US Presidential Contenders

[E_T]

Somebody wake me up from this nightmare!!

[Rusty Edge]

Today's news from the Johnson campaign was problematic.

Rather than try to untwist the spin, here are Gary's own words from a clip-

 http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=gary+johnson+aleppo+youtube&view=detail&mid=3B5C30066AFF1587F33F3B5C30066AFF1587F33F&FORM=VIRE

and from his facebook page.-

This morning, I began my day by setting aside any doubt that I’m human. Yes, I understand the dynamics of the Syrian conflict -- I talk about them every day. But hit with “What about Aleppo?”, I immediately was thinking about an acronym, not the Syrian conflict. I blanked. It happens, and it will happen again during the course of this campaign.

Can I name every city in Syria? No. Should I have identified Aleppo? Yes. Do I understand its significance? Yes.

As Governor, there were many things I didn’t know off the top of my head. But I succeeded by surrounding myself with the right people, getting to the bottom of important issues, and making principled decisions. It worked. That is what a President must do.

That would begin, clearly, with daily security briefings that, to me, will be fundamental to the job of being President


_________________

If nothing else, he finally made the nightly news as a presidential candidate.

[Rusty Edge]

/]http://time.com/4480945/isis-donald-[Sleezebag]/

Ideas National Security

Why ISIS Supports Donald [Sleezebag]
Matt Olsen
  Sept. 7, 2016 Updated: Sept. 8, 2016 9:31 AM ET

Matt Olsen is the former head of the National Counterterrorism Center

'Hillary Clinton is the clear choice for national security'

Hillary Clinton and Donald [Sleezebag] took the same stage for the first time on Wednesday to address crucial questions about national security and combatting terrorism in a “Commander-in-Chief Forum” on NBC. Voters tuned in to evaluate which candidate has the temperament, experience and vision to be America’s next Commander-in-Chief.

But they weren’t the only ones who were watching. In recent months, ISIS has made clear that it’s closely following this election, too—and it has chosen a candidate. Interviews with ISIS members and analysis of social media, including in a recent Foreign Affairs article by Mara Revkin and Ahmad Mhidi, make it clear: “ISIS is rooting for [Sleezebag].”

This year, ISIS isn’t simply a passive observer of American politics. Since the group’s rapid rise in 2014, ISIS has established a far-reaching, sophisticated propaganda machine. Its members rely on social media to shape public opinion, recruit new members and mobilize followers to carry out attacks. Now, some of them are using those channels to advocate for [Sleezebag]. In August, one ISIS spokesman wrote: “I ask Allah to deliver America to [Sleezebag].” Another supporter declared: “The ‘facilitation’ of [Sleezebag]’s arrival in the White House must be a priority for jihadists at any cost!!!” ISIS is working to drum up support for the candidate it has called “the perfect enemy.”

That may come as a surprise to some. After all, [Sleezebag] has spent this election season making a series of combative and bellicose comments on terrorism—from his pledge to kill the families of terrorists, his plans bring back torture of suspected terrorists and his call to ban all Muslims from entering the United States. But the truth is, [Sleezebag]’s statements and extreme policies aren’t just contrary to our values—they play right into the hands of ISIS.

[Sleezebag]’s anti-Muslim proposals are likely to inspire and radicalize more violent jihadists in the U.S. and Europe. Specifically, his calls for a ban on Muslims visiting our country and for blanket spying on mosques reinforce ISIS’s view that the U.S. is hostile to all Muslims. As a former ISIS fighter told Revkin and Mhidi: “When [Sleezebag] says hateful things about Muslims, it proves that jihadists are right to fight against the West, because the West is against Islam.” As a result, his ideas fuel the group’s efforts to radicalize and mobilize its followers to take action. In fact, [Sleezebag] himself has been featured in ISIS propaganda videos following the Brussels attack and the Orlando massacre.

[Sleezebag]’s statements also serve to isolate and alienate the same Muslim Americans who must be our partners in this fight. They’re often on the front lines against ISIS in its effort to radicalize those who are disaffected or otherwise susceptible to its hateful message. And they are in the best position to recognize the signs of radicalization and to intervene before it’s too late. Marginalizing these Americans sows distrust of the government and law enforcement, and makes it more difficult to identify and disrupt attacks. Terrorist groups around the world are eager to capitalize on this opportunity: the al-Qaeda group in East Africa released a video quoting [Sleezebag] to convince American Muslims to join the group because they are not welcome in their own country.

