Presumptuous Politics

Monday, May 30, 2016

Sanders: Americans, superdelegates must 'take a hard look' at IG report on Clinton emails

Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders said Sunday that American voters, superdelegates and others must “take a hard look” at the recent federal report that found primary rival Hillary Clinton’s email setup while running the State Department broke agency rules.
“It was not a good report for Secretary Clinton. That is something that the American people, Democrats and delegates are going to have to take a hard look at," Sanders told CBS' "Face the Nation," during one of two TV network interviews Sunday.
The inspector general’s report last week concluded Clinton broke agency rules by using a private email server and that she would have been denied permission to have one had she first sought permission.
On Sunday, Sanders, desperately trailing the front-running Clinton in the delegate count, continued to not comment directly on the controversy.
But he repeated the notion that superdelegates, of which he needs more in a longshot bid to take the nomination, should indeed scrutinize the report.
“I mean everybody in America is keeping it in mind, and certainly the superdelegates are," Sanders said.
The Clinton campaign said Wednesday that the report shows "just how consistent (Clinton's) email practices were with those of other secretaries and senior officials at the State Department who also used personal email."
The campaign also said the report notes that Clinton's use of personal email was known to officials within the department and that there is no evidence to show any successful breach of the former secretary of state's server.
In a separate interview Sunday with NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Sanders said he is focused on “the future of the American middle class and how we deal with the fundamental problems they are facing.”
He also declined to comment on the FBI investigation into the Clinton email scandal, including what impact the findings might have on a Clinton general election bid.
However, Sanders appeared to perhaps take his concerns about the emails a step further, suggesting Americans are “tired of those kinds of politics.”
And he made clear presumptive GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump has and will continue to make an issue of them if and when he faces Clinton directly in the November election.
“Donald Trump and other Republicans will seize on it,” he told NBC. “There’s no doubting that.”

Rubio all-in for Trump, sorry for personal attacks

Former Republican presidential candidate Sen. Marco Rubio said Sunday that he fully supports former rival Donald Trump’s White House bid, apologized for his personal attacks in the bruising primary and hinting that he’d even speak for Trump at the July nominating convention.
“I want to be helpful,” the Florida senator said on CNN's "State of the Union."
Rubio argued that supporting Trump, now the presumptive GOP presidential nominee, is the only way to keep Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton from becoming president, regardless of some of his scorched-earth campaign rhetoric.
“Despite all my differences with Donald Trump, I have a better chance to get a conservative-nominated Supreme Court with him than I ever will with Hillary Clinton,” he said.
Rubio said Trump also will support other parts of the conservative agenda including the repeal of ObamaCare and rolling back federal regulations that are “damaging” to the U.S. economy.
Rubio suggested early last week that he wanted to help Trump defeat Clinton but that his decision was difficult.
Trump, through the primary season, which concludes June 7, repeatedly attacked Rubio, calling him “Little Marco” and suggesting his response to a debate attack in New Hampshire by New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie was a “meltdown” and robotic.
With his campaign failing, Rubio later went on the counter-attack, challenging Trump’s manliness by saying he had “tiny hands.”
On Sunday, Rubio said he privately apologized to Trump for the remark.
Rubio also suggested no single mistake led to his failed campaign, which he ended in mid-March after losing his home-state primary. But he suggested the personal attacks on Trump and not attacking Christie’s record in the debate were significant.
“If I had to do it over again, I just would have gone after him and attacked his record,” Rubio said.
Rubio, who is not seeking re-election in November for his Senate seat, was non-committal about his political future, saying again only that he might have sought re-election had friend and Lt. Gov. Carlos Lopez-Cantera not entered the race.

Trump aide Lewandowski defends Martinez criticism, says focus should be jobs and economy

Top Donald Trump aide Corey Lewandowski on Sunday defended Trump’s recent criticism of New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez, a fellow Republican, and deflected a host of other complaints about Trump's presidential campaign, saying the real issues are jobs and the economy.
“The governor is not doing the job,” Lewandowski said about Martinez on “Fox News Sunday,” in a sharp exchange with host Chris Wallace. “Let’s get it right. … This is not a Republican issue. This is not a Democratic issue. We stand by our statement.”
Trump, the presumptive GOP presidential nominee, is being chastised by party leaders and others for attacking a Latino Republican governor, in her home state, particularly when Republicans sorely need the minority and female vote to win the general election.

