Hillary Needs To Fix This

Tucked inside her New York Primary victory speech last night Hillary Clinton included a seemingly offhand comment that her staff ought to clarify right away.

“We have to reform our criminal justice system and ‘ban the box’ so others have a fair chance to succeed.”

She was referring to a movement — “ban the box” — to prevent employers from asking potential employees about any criminal record.

Was this a dog whistle to supporters of the movement in hopes the general populace wouldn’t notice? Sure, employers should be encouraged to give some convicts a chance but surely they have a right to know what they’re getting into.

Regardless of the merits of that proposal, the politics could be disastrous in a general election.

Imagine the Republican TV ad: “Hillary would deny employers the right to ask Willie Horton if he had ever been in jail.”

And don’t even get me started on the Kitty Dukakis debate question this might provoke.

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Author: craigcrawford

Trail Mix Host. Lapsed journalist, author & retired pundit happily promoting nothing but the truth for Social Security checks.

125 thoughts on “Hillary Needs To Fix This”

  1. craig, not to worry about ban the box as it applies to applications and only helps open the door to possible subsequent interviews where one is generally grilled on their evil/saintly past…. like “why this 10 year gap in your prior employment, where were you and what were you doing?”  dexter explains it better for you in the last thread.

  2. To answer question from last thread:

    XR

    This section of the Northwest up against the Pacific is just very, very liberal.  The part over the hills to the east is about a Tea Party Republican as you can get.  As a result she was overwhelmed by Obama in 2008 and crushed by Sanders this year.  We just don’t have a whole lot of moderate (to think it was radical 20 years ago).

    For example.  My district caucus had 22 people attend who at this level had been allocated 11 votes but only 6 of use were there for Hillary.  That meant after percentage math, we got 3 delegates and they got 8.  With only 6 people we needed to come up with 3 delegates and 3 alternates.  If any of them couldn’t get to the County meeting, they had to be covered by alternates assigned by the Hillary organization.  In our case only 1 person was able to go to that caucus level and 2 had to be fill ins.

    Once you get to the county level, it is a general election of delegates to go forward and if outnumbered by voters, these can get filled by opposition delegates who are bound for first ballot to candidate they represent but are then free for all other votes.

    I know that’s complicated, but it is why I hate caucuses.  The only saving grace here is that while Sanders will be half of the delegates in Philadelphia, the other half will be as a result of a closed state run primary, so despite state still being overwhelming far left, Hillary will pick up some more first ballot votes.

     

  3. In fairness to Hillary, ban the box is not a novel concept. It’s been adopted in over 100 cities and in states in 23 States and has been adopted in parts of the federal government. I expect we’ll see statistics following on that one before too long here

  4. Over half of the US is in a ban the box affected area.  You can download a one page white paper on it here.

  5.  

    Just because I enjoy teasing Craig:  Four generations of royalty for the birthday celebration.

  6. It’s the perception, not the facts, that are ripe to be exploited by political opponents re: Secretary Clinton’s remark. 30 second ads don’t go deep – they’re skipping stones with key words or phrases. What was Lee Atwater’s mantra? Throw tacks on the road. Social media will do the rest, instantly & for free.

  7. Jamie44,

    I wonder what Prince Charles is thinking ….. 😉  At least Edward VII got a few years to rule the roost.

  8. Including the NY super delegates committed to Hillary, last night she erased the delegate advantage Bernie had in the last 8 contests.

    Oh, and a note to Jeff Weaver – the DC multiverse doesn’t exist in US politics – that is a comic book construct.  The super delegates aren’t going to flip based on polls showing that Bernie would beat drumpf worse than Hillary.

  9. Employers have a right to know.  I, as an employee, want to know that my employer has done due diligence as to whom they bring into the company.

    It’s not all people with one, minor drug offense from years ago.

    Besides, where are all of the jobs, let alone decent jobs, for all of those people?

    Craig is correct.  Trump (or candidate X) will have a field day with this one.  Between a porous border, people from all over the world coming here illegally (or coming for vacation and never leaving), and now she wants people to be able to hide their criminal past.  She is handing the Repugz a win.

    She does, indeed, have a lot of work to do; like walking back all of the more liberal views she co-opted from Bernie.

    Let the shape-shifting begin.

    Have a good day.

  10. The Royal picture made me think of an idea for the Clinton Campaign: Hilight the bonds between Secretary Clinton, Chelsea, Charlotte & most importantly, Dorothy Rodham. Four generations, a remarkable story, especially Mrs. Rodham’s. Her story is a tale of rising above truly bad circumstances. And people liked her. Her life was inspiring & would bring needed warmth & a personal touch to the Secretary’s run. Think of this as the anti-Atwater.

