"Obama defied Republicans during the first two years of his Presidency, only to be tormented by them for the remainder of it." Forgive me, Mr. Bruni -- you do not actually believe this, do you?? Even before Obama's inauguration, his legitimacy was questioned. A record number of filibusters later, the battle lines drawn. Most newly elected Presidents get honeymoon; Obama got a poke in the eye. Let's see what they do when Hillary is sworn in, but I predict much of the same. Obama's big mistake was tolerating it. He should have made more recess appointment, and investigated the cause son the Iraq War, and put the GOP back on its (tar)heels.
74
Reasonable 'stuff' -- but I'm with this from Paul Krugman's "No Right Turn":
"If some conservatives find this too much and bolt the party, good for them, and they should be welcomed into the coalition of the sane. But they can’t expect policy concessions in return. When Dr. Frankenstein finally realizes that he has created a monster, he doesn’t get a reward. Mrs. Clinton and her party should stay the course."
"If some conservatives find this too much and bolt the party, good for them, and they should be welcomed into the coalition of the sane. But they can’t expect policy concessions in return. When Dr. Frankenstein finally realizes that he has created a monster, he doesn’t get a reward. Mrs. Clinton and her party should stay the course."
63
Excellent!
You are a rational voice in a sea of irrationality
You are a rational voice in a sea of irrationality
6
What makes you think that the Republicans, after a Clinton victory, will be any more disposed to work with her than with Obama. The current agenda of Republicans favorable to a Clinton victory is to defeat Trump. Once that is accomplished it will be business as usual with the Republicans obstructing the Democrats' policy agenda, hoping to take the White House 4 years later.
31
If elected,the very first thing President Hillary needs to do is show some "love" to the Republican base that gave D.T. the nomination: Angry blue-collar white men and their wives. She needs to change their hearts and minds before she can do anything else. Walk into the lion's den unafraid. Listen to their hurt and anger without lecturing. Find out what one or two big things they want that will make them feel heard and respected. Is it outsourcing or displacement by technology? Is it more manufacturing and construction jobs? Is it illegal immigration or perceived preference for minority groups? Is it threats to retirement security? Don't tell them what they need. Listen to what they say they need. Obviously, she cannot throw the Democratic base under the bus or tolerate racism and sexism, but there are surely some common interests she can fast-track in policy that will benefit the Trump base and reduce the backlash and obstruction she will otherwise face.
19
"Obama defied republicans..." Did he do that on inauguration day while the GOP was hatching it's scheme of total obstruction at The Caucus Room restaurant?!! His mistake was not putting a stake through the heart of the Conservative movement on day one; laying the entire mess he'd inherited at their feet with a promise to name names if there was any obstruction during a time of national crisis. I hope to god HRC doesn't make the same mistake. Times are different, but she would be naive to expect anything but the same from McConnel et al.
59
".. he [Trump] has turned the G.O.P.’s favorite bogeywoman [Clinton] into its summer crush."
Project the media's Hillary crush onto her GOP supporters if it feels good, Frank. Unlike you, however, they'll turn on her in an instant. And it won't take much.
Project the media's Hillary crush onto her GOP supporters if it feels good, Frank. Unlike you, however, they'll turn on her in an instant. And it won't take much.
20
HRC is the last Democrat still possessing a spine.
Do you think she would have sat silent for years while the GOP screamed "death panels"? Of course not, nor would she have allowed the abuses heaped upon Obama to continue while she sat silent.
Considering his passivity and the obstruction he faced I am glad he got done what he did. However, Obama failed to use TR's bully pulpit to move his agenda forward while to GOP made hay on every governmental level.
Finally one must hold the feckless democratic (non) voters. Few turned up to support their president in 10 or 14. Dems treat voting like a part time job, but whining about the outcomes they do full time
Do you think she would have sat silent for years while the GOP screamed "death panels"? Of course not, nor would she have allowed the abuses heaped upon Obama to continue while she sat silent.
Considering his passivity and the obstruction he faced I am glad he got done what he did. However, Obama failed to use TR's bully pulpit to move his agenda forward while to GOP made hay on every governmental level.
Finally one must hold the feckless democratic (non) voters. Few turned up to support their president in 10 or 14. Dems treat voting like a part time job, but whining about the outcomes they do full time
36
As I've stated elsewhere on the Times today, HRC and her husband actually were the victims of a vast, right-wing conspiracy. The fact that it was publicly shouted from Fox News and partisan radio didn't make it less of a conspiracy. And let's not forget those Republican ethical and moral titans, Denny Hastert--a serial sexual predator of young boys--and Henry Hyde--a bigamist and liar, who held the Clinton presidency hostage for private actions taken by two consenting adults--not dissimilar in practice to many previous sitting presidents. The Clintons became a joke, a pincushion for peoples' shame and anger, when in fact they continued to try to bridge the partisan gap. The gap was created, and is perpetuated by the right wing, unwilling to acknowledge that society is not, and never was, as good as they remember it under Hoover. or Reagan, or whatever poster child they put up to remind them of how great America was before women and non-whites had anything to say.
