Presumptuous Politics

Tuesday, July 26, 2016

Bernie Cartoons

To Late :-)

Protesters march on Democratic National Convention

PHILADELPHIA – Sweltering in Philly took on new meaning Monday as supporters of Bernie Sanders vented their anger at the email scandal that cost party chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz her job -- then turned up the heat at the opening of the Democratic National Convention.
The protesters marched toward the convention site from City Hall downtown, with the crowd numbering close to 2,000 by late afternoon.
By late afternoon, hundreds of demonstrators were face to face with police on bikes. Five were taken into custody and placed in plastic handcuffs after they jumped a barrier that was erected just moments earlier. In total, dozens reportedly were taken into custody. But city police later said there had been no arrests; rather, 55 had been cited for disorderly conduct.
Inside the convention hall, boos also broke out among Sanders supporters as they jeered at the very mention of Hillary Clinton’s name.
As the protesters gathered outside City Hall earlier in preparation for the march, volunteers handed out water to demonstrators as an oppressive heat wave hit the region. The National Weather Service forecast temperatures hitting the high 90s on Monday but feeling 100-plus degrees with the humidity factored in.
Despite the heat, demonstrators took up the cause -- coming from Florida to Philly and everywhere between.
Amanda Sullivan of Weston, Fla., told FoxNews.com she traveled north to take part in the demonstrations after experiencing voter suppression during the Democratic primaries.
“How violating, how absolutely dehumanizing,” Sullivan said.
Sullivan claims state Democratic officials gave her a hard time after she tried to vote for Sanders. She said she complained and even sent a letter to DNC CFO Brad Marshall but was ignored – and says it’s one of the reasons she has become frustrated with the process.
Monday’s rallies, for some Sanders supporters, turned into a victory march following the stunning and sudden resignation of Florida Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz as the Democratic Party’s chairwoman.
On Sunday, Wasserman Schultz resigned following furor over thousands of leaked emails that seemed to show Democratic National Committee members tipping the scales in favor of Clinton during the primaries.
The uproar was a blow to Democrats who had hammered Republicans over their lack of unity at last week’s convention in Cleveland. On Thursday, Donald Trump formally accepted the Republican nomination. Police had anticipated protests and riots ahead of the Republican convention though only a few popped up.
Sullivan says the WikiLeaks email scandal reaffirms her fears that the party may be permanently fractured.
“For us, who have been watching the whole thing unfold… we already knew the system was rigged,” Sullivan said. “It wasn’t a surprise. To us, it was ‘Do you believe us now?’”
In one of the largest rallies planned for Monday, a pro-Bernie Sanders group walked four miles across the Ben Franklin Bridge, which connects New Jersey and Philadelphia.
Naomi Craig, who drove down from West Minster, Vt., said despite her opposition to Republican candidate Donald Trump, she won’t vote for Clinton.
“I’m scared of Trump but I’m not not scared of Hillary,” Craig told FoxNews.com.
Jared Foster of Joanna, S.C., brought his son, A.D. 15, and his friend Mentrez Davis, 15, to Philadelphia as a teachable moment.
“It’s good to get experience in activism,” A.D. told FoxNews.com. “Coming from South Carolina – it’s a very red state and to meet people who are like-minded is neat.”
Quintin Lynch of Enterprise, Ore., said he was throwing his support behind Green Party presumptive presidential candidate Jill Stein.
"We don't stand a chance in hell with Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump," he said. "I was never about Bernie. He was a leader but not the leader of the movement."
Multiple grassroots organizations have come to Philadelphia in an effort to get their voices heard.
One such organization, Democracy Spring, asked supporters online if they were willing to get cuffed for the cause.
On their website, they want supporters to sign a pledge that includes the line: “I pledge to risk arrest with hundreds of others doing nonviolent civil disobedience at the DNC in Philly between July 25-28.”
On Sunday, police estimated between 5,000 and 10,000 people attended rallies -- already surpassing the number of protestors at the RNC convention in Cleveland.
Pasu Tivorat, of Sacramento, who wore a Guy Fawkes mask, told The New York Times Trump and Clinton were both bad choices.
“If we nominate Hillary, then she can continue to abuse her base,” he said. “Every progressive idea we come up with they throw under the bus.”
He added, “I’d rather watch the D.N.C. burn,” he added.

Dem officials jeered, booed at convention opening; DNC apologizes over emails

Baltimore mayor gavels in the Democratic National Convention ( Debbie?)