  11. Then they would put up a pic of Bill and Hillary, call it a dynasty, and remind folks that we fought to free ourselves from that.

    If then they put up a pic of HW & W, everyone will remember how horribly that turned out.

    No more Bushes.  No more Clintons.   They are all too entrenched in the corruption that is bringing the 99% to its knees.

  12. Bernie Sanders isn’t a Democrat: And that’s a real problem when he needs Democrats for his “revolution”
    Sanders has downplayed his disassociation with the party, but his recent behavior shows why it matters
    Amanda Marcotte

    “Perceptions, it is worth remembering, largely created by the right-wing noise machine that has been spewing bullshit about the Clintons for two decades now.
    It’s reminiscent, in fact, of what the Republicans in congress are doing with the endless Benghazi and Planned Parenthood hearings. It’s all legal theatrics that, if you look past all drama, never seem to turn up evidence of any illegal or corrupt behavior.
    The choice to act like right wing nuts screaming about Whitewater and Benghazi is a telling one. Sanders’s refusal to be a Democrat has largely been written off as a charming eccentricity, but now it’s starting to look like something uglier: Prioritizing one’s egotistical interest in individual purity over the political realities of organizing, perhaps. Or worse, a Republican-like irrational hatred of Democrats. Either way, for a man who wants to be the head of the Democrats, leaking distaste for the people who actually do the work of creating the party is a bad move.”

  13. She also said she didn’t want to dismantle Obamacare.  It sounds like she won’t have to, because the insurers are starting to cut bait and run.

  14. I spent about three minutes reading about the ban the box laws.  No Problem!  One thing the Clintons are good at is bringing information to people.  The GOP candidates will try to exploit and distort anything.

  15. It’s not all bs they are spewing.  It’s not like there’s no there there.

  16. “Then they would put up a pic of Bill and Hillary, call it a dynasty, and remind folks that we fought to free ourselves from that.”

    Lol, Blue,

    The people have voted by over 10 million for Hillary. This is democracy. What corruption are you talking about? It’s our political system until it isn’t.. I want Democrats to get all the money they can legally… Let’s keep the fundraisers going strong.. We need to win. Sure you can get away with taking your stance in Texas but those of us in Florida don’t have that luxury.. I found that out in 2008 when i dragged myself nearly kicking and screaming to vote for Obama.. Looking back, it’s all good as i did the right thing for the country and the party, a win win.. ?

  17. Hillary Needs To Fix This

    Obamacare in my opinion is here to stay.. I mean really, Republican’s or Bernie have no reasonable alternative. Single payer is a wonderful dream. Let’s start with a public option , something we can get done with a Democratic Congress..

  18. Blue

    Okay let’s go with absolutely no proof of any kind to the there there.

    It’s all hang her by accusation we can hold the trial later.

     

  19. “now she wants people to be able to hide their criminal past”

    bid, when that little box on the application that asks “have you ever been arrested” is checked the application goes immediately into the waste basket.  there are many out there (including many on this trail probably given it’s liberal turns and twists) who have been arrested for behavior that now is no longer a crime, some arrested when caught up in a protest mob net, some arrested for pranks later explained or ultimately not charged because of youth, some arrested by mistake but arrested nevertheless and still on the books…. and as dexter pointed out many for petty drug (low level possession of mj) and alcohol.   if such an applicant lies then it becomes a very serious crime, perjury for giving false info on fed applications.   at least let the otherwise miscreant get to the interview to explain himself (sexist I know but most of these cases are male…. think bad little boys stealing apples or same sex lovers in years past, etc)

  20. Bigots get better coverage: Hillary can do no right in the eyes of our political press
    The Democratic frontrunner has avoided Trump’s nastiness at every turn. Her reward? The media’s endless derision
    Eric Boehlert

    “Sometimes this whole election season seems like a weird journalism experiment designed to determine just how out of whack Hillary Clinton’s campaign press coverage can become; how one-sided and nasty the media chronicling of her can be.

    As the Democratic front-runner moves closer to likely securing the nomination and potentially becoming the first female president in United States history, the press prefers to often treat her campaign as a mess that’s perpetually facing looming pitfalls and possible setbacks. (When not critiquing the volume of her speaking voice.)
    The tone of the gloomy coverage should surprise no one who’s paid close attention to how the Beltway press has depicted Bill and Hillary Clinton over the last two decades. (Hint: With boundless snark and endless suspicion.)

  21. “Was this a dog whistle to supporters of the movement in hopes the general populace wouldn’t notice?”

    boss, a bit behind the times.  back in 2014, rand paul and cory booker made headlines with their bi-partisan “redeem act” an effort to reform criminal justice system which, fortunately, has since gotten more steam across the political spectrum.

