OrangeVerse XLIX: I'm So Proud of Myself

Let us continue with the airing of grievances and the overpowering strength of the impeached one and pick up where we left off with Remarks by president Trump to the Nation.

In the first part, we made it through multiple threats to thank people (only a few people were actually mentioned by name), and grievances going back to the day Trump's campaign began, on an escalator, not an elevator as he stated, and a nasty campaign it was, even in the primaries, where, we know, he was the instigator of the nastiness. He may not remember that,or maybe he was just bragging, I don't know for sure.

In this part, among other things, we'll look at more grievances, transcripts, Mitch McConnell, oath taking, and oh yes - how could I forget - how not to behave at a prayer breakfast.

Thank You Sir, May I Have Another Grievance?

They made up facts. 

He brought it out of thin air.

Just made it up.

They say he's a screenwriter - 

a failed screenwriter.

He tried to go into -

unfortunately he went

into politics after that.

...he said the statement

which is a mob statement.

Don't call me. I'll call you.

Transcribe This...

Fortunately for all of us

here today and for our country

we had transcripts.

We had transcribers

professional transcribers. 

Then they said Oh, well, maybe

the transcription is not correct.

But Lt Colonel Vindman and his twin

brother - right? - we had some people 

that - really amazing.

We Did it Just Like We Said

But we did everything.

We said What's wrong with it?

Well, they didn't add this word

or that one. It didn't matter

I said Add it. They're probably wrong

but add it.

So now everyone agrees

they were perfectly accurate.

When you read those transcripts Tim Scott

I don't know if Tim is here but

he said Sir...he was the first one

to call me. Sir,

I read the transcript you did nothing

wrong. And Mitch he stayed

there, right from the beginning. 

He never changed. 

Pitching Mitch... 

I want to tell you: he

did a fantastic job. Somebody

said You know Mitch is quiet.

I said

He's not quiet.
He's not quiet.

There are the - he doesn't want

people to know him. And they said

Is Mitch Smart? I said

well let's put it this way: for 

many, many years

a lot of very smart - 

bad, in many cases, sometimes

good - but people have been trying

to take his place and to the best

of my knowledge I've never

even heard the subject come up

because they've been wiped out so fast.

This guy is great and I appreciate it Mitch.

Great guy.

Great guy.

He's a tough guy

To read. I'm good at

reading people.

A tough guy to read. I'd call him

My wife would say how'd you do with Mitch?

Uh. I don't know.

That's what makes him good.

Coast to Coast

...this was crooked politics.

This was crooked politics.

How about all these people

they're running for office

They're saying the worst things about me

like eight senators on the Democrat side.

Most of them got wiped out.

You know they got their 1% or less.

They decided to go home

Let's go back to California

Let's go back to wherever they came from.

Let's go back to New York.

The Oath Takers

And then they take an oath

that they will be fair, 

that they will be reason - and

all of the different things.

And they had to sign.

They're not fair.

But here's the beauty.

So we have four left.

They're saying

the most horrendous things

about me it's OK

it's politics

And they they're

supposed to vote - on me.

They're trying to replace me

and they're supposed to be voting.

So I think it's - I mean

I think it's 

incredible. But - so Mitch

I want to thank you very much. Incredible

And you have some of your folks here

and they're incredible people

and they have been

right from the beginning.

The First Deadly Sin

We did a prayer breakfast this morning

and I thought it was really good.

In fact it was so good it might wipe this out.

But by the end - by the time we finish this 

we'll wipe that one out - those statements. 

(laughter)

I had - 
I had -
Nancy Pelosi sitting four seats away

and I'm saying things

that a lot of people 

wouldn't have said

(laughter)

but I meant every

(laughter)

I meant every word of it. 

Sunday School 2/16/20

I love when there's lots of activity in the classrooms, and today was no exception. Joe Biden, Amy Klobuchar, Tom Steyer and Pete Buttigieg were making the rounds this morning, with Klobuchar hitting four classrooms and Steyer two.  

I narrowed it down to one per show, so we've got Biden with Chuck Todd on NBC's Meet the Press, Klobuchar with Martha Raddatz on ABC's This Week, Steyer with Margaret Brennan on Face the Nation (CBS) and Buttigieg with Dana Bash on CNN's State of the Union. That's the order we'll take them in.

Here are some excerpts from the Joe Biden interview. He was circumspect on Trump's attacks, saying that he "realized that whomever was likely to be, whoever he most feared, was going to be the victim of his affection" and also noting that he's tried not to show too much frustration because the election is not about him, it's about pulling the country together.  He admitted that "it had crossed his mind" that Trump's attacks might have actually made a difference in Iowa and New Hampshire.

On his campaign and whether he's got the urgency, the fire that people want to see, he said maybe being so polite and positive wasn't the best approach after all, but he supported his moderate proposals by saying if he gets elected he'll be "one of the most progressive administrations" in the country's history. And, regarding That Guy from Vermont and his policies,  

...what you're up against is things that are almost fanciful. Like, you know, Medicare for All. Thirty-five, thirty, forty trillion dollars. Even Bernie's now saying, "Well, how much is it going to cost?" "Well, who knows. We'll find out." I think that's the phrase he used -- or "we don't know." I mean, part of being president is not just the idea you have. Can you get it done? Have you ever done anything big? Have you ever been able to put together coalitions that bring along Republicans and all the Democrats to get things done? And the idea, I mean it's almost fanciful sometimes.

On Sanders and people always knowing where he stands on things.  

