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BS: American Presidential race 2024
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Subject: RE: BS: American Presidential race 2024 From: robomatic Date: 06 Aug 24 - 11:38 AM I have to admit to being unaware of Tim Walz till now. Just went over the New York Times background info which was somewhat helpful though not definitive. I have one big issue: According to the Times, he does not drink coffee, but Diet Mountain Dew. I won't go into how far from myself that is, but it's pretty far, still, big tent and all that, eh? It is one of the major political events that will affect our lives going forward, so it says a lot for Harris, though right now, can's say what. Fingers crossed. Also toes, various hairs, and my earlobes are tryin'. |
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Subject: RE: BS: American Presidential race 2024 From: Dave the Gnome Date: 06 Aug 24 - 11:50 AM Any views on Tim Walz from those in the know? A lot of my faviurite tunes are waltzes but I don't think that counts for anything :-) |
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Subject: RE: BS: American Presidential race 2024 From: robomatic Date: 06 Aug 24 - 12:08 PM I thought Hilary's choice, another Tim, I believe, was fantastic, and Pence made short work of him! |
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Subject: RE: BS: American Presidential race 2024 From: Helen Date: 06 Aug 24 - 12:21 PM Well said, Charmion! I agree that the only poll which matters and which will make a difference is the election. |
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Subject: RE: BS: American Presidential race 2024 From: gillymor Date: 06 Aug 24 - 12:30 PM I think Walz is a brilliant pick, a liberal, progressive Midwest governor who's pro-choice and who reportedly has a strong internet presence. The Daily Beast has a profile. |
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Subject: RE: BS: American Presidential race 2024 From: Backwoodsman Date: 06 Aug 24 - 12:57 PM Thanks for the link, Gilly. Walz sounds like my kinda guy - fingers crossed that he and KH appeal to a significant number of ‘floating’ voters, and they can put that weird, near-octogenarian back in his box for good. |
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Subject: RE: BS: American Presidential race 2024 From: Helen Date: 06 Aug 24 - 01:42 PM From the last paragraph in that link posted by gillymor, I read this article about JD Vance. The journalist makes some interesting points about Vance's claim of being of hillbilly stock: I Grew Up in Appalachia Too. J.D. Vance Is a Hillbilly Phony |
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Subject: RE: BS: American Presidential race 2024 From: Bill D Date: 06 Aug 24 - 03:12 PM I watched a couple of interviews with Walz. He was exceptionally well-spoken and coherent on several topics. I sure hope someone secures a debate between him and JD Vance. |
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Subject: RE: BS: American Presidential race 2024 From: Stilly River Sage Date: 06 Aug 24 - 04:10 PM The most I've heard about him recently were lots of sound bytes of his calling the Trump campaign "weird." We need more than name calling, but it sounds like there will be more quality content coming. And of course the Trump folks are already doing their name-calling. |
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Subject: RE: BS: American Presidential race 2024 From: Stilly River Sage Date: 06 Aug 24 - 07:03 PM Get to know Tim Walz |
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Subject: RE: BS: American Presidential race 2024 From: Neil D Date: 06 Aug 24 - 10:51 PM Thanks for the link SRS. I was aware of his policies and achievements as governor. He's on my side on most issues. I didn't realize how personable and downright funny he is. I loved this interchange with his daughter: Tim - After that we'll get corndogs. Hope- I'm vegetarian. Tim - Turkey then. hope - Turkey's meat. Tim - Not in Minnesota. Turkey is special. VOTE BLUE! |
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Subject: RE: BS: American Presidential race 2024 From: Doug Chadwick Date: 07 Aug 24 - 05:50 AM Imagine no possessions I wonder if you can Written by a man who lived in the penthouse of New York's exclusive Dakota Apartments and owned multiple other apartments in the same building, some used just for storage. The rich will always have the power. It costs a lot to get elected as President and those in the running will take funding from wherever they can get it, so long as the donors broadly fit their political stance. DC The complete (and irrelevant) lyrics to John Lennon's Imagine were removed from a post above this one, but this topical response is staying. ---mudelf |
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Subject: RE: BS: American Presidential race 2024 From: Backwoodsman Date: 07 Aug 24 - 08:40 AM Right on the button, Doug! Thanks for injecting a modicum of realism into recent posts. |