  22. and also on this day in the same year according to wiki
    1939 – Adolf Hitler’s 50th birthday is celebrated as a national holiday in Nazi Germany.
    1939 – Billie Holiday records the first civil rights song “Strange Fruit”

    https://youtu.be/h4ZyuULy9zs
    lyrics:

    Here is fruit for the crows to pluck,
    For the rain to gather, for the wind to suck,
    For the sun to rot, for the trees to drop,Pastoral scene of the gallant south,
    The bulging eyes and the twisted mouth,
    Scent of magnolias, sweet and fresh,
    Then the sudden smell of burning flesh.
    Southern trees bear strange fruit,
    Blood on the leaves and blood at the root,
    Black bodies swinging in the southern breeze,
    Strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees.

  23. Classic example of snide directed at Hillary:

    Sanders moved to Vermont immediately after college in 1964 and never looked back with job since age 40 taxpayer funded government for the State.

    Hillary has lived in New York for more than 16 years including 8 years of service as Senator.

    Last night on Hardball Chris went on for several minutes about the contest from the “native” vs the “new arrival”.

     

  24.  

    In the argument over open or closed primary that heated up with the Sanders suit against NY, even the Green Party had a statement about the dangers of open primaries and why they prevent growing affiliation and issues.

     

  25. If I wouldn’t trust Bernie to borrow my car, why would I put him in charge of the nation’s thermonuclear forces and response?

  26. I’ve never thought of the nominating processes as being ‘democratic’ affairs. If people were well behaved, activists and party faithful were granted the privilege of participating according to party rules. Who makes the rules? The inner circle.

    If one doesn’t like it, work within the party’s system or do a ‘Ross Perot’.

  27. what you just heard in that colbert vid was the opening salvo of ryan’s  run for president 2024 if not 2020.

  28. ~~~ I see Blue is taking the NYC primary loss well. ~~~  In the 14% dead enders camp are you? I can only be thankful that being in Texas you can vote for whomever you wish and it will have no effect on the outcome of the election in November.

    So here’s an open letter to Jeff Weaver:

    Dear Jeff,

    You were on the Today show this morning whining about the now 2.7 million popular vote advantage of HRC not being real because the popular votes in caucus states aren’t recorded.  RCP begs to differ – there are 4 states that RCP does not list the popular vote totals for – Maine, Alaska, Northern Marianas (not a state, Jeff) and Washington (and I’ll throw Wyoming in because I believe that more than 280 dems would have voted there if there was a primary).  Of those 4 only Washington has sufficient population that the dem votes that would have been counted if they had an actual election and counted votes might have made a dent in Hillary’s popular vote lead. Maine and Alaska have small dem voting bases and the NMI is tiny at 58K total population.

    Besides, Jeff, SFW? Bernie would have to win 60% of the remaining delegates to catch Hillary’s PLEDGED delegate total.  Get that – pledged delegate total?

    And if you are going to cite polls showing Bernie would beat Trump worse than Hillary would, you would also have to acknowledge that as polling goes, Bernie’s not doing so well in the remaining states where any significant polling has occurred. For instance, RCP has polling averages in 3 of the 5 states voting next Tuesday. Hillary’s ahead in polling in PA by 13, MD by 20 &  CT by 7.5. Maybe Bernie’s counting on DE and RI to even that up?  Good luck there.  And the big Cahuna – CA – Hillary’s up by 9.5, and let’s face it – Bernie doesn’t do well in large diverse states.

    But all that aside, Bernie should fight on to the convention, keep pushing his campaign themes, and have a voice in shaping the platform.  But he should stop the recently adopted personal and negative campaigning he displayed in NY, which based on the TV interviews I’ve seen, I reckon was your idea.  I hope even you can see how well that worked for your candidate.

    Sincerely,

    Pogo

     

  29. Gun Runner
    Craig
    15-1
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    Gryder

     

    Latest info on Derby with preliminary odds and possible jockey.  A couple of the jockeys will have to make a choice as two of the horse they were riding regularly both made it to the show.

    Also Craig, when I try to use the “add Media” for pictures on my computer I get an error message:  You don’t have permission to attach files to this post.

    I figured out a work around with a cut and paste but it’s kind of funky 🙂

     

     

  30. I get the worst possible vibes from Paul Ryan.  My sixth sense screams NO. I could never vote for him.

  31. typical knee jerk reaction to ban the box.  It does not say no information on past criminal convictions
    President Obama’s Order “Banning the Box” for Federal Employees is an Important Reminder to Review Hiring Policies

    BY JENNIFER MORA ON
    DECEMBER 7, 2015

    DOWNLOAD PDF

    Last month, President Obama announced a new mandate to the federal government’s human resources department to “delay inquiries into criminal history until later in the hiring process.”

