2016 elections.

[Drem]

Luckily Trump has begun shooting himself in the foot. Republicans seem to be wising up. He's apparently proud of being called a genius by a tyrant

If that isn't indicative of his true colors i don't know what else it's going to take for people to see that this guy is the wrong candidate

New polls show him doing reaaaaaaal bad against Clinton

[brinstar]

spent all weekend at the nebraska state democratic convention, and was elected by my congressional district as the one male alternate delegate for the national convention in philadelphia next month

now i just gotta figure out how to scrape together over $2000 for the hotel room and more for the flights

like many other states have done thus far, we also passed a kickass resolution condemning the superdelegate system as profoundly undemocratic and strongly urging our state's supers to vote in proportion to the results of the caucus. i've heard that among all the states to do so, our resolution had the strongest language. so that's pretty cool.

other notable resolutions include
- demanding the president reverse one of TR's executive orders that removed 50 square miles from the pine ridge lakota reservation. this is because that land is home to an unincorporated nebraska settlement known as whiteclay with 12 residents and 4 licensed liquor stores, who, combined, sell over 4 MILLION cans of beer PER YEAR to residents of pine ridge who have no legal place to consume it as it is officially a dry reservation. this leads to unprecedented levels of domestic violence, illiteracy, rape, unsolved murders, and a 25% incidence rate of fetal alcohol syndrome disorder. (meanwhile, the nebraska AG insists on suing colorado for letting their legal weed leak across the border? fuck off)

- demanding the creation of Conviction Integrity Units to analyze the outcome of controversial criminal convictions and verify that no one's right to a fair trial has been infringed (spurred on by the Beatrice Six and the rice/poindexter case)

- proposing name changes for certain nebraska counties, in particular those named after military officials known for little else than waging genocide against natives (i.e. Custer, Sheridan, Cherry, etc), and instead naming them after actual nebraskans who have contributed to american history in other ways, such as william jennings bryan, george norris, willa cather, etc, or simply naming them after the local native tribes who lived there before whites came through

- tying rises in US congressional income to the rise in income of the poorest 20% of americans

- raising the federal social security one-time death benefit payout from $250 to $4000

- calling for an end to the electoral college and instead using a popular vote

- a heap of stuff about energy efficiency and renewable energy sources, the most exciting of which was a resolution centered on investigating the feasibility of solar roadways

- other stuff i can't remember since it was all such a blur

yesterday's resolution proposal process was cut off at 3pm sharp as the hotel needed the conference rooms empty. i was literally next in line when it happened, ready to propose a handwritten resolution asking that the party support the adoption of ranked-choice voting to a) reduce fear-driven votes where you vote against the worst candidate and b) eliminate the "spoiler" problem. oh well maybe next time

[Drem]

Dude that's awesome, congrats! Makin me feel insignificant over here, hahahah

[Arlos]

Just read a good article about the current situation with regards to Sanders, Clinton the Democratic party, and how the upcoming convention will shake down. TL;DR synopsis: Clinton needs Sanders voters badly. He has immense leverage going into the convention given his success in the face of such daunting odds. Plus, his support among youth was astronomically higher than hers was, which makes his followers the future of the Democratic party, if they stay in. Ignoring Bernie as a typical candidate, when he's really at the head of a movement would be a huge mistake for Clinton and the party. The line I liked most was that Sanders has gotten a mandate in defeat that most politicians never get even in victory.

Article here if you want to read it there: https://ourfuture.org/20160620/bernies- ... al-with-it

Cut and paste of the article below inside spoiler tags so it doesn't take up the entire page.

Spoiler for :

Some politicians and commentators say that Bernie Sanders is losing leverage because he hasn’t conceded the Democratic primary to front-runner Hillary Clinton. To believe that is to misunderstand both the candidate and his supporters. Sanders received a mandate in “defeat” that most politicians never achieve in victory.

The calls to surrender reached a fever pitch before the last primary even ended. We were told that Sanders was being stubborn, that he was rapidly losing influence. It was even said that all of the convention’s prime-time speaking spots would be taken soon if he didn’t concede soon, as if they were reservations at Nobu and he had no pull with the maître d’.

If Bernie were denied a prime-time slot at the convention, chaos would ensue. You can be sure that whenever and however the deal is struck, they’ll make room for him at a peak viewing hour.

The Clinton team’s impatience is understandable, even if it lacks a certain grace. But they’re misreading both Sanders’ nature and the nature of the negotiations now underway. So is The New York Times’ Nate Cohn, who tweeted:

“A fun thought experiment: Imagine Sanders winning but Clinton refusing to endorse unless he adopted her views, etc.”

That thought experiment would make sense in a typical primary campaign. But this year is different. Even without context, the raw numbers are impressive.

Leverage? As New Yorkers used to say, “I got your leverage right here“:

  ● 12 million votes.
  ● Victory in 22 states.
  ● 45 percent of pledged delegates.
  ● A history-making small-dollar fundraising campaign that outraised his well-heeled opponent.