All of Hillary Clinton's shortcomings are a reflection of the greed, shortsightedness and criminal disregard for the country's welfare of the Conservative wing of the Republican Party. To tar her with the same brush as these liars, cheats and scoundrels is ridiculous.
The Republican party is morally bankrupt, which is why it has an immoral bankrupt as its head.
All of Hillary Clinton's shortcomings are a reflection of the greed, shortsightedness and criminal disregard for the country's welfare of the Conservative wing of the Republican Party. To tar her with the same brush as these liars, cheats and scoundrels is ridiculous.
The Republican party is morally bankrupt, which is why it has an immoral bankrupt as its head.
66
Yes, Hillary is one very lucky woman. In an election between two of the most disliked presidential nominees in history, Donald Trump has made her the least-disliked of the choices. What a curious achievement!
I will vote for Hillary, but am no fan of the Clintons. Though one of the best pure campaigners in history, in retrospect, Bill was a disaster as a president. The list of damaging decisions he made is too long to go into here, but he needs to be kept far away from the White House. That is a huge concern of mine, frankly, and I'm not sure Hillary will be able to do it. If not, her presidency will always be diminished by viewing it as a co-presidency, and, effectively, another term for Bill.
I will vote for Hillary, but am no fan of the Clintons. Though one of the best pure campaigners in history, in retrospect, Bill was a disaster as a president. The list of damaging decisions he made is too long to go into here, but he needs to be kept far away from the White House. That is a huge concern of mine, frankly, and I'm not sure Hillary will be able to do it. If not, her presidency will always be diminished by viewing it as a co-presidency, and, effectively, another term for Bill.
11
Republican support for Hillary Clinton is self-serving.
Republican establishment leaders and grandees know full well that Trump is weakening them now, and should he actually become President, will do further and even more substantial and long term damage to Conservative and Republican reputations and initiatives. I have no doubt that Trump has strengthened his own celebrity brand, and that he will monetize it commercially in the years ahead. But the price of Trump's branding success and re-invigoration is that it will sap the reputation of everything and everyone that touches it. Trump is the Republicans' Zika-bearing mosquito.
There is no reason for Hillary Clinton to do any work, or make any concession, to opportunistic Republicans. They are rats fleeing a sinking ship, and they will have no more loyalty or comity toward Clinton than rats do to dry land.
Republican establishment leaders and grandees know full well that Trump is weakening them now, and should he actually become President, will do further and even more substantial and long term damage to Conservative and Republican reputations and initiatives. I have no doubt that Trump has strengthened his own celebrity brand, and that he will monetize it commercially in the years ahead. But the price of Trump's branding success and re-invigoration is that it will sap the reputation of everything and everyone that touches it. Trump is the Republicans' Zika-bearing mosquito.
There is no reason for Hillary Clinton to do any work, or make any concession, to opportunistic Republicans. They are rats fleeing a sinking ship, and they will have no more loyalty or comity toward Clinton than rats do to dry land.
31
I suspect that your assessment of the gridlock in Washington for the last 6 years significantly under-emphasizes the importance of racism. Hillary Clinton is white, even if female. I doubt the dynamic of obstruction will remain the same; some visceral response in those old white men will be missing. Some amount of grudging bipartisan agreement will probably take place. Not all Republican legislators are crazy, even if most of them are bigots.
21
Well not sure sexism is a lesser factor than racism...
19
"Some visceral response in those old white men will be missing"
Really? Then you underestimate the depth of racism and misogyny among those in that privileged group who submit to such views and tendencies. They will not retreat because of Hillary's race. Retreating and reason are not actions they have the capacity to do. Remember, racism and misogyny are irrational and those who submit to both are blind, unrestrained, evil, and dangerous.
Really? Then you underestimate the depth of racism and misogyny among those in that privileged group who submit to such views and tendencies. They will not retreat because of Hillary's race. Retreating and reason are not actions they have the capacity to do. Remember, racism and misogyny are irrational and those who submit to both are blind, unrestrained, evil, and dangerous.