  32. daily beast quotes ben carson on last night’s daily show.  worthy sentiment to be reprinted and acknowledged often.

    “We are the child of every other nation, so we should have the welfare of every other nation at heart and conduct ourselves in a very different way,” Carson declared. “And if we can learn from them and we can conduct ourselves in a way that demonstrates compassion towards others, I believe that it can be a dawning of a new world.”

    “I hope Donald Trump is watching this show,” Noah said when Carson had finished an admittedly inspiring speech that could not be further from Trump’s primary message.

     

  33. Pogo,

    Damn fine letter. Weaver is a dick. Watched his segment last night. Got a craving for some of what he was smoking.

  34. Living in South Carolina and seeing the results of years of systematized racism and its effect on generations of poor often black families, I’m totally in favor of ‘ban the box’.

  35. Blue, you may find this helpful. Since you are now openly critical of the sitting and potentially future dem president, you might as well sign up and vote against their party.

  36. kgc, thank you for reminding us of that executive order issued last November

    here’s the prez explaining his action

  37. SJWNY: “It’s the perception, not the facts, that are ripe to be exploited by political opponents.”

    All I’m saying. The good research and context I’ve seen here is what I am suggesting the campaign get together right away, avoid backing any specific legislation on this.

  38. Flatus,  I’m with you.  I have 2 friends,  one an HVAC guy and the other a lawyer/Boy Scouts leader and mayor who’s running for circuit judge.   Both are really fine people.  I knew the first for 6 months before I learned he had been convicted of 2nd degree murder when he was in his early 20s. I’ve known the second for 15 years and just learned that he has a cocaine trafficing conviction from 25 years ago.  It’s people like these that ban the box helps.  BTW  a major supporter of the program is EEOC.

  39. Jamie, try Add Media again. Made a change, but not sure it’ll help. Worked for me on my Tester login

  40. Jamie, after the deeply personal insult Trunp layed on McCain, I completely understand the Senator’s declination.

  41. Maybe all the real Republicans should stay home and avoid the realdonaldTrump

  42. Interesting stat from NY exit polls: Sanders won 64 percent of unmarried men, while Clinton won married men as well as unmarried and married women.

    So, the Bernie Bros might calm down if they just got married.

  43. HA!….  take that Bernie!

    After watching both the Red Sox and Celtics lose, I turned on MSNBC just in time to see Hillary, Chelsea, and Bill stride onto the stage.  Jeff (I can’t say his last name since it pains me) is as much in a delusional bubble as any batshjitcrazyrightwingsonofabitch.

    On a personal note…  I just got back from my quarterly diabetic review with my doctor.  I’ve brought my A1c low enough that I now only have to go every six months.  Yay!

  44. Here’s a thoughtful PostPartisan piece by Stephen Stromberg on the state of the races now and the state of the election process.
     
    But future political primaries should be rethought. They are a mess of inconsistent and often unfair rules — some of which Sanders benefited from, by the way — that mix elite party control, democratic choice and pure absurdity. Caucuses, which tilted for Sanders, are an awful way to select candidates for anything, discriminating against voters who do not have a couple of hours to spare at the right time on the right day. They should be replaced with real voting. Voter registration rules, meanwhile, should be loosened to allow same-day registration and party-switching. Republicans should also get rid of their widely differing rules for distributing delegates; the candidates should win delegates in direct proportion to the number of votes they get in each state.

    Changes such as these would make the pieces of the process that include voter input more effective at capturing popular preferences. Perhaps, once it dawns on him that he will not be the Democratic nominee, Sanders will aim his rhetorical fire at fixing up the nominating system.

    Not holding my breath on that, but it would be nice to see.

  45. Dear College Kids,

    Under USC-BlanketyBlank, you are required to notify the College Board (aka Draft Board) when you are no longer a student so that you can be made available for volunteer service, or for our military. Alternatively, you may join the work force and help pick-up the burden of the cost of educating the nations young and of our universal healthcare program. You may no longer be claimed as a dependent on your parents returns.

    Enjoy,

    Bernie

  46. wonkette
    …Hillary Clinton somehow managed to pull off the victory the polls had predicted, but worse, and now it’s time for all of us to be as kind as we can to our Bernie pals in their time of need. Hold their hands, agree it’s too bad how Hillary went back in time to 1909 and rigged the system, and then if they start delegitimizing her because St Birdie lost to a girl, hold their hands and remind them that they are a living organism on this planet, and they’re very safe. If they have beer, help them drink it. Maybe put on some Allman Brothers.

     

  47. Gotta give it to Greg Sargent in his Plum Line piece today.

    IMHO he has nailed the two races.