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Subject: RE: BS: American Presidential race 2024 From: Stilly River Sage Date: 07 Aug 24 - 11:17 AM Walz (pronounced Walls) has hit the ground running and the talking heads observed that he wasn't nervous or flustered about his first huge national stage event. Harris was told that she could win with any of the three candidates she narrowed it down to, but these two hit it off right away and that goes a long way to planning to work with someone for at least the next four, possibly eight years. During his time in the US House Walz received contributions from the National Rifle Association, but he donated the amount of money that he'd originally received to charities that supported gun rights, and when in his state the alignment was perfect, two years into his first term, (with the house and senate all Democratic) he passed gun background checks, codified the right to abortion, made free breakfast and lunch available to school children, passed a child tax credit, and when the awful event of the George Floyd murder happened he removed the prosecutor in that district and replaced him with someone who would try the case. He has made a good start. |
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Subject: RE: BS: American Presidential race 2024 From: Backwoodsman Date: 07 Aug 24 - 11:46 AM I only heard a short section from his speech that was shown on BBC News today, but it confirmed what I’d gathered from the piece I read about him - that he’s my kinda guy (metaphorically-speaking of course), he holds views I can agree with, and he will be a tough nut for the Trump gang to crack. I think Harris/Walz will make a great team. I’m beginning to feel more positive about the possibility of a Democrat President being elected in November. |
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Subject: RE: BS: American Presidential race 2024 From: robomatic Date: 07 Aug 24 - 12:27 PM Let's be optimistic and return to: DemocratIC |
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Subject: RE: BS: American Presidential race 2024 From: Backwoodsman Date: 07 Aug 24 - 12:36 PM Amen to that, Robo! |
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Subject: RE: BS: American Presidential race 2024 From: Helen Date: 07 Aug 24 - 02:47 PM The other thing I noticed from their first time on stage together, they both had big beautiful smiles on their faces, laughed about some things, were serious about other things, seemed to have a positive outlook on their political aims, and talked about policies in a positive way. Compare that to the usual, no smiling, no laughing, bear-with-a sore-head, man-with-a-grudge Trump (and Vance) performances and I know which side I would pick if I could vote. |
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Subject: RE: BS: American Presidential race 2024 From: Neil D Date: 07 Aug 24 - 07:23 PM I wish you could vote too Helen. Now that I think about it, because the US President has such an enormous impact on the global weal, maybe the rest of the world should have a say in our election. The problem with that is that populous dictatorships like Russia and China would have an undue influence. I'm happy with Walz as VP. He is solidly liberal on all the issues and can connect with people of all ages from seniors to children. I originally liked Shapiro because I felt he could deliver Pennsylvania, which could be THE Swing state this year. But it was becoming apparent that he could split the party over the one issue that could divide Democrats, Palestine. After that I wanted Mark Kelly. After all who would vote against an astronaut. But I do think Walz will complement Harris better than the rest of the pack. |
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Subject: RE: BS: American Presidential race 2024 From: Stilly River Sage Date: 07 Aug 24 - 09:07 PM With a paper-thin majority in the senate, Mark Kelly is in an important position and we can't be sure another Democrat from Arizona would fill his seat for the remainder of his term. The reason Cooper of North Carolina declined to be in the consideration is because if he left his state might be subject to the wacko world of a Trumper Lieutenant-Governor. Trump and his ilk are busy attacking Walz' military record, busy trying to tear down everything. They aren't working to promote good causes their own side supports because there aren't any. |
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Subject: RE: BS: American Presidential race 2024 From: Neil D Date: 08 Aug 24 - 04:15 AM Good point about Kelly being too important as senator from AZ to give that up to run for Veep. I hadn't considered that before but should have. It makes perfect sense. |
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Subject: RE: BS: American Presidential race 2024 From: Backwoodsman Date: 08 Aug 24 - 11:37 AM ”Walz was prepared to serve in Iraq” Source? According to this account Walz left the Army National Guard to pursue his political career in May 2005, two months prior to his unit being put on notice to deploy to Iraq. No suggestion there that he was ‘prepared to serve in Iraq’, rather the opposite - that he was more interested in a career in politics. Of course, in true Trumper tradition, JD ‘Hillbilly’ Vance tried to make capital from Walz’s choice. The posts this responds to have been removed and that party is taking a well-deserved time out. Now to clean up other messes he made. . . ---mudelf |
