An old friend of mine is running for the state Assembly. I've discouraged her and told her the legislature in Sacramento is so riven with corruption and cronyism that nothing meaningful can get done. Fortunately, she's chosen to ignore me.
When I was around 16 I decided to leave home and go to the most remote place on earth, an island kingdom called Tonga. I hitch-hiked from Brooklyn to San Pedro (the Los Angeles harbor) to stow away on a ship to Hawaii so I could stow away on a ship to New Zealand so I could get on the twice annual mail boat to Tonga. And start my new life. I got caught hiding in a lifeboat on the first ship before the ship to Hawaii had left San Pedro. Chances are something would have gone wrong sooner or later on that plan.
by Gaius PubliusI had meant to mine the terrific New York Review of Books article, "The Clinton System," for the next few days since it's so rich in detail. For example (my emphasis):
On several occasions during Barack Obama's 2008 campaign, he promised to renegotiate free trade agreements including NAFTA and CAFTA (source).
Hillary Clinton in September 2015 on TPP. That text will soon be released, and Clinton will have a Keystone-like opportunity to improve her standing. Will she take it?
"The game is rigged." Doesn't sound much like a "market" to me. And "capitalism" isn't the word you're looking for either.by Gaius Publius(This is part one of several pieces on what Bernie Sanders can accomplish if elected president. At the end I offer an example of a Sanders-like "What I will never do" speech.
Thom Hartmann on Donald Trump's other strong appeal to Republican voters (hint: Think Ross Perot). People who like Trump for this reason are potential Sanders voters. Mainstream Democratic trade policy, another party problem, is discussed below.by Gaius PubliusSchedule note: This will be the last piece for a few weeks from me. Writing will resume the third week of August.
Bernie Sanders draws nearly 10,000 people in Madison, Wisconsin (source). Click to enlarge; it looks pretty good full size.