PHILADELPHIA – A remarkable scene unfolded Monday at the kickoff of the Democratic National Convention as Bernie Sanders supporters and other angry party members booed and jeered officials attempting to open proceedings – leading the presiding officer to scold delegates, “We are all Democrats, and we need to act like it.”
The opening made clear that the party is far from united, despite the new DNC leadership offering an official apology to Sanders and the party, just as the convention was getting underway, for what it called “the inexcusable remarks made over email” by top officials that seemed to show a bias against Sanders.
The statement from incoming party leader, Donna Brazile, and six other officials, offered a “deep and sincere apology” and said the emails, leaked by WikiLeaks, “do not reflect the values of the DNC or our steadfast commitment to neutrality during the nominating process.”
The written statement also said the party will not tolerate disrespectful language.
But despite outgoing DNC chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Shultz resigning in the wake of the scandal, apparent Sanders supporters caused a ruckus inside the convention hall, leading some speakers to plead with the crowd to unite behind Hillary Clinton.
As Rep. Marcia Fudge tried to preside, boos and chants broke out, particularly whenever Clinton’s name was mentioned.
She paused to address them: “May I just make a point … I intend to be fair, I want to hear the various opinions here. I am going to be respectful of you and I want you to be respectful of me.”
As protesters held up signs with the letters “TPP” crossed out – a reference to the trade deal Clinton once supported and that Sanders fiercely opposes – Fudge said, “We are all Democrats, and we need to act like it.”
In a bid to ease tensions, some key backers of the Vermont senator were made late additions to Monday night's program.
Among those added were two strong Sanders supporters -- Maine lawmaker Diane Russell and former NAACP president Ben Jealous.
Jealous praised the party platform and said, "Join us at the ballot box and we will elect Hillary Clinton as president of these United States."
Some frustrated Sanders fans continued to boo at the mention of Clinton's name.
Russell also tried to sell delegates on the compromise that's been reached on the future role of superdelegates in the nominating process.
And she stressed her support for Clinton.

Trump says Sanders 'lost his energy,' believes he can sway some of his supporters

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump said Monday night on “Hannity” that Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders “lost his energy and his drive” after conceding defeat and endorsing presumptive Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton for president.
Trump said he believes that Sanders is totally exhausted, but added that his supporters were not exhausted proven by the attempted uprising Monday at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia after an email scandal rocked the party in the days prior to the event.
“They’re liking what I’m saying in terms of trade and we’re getting ripped off in trade deals in lots of other things,” he said. “I think we’re going to get a lot of (Sanders) supporters.”
Trump continued saying that Sanders never stood a chance to defeat Clinton in the Democratic primaries because the system was working against him, alluding to leaked emails that showed anti-Sanders bias inside that Democratic National Committee.
“Bernie never had a chance. Hillary knew everything that was going on, and probably saw most of the emails at some point,” Trump added. “I think he's tired and exhausted and giving up. I think Bernie is giving up.”
Sanders endorsed Clinton for president Monday night to get behind Clinton to restore order at the convention after a chaotic opening day marked by intense street protests and near-constant disruptions inside the arena from delegates and others loyal to him.

Sanders, Warren, Mrs. Obama slam Trump and appeal for unity at unruly Dem convention

