Current Trends by Natasha Sapp

If you didn’t know it was an election season, you do now; republicans just had their 6th debate and democrats their 4th.  As the Iowa caucuses loom, the gloves have indeed come off; true to pattern, what little there has been in the chaos now labeled American politics, it was what was happening pre and post-debate that was more likely to wake people from their collective debate coma. Whether it was Rand Paul’s withered attempt to take a stand announcing he would boycott the debate if relegated to the second tier, undercard version after being informed his polled numbers weren’t high enough to be on the main debate stage; debate rules than seemed reasonable considering the consistently large number of candidates. You had be at 6 %  nationally or be in the top 5 in Iowa or New Hampshire while Rand is complaining polls after the cut had him either at 5 or 1 away from 4; that would be 3. Compounding his should be embarrassment, vowing to dedicate the remainder of his campaign to stopping Ted Cruz who, despite recent declines, is light years ahead of him. Speaking of Cruz, irony of ironies Mr. birther himself Donald Trump has a new target, Ted Cruz; who was indeed born in Canada to a Cuban father and an American, U.S. citizen mother—translating to Trump and a handful of other GOP establishment members—there could be a legal challenge to his eligibility to be president. Rumor has it a strategy by said establishment to stymie his chances at the nomination fearing what he might do if he reaches there, never mind the Whitehouse; convenient, Trump uses it only after his poll numbers nationally too are falling previously saying he had his lawyers look into it coming up with no issues. Another bombshell regarding the golden boy son of a Cuban immigrant gone so far as to serve in politics, financial disclosures not made to the FEC (federal election commission) about loans from big banks to fund his senate campaign as he paints himself as the anti-Wall Street guy sticking up for the American people. His explanation, it was disclosed on one from not the other, willing to correct what he boils down to a clerical error. Dominating the news cycle, was again Cruz, and his attack on Trump for having ‘New York values,’ decadent, liberal, pro-abortion, pro-gay marriage; an accusation he doubled down on debate night deflected by Trump using 9-11 and the good people to be found in NYC. Trump himself drawing previous fire for his first ever, blatantly misleading campaign ad showing a flood of immigrants going over the border; problem, it isn’t the American border. Instead the border of Morocco in North Africa, his assertion—it was a demonstration of what America will look like unless we secure our own borders; something completely unclear to watchers who might vote for him based on the hordes pictured trampling that area believing it to be America. On the democratic side, marked civility gave way to a shouting match debate night boiling over from increasingly hostile attacks between the 2 highest polling democrats, Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders; short summery, it’s starting to look like a true contest for an goal, this time political office, not summer camp. Clinton surrogates going after Sanders on replacing Obama care, the CHIP program for children with what he calls Medicare for all. Sanders surging in the single most watched polls, watched states ahead of the first 2 caucuses, Iowa and New Hampshire indicating campaign staff for Clinton could be nervous; Sanders’ campaign tagline—the inevitable candidate doesn’t seem so inevitable. Debate night Hillary took apart Sanders’ record on guns while he repeatedly tied Hillary to Wall Street. Post-debate too erupted with unfolding events; Cruz taking more heat for the New York values slur, Trump warned going after Cruz could be a serious tactical error, conservatives beside themselves with rage and indignation over the Iran prisoner swap freeing 5 American prisoners, poetic justice the 4 prisoners Donald Trump said we should have demanded released prior to agreeing to even begin talks with Iran about shelving their nuclear program, plus one there only 40 days, released just as the deal was to take effect. GOP right-wingers convinced it shows America’s weakness, sending a dangerous message kidnapping an American means negotiation and money, meeting of demands for their captors; sentiments heightened when U.S. sailors were detained by Iran for a day reportedly straying into Iranian waters coming back from a training exercise in the area, an incident secretary of defense Ash Carter admitted was our mea culpa. Biggest news to hit less than a week after the republican debate and only 2 days after the democratic one, Trump’s choice of surrogate campaign mouthpieces trotted out to help win Iowa, Sarah Palin; almost making bigger news than the predicted move Hillary Clinton would at some point enlist her husband as support in her campaign or the reaction he received when it happened rehashing all his personal rather than political transgressions. Tuesday evening last week Palin got up at a rally embarking on a 20 minute speech Salon.com writers called nonsense, a Hardball with Chris Mathews guest the following day called disconnected, maybe poetry struggling to define it. Still whatever the strategic thinking for the Trump campaign, already her announcement is drawing crowds of supporters who want to see her and him as well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K67_8MNw-Mo