That was all while facing one of the most powerful Democratic clans in history, rejecting big-money donors, and challenging one of the most famous people in the world as a leftist outsider.

Leverage? Consider the trend line: Twelve months ago Bernie Sanders was all but unknown nationally. He didn’t fit the typical “politician” profile in age, style, or rhetoric. He was a self-described democratic socialist. And he faced overwhelming obstacles erected by the party machinery at all levels.

Memories are short. When Sanders announced his run in April 2015, FiveThirtyEight’s Harry Enten opened his article by writing he was “almost certainly not going to be the Democratic nominee for president in 2016.

“Hillary Clinton is the most dominant non-incumbent front-runner in modern primary history. It would take a truly special candidate to defeat her,” he continued, “and Sanders … is not the politician for the job.”

Besides, he added, “there seems to be very little desire on the left for a challenger to Clinton.”

That was what pretty much everyone thought. Look what happened.

There’s no need to relitigate all the roadblocks Sanders faced, at least not now. It’s enough to say that the success he achieved, against overwhelming odds and “the most dominant non-incumbent front-runner in modern primary history,” affirms the power of his message.

Sanders also won the hearts of Democratic voters – more so than his opponent, in fact, despite her 30-year head start. A recent Gallup poll found that Sanders “continues to be significantly more popular than Hillary Clinton” among members of the party he only joined last year.

Sanders’ current net favorable rating among Democrats is 13 points higher than Clinton’s, according to a recent Reuters/Ipsos poll. The same poll found that 75 percent of Democrats want him to play a “major” role in their party. (Surprisingly, 44 percent of Democrats polled wanted Sanders to run as an independent, a fact that should give the Clinton team pause.)

Also, Sanders’ stunning margins among young voters tell us that he isn’t just speaking for a large percentage of the Democratic Party’s voters. He also speaks for its future.

Clinton needs his supporters. As Nate Silver noted last month, “her lack of support from Sanders voters is harming her general election numbers.” A YouGov/Economist poll in late May found that “Only half (50 percent) of Sanders supporters pick Clinton over Trump in the general election trial heat.”

While those numbers are likely to keep falling, these voters can’t be handed off to Clinton and her party like a football. They are deeply skeptical about her, and not without reason. It will take concessions to win their support. And those concessions – especially on popular issues like tuition-free higher education, Wall Street reform, and Social Security – will make the Democrats a stronger party.

I have no inside information, but it seems pretty obvious that Bernie Sanders isn’t positioning himself for another run. He’s not being stubborn; he’s negotiating. Nobody concedes while the negotiations are still going on. His negotiating partners should stop demanding that he fold his cards before the dealing’s done.

They should also understand that they’re not just dealing with a candidate. They’re also talking to the representative of a movement, one that could decide the fate of this election and the future of their party.

As leverage goes, that’s about as good as it gets.

I don't like Clinton, and given that I'm in California, it's probably not going to matter if I don't vote for her. If I lived in a red to purple state, though, (or one less starkly blue than CA) I would hold my nose and do it, with about the same grimace and pained expression that you get at that terrible artificial cherry cough syrup flavor we've all tried and gagged to. The reason I would do this is: as annoyingly status quo as she might be, at least the status quo is better than self immolation, which is what we would get with a President Trump.

[brinstar]

that article is spot-on imo

he has consistently outperformed her among voters under 45 by a 3:1 margin, even among black and latinx youth, and his latest and strongest message is that his "political revolution" is about the future and about finding/becoming candidates for all levels of public office that will carry these ideals into office with them. the old guard narrowly avoided an upset, but it's now a zombie party - as the old guard dies off, the new progressive left who stormed the gates behind their rumpled old leader will become more and more powerful

back in 2012 when i briefly considered running for office, i approached the state party and said "i'm not sure you're progressive enough for me". the dude i talked to answered, "if everyone whoever said that actually joined the party, we would be" and it's stuck with me ever since

[brinstar]

i mean look at me, i've crashed the party and am working on founding and leading a climate caucus within it

if there's enough of us and if we hold on to our passion and our fire, maybe we can actually restore the democratic party to what it's been pretending to be for 30 years

[Drem]

So cool. Everyone just here talkin about it, you're actually in it. I might finally be swayed to vote when I see Houchin on the ticket

Nicely done sir

[leah]

So cool. Everyone just here talkin about it, you're actually in it. I might finally be swayed to vote when I see Houchin on the ticket

Nicely done sir

yeah, pretty proud of this guy.

and because i know he won't post it, i will: http://www.gofundme.com/alex2philly if you can spare some bux, help us send him to philly to keep taking the party by storm.

[Minrott]

So what's the game brin? You're going to Philly in an effort to help Bernie upset Hillary somehow? Cause if that's true, I'll fucking donate.

