Daily Kos: Scandalous One

If Bernie Sanders Wrests the Nomination From Hillary. I WILL NOT Vote For Him in November.

Scandalous One

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Monday May 23, 2016 · 11:03 AM PDT

2016/05/23 · 11:03

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., participates in a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, April 29, 2015. Sanders will announce his plans to seek the Democratic nomination for president on Thursday, presenting a liberal challenge to Hillary Rodham Clinton. Sanders, an independent who describes himself as a "democratic socialist," will follow a statement with a major campaign kickoff in his home state in several weeks. Two people familiar with his announcement spoke to The Associated Press under condition of anonymity to describe internal planning. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Bernie Sanders has no viable path to the Democratic Nomination. He will not be the nominee.

However, I want this to be clear to some of his most crazed supporters: If Bernie’s goal is to tear down Hillary and override the will of the overwhelming majority of the Democratic base to wrest the nomination from Hillary, he can go screw himself in November because this black man ain't voting for him.

There is a basic law in physics: “For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction”. The fact of the matter is, no candidate running on the Democratic ticket can win without the Democratic base.

If Bernie thinks he can somehow overrule the will of the Democratic base who've soundly rejected him in favor of Hillary, then have us turn around and unite behind in November, he has a another thing coming.

To the #BernieOrBust people, just please bear in mind that two can play that game. I've always said I would support the Democratic nominee no matter who it is given the consequences, but after the seeing the unmitigated bullshit coming out of the Sanders camp coupled with their attempts to save the GOP from certain destruction, I have no choice but to declare:

#HillaryOrBust.

Thank God For Debbie Wasserman Schultz

Scandalous One

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Sunday May 22, 2016 · 1:46 PM PDT

2016/05/22 · 13:46

WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 19: Florida Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) speaks onstage at the Inaugural Youth Ball hosted by OurTime.org on January 19, 2013 in Washington, United States. (Photo by Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images for OurTime.org

I happen to love Debbie and I’m proud to say it. Bernie Sanders is determined to destroy the Democratic Party. She is the only one brave enough to stand up to him.

The overwhelmingly majority of Democrats have rejected Bernie and chosen Hillary. The math speaks for itself.

Bernie is waging a selfish ego-driven war against the Democratic Party because Democratic voters (more than 3 MILLION of them) have soundly rejected him. He refuses to accept that fact. He is trying to scapegoat Debbie for this rejection.

Bernie is so vindictive that he apparently doesn’t mind helping the Republicans just because the Democrats has chosen Hillary over him. This should give you a clear glimpse into his character. He thinks it’s all about him.

Democrats should join Debbie and denounce this ego-driven geriatric bully.

NO means NO.

ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!!!

>>> BREAKING NEWS: I've Found the Perfect VP Pick for Hillary: XAVIER BECERRA!

Scandalous One

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Friday May 13, 2016 · 6:44 PM PDT

2016/05/13 · 18:44

I felt a little under the weather after my fantasy Democratic ticket for November: Clinton-Castro, seemed increasingly unlikely to become reality.

I posted a diary about this, and in comments I keep hearing this name coming up as an alternative: Xavier Becerra.

I never heard of the guy before. I did some quick research and after reading a few articles I realized that I had found what I was looking for.

Becerra is a hidden gem. The perfect VP choice for Hillary.

Here’s some tidbits on his background:

Becerra, who was born and raised in Sacramento and worked on the Capitol staff before getting elected to the Assembly, has served for 24 years in his L.A.-area House seat. He is fourth in the House Democratic leadership, the chair of the House Democratic Caucus and the party’s highest ranking Latino.

...

He’s a familiar figure on Spanish-language television in California, including Univision and Telemundo, as an advocate for immigrants’ rights and as a supporter of Clinton, who wants to strengthen her links to the Latino community. In recent weeks, he has been on the stump on behalf of Clinton, speaking in Spanish as well as English.

…

Becerra, 58, who grew up in South Sacramento, graduated from McClatchy High School, then went on to Stanford University, where he got his BA and law degrees. He was the first in his family to go to college. His parents still live in Sacramento.

