an acorn but it is there. The other thing is that Drudge is an asshole and revels in it. If you are entertained by grandiose bigotry, Drudge is your man. He is kind of funny too. He wears a fedora type hat just like the old time reporters from those Thirties movies. If you can see through the bluster, he does have a keen ear for the rumor, the innuendo and especially the mean and vicious. Just the spice that is needed in the midst of the slog and bore of the rest of the political news. Drudge covers everything too. Funny, usually. A Drudge sampler from today: Zuckerberg building secure bunker?, Residents Stunned by Military Drill-Explosions, Helicopters...'Did We Go to War?', Falling toilets snarl traffic on LA freeways...

See? Matt is totally the leading yellow journalist of the internet.

I did not intend to make this about Drudge but I have to admit he gets the adrenaline flowing in me like no other. I like that actually. Love thy enemy because s/he will amuse you.

Labels: Democratic primary, Republican primary

There is a lot of turmoil among GOoPer donors.

Key G.O.P. Donors Still Deeply Resist Donald Trump’s Candidacy

Even the richest need campaign money. He wants a billion dollars.

But he is so unpopular that a group of traditional money men (no women apparently) are openly refusing to support him.

“He’s an ignorant, amoral, dishonest and manipulative, misogynistic, philandering, hyper-litigious, isolationist, protectionist blowhard,” Mr. Vlock said. Mr. Vlock said he might give to Hillary Clinton instead, describing her as “the devil we know.” “I really believe our republic will survive Hillary,” he said."

I am sure he will get enough money. The thing is that this unseemly scrambling is anything but Presidential. That whole "timbre*" thing.

The Donald is clearly not ready for prime time at the level of a national election. Not when the people most needed to support him refuse to stand up and what is more vilify him in the process.

Jeez. I was happy to live through another election cycle but now I am delighted. I have never seen anything like this one. From Truman to Clinton we have seen all kinds of things but this takes the cake. Where is the cake, I want to throw it. A cream pie?

*I purposely used this word timbre to awake an old argument about the metaphor and how it is used. Most people assume that the word means timber as a tree, wood, the possibility of useful harvest. But the term came about a different way. by comparing the voices of candidates on the radio in the Thirties. The way that they came across was limited to their words and the timbre of their voices.It is interesting that Trump has used the "call-in" type of format on the early news shows so the voice is back again. A new "radio" effect or is it affect? You are on your own for that one; e/a?

Read more about Presidential Timbre here.

Labels: Donald Trump, Republican primary

Donald Trump's success in the primaries has brought about a singular opportunity for Republicans in this state to be important on the national scene.

But it ends up being a curse. A problem. Trump is not a party player and is only by chance a Republican.

And he is a New Yorker.

He is not very popular here and there will be a primary fight.

California Prepares for Long-Denied Star Turn in Presidential Race

The thing is that our primary comes after many of the others and as a result we are always the after thought.

Not so this time.

There will be a fight for delegates and it is heating up nicely.

Nothing like watching the other side getting into a circular firing squad.

As for the Democratic side, there is no real excitement here. Sanders would do better among west coast liberals and there are a lot of us but that race is essentially over.

Any votes Sanders gets will be symbolic, a kick in the ass for the Clintons. But to no effect.

First, the Clintons do not care and second, the outcome is already forgone.

Labels: California, GOoPers, Republican primary

Even The Onion finds the news so hilarious it simply reprints the press report.

Ted Cruz Names This Fuckin’ Lady—Remember Her?—As VP Pick

The world gone crazy.

Just watching the GOoPer Primary unfold makes my head spin.

Yesterday it was the Trumper having to cross a ditch to get past pickets here in Costa Mesa, just over the hill from us.

It is just one goddam thing after another.

A goat fuck.

While this article is from a satire magazine it hardly needs to be embellished.

I saw the press conference where this happens. Fiorina actually SINGS to the audience the way she sings to her granddaughters.

WTF?

I am thinking of just backing out of any further comment on this situation until the California Primary is over. I certainly will not cross party lines to vote in this horrendous spectacle.

I am laughing so hard I am crying.

Carly Fucking Fiorina.

Labels: Republican primary

John Boehner is throwing off decades of party line talk.

He is letting loose on some of his old colleagues particularly the ugliest one who is running for President.

John Boehner Thinks Ted Cruz Is ‘Lucifer’ And A ‘Miserable Son Of A Bitch’

Hilarious.

The mud has just started flying.

Cruz, notably, has jumped the gun to name Carly Fiorina as his running mate for Veep.

Unorthodox. Tradition prescribes that the running mate is more often an old party standby who will play ball and be decorative.

Think Joe Biden.