22
I'd add criminal justice reform to that list. There are those on both sides of the aisle who agree that overt bias and prosecutorial overreach has harmed many communities of color. Structurally, it's led to an almost permanent underclass. Clinton has pledged to address this. Trump hasn't.
14
Two wrongs don't make right but there are indications that Condi Rice's and Colin Powell's use of email was potentially more problematical than Hillary's but they get a free pass because they weren't subject to the longest congressional investigation in history. Maybe when Congress investigates about their lying us into an unnecessary war in the future, their email practices can be examined in the same detail as Secretary Clinton's.
36
Please stop trying to muddy the water with juvenile false comparisons and lies. They didn't have a private email server in their bathroom. They didn't refuse to use their state dept. email address. They didn't destroy evidence ie 30k emails. They weren't investigated by the FBI. They weren't tripped up in their growing web of deception this week. The Clintons are shady, paranoid, and with the media in their pocket they get to coast above the law.
10
President Obama tried a post-partisan, bipartisan approach when he assumed office, and what did it get him? Abuse, disrespect, and outright intransigence by Republicans in both chambers. But even if the Democrats take control of both houses, I no longer expect a return to real progressive policies. Remember Max 'No Public Option' Baucus? Or Chuck 'In bed with Wall Street' Schumer? And I don't even need to mention Joe 'Turncoat' Lieberman. The Democrats have so many Blue Dogs in the House that simply gaining a majority there won't be enough to ensure progressive legislation. The Sanders/Warren wing of the party is correct: we don't need to count red or blue states; we need to convert those baby blues into cobalt blue.
23
Mrs. Clinton will be making a major mistake if she fails to go after the significant number of far-right Trump supporters whose desire to see him elected rests primarily on a deep-seated hatred for minorities and a desire to see chaos and disruption break-out in this country if he is not elected.
Defeating Mr. Trump is not nearly enough; he and his extremist supporters need to be defeated overwhelmingly and in a manner calculated to produce a lasting impression in this country that he and they have been shut down permanently.
Defeating Mr. Trump is not nearly enough; he and his extremist supporters need to be defeated overwhelmingly and in a manner calculated to produce a lasting impression in this country that he and they have been shut down permanently.
16
This is the Trump back lash. Clinton is going to benefit from the neo con rush to her liberal intervention in waiting camp. Watch out Iran. Hillary and Bibi are going to shake up the status quo. Assad's days are numbered. Putin will be confronted with pointless hostility. The love fest of the war mongers. Failed states will abound and terrorists will toast their erstwhile benefactor. The Republicans will certainly continue to be intransigent and obstructionist and will try to cause a recession so they can recoup their 2016 losses.
7
As I recall what occurred during the hearings and passage of the Affordable Care Act, Obama bent over backwards to accommodate various Republican legislators' concerns and changed the bill to meet those concerns and get Republican legislators on board--repeatedly. Then when it came time to actually vote on the bill, none of the Republicans voted for the bill containing provisions negotiated to garner their support. Their level of bad faith is something that should not be quickly forgotten.
So, yes, Hillary should look for opportunities to work across the aisle, all the while bearing in mind past Republican perfidy and with a sharp eye out for the stab in the back, and with the recognition that Republicans in the exercise of good faith must also do their part to meet Democrats' concerns.
So, yes, Hillary should look for opportunities to work across the aisle, all the while bearing in mind past Republican perfidy and with a sharp eye out for the stab in the back, and with the recognition that Republicans in the exercise of good faith must also do their part to meet Democrats' concerns.
28
We can't praise anybody simply for knowing better than to support Donald Trump. Isn't the bar a little higher than that?
14
"It’s looking more and more like Donald Trump is the best thing that ever happened to Hillary Clinton."
True, indeed. If there were a truly thoughtful, intelligent, and honest GOP candidate, Ms. Clinton's chances of victory would be far from secure.
True, indeed. If there were a truly thoughtful, intelligent, and honest GOP candidate, Ms. Clinton's chances of victory would be far from secure.
5
You're only saying what we've all been thinking. There's been sort of mistake. Clinton should have accepted the Republican nomination not the Democratic one. That would have made more sense.
7
"Obama defied Republicans during the first two years of his presidency, only to be tormented by them for the remainder of it."
Poppycock. He Defied? He governed. Do you think the Republicans would have been more charitable had he started his presidency with a majority red house and senate?
Poppycock. He Defied? He governed. Do you think the Republicans would have been more charitable had he started his presidency with a majority red house and senate?