When asked about the possibility of been Hillary’s running mate, Becerra had this perfect response:

You work, you prepare so that they want to call your number. You want to show that you earned the chance to have them call your number when it counts the most. The bottom line is, Hillary Clinton will be the quarterback – she’s going to make the call

I would love Elizabeth Warren on the ticket, but I doubt she would accept the VP nod. It doesn’t make sense for her strategically; she could play a far more influential role in the Senate. Julian Castro was a dream of mine but many say he is too young and inexperienced.

I wasn’t even aware of Xavier Becerra until today. From what I’ve learned about him already, I think he is perfect. He is experienced (24 years in Congress!), relatively young, highly educated, skilled politically and hails from one of the most critical voter demographics in the country. I don’t see any cons about this guy.

What do you think?

Julian Castro Out of The Running To Be Hillary's VP Pick?

Scandalous One

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Friday May 13, 2016 · 5:25 PM PDT

2016/05/13 · 17:25

I hope not. I find the prospect of a Clinton-Castro ticket very exciting. I can hardly think of a better dream ticket for Democrats going into November (well perhaps with the exception of Clinton-Warren which is just as exciting). That is why I felt such disappointment when I read this:

(CNN) — Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Julian Castro said Tuesday that, despite all the speculation that he's being considered to be Hillary Clinton's running mate, he hasn't been vetted by the Democratic front-runner's campaign.

Castro, who endorsed Clinton last year, was asked by CNN's Brooke Baldwin if he would accept a spot on Clinton's presidential ticket and replied, "That's not going to happen."

When asked if he had been vetted, or contacted by the Clinton campaign, he said, "I am not ... I haven't heard from anyone."

I hope this is just Castro playing coy with the media and not a definite sign that he is not been considered.

On another note, I hope to God it’s not Tim Kaine. We need a bold VP choice.

Team Hillary Smashes Fundraising Record Using Trump's "Woman Card". $2.4 MILLION Raised!

Scandalous One

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Monday May 02, 2016 · 10:00 PM PDT

2016/05/02 · 22:00

Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump are tightening their grips on the Democratic and Republican presidential nominations.

Deal me in baby 😎

The Huffington Post:

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton raised a record-setting $2.4 million dollars for her presidential campaign during the last three days of April. And she has Donald Trump to thank for it.

...

From April 28-30, more than 115,000 individual donors contributed to Clinton’s presidential campaign. Forty percent of them, or around 47,000, were first-time donors to Clinton’s White House bid.

The flood of donations in response to Trump’s “woman card” comments helped Clinton raise a total of $36 million in April, of which $26.4 million was for use in the presidential primary. Clinton also raised another $9.5 million for the Democratic National Committee and state Democratic parties.

This is another reason why I love Hillary. She is savvy and shrewd politically and very quick on her feet when attacked.

She is exactly the kind of fighter we need going into the general election against the GOP’s Trumpenstein.

Donald Trump Just Made a Bold Move for Bernie Sanders' Supporters

Scandalous One

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Tuesday April 26, 2016 · 7:36 PM PDT

2016/04/26 · 19:36

I’m watching Donald Trump give his ~~free ad courtesy of the media~~ victory speech on television. He said something which caught my attention — no not the usual shock value things that routinely spew from his pie hole. He said something fairly politically savvy and potentially threatening to Democrats if we don’t pay attention and wise up to what he is trying to do.

What he said was along the lines that Bernie Sanders has been treated unfairly by the Democratic Party and that he thinks Bernie should run as an independent. He has repeated this more than once so far in his never ending speech.

It’s obvious he is making a play for Bernie’s passionate supporters who feel that their candidate have been dealt a short hand in the fight for the Democratic Nomination (there is absolutely no evidence of this but that’s another story).

There are so many things that I want to say about this, but I am tired and don’t have the time to write a long in depth diary tonight. I just pray to God that Sanders’ supporters aren’t stupid and selfish enough to fall this type of Trump stunt. The consequences are too dire.

Today Hillary Gets My First Ever Vote In A US Election!