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Subject: RE: BS: American Presidential race 2024 From: Thompson Date: 08 Aug 24 - 11:49 AM I'm for anyone who'll give schoolkids free school breakfasts and lunches. Large numbers of children in every country go to school either unfed or having eaten something that's not going to keep them alert and intelligent. School meals - nourishing food planned by nutritionists and chefs - are the most important thing we can do to have an educated populace. Here's how they do it in France, by the way. |
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Subject: RE: BS: American Presidential race 2024 From: Stilly River Sage Date: 08 Aug 24 - 12:03 PM Nothing happens quickly in the US Government, and in the military, it is even slower. My ex was a civilian employee in personnel management in the Army and had to apply to retire three months ahead of his proposed retirement. And if you don't leave on the date you said you would, all of that paperwork is tossed and you start all over again. Trump and Vance have nothing to offer so they are spending their time attacking the Democrats. I heard a recent proposal Trump is trying to float to bring in more votes, so here's the back story: back in the Reagan administration, when he said government was the problem and talked about "welfare queens" he also struck a nasty blow against retirees and started taxing Social Security benefits. That has always been a sore point, because it is benefits we paid into and is being taxed as wages. Trump suggested he would remove the tax from social security - if that gets traction then the Democratic answer should be that this has always been on their radar and would happen regardless of who wins the election. |
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Subject: RE: BS: American Presidential race 2024 From: Bill D Date: 08 Aug 24 - 01:29 PM Trump is now awkwardly trying to stage some 'debate' in some venue that he feels vaguely safe in. I'm wondering if he'll finally make up some excuse to back out totally. |
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Subject: RE: BS: American Presidential race 2024 From: Bill D Date: 08 Aug 24 - 02:44 PM Now he's live as I type, having suggested 3 dates in Sept. when he claims he'd debate... he's now just doing a stream of consciousness ramble, repeating most of the absurd things he's said in the past, including nonsense about his crowds being larger than anyone else. Any one who takes him seriously is crazier than he is. |
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Subject: RE: BS: American Presidential race 2024 From: Dave the Gnome Date: 08 Aug 24 - 03:23 PM Sadly Bill, like the right wing nutters here in the UK, too many of them exist and they are annoyingly vociferous:-( Hopefully, again like here, the normal, sensible majority will prevail. Just watch out for riots sparked by Musk's right wing enablers. |
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Subject: RE: BS: American Presidential race 2024 From: Stilly River Sage Date: 08 Aug 24 - 05:21 PM What on earth could people have been thinking when they forced Musk to buy Twitter. It not only destroyed a good forum, it turned it into ground zero for conspiracy stuff and Musk should never be posting there. To the former owners of Twitter - I hope you invested your take from that "sale" well. You lined your pockets at the expense of the world - literally. I saw a little of the Trump thing - MSNBC gritted it's teeth and played the whole thing, but I couldn't keep watching. Talk about nails on a chalkboard - Trump is awful. Simply awful. |
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Subject: RE: BS: American Presidential race 2024 From: Neil D Date: 09 Aug 24 - 12:23 AM SRS, I'd like to return to something you said a couple days ago: With a paper-thin majority in the senate, Mark Kelly is in an important position and we can't be sure another Democrat from Arizona would fill his seat for the remainder of his term. I wonder if you could give a bit more detail about why that would be. I thought the governor, a democrat in this case, would be the one to appoint his replacement if Kelly left the senate. |
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Subject: RE: BS: American Presidential race 2024 From: Bill D Date: 09 Aug 24 - 10:36 AM "- MSNBC gritted it's teeth and played the whole thing," And Lawrence O'Donnell spent the first part of his show last night taking all networks to task for blindly covering the thing, and particularly hard on the *journalists* for asking stupid and irrelevant questions. Since this thing was held at Mar-A-Lago, we don't know who got to ask questions or what the criteria were for being allowed in! Trump's adventures are being treated as like a huge traffic pile up that they can't resist gawking at, if only to marvel at how many lies he told. |