22
Hard to know what the right play is. Go big like Obama and get crushed in the mid-terms, or find a way to be moderate and maybe take the House in 2018. Problem is, I don't see the GOP changing, even post-Trump. I think they will continue being obstructionists, only this time they have a much more capable opponent. I love POTUS, but he doesn't know how to throw elbows like Sec. Clinton does. She knows the Game of Thrones and will. It hesitate to unleash dragons or whatever they do on that show. Obama is cool and calm and thought he'd just ride his wave to getting everything he believed was right. But Hillary knows from day one she is reviled by the GOP. Gonna be interesting...
13
Wrong, Mr. Bruni.
What Hillary needs to win to her cause is not a handful of disaffected Republicans, it's the vast cohort of Independents that, increasingly, will decide elections in this country! (Those disaffected refugees from both political parties that realize NEITHER Party has the best interests of of the People at heart.)
The math is simple: if she can energize THOSE millions, as did Bernie Sanders
--and has Donald Trump--she will win in November; if she doesn't, she will lose. Simple.
If she gives up on that task, as it appears she has, in persuit of the crumbs from the Republican table, she will merely convince all those Independents that her "feint" to the Left, during the Primaries, was just a political ploy, and her Progressive commitment just a pose.
And Trump will win. Because regardless of his fitness for the office, the disaffected, the disgruntled, those left behind as we sent their jobs and self-respect packing, believe that in him they have a champion. He has managed to inspire them with hope; Hillary has not.
Unless she steps up to the plate to do so SOON, Trump may pull this out of the bag yet, God help us. If she continues to present herself as The Champion of the Well-connected, instead of The Champion of the People, she--and we--are walking the razor's edge.
What Hillary needs to win to her cause is not a handful of disaffected Republicans, it's the vast cohort of Independents that, increasingly, will decide elections in this country! (Those disaffected refugees from both political parties that realize NEITHER Party has the best interests of of the People at heart.)
The math is simple: if she can energize THOSE millions, as did Bernie Sanders
--and has Donald Trump--she will win in November; if she doesn't, she will lose. Simple.
If she gives up on that task, as it appears she has, in persuit of the crumbs from the Republican table, she will merely convince all those Independents that her "feint" to the Left, during the Primaries, was just a political ploy, and her Progressive commitment just a pose.
And Trump will win. Because regardless of his fitness for the office, the disaffected, the disgruntled, those left behind as we sent their jobs and self-respect packing, believe that in him they have a champion. He has managed to inspire them with hope; Hillary has not.
Unless she steps up to the plate to do so SOON, Trump may pull this out of the bag yet, God help us. If she continues to present herself as The Champion of the Well-connected, instead of The Champion of the People, she--and we--are walking the razor's edge.
17
This would all be so much cheerier if Hillary hadn't supported the invasion of Iraq, with all the death and destruction it has caused; or hadn't encouraged the end of Khadafy, allowing Islamic fundamentalists to take over the region. I cannot vote for Trump but niether can I support a candidate with so much blood on her hands.
There are three months left in this election season. Hopefully people will notice the under financed but honest and decent team of Johnson and Weld.
There are three months left in this election season. Hopefully people will notice the under financed but honest and decent team of Johnson and Weld.
1
You have mad two assumptions today Mr Bruni. The Republicans will cooperate and Hillary will govern as a Democrat.
Why?
Why?
6
We've endured 40 years of Republican "party over people" dragging the country into the cesspool of identity politics. They've attempted destruction of the "New Deal" and gloat when they're successful in Disenfranchising minority voters. Give ONE INCH and they'll take a mile. Tigers can't change their stripes - neither can Republicans change what they are. Hillary, if elected even with a HUGE majority best follow her best interests and drive the stake through their black hearts while she has the chance.
15
However much "rational" Republicans rail against the red-coiffed monster that their party created, the majority choke on the idea of actually supporting the other candidate. Even David Brooks the other day, despite his eloquent argument, that could and should have only led to that conclusion, stopped short of any outright statement of intention or exhortation to vote for HRC.
Since the majority of the GOP in congress and the senate, basically agree with a lot of what Trump stands for, even if he's too blunt and boorish for some of them at times, it remains a stretch for them to actually repudiate him.
They haven't yet. Why would they now? Maybe their vast right wing conspiracy will come up with another way to throw out the baby and keep the filthy bathwater, which they don't intend draining away anytime soon.
People are so focused on the red-headed infant, they've forgotten about Grover Norquist who loved these bathtub metaphors which nurtured their flock - including Trump - with all these poisonous ideas that he now spews with such abandon - even if he'd avoid caliing it gay abandon.
Since the majority of the GOP in congress and the senate, basically agree with a lot of what Trump stands for, even if he's too blunt and boorish for some of them at times, it remains a stretch for them to actually repudiate him.