    Weaver went on to reiterate the Sanders campaign’s argument that the super-delegates will ultimately defect to Sanders after they realize that polling match-ups against Donald Trump and Ted Cruz — and Sanders’s strength among independents — show he’s the stronger general election candidate. …  But Weaver’s latest comes after this huge loss in New York, where the Sanders camp hoped a win would raise real doubts among super-delegates about the viability of Clinton’s candidacy. Opportunities to do that are running out.

    AND

    AND THE QUOTE OF THE DAY, AMERICAN GREATNESS EDITION: Ted Cruz tries to rally:

    “Join me on this journey of less talk and more action because I know you may have been knocked down, but America has always been best when she is lying down with her back on the mat and the crowd has given the final count. It is time for us to get up, shake it off and be who we were destined to be.”

    Almost as inspiring and uplifting as “make America great again”!
    I look forward to August.

  48. pogo, for some reason I think the cruz in his most smarminess was actually salivating and panting with dilated half-closed eyes when he said

    “America has always been best when she is lying down with her back on the mat”

     

    icky creepy

  49. omg  MSCRAP is now calling the yuge asshole   Citizen Trump

    Bernie will not win in California…just not gonna happen

  50. So we’re keeping the anti-democratic, neo-royalist Hamilton and losing the populist founder of the Democratic Party. Alrighty then.

  51. Just a matter of perspective:

    Keeping mixed race Hamilton who almost single handily created the US Treasury and dumping the slave owning Indian killer on a bill dedicated to the 1920 suffragettes and an iconic Civil Rights fighter.  Alrighty then.

     

  52. Haven’t thought about the other aspects but thrilled to have the 1st black on paper and 2nd woman since the 1880s. black woman? even better. my hero Harriet? trumps all for me.

  53. Ah Jamie, aren’t you really mad that Andy beat the British in New Orleans (despite being outnumbered 2-1), ending the War of 1812, thus preventing the chance you could call Liz your queen today.

  54. We’re dropping a white male slave owning anti-abolitionist and picking up a black female leading voice in the movement that ultimately freed the slaves. I think it’s a good trade.

  55. rr – Congrats on the good health numbers!

    pogo – I did congratulate the Clinton supporters last night.  A win is a win.   I didn’t vote in 2012 (because my vote was “none of the above”) and I may not vote this fall depending on a protest vote movement. Yes, in TX, my vote has never mattered anyway.

    sea – I love an Irish jig for any reason.  One must be happy when listening to that music.

     

  56. Once you get past Lincoln on the five the rest aren’t  too impressive. Hamilton the bankers buddy,  Jackson the Trump of his day and remember the trail of tears. Grant , who had the most corrupt presidency in US history and on the hundred a philandering comic.

    So any woman would be a improvement.

    BTW why are Washington and Jefferson over represented on money yet Adams is totally forgotten?

    Jack

  57. two good quotes among many attributed to ms tubman:

    I freed a thousand slaves I could have freed a thousand more if only they knew they were slaves.

    As I lay so sick on my bed, from Christmas till March, I was always praying for poor ole master. ‘Pears like I didn’t do nothing but pray for ole master. ‘Oh, Lord, convert ole master;’ ‘Oh, dear Lord, change dat man’s heart, and make him a Christian.’

    pogo & Jamie, good on lew for coming thru with an appropriate substitute.  another fitting replacement would have been Sacajawea for that old indian killer (note to craig: not all populist democrats have been good people, we all have our little faults) .

  58. Craig

    Again a matter of perspective

    Yes Andy helped end the War of 1812 and became the “Hero of New Orleans” that gave him the political clout to become President and the drunken trashing to the White House.  Heavy drinking understandable since that ambition contributed to the scandal and death of his wife who had helped him advance by teaching him to read as an adult.

    Of course your beloved Florida got pretty well run over as he slaughtered Seminole and eventually forced them to leave the North and go to reservation in the south.  They don’t really count since basically a mix of Indians, blacks and Spanish heritages.

     

     

  59. Craig is correct about the “ban the box” being used against her this fall,  no matter what people see as the real impact of the situation.  Poor judgment to go there last night.

  60. “BTW why are Washington and Jefferson over represented on money yet Adams is totally forgotten?”

    jack, not quite their stature…tall-wise  🙂

  61. Sacajawea is already on a golden-colored coin.  I forget the denomination.  Susan B. is on $2, I believe.  Neither was in high circulation.   Now, as we continue toward a cashless society, it seems a bit inconsequential, as well.

    Less cash being printed these day?

    How much will it cost to produce new plates, print new money and (eventually) destroy the Jacksons in circulation?  Maybe not more than normal with the exception of new plates???

  62. bid, sacajawea and susan b Anthony are on coins and the bills were in line for redo. according to newsmax The Treasury Department considered the $10 bill because of security upgrades to the nation’s currency that will take effect in 2020, the centennial of women’s suffrage,.

    btw, lew originally wanted Anthony for the $10.

