democrattotheend
democrattotheend's JournalBrexit? Maybe Not. (Politico)
http://www.politico.eu/article/eu-referendum-cameron-brexit-maybe-not-after-all/Three hours after the result was announced, the prime minister resigned.
So could, just possibly, Out become In?
In dining rooms across London and Brussels, anxious Remainers — the “48 percent” that wanted to stay in the union — are gaming out various scenarios.
The politics and the legalities of an exit from the EU are so unclear and unprecedented that the thought isn’t entirely wishful. Just mostly so. Anything, in theory, is possible.
Here are six possible scenarios to stave off Brexit (and probably give right-wing UKIP leader Nigel Farage an aneurism):
It seems none of them are very likely, but it's an interesting article.
Politico: Hardly anybody wants to speak at Trump's convention
In the year of Trump: Not so much.
With the convention less than a month away, POLITICO contacted more than 50 prominent governors, senators and House members to gauge their interest in speaking. Only a few said they were open to it, and everyone else said they weren’t planning on it, didn’t want to or weren’t going to Cleveland at all — or simply didn’t respond.
This seems strange to me. Even if the presumptive nominee is not favored to win, up and coming politicians don't usually shy away for fear of being linked with a loser. Obama became an overnight star after the 2004 convention despite the fact that Kerry lost. But I guess Trump is so polarizing that Republicans are afraid that speaking at his convention will link them to his racist views (which some of them probably secretly agree with).
Any thoughts on the primary to replace Steve Israel (NY-03)?
I hope this is okay to post in here now that it's not just about the presidential primaries.
As you may know Steve Israel, who represents New York's 3rd Congressional District, is retiring, and I am having a hard time choosing between his potential replacements. I would appreciate if anyone familiar with the race or any of the candidates could share some insight. Here is my take so far on the candidates.
Jonathan Clarke
He seems to be the most progressive of the candidates, and I would prefer to give my vote to a fellow Bernie supporter. As far as I can tell, Clarke is the only one who fits that bill. I also like that he has dedicated a portion of his law practice to pro-bono, which is pretty rare for a small firm on Long Island.
My main hesitation is that he doesn't really have much of a campaign structure, and he is such a long shot that voting for him almost feels like voting Green in the general. I really wish we had instant runoff voting. If so, I would rank him #1. I may vote for him as a show of support, but if it's close between some of the other candidates I might vote for one of the others (see below).
Anna Kaplan
Strong second choice, and I may end up voting for her because she is my favorite of the candidates whom I think has a realistic shot. She has an interesting personal story (Jewish, fled Iran at age 13 due to persecution). She would be the first Iranian-American elected to Congress. She is endorsed by EMILY's List and NOW, and I have gotten flyers from her emphasizing a higher minimum wage, paid family leave, and equal pay for women. She supported Hillary in the primary, which is a bit of a negative for me, but not a dealbreaker. The way I see it is that Hillary had endorsements from Democratic elected officials all over the ideological spectrum, so it doesn't really say much about a candidate. But if a candidate supported Bernie, it almost guarantees they will be progressive and willing to buck the grain.
Jon Kaiman
He seems to have the most union endorsements, which is a plus for me. On the other hand, he is very focused on seniors, which is not necessarily a bad thing, but as a 30-something I want to make sure he is also committed to representing all age groups. Hard to tell how progressive or not he is.
Steve Schwartz
Endorsed by Rep. Israel. Doesn't seem that progressive on paper but he did say some things I liked at the League of Women Voters forum. I just read that he was endorsed by SEIU 1199 - that is a positive for me.
Tom Suozzi
He has been around for a while in New York politics, and just feels too establishment for me. But I am open to being persuaded otherwise.
I would really appreciate additional insight into any of these candidates, including who is favored to win and whether it is expected to be close.
Weren't Hillary and Bernie supposed to meet tonight?
Has there been any word on the outcome of the meeting? Did either candidate release a statement or talk to reporters afterwards?
Senate passes defense bill including women in draft
But the issue loomed large over the final vote. Heritage Action, the conservative advocacy arm of The Heritage Foundation, deemed the defense policy bill a “key vote” that would count on its annual lawmaker scorecards because of the draft language.
“It is a radical change that is attempting to be foisted on the American people,” Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) said. “The idea that we should forcibly conscript young girls into combat, to my mind, makes little or no sense. It is at a minimum a radical proposition. I could not vote for a bill that did so, particularly that did so without public debate.”
http://www.politico.com/story/2016/06/senate-passes-defense-bill-including-women-in-draft-224316
I never thought I would find myself agreeing with Ted Cruz, but I do here, though probably not for the same reasons. My understanding is that in the 1980's, one of the main arguments against the ERA (Equal Rights Amendment) was that it would mean women could be drafted. So they never passed the ERA, but now they want to draft us anyway? No dice! If they want to draft us pass the ERA first!
POLL: Do we want Elizabeth Warren as Clinton's VP choice (by primary candidate)?
Someone posted a poll on this yesterday but didn't break it out by primary candidate. I thought it would be interesting to see how this question breaks down among supporters of both candidates.
One plus side of Hillary being the nominee
Is that it will be really amusing to see Bill Clinton compete in this: http://theweek.com/articles/474229/michelle-obama-vs-ann-romney-demeaning-cookie-bakeoff
Do the candidates' spouses actually bake the cookies, or just submit recipes? I am hoping the former. It will be nice and kind of ironic to see this sexist tradition (which, ironically, began when Hillary said that she "could have stayed home and baked cookies"
get turned on its head.
Did anyone save any newspaper front pages from Tuesday, June 7?
I hope it's okay to post in here.
I am trying to make one of my headline/front page collages like the ones I made for Obama's nomination/elections as a gift for a friend who is a long-time Hillary supporter with front pages about her clinching the nomination.
I downloaded all the good ones from yesterday from the Newseum site, but I didn't think to get the ones from Tuesday (probably because I spent Tuesday being mad about the premature announcement from the AP), and for some reason the Newseum didn't think that was a day worth archiving as historic.
So if any of you saved any pictures or PDF's (even better) from Tuesday, the day after the AP announcement, I would really appreciate if you would share them with me. PM me and I will give you my e-mail address.
Congratulations, BTW.
NPR: Bitter Rivals To Allies: How President Obama Evolved On Hillary Clinton
Interesting read.
Back in 2008, Barack Obama helped keep Hillary Clinton out of the White House.
Now he's endorsing her bid for president.
And he is likely to be one of her best campaign weapons.
"I've gotten to know Hillary really well," the president told Glenn Thrush on a Politico podcast. "She is a good, smart, tough person who cares deeply about this country."
http://www.npr.org/2016/06/09/480645291/bitter-rivals-to-allies-how-president-obama-evolved-on-hillary-clinton
Poll: For Sanders Supporters ONLY: What should Bernie do now?
I have seen a lot of mixed opinions from my comrades here today, so I figured I would take a poll to see where everyone stands.
Please, no Hillary supporters voting in this. You can comment but don't vote.
This poll just deals with his public stance. It doesn't get into the technicalities of suspending versus ending the campaign, releasing delegates, etc.
If there is another option you think I should add let me know.
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Member since: Wed Jan 30, 2008, 03:33 PMNumber of posts: 11,605