They haven't yet. Why would they now? Maybe their vast right wing conspiracy will come up with another way to throw out the baby and keep the filthy bathwater, which they don't intend draining away anytime soon.
People are so focused on the red-headed infant, they've forgotten about Grover Norquist who loved these bathtub metaphors which nurtured their flock - including Trump - with all these poisonous ideas that he now spews with such abandon - even if he'd avoid caliing it gay abandon.
8
Interesting logo for Hillary. It actually has more Republicans (R) voting for Hillary than Democrats (D). (60 to 44). Prophetic?
7
"... against the setting sun of Trump's orange head." That's almost Shakespearian, Frank. Well done.
7
"Many Democrats smell a rout, hope that a slew of Republicans go down with Trump, and fantasize about a subsequent Democratic dominance in Washington that will allow the party to enact laws without much if any Republican input and assistance. After all the Republican obstructionism that they’ve put up with, they ache for such liberation."
So do I.
So do I.
11
Perhaps if Hillary adopts must of the GOP platform (God in schools, gay conversion "therapy") they will not hold the citizens of the U.S.A. hostage like they have during the 8 years of Obama's administration?
Please give me a break. America needs to win, and pile it on. Let's rout these louts once and for all. Trump, for whatever reason, has given us a gift of sabotaging the saboteurs, and I don't expect a chance like this to come twice in a lifetime.
Please give me a break. America needs to win, and pile it on. Let's rout these louts once and for all. Trump, for whatever reason, has given us a gift of sabotaging the saboteurs, and I don't expect a chance like this to come twice in a lifetime.
19
Truth about Hillary is she's not a feminist icon, she's an awkward and conniving swot who has been riding alpha dog Bill's coattails for 45 years. From the teaching gig he got her after she failed the D.C. bar and was fired from the Watergate investigation, to her corporate law offer when Bill was a young politician, to her rise in national politics off his surname. Truth be told they entered a co-dependent deal ("marriage") so the Lothario could flash a wedding ring to Southern rubes, Hillary got to bathe in his status and haul in money off the influence, and she was responsible for cleaning up the messes of his countless infidelities.
9
Mr. Bruni:
sorry to dissent here...
for an alternative review:
NO NO NO - - -
a thousand-times NO
any appearances of "kissing-up" to HRC is the GOP attempting to soften as much as possible the 'down-ballot' affects that DJT may-be-having in this electoral cycle ...
any bending by the Dems is a set-up for a huge disappointment after next January 20th.
furthermore,
HRC does not requite any GOP votes to succeed,
though any and all would be happily accepted.
rather,
HRC must ratchet-up her relationships with Senator Sanders' supporters,
more fully engage her mostly-squishy Dem party voters,
and most-importantly strive to fire-up the nonaligned and the non-voting-electorate to participate once and for all in this process - - - that is: get-out-the-vote.
if she can achieve these goals,
control of the Senate will return to the Dems,
and the margin of Republican control in the House will be substantially shrunken - - - setting up a potential reversal in 2018.
in the end,
HRC,
who is actually further right than Nelson Rockefeller,
must avoid this false 'love-and-reconciliation' effort until well-after the November votes have been tallied.
actual voting,
by the largest possible turnout,
is the surest way to end this DJT charade and super-con
10
wait a minute. Hillary should campaign for Republican candidates and give up her mandate with Democrats and Progressives to mollify the GOP? The same GOP that did conspire against Bill Clinton and promised Obama a single term presidency? That refuses to work within the Congress? That holds up judges all over the nation? Who are you and what are you thinking? Read some of those FDR biographies and see the difference. He won the election and the nasty opposition, saying the same things they do today, had a leader who gave Roosevelt time to build his New Deal, at least for a while, since he won a mandate from the people. FDR gave in soon enough, and look where that got him and us--a failed late-end program. But he was "given" the mandate to govern that he deserved and created lasting programs that have become the backbone of America. Why not now?
12
When the Repubs were ahead, Democrats were told to act more republican. Now that the Repubs are at risk of losing, Dems should also act more republican?
21
What a romantic Obama was, I guess, to expect people to behave like grown-ups who did not confuse thought and feeling. At least Clinton has no such illusions about human nature.