Further, [Sleezebag]’s comments undermine our counterterrorism efforts around the world. By demonizing Muslims, he feeds ISIS’s narrative that the U.S. is at war with Islam. As one ISIS defector interviewed by Revkin and Mhidi said: “We were happy when [Sleezebag] said bad things about Muslims because he makes it very clear that there are two teams in this battle: the Islamic team and the anti-Islamic team.” He also risks alienating our allies in the Middle East and North Africa. These nations are our essential partners in the fight against terrorism, and we depend on the cooperation of their military, intelligence and law enforcement services. [Sleezebag] does not seem to grasp the importance of working with our allies to combat terrorism. This is not a threat we can defeat alone—and his comments disparaging our allies, and threats to walk away from them, undermine our efforts to build and foster these critical partnerships.

The bottom line is this: [Sleezebag]’s erratic and belligerent slogans are no substitute for policies based on facts and sound judgment.

That’s why, in my view, Hillary Clinton is the clear choice for national security. In contrast to [Sleezebag], Clinton has drawn on her years of experience to set out a pragmatic and detailed strategy to defeat ISIS. She has identified specific steps the United States should take both overseas and at home. Clinton rejects politics of fear and divisiveness and calls on Americans to stand resolutely together and to build alliances abroad in this struggle. Fundamentally, she recognizes that American values of freedom, tolerance and the rule of law are strengths—not vulnerabilities—in the fight against terrorism.

As Americans consider who should be our next Commander-in-Chief, they’ll face perhaps the starkest contrast in generations—between a candidate whose uninformed and reckless statements on ISIS have already helped our adversaries, and a candidate whose approach reflects her deep experience, determined leadership and unbending belief in the power of American values. The results will have a sweeping impact on our security—and the world will be watching.

[Rusty Edge]

GLEANINGS-

* Hillary did hold a press conference at long last. It was on the runway in front of her plane, so I assume it was only the reporters who travel with her. Mostly she read a long statement about [Sleezebag], national security and last night's town hall. There were no questions about her health, the Clinton Foundation, e-mails, or campaign finance.

* Jill Stein and her VP are wanted for graffiti/vandalism in connection with the Dakota pipeline protest.

* Evan McMullen has challenged Johnson and Stein to an undercard debate. He is only concentrating on winning Utah and Minnesota, and has only succeeded in getting on 10 state ballots so far.

* Johnson is on every ballot now, except Rhode Island, which seems to be slow processing the paperwork.

[Rusty Edge]

Yesterday The nightly news was making Gary Johnson look kinda stupid.

Tonight, with the news of a Syrian cease-fire and a North Korean nuclear test Gary's looking like a foreign policy genius to me, but I'm informed with regard to Gary Johnson, and the nightly network news has been ignoring him.

Here's the background information-

*NORTH KOREA- An article at reason.com http://reason.com/.../libertarian-gary-johnson-clarifies... on June 3rd elaborated on a position Gary took at the 2016 Libertarian Convention. on Memorial Day weekend - ""The greatest threat in the world is North Korea," he said at the debate. "At some point Kim will have intercontinental ballistic missiles that work. How about engaging China" to say "let's do something about North Korea, let's do something about Kim, unify the Koreas and be able to withdraw the 40,000 troops in South Korea." What he really meant, Johnson said, was "we need to ally with China, they recognize how rogue North Korea is" and convince them via diplomacy and negotiation to realize "it is in their best interest to" deal with their own regional threat on their own. "It was a message of persuading China through diplomacy to deal with what is a regional crisis."

As USA today said today, China won't halt North Korea's nuclear program until it becomes a top priority for the USA.

*SYRIA- In yesterday's Morning Joe interview Gary's answer to the problem included this-

JOHNSON: Well, with regard to Syria, I do think that it’s a mess. I think that the only way that we deal with Syria is to join hands with Russia to diplomatically bring that at an end. But when we’ve aligned ourselves with — when we’ve supported the opposition of the Free Syrian Army — the Free Syrian Army is also coupled with the Islamists.

And then the fact that we’re also supporting the Kurds and this is — it’s just — it’s just a mess. And that this is the result of regime change that we end up supporting. And, inevitably, these regime changes have led a less-safe world.

