By Rebellious Renee, Trail Mix Contributor
Watching the debates or reading about this presidential campaign, one might think that George W. Bush’s presidency never happened. There is almost no mention of him anywhere. His policies failed and are still being felt by this country. He inherited a budget surplus and left office with a deficit. He de-emphasized government organizations such as FEMA and allowed New Orleans to drown. He went into Iraq before finishing with Afghanistan and left a quagmire… and with many more terrorists in the Middle East. He pushed for greater financial de-regulation which resulted in a collapsed economy.
And what is the Republican response to the above. Either no mention of his name or whispers that he wasn’t “conservative” enough. Or worse, such as trying to blame the financial collapse on Obama. Instead of a little introspection, the GOP wants to double down on Bush mistakes. I shudder to think of what will happen to this country if a Republican wins the presidency.
I am confused, officially. no transparency with something as simple as his party affiliation.
“Indeed, even though he’s not a member of the Democratic Party, Bernie’s work over the years has led to his appointment to leadership positions on Senate committees and subcommittees.”
Listed as independent on wiki
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernie_Sanders
Political party
Independent
(1979-present)[1][2]
https://berniesanders.com/about/
meet the press evcn said he was an independent this am.
then from the candidate himself
“I am a democrat now”
http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2015/11/08/bernie-sanders-i-am-a-democrat-now/
Thanks for the contribution Renee — reminder to contributors: please send me an email when you post, so that I can move it out of the pending bin.
Brought forward from previous thread.
Sea
In Missouri you just register, the only time you declare party affiliation is in the primary where you tell the poll worker what ballot you want. So it often depends on which election you wanted to participate. When I lived in the Ozarks (republican cause Lincoln won the war) the primary tended to decide the election and It was Republican local and Democrat state wide( this has changed in the last 30 years) So it depended on who I wantd to see elected. A county official then I was a Republican for that election. If Governor , then I ask for the democrat ballot.
Jack
Another housekeeping thing: We have to limit links in a single comment for spam protection. 5 or more links send a comment to the holding pin until I notice it. Oldsea I just moved one of yours that got held to the top of this thread. (So great to see you on here again!)
One more thing: while I continue searching for a Quote/Reply button like we used to have, you can create a link to someone else’s comment by clicking on the date/time stamp underneath their screen name and get the url for that comment
Well now. That last Thread was interesting. The video seemed more like an experiment on psychology than anything else, quite frankly. Kinda felt like a lab rat. Now pass the cheese…
John Kasich was endorsed by the NY Times. What exactly CAN he do with it? Kiss of death?
One thing the HRC/Bernie battle does is make me appreciate Joe Biden even more. He should be made an “Ambassador” for, of & to the Democratic Party after his term is up. Perfect for a role desperately needed.
W’s Reign of Error had one positive effect: it highlighted the importance of Supreme Court appointments.
Renee
What has become obvious is that the Bush name is toxic even among Republicans. Poor Jeb all the money in the world and he can’t get above single digits.
Jack
Something I noticed is that instead of just copying the text, my quoted material also posted any link in the article. Looks like that was what caught Sea’s post. That is something that I’ve never had to deal with when commenting.
Jack
sorry craig!!! can you enlighten us as to whether he is now an enrolled dem or an independent with “an agreement”?
yes, jack that did happen, technology just keeps rolling along..
good post renee- who’d a guessed when we were in the middle of the bush era….. thought it would never end, but looks like it has!
Whiskey Jack
You throw in “Cause Lincoln Won the War” and immediately, Brother John Prine starts singing.
No prob Sea, wish I didn’t have to have silly rules like that but I err on the side of stopping spam any way I can.
About Bernie’s status I always thought there would be a challenge at the DNC or state party committees but I don’t know of any.
It is a very dirty elephant that the Republicans do not want to talk about. Nine years post out the door for him, and it is like yesterday. I think all the clowns in the clown car are so far right or off the page compared to Bush version 2 that they have no reason to talk about him. The only mention of the guy is when some writer comes up with the story that Bush version 3 “MIGHT” bring him back on the trail. I know he did that in Colorado a few weeks ago, probably as a trial run to do a bit of fund raising.