84
Clinton can usher in a new era of bipartisanship only with Republican cooperation, and her husband's efforts at triangulation in the 1990s do not well on that score. Bill Clinton tried to navigate a middle way only to be crucified by Republicans. That party would have to recognize that Trump is a monster of their own creation and disown not only the candidate but everything he represents before we could have any chance at constructive cooperation between the parties. Clinton would be taking no less of a risk this fall by offering republicans her hand than she would be by pressing aggressively for a democratic majority in congress. She could lose the opportunity for major action on climate change, infrastructure investment, and economic inequality. And without action on the last two items, the discontent that gave rise to Trump could well increase, to the detriment of both parties. The Republicans have to revise their legislative agenda dramatically before they can meet Clinton even close to half way. I see no promise of that from the current leadership. They appear not to have grasped that their base is completely indifferent to their priorities, if not indeed hostile to them.
6
Jill, not Hill!
7
Ah, The Green Party- can't get elected to county dog-catcher but should hold the Presidency.
I'm with her and you should be too.
The only thing that allows you to vote for the Green Party is your economic privilege.
I'm with her and you should be too.
The only thing that allows you to vote for the Green Party is your economic privilege.
5
A vote for Jill, is a vote for trump. No one seriously thinks that a candidate largely unknown by the majority of voters, who generally don't pay attention to third party candidates, is going to win. Ralph Nader's candidacy is a prime example. Let's not make that mistake again.
14
To me, this is the summer of politician maneuvering and news propaganda. For the convention, Hillary swung to the left to gather up Bernie voters, in the name of unity, and is now swinging to the right to gather up those who might lean Trump, also in the name of togetherness. This second tact is trickier since she also seeks association with Obama, given his commitment toward her campaign and improving poll numbers. I think they may now even share speech writers and coaches. The rhetoric and cadence of Hillary's last speech was very Obamaesque.
1
Frank, unusually with you, this piece is too complicated for me to follow. Would you please simplify it? Thanks!
1
As Krugman wrote on Friday, it would be a mistake for Clinton to move to the right to comfort the Republicans who are fleeing their party's candidate. It would be a betrayal of her supporters.
More importantly, however, if she wins in a landslide and takes the Senate with her, we will have the opportunity to show that the policies of the moderate Left are, in fact, the correct policies for this country. At the state level this is already obvious: compare the success of Brown's California compared to the abject failure of Brownback's Kansas. Now we need to show that this is true at the national level.
More importantly, however, if she wins in a landslide and takes the Senate with her, we will have the opportunity to show that the policies of the moderate Left are, in fact, the correct policies for this country. At the state level this is already obvious: compare the success of Brown's California compared to the abject failure of Brownback's Kansas. Now we need to show that this is true at the national level.
15
The main reason to be opposed to Hillary is that she promises, and it is certain, that she will expand our wars in Syria, Libya and probably more of the Middle East.
6
Oh, that's really scary. I'm so scared. (Not.)
Of course Trump would simply nuke those shadowy countries in the Middle East.
(See reports of his responses to briefings from a national security expert. His repeated question, paraphrased: "why can't we just nuke 'em"?)
Global warming ... GOP style.
You have a choice. DJT or HRC.
One of these candidates is an experienced diplomat and US Senator whose history attests to her steady concern for women and children internationally. Has she ever made mistakes? Yes ... because she had the courage to engage in complex and unpredictable conflicts.
Donald Trump? An ignorant belligerent virulently dangerous buffoon.
You have a choice. Do the math.
Of course Trump would simply nuke those shadowy countries in the Middle East.
(See reports of his responses to briefings from a national security expert. His repeated question, paraphrased: "why can't we just nuke 'em"?)
Global warming ... GOP style.
You have a choice. DJT or HRC.
One of these candidates is an experienced diplomat and US Senator whose history attests to her steady concern for women and children internationally. Has she ever made mistakes? Yes ... because she had the courage to engage in complex and unpredictable conflicts.
Donald Trump? An ignorant belligerent virulently dangerous buffoon.
You have a choice. Do the math.
7
Correction, Mr. Bruni: President Obama made every effort to cooperate with Republicans during the first two years of his presidency, and was thereby scorned, reviled, and ignored for it by the racist GOP. Mitch McConnell set the tone early on for how the GOP regarded our first black president. The rise of an ignoramus like Trump was facilitated by all the major players in the GOP. "By their fruits ye shall know them...."
19
See above...
4
Your assertion that Obama defied The Republicans at the outset of his first term is Trumpesque in its lack of truthfulness.
10
Welfare "reform"? Bill Clinton presided over the abolition of welfare and the American safety net. As a result, during the 2008 recession, millions fell into dire third world level poverty. With this and his "law and order" policies, Clinton made the Democratic Party a branch of the Republican Party. Ms. C. courts Republicans because she is one.
6
I guess you missed the whole post-partisanship point of the article.
The last thing the Democratic Party needs is to emulate the failing and flailing Republicans whose search for ideological purity is sending them right over a cliff called Trump.