There are many reasons to hate Ted Cruz as a potential commander in chief, call out Cruz on his political record, present and prior statements, his given vision on policies to come should he win the Whitehouse, his being born in Canada when one of his parents remains a U.S. citizen isn’t one of them. Contrary to Trump’s doomsday what if predictions about challenges to Cruz’s legitimacy to run for president, no democrat is going to seriously take this to court if he finds his name on a presidential ticket come November or as the republican nominee’s VP pick either one; his fellow conservative politicians, political operatives, all bets are off. But then again he only has himself to blame for putting the idea in their heads; we’ll get back to the—‘he only did it shamelessly to rid himself of a rival’—factor in a minute. Despite this particular issue of what specifically defines a natural born citizen never being completely legally “settled,” there has never been a law excluding people not born exclusively on U.S. soil from natural born classification, excluding people not born exclusively on U.S. soil, from holding the highest office, president of those United States, a determination based on were you born a U.S. citizen alone; most modern, within the last 60 odd years, readings of the constitution have included both in their understanding of natural born, born in the country itself or born to at least one parent who is a U.S. citizen. Many would say if it isn’t settled, it’s time to settle it choosing one or the other definition, sticking to the tradition held combined definition. And, outside the legal back on forth comprised of constitutional experts, lawyers qualified to argue such a case and within the highest courts, months, years of back and forth in numerous lower courts inevitably landing on the doorstep of the Supreme Court, no matter which way they would rule, probably for the current status quo, it wouldn’t stop the fervor behind attacks like those leveled at president Obama’s legitimacy to hold the office he was, by popular and electoral college vote rightfully elected to, what does settling it even mean? Are we suddenly going to turn back the hands of time, craft a, right now unnecessary, exemption for children born to military parents while abroad allowing them to keep their U.S. citizenship; are we going to be forced to do the same for dignitaries and ambassadors filling posts overseas who also have families, penalize American business people who do business here as well as in other countries, force naturalization procedures on such children at 18, lock out the ideas of that kind of young person from the presidency to satisfy fear mongering, nativist crap spewed out by the impotent, white rage machine panicked about the changing color of America? Or are we going to get real, recognizing their move for the political football it is, Donald Trump’s push to revoke birthright citizenship to babies born on U.S. soil, in U.S. hospitals is popular in conservative circles precisely because it targets illegal immigrants seen as having anchor babies. Guaranteed, you start adding in the other groups potentially affected, particularly just so extreme, partisan politicians could prevent someone they didn’t like from becoming president and the American people will revolt. Neither was Ted Cruz out of line saying Mr. Trump has, embodies ‘New York values;’ one of the saner things Cruz has said in months, to tell the truth. Donald Trump the billionaire, business mogul, reality TV star, schmoozer with the who’s who of everything entertainment, politics, Wall Street, happy to use who he’s given money to as a dis if it serves him in the moment, is a giant symbol of what everyone associates with big city moral decay, excess, greed compared to heartland, Midwest, Iowa type values, virtues; Trump always one to talk about common phrases, metaphors and idioms when defending his words, sorry Chris Mathews don’t know why you were so dismayed by this one, New York values is one of those phrases, the phrase to describe exactly what Cruz meant. That he qualified his statement by adding adjectives like, liberal, pro-abortion, pro-gay marriage should have left little doubt as to what he was getting at; nor was his reference to Manhattan, not finding a lot of conservatives there a derogatory comment about the people of Manhattan, actual numbers of political conservatives there, instead a direct reminder of the geographical location of what— Wall Street. It was not an insult to the mainstream general public of New York, was not anti-Semitic as the Salon reporter