Governor Susana Martinez | InsideGov

"Your governor has got to do a better job," Trump said at a rally Tuesday in Albuquerque, hitting Martinez on high state unemployment and other issues. "She's not doing the job. Hey, maybe I'll run for governor of New Mexico. I'll get this place going."
The remarks quelled speculation that Trump might pick Martinez, also chairman of the Republican Governors Association, as his running mate and brought to her defense such GOP leaders as House Speaker Rep. Paul Ryan, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, whom Martinez endorsed for the party’s presidential nomination.
Martinez's office responded by telling reporters in a statement: "Apparently, Donald Trump doesn't realize Governor Martinez wasn't elected in 2000, that she has fought for welfare reform, and has strongly opposed the president's Syrian refugee plan."
Lewandowski on Sunday argued the real issues are jobs, the economy and immigration.
“We need to stop illegal immigration,” he said. “We need to put people back to work, cut taxes. That’s what this is about.”
Lewandowski also argued his purported disputes with fellow top campaign adviser Paul Manafort are media hype, saying they speak several times daily and work together on key decisions.
He also defended Trump’s decision not to debate Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders, suggesting the billionaire businessman was joking when he brought up the idea.
Lewandowski said the campaign is “solely focused” on beating Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton.
“We’re not going to waste our time debating Bernie Sanders when he’s not going to be the nominee,” he said.
Sanders said Friday night on HBO’s “Real Time with Bill Maher” that he would still “love” to debate Trump and essentially asked him to reconsider.
“Trump claims to be a real tough guy, pushes people around. Hey Donald, come on up and let's debate about the future of America," Sanders said.
Lewandowski also defended against criticism that the campaign staff is too small to win a general election against one as deep and far-reaching as Clinton’s.
“We’ve been leaner with better results,” said Lewandowski, arguing the campaign won’t have 700 or 800 people, like Clinton’s. “We spent less money, got better results.”

Sunday, May 29, 2016

Army Rangers Release Memorial Day Song From Afghanistan

Clinton, Sanders Cartoons

Sanders, Clinton split delegates at Wyoming convention; Bernie supporters challenge

Clinton, Sanders supporters clash at convention in Nevada


Where are all this Idiots coming from?

CHEYENNE, Wyo. – A supporter of U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders has submitted a challenge to how pledged Wyoming delegates were split 7-7 despite the Vermont senator reportedly winning the popular vote.
Richard Kusaba, a land surveyor from Kemmerer in southwest Wyoming, said the state party's decision to accept the challenge and forward it to the Democratic National Committee defused animosity that had been building ahead of the convention.
"After Nevada, I think the party realized that it needs Bernie Sanders' supporters in order to win the presidency," Kusaba said.
In Nevada earlier this month, Sanders' supporters threw chairs and shouted down convention speakers. Later, the state party chairwoman said she received death threats.
Clinton won the Nevada caucuses in February, but Sanders backers had hoped to pick up extra delegates by packing county and state party gatherings.
Sanders responded to the Nevada turmoil by dismissing characterizations of his supporters as prone to violence and pressing party leaders to recognize that "millions of Americans are outraged at establishment politics."
Mary Hales, a member of the Democratic National Committee representing Wyoming and a national convention delegate from Casper, has said she received nasty calls and letters from out-of-state Sanders supporters upset with her earlier pledge to support Clinton. Hales said there were no specific threats to do her harm, but she felt threatened by the calls and letters. She did not complain to the police.
On Saturday, the atmosphere in a Cheyenne ballroom was cordial and orderly. Top national advisers to Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders worked together as some 300 Democrats' opened the state convention.
At a recent party meeting in Philadelphia, Wyoming officials asked Sanders' deputy campaign manager, Rich Pelletier, to attend, Pelletier told The Associated Press. He said his goal in Cheyenne was to ensure a smooth process and that all delegates could express any concerns they have.
"It's democratic party with a small D as well as a big D," he said.
Marlon Marshall, who is Clinton's director of state campaigns and political engagement, also said he wanted a smooth process. "At the end of the day, we all have the same goals in mind," Marshall said.
Wyoming will split the delegates equally but also has four superdelegates that are technically not bound and can vote any way they want at the national convention. They had earlier pledged to support Clinton.
Wyoming party chairwoman Ana Cuprill said they agreed to accept Kusaba's challenge in order to seek clarity at the national level. Cuprill, a super delegate, declined to name who she will support at the convention but said she will support whomever has the most pledged delegates.
Kusaba has 15 days to draft his challenge and gather enough signatures from registered voters.

Cleveland officials to outline security measures for Republican National Convention

Union chief: Police not ready for GOP convention. This is exactly why Americans are sick and tire of these sissy a** politicians.