Scandalous One

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Tuesday April 19, 2016 · 7:03 AM PDT

2016/04/19 · 07:03

I am very excited about this vote, so much so that I posted this ringing endorsement of Hillary on my Facebook page:

Today, April 19th, I will be casting my very first vote in a US Election. I will be voting for Hillary Rodham Clinton in the New York State Democratic Primary.

Some people have asked me why I support her. The decision to support Hillary was an easy choice for me, but it was also a well reasoned and carefully considered choice.

There are so many reasons why I support her - too many to list effectively on Facebook.

However here are the top five reasons why I will be voting for her today in the New York Primary, and why I believe you should join me in supporting her:

REASON #1: HILLARY IS SUPREMELY QUALIFIED FOR THE JOB

This is indisputable. Hillary Clinton is one of the most qualified persons ever to run for the presidency of the United States.

With her extensive record of public service from her days as First Lady of Arkansas to more recently as Secretary of State of the United States, Hillary has a deep reservoir of knowledge and experience to draw from to help solve America's most pressing issues. She is exactly the kind of leader we need.

There is no other candidate running who comes anywhere close to her in terms of qualification and experience. Simply none!

REASON #2: REPUBLICANS MUST BE STOPPED!!!

We should never underestimate the destructive potential of Republicans in Government. One only need to look on the disastrous record of George W. Bush to see what Republicans can do when they are in power.

You don't even have to go as far back as the Bush years, look on what Republicans have done more recently in states like Kansas and Louisiana; the type of laws they are pushing in states like Georgia and North Carolina etc to see what they are about.

It is imperative that a Republican be kept out of the White House. Hillary is our best shot at ensuring that. She is an unrelenting fighter who's battled the Republicans for decades. I have faith in her ability to take them on and win.

I have no such faith in Bernie. He is an untested individual at best. He has never had to face anywhere near the level of scrutiny or attacks from the right that Hillary has endured. This election is too consequential to roll the dice with Bernie.

REASON #3: THE SUPREME COURT

The U.S. Supreme Court has incredible power in shaping our experience as Americans. The next President will likely get to appoint 2-3 Supreme Court Justices who will serve a lifetime on the bench. Would you want a Republican to make those appointments?

There are so many important laws protecting our rights as Americans that could be wiped out if a Republican President gets to appoint another partisan right-wing judge like the late Antonin Scalia to the high court.

REASON #4: CEMENTING AND BUILDING ON PRESIDENT OBAMA'S LEGACY

President Obama has done an amazing job as President. Despite the desperate attempts of envious Republicans to delegitimize him and stymie his agenda, he's accomplished a whole lot.

The country was literally falling apart when Bush left office. President Obama has not only managed to clean up George Bush's mess, but the US today is in a very strong position with a booming economy relative to the rest of the world.

The quality of life for millions of Americans have vastly improved under President Obama with the expansion of rights for various disenfranchised groups. These rights could easily be eroded under a Republican President.

We need a President who will cement President Obama's accomplishments and build on his legacy. Hillary is the one candidate who has vowed time and time and again to do that. She stands strongly with the President. We should stand with her.

REASON #5: IT'S TIME FOR A WOMAN PRESIDENT

239 years is long enough to wait. If powerful countries like the U.K. and Germany can have female leaders at various points in their history why can't the United States?

Having taken the giant leap of electing our first African-American President, the time is ripe for America to update the history books again by electing Hillary Rodham Clinton as our first woman President.

I rest my case.

I have her back. Are you with her?

PLEASE Front Pagers Continue Hitting Trump and the Republicans! DON'T LET UP!!!

Scandalous One

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Wednesday March 30, 2016 · 9:14 AM PDT

2016/03/30 · 09:14

Are you fucking kidding me? Are people on Daily Kos seriously complaining about Republicans and their racist-xenophobic-misogynistic short-fingered-vulgarian Frontrunner been attacked?

This is precisely why I come to this site. As a partisan Democrat I find it highly appealing. If the red meat is too much for you, maybe this is not the site for you. As for me and my house I can't get enough of it.

It appears to me there are two large categories of liberals on Daily Kos:

On one hand you have the anti-Democratic Establishment liberals. These people believe the bulk of the Left’s energy and resources should be devoted to taking out their fellow Democrats.