asked a linguist, of all people to comment, was in no way directed at any victim, family impacted by 9-11, first responders or the droves of helpers showcasing the best of America; certainly not warranting the New York paper picture of the statue of liberty giving Ted Cruz the finger, only food for twitter trolls. Here Ted Cruz has no reason to apologize; Trump’s shameless use of 9-11, afflicted families, first responders and their families to fend off a political attack, ignore the legitimate and accurate insinuation implied is another matter, what should have New Yorker’s saying how dare you, Donald J. Trump worthy of the middle finger. Ted Cruz shouldn’t have to apologize, back track, worry about offended New Yorker’s; Trump should apologize for using those families for political ends.  Similarly Cruz’s uncovered financial situation can be read one of two ways, on one hand it’s quite easy to say, knowing government paperwork hell the way we do as ordinary people on the most limited level, he made a mistake, put it on form X but not form Y, compounded when you have campaign aids and staff handling paperwork, filing things, managing matters as you attend rallies, do events; he has or is paying back the loan in question, is not defaulting, would we be surprised to find just how many of our loans for any number of things were underwritten, somehow affiliated with hated big banks known for their role in the financial crisis, Citibank, JP Morgan Chase, Goldman Sacks? At the same time the converse argument is, shouldn’t a future commander in chief be capable of filing the correct paperwork on something as important as his bid for the highest political office; vying for leader of the free world, know how to file said paperwork, and if he doesn’t, what else doesn’t he know? All but the last story exactly why people are tuning out of debates, because, they are nothing other than meaningless discussion of false flag issues while the same old problems fester.

http://www.salon.com/2016/01/15/ted_cruz_has_a_huge_birther_problem_and_it_is_much_bigger_than_donald_trump/

http://www.salon.com/2016/01/15/what_cruz_really_meant_by_new_york_values_trump_is_a_symbol_of_a_decadent_elite_money_grubbing_morally_lax_metropolis/

The Iranian prisoner swap was a welcome Saturday morning surprise just over a week ago signaling 4 long held Americans and one recently detained would be returned to their families, should have been tangible proof  diplomacy works, works better by far than threats, bravado and immediately defaulting to use of force. Yet again that wasn’t good enough for republicans who used the joyous information to complain about the danger of the already done nuclear deal, rail on president Obama for everything from taking too long to secure American citizens held by hostile forces to sending a dangerous message, they sure love that word, to America’s enemies there is profit in kidnapping our people, to being weak in dealing with foreign leaders. Rhetoric ratcheted up after earlier in that week Iran detained 2 boats filled with navy sailors who apparently strayed into the country’s waters due to a navigation error while on their way to Bahrain for maintenance; U.S. originally skeptical when Iranian officials stated they would be held overnight, sent on their way the next morning citing safety of traveling by daylight. However once more republicans, called hawks by pundits, repeatedly beating the drums of war, particularly with this county, most will remember the same political party whose select members sent a seditious letter to Iran saying they didn’t understand our political process, political system, the speed with which leaders were replaced via election, were proven wrong; next day, sailors released on their way to a debriefing at their original destination or controlled neutral territory where someone can get to the bottom of what happened. Commenters better versed in international procedures saying, they were found in unfriendly sovereign waters, detained to determine if it was truly an innocent mistake, human error, equipment failure or if there was any type spying, espionage going on; finding nothing, they were sent on their way. Still trotted out were the same old litany of comments describing why using anything but brute force and bullying on a national level was wrong in gaining the release of 5 Americans; Trump tweaking his often used slogans to fit this situation too, talking about how bad it was we got 4 (oops missed one) guys who did nothing wrong in exchange for 7 guys ‘with problems.’ Spin on what he originally said about Mexico, the Mexican government sending us people with problems, a rehash of what he said about sergeant Bowe Bergdahl swapped for 5 Gitmo detainees he eagerly called terrorists desired back in their home countries, ISIS strongholds in the region for various skills employed to kill Americans, who were actually determined to be enemy combatants, the 21st century term for POW, prisoners of regular war, persons who would have been released as part of the 2014 drawdown of troops from there; 5 guys sent to a neutral country they cannot leave and who we’ve heard nothing about, good or bad, since. Ted Cruz initially praising god for the release of the pastor included in the prisoner exchange, nothing about the others then appearing on Fox News, similar to Marco Rubio, pronouncing what a dangerous precedent it sets calling it a pattern seen over and over in the Obama administration, the latter uttered as if it were an exotic and terrible disease. Perhaps most illogically laughable was Chris Christie’s response saying it was further evidence the president quote: lived in his own world, lived in a fantasy land if he believes that’s the product of strong American diplomacy, that he pays ransom, again, to terrorists, to the largest state sponsor of terrorism …; we guess he means apart from the fantasy land he himself lives in where king Husain is still the king of Jordan, the Obama administration allowed Russia to encroach on Syria, forget bases were established there and maintained since the president was 10, and the whopper, we’re already in WWIII we just don’t know it yet. Let’s also properly combine and separate the terms that go together discussing this and those that don’t; there was no ransom paid to the Iranians in exchange for the 5 Americans. They were spontaneously released resulting from closed door diplomatic talks ahead of the Iran deal to take effect days, hours before; monies Iran has currently received, or soon will, come directly from the Iran deal given in exchange for specifically marked, measurable dismantling of their nuclear program which inspectors and news reports indicate they met. No navy personnel were kidnapped by Iran rather, Iran found foreign sailors in their waters and detained them; when nothing nefarious was uncovered, they were released. Relatedly, facts of the Iran deal: this is not negotiation with terrorists where we got nothing; instead with a foreign power to discontinue their nuclear weaponry efforts in exchange for money, largely freeing of Iranian assets. We achieved them not continuing toward building a nuclear bomb to hit us, their geographical neighbor Israel, initiate a Middle East nuclear arms race which would be catastrophic and even more destabilizing. Through ongoing talks and as a show of good faith, 5 Americans come home that otherwise would not have, at least not at present and no boots had to be put on the ground, no one had to die, we don’t have another war, another front in the Middle East on which we must fight. Let’s also dispense with the long clung to historical misconceptions, especially about Iran, and that we don’t use diplomatic channels, talks to retrieve our people, Jimmy Carter worked tirelessly to get the 1980 hostages released; incoming president Ronald Reagan received the undue credit because the arrangement took affect the day Carter left office and Reagan entered it. Reagan himself when confronted with his own Iran troubles brokered a deal that involved selling illegal weapons to them and resulted in trials for most of his national security staff; the Iran Contra affair anyone, the Oliver North trial? Independent those hard and fast historical facts Reagan remains the conservative to aspire to evoked on the campaign trail by all too many times to count. Returning to Saturday 2 weeks ago, the Iran deal just gone into effect,  those prisoners not being part of the negotiations, sure the request to release our people was probably made, but not a sticking point, ensured they were not used as leverage to gain more concessions, financial dollars or wiggle room on how dismantled their nuclear program has to be to get the discussed financial assets; an almost certainty if we had gone in there insisting the prisoners be released before negotiating, if said negotiations ever began, had we gone in there offering the tiny carrot of ‘we won’t invade your country’ while poking them in the backside with the giant stick of increased sanctions and Trump style machismo. Proof positive people like Donald Trump don’t know what they’re talking about.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1KVBEgfNZA

Frankly Donald Trump has a lot of nerve and much bigger problems than pointing out technicalities regarding Ted Cruz’s birthplace, his latest slam calling Cruz a nasty guy, nobody likes him, meaning people in congress, when a mere 3 weeks after the 3rd democratic debate and his demand Hillary Clinton apologize for wrongly saying his words were being used in terrorist recruitment videos, what should happen but Al-Shabaab (Somali wing of al Qaeda) did exactly that. We can hear the chorus now chanting she gave them the idea, it’s her fault; nevertheless A- why would a terror group take any idea from America, the west, a place they call the great satan and B- essential to be remembered, his words, his purported policy plans and suggestions ‘to make America great again’ are being used, not hers. Following that barely reported tidbit, he puts out a campaign ad and has to explain it after people notably point out  the en