Showing posts with label Mitch McConnell. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mitch McConnell. Show all posts

Saturday, January 11, 2020

The Impeachment Slog



The Supreme Court can legally step in if McConnell tries to push through an unfair impeachment trial: attorney “If such a sham trial comes to pass, is there any remedy? In fact, there is a stronger case than many think that the Supreme Court has the power to review impeachment trials, to ensure that Senate procedures meet a basic level of fairness.” ....... Chief Justice John Roberts has the right and duty to step in if he sees justice not being served. ...... “Since the Constitution grants the chief justice the privilege of presiding over the trial, he ought to have — and in my view does have, under proper constitutional interpretation — considerable power to steer the Senate toward reasonable standards for weighing evidence and rendering judgments. He cannot and should not be a potted plant.” ..... “If McConnell and his Republican colleagues insist on setting rules that turn the trial into a farce, then the matter would be ripe for judicial review, as outlined by the various justices in Nixon v. United States. The House — through the speaker or the impeachment managers — could take the matter to court,” he concluded.

We Found Major Trump Tax Inconsistencies. New York’s Mayor Wants a Criminal Investigation. Asked about ProPublica’s findings that the president’s company made itself appear more profitable to lenders and less to tax officials, Bill de Blasio said the city had examined the matter and sent its findings to the Manhattan district attorney.

Pack the Union: A Proposal to Admit New States for the Purpose of Amending the Constitution to Ensure Equal Representation For most of the twenty-first century, the world’s oldest surviving democracy has been led by a chief executive who received fewer votes than his opponent in an election for the position..... The first of these executives started a war based on false pretenses that killed hundreds of thousands of civilians..... The second — a serial abuser of women who hired as his campaign manager a lobbyist for violent dictatorships — authorized an immigration policy that forcibly separated migrant children from their families and indefinitely detained them in facilities described as “concentration camps.”...... federal elections in the United States are profoundly undemocratic and, thus, profoundly unfair ...... The Electoral College — when it contravenes the popular vote — is an obvious example of this unfairness. But it is just one of the mathematically undemocratic features in the Constitution. Equal representation of states in the Senate, for example, gives citizens of low-population states undue influence in Congress. Conversely, American citizens residing in U.S. territories have no meaningful representation in Congress or the Electoral College. ...... Just as it was unfair to exclude women and minorities from the franchise, so too is it unfair to weight votes differently. The 600,000 residents of Wyoming and the 40,000,000 residents of California should not be represented by the same number of senators. ....... Article V of the Constitution requires supermajorities to amend the Constitution, so pragmatists have been reduced to advocating meager solutions: perhaps Congress could admit Washington, D.C., as a state; maybe Puerto Rico too, if we’re really feeling ambitious. ......

four amendments: (1) a transfer of the Senate’s power to a body that represents citizens equally; (2) an expansion of the House so that all citizens are represented in equal-sized districts; (3) a replacement of the Electoral College with a popular vote; and (4) a modification of the Constitution’s amendment process that would ensure future amendments are ratified by states representing most Americans.



Donald Trump's Iran claims on Fox News met with skepticism and complaint President says four US embassies ‘probably’ targeted but Democratic senator calls for new intelligence briefing

John Bolton impeachment testimony will be blocked, Donald Trump says
Bloomberg Spent $200 Million and Isn’t on Track to Score a Single Delegate

Sunday, August 28, 2016

Mitch McConnell:More Dangerous Than Donald Trump

Donald Trump is never going to be president. But Mitch McConnell has been the reigning racist in the US Senate. The whole world is watching, but he doesn't care. McConnell dislikes the idea of the first black president so much, he has put the US constitution into the acid tank. What's up with no Senate hearings for Obama's Supreme Court pick?

Donald Trump is a racist. That is the only thing he is. But he is not in a  position of power. Although this dude might start a war somewhere without even getting elected.

Wednesday, February 24, 2016

Mitch McConnell At The Bronx Zoo



Mitch McConnell At The Bronx Zoo

We are not in the US Senate. We are at The Bronx Zoo. The US Senate is governed by the US Constitution. But that document is just a piece of paper at The Bronx Zoo. It might as well be toilet paper at The Bronx Zoo. The Bronx Zoo is Madagascar. There it is all about the basic animal instincts. Food, sleep, sex, and vigorous fights. Fist fights. Tooth fights. Nail fights. Scratches. Gouging of eyes. Tearing up the abdomen. Cleaning the gut. Blood on the lips.

According to the US Constitution the President Of The United States makes nominations to the US Supreme Court. He/she is the only one who does. Otherwise it is not like I don’t know a few people myself.

This is Iran all over again. In the US Senate they read and learn. At The Bronx Zoo there is no read, there is no learn. That the same logic time has proven to have been wrong on Iran does not matter. It is not supposed to matter at The Bronx Zoo. It is not thought, it is instinct. When you see the enemy, or food, you behave a certain way. There is no read, there is no learn. There is no read, period. Instinct is like you flip a light switch. The bulb will behave a certain way. Every single time. As long it is alive.