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Subject: RE: BS: American Presidential race 2024 From: Stilly River Sage Date: 09 Aug 24 - 12:01 PM Neil D, you're correct. I forgot, last year Arizona installed a Democratic governor elected in 2022. She got in on a very thin margin also, if I recall the commentary correctly. Brewer was so awful when she was in she left a big imprint as far as general state politics. She and Ducey seem to have supported the Sheriff (Joe Arpaio) who behaved so badly that he had an over-large position in Arizona politics. McSally (R) was appointed to fill the end of McCain's term, then Kelly beat her (there was some great editorial cartooning comparing the two - McSally in her fighter jet and Kelly in the much larger Space Shuttle passing over the top of her.) Looking at the state history they do go back and forth between the parties with reliable regularity. Bill, you're correct. That trainwreck of the "news conference" by Trump didn't need to be dignified with full coverage. |
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Subject: RE: BS: American Presidential race 2024 From: Helen Date: 10 Aug 24 - 03:58 AM Funny! My Hubby sent me something he saw on a forum: Someone saw a bumper sticker in the US which said. "Pray for Trump Psalm 109:8" and the person looked up the relevant Psalm which says, "Psalm 109:8 Let his days be few and brief; and let others step forward to replace him". The person's response was, "At last - I can voice a Biblical prayer for our President". (Maybe this was actually back when he was President.) That says it all, in my opinion! And it is cleverly disguised as a supposedly supportive message for Trump. Bring it on! Let the games begin! LOL |
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Subject: RE: BS: American Presidential race 2024 From: The Sandman Date: 10 Aug 24 - 04:58 AM Was, MUSK forced to buy twitter?
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Subject: RE: BS: American Presidential race 2024 From: Backwoodsman Date: 10 Aug 24 - 06:33 AM He made an offer which was accepted by Twitter, but he then tried to back out. Twitter's owners sued him and the court decided he had to go through with the deal. |
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Subject: RE: BS: American Presidential race 2024 From: Stilly River Sage Date: 11 Aug 24 - 11:21 AM Trump's campaign is complaining that they were hacked and are blaming the Iranians. Well, it wouldn't be Putin's Russia this time. Anyway, apparently stuff has been shared that the campaign was concealing. According to the Daily Beast it is Trump’s 270-Page Dossier of JD Vance’s ‘Vulnerabilities’ Hacked by Iran The Trump campaign announced it had been hacked by “foreign sources” that leaked internal documents to news organizations. Iran is the prime suspect. What you didn't hear this year was anyone in the Harris campaign challenging foreign actors to dig up stuff on the opposition. In 2016 Russia hacked the Clinton site right after Trump asked them to. The odd thing about the Trump claim appears in this tidbit: The Trump campaign accused Iran of a hack-and-leak operation Saturday, after a 270-page dossier of JD Vance’s “vulnerabilities” was sent to at least two news organizations. The irony is stunning, isn't it? Shoe is on the other foot now. Trump stopped the nuclear treaty with Iran, something that John Kerry had worked long and hard to set up during the Obama administration. Trump set them up to expand their nuclear program now, resulting in sanctions against Iran in this administration for the behavior. Trump is not necessarily their friend, but I doubt he's going after them, either. Regardless of that, it is out there after someone hacked it. A little more detail from the Daily Beast (not the best source, but not behind a paywall so most readers of this thread can go to the original link): He went on: “On Friday, a new report from Microsoft found that Iranian hackers broke into the account of a ‘high ranking official’ on the U.S. presidential campaign in June 2024, which coincides with the close timing of President Trump’s selection of a vice presidential nominee.” |
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Subject: RE: BS: American Presidential race 2024 From: Helen Date: 11 Aug 24 - 02:09 PM The shoe is on the other foot, and I suspect there will be a lot more shoes, and he'll need a lot more feet before this is over. He is acting as the victim when he is targeted but he acts justified when he is the perpetrator. JD Vance is not going to be happy either, having his dirty laundry aired in public. Also 270 pages of vulnerabilities identified, not by his opponents but by his own allies, that must be really galling. |
