US Presidential Contenders

[Buster's Uncle]

How do YOU feel about legalizing teh maryhootchie?

[Rusty Edge]

1) I've long thought that war is something you declare against other nations, not something a president gets to say in order to consolidate money and power and silence criticism of their methods towards some goal, even if it's a worthy one, like eliminating poverty or crime. For example, why not a war against Al Queda, rather than a "War on Terrer".  That at least is focused, with a beginning and end.

2) I've known too many cancer patients. I've had the position since the turn of the millennia that it should be available in every pharmacy by prescription.

******

Johnson has really broadened my mind on this one. It started with agreeing that a majority of the people and the states want it not to be criminal. That class I narcotic status prevents research into the medical benefits.  I guess I've always believed it was less harmful than alcohol, particularly if it were cooked and consumed rather than smoked. Of course, in my lifetime it's become more potent, and more of a problem to minors and pregnant women.

But he began a shift in my thinking about changing the approach from warfare to wellness. It was a pretty radical perspective shift, and didn't happen all at once. Wellness gets addicts treatment.

Warfare is conflict, and leads to police in armored cars, leads to drug gangs being armed, leads to mandatory sentencing for possession which leads to overcrowding of prisons no matter how fast we build them. But aside from the super-max prisons and solitary confinement cells, our war on drugs can't even keep drugs out of most of our jails and prisons. It makes a simple traffic stop a confrontation, because life imprisonment is likely at stake. If that results in gunfire or a high speed chase, it endangers the public. Prohibition didn't work with alcohol in the 20s. Why do we think it can work with marijuana?

Anyway, while Gary has given this a lot of thought and taken a lot of heat since the 90s, he isn't advocating such a sea change so soon. He's only talking about making marijuana no longer a federal offense, removing it from the class I narcotics list so that medical studies may be done and businesses that legally traffic in marijuana in their states can file taxes properly, and look at releasing/pardoning non-violent people in federal prison for marijuana possession.

States would still have their own laws, just like they have their own laws about alcohol, just like there are dry counties in the United States. He would take these steps, and allow society to digest the changes.  If he's wrong America can throw him out of office in 4 years. If he's right, maybe they'll listen about a wellness approach that's about treatment rather than incarceration for the other drug problems.

[Rusty Edge]

Gleanings-

* The Clinton Foundation will no longer accept foreign contributions, or those from corporations, should she be elected. Bill hasn't accepted a paid speaking gig since last fall.

* [Sleezebag] has been questioning Hillary's health

* Hillary's campaign has countered with a denial, and claiming that [Sleezebag] is trying to distract from his taxes.

* FOX held a Town Hall in Milwaukee, with [Sleezebag] shill Hannity as host. We tried to watch the recording, but when [Sleezebag] said he wanted to throw somebody out of the country for "radical ideas" I was reminded about how [Sleezebag] wants to "Loosen up libel laws" so that he can sue reporters.

PERSONAL OPINION - A vote for [Sleezebag] is a vote against the 1st Amendment.

* Johnson is polling higher and lower, depending where you look. Looks like he's starting to get traction among Millenials, the largest demographic group in the election. He had an overflow crowd for his Miami rally.

[Rusty Edge]

Gleanings-

*Johnson survived the challenge to get on the ballot in New York, which means pretty much as I said a couple of months ago, they are trying to make it difficult and expensive, but they won't stop him. This is the 40th state, and the others are on track. It's the one I worried about most.

*[Sleezebag]'s previous manager, who was supposed to stay on, has resigned. He was hired to get [Sleezebag] the nomination, so he was successful. His ties to the Russian mob have been problematic, and he has been advising [Sleezebag] to stay on script, and appeal to a broader audience. [Sleezebag] resents this advice and wants to return to being himself.

*Oddly enough, [Sleezebag] has gained a lot of praise for a recent speech which he read from a teleprompter, probably because it doesn't sound like [Sleezebag]. He didn't apologize, but he did admit he regretted some of the things he has said, without being any more specific.

*A judge ruled Hillary could respond to questions from Judicial Watch, who has filed suit against her, in the form of ( wait for it )   e-mail!!