GEIST: So alliance with Russia is the solution to Syria. Do you think Vladimir Putin and Russia are good and a reliable partner?

JOHNSON: Well, I think diplomatically that that is the — that that has to be the solution, is joining hands with Russia to bring — to bring this civil war to an end.

The CNN Headline from minutes ago-"Kerry announces US-Russia deal on Syrian ceasefire"

[Rusty Edge]

FOX and CNN were carrying a [Sleezebag] speech today while I was running errands. He was championing "Religious Liberty" to a very receptive audience. Now when Ted Cruz uses the term, it seems to be a "dog whistle" for Christian Supremacy and America as a Christian Nation, rather than a "all creeds are equal under the law" approach. When Libertarians ask Gary Johnson about "Religious Liberty" it's about being able to discriminate against all heathens & heretics in their places of business.

 I don't know what [Sleezebag] is implying, or if he is simply saying it to play to the audience without caring what it means o them, but I think it's a hard position to square with [Sleezebag]'s convention stance of speaking up for "LGBTQ people"

[Rusty Edge]

-ballot-227954]http://www.politico.com/story/2016/09/minnesota-democrats-no-[Sleezebag]-ballot-227954

Minnesota Democrats move to kick [Sleezebag] off ballot
By Daniel Strauss
09/09/16 12:33 PM EDT

Minnesota Democrats are taking steps to kick Donald [Sleezebag] off the state's ballot, arguing that the Minnesota Republican Party improperly put [Sleezebag]'s name on there.

Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party Chairman Ken Martin filed a legal petition with the state Supreme Court looking to remove [Sleezebag] from the ballot.

"The Minnesota GOP did not elect to elect alternate presidential electors at the state convention earlier this year. After being notified that they had failed to provide the names of alternative electors by the Secretary of State’s office, Republicans decided to appoint alternate electors in a closed-door meeting rather than electing them. This is violation of state law,"

Minnesota DFL's statement reads.

The move follows a minor kerfuffle in August when [Sleezebag] and running mate Indiana Gov. Mike Pence's name were initially absent from the state ballot. The Minnesota Republican Party scrambled to provide the state secretary of state's office the necessary paperwork, and it seemed the situation was resolved when [Sleezebag]'s name was officially listed online.

However, Michael Brodkorb, a former deputy Minnesota Republican Party chairman, pointed out on Twitter that the Minnesota GOP's rules don't allow for such a fix, as the DFL's suit also argues.

"Last night #MNGOP 'appointed' alternate electors to fix problem - BUT this isn't allowed in #MNGOP constitution - so we have a mess," Brodkorb tweeted.


*************************************

Rhode Island has approved the paperwork! Gary Johnson is on the ballot in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

The Libertarians could be on more state ballots than the Republicans for the first time in history.
Also, they would have more legitimacy to be in the debates than the Republicans...

[E_T]

NBC, if not actively pro Clinton, is definately Anti-[Sleezebag] with the mindset that She is the only thing that can beat him and thereby, Johnson will only keep her from stopping him...

[E_T]

FOX and CNN were carrying a T rump speech today while I was running errands. He was championing "Religious Liberty" to a very receptive audience. Now when Ted Cruz uses the term, it seems to be a "dog whistle" for Christian Supremacy and America as a Christian Nation, rather than a "all creeds are equal under the law" approach. When Libertarians ask Gary Johnson about "Religious Liberty" it's about being able to discriminate against all heathens & heretics in their places of business.

 I don't know what T rump is implying, or if he is simply saying it to play to the audience without caring what it means o them, but I think it's a hard position to square with T rump's convention stance of speaking up for "LGBTQ people"

Part of this post was quoting (or atleast paraphrased) [Sleezebag]'s speech, right?

[E_T]

http://www.politico.com/story/2016/09/minnesota-democrats-no-T rump-ballot-227954

Minnesota Democrats move to kick T rump off ballot
By Daniel Strauss
09/09/16 12:33 PM EDT

Minnesota Democrats are taking steps to kick Donald T rump off the state's ballot, arguing that the Minnesota Republican Party improperly put T rump's name on there.

Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party Chairman Ken Martin filed a legal petition with the state Supreme Court looking to remove T rump from the ballot.