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Subject: RE: BS: American Presidential race 2024 From: Backwoodsman Date: 12 Aug 24 - 05:05 AM Perhaps (and this is just a wild guess on my part, and far from being an informed opinion) the 'reasonable and decent' arm of the GOP are coming to their senses and beginning to be ready to accept another term of Democrat Presidency in preference to the double-horror-story of Trump and Hillbilly Vance in the White House. Maybe? Just maybe? Miracles have been known to happen... |
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Subject: RE: BS: American Presidential race 2024 From: The Sandman Date: 12 Aug 24 - 10:53 AM https://trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov/trump-administration-accomplishments/ I am not a trump or harris supporter, but these apprently were his achievements |
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Subject: RE: BS: American Presidential race 2024 From: Stilly River Sage Date: 12 Aug 24 - 11:28 AM Dick, that is an archival page WRITTEN BY TRUMP FOLKS, left behind and stored by archivists ONLY because it was a document written during the administration. It is less than meaningless. It's a list, and it's also inaccurate. Did you actually look at any of the things on it? I thought not. |
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Subject: RE: BS: American Presidential race 2024 From: The Sandman Date: 12 Aug 24 - 11:34 AM https://www.whitehouse.gov/therecord/AND HERE IS THE BIDEN HARRIS RECORD |
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Subject: RE: BS: American Presidential race 2024 From: Stilly River Sage Date: 12 Aug 24 - 11:49 AM Trump falsely claims Harris rally in Michigan had no crowd. Trump is all about size - bigger, better, longer, taller, richer. And when it is not working in his favor, he lies about it. ‘Most progressive governor in the country’: Former governor on Walz - a former Minnesota governor (R) says Walz and Harris are most progressive folks out there, but as the interviewer points out, recent polls say otherwise. The whole goal is to define your own campaigns, not let the opposition define it for you. Lists don't help. |
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Subject: RE: BS: American Presidential race 2024 From: gillymor Date: 12 Aug 24 - 11:51 AM If Trump accomplished anything as president it is negated many times over by the many corrupt and criminal acts he perpetrated during his time in office and during his 2016 campaign. It's hard for me imagine that any rational and moral person would even consider voting for him. |
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Subject: RE: BS: American Presidential race 2024 From: gillymor Date: 13 Aug 24 - 07:15 AM "______ you are not impartial, who wrote the biden harris record" Correct me if I'm wrong but didn't you post both lists and didn't the person you accused of being partial post the remark "lists don't help." Mind boggling. |
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Subject: RE: BS: American Presidential race 2024 From: Backwoodsman Date: 13 Aug 24 - 09:16 AM I don’t believe SRS has ever claimed to be ‘impartial’. She’s not an idiot either. |
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Subject: RE: BS: American Presidential race 2024 From: Charmion Date: 13 Aug 24 - 11:25 AM Today, as usual, I feel like a chorister sitting through a sermon -- by which I mean that all the media sources I find most easily seem to echo my own knee-jerk opinions. There must be disinterested sources in English, but I have yet to find them, and the few "conservative" sources I know are offensive in so many ways that I don't want the various algorithms to associate them with me. I have no vote, of course, being Canadian, but US politics affect us so profoundly that I can't look away without feeling foolish. Pierre Trudeau's metaphor of the mouse trying to sleep with the elephant was nothing but unvarnished truth, and our relationships are far more entangled now, more than 50 years on. My natural inclination is to recoil from the current Republican program and candidates as I would from toxic sludge. But many centre-left US ideological shibboleths strike me as strange to ridiculous -- e.g., why the hell not socialized medicine? -- so the Democrats do things that I see as downright odd. Staying with health care, for example, President Obama's obeisance to the insurance industry in the drafting of the Affordable Care Act amazed me then, and puzzles me to this day. I believe that Trump would be completely unelectable in Canada, but this country has repeatedly elected the likes of William "Bible Bill" Aberhardt and Maurice Duplessis, so I could be wrong. J.D. Vance has clear analogues on this side of the border, including Stephen Harper (no longer in politics, thank God) and going on with Pierre Poilievre, who gives me the creeps. The constant crystal-gazing and sloganeering that passes for journalism these days just makes me tired. |