* Gary Johnson has met all of the Secret Service  coverage criteria except "Raise $10 million", and since that is expected to happen soon, they are considering it early, much like the debate venues being told to prepare a third podium.

* Hillary hasn't had a press conference in 258 days. The press is starting to wonder.

[Rusty Edge]

This one is about a rally in Charlotte, NC.
https://newrepublic.com/article/136161/trumps-train-considers-scary-thought-might-lose




[Sleezebag]’s Train Considers a Scary Thought: He Might Lose
And if he does, it will be all the media's fault.

By Jared Yates Sexton
August 19, 2016

Donald [Sleezebag]’s rally in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Thursday night was not a usual Donald [Sleezebag] rally. Something in the air was different—[Sleezebag]’s words, for starters. He rarely strayed from the prepared remarks on his teleprompter, delivering a speech that stayed on topic and told a complete narrative, unlike most of his directionless rants. He even admitted he sometimes says “the wrong thing,” adding, “I have done that, and I regret it, particularly where it may have caused personal pain.” Perhaps the campaign’s new CEO, Breitbart chairman Stephen Bannon, was already making his influence felt.

But it wasn’t just [Sleezebag] himself. The crowd had changed. They were as angry as always; they called Hillary Clinton a “[complaint or disagreeable woman]” and chanted “lock her up.” But their deepest rage was reserved for another nemesis: the media.

For as long as [Sleezebag] has run for president, he has criticized the media’s handling of his candidacy. But his rhetoric toward the press has heightened since the Republican National Convention as story after story—about his insults of the Khans, the dysfunction of his campaign, and the murky Russian dealings of his chairman, Paul Manafort—has chiseled away at his aura of invincibility.

The consensus in the crowd Thursday was that this biased coverage was to blame for [Sleezebag]’s sinking poll numbers. When I walked into the Charlotte Convention Center, the first pair of men I came across were leaning over the railing of the press pit and joking about how much fun it’d be to “beat the [poop]” out of a few reporters typing away on their laptops and smartphones at one of the media tables. Later, I heard several people say that certain reporters, including the entire lineup at CNN, should be jailed for their indiscretions—and that [Sleezebag] would do exactly that once he was elected.

Or rather, if he were elected. While some were still optimistic about his chances, there was a fresh sense of doom in the crowd. In the year I’ve been covering [Sleezebag], I’ve only heard a few supporters openly express a possibility that their candidate could lose, but on Thursday night it sounded like many of them had come to the same sobering conclusion. And if [Sleezebag] loses, guess whose fault it will be?


In the hours leading up to the rally, I heard clusters of men and women lamenting the sad state of the presidential race, most of them agreeing there was still time to right the ship while a few had already given up hope. But all of them agreed that the predicament had been the result of unfair press coverage.

“They don’t report the truth,” I heard a man in a “[Sleezebag] Train” T-shirt tell his wife. “How do you compete with that?”

Supporters’ frustrations bled into the program’s main event when [Sleezebag] took his tried-and-true critique of the Fourth Estate, his complaint no longer just a list of grievances. Now, he urged his followers to imagine a world with a “better” press:


The establishment media doesn’t cover what really matters in this country, or what’s really going on in people’s lives. They will take words of mine out of context and spend a week obsessing over every single syllable, and then pretend to discover some hidden meaning in what I said.

Just imagine for a second if the media spent this energy holding the politicians accountable who got innocent Americans like Kate Steinle killed – she was gunned down by an illegal immigrant who had been deported five times.

Just imagine if the media spent this much time investigating the poverty and joblessness in our inner cities.

Just think about how much different things would be if the media in this country sent their cameras to our border, or to our closing factories, or to our failing schools. Or if the media focused on what dark secrets must be hidden in the 33,000 emails Hillary Clinton deleted.


Instead, every story is told from the perspective of the insiders. It’s the narrative of the people who rigged the system, never the voice of the people it’s been rigged against.

So many people suffering in silence. No cameras, no coverage, no outrage from a media class that seems to get outraged over just about everything else.

The media had become Hillary Clinton’s running mate, another establishment gatekeeper who held a lion’s share of the blame for ruining the country.

