“Ask a glass of water!”
— Douglas Adams a Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy
By Blue Bronc, a Trail Mix Contributor
I enjoyed the many campaigns from June 2007 to the election in 2008. I went back and forth between Hillary and Obama until caucus day. I went with Obama only because he was the professor and steady. HRC was the politician and steady too, but there was that little extra excitement with Obama. *
The intervening election was so-so. Romney was the perfect Republican. White, male, rich, and out of touch with his base. And Obama did the expected.
Now we have something even more exciting. In a way I am happy I never have met nor have been in a room with the weird guy with a dead, dyed orange, muskrat, on his head. He is even out of touch with other millionaires, but his status is questionable. Now that his real income and wealth is being talked about he may want to try and become a federal employee, okay retirement and healthcare plans (considering what the Republicans are doing to us), but with the joy of helping others make America better by preventing bugs and disease from entering our country.
There is one problem with this race though. Too bad if you get into a “take a drink” for every stupid thing the gas bag says. You would start the day with a couple of good ones. By lunch you would be sucking in water for balance.
Dinner and you need help finding your phone to call for a taxi. After dinner and trying to focus on the televisions. You are now wondering why you have two televisions because when you left in the morning there was only one and something. But you are committed to the game and pass out after chugging a bottle of Tanqueray.
The polls are now looking like 400 electoral votes for HRC, and that is the conservative view. Can she run the table? George Washington did it. For fun you can go to a site and play with the map and numbers. I have Hillary at 451 to the large stink 83. You can also see a couple of good websites to visit and subscribe too. Lots of info.
If the guy under the poor dead and dyed orange possum does keep on going until November it is possible he will sour so many people, especially the thirty percent which are hard core Republicans, that he too could give do the thing that has not really happened in a few years, a complete run of the electoral votes. Which would give the Dems the House, Senate and WH for the first time since the last time the Repubs were nasty, nasty.
What it comes down to is the guy is a disaster as a human. I have not found anything about him funny. No laughs. The other day a co-worker and I discussing some issue which involved outhouses, which led to a lot of laughs. Two holers, three holers, seats and no seat splinters. . . But even though I would compare the guy to something, there is no laugh when you talk about him.
However, the Republicans elected him to run and the Republican leadership supports him. But, when his Chernobyl hits I will want a lot of popcorn – and gin.
*I gave my tickets, in the politicians section away. I picked up a ticket which put me in the upper upper deck of Mile High Stadium. It was a most beautiful Denver August night, warm and dry. I sat with those who were not the privileged. I sat with people who saw in Obama a bit of themselves. If it were Hillary on the stage these Dems would not be where they are. They spoke Spanish and saw in a man of color their dreams. We cheered together. We laughed together. We cried together. I had more fun with these people who were strangers as we met for the first and last time, than I would have down in front with the other politicians who I knew.
More Posts by Blue Bronc
Jamie, lucky you to have Canadian broadcasting for Olympics. am so very very mad at nbc. a few seconds of opening ceremony glimpsed in between commercials. guess i’ll watch replays on internet. looked like a real work of art, a little on a Wagnerian length tho. of the little I saw here’s a good description by daily telegraph: Rio Olympics 2016 opening ceremony kicks off with a vibrant bang – and unfortunate reminders of troubled backdrop to the Games
[….]
But by that point the Maracana was in full-on party mode as a succession of dancers, musicians and volunteers raced through routines intended to showcase Brazil’s diversity and history, even finding time for a lecture on environmental issues.
Bundchen’s long sashay was an early highlight, as was a clever section that featured a biplane appearing to fly out of the stadium and circle the city’s signature ‘Christ the Redeemer’ statue.
The ceremony’s creative director Fernando Meirelles had less money to spend than his predecessors, including the mastermind of London 2012’s memorable show Danny Boyle, but he promised “the coolest party” and gave it a good go.
John Kasich’s future in whatever is left of the GOP looks brighter each day. If the story about the Bush Family keeping score about who’s been naughty & who’s been nice is true, then he comes down firmly on the “nice.” And Jeb!, for all his flaws as a Candidate, might be better used behind the scenes as the new RNC head, especially if they lose seats November 8th. Idle speculation, but the smart Republicans (& they do exist) realize the need to work with a Clinton Presidency, if anything just for the good PR & need for relevancy. Our friend Solar was on target when he said Trump is a uniter. Perhaps in many unexpected ways.