Of course a few of those people have become President and didn't do too badly. Harry Truman comes to mind. A party hack from the word "go". A machine politician. He basically saved our bacon at the end of WWII.

It is amusing to watch this disarray in the GOP. They are suffering badly. It will take decades for them to recover from their Bushy phase.

Couldn't happen to a nicer bunch.

Labels: Republican primary, Ted Cruz

Labels: Democratic primary, Republican primary

There is hope for the GOP.

Paul Ryan, a Mirage Candidate, Wages a Parallel Campaign

Even I would vote for Paul Ryan. Not saying I would or will. I just would be very pleased to have the choice.

I hate the idea that Hillary Clinton would be President by default.

Any campaign involving Trump or even Cruz would be an embarrassment at best. Trump because he is a blatant asshole and Cruz because he lacks the time in the saddle to justify his aims.

Ryan, on the other hand, has experience. He knows how to be a professional politician rather than a vanity candidate. He is also a true Middle West Republican. A model for the sub-species.

And I have to say that he looks the part. That chin. He has an abundance of sex appeal which has always lurked as an important quality for a candidate. Yes, even Jimmy Earl Carter had some of it.

I believe in the Two Party System.

It is foundational to our success as a nation.

For one half of the System to break down badly would be bad for the country. It would also be bad for the Democratic Party which needs a loyal opposition.

So.

It is an interesting campaign year.

Labels: Republican primary

This article outlines my take on the GOP primary and its candidates exactly.

Who are the Angriest Republicans?

I will cut to the chase. It is not the plutocrats who have always been at the heart of the party. It is not the Mr. and Mrs. Smith down the road who don't want to get any dirt on their shoes. It is, for sure, not the business or professional class.

It is the know-nothing hardscrabble of resentful whites who have seen their world slip into an abyss to deep to get out.

They are the new "niggers". The reviled and discriminated against.

I grew up in Appalachia and retain some of the attitude these folks have. It would seem that betrayal has added to their alienation.

Trump, the rich bastard, appeals to them in some kind of sick way which I do not understand. Trump is their oppressor. But so much for all that. It is a reality.

The disaffected turn to the "leader", the one who has the simple answers.

Never mind that he has and is made his money off their backs.

Labels: Republican primary

So Trump triumphed in all but Ohio.

And there lies the last gasp hope of the GOoPers to stop the blond bomber.

Kasich.

Can you say his name? I am not sure. Hard or soft -ch?

Anyway he kicked Trump's ass in a state that has supplied us with more Presidents than any other.

Read here.

Kasich, the Boulder Between the G.O.P. and Trump

Gail Collins speaks through a hail of confetti.

That is a great photo though. Look at him.

Rubio lost in his home state. So the new great white hope of the Republican party is a grizzled unphotogenic hard liner on abortion but an apparently restrained ego. Humble is not a word to use on any politician but he seems to be close to that.

Yes. Hillary Clinton is sewing it up. I am not excited but not worried. She can take both of them. One at a time or together.

Not the Republican year. If ever.

Labels: Republican primary

I wonder if someone, somewhere in the Republican Party has an emergency plan.

Labels: Donald Trump, Republican primary

Apparently another bullshit slinging debate.

What is good about these GOoPer events is the spotlight it throws on their total lack of talent.

None of these guys are, in the least, likable, electable or respectable.

I do not know about the liar part but it is taken as a given. Trump is not the only con man trying to get over. All of them have a history of polishing the resume on limited experience.

Kasich is still the only one that I would even consider to be an elected official. He has governed, he is reasonable and he is not a demagogue.

This from The Onion says it all.

Smiling Nation Takes Moment To Enjoy Thought Of What RNC Headquarters Like Right Now

I can imagine. The professional politico whose life work is about to go up in flames.

And so on.

Even I do not wish this on the Party. We need them.

Labels: Donald Trump, Republican primary

Trump replies to the Bush push and says what many of us think about them and their record.

Bush Brothers Swipe at Donald Trump

I know. Two election pieces in a row on this blog.

But it is a circus, perhaps the side show but still.

The Donald is saying all the things we have known about the Bush "dynasty" and for a Republican this is the equivalent of shitting in the chancel.

But who crowned the Bushes but themselves?

Regal white haired Barb with her venomous smile or Poppie, the kind of clueless grandpa who never really had that much on the ball although I did support him at times.

This is worth every cent of my time to watch. The old guard is crumbling and the new, whoever it is, is taking over. Dismay for the GOoPers who are, after all, the tasteful garden club crowd for the most part. The rough hewn interlopers just took them over. Loud mouth Trump and a callow light in the headlights Rubio. Ted Cruz with, as it turns out, his flawed spanish the other night. Funny.

Bring in the clowns.

Labels: Republican primary

The Republican debate was pretty exciting.