  63. Blue

    There are very few intensive labor or low skilled jobs left with a decent salary.  It’s been happening for a couple of decades now, but finally got noticed when the white collar middle management jobs started disappearing.  Why pay 60-100K to get the work done overseeing a whole department when one or two secretaries with desk top computers can perform the more of the functions that used to be done by a huge machine with 50 people feeding it information.

    Of course you now get to press a whole lot of buttons on your cell phone following a bunch of disembodied instructions for ages to finally reach a living breathing human being who immediately tells you you have the wrong extension and you start all over agin.

    A family that used to be supported by one human being now requires two to four sources of income by multiple generations.

    If it all gets to be too much you can drive through Starbucks for a $6 cup of coffee.  At least they smile, say hello and tell you to have a nice day.

     

  64. u.s. coins and currency pictures ….  17 have the faces of men (some both on coin and bill) and only 2 women only on coin.

    ooopps, there is Helen Keller on the reverse of the Alabama quarter: 2003 [per us mint site]
    and I forgot all those with lady liberty or columbias on the coin backs. but then they were just fantasy women.

  65. Alabama honors Socialist Helen Keller, but they didn’t go Bernie. I guess he wasn’t red enough.

  66. Hamilton may have had Royalist tendencies having been born and raised under even more British influence in the West Indies.  He founded the Federalist party as a supporter of the Constitution.

    On the pro America side, he was so close to Washington that gossips of the day put it about that he was George’s progeny (Not True) but being illegitimate (True) wasn’t much better.

     

  67. serendipitously connected to that youtube was this from last month which never got play in the media.  it’s sen al trying to talk sense to the sen judiciary committee.  interesting discussions ensue.

    Senator Al Franken is a former comedian and says he is well schooled on what is absurd. He finds the reasons from Republicans to block President Obama’s nomination of Merrick Garland are that – absurd. And then dismantles the GOP logic during Thursday’s Senate Judiciary Committee meeting.

  68. Interesting article by Wagner and Balz on what Bernie might do next.  He has an opportunity if things continue to go Clinton’s way, but it would need to be managed correctly.  I’d say Bernie’s got some deciding to do.

  69. pogo, from that wagner and balz link, uncertain times ahead especially with nader making noises and stirring the pot again. just reading some of what they report gives me heartburn.

    Party leaders want no repeat of the 1980 Democratic convention, when President Jimmy Carter faced a rebellion from Sen. Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts. Kennedy engineered a floor fight over the rules and denied Carter a final-night photograph of unity. In contrast, eight years ago, Clinton went to the floor of the convention during the nominating roll call and moved that Obama be nominated by acclamation.

    Recalling that moment, David Axelrod, who was chief strategist for Obama’s campaigns, said of Sanders: “The question is, will he do the same? Will he, once the result is clear, even if he goes to the convention, will he rally behind the nominee or will he strike a discordant note?”

    Earlier this month, during an appearance on CBS’s “Face the Nation,” Sanders was asked by host John Dickerson whether his aim was similar to Kennedy’s.

    Sanders ticked off a series of issues important to him, including making corporations and the wealthy pay their “fair share” of taxes, combating poverty, fighting climate change and rebuilding the nation’s “crumbling infrastructure.”

    “Those are the issues that we will fight for to get on the platform, whether I am the nominee or whether Secretary Clinton is the nominee,” Sanders said.

     

    now a lot of what Bernie ticked off as issues important to him will automatically be in the dem platform…. some already have grey beards wrinkles they’ve been part of the platform litany so long.  I think he’s after something else, some promise of power.

     

  70. Oh, god, LMFAO.  Dana Milbank must not have been able to sleep last night. Hilarious piece  on Trump’s 1st 100 days.

    “President Trump: I want to welcome all of my Cabinet secretaries here for this meeting. We have completed our first 100 days in office and already we have made America Great Again. Amazing! The best!

    “I know everybody took a Big Gulp when I changed 9/11 to 7-Eleven last year. They thought I was a stupid person. A loser! Erin Gloria Ryan of Vocativ said I would start talking about the Japanese bombing of Pearl Jam and the Native Americans’ Trail of Sears. Other terrible people — the worst! — thought I would refer to the eBay of Pigs, the Normandy landing on DQ Day, the Dodge Challenger disaster, Black & Decker Tuesday of 1929, the 1906 San FranCisco Systems Fire and the 1814 burning of the White Castle by the British.

    “Wrong! Turning 9/11 into 7-Eleven was the beginning of something huge. Phenomenal! The people at 7-Eleven — great retailer, decent coffee, convenient! — loved it. Loved it!…”

    And it just gets better from there.