Blue Bronc,
Wonderful Post. Your memories of that night in Denver are beautiful.
So far as I can tell, there are two legitimate reasons for getting drunk–to drown sorrow, or as a byproduct of celebrating great happiness.
Then we should recognize the great pleasure that comes from a relaxing cocktail at the end of a long day, or of a beer as the beverage of choice with a meal, etc. These respites are quite different than getting drunk.
depends on what your drunk with… see punk discharge music lyrics:
For how long do we tolerate these fools
Drunk with power
Drunk with power, obsessed with death
Death and destruction, drunk with power
A giant game of chess they play
With you and I as the disposable pieces
raw story:
“Why don’t you hack into Donald Trump’s tax returns?” Maher asked Assange, who was speaking via satellite from the Ecuadorian embassy in London.
“We’re working on it,” Assange replied.
While Maher told Assange he felt he should win a Nobel Prize, the two did spar when Assange said his site’s findings — which spurred the resignation of DNC head Debbie Wasserman Schultz — constituted evidence of “a plot” by Democratic officials against Sen. Bernie Sanders’ campaign.
“Why haven’t we seen anything hacked from the Trump campaign?” Maher asked. “Obviously we know these came from Russia. And we also know that you do not like Hillary Clinton at all, as does not Vladimir Putin. It looks like you are working with a bad actor, Russia, to put your thumb on the scale and basically f*ck with the one person who stands in the way of us being ruled by Donald Trump.”
https://youtu.be/8T2zRavMJaY
This Post reminds me that the Founding Fathers’ choice of drinks were beer, hard cider, rum, whiskey & wine. Of course at that time alcohol was safer than water. Even children drank alcohol in some form. During the Bicentennial I helped my Mother put together a “1776” Cookbooklet for a club she belonged to. Some of the Punch recipes were incredibly potent. I imagine that if you’re raised drinking such beverages some form of tolerance builds up.
ny times: Why We Ask to See Candidates’ Tax Returns
What We Should Glean from Today’s Polls
Josh Marshal TPM
1. I was wondering where my baseball glove went. Sturgeone’s had it the last 60 years. It really was the worst glove available between here and the Horsehead Galaxy.
2. On the 270 to win map, I have Clinton at a wishful 368. 357 would be a memorable number to pack against the n r a. Running the table would be a treat, but I can’t find a path to Wyoming.
melanoma better watch out for buses speeding her way under which she may be tossed.
nydailynews: Anti-Trump group files public records request for Melania Trump’s immigration papers
mother jones:
Melania Trump Could Clear Up Her New Immigration Controversy by Releasing Her Visa Records
Is Donald Trump married to a woman who violated US immigration law?
tony,
Love the rodeo clown/angry bull line in the article you posted. That image will stick.
the guardian:
The existence of Republicans for Clinton, the group represented by Elmets, is one of many plot twists in an extraordinary presidential election cycle. Conservative men and women have rejected their natural nominee in favor of a candidate their party has spent two decades tearing down.
With less than 100 days left before election day, the Clinton campaign is accelerating its drive to recruit GOP donors, business leaders and foreign policy experts. According to people familiar with the effort, a visible coalition of independents and Republicans backing Clinton will make it easier for conservatives dismayed by Donald Trump to cast their ballots for a Democrat.
The Clinton campaign has been preparing for its Republican outreach effort for months. Around the start of the conventions, it went into gear. Since then, notable Republicans, military leaders and one GOP congressman have abandoned Trump and cast their lot with Clinton. Framing their defections as a moral imperative, the converts are urging fellow Republicans and independents to put “country over party” and join them on 8 November.
BlueBronc…. wonderful post! Don’t worry… I’ll be around to make plenty of popcorn.
Julian Assange doesn’t give a shit what happens in the US. His ego is as yuuuuuge as Trump’s, IMO.
patd… watched the opening ceremonies on nbc as well. Yeah…. way too many commercials (should have expected it). But I will give them credit for allowing Gisele Bundchen to have her moment without a mention of her being married to Tom Brady.