Jack… yup…. who in their right mind regardless of party affiliation would want a third Bush.
As to a challenge at the DNC or state party committees of Sanders running on the Democratic ticket…. too late, IMO. At this point it would just look like so many sour grapes because he’s garnering more voter support than the party probably expected. It might make undecideds flock to him.
“I know the rules pertaining to what happens in voting places in NH.”
renee, that’s why I called you an expert. what are the rules in new Hampshire about a candidate getting placed as a democrat (or repub) on the ballot? doesn’t he have to sign something that says/swears he is of that party? does he have to show proof of affiliation or merely proof he’s himself? or does the elections official just take his word for it?
one issue is perjury if he signed a gov’t doc swearing he is something he is not. but someone surely would have said something by now if that were the case…… don’t you think?
patd… I was someone who registered people to vote. I know the rules pertaining to polling places in NH. Who can register to vote… what they need to prove to register. I know how many booths there must be for so many voters on the rolls. I know what kind of officials must be present at polling places in NH. I know how many feet there must be between rows of booths. I know who can and can’t go into a voting booth with a voter. I know the rules for who can bring a ballot to someone who can’t physically get to the polls. I know the difference between a primary and an election. And I know stuff that right now I’ve forgotten.
But… I had nothing to do with candidates getting on ballots or anything else pertaining to candidates/and or ballots (other than handing them out at the polls). I would assume those rules are between party leaders and the NH Secretary of State.
Sorry I can’t answer your questions… I did things at a local level… your questions are for those at the state level.
Jamie
one of my favorite songs.
So I stole the phrase because it so accurately describes voting patterns in border states like MO and KY.
Jack
Ballotpedia for Colorado
Although Colorado caucuses are soon, I have not heard of a challenge to Sanders, I-VT, running in the Democratic side of things. It is possible the Republicans will jump in, but unless they are as dumb as a governor who quit in Alaska, they will just let Bernie bern through the Dems campl
Ballotpedia is a good resource.
Well, if Hillary mentions W, then the fact that she voted to go into Iraq gets brought up. A point which Bernie does bring up.
If you want more poor, foreign policy decisions and support for Wall Street, the Hill’s yer candidate.
BTW, just because someone doesn’t support Hillary doesn’t make them a so-called Democrat.
Pointing out what she has done is not Clinton-bashing, it’s just facts. I happen to view some of her actions negatively. If you liked her vote on the Iraq war and her ties to Wall Street, that’s your choice.
W’jack – You got Rubio exactly right. He is this season’s Dan Quayle. (Does that mean he’s going to end up in the GOP’s 2nd spot?)
Wow! That mailer Cruz sent to Iowans with their voting records, trying to make it look like an official document. Sleazy.
How is that kind of thing going to shame or intimidate someone into going out to caucus for him?
That’s a great read, RR! They must think that their last attempt ended in defeat because Mitt’s conservatism was just simply too soft. By comparison, the opinions of the top of this current crop makes GWB look like a Teddy Bear.
Double-down on Dubya seems to be the new calculus.
Gone is the pretense of ‘compassionate’ conservatism and the neocons’ utopian vision that we will be greeted as liberators. How quaint is that? By most of their pronouncements, January 21, 2017 will commence with carpet-bombing and a mad scramble for a new national health care system… to name just a few.
And, if you would like to see Cuba, you might want to book your travel this year.
MM… really great to see you! Yeah… the Republican agenda sickens me. I mean… who wouldn’t believe that bombing the crap out of the Middle East and giving tax cuts to the wealthiest won’t fix our economy. I say … Go Trump, Go! He’s exactly what they deserve.
Don’t be a stranger now… ya hear…
I know we will all may be binge watching the Iowa returns tomorrow but for those who want a lighter fare, hop on over to my place to play movie music of importance to you: Jamie’s Place For Stuff
Nice post Renee. The prospect of Bush-like policies is the threat regardless of the name of the pugn nominee. I haven’t heard any pugn who sounds like his or Carly’s policies will be less conservative than Shrub’s were, except perhaps Kasich. But the talk on the ground in Ohio has drifted further and further rightward under his leadership, so I don’t view even him as a relatively safe pugn alternative. Unless any pugn who lucks into the presidency goes right they will be eaten alive by the house crazies. It will ultimately be the same choice we always seem to have – a RW pugn masquerading as a moderate against a moderately right of center dem (and yes, I know this excludes Sanders as the nominee).
