Hillary Clinton is catching flak for her "basket of deplorables" comment about Donald Trump and his supporters. She should drop the "half" piece but continue to press the important truth that Trump has destroyed previous norms of political discourse. On December 7, Donald Trump strode out in front of the assembled television cameras and did something unusual: The … [Read more...] about Double Down, Hillary
Cartoon: Basket of Deplorables
Basket of Deplorables by Clay Jones illary Clinton sparked outrage Friday night by saying half of Trump’s supporters are a “basket of deplorables.” Republicans compared it to Mitt Romney’s statement in 2012 about how 47% of the electorate just wanted free stuff and they’d never vote for him. Also brought up was Obama’s quote in 2008 about how many conservatives cling … [Read more...] about Cartoon: Basket of Deplorables
Syria: Kerry and Lavrov at loggerheads while UN still helpless
President Barack Obama’s policies in Syria took another small hit from Russia at negotiations in Geneva although Secretary John Kerry announced a possibly week-long cease fire among the main warring parties starting Monday, September 12. Secretary of State John Kerry tried to place an optimistic spin on mostly fruitless talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in … [Read more...] about Syria: Kerry and Lavrov at loggerheads while UN still helpless
(Movie Review): ‘AUTHOR: THE JT LEROY STORY’ Is A Spellbinding, Bittersweet Odyssey
5/5 The press material for AUTHOR: THE JT LEROY STORY describes its subject as, “…the literary scandal of the century.” If that's what it takes to end up with a documentary this good, then I say let scandal run free like an unchained mastiff; the world needs more films like this one. I came out of it a maelstrom of cross-wired tensions— thrilled, angered, disturbed, and with … [Read more...] about (Movie Review): ‘AUTHOR: THE JT LEROY STORY’ Is A Spellbinding, Bittersweet Odyssey
What he and others do not know…
I had a conversation with a young man who identified himself as a conservative Republican. I did not ask his age, but I think he is in his twenties. One of the questions I asked him was whether he supported the decision by Republican members of Congress to obstruct everything President Obama wanted to do even if it would benefit the country. His response was that the … [Read more...] about What he and others do not know…
Of Sunsets, Photography and Grandparents’ Bragging Rights
I miss “our” (late) Ron Beasley’s beautiful weekend photographs. Often they provided much-needed relief from a week of just plain, awful, depressing news. I used to dabble in photography years ago. As I love sunsets -- especially Texas sunsets -- I have “miles and miles” of VHS video cassettes filled with sunsets (the whole 10 to 15 minute “process”) along with scores … [Read more...] about Of Sunsets, Photography and Grandparents’ Bragging Rights
Would Biden be heading toward a landslide win right about now?
After Donald Trump clinched the Republican nomination and Hillary Clinton made peace with most of the Bernie Sanders supporters, some Democrats eagerly envisioned a blowout for Clinton in the November election. When Trump suffered a series of miscues (larger blunders than the usual fare), Clinton started to pull away in early August and the prospect of an Electoral College … [Read more...] about Would Biden be heading toward a landslide win right about now?
Clinton: half of Trump supporters belong in “basket of deplorables”
By Jeff Mason NEW YORK (Reuters) - Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton said half the supporters of Republican rival Donald Trump belonged in a "basket of deplorables" of people who were racist, homophobic, sexist, xenophobic, or Islamophobic. Speaking at a fundraiser on Friday night in New York, Clinton said Trump had given voice to hateful rhetoric through … [Read more...] about Clinton: half of Trump supporters belong in “basket of deplorables”
Spoiler? Green and Libertarian Candidates Won’t Go Away
A friend and I had an animated discusson last night about Gary Johnson, the Libertarian candidate, and Jill Stein, the Green Party candidate, for President. My friend is furious, fearing that Johnson will become a spoiler, keeping Hillary Clinton from winning. Johnson (NM) and William Weld (MA), two former Republican governors, comprise the Libertarian slate, the stronger of … [Read more...] about Spoiler? Green and Libertarian Candidates Won’t Go Away
Is That a Fact?
September 10, 2016 Note to readers: This is the latest entry in Baby DonDon’s campaign diary. The series imagines that “Mr.” Donald Trump has the emotional make-up of a five-year-old and confides his deepest thoughts—such as they are—to Andrew Feinberg, and to readers, every day. In his private moments, he always thinks of himself as Baby DonDon. Oh, Baby DonDon loves … [Read more...] about Is That a Fact?
Play Nice, Vlad
September 10, 2016 Note to readers: This is the latest entry in Baby DonDon’s campaign diary. The series imagines that “Mr.” Donald Trump has the emotional make-up of a five-year-old and confides his deepest thoughts—such as they are—to Andrew Feinberg, and to readers, every day. In his private moments, he always thinks of himself as Baby DonDon. So two things have … [Read more...] about Play Nice, Vlad
Cartoons remembering 9/11
San Antonio mattress store apologizes after its ad for 9/11 sale spoofs towers falling
TMV Editor's note: The most tasteless TV commercial ever filmed: A San Antonio mattress store says it will donate 30 percent of its sales this weekend to a 9/11 charity after drawing widespread criticism for an advertisement promoting a "Twin Towers Sale." In the video posted to Facebook, Miracle Mattress manager Cherise Bonanno says that there's no better way to remember … [Read more...] about San Antonio mattress store apologizes after its ad for 9/11 sale spoofs towers falling
War on the Political Right
One of the surprises of this election cycle is the civil war between the Right Wing pundits who opine for a living. The cause of the war is the rise and possible fall of Donald Trump. The latest salvos in this war have come from Jonah Goldberg and Sean Hannity. Here is Goldberg writing about Hannity: "In his latest tirade — or, I should say, in one of his latest … [Read more...] about War on the Political Right
Proposition 66 (and the death penalty) victimizes the innocent
The death penalty victimizes the innocent children and family members of condemned men and women. These are citizens of this country who have committed no crime, and yet, because of capital punishment’s ignominious existence, they are punished too. Their state-sanctioned suffering, one that Californians will be directly responsible for promoting if they vote for Proposition 66, … [Read more...] about Proposition 66 (and the death penalty) victimizes the innocent
Grokking Trump
Ryan Cooper explains how Hillary Clinton is a "cynical machine politician" while Donald Trump is a "grave threat to America" in The Week. Clinton has done many things worthy of close investigation and criticism. But by any metric you care to choose, Trump is worse by far, something the traditional political press is utterly failing to demonstrate. Now, as Glenn Greenwald … [Read more...] about Grokking Trump
O Say Can You See the First Amendment?
Military Weekend: What Trump Gets Terribly Wrong About the Military
A recent NBC News|SurveyMonkey Weekly Election Tracking Poll shows that “Donald Trump leads Hillary Clinton by 19 points — 55 percent to 36 percent — among voters who are currently serving or have previously served in the U.S. military.” That is despite Trump’s outrageous comments about former POW John McCain, despite his only-very-recently-found interest in veterans, … [Read more...] about Military Weekend: What Trump Gets Terribly Wrong About the Military
Cartoon: American horse of Putin
See great cartoons by all the top political cartoonists at http://cagle.com. To license this cartoon for your own site, visit http://politicalcartoons.com … [Read more...] about Cartoon: American horse of Putin
Trump criticizes U.S. policy on Russian televisin
By Doina Chiacu WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, who has often praised Russian President Vladimir Putin, criticized U.S. policy in Iraq during an interview broadcast on a Kremlin-funded television network. The New York businessman made the comments in an interview with former CNN broadcaster Larry King, whose podcast was aired on … [Read more...] about Trump criticizes U.S. policy on Russian televisin