I wonder what Trump will say or do next week…
No offense to the good people here, but I hope the Clinton Campaign has a better Staff than those in her previous campaigns. This Trump implosion is like manna from heaven falling into her lap. Words from a nobody to her Campaign: Don’t eff this up. You’ve got less than a hundred days … let the Republican Nominee continue to build his scaffold, mount the steps, tie the noose around his neck & kick the stool out from under his feet. Exploit what you can of this mess, but do it wisely. Discipline.
mediaite: Columnist and Fox commentator Charles Krauthammer is a board-certified psychiatrist, and in a column yesterday, he attempted to diagnose what he thinks is wrong with Donald Trump.
[….] thinks he knows why:
Lots of people have begun to question Trump’s mental state. Krauthammer too agrees there is something “temperamentally unfit” about his character.
Jamie, you’ll like this one… sounds like what you have been saying all along.
from mediaite: Hillary Clinton Isn’t Lying, The Fact-Checkers Are
Armed with a quartet of fictional marionette heads, Republicans fashioned the narrative into a talking point that even pro-Hillary media yappers didn’t bother to refute. The “fact-checkers” have spoken.
Except they’re wrong, every one of them, and they’re all, to some degree, lying in order to support their wrong conclusion. Mostly, they are committing a lie of omission,…
renee, still watching off and on. heard usa won 1st gold . it was against china’s silver and bronze…. air rifle, virginia thrasher
USA! USA! USA! [cue the vuvuzelas]
Ice cold beverages to those who rush over to help me tackle the yard! Only ice water and energy drinks until the job is done. Then, the fridge and cellar are open. Hot dogs will be available, too. Starting in two minutes heat index is only 106
huffpo: Obama: Team USA ‘Sets The Gold Standard’ With Its Diversity
“Team USA reminds the world why America always sets the gold standard: We’re a nation of immigrants that finds strength in our diversity and unity in our national pride,” Obama said.
[….]
“In a time of challenge around the world, let’s appreciate the peaceful competition and sportsmanship we’ll see, the hugs and high-fives and the empathy and understanding between rivals who know we share a common humanity,” Obama said. “Let’s honor the courage it takes, not only to cross the finish line first, but merely to stand in the starting blocks. And let’s see in ourselves the example they set ― proving that no matter where you’re from, with determination and discipline, there’s nothing you can’t achieve.”
sjwny – you bring up a point that is important. I place a lot of her 2008 second place on her staff. Yes HRC is the total opposite of her husband, but a staff can do things for and with a candidate to mitigate much of the candidates public shortcomings. I have met and worked with politicians with severe shyness, with a public demeanor so obnoxious they would never win a vote, but with the right campaign staff they are successful. There was one politician who never campaigned and was elected every two years. The guy was a horrible politician too. But, that is what his district wanted according to his staff.
HRC seems to have learned a lot, and is practicing it well. Like last week. Go quiet. Let the ugly person be himself. And it worked great. Even his endorsement of Ryan and McCain are second page news, his rants are still front page.
Flatus,
Wish I could help 🙂 Please be careful.
That cursed glove cost me many a Hand Ache.
Eprof,
Great to see your post. Enjoyed it much.
I am cautiously optimistic that Kirkpatrick can take that seat. Ward is a tea party piece of work, who talks constantly about yesterday’s issues. Obamacare and common core simply don’t register as high on the scale as they used to. She will do fine out west in places like Mohave county as will Trump. Don’t look for her to do well in other areas of the state. Trump has poisoned the well with Hispanics, and other minorities and probably with some women. Ward would need some of those votes to win. McCain’s campaign has been lack luster at best and I think that a lot of voters are tired of his grouchy old grandpa routine and his outright pandering. I think that his days in the senate are numbered. At least I hope so.
Blue Bronc,
I get antsy about too much good fortune. Perfect opportunity to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.
Joined a barracks hardball team in ’69 while at NATTC Memphis out in Millington……they issued me a glove, the first REAL glove I’d ever had charge of……wound up playing second base from where I had a great view of the greatest catcher I ever saw back there…..when he bee-lined that line-drive-like throw to second base to pick off a man stealing second the ball came in about six inches off the deck hard and fast and exactly where it should be. Old Fred Belligan could do that while never rising from the crouch.
Fred, from Patchogue, actually got a tryout with the Yankees, but as he had no real interest in being a ball player, he didn’t get on……he showed up to the tryout wearing flip-flops, for instance…….