If you think Hillary is a republican you haven't been paying much attention, have you?
The last thing the Democratic Party needs is to emulate the failing and flailing Republicans whose search for ideological purity is sending them right over a cliff called Trump.
If you think Hillary is a republican you haven't been paying much attention, have you?
6
Hillary and her campaign strategists, if they are smart, will take an appreciative and low-key approach to the big-name Republican defectors who publicly come out in support of her candidacy. A simple "Thank you" to the new "supporter," accompanied by a comment that democracy is a function of bargaining, not an exercise in demonizing, slipped into a rally speech as opposed to being a program highlight, is sufficient. Tempting as it may be, "trumpeting" these new arrivals could backfire. Again, party affiliation must not be a basis for demonization, despite the fact that this has been the case since before Reagan left office.
It is safe to assume there will be no Tea Party or Freedom Caucus members won over by Hillary. A reasonable Republican from a district that no way in hell will elect a Democrat may be jeopardized if too much fanfare is made of a word of preference to Clinton over Trump, opening the door to a replacement that has no interest in a functional government.
Frank listed several well-known Republicans who have cast their support toward her, but, with the exception of Lindsey Graham, their jobs are not in jeopardy. If Hillary is to have a chance of accomplishing anything in office, it is imperative she not embarrass cooperative members of the opposition by touting any positive responses from them too loudly. It would just make it more difficult for these people to make their case to their constituents.
It is safe to assume there will be no Tea Party or Freedom Caucus members won over by Hillary. A reasonable Republican from a district that no way in hell will elect a Democrat may be jeopardized if too much fanfare is made of a word of preference to Clinton over Trump, opening the door to a replacement that has no interest in a functional government.
Frank listed several well-known Republicans who have cast their support toward her, but, with the exception of Lindsey Graham, their jobs are not in jeopardy. If Hillary is to have a chance of accomplishing anything in office, it is imperative she not embarrass cooperative members of the opposition by touting any positive responses from them too loudly. It would just make it more difficult for these people to make their case to their constituents.
"Many Democrats smell a rout .... and fantasize about a subsequent Democratic dominance in Washington..." The only way that anything will get done in a HRC administration is if this fantasy becomes reality. Hillary will not accomplish anything if McConnell and Ryan continue to control the agenda. The torture of President Obama you refer to will just transfer to HRC, amped up by the frustration of losing the WH (again) and the disarray within the party. Gaining a majority in the senate should be a priority and is really the only way anything meaningful will get accomplished. Even if the advantage is swept away in the 2018 midterms, those two years, used wisely, could achieve some positive change.
The big tent approach is fine if you are dealing with rationale people but the GOP has appears to relish retribution more than doing their jobs of serving the people who elected them.
The big tent approach is fine if you are dealing with rationale people but the GOP has appears to relish retribution more than doing their jobs of serving the people who elected them.
10
It is impossible to ever love Mrs. Clinton. Those who know her best fear her wrath and vicious temper. Ask George Stephonopolous and Didi Meyers about her uncontrolled whirlwind of rage fests she regularly subjected them to. Ask Bill Clinton about his black eye. Ask Gary Byrne, uniformed secret service agent about the shattered vase. The woman is eminently unlikeable. That being said, it does not disqualify her for being President. But the lies under oath do. She should have been indicted and imprisoned. Sorry.
6
Hillary Clinton, please have a press conference. You really need to do it to get the fence sitters to join your campaign.
6
Before Democrats start extending the olive branch for something they haven't even won yet, they need to secure the things the other side has been blocking for so long - single payer health care, overturning Citizens United, shoring up social security, medicare, and infrastructure, and immigration reform.
11
Trump is the best thing that could have happened to Clinton. She is a terrible campaigner despite being intelligent and more than competent to be president. She is responsible, reliable and boring. She is detail oriented and smart, but unable to relate to voters. She cannot stop herself from being lawyerly and constantly parsing her words. She shares one quality with the Donald: the inability to apologize. If she would just accept that she made a mistake on the email issue and stop twisting Comey's words, she would put an end to the questions and move on. She should offer a full apology and acknowledge her errors. I heard something on television this morning that says it all. Her numbers go up when she is not in the news. Trump is always there with another blunder. He is reckless, feckless and determined. She needs to make the case against his purported business acumen (his only selling point, selling being the operative word) and reliability and put most of her money into getting voters to the polls. Negative ads alone will not do the job. Jeb Bush spent $150 million and got 2% of the vote in the primaries. So, Hillary has to be honest with herself about her shortcomings and make the most of what she does well. The constant backtracking and self-justification does her no good. Take the hit and end the issue.