And he's never gotten anything done... he's a decent guy...he's been talking about health care, Medicare for All, universal health care, for 35 years. Nothing's happened. I helped get Obamacare. I helped move it forward. I got the votes. I'm in a position where I take something that I promise you, I'll get done. We take Obamacare. We allow people -- like out here in Nevada, what's going on? Bernie requires, and Elizabeth's plan requires you to give up all private insurance. These folks have broken their necks, the culinary union and others, to get the most comprehensive health care that's out there. And they've given up wages for it... 

I mean come on. This is -- I mean, I think people are so tired of the lack of straightforwardness out there. Now, if I'm wrong, I'm going to be dead wrong, but I really believe that you have to lay out why you're doing what you're doing and how you're going to get it done.

On Bloomberg buying his African-American support, cutting into Biden's support by around half, Chuck Todd said. 

... Anyway, the point is that $60 billion can buy you a lot of advertising, but it can't erase your record. There's a lot to talk about with Michael Bloomberg. You all are going to start focusing on him like you have on me, which I'm not complaining, like you have on me the last six months. You're going to focus on him. His position on issues relating to the African American community, from stop-and-frisk to the way he talked about Obama, to, I mean –

On two of his biggest rivals, one not a Dem and the other a former Republican, and what that says about the Democratic party,

Well, I think what it says is money, billions of dollars, can take you a long, long way. And it says that it's going to be awful hard to go out and win those -- the base support of the Democratic party, the African Americans, Latinos and working-class white folks, and put that coalition together. That's how you win an election. You put that coalition together.

On the need for winning South Carolina, and whether he can "do well" without winning there, 

Well, I think so. But look... look, right after that, within -- on March the 4th we end up with -- going into all the states, which the polling data is now showing me doing incredibly well. Whether it's North Carolina or Georgia or Texas or any of these other places. So look, it's not an apt comparison, but Bill Clinton lost his first eight, ten, 12 primaries and caucuses before he won one. I don't plan on taking that long. But we're just getting to the meat of getting to the number of delegates you need to be able to win this election. And I'm confident we're going to be in good shape.

And from Sen. Amy Klobuchar, starting with her positioning in Nevada, her just starting ad buys, and so on, including only being at 2% in the Las Vegas Weekly poll. 

Well, actually the Las Vegas Review Journal that came out after New Hampshire yesterday had me at 10 points. And that's even a day before our ads even started. So, we're pretty excited about that. I think that came out of all the work we did in New Hampshire. We've had huge crowds, including over 1,000 people in Reno. And I think the newspaper endorsement of The Sun is also very helpful. So, we see ourselves on an upward path.

She said she's in every Super Tuesday state with teams on the ground, she's raised $12M in the past week, and she's feeling good. Raddatz pointed out that no major party nominee finished worse than 2nd in either Iowa or New Hampshire.

Obviously, the next month is critical for us, but I think I’m just approaching this in a different way. And we really shocked the pundits in New Hampshire, and it was all hard work, the endorsements of the papers, the endorsement of The New York Times that I share with my friend Elizabeth, and the kind of momentum that you see. It’s a different year.

On building support with people of color,  

Well, that’s going to be on me. I need people to get to know me. I’ve always gotten high support in all of my elections with the Hispanic and African-American communities in my state -- that is a start... my name identification in states outside of the early few states was not that high, simply because I didn’t have the money like Bloomberg to run more ads during your show than I am on being interviewed on your show. I get that. That’s what happens...That is a big difference.

People don’t know me. And then I’m going to emphasize my record of equal opportunity. The work that I have done in leading so many voting rights bills, including automatically registering kids to vote when they turn 18, getting rid of gerrymandering, getting rid of voting purges. I have a strong record when it comes to voting rights as well as equal opportunity --

As have others, Raddatz talked to her about new evidence in a case where she was the initial prosecutor. The defendant was found guilty but the verdict was overturned and he was retried and convicted by a new prosecutor after Klobuchar became a senator. Now, with new evidence, Klobuchar is saying whole case should be reviewed, old evidence and new. 

Martha, as a prosecutor... our job is to convict the guilty and protect the innocent...all of these cases, when anything new comes in that puts into doubt any conviction, no matter when it is, must be reviewed.  

When I was county attorney, I undertook a major review of all of our serious cases involving DNA... I also pioneered a new way of doing eyewitness identification with The Innocence Project. I went around the country and debated other DAs about having interrogations videotaped because I believe so strongly they should be videotaped. So when you look at my record, the 12 percent decrease in African American incarceration rates when I was there, you see a number of things where I was focused on protecting the innocent.

And my response to this case is this, it must be reviewed immediately and brought to court.

And from Tom Steyer, starting with Margaret Brennan's question on what would constitute success for him in Nevada.

Look, I want to come in first or second. I've spent more time in Nevada than any other candidate. We have a great team on the ground here. I've gone out of my way to try and make sure that I see as many people face to face. And I believe we're putting together the kind of coalition in Nevada and in South Carolina that a Democrat is going to have to put together to win in November of 2020.

On being serious about Nevada and about South Carolina, too, where he has the largest state operation of any candidate (and his wife might have moved there, Brennan said).

Both of these states are diverse states. Both of these states reflect the kind of diversity that is America and that is the Democratic Party. And I think whoever is going to be the candidate has got to be able to show that he or she can pull together that diverse big tent that is the Democratic Party. And I think that's what we're trying to do here in Nevada. And I know that's what we're trying to do in South Carolina... I really think it's about grassroots. I'm a grassroots person. I built one of the biggest grassroots organizations in the United States, next-gen America. And I really believe in people being on the ground, the candidate being on the ground and seeing people face to face.

On the problem of labor force participation (which, I must say, is a very specific question to ask a candidate), the Fed Chair has said is due to the opioid crisis and educational issues. What does he think?