In their world “Corporate” or “neo-liberal" Democrats are as bad as the Republicans if not more so. They have a passion in their belly for ideological purity at any cost. To get this kind of liberal animated, just drop the name of someone like Hillary Clinton. However, when it comes on to taking on the Republicans they are surprisingly gun shy.

These people make up the bulk of Senator Sanders’ campaign. They are the ones attacking the Daily Kos front page for been too anti-Republican (I kid you not).

On the other hand you have the anti-Republican liberals (I am firmly in this camp). These are fierce partisan Democrats who never tire of pounding the right-wing. We know not that not all Democrats are perfectly progressive as we'd like, in fact some of us have strong disagreements with our fellow Democrats, but we are under no illusion who the true enemy is.

Denying Republicans their insatiable lust for power is always near the top of our list. We believe the bulk of the Left's time and resources should be devoted to taking out Republicans. We are all too aware of the extensive and deep damage Republicans can cause in Government.

The overwhelming majority of the anti-Republican liberals support Hillary. Her reputation as a partisan fighter is deeply appealing to us. We love taking heat to the Republicans and we’ll never tire of the Daily Kos front page doing just that.

So my message to the Daily Kos front page is: Keep doing what your doing. DON’T EVER LET UP!

OMG! NYT Commenter Rips The GOP and Their Hero Ronald Reagan Apart In Spectacular Fashion

Scandalous One

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Friday March 25, 2016 · 6:20 PM PDT

2016/03/25 · 18:20

This is one of the most epic comments I’ve ever read anywhere online. It was posted by user soxared040713 over at the New York Times in response to an Op-Ed by David Brooks rationalizing the collapse of his beloved Republican Party.

In this one comment, soxared040713 took down: David Brooks, Ronald Reagan, Donald Trump, The Bushes, Lee Atwater, Karl Rove, Grover Norquist, Dick Cheney, Mitch McConnell, John Boehner, Paul Ryan… all in one fell swoop.

You have to read this comment for yourself to appreciate just how special it is:

soxared040713

Crete, IL From Boston, MA 15 hours ago

Mr. Brooks, I don't know where to begin. It would be impolite for me to tell you that you have lost your mind. Well, I'm willing to be impolite. I sincerely wish that I wasn't limited to 1,500 characters. I've already wasted 227.

Ronald Reagan was evil; he took an axe to the foundation of the American democratic system "government is the problem", a failure, then set about dividing the country by income and race and section. And smirked when while his clueless base looked the other way while his cronies hogged the government trough they so hated.

Mr. Brooks, please recall the unforgettable scene in Alien. Donald Trump, today, is the awful, bloody thing that forced itself out of the GOP's breast. It uncoils from the corpse, snarls and snaps at everyone standing around in horror and scuttles off, leaving a clattering, putrid mess behind. The image is violent. After Reagan, H. W., Lee Atwater, Karl Rove, Grover Norquist, W. and Cheney (and now McConnell, Ryan and the departed Boehner), what on earth did you expect from the wreck?

And how do you get off writing "Trump is loveless. There is no room for reciprocity and love in his worldview." ? No, there isn't nor has there been any in the GOP's since, oh, Richard Nixon (1968).

Mr. Brooks, there will be a post-Trump era because we're still in the Reagan area. The merest child could see through your references to Thomas Kuhn's "model." The GOP's a complete disaster. You were there at its creation and cheered it on. Happy today?

1628Recommend

As you see, it was recommended over 1600 times by NYT readers. It was also selected as a New York Times Pick, which is an honor designated only to the most profound comments.

Someone needs to find soxared040713 and give him/her a medal. This has to be the post of the year!

Yes They DO Hate Him Because He Is Black.

Scandalous One

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Tuesday March 22, 2016 · 12:07 PM PDT

2016/03/22 · 12:07

FILE - In this Jan. 25, 2012, file photo, Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer points during an intense conversation with President Barack Obama after he arrived at Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport, in Mesa, Ariz. In the summer of 2010, race and politics collided when Ari — Former Republican Governor of Arizona, Jan Brewer, pointing her finger in President Obama’s face. This is emblematic of the disrespect that many Republicans have for America’s first African-American President.