In Republican Debate, Jeb Bush Attacks Donald Trump

Watch the video provided in the article.

Jeb had to do this. He has looked so wimpy so far that it is the only chance to stand up and look even marginally Presidential.

Of course, Trump shouted him down.

Watch the clip. It is rather amusing. Like watching a cage fight with the guys in suits. No eye gouging though.

Trump is a bastard. But an amusing one. He goes so over the top even accusing Ted Cruise of not being able to understand spanish. It required Cruz to show he could do it. So funny. But not.

Trump is a first class bully which is certainly a liability. He cannot help himself. I bet his handlers, if any, cringe when he does this stuff. But his crowd loves it. Bring it on.

Of course these are the same people who like cage fights.

Wait a minute. I like cage fights too but probably for a different reason. Wink wink.

Labels: Republican primary

I missed the debate the other night.

A passle of GOoPers does not interest me.

So I missed something that I would not have minded seeing, save wading through hours to get to that one spot.

How a Debate Misstep Sent Marco Rubio Tumbling in New Hampshire

Two things.

Christie is a formidable debater. It is too bad that he decided to fold his tent and quit the campaign trail. It would have made more excitement in an otherwise bland field.

Second, the GOP bench is very thin.

Once the Bush dynasty folded their machine the harm to the Party was revealed. A sad lot who gave into the Bushies and at the same time embraced some right wing idealogues who will wreck the Party.

The mainstream is now flooded with the religious nuts and neo-nazi cranks, the bigots and the billionaire puppet masters who fund this shit.

That is OK with me. I do mourn the death of the real Party. It used to be strong and capable part of the two Party system. But now, their weakness has threatened the System as a whole.

Hey.

Do you notice how I managed to not mention the bloviator with the blond forelocks? He is a distraction which will not go away. Not interesting to me. If he gets the nomination, I will be surprised but anything is possible this cycle.

Labels: Republican primary

Not too long until the results of the Iowa caucuses come in.

If Sanders can dent the Clinton steam roller here then all bets are off or at least changed in the odds.

It is a lot more interesting than I expected.

And, a little exciting.

But there are ten months to go.

A long hard slog for all of us.

The GOoPers are interested in the outcome but it is not as close for them. Trump seems to have it and even if he does it doesn't knock out all the others but almost certainly three or four of them including Jeb! will reconsider moving on.

Yes?

We shall see.

Soon.

Politics is a contact sport and this is the first play.

Labels: Democratic primary, Republican primary

The Republicans are having some trouble with preserving "the brand".

Traditional GOoPers are not too pleased with the two aliens that have invaded their primary.

As Donald Trump and Ted Cruz Soar, G.O.P. Leaders’ Exasperation Grows

It is a little hard to imagine the traditional white collar country club republican being very happy with these upstarts. A smart talking New Yorker and a guy with a suspiciously hispanic name.

The Party that has always specialized in white bread candidates have some tough choices to make. And we have not even mentioned Sarah Palin. Back into the fight with all here embarrassing fervor.

It is a bit of a clown show. As predicted.

The fringe candidates are draining the swamp and the Party would like them to drop out so that the numbers could settle around the current poll leaders.

It will be interesting to see whether that happens.

In the mean time, relax and enjoy the circular firing squad.

Labels: GOoPers, Republican primary, Republicans

The reality of the GOP primary is that it has narrowed but not decisively.

Remember the "Ten Little Indians". A childhood game played with toes or fingers. And an Agatha Christie mystery in which there are ten suspects.

It had to happen. Ten candidates on any side give me a headache. And everyone else.

The key question at the moment is "who is getting the more attention"?. At the moment, that would be Trump and Cruz.

I watch the dailies on CNBC, poll dailies.

Trump and Cruz are not jockeying. Cruz' rise is at the expense of the other non-Trumps.

Up to now the GOoPers have kept it impersonal. Now, not so much.

Donald Trump Gets Personal in Attacks on Ted Cruz at Tea Party Convention

Get out the popcorn.

They are still pretending that there are a lot of choice but as time goes on the light has gone off the others. Once they started the minor league debates, it was time to admit that the minors were also the losers.

I am surprised by Trump. I do like to watch him. He is a vivid performer. It is hard to see how much is real and how much is not. Like the hair. OK. I didn't want to go there. But God. How do you not go there with the hair.

Cruz is hard to listen to. It is his cadence. His voice. I would swear that he has a high voice but he really does not. It is midrange. It is how he pushes it.

I realize this is ad hominem but that is more than fair game in a Presidential election. After all, the "hominem" is trying to be the leader of the "free world". Which is actually an outdated term. But you know what I mean.

Ted Cruz has a kind of whining cadence. A shrewish sound. Trump is specific. He makes faces. He is endlessly entertaining. He also lets us know he is in on the joke.