I have some idea about the thought processes back in Kentucky. There is The Bronx Zoo and then there is The Kentucky Zoo. The Kentucky Zoo is larger, much, much, much larger. Mucho larger.

Friday, February 01, 2013

Clinton: To Run Or Not To Run


2016 Talk
Is Hillary Running?

Hillary Clinton is an extremely talented person who is extremely hard working. That is quite a combo. And she is not going to feel like a first woman president, just like Barack Obama did not feel like the first black president to me. My point being, that is not how I see him.

I have a suggestion for her book's title: Ambassador To The World.

After you have been to 112 countries, you deserve to end up in the White House. What preparation! I was in my 20s when I showed up in America. I like the White House occupant to have some deep global perspectives. Barack Obama having partly grown up in Indonesia was a huge plus in my book.

I want Hillary in the White House, and Kirsten Gillibrand there with her, and Susan Rice for Secretary of State, and I want Ashley Judd to kick Mitch McConnell out of Kentucky.

Not knowing if you will run is a great political decision. It keeps the mystery going. I think her inner clock says she will not announce before October 2015. A two year campaign is not her style. But announcing in January 2015 would be best. Learn from Barack. An early announcement would make the primary super easy.

I think her elevation to the White House might bring about an new era in international politics where a female head of state is no longer big news in any part of the world by the time she is done with her two terms. I think I would like that. Or maybe I am being too optimistic.

She would do well to hire all the techno whiz kids of Obama 2008 and 2012, and the grassroots organizing maestros. There is no going back to the old ways that was Hillary 2008 or Bill Clinton 1992.

There is a part of me that does think she is to the Clinton brand name what Ted Kennedy was to the Kennedy brand name. Only one Kennedy became president. And Ted Kennedy was an excellent Senator. He was no slouch. So she can't take things for granted.


