American Politics Thread 2013: I'm a cool Rodham grandma in the USA

ah more thread substance

I could complain about Terry MacAulliffe some if that makes you feel better. I've always hated that guy.

and he's confusingly not fat.

Gods of Food

Robert Costa (@robertcostaNRO) tweeted at 4:21 PM on Thu, Nov 07, 2013:
Spoke w/ top Christie ally just now, more to come soon @NRO. Says Christie planning trips to early prim states, preparing for '16 run

Well, I knew that was going to happen and I have ZERO political connections. I could do Costa's job.

prim states...

quim states amirite

really don't see how Christie makes it through the GOP primaries

http://m.us.wsj.com/articles/BL-LB-46294

sorry for mobile link

just as a blanket statement all this cheeky giggling about christie's weight is gross bullshit

christie was the tea party darling a couple of years ago and he's done ok in the straw polls, i don't think it's impossible he can get thru, he's pretty far to the right of say giuliani. where he goes off the reservation though is going to be alot more difficult to work around than mccain's or romney's or bush's heresies were. his immigration stance is a juicy target w/ consequence (i know some who think rick perry's immigration stance hurt him more than his gaffes) but at least there rubio will be on stage w/ him to take some heat (maybe more heat as he 'led' the push for immigration reform at one point, one reason the bloom came off the rose for the base w/ him)(hate to be this reductive but alot of the gop only has use for minority politicians to the extent that they can be used to beat up on that politician's minority) and the stance can actually help him somewhat in the general. gun control is his real achilles heal though, his stance might align w/ a huge majority of americans but the only ppl who actually care about gun control enough for it to effect their vote are extremely against it and they all vote in the gop primary. his personality could hurt him also i guess, potential dean situation or viral gaffe on the campaign trail there. i think most americans find him pretty likeable though.

i mean he scares me more than rubio does that's for sure.

I'm like Stinky in "Hate", I harbor a deepseated suspicion that all these fat dudes got fat by ripping off us skinny dudes

Christie will be first against the wall in the coming Waist Wars

xp

haha you are like stinky in hate!

his personality could hurt him also i guess, potential dean situation or viral gaffe on the campaign trail there

this seems inevitable

I think Americans like Sarah Palin too, for about 10 days.

*likeD

Americans never liked her: the media liked her for ten days and the GOP loved her.

I think Christie's self-aggrandizing style is going to put a lot of non-New Jerseyan voters right off him but maybe they're not a significantly outspoken group compared to the TP and louder voices.

maybe he's gotten some coaching there? the first year or two of him being a national presence all i ever saw were clips of him being this amazing asshole, then the past few years he's been more personable and his asshole level has diminished though not disappeared. the weight thing is a tough one. i know he's losing weight but celebrities who the public knows as fat once they lose that weight they looking fucking weird. al sharpton, drew carey, jonah hill briefly. jennifer hudson's the only celeb who went from their intro overweight to significant weightloss and looked good coming out of it and she wasn't actually obese beforehand. he totally seems a candidate to host snl at some point though.

Former President George W. Bush will speak at a Texas fundraiser in November for a group that tries to convert Jews into accepting Jesus Christ as the Messiah, Mother Jones reported Thursday.

The Messianic Jewish Bible Institute seeks to "defend" Israel and bring about the second coming of Christ, preaching that salvation by Jesus is consistent with Jewish theology.

Bush will reportedly discuss his experiences in the White House at the event, according to the organization's website.

"President Bush will also share his passion for setting people free, which is fitting for this year’s theme, 'Rekindle,'" Alisa Stephenson, the organization's director of events and partner relations, wrote in a post about the event.

Conservative radio show host Glenn Beck spoke at the event last year.

http://www.popularresistance.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Guantanamo-Died-Waiting.jpg

"President Bush will also share his passion for setting people free, which is fitting for this year’s theme, 'Rekindle,'" Alisa Stephenson, the organization's director of events and partner relations, wrote in a post about the event.

somehow bush's favorability is in the black for the first time in forever, i guess because he's stayed out of the news and he does cool dog paintings these days, but god what a monster

LET MY PEOPLE GO

People feel more charitably toward him now that his ability to do further damage is limited.

what about his damage to art?

http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2013/11/yes-your-vote-does-matter-by.html

Yes, I know this does not fully discuss the hold your nose, less of 2 evils aspect of many candidates

lesser

i don't like guy any more than Russell Brand tbh

good god that digbys blog looks like it travelled here from 1998 fan page world

That's why I like it: easy to load.

Do you find a lot of pages difficult to load?

Depends on the thickness of the content.

dammit Alfred I knew I set you up for that

Bubba publicly scolding Obama for the ACA rollout is pretty fucking rich

wait which one actually got a healthcare reform bill passed OH THAT'S RIGHT

One of the few things I admire about Obama without equivocation is his much-vaunted temperament, especially compared to this attention-seeking fucking child called Bill Clinton. God, we really have to endure him a few more years eh

"so peculiar, so unapproachable, so lacking in warmth"

http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304644104579191371188576010

http://wapo.st/170mV2y

God, we really have to endure him a few more years eh

A little less than three I think. God laughs at presidential inevitability.

x-post to wsj item-- So European leaders, like inside the beltway DC types, wish Obama would be more touchy-feely and consult and talk. Still not sure Iran and Syria would be handled that differently (and the piece doesn't fully address that Germany doesn't necessarily see things the same way as other European countries)

And that Post article on the healthcare website is not good news for the White House either

wait which one actually got a healthcare reform bill passed OH THAT'S RIGHT

To be fair, the only way Obama got the ACA passed was with a ton of compromises that essentially contributed to its rocky roll out, which may in the end leave it even weaker. States had too much power to say no or at least get in the way, insurance companies benefitted while also free to further fuck things up. "Oh, sorry, you can't keep your old insurance because, silly me, it did not cover pregnancy, and the new law insists your insurance cover that, sorry guys, our hands are tied ... "

xposting Yeah, Obama's cold fish politics are preferable to unctuous Uncle Bill. I wonder how much more effective the former would be if he had a taste/tolerance for coddling rich donors and lobbyists?

hunhhhhh? You mean like appointing half of Goldman Sachs?

states rejecting medicaid was not something obama 'compromised' on

also did you notice our Commerce sec'y is the Hyatt heiress? xxp

also show me which part of the hillarycare bill would've guaranteed that their current coverage/rate would not be changed for perpetuity?

isn't our secretary of state the heinz heiress?