GOP Clown Car Update: Jeb! Dumped to the Curb

Poor Jebra. Donald Trump set his sights on him as his chief rival (which never really materialized, so Trump either did well or guessed completely wrong, your call). And ultimately, Jeb! finally saw the writing on the wall: he was throwing good money after bad. Actually, it's kind of amazing. He was flush with cash at the beginning of this thing. I think the GOP bubble should take a long serious look at the political operatives in Jeb's outfit, and bar them ever advising another campaign. . .

WAIT, what am I saying? Put them to work immediately on the Trump campaign! Yeah, that's the ticket! It couldn't fail!

Bye, Jebbie.

[Excerpt]

Jeb Bush suspends his campaign

Haunted by his famous last name and perpetually stuck in the shadows of his anti-establishment rivals, Jeb Bush repeatedly confronted rejection by voters and frustrating setbacks throughout the 2016 presidential race. . .

Read more at: CNN

 

The First GOP 2016 Debate, Songified

They used to call this stuff "Auto Tune the News," but now it's "Songified." If you don't know what that means, watch the attached (or the opening theme to The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt). This one's kind of cute, some real effort put in to make it a song with a chorus and everything. And I love the little bobble-head action from Jeb! Bush.

Presidential Candidates, Summed Up in Brief

Dan, my blogging adversary and friend from Las Vegas days (we've each since moved away) posted his quick takes on the presidential field thus far, on his much more successful blog, Las Vegas Badger. I thought it was an interesting idea, so here is my take.

Hillary Clinton: It's hers to lose, but the attempted "death by a thousand cuts" by her opponents may hurt her.
Lincoln Chafee: Has gone from Republican to Independent to Democrat. . .and made little splash in any of them.
Martin O'Malley: Who?
Bernie Sanders: The anti-Trump speaks completely unfiltered, but does so with substance.
Jim Webb: Eh.
Joe Biden: Prone to blunders, but a good guy. Won't win.

Jeb! Bush: Just say no to a third Bush.
Dr. Ben Carson: Completely inexperienced, and a bit of a nutbar.
Chris Christie:  Four years too late, too much scandal, and rude to boot.
Ted Cruz: Crazy dad, pandering, smarmy and unctuous son. Plus, too much religion in the politics.
Carly Fiorina: Only claims to fame are spectacular failures.
Lindsey Graham:  Closest (almost said closet) thing to a GOP candidate I'd vote for, and I still wouldn't vote for him.
Mike Huckabee:  No preachers for president please. Anyway, his media back catalog of crazy will sink him.
Bobby Jindal:  Religion in politics is his stock-in-trade, and he's not ready for prime time.
John Kasich: A former FOX "News" guy for president? No thanks.
George Pataki: Not crazy enough to stand out in this field.
Rand Paul:  Plagiarist chip off the old block, but not really a libertarian.
Rick Perry: Oops.
Marco Rubio: Stay thirsty, my friend. Try again next time.
Rick Santorum: Fluke runner-up last time will get nowhere this time.
Donald Trump: A bullshitting buffoon who will make a mockery of the entire field, but might make them look normal by comparison.
Scott Walker: Bland and boring, has his fans but will only rise to the top if it's by process of elimination.
Jim Gilmore: Who?

There are others, but I doubt they're worthy of notice.

Personally, I'd like to see Hillary Clinton win the nomination, and the general election. She would have been fine with me last time, if I hadn't liked Barack Obama (and his supporters) more. She's capable, smart, tenacious and tough. Bernie Sanders would be terrific too, but I'm afraid if he won the nomination, he'd lose the general election (too Socialist, irascible, elderly, unkempt and Jewish for the general public, I fear). I love him though, and you'd better believe I'd vote for him over any GOP candidate. Martin O'Malley made no impression on me in particular, and both Lincoln Chafee and Jim Webb may trend too Blue Dog for my tastes (besides having little to no zazz). Given my choice in a perfect world? Senator Elizabeth Warren for the win, any other Democratic candidate (but preferably a younger heir apparent) for Veep.

This team would be fine with me too.

I fear that Jeb! Bush will win the GOP primary having both the most well-known name, and generally being in the more sane column. I think having the last three Republican presidents all from the same family, with one of them having served two terms as Vice President in the one before that, is just too much. Way too much. Even if the previous Bushes had been terrific at their jobs. Instead, we had a middling Poppy and a disastrous Dubya. Jeb!'s motto should be, "Third Time's the Charm?"

The win in the general will depend entirely upon the mood of the country at the time, and just how well anybody can keep the momentum going through these next two summers. Ugh. That's a long slog. And we just can't know what will be going on politically. It's a tough hat trick for one party to extend a two-term presidency into another four or eight in the White House. But the rules are different in this 24/7, post-Citizens United, rapid news cycle era. At present, there's just no way to know.

Dubya Introduces Jebbeh!

Hillary Clinton Officially Launched this Weekend

Image from ABC News

I'm a little confused by how presidential campaigns are done these days. Obviously, they start wayyy too early, and go on far too long. But we also have pre-announcements, and announcements that there will be a pre-announcement. We had Jeb! Bush running a campaign before he was officially running, potentially running afoul of (impotent) election laws. And then we have the official announcement that is weeks or months before the official launch?

Well, I guess it's a way to get yourself injected into the news cycle, and given the average American's attention span, I can understand that. So, hooray for Hillary Clinton, she's in with both feet. Go, Hillz.

If you note a lack of enthusiasm, it's President Obama's fault. I mean, what isn't, right? Don't get me wrong, I've never for a minute regretted either of my votes, and I hole the president in high esteem. I haven't agreed with him on everything, but his batting average is higher than any recent president in my book, including Bill Clinton. And he's leagues better than any of his prior competition. Same goes for Hillary, I'd vote for her in a hot second over every single GOP challenger.

But mustering as much enthusiasm as I had in 2008 is very, very tricky. For anyone. At that time, I was so desperate to get out of the political funk I was in after two Dubya terms, and the Karl Rove Alternate Universe Reality Warping Machine (I really wish I could make that spell K.R.A.P. somehow). Barack Obama was so different, so refreshing, so dynamic, I'd be surprised if I ever get that excited about voting again. And though I'm still a supporter, the hype was just impossible to live up to, and the enthusiasm impossible to maintain over two terms.

Add to that, that I'm in barely-just-platonic love with Elizabeth Warren, and that I agree with Bernie Sanders on almost everything (but believe him to be an extreme long-shot), and my Hillary love is just on simmer, not boil. So, heads up DNC, Team Clinton and all you liberal grass roots groups: you'd better pump up the extreme contrast between Republicans and Democrats, trumpet the importance of Supreme Court nominations, and fan the flames of the insane policy proposals coming from the GOP Clown Car. You can't buy enthusiasm, but you can put these realities front and center, in jumbo, bold, loud letters. Not everybody loves Hillary Clinton. But I've yet to find an Obama voter who wouldn't vote for her over her GOP competition. Now, let's just hope Bernie doesn't become a Ralph Nader-type spoiler.

[Excerpt]

Hillary Clinton Launches Campaign With Help From Spotify, Echosmith



Hillary Clinton kicked her 2016 presidential campaign into gear on Saturday with a grand formal launch on New York City's Roosevelt Island. Hours before the event, her campaign released the Democratic candidate's official playlist on Spotify, showcasing a range of uplifting anthems, including a handful by female artists like Kelly Clarkson, Katy Perry, Sara Bareilles and Jennifer Lopez. . .

Read more: Rolling Stone