    “Jeff Sessions, our phenomenal secretary of Homeland Depot Security — great guy! — tells me Mexico has already paid for the wall. It’s now the Aeromexico Wall — “because the only way around it is over it!” Great slogan! …”

  71. not exactly yul, but denzel’ll do


    Published on Apr 20, 2016

    Director Antoine Fuqua brings his modern vision to a classic story in Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures’ and Columbia Pictures’ The Magnificent Seven. With the town of Rose Creek under the deadly control of industrialist Bartholomew Bogue (Peter Sarsgaard), the desperate townspeople employ protection from seven outlaws, bounty hunters, gamblers and hired guns – Sam Chisolm (Denzel Washington), Josh Farraday (Chris Pratt), Goodnight Robicheaux (Ethan Hawke), Jack Horne (Vincent D’Onofrio), Billy Rocks (Byung-Hun Lee), Vasquez (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo), and Red Harvest (Martin Sensmeier). As they prepare the town for the violent showdown that they know is coming, these seven mercenaries find themselves fighting for more than money.

  72.  

    the new yorker
    Wild Parties: In Defense of Political Factions
    ByAdam Gopnik
    One of the weirder things about the current Presidential campaign is the outrage shown—you might almost say the umbrage taken—over party rules perceived as anti-democratic or unfair. This cuts in both directions. Bernie Sanders supporters are outraged by the presence of superdelegates, usually darkly described as party bosses, presumably complete with well-chewed cigars and derby hats and jobs for the boys, instead of the weary, long-serving, middle-ranking legislators they mostly are. Why do they get to vote? At the same time, Hillary-ites are outraged that a handful of quixotic caucus-goers get an outsize voice against actual hardworking voters. Meanwhile, Donald Trump is outraged to find that any rules exist at all that require his close attention—that he must, so to speak, read the rules on the inside of the game box in order to win. Bernie merely grumbles, while Trump threatens not to threaten violence. (New York values, indeed: Nice little convention you have here; be a shame if anything happens to it.) Both arguments show a poor understanding of what a party is.
    A political party is not an institution of democratic government. A political party is an instrument of democratic government. An institution of democracy has an obligation to be democratic. But an instrument of democracy can take whatever form it wants. Lobbyists, pressure groups, and the free press—a political party is more like any of these than it is like a branch of government. We can form a political party whose sole end is to promote the candidacy of Lyndon LaRouche or Captain Kangaroo or whomever we want, just as we can run a newspaper that makes comically ill-reasoned endorsements of obviously unfit candidates. No one might join the party, as no one might read the paper. But a political party it would be. Parties make up their own rules to suit themselves, as papers may choose their candidates to please their publisher.
     

     

  73. So , slave owning bigot, Andy Jackson gets move to the back of the twenty to be replaced by a runnaway slave and general all around trouble maker. She even thought women should vote.

    }:-0

    Sweet!

     

    Jack

  74. A happy four twenty day to all, thank you Jamie.  And it might be the ban the box is more about marijuana use.  The DEA will be next with reclassifying marijuana.  As for Medical Marijuana and the Leisure Industry? It is a job creator.   I am sitting her looking at a bag of raw shelled Hemp Seed (PRODUCT OF CANADA) and thinking what a foolish move it was to criminalize the old Mary Jane in the first place.   Hearst and Dupont made sure the evil weed did not compete with their paper and chemical businesses and the politicians bought it.  So many benefits and so much money to be made when the prohibition is lifted.

  75. Does this mean all the slave owners off our currency? Fine with me but let’s be consistent, starting with George Washington.

  76. I am fine with modernizing our currency, but what is gained by demonizing one of our great presidents, who truly expanded democracy as much as it could be at the time, and certainly way more than the elites he fought ever wanted. That’s why they call it Jacksonian Democracy.

    Would welcome a Harriet Tubman post for tomorrow if anyone is up to the task.

  77. Blonde – The hemp seeds I put in my smoothies for protein are a product of Canada & Romania.  Romania???

    Walter Cronkite had a Saturday morning show when I was a kid. “And You Were There,” aired plays of historical events. The Harriet Tubman episode is the one that stuck with me.

  78. Will the Tubman 20 spend as quickly as the Jackson 20 did ? I would think Harriet that could squeeze a little extra value out of each bill.

    I’m all for dumping Hamilton and Grant, too. Eleanor Roosevelt and Louisa May Alcott.