What the Federal Reserve chairman is talking about in terms of opioids and education is how you actually develop long term prosperity and justice. And that is by investing in young people through education, specifically including universal pre-kindergarten, and by dealing with issues of health around the country, including the opioid crisis, including mental health... (president Trump is) avoiding the actual long term prosperity of Americans that is done by investing in the American people, by making us productive over time. And that means education, health care for every American, a living wage.  The wages of Americans-- are outrageously low. 

And on reparations - he's said he's the only one in the race saying he's for them - he admitted that he doesn't have a specific mechanism for them yet, but

...the way to figure out the correct solution in this case is I would have a formal commission on race the first day- starting the first day of my presidency to retell the story of the more than 400 years that African-Americans have been here in America, to tell the story not just of legalized injustice and cruelty, but also of the contributions that the African-American community have made--to the building of America--  what I'm saying is this: in order to come up with solutions, you have to go through together and tell the story, because out of the narrative comes the policy changes. 

He also said he'd put $125B - that's right, $125 billion - into HBCUs, which he said have lost over 40% of their funding in a decade, as just one example of what he's thinking. 

Finally, let's turn to Mayor Pete and Dana Bash, starting with what's going on in Nevada with the Culinary Union, which has come out against That Guy from Vermont and his Medicare for All plan because it would wipe out their hard-fought benefits - and union members are now getting attacked by Sanders supporters.

You know, it's really disturbing to see the Culinary Union attacked, when these are workers who have stood up and fought for, among other things, good health care plans. They're not interested in Washington taking away their choice... 

No one should go after working people for wanting to defend and grow what they have earned. And it's a key point of difference at the policy level between me and Senator Sanders, and, also, I think, very important that supporters of any candidate do this with respect. We have a crisis of respect and decency, obviously, in the White House right now. And it's natural that there's going to be the heat of competition on our side...

On whether Buttigieg thinks TGFV is doing enough to keep his supporters in line, that's a question for him, not for Pete.

What I will tell you is that I'm focused on making sure that my own supporters and our campaign conduct this competition, even when it's heated, with a level of respect for where people are coming from, because we're talking about workers standing up for their own care.

On his health insurance plan differing from M4A, and that union workers would be able to keep their private plans if he was elected, he said that's the absolutely the case. Whereas Sanders' plan abolishes private plans, his does not. 

Now... if my plan is the very best insurance plan in America -- and I think it just might be -- then, eventually, everybody will cross over to it. But I want them to be able to decide. And in the event that it's not, if some plans out there are better, why would we want to kick anybody off of it? This is a commonsense position that most Americans support. It still amounts to the most progressive, major reform to health care that we have had in 50 years. But it is doable. It makes sense. It's the right policy. And it has the advantage of being something that Americans could actually unite around.

On race (Buttigieg and Klobuchar face the same problem here, with low support among Blacks and Latinos), and a Quinnipiac poll showing him at 4% support there, "why aren't those voters coming to you?" he said he's continuing to have conversations with voters, and that the support he's gained in Iowa and New Hampshire should help. 

As we come to more racially diverse states, like here in Nevada and South Carolina, many of the voters of color that I'm talking to are focused in particularly on -- in particular on one thing, defeating Donald Trump. Look, nobody is experiencing the pain of living under this administration more than voters of color. And I'm talking to a lot of highly pragmatic voters who want to know, more than anything else, that you can put together the organization and the message that will decisively defeat this president. There is so much on the line right now, and we have got to get this right.

Bash wondered if he was confident he could convince them to look at him, and look at him differently than they have before.

Absolutely. I mean, I still have to go out there and earn it. This is a process of earning trust with voters who have every reason to be skeptical, who have often felt taken for granted by the Democratic Party, who are, again, very pragmatic right now too. And so I am not going to take any vote for granted, just as I'm not going to leave any vote on the table. We are campaigning hard here in Nevada, across -- across the country. We will be working hard in South Carolina too.

On whether it's "fair to say that what you're doing now is whatever it takes to beat Bernie Sanders and your other Democratic rivals in order to get to the point where you can go after Donald Trump?" even if that means having expensive fundraisers where other candidates might not be.

So, let's be very clear. My campaign is fueled by over two million contributions. I believe the average contribution is under 40 bucks. It is the lifeblood of our campaign...I am following the same fundraising practices that President Obama did and that our leaders have in order to make sure that we draw in all of the support that we need to win. And the campaign I'm building right now is not just for earning the nomination...

My campaign is about belonging. It is about inclusion. I don't define this campaign or define myself by whose help we reject. This is about making sure that everybody who shares these values, everybody prepared to defeat Donald Trump is on the same team pulling together. And we built this from the ground up.

Look, I'm not a millionaire. I haven't been in politics for years or decades. I don't have the advantages of having been a senator. We built this from scratch, and with the hundreds of thousands of individuals who have contributed to this campaign, people of all walks of life. I'm proud of what we have been able to do. And, yes, this is how we're going to defeat this president.

On the walking disgrace that is Medal of Freedom recipient Rush Limbaugh saying Buttigieg is a "37 year old gay guy, mayor of South Bend, who loves to kiss his husband on the debate stage," did he want to respond? 

Well, I love my husband. I'm faithful to my husband. On stage, we usually just go for a hug, but I love him very much. And I'm not going to take lectures on family values from the likes of Rush Limbaugh.

Busy, busy, busy - hope you have the chance to take it all in.

See you around campus.

In Case You Missed It (v23)

I don't know about you, but I was more than ready for this week to be over.  It wasn't my best writing week, and I had a day and a half or so worth of technical difficulties, but in the end, everything worked out OK - like it always does. 

Here's the week in review, in case you missed anything.