I agree with most of what I’ve been reading on this thread. But do want to point out that there is nothing normal or business as usual with this campaign. We’ve got an inexperienced business dude as the nominee – who may not even be a Republican. We’ve got a campaign based on fear and racism – and both are very strong motivators.
If the Trump campaign loads him up with Ativan and sends him off to be happy and measured – his supporters will heave a sigh of relief and come back home. Memories can be short – what were you doing 96 days ago?
If we have a major terrorist attack against this country (9-11 type), Trumps numbers will skyrocket.
Hillary could screw up big time. Anyone thinking about an October surprise?
There’s a ton of bigoted mysogynistic hate mongering people out there. Could that number be 30%? That’s the base. There’s another 20% would would cut off a pinkie to avoid Hillary becoming President. What else would you expect after 25 years of blistering, personal attacks and hearings.
This is not in the bag yet.
No it’s not in the bag. There is still no definitive count of the actual number of god forsaken boneheads in America.
We are not even into the time when most Americans even think about politics. Right now the gas bag is an issue just for the crazy babbling he does, it gives people the same thing they usually have watching television during the winter. After Labor Day is when it becomes real. Political people are all in right now, which includes bloggers.
I want to see the polls the Monday after Labor Day to begin panicking.
Last night we took our house guests to Nationals Stadium for a nice-weather game against the Giants. Not a big baseball follower myself, but David and his nephew are major fans — I go mainly for Ben’s Chili Bowl Half-Smoke Dogs (All the Way)!
Craig – and have you recovered from that meal yet?
I do like to take visitors to Ben’s Chili Bowl on U St, after a visit to Nellie’s. A walk on the wild side for many of them. They would never go to a gay bar and definitely do not sit in a restaurant with the working ladies walking back and forth to the restroom.
Can still taste it, Blue. In keeping with our baseball theme, now we’re off to the National Portrait Gallery (my favorite) for the Babe Ruth exhibit (altho I am mostly looking forward to Lincoln’s Contemporaries, Mathew Brady pics of celebrities in Lincoln’s time).
All finished and just sitting down. Temp/HI is 97/118. I believe today is the 49th consecutive day above 90-deg in Columbia. It is a hot summer–much hotter than the desert when we were there.
BB!
Cycling is on NBC now. Only 50-kliks left.
politicususa: Speaker of the House Paul Ryan is privately warning Republicans that Donald Trump could cost Republicans control of the House.
Buried in a New York Times story was this little nugget:
At a recent conference of Republican donors, Paul D. Ryan, the speaker of the House, warned that even the party’s substantial majority in that chamber might be in jeopardy.
“The conclusion has become that the guy is incorrigible,” said Thomas M. Davis III, a former House member from Virginia who is still close to many of the party’s leaders. “He’s going to leave our candidates with no choice but to go their own separate way.”
The trust issue is bullshit you can see people like Mark Halprin and Chris Cillizza do not like HIllary and keep bringing up the issue in gooper terms They have Clinton derangement syndrome
I think she should stick to the line….people like me when I’m doing my job when I’m in a campaign not so much
drumpf is sticking to his pattern of accusing others of sins he can be accused of… calling his opponent “unhinged” is telling on himself.
Pat
Nothing is better than seeing Pat Noonan melt down. I’m sure they had to get her a waterproof keyboard so that she could type her weekly submission without shorting out the mainframe because of her stream of tears. She sums it up in this short paragraph:
“Donald Trump is said to be in love with the idea of success, dividing the world between winners and losers. But he just won big and couldn’t take yes for an answer.”
Poor Ms Noonan.
flatus – way too late returning home from supplying the local economy, and a bit of the national, with my pay. At least I was home to see the U.S. goal against France. Sigh, I would have preferred this game to be the gold-silver game.
raw story: Joy Reid drops the hammer on rude, snarling Trump surrogate: At least I’m not on Team Putin
[….]
As Reid tried to cut him off again from rambling, Paladino asserted, “You’re way out there making crazy accusations,” causing Reid to shoot him down.
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“I think if you look at the polling, most of the public is standing by the generals and intelligence professionals, at least as we stand now.” she said.
“I know which side you’re on, mam,” Paladino blurted, causing Reid to pause and raise an eyebrow at him.