As a black American, I feel compelled to rebut this diary by Crashing Vor. While I believe the diarist is well-intentioned and makes a solid argument, I strongly disagree with his/her thesis that racism doesn’t underpin the unprecedented Republican hate against President Obama.

Here’s why I’m saying this:

It’s a given that Republicans will hate a Democratic president. It’s what Republicans do — hate is essentially a virtue on the right. We all saw how they went after Bill Clinton relentlessly, how they trash former President Jimmy Carter and so on. But, there is something significantly different about Republican animus towards Obama — it goes way beyond the regular partisan antagonism.

The difference here is that Republicans have crossed lines with Obama that they have never crossed — or would even entertain crossing — with previous Democratic Presidents (who were all white). From the get-go they rejected his legitimacy. In fact, even today they continue to challenge his legitimacy as President with their unjustifiable blockade of his Supreme Court Nominee.

We all remember Mitch McConnell’s infamous pledge to make him a one term President. The utter disrespect they showed him in his first term (and continue to show him today; though thankfully he doesn’t seem to give a fuck about earning their respect anymore). It’s indisputable that Republicans have treated this President differently than any previous President. It can’t be chalked up to their policy differences with him or the fact that he does his job well and it bothers the Republicans (as Crashing Vor theorizes). It goes much deeper than that — there is definitely something else at play.

To consider how unusual the Republican opposition to Obama, you needn’t look any further than the U.S. Congress. Nothing spells this out more than the debt ceiling fights which were a recurring theme over the last couple years. Raising the debt ceiling (which pays for the bills that Congress itself racked up) has historically been a routine and uncontroversial legislative event under previous Presidents. Suddenly, with the first black President in office, the Republican run Congress turned this routine event into an epic high stakes debacle with the very solvency of the United States and world economy in the balance — all this because they wanted to give Obama the middle finger.

The unconscionable stance of the Republicans in the debt ceiling fights showed the extent of their contempt towards our first African-American President. They were literally willing to destroy the United States just to spite Obama.

There were other unprecedented and equally disgusting acts by Congressional Republicans. Who can forget them actively working to undermine the President’s foreign policy by sending a treasonous letter to a foreign power and secretly inviting a foreign head of state to address Congress against the best interest of the United States?

It’s not a coincidence that no other President in history has had to put up with this type of intransigent obstructionism. It’s not a coincidence that no other President in history has had this happen at one of their State of the Union address to Congress:

YouTube Video

It’s not a coincidence that no other President has had this said about them on national television by a prominent member of the opposing party:

YouTube Video

Add this to the birther crap which they happily propagated at the start of his first term, the unbridled racism that has been directed towards him (and his wife) from the Republican base and you’ll see that race is definitely a factor in all this. To deny this is not only misguided but also unjust.

I know it’s nice to imagine that Republicans are really not the racists that we think they are; that their resentment of Obama is primarily rooted in their ideological differences with him, and the fact that Obama is a political genius who manages to get things done despite their obstruction. However, any fair observation of what has transpired over Obama’s two terms would reveal an undeniable racial component in the way Republicans have approached his presidency.

Racism certainly doesn’t account for all of the Republican opposition to Obama, but to downplay it is a mistake. There is a reason why African-Americans vote overwhelmingly Democratic without wavering. The bulk of the GOP base today are the descendants of the segregationists of yesteryear. I am convinced that Jim Crow would still be legal in America today in some shape or fashion if Republicans have their way. Just look on who they’re about to nominate as their standard bearer.

He Loves Her ❤

Scandalous One

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Thursday March 17, 2016 · 11:53 AM PDT

2016/03/17 · 11:53

Hillary Clinton with Barack Obama at a funeral service for US ambassador Richard Holbrooke on 14 January 2011.

There is nothing sweeter than Democratic love:

In unusually candid remarks, President Obama privately told a group of Democratic donors last Friday that Senator Bernie Sanders is nearing the point where his campaign against Hillary Clinton will come to an end, and that the party must soon come together to back her.