mass crowd running for the border isn’t a group of ‘problem Mexicans’ running for our boarder rather a group in  Morocco. Shrugging it off as a visual representation of what will be seemed to earn him still another pass from diehard supporters and people who gravitate toward his positions, viewing them as positions of strength and no-nonsense needed desperately in our so called turbulent times. An explanation that doesn’t fly if you listen to the ad where the narrator speaking while the video of thousands of people crossing the border in a chaotic mob is talking about building a wall to keep our borders safe that Mexico will pay for. Internationally Trump, despite boasting about his great relationships with foreign leaders, apparently not just Vladimir Putin, ability to make legendary deals the world over, what a positive asset he will be as commander in chief, his business background and the people he will appoint a direct counter to the weak, baby diplomats we have now crafting trade deals and so forth, is generating bigger and bigger backlash. And not just from the usual suspects, residents of Mexico, Muslims likely enraged by a ban from the U.S. should he actually take office, but rather westernized nations taking up votes on whether he should be banned from their country. Initiatives that started in Britain partly because of how their laws are constructed, petitions receiving a certain number of public signatures must be sent to a parliament review board for serious consideration, routinely going to the parliament floor for debate. Tempting though it may be to regard such a move as silly, unnecessary, smacking of citizens and political figures with too much time on their hands, the stated grounds for it, why it hasn’t been laughed out of their parliamentary body altogether should give us pause. Britons are referencing their counties laws on hate speech to ban the business mogul turned reality TV star and now increasingly successful politician from their shores; you see his patently false, incendiary comments on both Mexicans and Muslims would not be tolerated there and are expressly against the law. Abjectly startling outside the vortex of the American political process as it currently stands, interjecting some sanity, reason and critical thinking, yes what he is doing, is saying, huge portions of the dogma he ascribes to constitutes hate speech by definition.  Adding to the potency of the European, westernized movement, global message being sent if not the legitimacy of it, both Germany and Israel took Britain’s lead as incentive to do the same in their countries wanting nothing to do with the self-aggrandizing, bigoted, blowhard named Donald Trump; mirror opposite to 2012 where the world collectively waited with bated breath hoping Barack Obama won a second term, people in Europe are sincerely hoping Donald Trump doesn’t get elected. Here on the home front things aren’t much better The National Review, a top conservative paper, published no less than 22 essays easily dubbed why Donald Trump shouldn’t be president; beyond the tit for tat of party politics lies the greater question, how are you going to be the great unifier in American government, American society ‘president Obama wasn’t’ tone finishing that sentence, despite being black, when you bash blacks, bash Muslims and offend Hispanic and Latino Americans? When 22 people working in congress within the conservative political arena, all indications republican voters will choose more of the same, don’t want you there, are bound and determined you not get there; when 22 people are so vocal against you and raising substance arguments about things like his immigration plan potentially letting in more illegals, how your egotistical behavior is viewed? Answer, you can’t. Similarly how can you bridge the gap across the aisle in congress, use hallmarks from The Art of the Deal to benefit the American people and do what needs to be done when 22 people in the place you directly need to work hate you? Strike 3 answer again, you can’t. Merge this latest incident with the latest round of faux pas where a Trump staffer mistook soviet veterans from Russia for U.S. vets in a Facebook campaign post replaced after commenters slammed him; indicating, as I’ve said since covering the primary debates, you are only as strong, as knowledgeable, as capable as your weakest, most incompetent employee blowing out of the water his enthusiastic repeated claims about having the right people and how he was going to be sure we had the right people when he becomes president, he can’t even control his campaign staff, hire quality campaign staff. Or over the weekend him bragging nonchalantly he could shoot someone and his poll numbers not go down, as if that’s the kind of thing you say in a climate of regular school and mass shootings, regular deaths of the population resulting from interactions with cops and you begin to understand; a gaudy symbol of American embarrassment, he is our Rob Ford only showing no signs of stopping or that entire swaths of the country want him to.  All this before you stir in the Palin factor.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2x79bXjrhRs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=83X3H9QNGMw