“Not on Vladimir Putin’s side, and I like that stance,” she told the Trump advocate.
the most ridiculous gooper argument of all — he beat 16 the best the republicans have to offer. Seriously that certainly explains why Trump won
Most of them were just looking for jobs at fox a bigger group of losers is hard to imagine
Trump is losing in Georgia maybe he will come in 4th
The sixteen dwarfs and the queen. Jesus Alou! The last candidate the R’s had was Romney. He was not much, but he was an authentic R. From his school days to his business days. He was a Republican. The constipated belch would be a Republican if he was not himself. Bush I was a decent man. He saw and lived this very real world (disclaimer: I did not vote for him either). But the republicans after Ike suck like a vacuum cleaner.
Maybe the guy with the five dollar orange rug is gay. It would explain nothing. But what if he is?
sea, say hi to them for us.
ny times:
CHILMARK, Mass. — President Obama arrived in Martha’s Vineyard on Saturday for his last summer vacation as president, bringing his wife, both daughters and even the family dogs along.
He headed into this two-week break in an unusually festive mood, having just celebrated his 55th birthday. And with Hillary Clinton ahead of her Republican rival, Donald J. Trump, in national and battleground state polls, Mr. Obama may be able to relax in these weeks more than he has in the past, since a potential Clinton victory would secure much of his legacy.
[….]
On the island, Mr. Obama is expected to play a lot of golf and read a pile of books, if his past vacations here are any guide. He may attend a party or two given by friends who also vacation here, but for the most part the Obamas tend to keep to themselves. Mr. Obama is an avid sports fan, and with the Olympics playing on TV, he may have even more reason to remain in his rented house.
the hill:
Members of the Sioux nation journeyed to Washington, D.C. this weekend to protest a proposed $3.8 billion oil pipeline they say would contaminate their drinking water and violate sacred lands.
The Dakota Access Pipeline is set to pass beneath the Missouri River less than a mile from North Dakota’s Standing Rock Reservation, where tribal members rely on the river as the sole water supply.
[….]
Young people from the reservation ran a nearly 2,000-mile relay to Washington, D.C. to deliver a petition with over 160,000 signatures to the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). The agency approved nearly all final permits for the pipeline’s construction at the end of July.
Advocates gathered in front of the Supreme Court of the United States on Friday morning, and Standing Rock members met privately with officials from the Army Corps of Engineers in the afternoon. The group continued the protest in front of the White House on Saturday afternoon, even through pouring rain.
The tribe is asking that all pipeline construction be stopped. They worry that oil leaks will inevitably contaminate their water, based on the 300 oil leaks they say occurred from 2012 to 2013 alone in North Dakota.
Tribal members also argue that the agency has violated the National Historic Preservation Act, along with environmental regulations and Native American treaties, by allowing the pipeline’s construction. The Standing Rock Sioux have filed a federal injunction against the organization to prevent the pipeline from going forward.
Politics … don’t need no stinkin’ politics. Queen Elizabeth I and her royal court were in town.
BB: As a non-drinker, if I had participated in the drinking game I would have stayed drunk for the past 6 months! LOL! Lovely mile high stadium story too. Thanks for the memories.
Am I the only one who thinks Julian Assange is an a**wipe? He’s being celebrated like he’s in the same league with Woodward and Bernstein! Not even close. He commits what should be considered criminal acts for his own agenda. Ugh! Sometimes I hate the times I’m living in! We make heroes and celebrities out of people who wouldn’t have gotten the time of day from anyone 50 years ago. Is my age showing? 🙁
I have mixed feelings about the Olympics this year. In addition to the controversies and questionable practices of the IOC, I consider Rio to be one of the worst places on earth in terms of poverty and the economic divide. They have some of the worst slums and hundreds, maybe thousands, of poor street kids who are normally visible everywhere. Even though Brazil didn’t spend nearly what other countries have spent in the past, they still are doing it as the expense of the poor and downtrodden. And, of course they’re keeping them well out of view!
I did watch most of the opening ceremonies. I was very moved by the refugee team and the paralyzed flag bearer/archer from Iran. I will definitely watch her compete too! In spite of the politics of the IOC, I watch the Olympics because I still see it as a celebration of the athletes’ efforts and commitment to achieving a goal.
I should mention that I started watching the opening on NBC but after several minutes of their
commercialcoverage, I switched to a BBC feed I have and enjoyed the rest of the night with no commercials at all!