The Sunday School classrooms were rocking with four of the Dem candidates making appearances, some of them in multiple classrooms. Mayor Pete, That Guy from Vermont (TGFV), Joe Biden and Elizabeth Warren - four of the five top-tier candidates - made it to the post. Here's Papa Joe on TGFV:

... Look, if I don't get the nomination and Bernie gets it, I'm going to work like hell for him. But I'll tell you what, it's a bigger uphill climb running as a senator or a congressperson or a governor on a ticket that calls itself a democratic socialist ticket.

I'd love to hear what you think about that.

I couldn't help myself and had to dish up some poetry, after watching and reading the transcript of the president's insane remarks at the National Prayer Breakfast and then, in what became OrangeVerse XLVIII: It's Always Festivus, his 'victory lap' comments later the same day. There was more than would fit in a single post. I'll have the rest coming up next week.

Thank You for Being a Friend (I)

I want to start by thanking some of - 

and I call them friends

because, you know, 

you develop friendships
 and relationships

when you're in battle
and war, 

much more so than 

"Gee, let's have a normal situation."

This week's Wondering on Wednesday actually didn't get published until Thursday, for which I apologize - but that's still faster than the Iowa caucus results were released. My wondering was mostly about the New Hampshire primary, including things like voter turnout.

So, let's wonder a bit about what happened on Tuesday. A new record was set, we learn from the NY Times, with nearly 300,000 people voting in the Democratic primary, almost 50K more than voted in 2016 when TGFV beat Hillary Clinton by about 57,000 votes, and a few thousand more than turned out in 2008 when Clinton beat Barack Obama by 8,000 votes.  Pretty exciting right?  

For the Email of the Week, I had a few contenders; between the debate last Friday, the primary on Tuesday, all of the regular fundraising, and some changes in the slate of remaining candidates, it was a busy week. In the end? One who left the race left a mark with his email message. If you've been paying attention, you'll know immediately who sent this.

My goal when I first started was always to solve the problems that got Donald Trump elected. And I know in order to do that, I will support whoever is the Democratic nominee. That said, I hope this campaign can be a message, and word of caution, to all of my Democratic colleagues.

Donald Trump is not the cause of all of our problems. He is a symptom. We must cure the disease that got him elected, and in order to do that we must address the real problems that affect our people and offer solutions to actually solve them.

And this being the week it was, our TGIF post was chock full of list-makers, from DC to NY to Houston. That's right - Houston, by way of Toronto, Japan, and LA.

...I'll end with news that Mike Bolsinger, a relief pitcher for the Toronto Blue Jays, is suing the Houston Astros for damages and to have their $30M+ in bonuses donated to charities for kids and for retired major leaguers.

Interesting stuff, that last one - and a nice change of pace for the pastiche.

See you tomorrow for Sunday School.

TGIF 2/14/20

Time to review the lists again...

Happy Valentine's Day - and for those who are celebrating in some way, large or small, congratulations - you're on the good list!

For those of you who think holidays like this are silly, guess what? You're also on the good list - because here at veritable pastiche, the tent is big enough for different opinions on holidays (especially the ones in December...).

Moving on to the bigger picture, I can't decide what kind of week Snitty Snitty Bill Barr is having. On the one hand, he's continuing to do exactly what president Trump wants him to do, but on the other hand he's complaining that the president making his wishes known are making it "impossible" for him to do his job. Honest, that's what he said.

...to have public statements and tweets made about the department, about our people in the department, our men and women here, about cases pending in the department, and about judges before whom we have cases, make it impossible for me to do my job and to assure the courts and the prosecutors in the department that we're doing our work with integrity.

And of course, the president assures us he's just doing what he's allowed to do, when he interferes and in particular when he attacks judges, which he has started doing with the Roger Stone case, and what he famously did with Judge Gonzalo Curiel earlier on. Here's a compilation of those attacks.

What else is going on this week? Oh - that's right: New Hampshire voters had a good week, with record-setting turnout in the Democratic primary and what's likely a record or near record narrow margin of victory for That Guy from Vermont. And even though I don't understand why, over 150,000 of them showed up to vote for Trump in the meaningless Republican primary. That's desire, I guess.  Other good weeks? Mayor Pete, who earned just as many NH delegates as the "clear front runner," and Amy Klobuchar, who picked up six delegates. Papa Joe left for South Carolina before voting was even done, and Elizabeth Warren? I think only a fool would write her off.

Andrew McCabe, who oh-so-long ago was the Deputy Director of the FBI, got late-breaking good week notification. His lawyers were advised that McCabe won't be charged with anything after being left hanging for nearly two years. I'll let you decide whether this is an effort by AG Barr to demonstrate how independent he is, or if we'll see a review of this decision anytime soon. You know -- after Trump inevitably tweets about it.

In my neck of the woods, NY's Sonofa Gov Andrew Cuomo went to Albany to try and get the administration to back off on plans to keep New Yorkers from participating in a few travel programs. We were stripped of that right ostensibly because of the Green Light Law which allows undocumented immigrants to get driver's licenses and prevents the DMV from sharing info with immigration officials.

Now, there's a little issue of what might look like a quid pro quo here, which came in the form of a tweet from you-know-who.

I'm sure, as you are, there's no question that's a perfect tweet right there, but even if it's neither perfect nor a quid pro quo, our AG Tish James set the record straight.

And finally, I'll end with news that Mike Bolsinger, a relief pitcher for the Toronto Blue Jays, is suing the Houston Astros for damages and to have their $30M+ in bonuses donated to charities for kids and for retired major leaguers.

Bolsinger, an off-speed pitcher, had one disastrous inning in the 2017 playoffs and was released by the Blue Jays that night - never to pitch in the majors again. His lawyers say the Astros knew every single pitch in the inning, in which he walked three batters, gave up four earned runs, and got one batter out. The lawsuit was filed in Los Angeles, home of the Dodgers, who eventually lost the World Series to the Astros. I'm putting Bolsinger squarely on the good week list.