The crowd took its cue.

A man turned from [Sleezebag]’s speech and toward the press pit, mouthing the words “that’s you, that’s you.” Several men cased the perimeter of the pit, snapping photos of each of the journalists and taking clandestine notes before marching away.

After [Sleezebag] said goodnight, supporters moved to the barricade and engaged with reporters. Some just stood there, glaring. In the crowd, the talk was how unfairly [Sleezebag] had been treated. Somebody said the media was full of “perverts and retards,” while a man in a “[Sleezebag] That [complaint or disagreeable woman]” T-shirt said “all reporters need lobotomies.” His friend suggested that President [Sleezebag] might sign an executive order to that effect, but Mr. “[Sleezebag] That [complaint or disagreeable woman]” couldn’t see that happening—a President [Sleezebag], that is. “You know there’s no way they’ll let him get in the White House,” he said.

On the sidewalk outside, the familiar vendors were selling their offensive merchandise. People drifted toward the street to hail cabs or tracked down their Ubers. Down a ways, in the shadow of the building, a pair of men were smoking cigarettes and shooting the bull. One wore a veteran’s hat, the other a “Make America Great Again” cap.

“It don’t look good,” the veteran said. “Biased media’s gonna steal this thing.”

“Yeah,” his buddy said. “Reckon one of these days we’ll have to take matters into our own hands.”

[Lorizael]

Just imagine if the media spent this much time investigating the poverty and joblessness in our inner cities.

Just think about how much different things would be if the media in this country sent their cameras to our border, or to our closing factories, or to our failing schools.

I've seen the media cover all of these stories, sometimes quite deeply. But it's an election year, so the media is focused on the election instead. I'd much rather if the electorate actually had the attention span to pay attention to stories even when they're not thrust upon us by tragedy.

[Buster's Uncle]

Just imagine if the media focused on real issues and what's important, and denied cheap drama and sideshow clowns and rapacious bald-faced liars free publicity - the last 36 years would have been VERY different.

[Lorizael]

Yes, it's kind of odd to hear [Sleezebag] lambaste the media when he wouldn't be a candidate at all if not for their fascination with him.

[Buster's Uncle]

The HufPo had that one right...

[Rusty Edge]

(NOTE: Today is my birthday, so I choose to be self-indulgent and only read what I feel like, rather than seek diversity of political opinion and coverage.  Speaking of diversity...)

-loving-indian-teenager-kicked-out]http://reason.com/blog/2016/08/19/[Sleezebag]-loving-indian-teenager-kicked-out

I'd cut and paste, but it's not working.

[Bearu]

(NOTE: Today is my birthday, so I choose to be self-indulgent and only read what I feel like, rather than seek diversity of political opinion and coverage.  Speaking of diversity...)

http://reason.com/blog/2016/08/19/T rump-loving-indian-teenager-kicked-out

I'd cut and paste, but it's not working.

Happy Birthday!

[E_T]

(NOTE: Today is my birthday, so I choose to be self-indulgent and only read what I feel like, rather than seek diversity of political opinion and coverage.  Speaking of diversity...)

http://reason.com/blog/2016/08/19/T rump-loving-indian-teenager-kicked-out

I'd cut and paste, but it's not working.

:party: Happy birthday

[E_T]

So, is FOX News fauning all over [Sleezebag]?

[Rusty Edge]

So, is FOX News fauning all over T rump?

Thanks for the birthday wishes. My impressions this week, mostly printed articles and transcripts, is that they aren't hammering him. Parts of FOX still seem to treat Johnson and McMullen fairly. It's more like they're downplaying the [Sleezebag] screw-ups. They also do diversionary Hillary attacks.

The exception of course is Sean Hannity, who has been a [Sleezebag] shill for many months. He's been cheering at every opportunity.  The [Sleezebag] town hall he hosted was a series of softball questions from imported questioners, and he fed the answers on the follow-ups.

[E_T]

Now, is the RNC the ones whom are getting T rump his new campaign (and later White House top staff) staff or is he??  My thoughts is that it is the RNC trying to keep him afloat...