"The Minnesota GOP did not elect to elect alternate presidential electors at the state convention earlier this year. After being notified that they had failed to provide the names of alternative electors by the Secretary of State’s office, Republicans decided to appoint alternate electors in a closed-door meeting rather than electing them. This is violation of state law,"

Minnesota DFL's statement reads.

The move follows a minor kerfuffle in August when T rump and running mate Indiana Gov. Mike Pence's name were initially absent from the state ballot. The Minnesota Republican Party scrambled to provide the state secretary of state's office the necessary paperwork, and it seemed the situation was resolved when T rump's name was officially listed online.

However, Michael Brodkorb, a former deputy Minnesota Republican Party chairman, pointed out on Twitter that the Minnesota GOP's rules don't allow for such a fix, as the DFL's suit also argues.

"Last night #MNGOP 'appointed' alternate electors to fix problem - BUT this isn't allowed in #MNGOP constitution - so we have a mess," Brodkorb tweeted.


*************************************

Rhode Island has approved the paperwork! Gary Johnson is on the ballot in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

The Libertarians could be on more state ballots than the Republicans for the first time in history.
Also, they would have more legitimacy to be in the debates than the Republicans...

The cracks are really showing now...  come on, get Gary into the debates (as well as getting the same classified read in's as the others)...

[Rusty Edge]

FOX and CNN were carrying a T rump speech today while I was running errands. He was championing "Religious Liberty" to a very receptive audience. Now when Ted Cruz uses the term, it seems to be a "dog whistle" for Christian Supremacy and America as a Christian Nation, rather than a "all creeds are equal under the law" approach. When Libertarians ask Gary Johnson about "Religious Liberty" it's about being able to discriminate against all heathens & heretics in their places of business.

 I don't know what T rump is implying, or if he is simply saying it to play to the audience without caring what it means o them, but I think it's a hard position to square with T rump's convention stance of speaking up for "LGBTQ people"

Part of this post was quoting (or atleast paraphrased) T rump's speech, right?

No, mostly commentary, except for "Religious Liberty" and "LGBTQ people"



Trust me, the cracks aren't showing! I have the best people. THE BEST! They are geniuses, and they do AN AMAZING job. AMAZING! Fabulous, really. I'll fire the [intercourse gerund] idiots responsible, Believe me!   - Now that's a paraphrase...except I haven't noticed any public comments by him on this particular issue .

[E_T]

Yet....

[ColdWizard]

http://www.politico.com/story/2016/09/hillary-clinton-has-pneumonia-doctor-says-228012

NEW YORK — Hillary Clinton’s campaign is coming under fire for failing to disclose that she was diagnosed with pneumonia on Friday, and for saying she simply got “overheated” at the 9/11 memorial service in New York, when video showed her knees buckling as aides helped her into a waiting van.

It wasn’t until shortly after 11:00 a.m. ET Sunday that the campaign put out a terse statement saying that Clinton had “departed to go to her daughter's apartment, and is feeling much better.” There was no explicit acknowledgment that Clinton had left the ceremony earlier than planned, nor any mention of what looked to be a fainting spell.

Clinton herself sought to project that all was well, stepping outside of her Chelsea’s apartment some 45 minutes later. "I'm feeling great, it's a beautiful day in New York," she said, taking a moment to greet a small girl before piling back into the van to head home to Westchester County.

Not until 5:15 p.m. did the campaign revealed that she had in fact been diagnosed with pneumonia and put on antibiotics a day earlier, after what her doctor called a “follow-up evaluation of her prolonged cough.”

Lisa Bardack, Clinton’s physician, said that she had indeed become “overheated and dehydrated” on Sunday morning, but made no mention of her apparent collapse. “I have just examined her and she is now re-hydrated and recovering nicely,” Bardack said. Sunday’s examination, an aide said, took place at Clinton’s home in Chappaqua, New York.

At 10:16 p.m., the campaign said that "Clinton will not be traveling to California tomorrow or Tuesday." Clinton was scheduled to raise cash in both Los Angeles and San Francisco, and her campaign had previewed that she would also deliver a speech on the economy Tuesday. Clinton's Wednesday trip to Las Vegas is, for now, still on her schedule.

Around midnight, however, fundraisers who were planning to attend Clinton's San Francisco event on Monday received an email saying the event is still on, but that Clinton would now appear via teleconference.

Frustration with the Clinton campaign’s handling of the incident boiled over among political journalists on Twitter.