TGIF, everyone.

Email of the Week (v10)

Thursday is 'Email of the Week' day, when I plow through a hundred or so emails from the handful of Democratic presidential candidates I'm following to see what's going on.

Out of the 167 emails received since last Thursday afternoon, I'd guess that around 150 of them were requests for money - crazy amounts of money. We need $2M in the blink of an eye, and then that turned into $4M. We need $7M in the next week. We need we need we need we need we need.  

All but one of Mike Bloomberg's emails were policy-specific, focusing on immigration, veterans, reproductive health, and reforming our broken tax code. The fifth? Tomorrow's his birthday, if you want to send him a greeting. 

Warren reminded us that it was three years ago that the "Nevertheless, she persisted" moment occurred, and reminded supporters that this is a marathon not a spring (but she needs money, lots of money, to stay in the race.)

TGFV  boasted of his big win in New Hampshire, but that wasn't enough to lift him to the top tier. Here's part of that message.

Let me be clear: Now that we've gained another victory in New Hampshire, the establishment and financial elite are going to throw everything at us except the kitchen sink, And I have a feeling that the kitchen sink is coming pretty soon as well. 

So, if it wasn't him, who had the emails that made it to the top of the list?  Mayor Pete came close with 'This Is Our Moment,' which said, in part,

A fresh outlook is what makes new beginnings possible. It’s how we galvanize the majority that’s ready to act. And election after election has shown us that putting forward a new perspective is how Democrats win the White House. The stakes are monumental. We cannot afford to miss the mark or miss this moment. We must get this right. We must be clear-eyed about the challenge before us. And we must be equally clear about the choice ahead.

But the winner of the coveted email of the week is Andrew Yang, who - like Michael Bennet and Deval Patrick - suspended his campaign this week. It was a long email, so I'm including only some key excerpts.

We have accomplished so much together. We have brought a message of Humanity First and a vision of an economy and society that works for us and our families to millions of our fellow Americans...

One of the things I’m most proud of -- we gave $1,000 a month for a year to 13 families across the country.

We highlighted the real problems in our communities as our economy is being transformed before our eyes by technology and automation... Our signature proposal, Universal Basic Income, has become part of the mainstream conversation... We have touched and improved millions of lives and moved this country we love so much in the right direction.

And while there is great work left to be done, I am the MATH guy. And it is clear tonight from the numbers that we are not going to win this race. I am not someone who wants to accept donations and support in a race that we will not win. This is not an easy decision... But I have been convinced that the message of this campaign will not be strengthened by my staying in this race any longer.

My goal when I first started was always to solve the problems that got Donald Trump elected. And I know in order to do that, I will support whoever is the Democratic nominee. That said, I hope this campaign can be a message, and word of caution, to all of my Democratic colleagues.

Donald Trump is not the cause of all of our problems. He is a symptom. We must cure the disease that got him elected, and in order to do that we must address the real problems that affect our people and offer solutions to actually solve them. Those solutions are bold, and many think they are crazy. But I hope my campaign has made it a little less crazy to think we can lead our country to eradicate poverty...

This is the beginning. This movement is the future of American politics. This movement is the future of the Democratic party...

I can't wait to see who brings their A-game next week.

Wondering on Wednesday (v197)

Ready... Set... Wonder!

It felt a little like Iowa here yesterday, trying to deal with technical difficulties off and on all day long - which delayed the anxiously-awaited wonderment beyond what would be acceptable. Rather than just tank the whole brain-muddle, here it is a day late. 

All of tonight's wondering is about the New Hampshire primary, the candidates, voters, and what comes next - in no particular order.  Let's dive in.

I wonder, I do, why some media outlets were calling That Guy From Vermont the clear front-runner, when (so far) he's tied for delegates and barely ahead in the popular vote? His margin of victory was around 3,900 votes - not what I'd call overwhelming for the guy who beat Hillary Clinton by more than ten times that last time out - and Iowa is practically a dead heat, pending some kind of recount. I don't feel anything is 'clear' at all, given what was expected in both of the earliest states.

Voter turnout is something that TGFV in particular is counting on, to demonstrate the strength of his 'grassroots movement.' And, it should be noted, Dems are hoping for a 2008-type showing across the country, which many people think will be needed if the Orange Menace is to be ousted.

So, let's wonder a bit about what happened on Tuesday. A new record was set, we learn from the NY Times, with nearly 300,000 people voting in the Democratic primary, almost 50K more than voted in 2016 when TGFV beat Hillary Clinton by about 57,000 votes, and a few thousand more than turned out in 2008 when Clinton beat Barack Obama by 8,000 votes.  Pretty exciting right?  

Except that the are 89,000 more registered voters now than there were in 2016, so that sort of dampens the turnout excitement a bit, I think. And even less exciting, if you're a TGFV fan, when you look at these numbers from Dave Wasserman of the Cook Political Report, showing who got the bump from the increased turnout compared to 2016.   

Speaking about those moderates, Mayor Pete and Amy Klobuchar finished second and third - but between them garnered more votes than TGFV and Elizabeth Warren, the leading progressives in the race. 

Some people are wondering about the viability of the Warren and Biden campaigns, and there might be some reason behind that. Warren, the more pragmatic progressive, if you will, is likely more palatable to some people who are both resistant to having any kind of 'socialist' on the top of the ticket, and concerned about the potential that if he is the nominee, Dems will lost the house and lose ground in the Senate, instead of holding the former and taking back the latter. Absent majorities in both houses of Congress, there's little chance that any of extreme progressive proposals will see the light of day. 