PHILADELPHIA – Democrats tried to turn their attention Monday night from an email scandal that claimed their party chairwoman and sent Bernie Sanders supporters into near rebellion with a scorching attack on Donald Trump that ranged from unnamed references by Michelle Obama to in-your-face attacks by Elizabeth Warren and Sanders himself.
The Vermont senator blasted Trump as a candidate who "insults" minorities and "divides us up."
“Based on her ideas and her leadership, Hillary Clinton must become the next president of the United States,” the Vermont senator told the rowdy and emotional convention crowd, with many of his supporters visibly crying during his remarks and chanting his name.
Sanders appealed to supporters Monday night to get behind Clinton, as he tried to restore order at the Democratic convention after a chaotic opening day marked by intense street protests and near-constant disruptions inside the arena from delegates and others loyal to him.
Sanders suddenly found himself in the role of helping the Democratic Party whose establishment had shunned him for much of the primary race. But he now is virtually their only hope for easing the tensions at the Philadelphia convention, where delegates are poised to crown Clinton as the party’s presidential nominee on Tuesday.
“I understand that many people here in this convention hall and around the country are disappointed about the final results of the nominating process. I think it’s fair to say that no one is more disappointed than I am,” he told delegates. “But to all of our supporters – here and around the country – I hope you take enormous pride in the historical accomplishments we have achieved.”
Sanders argued that, despite his differences with Clinton during the primary campaign, her views are far more in line with his than are Republican nominee Trump’s – on issues ranging from the minimum wage to climate change to college tuition costs.
“It is no secret that Hillary Clinton and I disagree on a number of issues,” he said. But Sanders said they have come together on some of them, and his side was able to win major changes to the party platform.
“Hillary Clinton will make an outstanding president and I am proud to stand with her tonight,” Sanders said, though some in the audience still booed at Clinton’s name.
Trump, tweeting from the sidelines, fired back:
Sanders was joined by Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren in appealing to the left wing of the party to unite behind Clinton. First lady Michelle Obama, too, worked to ease the tensions in the convention hall in an earlier speech that at times seemed to rally the divided crowd.
“America faces a choice,” Warren said. “We’re here today because our choice is Hillary Clinton. I’m with Hillary.”
She called Trump a "man who inherited a fortune from his father” and cares only for himself.
"Donald Trump has no real plans for jobs, for college kids, for seniors. No plans to make anything great for anyone except rich guys like Donald Trump."
The liberal icon, who spoke right before Sanders, still faced small pockets of unrest as she delivered a full-throated Clinton endorsement, with some people chanting “we trusted you” over her remarks. But Warren called Clinton “a woman who fights for all of us.”
Together, the two speakers had an opportunity to tamp down the unrest among liberal activists, many of whom not only backed Sanders during the turbulent primary battle but wanted to either see Warren step into the ring or be tapped for running mate. Whether their words can now help calm the storm inside and outside the convention hall remains to be seen.
Sanders’ speech could help. “It was a very unifying message, the essence of unity,” Kit Andrews, a Vermont alternate delegate and Sanders supporter, told FoxNews.com. “It’s a long process to bring people together. He has always said that.”
Sanders and Warren, along with Michelle Obama and Clinton booster New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker, addressed the convention at the close of a noisy and boisterous Monday session. From the very start, Sanders supporters booed and jeered convention officials as they tried to gavel in.
Rep. Marcia Fudge, D-Ohio, who was presiding, scolded the protesters as they interrupted at the very mention of Clinton.
“We are all Democrats, and we need to act like it,” she said.
Michelle Obama, speaking hours and countless disruptions later, seemed to draw a more positive response, eliciting applause during her lines on Clinton.
“I’m with her,” Obama declared, asking Democrats to do for the former secretary of state what they did for her husband – and turn out to the polls.
“Between now and November, we need to do what we did eight years ago and four years ago. … We need to get out every vote!” she said. “Let’s get to work.”
The audience remained visibly divided during her remarks, however, with one man being shushed for saying, “We love you, Michelle.”
Obama didn't leave the stage without taking a veiled shot at Trump. She warned that the White House couldn't be in the hands of someone with a "thin skin or tendency to lash out or someone who tells voters the country could be great again.
Booker, who had been considered for running mate before the job went to Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine, earlier blasted Republican nominee Donald Trump while touting Clinton’s support for a “fair wage” and “debt-free college” – and trying to connect her ideals to Sanders’.
“It represents the best of our values, the best of our history and the best of our party -- all of our shared ideas and values together,” Booker said.
Several celebrities including comedian Sarah Silverman and actress Eva Longoria also rallied to Clinton’s defense – with Silverman even taking on the Sanders crowd, saying, “Bernie or bust people, you’re being ridiculous.”
Even before the disruptions in the arena, the convention had kicked off Monday under a cloud of controversy -- after the leak of emails indicating an anti-Bernie Sanders bias inside the DNC forced the resignation of Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz.
She had been expected to open the convention anyway, but after facing continued backlash from Sanders supporters Monday morning was replaced in that role by Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake.
Anti-Clinton sentiment, however, continued to run high inside and outside the convention site, as pro-Sanders and other demonstrators marched from Camden to downtown Philadelphia and ultimately toward the arena – all while the convention was gaveling in. Inside the hall, Sanders supporters jeered Democratic officials trying to move the proceedings along.
The developments added up to a far more chaotic start than at the Republicans’ convention a week ago in Cleveland. Trump, from the sidelines, stoked the unrest inside the Democratic ranks by tweeting about how Bernie Sanders had been mistreated by the party.
He tweeted before the convention start: “The Democrats are in a total meltdown but the biased media will say how great they are doing! E-mails say the rigged system is alive & well!”