  79. The media are such assholes  Trump gives a thank you speech in which he thank Cal Icahn and doesn’t insult anyone and all of a sudden he is presidential

     

    Mark Halprin might be the biggest jerk on tv he is a Clinton hater and he does nothing to hide it I think he hates Bill Clinton because he would like to be like him but can’t because he has no original thoughts

    We are getting ready to celebrate 420. Next year we might do it for every time zone

  80. Hillary Needs To Fix This

    KGC,

    You are so correct. Trump calls his opponent Senator Cruz instead of lyin Ted and suddenly he’s a changed man, very presidential.. Wow, can the media get much worse? Halprin, oh god…

  81. Well they could leave the Hermitage on the back of the 20 as a tip of the hat to all the white power folks who might have to suddenly ditch all their $20 bills.  I would be glad to take any new twenties off their hands if I live long enough since we won’t see them until 2030.

    If we toss all the slave owners even Franklin has to go since he had two of them.

     

  82. I think Sanders may have to drop out.  In his walk through New York he looked absolutely exhausted and the trip home probably indicates the same.  Of course Tad might fight giving up that monthly haul courtesy of donations from the little people.

     

  83. I have a political question for Craig for a phenomenon I really don’t understand:

    Why do political campaigns hire total failures as campaign managers?  I have one super conservative friend who to my knowledge has never run a successful campaign while making a fantastic income for the past 30 years.

    This really came home this year on a much higher level with Tad Devine and the Sanders campaign.  Tad gets over $800K a month to apparently lose.  Every campaign he has run have lost:  Carter, Mondale, Dukakis, Bentsen, Kerry, and Gore

    Is this a case of so few being insiders to the way the game is played and who knows who or is it something more insidious in that there are huge sums of money to be made fleecing the citizens of the US?

  84. Sanders should turn his supporters into lobbyists

    They should concentrate on the Dem platform and really make a good case for why left of center is better against Trump.

    Also some of what Strumpetter says is out of date   He is a one trick pony and now his trick is out of date

    What about the success of reshoring Mr. Trump.     There are programs in place for all of the Trump cock-a-mamie horse pucky and this would be a good time for Democratic senators to start talking about what they have done and the successess and what they would have done if not for the obstructionist Republican congress.

    Also the Dems or somebod needs to make an ad of all the Republicans saying they would never vote for Trump and why.  It should include the clip of Trump calling McCain a loser.

     

     

     

     

  85. Hillary Needs To Fix This

    Jamie, my answer is that it’s a phenomenon I see more with Democrats. They are so caught up with their internal logic that those who are skilled at party nomination politics have no clue about general elections. I travelled for a year covering the Dukakis campaign. They spent so much time focused on the nomination and were babes in the woods in the Fall. They laughed at what they considered silly charges about Willie Horton release, ACLU membership and gay adoption, but weren’t smiling after those three issues, and a few other “dumb” issues, cost them 17 points in a few weeks time. I am seeing this today in Democratic circles. Blindness about what’s coming.

  86. I don’t think or suggest that Jackson was chosen for replacement because of his proslavery views.  I pointed out what I see as a nice little bit of irony.  If Obama’s treasury decided  (they did) to put a woman on a note, someone had to go.  If it was a black abolitionist icon woman coming on, it’s a delicious irony that it’s a slave owning anti-abolitionist she replaced.  Is this a movement to remove slave owners from currency? I don’t think so.  It was a move to put a woman on a piece of currency.  I doubt that the irony I see was even a consideration.   Or maybe it was. I don’t know.

  87. One of the best biographies I’ve read is “Young Hickory” by Hendrik Booraem, 2001. It covers the time span of Andrew Jackson from birth (including the struggles of his immigrant parents) to young adulthood, when he was finding his place in life. Well written, absorbing, easy to get lost in. It may not change your opinion of who Jackson became, but it helps explain why he became who he was. The person who influenced Jackson most was his mother, Elizabeth. This book does a great job telling her story ( & Jackson’s father’s too.) Have Scots Irish ancestry? The Jacksons’ ancestral experience in 17th/18th century Scotland & Ireland is well illuminated & is probably akin to many of our ancestors’ tales. Understand the family, you have a better understanding of the man.

     

  88. I wish the images of people were abolished from our currency. It rather smacks of idolatry & one person’s hero will always be another’s villain. Why not feature American flora & fauna? Natural wonders?

  89. KC, Just saw that.  Why use votes as the measure,  why not use states won? Do what? He’d already dismissed pledged delegates as the measure.  Ummm, Tad, Hillary is beating Bernie in ALL  those categories.   Of course he suggested using the least democratic measure of all, caucus wins.  Right. Forking idjit.

  90. If we were still under British rule, there would be a woman’s face on all of the money.

  91. Question.

    Is Ted Cruz the only person in America who does not realize that he had his ass handed to him last night?

  92. bid- glad you liked them, most are favorites- the 1st i had to find though but it is one of my favorite dances -its a  highland dance – the irish washer woman- love the defiant emotions.  the very last , freedom is powerful.  irish dance has so evolved starting with river dance.

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