Just when seasoned political analysts though they had seen the last of her in the political spectrum, ordinary people had forgotten how squeaky and annoying her voice was, breaking news titled Palin endorses Trump continues prompting news articles and comedy skits using phases like I’m with stupid, Daily Show host cleverly saying he’s confused; which one’s stupid?  Or, as people unmoved by the hokey mom persona, mamma grizzly routine, choosing to confront more practical things taking into account the job she ran for then was elected to, unimpressed with a half-term governor who quit in the middle less it seems to take care of her youngest child with Down’s syndrome, handle the drama laced fallout of her teen daughters very public pregnancy and baby daddy issues, aid in raising the newest Palin grandchild. Instead using the time she should have been serving the people of Alaska to become a reality TV star, granted showing off her state but not what they needed, write, publish them embark on a book tour touting her latest collection of letters, sermons and the like once answering a press asked history question saying Paul Revere’s ride was to warn the British. Garnering political commentary gigs to which she is woefully unqualified for, over the summer falling for the anti-Planned Parenthood baby parts scheme clamoring what they were doing along with abortion period had to be stopped. Once again standing up at a press event mocking the president’s since dubbed ‘latte salute’ (because he dared try to salute with his hands full boarding marine one) saying things are different at the Whitehouse on 1400 Pennsylvania avenue, an address that doesn’t exist, 1401 being a hotel and 1600 being the famous, well known location of the Whitehouse might call it— bimbo endorses sideshow. Now if only she were blond. Highlights from her rambling speech included mimicking Trump’s campaign slogan ‘making America great again’ and extoling how Trump can do that remarking at one point: ‘are you ready for a commander in chief who will let our warriors do their job and go kick ISIS’ ass;’ does she really mean getting us involved in several ground wars throughout the Middle East and North Africa?  This as her son Track, yes Track is his name, was arrested on domestic violence charges; Palin the campaigner then flaking on an event in Iowa, already we see a reoccurrence of a pattern, where tickets promised a special guest and ticket holders were hoping to see her. When next she was seen avidly stumping for Trump she couched her son’s potential abuse in the cloak of veterans with PTSD defacto blaming the Obama administration for all of the above. A stance that didn’t sit well with veterans including some suffering from the disorder; veterans who say president Obama is not responsible for her son’s PTSD, others angry Palin appeared to trivialize the disorder, make sufferers out to be violent, have a propensity for violence. Her argument far from new was a veiled, roundabout and ineffective jab at veteran care, the VA scandal and the criticism Obama has taken on both subjects. No offense to Track Palin and by all means if he does have PTSD let’s see he gets treatment not just processed through the criminal justice system, but remember these are the same Palin’s whose entire family was involved in a brawl where police were called, reportedly started when Bristol the famously troubled daughter began punching someone and Track went after someone who had dated his younger sister. Mom Palin may or may not have shouted about who she was before they left at the property owner’s request. Blemishes on a family record casting in doubt the believability of Track Palin’s PTSD, nor should PTSD be an acceptable excuse for domestic violence, a possible gun charge stemming from him allegedly threatening to shoot himself with an AR15 rifle, and if he truly has PTSD the last thing he should be around is guns. Once again the moment Sarah Palin has any political aspirations her family also becomes embroiled in a headline making unflattering situation, worse than her teen daughters pregnancy and all that came with it; the same Palin who 1 has a Super Pac and 2 is vigorously soliciting donations to be able to afford the expense of stumping for Trump in a sizable way, another turn off for her detractors. Strictly politically, watchers wondering if this is a lead in to a VP pick for Palin; Trump while hedging on that assured both Palin and the public there would be a place for her in a Trump administration. Conservative republican, undecided, party unaffiliated voters have to ask themselves is this what we want, a possible cabinet member with these kinds of problems going in, a possible VP with this kind of baggage. Yet will Trump’s choice of stand in voice hurt him in the long run, probably not; because nothing seems to negatively touch Teflon Trump, even the things that should.