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Subject: RE: BS: American Presidential race 2024 From: Stilly River Sage Date: 13 Aug 24 - 12:11 PM The insurance industry was going to be cut out of the health care operation back when Hillary was the first lady with the assignment of working on a health plan during Bill's administration. The insurance companies jumped all over them, putting up horrible ads (and I think they started some of the "death panel" stuff around then.) They kept protesting that she wasn't elected co-president, or elected at all (as if cabinet members were elected?) Hillary had to back off, and I think the Obama folks took the message. Until Citizens United is overturned and the huge dollars are removed from politics, we will be facing a glut of smear advertising from the industries whose oxen will be gored. Elizabeth Warren needs to make the case fast if there is a triple Democratic house, senate, and presidency. That and another of investment practices (stock buybacks) need to be illegal again so the big dollars don't go back so much to the CEOs and stockholders as huge dividends. Dick has entered one of his manic phases where he is trying to destroy conversations and is starting nonsense threads all over. A toddler on a sugar high. It's this behavior that got him completely kicked out of Mudcat before and it can happen again. I refuse to read his PMs so this is the only place he's going to get that message. Stop the crap or you're completely out. Again. And maybe the person who let you back in last time will remember why we all thought you needed to go. Dick, your musical contributions aren't worth it when you make all of the trouble everywhere else. |
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Subject: RE: BS: American Presidential race 2024 From: Neil D Date: 13 Aug 24 - 01:23 PM Charmion, you said " President Obama's obeisance to the insurance industry in the drafting of the Affordable Care Act amazed me then, and puzzles me to this day." Remember, presidents don't write bills, congress does. Presidents can state what they want and with a majority in both houses, which Democrats had at the time, he generally gets it. The problem was a handful of what was called Blue Dog Democrats. These were Democratic senators from red states (states that trend to vote Republican). The rationale is that if they seem to be too liberal it will be hard to get re-elected in those states. That was the excuse anyway but dig into it a bit and you will find that all of the so-called Blue Dogs had also taken at least a million dollars in contributions from insurance companies, large medical corporations and drug companies. It took nearly a year to hash out the Affordable Care Act and the infighting was between Democrats. The Repubs wanted no healthcare bill at all so they sat on the sidelines throwing brickbats. I remember a catch phrase from the moderates in the party that were becoming increasingly desperate to get a bill, any bill passed: Don't let the great get in the way of the good. We ended up with the mediocre. |
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Subject: RE: BS: American Presidential race 2024 From: MaJoC the Filk Date: 13 Aug 24 - 02:00 PM > That trainwreck of the "news conference" by Trump > didn't need to be dignified with full coverage. *Disagree*. Had the channels edited it, either they would have made Tr*mp look good by straining out the blethers, or Tr*mp could have accused them of censorship. Quite likely both at once. |
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Subject: RE: BS: American Presidential race 2024 From: Stilly River Sage Date: 13 Aug 24 - 02:22 PM That "news conference" was set up at his house in such a way that no one could hear the questions reporters asked so he said what he wanted and ignored the softball questions that were asked. It wasn't a real news conference. |
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Subject: RE: BS: American Presidential race 2024 From: Charmion Date: 13 Aug 24 - 04:45 PM NeilD, I understand what you're telling me. That's a scenario that could literally never happen in the Canadian parliamentary system, where the Senate is primarily an advisory and review body. What the Commons wants badly enough the Commons gets, and the governing party (headed by the Prime Minister) drives the Commons. Canada's public health system was carefully designed to cover hospital costs and physicians' services (the largest wallet-drainers in 1965, when the original legislation was enacted), leaving all other medical costs -- including stand-alone clinic services, home care, dentistry and drugs -- for the insurance industry to feast on. The doctors screamed bloody murder and even went out on strike (for a while), but the insurance industry smiled beatifically and accepted a deal that would benefit them as accepting "points" instead of a salary benefits the star of a hit movie. As for Mr T, I'm well beyond saturation point. The very sound of his fatuous voice and the look of his smug face make me feel rather ill. Mr Walz has the stage presence of a Broadway diva, and his track record in Minnesota looks impressive. Ms Harris's shoes make my feet hurt at long distance, but she knows how to work a crowd. And the pair of them are fun to watch -- a big advantage at this point. I note that the Harris-Walz poll numbers have now surpassed those of The Other People by more than the margin of error. |