Biden? I wonder why he's still in the race (and as I've said before, I don't think he should have gotten in in the first place), and I wonder why people still think he can beat Trump. I don't see it, at all. There are currently two active investigations into Papa Joe in Trump's Senate, both of which were opened back in November, which have requested all kinds of documents from both State and Treasury - and those document requests are being honored, by the way. No need to wonder why that is, right?

Donald Trump is wondering why no one's talking about his yuge win in New Hampshire, poor baby.  Let's all break out the teeny tiny violins, shall we? 

Mike Bloomberg is still out there, still poking Trump - and that last part's fine. I don't agree with the pundits who are trying to suggest that he will be the one around whom centrists and moderates are supposed to coalesce because we haven't yet made up our minds on Klobuchar or Mayor Pete. 

And, pundits and op-ed writers are also saying stuff like this.

Bernie Sanders is now the front-runner for the Democratic nomination. He won the New Hampshire primary last night, after virtually tying with Pete Buttigieg in Iowa last week. 

In some ways, Sanders looks like a strong front-runner. As Chris Hayes of MSNBC said last night, Sanders is winning races; he has raised a lot of money; and he has more of a multi-racial coalition that Buttigieg or Amy Klobuchar, who finished second and third in New Hampshire.

In other ways, though, Sanders looks vulnerable, He only barely won New Hampshire - despite having crushed Hillary Clinton there four years ago and despite New Hampshire being next door to his home state of Vermont. Most Democratic voters remain wary of Sanders. 

So then, let's not declare this race over yet. OK with you?

Finally, and again not really any wondering going on here, Deval Patrick has left the race. Much more sadly, so has Andrew Yang. I'll miss him.

But there is wondering, at least IMO, as to why Tulsi Gabbard is still in the race. And whether she likes New Hampshire as much as she said the loved Hawaii. Important stuff, I know, but hey.

What's on your mind tonight?

OrangeVerse XLVIII: It's Always Festivus

The impeached president did made what the White House referred to as Remarks by president Trump to the Nation last week.

It was, as you might expect, self-congratulatory, wildly accusatory, unconciliatory, filled with callouts for friends and foe alike, and, as we've become accustomed, weirdly poetic.

And it was an airing of grievances, because it's always Festivus with this president.

Elevate the Grievances (I)

We had the witch hunt.

It started from the day we

came down the elevator, myself

and our future First Lady, who's 

with us right now. 

And it never really stopped. 

We've been going through this

now for over three years. 

It was evil.

It was corrupt

It was dirty cops.

It was leakers and liars. 

I don't know that other Presidents 

would have been able to take it.

Some people said no they wouldn't have.

Thank You for Being a Friend (i)

I want to start by thanking some of - 

and I call them friends

because, you know, 

you develop friendships
 and relationships

when you're in battle
and war, 

much more so than 

"Gee, let's have a normal situation."

Everyone Knows This is Nothing

I want to start by introducing
some of the people that are here. 

I know some are going to be left out.

But they work so hard.

And this is really not
 a news conference.

It's not a speech.

It's not anything.

It's just, we're sort of.

It's a celebration because

we have something that 
just worked out.

I mean, it worked out. 

We went through hell unfairly. 

Did nothing wrong.

Did nothing wrong.

I've done things wrong

in my life, I will admit.

Nor purposely but

I've done things wrong.

But this is what

the end result is. 

Ain't No Thang...

But some of the people here

have been incredible warriors.

They're warriors.

And there's nothing

from a legal standpoint -

this is a political thing. 

And every time, I'd say

"This is unfair. Let's go to court."

They'd say, "Sir you can't 
go to court. This is politics."

And we were treated

unbelievably unfairly.

Russia Russia Russia

And you have to understand

we first went through Russia, Russia, Russia 
it was all bullshit.

We then went through the Mueller report. 

And they should have come back 
one day later. They didn't. 
They came back two years later

after lives were ruined

after people went bankrupt

after people lost all their money.

People came to Washington to help

other people. "Bright-eyed and bushy-tailed"

I say. They came - one or two or three people in

particular, but many people. 

Nasty, Nasty Boy

We had a rough campaign.

it was nasty.

It was one of the nastiest, they say.

They say Andrew Jackson was always

the nastiest campaign. 
They actually said we topped it. 

It was nasty - it was nasty -
 both in the primaries

and in the - in the election.

But you see we thought after the election

it would stop. 
But it didn't stop.

It just started. And 

tremendous corruption

Tremendous corruption.

So we had a campaign.

...It's a very tough thing. And

then we ended up winning on

Russia Russia Russia. 

Thank You for Being A Friend (II)

Then Bob Mueller testified.

That didn't work out so well for the

other side. But they should have said,

that first week - because it came out.
Is that right Jim Jordan?

They know in the first two days actually.

Devin, is that right? 
They knew that we 
were totally innocent

But they kept it going, Mark, 

They kept it going because

they wanted to inflict political pain

on somebody that had just won 
an election that, to - a lot 
of people were surprised.

Winning

I mean, we had polls that said

we were going to win.

And we did win.

It was one of the greatest

wins of all time.

And they said,

"OK, he won."

15 Minutes Can Save You 15% or More

And you know, I wrote this down

because that was where a thing called

the "insurance policy" - to me, 

when I saw the "insurance policy" -

and that was done long before the election.

That was done when they thought

that Hillary Clinton was going to win. And

by the way, Hillary Clinton and the DNC

paid for millions - millions of dollars -

the fake dossier. And now Christopher Steele

admits that it's a fake because 
he got sued by rich people. 

I should have sued him too.

But when you're president

people don't like suing. 

Thank You for Being A Friend (III)

I want to thank my legal team

by the way - not for that advice

- but for other advice. 