Cleveland’s mayor and police chief plan to outline what security measures the city will need to take for the Republican National Convention next week.
Officials in Cleveland are gearing up for the thousands of visitors expected to descend upon northeast Ohio for the convention from July 18 to 21. The convention is expected to nominate billionaire real estate mogul Donald Trump.
Trump’s rallies themselves have drawn intense protests with demonstrations resulting in violence between supporters and opponents and arrests and rioting in some cities. At least 35 people were arrested Friday in San Diego after one of his events.
Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson will join the Police Chief Calvin Williams and other city officials Tuesday to go over a “comprehensive overview of security preparations” for the upcoming convention, Jackson said in a statement.
"Despite rumors, the Division of Police is prepared and is on track with its planning goals," the statement said.
A Cleveland police union official has been sounding the alarm for months about how Cleveland officers are not being properly trained to deal with potentially tumultuous protests.
"The city of Cleveland has been absolutely irresponsible for preparation of this convention," Steve Loomis, president of the Cleveland Police Patrolmen's Association, said Friday.
Furthermore, several police departments across the nation have already pulled out of going to the convention, citing security concerns.
Greensboro, North Carolina police had planned to send at least 50 officers to Cleveland, but decided not to after saying earlier this week the city isn’t providing workers’ compensation for coverage for out-of-town officers and is requiring them to get physical exams they’d have to pay for themselves.
Deputy Police Chief Brian James wrote in a memo to the city’s police chief that he had spoken with police administrators experienced in planning events like the GOP convention and that they expressed “a lack of confidence in the city of Cleveland and their preparedness.”
"We have a responsibility to ensure that we are sending our officers to an event that is well planned," James wrote.
A Cincinnati police spokesman said Friday that the previous police chief had discussed sending officers to Cleveland, but his successor decided against it because of the insurance issue and because Cincinnati is hosting the national NAACP convention the same week.
City Council members have said officials are deploying about 5,000 officers – including police from other law enforcement agencies – to provide security for the convention.
"A lot has been said that Cleveland is not prepared for the RNC," Williams assured Wednesday at a news conference. "Well, I'll tell you today, we are prepared."

Louisiana lawmaker labels Declaration of Independence racist in debate

Rep. Valarie Hodges (R-Denham Springs) Idiot of the Day!
The Declaration of Independence came under attack from an unlikely quarter—a state legislator.
Louisiana lawmaker Barbara Norton (D-Shreveport), argued that America’s founding document was racist during debate on a bill requiring public school students in the state to recite the Declaration of Independence daily, Fox & Friends reported Saturday.
“For the Declaration of Independence only Caucasians (were) free,” Norton, who is black, said Wednesday during the debate on the floor of the Louisiana House of Representatives. “And for you to bring a bill to require that our children will recite the Declaration of Independence I think it’s a little bit unfair.”
Rep. Valarie Hodges (R-Denham Springs) shelved the bill before lawmakers could vote on the proposal, which she sponsored. The measure would have required public school students in fourth through sixth grade to recite a passage from the Declaration of Independence.
Norton and Pat Smith (D-Baton Rouge) told Hodges that children shouldn’t have to recite words written at a time when slavery was prevalent, reading the document was used to bar blacks from voting at polling places and equality wasn’t extended to all people.
“Back in 1776 our forefathers who wrote the Declaration of Independence, I don’t believe they had any idea or that they thought for a moment that America would be as diverse as it is today,” Norton told KTAL-TV.
Hodges told the station Norton and the other critics of the bill were wrong.
“They really just don’t get it and to me I really feel that it’s as important as Math and English and conjugating verbs,” she said, adding that it was important to educate children to become good citizens.
She also told the station she was astonished and saddened “at the hatred that was expressed at the forefathers and this document” during the debate. Rep. Valarie Hodges (R-Denham Springs) Idiot of the Day!

Judge orders release of documents tied to Trump University lawsuit

And Now It Begins, The Trump Bashing.

A federal judge ordered Friday the release of Trump University internal documents in a class-action lawsuit against the defunct real estate school owned by presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump.
U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiel in San Diego calls for the documents to be released Thursday. The order comes in a response to a request by The Washington Post.
Trump University has been cited repeatedly in anti-Trump political ads during the primary campaign as evidence that Trump fails to live up to his promises. Trump’s lawyers have denied any wrongdoing in the case before Curiel as well as another class-action suit in San Diego and a $40 million lawsuit filed in 2013 by the state of New York alleging that more than 5,000 had been defrauded.
The billionaire real estate mogul, for his part, has claimed that Curiel is a "hater of Donald Trump" and should be ashamed of how he has handled the case. Trump also has questioned whether Curiel, who is Hispanic, is biased against him because of his call for deporting immigrants in the U.S. illegally.
“I think Judge Curiel should be ashamed of himself. I think it’s a disgrace that he is doing this,” Trump said Friday.
The lawsuit overseen by Curiel states that Trump University's nationwide seminars and classes were like infomercials and pressured students to buy more but didn't deliver as promised in spite of students paying as much as $35,000 for seminars. Curiel already has set a Nov. 28 trial date.