Monday, July 25, 2016

Debbie Schultz Cartoons

Obama's half-brother says he's voting for Donald Trump

President Obama’s Kenyan half-brother wants to make America great again — so he’s voting for Donald Trump.
“I like Donald Trump because he speaks from the heart,” Malik Obama told The Post from his home in the rural village of Kogelo. “Make America Great Again is a great slogan. I would like to meet him.”
Obama, 58, a longtime Democrat, said his “deep disappointment” in his brother Barack’s administration has led him to recently switch allegiance to “the party of Lincoln.”
The last straw, he said, came earlier this month when FBI Director James Comey recommended not prosecuting Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton over her use of a private e-mail servers while secretary of state.
“She should have known better as the custodian of classified information,” said Obama.
He’s also annoyed that Clinton and President Obama killed Libyan leader Moammar Khadafy, whom he called one of his best friends.

Wasserman Schultz to step down as DNC chairwoman, amid email fallout

You need to cut back on that booze lady.

PHILADELPHIA – Debbie Wasserman Schultz announced Sunday she will soon step down as Democratic National Committee chairwoman, amid the fallout over leaked emails indicating an anti-Bernie Sanders bias in her operation -- a stunning development just hours before the start of her party's convention.
In a written statement, the controversial party leader said she was "privileged to serve as the DNC Chair for five and a half years."
She said her first priority is serving the people of her Florida congressional district while stressing the importance of helping elect Hillary Clinton, adding: "Going forward, the best way for me to accomplish those goals is to step down as Party Chair at the end of this convention."
She said she would still "open and close the convention," which begins Monday in Philadelphia, and address delegates "about the stakes involved in this election," in her role as party chair.

She apparently will step down at the end of the convention. Vice Chairwoman Donna Brazile is slated to take over as interim chair during the rest of the general election campaign.
The announcement came just hours after reports first surfaced that Wasserman Schultz may be denied a speaking role at the convention, and that she would not be presiding -- a decision apparently made under pressure from the Clinton campaign and the White House.
Rep. Marcia Fudge, D-Ohio, the former chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus, will instead preside over the Democratic proceedings as convention chairwoman. On the sidelines, party officials were already discussing Wasserman Schultz' role as DNC chairwoman.
One Democratic source told Fox News, “Debbie is being forced out sooner than later.”
The rapid-fire set of developments ahead of the convention kick-off raise immediate questions about whether the party can unite its battling factions in Philadelphia this week.
Officials were clearly trying to prevent anger over the email leak controversy and other issues from disrupting proceedings. The emails only bolstered claims from Sanders – and Republican nominee Donald Trump – that the system was rigged against the Vermont senator.
Trump tweeted after the DNC news broke:
Sanders himself blasted the DNC and Wasserman Schultz in interviews earlier Sunday, demanding her resignation as party chairwoman.
“I think [Wasserman Schultz] should resign. Period. And I think we need a new chair who is going the lead us in a very different direction,” Sanders told ABC’s “This Week” on Sunday, hours before the resignation was announced.
He later issued a statement thanking her for her service, and saying she made "the right decision for the future of the Democratic Party."
President Obama and Clinton both issued statements thanking Wasserman Schultz for her service.
"I am grateful to Debbie for getting the Democratic Party to this year's historic convention in Philadelphia, and I know that this week's events will be a success thanks to her hard work and leadership," Clinton said, adding that she will serve as "honorary chair of my campaign's 50-state program to gain ground and elect Democrats in every part of the country" and act as a surrogate.
The WikiLeaks document dump, which included emails from January 2015 to May 2016, purportedly came from the accounts of seven DNC officials. In a May 5 email, a DNC employee asked a colleague to collect information on his religious beliefs – claiming it might sway voters in West Virginia and Kentucky. In that particular email, Sanders' name was not mentioned, but he was the only other candidate in the race at that time against Clinton.
DNC chief financial officer Brad Marshall wrote, “This would make several points difference with my peeps. My Southern Baptist peeps would draw a big difference between a Jew and an atheist.”
Others from Wasserman Schultz herself contained very strong language, raising questions about her status as an ostensibly neutral party official.
Responding to Sanders’ complaints the party hasn’t been fair to him, she wrote to a staffer in an April email: “Spoken like someone who has never been a member of the Democratic Party and has no understanding of what we do.”
Responding to the same staffer a month later regarding Sanders campaign manager Jeff Weaver blaming the Nevada state party for a raucous convention, she wrote, “Damn liar. Particularly scummy that he barely acknowledges the violent and threatening behavior that occurred.”

Tuesday, July 26, 2016

Monday, July 25, 2016

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