Pat, Jay. Pat.

You guys stand up please.

Right at the beginning, they said,

"Sir, you have nothing to worry about.

All the facts

are on your side."

I said "You don't understand.

That doesn't matter.

That doesn't matter."

And that was really true.

We're not even halfway through his remarks, even though I made a few cuts for length - some random applause lines and newspaper waving, and whatnot -  we'll see if we can finish this in two parts.

I'll also remind you that, according to research, any time the president says someone called him"sir" he's about to tell a lie. 

Sunday School 2/9/20

Iowa is almost sorta kinda in the rear view mirror, and New Hampshire is the deer in the headlights of the campaign buses, or something like that - you get the drift.

So, let's check in with some of the candidates, starting with Mayor Pete and That Guy from Vermont and their separate discussions on Meet the Press. (Both also made other classroom visits today.)

Here's Buttigieg on how to beat Donald Trump, which requires neither a revolution nor maintaining the status quo.

The reason my campaign was so effective, especially in places that supported Barack Obama and then Donald Trump, in the caucuses, is that we are reaching out to everybody, putting together a majority that is prepared not only to stand up for replacing this president and unified in what we're against, but even more so unified in what we're for. The need for economic empowerment, the need for higher wages, the need to support workers, the need for healthcare, dealing with climate change and gun violence... there is a powerful American majority right now ready not only to win, but to govern. And my campaign is about how to galvanize and not polarize that majority. That's how we're going to beat Donald Trump.

He was also asked "how we ended up with Donald Trump" and whether or not the Obama-Biden administration could have prevented that from happening - whatever the heck that means.

...I don't think you can pin this on any one administration, but it's certainly the case that people are frustrated by a reality that they feel has left them out for 40 years. And we felt it in my community, you know, an industrial community in the heart of the so-called Rust Belt that didn't feel like Washington was hearing what we had to say. And I am seeing in so many communities... where people of different backgrounds are questioning whether the economic and political realities are responding to what we need in our lives. Now, in a very cynical and very divisive way, Donald Trump took advantage of that. Now is our chance to put together the majority that will win big enough against Donald Trump that Trumpism itself goes into the history books. 

And, asked about a caucus goer who looked to be on his side until she was told it was true that Buttigieg is gay, and then she asked for her caucus card back.

Well, the first is what I have to say to that voter, which is I'm saddened that she sees things that way, but I'm running to be her president, too. And no matter who she votes for, as president, I'm going to get up in the morning and try to do a good job for her and for every American... the reality is prejudice is still out there and you've got to deal with it... And every time somebody seeks to break a barrier, pundits try to make it about electability. 

That Guy from Vermont (TGFV) was asked a few questions about money, starting with Mike Bloomberg's promise to spend a boatload on himself, or in support of the nominee, and whether TGFV would refuse the help.

... Let's talk about money in politics. Right now, our campaign, as you know, at this moment, has received more campaign contributions from more Americans, averaging $18.50, than any candidate in the history of American politics. That's extraordinary. We are funded by the working families of America. Teachers are the profession that is contributing most. We get a lot of contributions from Amazon workers and so forth. We have, unlike my opponents -- you know, Pete Buttigieg who was just here, really nice guy. I like Pete. He has received I believe over -- contributions from over 40 billionaires. Joe Biden, the same.

And whether billionaires can't have issues that they want fix, even an issue like income inequality.  They're people, after all.

That's fine, but you should not be able to, you know, spend hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of millions of dollars. Now, by the way, to answer your question, because of the broad base of support that we have from working families, now, they may only contribute $25 or $50, we will be able to raise the money we need to defeat Trump. And I believe we are the strongest candidate --

So, you don't want his help, or the help of PACs and outside groups that are supporting you, Todd asked. And isn't that 'dark money' some folks would say?

I don't want them, that's right.... and yeah, I'm saying right now if my opponents say they don't want that third party help, I'm all for that right now. Let's end it. 

But, on the other hand,

It's legal. What can I do? You know, people have a right to participate in the political process. But again, getting back to the fundamental issue, the reason we have so much income inequality... is precisely because of a corrupt political system which allows billionaires to have inordinate influence of the economic and political life of the country.

Former VP Joe Biden was also out and about, talking with George on This Week about the history of people who finish worse than second in both Iowa and New Hampshire. They don't win the nomination, that's the history.

Well, no one has ever won the nomination without being able to get overwhelming support from the African-American community either. And so far, no one's been doing that but me. Look...everybody in the Democratic party is united on one thing: you have to beat Donald Trump. In order to do that you have got to bring out the black vote and the brown vote...I have been able to do that so far. So I don't think it's viewed the same way as it has been in the past.

And on whether he thinks Mayor Pete has a race problem?

No, no, no. I'm saying he hadn't been able to unify the black community, that's what I'm saying...look, in order to win, George, you're going to have to be able to win states like Pennsylvania, you're going to have to be able to win Florida. We're going to have to be able to win in a lot of places that in fact have very diverse populations, and so the assertion that he's ready across the board I don't see it. I haven't seen it yet. 

And on having a Democratic socialist on the ticket, and that only Sen. Amy Klobuchar seemed to share that concern in the debate.

No, I wasn't surprised. But I think that's just the reality.... Look, if I don't get the nomination and Bernie gets it, I'm going to work like hell for him. But I'll tell you what, it's a bigger uphill climb running as a senator or a congressperson or a governor on a ticket that calls itself a democratic socialist ticket.

And finally, on having his son Hunter become an issue in the election.

I can't let my anger overcome the desire and the need to unite and heal this country. And so I've got to move beyond me and beyond my family. And -- because it's about your family, it's about everybody else's family, not mine... I'll be damned if I'm going to walk away and let it - and not take this country back.