http://www.salon.com/2016/01/21/lets_get_real_bernie_fans_it_isnt_giving_up_to_admit_a_revolution_isnt_coming/

Democratic voters face an equally perplexing conundrum in deciding which candidate Clinton or Sanders best serves their interests on a personal, kitchen table type level; the self-titled democratic socialist and all that latter word implies and conjures up in the people who hear it, or the career politician whose done this once already, running for the highest office and is trying for a second go round. To the final point on Palin either as a campaign surrogate, possible VP or holding a Trump administration position, do we want Bill Clinton Hillary Clinton’s husband known warts and all sexual missteps and exploits who remains a political darling on both sides of the aisle; because, despite his personal failings saw the country to economic boom, financial surplus, functional bipartisanship and whose wife is on track to return us to it if elected, or the untested and tried Sanders who we have no idea who will fill his cabinet positions, who will serve in advisory roles and whose use of the word revolution, though meant in to good way, still scares people? Elaborating further if you are in love with the Bernie revolution, are ‘feeling the Bern’ as supporters say, there are still the practical matters and tangible facts to be considered, gerrymandering and demographics not to mention whole voter turnout versus those who answer opinion polls translate to, as mentioned above, congress staying relatively the same tying the hands of any incoming democratic president no matter how good their ideas. His whole path to success hinges on massive voter turnout never seen before and that said voter turnout will be for him, for democratic policies simultaneously changing the legislative makeup at the same time we choose another president; highly unlikely. Why I’ve said repeatedly he should be working at the grass roots level for laws on gerrymandering, voter suppression to get the more Bernie like legislators into office per all the peoples vote, so things start moving. Clinton, others aren’t wrong to say Sanders’ ideas are unrealistic, basically wonderful but currently unachievable; they can do electoral and legislative math, the math it takes to make it to office and get bills passed into law. Continuing, his whole plan revolves around smashing the system whether it’s big banks he wants to break up, Wall Street he wants to make unrecognizable, Obama care he wants to replace with his own ‘Medicare for all’ plan, a point of fact he did bring up and Chelsea Clinton reminded  rally members at an event and her mother debate night. Unfortunately taking a wrecking ball to everything we understand in politics, the economy, healthcare the way he wants to leaves the inevitable questions what’s left, what do you replace it with and what do people do in the meantime? That isn’t what people are ready for, looking for right now; they are looking for individuals, candidates that can make the current systems run optimally over gridlock spurred almost singularly by ideological fights. Example healthcare, he did say in the first debate he would dismantle Obama care substituted with an expanded to everyone man, woman and child Medicare program; problem Obama care, putting aside republican misinformation campaigns, confused, frightened and frustrated a lot of people. The last thing they need is yet another healthcare system to adapt to, worry about will their doctor, their medication, their children, their therapy for condition X be covered, presenting Clinton and her build on Obama care, fix what isn’t working approach the more appealing of the two. Dido with his plans on college tuition, even republicans understand the crisis of student loan debt and more people are coming to the conclusion a college degree today is the high school diploma of yesterday winning him a spot in the hearts of American millennials on his promise to ease their existing debt, keep younger people from ever getting into such debt. But Hillary Clinton holds a good point comparing her plan and his, why should taxpayers all pay for someone like Donald Trump’s kids to go to college when persons as wealthy as Trump could put his kids and several others through undergrad without making a serious dent in their financial numbers prong 2 on Hillary favorability. Voters worried about guns, criminal justice, effected by police shootings galvanized by movements like black lives matter have an added reason to discount the Bernie revolution his bad record on guns whose only given answer is his coming from a rural state and a pledge to look into it. Up to the minute poll numbers notwithstanding, Hillary Clinton seems to have the upper hand on getting things done; hopefully voters realize that in time.

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