2016 presidential race

Two faces of evil-- pure evil threatening planet earthThe State University of New York at Stony Brook, my alma mater, proposed having a dinner honoring me and one of their major donors, someone who didn't go to the school but who lived a stone's throw from the Long Island campus. I recognized the name. At the time he was the single biggest contributor to Ted Cruz's presidential campaign-- far right crackpot and hedge fund billionaire Robert Mercer.

A portion of the 2016 presidential debates staged by Professors Maria Guadelupe and Joe Salvatore, in which the Trump character is played by a woman, Rachel Whorton (left), and the Clinton character is played by a man, Daryl Embry (right).by Gaius PubliusThe latest outrage from the Republican Wet Dream Team is Trump's withdrawal from the Paris Climate Accord, cheered by almost every Republican in elected federal office. We have seen and will see plenty of commentary on that world-historical event.

Sean McElwee and Jason McDaniel, writing for The Nation this week lean towards the oinkster theory in their data-driven piece, Economic Anxiety Didn't Make People Vote For Trump, Racism Did.

If you thought Hillary and the Clintons and-- more importantly-- whatever hybrid vision of governance they stand for, was going away: surprise! She's back, reminding millions of people what's so horribly wrong with the Democratic Party as to make an Obama voter switch to Trump. She's says it was Comey and Putin and she's got a point but does that adequately explain why her approval ratings were so jaw-droppingly bad all through the election.

You probably remember that about a week ago a new poll was released by the Washington Post and ABC News showing that, although 62% of voters feel the Republican Party is out of touch with the concerns of most people, 67% felt the same way about Democrats!

I haven't read Jonathan Allen's and Amie Parnes' book, Shattered: Inside Hillary Clinton’s Doomed Campaign and I can't imagine a circumstance where I ever would. Terrible candidate, half the country had learned to loath loses to semi-human baboon... not something I want to spend my precious time reading about it.

-by Dorothy ReikI had heard Hedges speak several times before but this time I was on a mission. I wanted to get him to support Bernie Sanders. I even paid extra to get into the reception after his talk. But no go. He sneered. He called Bernie a sellout, said Bernie would endorse Clinton. “ The Democratic Party is a full partner in the corporate state.

In his column yesterday, Paul Krugman wrote that not only is Trump "the least qualified individual, temperamentally or intellectually, ever installed in the White House," but that "the broader Republican quagmire-- the party’s failure so far to make significant progress toward any of its policy promises-- isn’t just about Mr.

It's easy to look at Republicans, especially Trumpists, and their information sources-- Fox, Hate Talk Radio, Breitbart...-- and dismiss them as ignorant morons incapable of abstract thought. Remember, abstract thought doesn't come easy to folks with IQs of less than 100-- and half the population, by definition, has 2-digit IQs. If you want to be honest, though, not everyone lacing the ability for critical thinking is a Trumpist...

The DNC charter says a new chairman has to be elected before March 1st. Saturday is as close to the deadline as they could have gotten. It's been a long race, primarily between the progressive wing represented by Keith Ellison and the status quo establishment wing represented by Tom Perez. Obama has been quietly making calls on Perez's behalf. The energy of the Resistance in fully behind Ellison.This week New Hampshire Democratic Chairman Ray Buckley-- also the chairman of the Democratic chairmen organization-- dropped out of the race and, significantly, endorsed Ellison.