Bill de Blasio.

I watched him (on CSPAN) give a speech to a group of Iowa progressive Democrats. I was impressed with both his passion and clearheaded defense of liberal public policy.

What do those of you that live in NYC or New York State think of him?

2018 candidates that converted from republican to Democrat to run for office.

I have become suspicious of that type unless they converted several years ago like a handful of our current Reps. If 2018 looks like it is setting up to be a bloodbath for republicans, we are going to get lots of former republicans running under our banner.

I am ok with the ones that have been behaving like Democrats in terms of policy, not ok with ones that talked the republican line up until a year or so before they converted. Thoughts?

A nature question.

All DU members are sensitive to protecting the environment.

I had something happen and I am wondering whether I made the right decision. I was helping clean up storm residue (yes, we still are picking up in some places). Me and my brother, who I was helping came upon a small rattlesnake that was under some of the fallen branches. I wanted to let the rattler live and after a short debate, I got my way. We moved the snake to nearby woods and let it crawl away. Did I make a mistake?

Should liberal states form their own health insurance system?

I am thinking blue states like California, Oregon, Washington, New Mexico, Maryland, Delaware, Conneticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Vermont. Form their own giant insurance pool and certify insurance companies that meet specific guidelines to sell there. Other states can join as long as they agree to the following;

1. Affordable care for everyone.
2. Premium assistance for poor people up to Medicaid level.
3. No pre-existing condition exclusions. Everyone MUST be covered at the same rate for the level of policy.
4. No shit policies, i.e. super high deductibles, restricted coverage, lifetime caps can be sold in those states.

For residency:
Person must have lived in the state for one year or was born there.

I am not in insurance guy. But I feel that blue states need to decouple themselves from states like mine (Florida) and red states that constantly vote against their own best interests.

Voting for my first republican.

Since I was a college freshman and had one fool me into thinking she was a liberal. While she was not as bad as other republicans, a Democrat would have been better if one had ran. It was her versus another republican that was worse.

Which brings me to my current quandary. Our election has a youngish teabag republican that looks well funded versus a Chamber of Commerce republican incumbent who also looks well funded. I plan to vote for the CofC guy because his platform sounds a lot less crazy and he already serves on what looks like a moderate group mostly.

To use a term from the show Law & Order, my not voting at all shows a mindset of depraved indifference. No way do I want the teabagger to win. He has ran before and does not hold office. There are around 25% more republicans in my county, but I can't count on sane republicans after Trump.

One bummer is the firefighting Union seems to be squarely behind the teabagger, even out campaigning for him in some of their gear. This brings up whether we as progressives should even support firefighting and cop unions, everyone that I have seen is rightwing, they don't vote for things that we feel are important.

Looking forward.

The upcoming employment report out this week is expected to show job growth of 180,000 plus, on top of 250,000 last month. Unemployment is down to 4.4%.

Deplorables attribute the numbers to Trump. But they are wrong, a new President's policies don't seriously impact the economy until around August of the first year in office. The nation's economy is still running on President Obama's policies, more so since Trump has not done any real significant policy other than roll back environmental regulations.

The economy where I live is highly dependent on retirees, medical care facilities, lots of local, state and federal government jobs. What I foresee once Trump's economy hits is my area will be devastated, given the types of jobs people around here hold.

Once the blush of Obama policy is gone in a couple of month and the reality of Trump policy hits the nation full force, I won't be surprised to see the economy and stock market plunge and the economy take on the 2008 pallor.

Once reality hits, I wonder how the 35% of American who did not vote in 2016 will feel about their decision.

H1B Visas.

60 Minutes had a segment on about how younger cheaper workers from mostly India are taking high level American worker jobs in IT and other such professions, some government institutions are among employers outsourcing jobs to save money (so they claim). The result is that older, highly skilled American workers are unemployed with little hope of finding comparable work.

Trump (the shameless one) made a major issue of this and is not dragging his foot on renewing the H1B Visa program. I hate that Trump has such a powerful issue to play with and wish that Democrats would become fierce opponents of the program if qualified, unemployed American workers are given serious interviews and hired. Trump hires foreign workers in the place of Americans, but it is clear that won't stop him from using the program to his political advantage.

Views?

Good for Bernie to call Trump a liar, because that is what Trump is. nt

Has anyone heard any public statement from Jill Stein or Johnson.

On Trump's tax plan that gives all to the rich?
On Trump's defense buildup plan?
On Trump's gutting of environmental protections?
On Trump's attack on immigrants?
On Trumps green lighting the Keystone and Dakota Access pipelines?


Stein made a big deal about protesting the DA pipeline near the end of the election. Where was she last month when police forced protesters off the land they occupied?

I challenge Stein's supporters here (if they have the principles to identify themselves) to explain her silence. Same with Johnson supporters.

Appeals Court upholds suspension of the immigrant ban. nt