[brinstar]

dammit leah

minrott i am pledged and honorbound to do whatever i (legally) can within the party to help bernie get the nomination. i don't know exactly what that will entail or if it is even a possibility at this point, but that's my #1 goal. as stated on the gofundme page above (DAMMIT LEAH) it is the candidate's ideals that brought me into the party, not the party itself. thus my involvement in the party after july will involve finding/encouraging/supporting candidates (including myself if necessary) who also share those ideals, in an effort to transform the democratic party into the organization it likes to pretend it is: an honorable force for equality, free from corruption, committed to human dignity, and dedicated to principled stewardship of our only planet.

last thing i will add is that even if my philly mission fails, she will not have my vote this november. i will stay in the party and work hard for my convictions, but my vote is still mine to cast (or not cast) as i see fit.

[leah]

SORRY NOT SORRY

[Arlos]

Gotta love where the level of political discord is going among the GOP. Observe the following tweet from a GOP candidate for the State Senate in Massachusetts:

https://twitter.com/TedBusiek/status/749291636304347136

Quoted below:

DONALD TRUMP. Putting self-righteous faggots in their place since 1993. How I love this fellow. #MAGA

I think this emoji applies:

The fact that someone saying such things is the candidate for a major state office from a major political party is just sickening.

At least some people are trying to combat those kind of attitudes. Even someone that stereotypically you wouldn't expect: Pro Wrestling superstar John Cena:

https://www.facebook.com/LoveHasNoL/vid ... 861068286/

Great message, especially for the 4th of July. Gives me a little bit of hope in the face of such hate like that guy from twitter.

[Harrison]

John Cena just keeps proving himself to be a surprise-amazing-human lol

I think my opinion of wrestlers has just been too low for too long. Perhaps they've always been a good group of people.

[Arlos]

John Cena just keeps proving himself to be a surprise-amazing-human lol

I think my opinion of wrestlers has just been too low for too long. Perhaps they've always been a good group of people.

I think it entirely depends on the individual. Hulk Hogan, for example, is a huge Trump supporter.

[Harrison]

Well, it's official; this country is fucking trash and I can't wait to see it burn.

[Jay]

Well, it's official; this country is fucking trash and I can't wait to see it burn.

Eh. We just take it in stride and focus on our personal growth. I think there's a lot of injustice and bullshit going on, but I think there always has been and now it's front and center moreso than before due to social media.

[Arlos]

BAHAHAHA. The Trump Effect already begins. The group running the GOP convention is $6 million short from what they need to actually put on the convention. Why are they short? A large number of donors individuals and companies have cancelled sponsorships they'd signed up for, and as a result they've run out of money and sent a letter to Sheldon Adelson begging him to send them a check for $6 mil. This is hysterical because the GOP had been claiming all along that Trump wasn't costing them sponsors, and that everything was perfectly fine. Guess not.

http://www.politico.com/story/2016/07/r ... z4ERhaRpb8

[brinstar]

a) trump is not actually that wealthy, it's mostly a shell game where this corporation owns assets in that LLC which is subsidized by this other fund etc etc. most of his campaign has been funded by loans from his companies to himself

b) he doesn't really have much in the way of campaign machinery - field offices and ground teams and whatnot. he's coasted along almost entirely on his reputation and his stupid reality show* trash antics





*i'm still convinced that if everyone had listened to me in the 90s when "reality" shows** first started polluting television we wouldn't be in this mess

**as if there's anything remotely "real" about a bunch of self-centered hipster douchebags living in a big ridiculously-fancy house filled with cameras, fuck straight off

[Drem]

**as if there's anything remotely "real" about a bunch of self-centered hipster douchebags living in a big ridiculously-fancy house filled with cameras, fuck straight off

Kitchen Nightmares is so real that it should just be called a documentary tho (I also love Mountain Men)

I think one of the most ironic aspects of Trump's sheep is how many truly think he's a self-made millionaire. sigh

[brinstar]

can a meteor just land on cleveland pls

[Jay]

**as if there's anything remotely "real" about a bunch of self-centered hipster douchebags living in a big ridiculously-fancy house filled with cameras, fuck straight off

Kitchen Nightmares is so real that it should just be called a documentary tho (I also love Mountain Men)

I think one of the most ironic aspects of Trump's sheep is how many truly think he's a self-made millionaire. sigh

Dude I just ate at Burgr by Gordon Ramsay this weekend in Vegas. I've concluded that everything that comes out of that man's mouth is justified.

[Drem]

Yeah man he is legit. Doesn't have all those Michelin stars for nothin

[brinstar]

so i didn't watch trump's speech last night, but i read it

if you can get through it without having his big dumb cartoon voice ruining it, it's actually pretty scary

HRC gonna have to use every trick in the book i think

also whoever wrote the speech deserves a cabinet position

[brinstar]

wikileaks dump just confirmed what i've known all along: democratic primary was rigged from the get-go

i
mother
fucking
told
you
so

[Harrison]

So we can hang people on live TV now, right?