Buttigieg was also on with George, but I wanted to hear from Senator Elizabeth Warren, who also dropped in. Right off the bat, they talked about money. Her take on billionaires?

You know, the coalition of billionaires is not exactly what's going to carry us over the top. The way I see it right now is that we have a government that works great for a thinner and thinner slice at the top. And that's been true for decades, it's gotten worse and worse and worse. 

And, while billion-dollar-profit corporations don't pay any taxes,

...folks across this country - somebody has got to keep this government running, and so they pay their taxes so that the roads are paved and the bridges still work, and we provide for the defense. People, Democrats and Republicans get that they're getting the short end of the stick. And what's the reason for that, It's corruption.... it's a bunch of billionaires that make big campaign contributions or reach in their own pockets, like Michael Bloomberg does. 

On her pulling back advertising in Nevada and South Carolina due to money problems, she said

I believe in democracy, and that's why I decided I was going to build this as a grassroots movement and make this system better, because, right now, we have a Washington where, in theory, everybody has the same voice. But billionaires, they may own more shoes than the rest of us, they may own more cars, they may own more houses, but they shouldn't own a bigger piece of our democracy... This is corruption. And we've got a chance in 2020 to turn that around. 

On the Democratic socialist thing, even though she didn't agree with Biden during the debate, she's not one.

I am a capitalist. I'm a - I believe in markets... There are areas where markets don't work, like in health care and education. But there are lots of areas where markets do work, and that's what gives us innovation and that's what creates opportunity and that's what can grow wealth.

But markets need rules. Markets without rules are theft. So it's a big part of what I'm running on. I want to see an America of opportunity. And that means we need a market economy that it's got to be a market economy that's fair and that everybody gets to play. 

And finally, on beating Trump.

You know, I hear people talk about the race against Donald Trump may be unwinnable. I've been winning fights all of my life. I won the fight to get a consumer agency, the CFPB, passed into law when everybody said it couldn't be done. I won the fight to hold corporate executives accountable. Got the CEO of Wells Fargo fired not long ago. I won the fight to take back a Senate seat from a popular incumbent Republican.  

You know, in fact, I'm the only one in this race now who has beaten an incumbent Republican anytime in the past 30 years. 

The way I look at it is that people say, oh, these races are unwinnable or that person can't win, right up until you jump in the fight, you persist and you win. That's what I'm going to do. 

Have you found your candidate yet? Did this help?

See you around campus.

In Case You Missed It (v22)

Here's your recap of this week's posts, with snippets and links.

Sunday School was all about Mayor Pete, who made appearances on four of the five major shows. Here's how he was answering questions on whether he or Joe Biden is he better man to take on Donald Trump.

If you look at the lessons of history, over the last-half century, every time that we have won, every time my party has won the White House, it has been with a candidate who is new in national politics, who doesn't work in Washington or at least hadn't been there very long, and who was opening the door to a new generation of leadership...That is the best way to win.

I offered My Middle-aged White Lady Perspective on impeachment, riffing on the oft-repeated mantra of presidential attorney Jay Sekulow.

Danger. Danger. Danger.

Because the Republicans have handled themselves no better than the Dems have, and in many cases they've handled themselves even worse, in that their behavior is based on fear of the president. They are so beholden to him and his largesse, and his endorsement; they are so afraid of losing that, afraid of his relentless attacks being turned on them. And afraid of the wrath that comes from his devoted followers: personal attacks, attacks on family members, and more. This is not in any way a joined ideology - Trump has none, really - it's a survival instinct. 

In Wondering on Wednesday, I was all over the map - no surprise. In addition to a lot of wondering about the absurdity that was Trump's State of the Union, I found a couple of other things that were wonder-worthy, including this one.

... First, you don't need to wonder if SecState Mike Pompeo watches The Simpsons. Clearly, with his hopelessly wrong tweet, sent from his personal account, the answer is no. 

There was a close contest to see who got the coveted Email of the Week on Thursday, with former presidential candidate Cory Booker and Andrew Yang in the top echelon this week. Yang got the nod.

Last night during the Iowa caucuses, the entire nation realized something the Yang Gang has known since the beginning -- we desperately need a president who actually understands technology.

Also on Thursday, I shared two different presidential visions for how to behave at the National Prayer Breakfast. First, there was President Obama's.

For me, and I know for so many of you, faith is the great cure for fear.  Jesus is a good cure for fear.  God gives believers the power, the love, the sound mind required to conquer any fear.  And what more important moment for that faith than right now?  What better time than these changing, tumultuous times to have Jesus standing beside us, steadying our minds, cleansing our hearts, pointing us towards what matters.

And, in extremely sharp contrast, there was whatever it was that president Trump did. Before working himself up to cite his economic successes and tout what he thought was going to happen with the stock market, he made sure he addressed his deep faith.

Weeks ago, and again yesterday, courageous Republican politicians and leaders had the wisdom, the fortitude, and strength to do what everyone knows was right.  I don’t like people who use their faith as justification for doing what they know is wrong.  Nor do I like people who say, “I pray for you,” when they know that that’s not so.

And, finally, it was TGIF time, where I attempt to determine who (or sometimes what) had a good or bad week.

Hail to the Chief had a bad week. Sadly, because the president decided to re-celebrate Festivus - actually, every day is Festivus for him - in the East Room at the White House, he was given this ceremonial musical honor before babbling for over an hour in what the White House website refers to as Remarks By President Trump to the Nation. He described it much better himself, I think.

You'll have to check the post to see how he described whatever it was he was doing on Thursday. For me, it almost defied description.

So, there you have it: the full veritable pastiche for the week.  See you tomorrow for Sunday School.