I do not like either one of them. But it is finally getting entertaining, the Primary.

Labels: Donald Trump, Republican primary, Ted Cruz

You know, as in a sing-along, follow the bouncing ball.

Bad news for the bushies today.

Influential Billionaire, Throws Support to Marco Rubio for President

I am an interested observer of this show. But I have to admit that of all the pigs in the poke, Rubio is by far the most attractive and if someone can put some lipstick on him he might appeal enough to be a break out candidate.

This will help a lot.

I was astonished to see the awkward performance of Jeb! in the debates. He was like a stick figure. All surface. Moving parts all apparent.

Trump, all bluster.

Carson, that smarmy look of the intelligent required to hob nob with the commoners.

But Rubio was alive. I didn't follow all he was saying and I know that he and I would disagree on a lot but who wants some numb-nuts on the other side.

This is my last election and I think it is going to be a mighty experience. The first woman? A Clinton? Against a young vibrant believer. Now that is something to see.

This is my olympics. As a fan of politics I can not ask for more than this.

And I like that someone who could put Hillary on her toes would be on the other side. She is quite adept at fending off idiots and Rubio is one of the very few that are genuinely smart and able.

And who said money can't buy elections? One of the most stupid ideas ever. Money drives the elections and the ability to get it and spend it well is one of the first demonstrations that a candidate would be good at governing. Budget constraint and leverage is an important skill and a campaign shows us some of the candidate's stuff in that area.

Labels: Republican primary

If you could not stand to watch the GOP debate, then here is a reasonable summary:

Jeb Bush’s Mayday

by Timothy Egan who uses the opportunity to find everyone's soft spot.

I was going to quote some of it but then I would be doing almost eight paragraphs and it is better to just cite the article itself.

His contention is that Bush is toast and that the others are undermining their own chances at the gold ring themselves. Self inflicted wounds.

This is an old GOoPer trait. It is not hard to make fun of them because they are so mockable in their most serious modes.

What amazes me is that there are still so many of them on board after three debates. Weren't these supposed to thin the herd?

The trouble is that there is no standout. No blatant reason to quit. And since everyone else in the candidate scrum is as vulnerable there is no easy path out the door.

The Jeb!s have muffed it. There early out and ahead assumptions turned out to be way off base.

Mom was probably right. The world has had enough Bushes.

Trump is stuck. But he is such an arrogant fuck with his slit eyes and raised nose (was there a bad smell in the house?) he seems too above it all to last. But he does have his numbers. Still.

Carson is a boring slug at the debates. Cerebral. Good for him that his troglodyte philosophy does not get much beyond his disdainful expression (do I really have to do this?). Kasich looks good and says good things but not loudly enough and without the "hook" that seems to be necessary in the Republican primaries. He is just the most experienced at governing and the most serious on policy issues. But he is way short of being a demagog which seems to be the thing that makes the booboisie interested. They like blood. And he is black. No one mentions that. But in the modern Republican Party blacks are still not welcome. And don't tell me about some old dusty Ed Brooke story. Our Senator Ed was about as black or less so than I am.

So here we are. Three debates and nothing is decided. I read that the networks are dismayed. It is lousy revenue to have such a mushy and boring slate.

Really, does Jeb really get across? He does need that exclamation point. He probably needs four: Jeb!!!!!. Can you fell the excitement?

One nit. The name Jeb is just two letters away from the hillbilly name Jed. I always think of that when I here the name. I am not going to say it again in this post.

Labels: GOoPers, Republican primary

I did not watch the GOoPers have their debate last night.

No surprise there.

But in reading the accounts of what went on, I can see that Trump is a spoiler in the midst of some serious people and that is too bad.

While it is unlikely that I would go to the other side even in the most extreme geezer like conservatism, a last breath conversion, I will confess to some queasiness with Clinton and their dominance.

I am heartened to read that Kasich made a good showing.

The non surprise is the apparent weakness of Jebbie. A stand in for the franchise who is weaker than all the others. A diluted version.

He is a milk toast and not very inspirational. Not that I would be inspired but still, I do like me a good vigorous trouble maker.

I do not want to go into detail because I didn't see it and, frankly, am not interested. It is good to see that even the Repubs finally have to let women into the tent and that earlier in the night Fiorina did a good job.

It is still way too early in the game but it is nice to have the circus back in town. I have missed it.

I feel like the kid peeking under the tent to see what is happening before the real show begins.

The photo is interesting in a mild way. Notice the space the others give Bush? There is discernible space between them. And who put him in the middle? Did Barb call up and insist? Poppy? Not George, I am sure. I wonder what he thinks of all this?

Labels: Republican primary, Republicans