Trump, who appears on a list of defense witnesses for the trial, has repeatedly pointed to a 98 percent satisfaction rate on internal surveys. But the lawsuit says students were asked to rate the product when they believed they still had more instruction to come and were reluctant to openly criticize their teachers on surveys that were not anonymous.
The Post reported that Curiel's order to release an estimated 1,000 pages of documents cites heightened public interest in Trump and that he had "placed the integrity of these court proceedings at issue."
The judge appeared to reject the argument by Trump attorneys that the information had commercial value, saying that there was no support for the assertion that Trump University may resume operations.
Since the early 1980s, Trump personally has been sued at least 150 times in federal court, records show. Only a handful of those cases are pending, with the ones involving Trump University being the most significant.
The judge had previously floated the idea of a June trial but then previously settled on an August date before Trump’s rise in the primaries.
Trump's attorneys have resisted a trial during the campaign.
"This will be a zoo if it were to go to trial," Trump lawyer Daniel Petrocelli said at a March hearing.
Trump has railed against the judge, calling him hostile and suggesting his positions in the case may be the result of Trump's stance on border security. The presumptive GOP nominee has noted the Curiel's ethnicity.
Trump said of the judge at an Arkansas rally in February: "I believe he happens to be Spanish, which is fine. He's Hispanic — which is fine."

U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiel, when is Hillary Clinton's FBI report going to be released??

Saturday, May 28, 2016

Memorial Day 2016: As summer begins remember this beach

Beach at Buna, Papua New Guinea

Memorial Day, what does it mean? As your long weekend unfolds look around. Take in your world and listen.
What do you see? What do you hear?
Will you hear this long weekend referred to as “the unofficial start of summer?” Will you hear people talk about parties, barbecues, trips to the lake and the beach, probably.
As you feel the warm rays of the sun, smell the inviting flavors of fresh food sizzling on the grill and watch your children run around the yard or splash in the surf there is something you should remember.
It is another beach, from a time long since past. You can see that beach in the photo accompanying this article. It is the beach at Buna, Papua New Guinea, and it depicts just three of the young lives this weekend memorializes.
The photo is of three dead American GIs. They lie half buried in the sand of an island far from their homes, far from their loved ones.
Photographer George Strock's memorable image, taken in February 1943, wasn’t published until September of that year. When it appeared in Life magazine it became the first photo published, during World War II, which depicted dead Americans.
Censors released this and other graphic photos for a number of reasons. Given the year and the war one of those reasons still shocks me every time I read it. President Franklin Roosevelt was concerned that the public had grown detached from the astronomical price being paid by some so that we could live free.
Their faces are hidden, their names were not included.
The photograph was accompanied by an editorial explaining the decision to publish such a horrifying image. It asked the question many readers might have “Why print this picture….” One explanation offered, “Words are never enough.”
“Words are never enough.” As I read and then write that line, I am reminded of the tradition of the moment of silence. It's a time when each one of us is left to our thoughts, when we go to our most private place. When you observe a moment of silence your mind may be filled with prayer or thoughts of those lost and their families.
Or, perhaps, you are filled with that impossible to describe sadness brought on by the memory of someone you loved and can no longer see or hold in your arms.
Australian journalist Edward George Honey is believed to be the person who first suggested observing a moment of silence for fallen soldiers. He did so in a letter to a London newspaper just after the end of World War I. In that letter he proposed, "Five little minutes only…Five silent minutes of national remembrance."
Five minutes would seem an eternity for many in this age of instant everything. And, I don’t mean to judge the time we live in. Rather, I hope that on this Memorial Day you will share a thought or prayer for those lost.
As the sounds of a long holiday weekend fill the air, I encourage you to locate your moment and in that moment to remember.
Perhaps you will attend a parade or ceremony and pay your respects there.
But if you don’t make it to a formal event you can still take a moment to stop and honor the people for which Memorial Day exits.
If you find yourself at the beach, take a moment to look out over the sand, to the sea and the horizon. As the waves crash remember for a moment the three men on the beach at Buna.
Keep in mind that they are but three of thousands upon thousands who we must always remember.
In some small way I can’t help but think that as we remember them these brave men and women are found again.
And then, when you've finished, if you are lucky enough to be in the company of people you love, break the silence and tell them so.
If your gesture surprises them, or catches them off guard, tell them about the boys on the beach at Buna and how, in some small way, they made the moment possible.