Ashley Judd
Cover of Ashley Judd

Hillary Clinton: 20 years in the spotlight
POLITICAL SCENE: EVALUATING HILLARY CLINTON
What I Learned Covering Hillary Clinton
her immense talent and ambition. Will she seek the presidency in 2016? Clinton doesn’t know. Friends expect her to rest a year or so before taking a final measure of her health and her prospects .... if you don’t think she wants to be president, you don’t know her. ..... In late 1998 or early 1999, people close to Clinton told me she was mulling a U.S. Senate campaign. I was stunned: No sitting first lady had ever contemplated such a move, much less one whose husband had been impeached for lying about an affair....... It took me several days to overcome my doubts. When I finally reported that she was seeking the vacant U.S. Senate seat in New York, another news organization quoted several authoritative sources insisting that she was not. The competition didn’t know what I did: Never bet against Hillary Rodham Clinton.
Why Ashley Judd's Breakup Is Bad News for Mitch McConnell
Interview: Axelrod on Hillary Clinton’s Political Prospects
‘We were friends before we were opponents. She’s tough and skilled and I need someone who will be taken very seriously when they land on foreign soil, because I’m going to be dealing with a financial crisis. I need an A-team.’ ...... “The big question for her is simply whether at this point she wants to do this.” .... “She was the odds-on favorite in 2008 and she didn’t” win, Mr. Fratto said. “It’s not really clear that people who lose their party’s nomination come back and be successful. It’s rare for that to happen. She has been the ‘inevitable’ candidate already. So she has something to prove.”
Clinton's Exit: Either Epilogue or Prelude
Mrs. Clinton would enter the 2016 race for the White House as a solid front-runner. Her presence would likely scare off some other presidential hopefuls ..... For now, she says she wants to sleep, relax and deliver speeches. ..... catching up on about 20 years of sleep deprivation ...... Some of her supporters never warmed to Mr. Obama and would like to see her draw distinctions with the White House in one respect at least: representation of women in government. ..... "It's shameful that a man who got elected by women and people of color and people of different sexual orientation goes and chooses a bunch of white men" for top government roles. ..... she said she was taking medication, adding "that's what people do when you have blood clots."
Iran stepping up support for Syria, Hillary Clinton warns
Barack Obama signs sweeping US defence spending bill
Hillary Clinton's Legacy: Ambassador to the World?
Secretary Clinton achieved more as an ambassador than as secretary of state. Cassidy writes: "The post she really had was that of U.S. Ambassador to the world, and she made a pretty good fist of it." ..... Since 1992, Hillary Rodham Clinton has maintained a consistent level of power in Washington, from first lady to senator to secretary of state. .... Clinton has always had her detractors
Hillary Was a Great Ambassador, Not a Great Secretary of State
Having stopped off in a hundred and twelve countries during her four years as Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, in her last week in office, seems intent on visiting almost as many televisions studios. At the weekend, she did “60 Minutes” on CBS. Today, she will be on ABC, NBC, CNN, and Fox. Tomorrow, it’s the BBC. If you are a news producer at CNBC, Bloomberg, New York 1, or the Weather Channel, give the State Department a call. As far as I know, Thursday and Friday are still open. ....... In foreign-policy circles, the knock on Hillary is that, unlike some of her storied predecessors—John Quincy Adams, George C. Marshall, Dean Acheson, Henry Kissinger—she failed to carve out a historically significant role for herself. ...... Marshall gave his name to an economic-recovery plan for war-torn Europe. Acheson laid down the Cold War policy of containment and helped create NATO. Adams helped conceive the Monroe Doctrine, which defined Central and South America as part of the U.S. sphere of influence. Kissinger pioneered détente with the Soviets, instigated a rapprochement with the Chinese, and did much else besides (by no means all of it estimable). By contrast, Hillary’s signature achievements look like small beer. She was the public face of the U.S. response to the Arab Spring, which involved persuading Hosni Mubarak, the Egyptian President, to step aside peaceably ..... In carrying out the task she was allotted, she was a big success. It’s just that the nature of her job was very different from the ones that Acheson and Kissinger held. In reality, she wasn’t directing American foreign policy, or anything close. At times, she wasn’t even the Administration’s chief troubleshooter—a niche occupied by a series of special envoys: Richard Holbrooke, George Mitchell, and Dennis Ross. The post she really had was that of U.S. Ambassador to the world, and she made a pretty good fist of it...... In total, she was traveling for four hundred and one days—more than thirteen months—enduring hundreds of long flights and sitting through countless boring meetings
'Hillary Clinton 2016' Hype To Be Further Fueled By Eye-Popping PPP Poll
the former FLOTUS/New York senator/presidential aspirant/secretary of state could put Texas in play..... PPP's newest Texas poll finds that, at least for now, Hillary Clinton could win the state in 2016. This follows on the heels of a survey last month where we found she would have a decent chance of winning Kentucky if she makes another White House bid. .... The going theory is that Texas' growing Hispanic population could be the seed bed for a new generation of majority-tipping Democratic voters
Name Hillary Clinton's book
The new Hillary Clinton
still afflicted by the same problem that hampered her during the up-and-down 2008 campaign: an inability to clearly define her leadership or governing philosophy..... Few modern American politicians have enjoyed quite as dramatic a political rebirth as Clinton has experienced in her four years at the State Department ..... the past week’s farewell tour seems to augur the arrival of The New Hillary..... The leap from State to the White House used to be commonplace in the early days of the Republic. Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe, John Quincy Adams and Martin Van Buren did it. But the last secretary to make the jump was James Buchanan, one of the worst presidents ever, a weakling who ceded the stage to Abraham Lincoln 152 years ago..... Vice President Joe Biden, a Clinton admirer who own gaze is firmly fixed on 2016 ..... once elected Obama adopted Clinton’s “smart power” strategy, an unromantic foreign policy strategy of limited intervention, dictated by circumstance, availability of resources and likelihood of success. It may be a defensible approach, but it’s not one geared at capturing the public imagination....... in an age of ambiguous alliances, asymmetric threats and a diminishing U.S. footprint overseas ...... Clinton’s diffuse achievements — which range from wrangling international support for sanctions against Iran, organizing goodwill missions to off-map countries like Togo and fighting for the rights of oppressed women and girls around the globe
The Obsessive Guide to Hillary Clinton’s Not-Quite-Shermanesque 2016 Denials
Rest Up, Hillary Clinton: 2016 Will Be Different
I surmise that there has never been a national political figure so watched and so examined as has Hillary Clinton..... She is an incredibly smart and talented politician; and as important as her gender is, it is not the primary thing that defines her. Things are different now, and consequently, I think the U.S. is ready to see her as President
How The South Will Rise To Power Again
this year the four best states for business, according to CEO Magazine, were Texas, Florida, North Carolina and Tennessee .... Last year Texas, Louisiana, Georgia and North Carolina were four of the six leading destinations for new corporate facilities .... Houston and Dallas are already immigrant hotbeds; Nashville. Charlotte, Atlanta, Raleigh and Orlando all have among the nation’s fastest-growing foreign populations.
Clinton says she doesn't see "getting back into politics"
"...I am really looking forward to stepping off the fast track that I've been on. I've been out of politics as Secretary of State. I don't see myself getting back into politics" ...... in a separate NBC interview she said that she was healthy enough to wage a campaign.
Reinventing Rahul Gandhi
Nitish Kumar best prime ministerial candidate: JD-U leader
Rove: About That 'Permanent Democratic Majority'
Obama has forged a new majority coalition of women, minorities, young people and upscale cultural liberals so large and durable that he can do what no president has done before—pursue a very liberal agenda without serious opposition or defections from his own party. Demography is destiny ..... Demography isn't destiny because nothing is permanent in politics—and Democrats' insistence to the contrary will likely lead them to overreach, ignoring issues such as jobs, anemic growth and deficits in order to tackle gun control and climate change. That would be good for Republicans. Governing from the hard left sunk Democrats in 2010 and would cost them again in 2014.
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