Jim WebbVerified account
@JimWebbUSA Jan 30Jim Webb to address the World Affairs Council of Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas, Feb. 11 https://www.dfwworld.org/Events?cid=5&ceid=2543&cerid=0&cdt=2%2F11%2F2016 …
John Oliver talks to Jimmy about weird donations when Last Week Tonight started a fake church and explains how he snuck into Russia for a controversial interview.
renee, okay so you are not an expert but am sure you know nh better than I do.
yep, state rules and regs are usually much different than and on different issues as local. surely there must be as equally stringent rules on id-ing a candidate and how to get on a ballot in which box as there are on id-ing a voter and how many voting booths must be available.
Good morning…weather alert woke us as a high wind warning is in effect. The air is heaving, but I have taken down the chimes and mobile art. It is an exciting week where politics and football merge into a cluster of disbelief, disappointment and despair. There can only be one winner.
A quote from the Celebrity President —
unlike all the tv clips I’ve seen this morning which cut off the last line and in doing so makes her sound more egocentric than necessary, the guardian quotes her in toto:
“I hope you will caucus for me. I hope you will fight for me,” she implored. “I will fight for you.”
how will weather affect the caucus turn out as iowans brace for blizzards
Iowa caucus meetings for Democrats and Republicans are set to begin at 7 p.m. (8 p.m. ET) Monday. Official tallies could be wrapped up between 10 and 11 p.m. (11 p.m. and midnight ET).
At the same time, about 3 million people in the region — from Nebraska to Iowa to Minnesota — will be under the gun for a blizzard watch.
The watch starts for the southwestern corner of Iowa at 6 p.m. (7 p.m. ET) Monday, CNN meteorologist Rachel Aissen said. Northwestern Iowa’s blizzard watch begins at 3 a.m. Tuesday.
The state’s capital, Des Moines, faces a winter storm watch at midnight Monday (1 a.m. ET Tuesday). The storm will probably dump 6 to 9 inches of snow on the city between Monday and Wednesday, Aissen said.
who do you think is most likely to stay home – old folks or the young – heeding the warnings?
wonkette:
In an enormously surprising turn of events, a woman fired by Donald Trump’s Iowa campaign organization has filed a gender discrimination complaint against the Trump campaign, accusing it of paying men more than women for the same job. Frankly, we’re astonished. We’d have assumed the Trumpoids were far more likely to be hit with a sexual harassment complaint, which just goes to show that Iowa politics is full of surprises.
Pat
Given that Bernie spent the weekend working eastern Iowa hard, The track of the storm may benefit him. But then it is Iowa in the winter and you would have to get deep snow before they would notice. No snowmagedon, just Iowa in the winter.
Jack
renee- wearing your beautiful scarf for luck today!
set up my hillary twitter acct., can’t keep up with those that have thousands, but will do what i can.
meanwhile, back in floriduh
Carl Hiaasen: Fantasy sports bet on the Legislature
highlights
Companies contribute to pols, pols do their bidding
A case study in how to game a polluted political system
Spreading tons of money around Tallahassee pays off
Blue,
I added the video for “There’s A Light” for you.
great letter of support for hill by mary steenbergen – my apologies if already posted
Voting with your Head and Heart
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mary-steenburgen/voting-with-your-head–yo_b_9104038.html
What I’m seeing suggests it won’t be all that cold (barely below freezing) and won’t snow until after the caucuses are over, except maybe in the SW corner of the state. These are people who are used to dealing with harsh winters – this should seem like Spring to them. Old folks may stay home because of the warnings, but young folks will stay home because that is what they do. Besides, Superstore, Telenova, The Bachelor, X-files and Supergirl are on tonight.
Rick and I just went to our town office and voted absentee… thought it was a nice gesture to vote on the same day that Iowa caucuses. We both took a Democratic ballot and both voted for Hillary.
OSH… I know you look beautiful with it on.
New Thread, by Blue Bronc