Jonathan Martin, national correspondent for the New York Times, tweeted, “Hillary camp now reveals that her doctor diagnosed her pneumonia on Friday & put her on antibiotics. Only disclosed after this am's episode.”

“I don't understand why Clinton aides weren't telling reporters at 10:30am: ‘pneumonia,’” CNN media reporter Brian Stelter wrote.

“Of course they should have disclosed this. This isn't a cold,” added Chuck Todd, the host of NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

The campaign ignored requests for explanation, but its allies defended its actions online.

“#Hillary's health is fine. The hysteria in the media and the attacks about it from #T rump supporters are not,” Democratic PR consultant Hilary Rosen tweeted before Clinton’s pneumonia was disclosed.

“Is there really a tradition of candidates publicly disclosing illnesses like colds, flu's etc?” tweeted former White House communications director Dan Pfeiffer. “Every candidate I have ever worked for has gotten sick on the trail and worked through it because you can't take days off in a close race.”

“{S}o which illnesses that are treated with antibiotics do you have to disclose? All?” former White House chief speechwriter Jon Favreau asked.

“From a medical point of view this is not a big deal, She needs to cancel some events or do them by Skype for a week,” observed former Vermont governor Howard Dean, a trained doctor.

“I think I coughed up a lung somewhere between Pennsylvania and Kentucky,” recalled former Clinton ‘08 staffer Mo Elleithee, who also lauded her stamina. “She kept a campaign schedule with pneumonia. When I have a normal cold, I curl up in the fetal position & want to stay in bed for a week.”

Former Michigan governor Jennifer Granholm tweeted: "To press lamenting @HillaryClinton's health/transparency: 'powering through' illness is what women do: Stoically, every. single. day."

Clinton’s campaign schedule has been vigorous: On Friday alone, she headlined two fundraising events, met with a group of national security heavy-hitters, held a news conference, and granted an interview to CNN.

But the former secretary of state, who at 68 would be the second-oldest president in U.S. history should she win in November, has disclosed fewer details about her health than past presidential nominees -- though she has divulged more information than her opponent, 70-year-old Donald T rump, who has released only a cryptic, one-page letter that his doctor has said was written in just five minutes.

David Scheiner, an assistant professor at the University of Illinois Medical School who was Obama's personal physician for 22 years, argued in a recent Washington Post op-ed that neither Clinton nor T rump had disclosed enough information given their advanced ages.

"Having been in practice for 50 years serving a predominantly geriatric patient population, and now a septuagenarian myself, I can attest that the American people need much more medical information from these candidates," he wrote. "The medical reports from Clinton’s and T rump’s personal physicians do not suffice."

And neither candidate has agreed to a protective pool, an intensive form of media coverage that allows the press to monitor the candidate’s whereabouts at all times -- as the White House press corps does for the president.

“I'm surprised it's mid-September, just a little more than 8 weeks before Election Day, and neither candidate has a protective pool,” Obama’s first White House secretary, Robert Gibbs, tweeted Sunday. “Protective pool isn't always easy for either candidate or press but there comes a point for each nominee when it must be part of daily life.”

Video: https://twitter.com/zgazda66/status/774993814025011200

[Rusty Edge]

Financial markets don't like uncertainty. Neither do military Allies.  That's why presidents get extensive physicals and we read about every polyp removed.

Unlike John McCain when he ran for president, neither candidate has done a good job of being forthright or transparent about their health. It's as though they didn't really want to be president, OR they have something to hide. In fact, if I were a national authority, I would advocate making tax and health records part of the paperwork to file with the FEC for everyone  running for president.

Given the lack of integrity of the two, I always wonder what they're hiding if they attack or change the subject when asked a personal question.

Pneumonia is a serious issue for anybody over 65. I don't think she's in danger if she's getting treatment.

BUT- and this is what isn't getting covered - Pneumonia is a common complication of two leading theories as to "What's wrong with Hillary?" 1) Parkinson's disease, and 2) Congestive heart failure.

You can Google the stuff yourselves. I am off again.

[Rusty Edge]

On my 5th state since leaving the one I live in. I am frankly amazed at the lack of presidential yard signs and bumper stickers. I've seen a couple of [Sleezebag] yard signs and a couple of Bernie bumper stickers. Way different than when I made this trip 4 years ago.

That kind of tells me that people aren't enthused for their candidate.