5
Considering that according to polling a clear majority of Republican voters support enhancing social security, projecting medicaid, funding new infrastructure and a host of other big government program, perhaps there's ample room for Clinton to reach out. Of course those aren't the priorities of the plutocrat powered GOP establishment.
5
The degree of overweening complacency in the Clinton camp is getting downright scary.
Yes the numbers are now looking exceptionally good but so many things can happen between now and November 8.
Imagine if Trump started listening to his advisors and changed tactics and strategy. Highly unlikely, but coupled with more Hillary "short circuits" there could again be a significant shift before voting day.
Park the confidence and feel the fear.
Make sure the predominant goal is to get every Hillary vote to the voting booth on election day. Ultimately, nothing else matters.
Yes the numbers are now looking exceptionally good but so many things can happen between now and November 8.
Imagine if Trump started listening to his advisors and changed tactics and strategy. Highly unlikely, but coupled with more Hillary "short circuits" there could again be a significant shift before voting day.
Park the confidence and feel the fear.
Make sure the predominant goal is to get every Hillary vote to the voting booth on election day. Ultimately, nothing else matters.
4
The reason the Republican party is a mess is because they allowed the populace to make their own choices. Now, it's Tower of Babel time. The reason it appears the Democratic party is neatly all together is that it was engineered that Clinton would be the only choice. Evidence is that the Democrats had to borrow Sanders from his own party and there was no one else. Republicans are demonstrating what happens when an election is not engineered by money, power, and political corruption around one candidate. What an interesting turn of events! Does it make you prefer orchestration or free choice? Is domination by one party, either party, a government for all citizens? In driving toward that ideal, the voting populace creates the conditions for corruption, and gets what it deserves with a pass to blame someone else.
3
The only thing that would trip up Hillary is her word play and inability to take responsibility in simple plain English. How about an intervention to make her understand this and be a fallible human being? Is it possible or the Clintons are beyond repair?
P.S. I am a Hillary supporter
P.S. I am a Hillary supporter
5
Mr. Bruni, I wouldn't start doing the victory dance quite yet. In 1948, Life magazine published a picture in mid-October of Thomas E. Dewey. The caption read "President-elect." We all know how that turned out.
I'm sorry Mrs. Clinton doesn't have better competition. She's a very weak and unpopular candidate.
I'm sorry Mrs. Clinton doesn't have better competition. She's a very weak and unpopular candidate.
6
Well, thanks for nothing Liberals. Your votes won't be needed. So shove off.
DINO's are back in the Big House!
Didn't you just love all the Corp. and Banksters and Lobbyists partying it up at the DNC convention. Whilst the little people were kept behind an 8' tall 4 mile long fence outside?!
Here comes your incremental, pragmatic Governance Dems. Good and Hard. Just as you deserved.
DINO's are back in the Big House!
Didn't you just love all the Corp. and Banksters and Lobbyists partying it up at the DNC convention. Whilst the little people were kept behind an 8' tall 4 mile long fence outside?!
Here comes your incremental, pragmatic Governance Dems. Good and Hard. Just as you deserved.
6
Better them than you. i figure 15 years, tops, you'll be a right-winger, on FOX, screaming about back when you were a commie and tried to help destroy America.
3
Her draw for some Republicans is not surprising, given the fact that she is not an extreme liberal. Once the sexists get past the fact that it is ok to have a female president, they should warm up to her.
By the way, I doubt Senator Graham would get a new smart phone. I do not think he even does his own email. He has staffers for that.
By the way, I doubt Senator Graham would get a new smart phone. I do not think he even does his own email. He has staffers for that.
2
Falling in love with Hillary is the result of having a very unattractive option with dire consequences of a failed life should they continue down that road.
Love for Hillary Trumps Hate!!!!
Love for Hillary Trumps Hate!!!!
1
Let's hope that Hill remembers what Grant wrote after being thwarted by Lee at Spotsylvania: " I propose to fight it out on this line if it takes all summer."
1
You may want to read up on your Civil War.
The candidate who's like Grant is actually Clinton, slowly and patiently fighting it out, while Lee tries to be dashing.
Their political support also exemplifies this: Grant had to deal with radicals and Copperheads behind him, and McClellan in the 1864 election, but he had Lincoln behind him. Lee was stuck with a fragmented and squabbling South, that didn't want to cough up the tax money and men he needed.
And Grant was fighting for the Union and against slavery. Despite the revisionist fantasies that fly about like fruit bats, Lee was fighting for secession and slavery.
See the diff? try John Keegan's book on the two.
The candidate who's like Grant is actually Clinton, slowly and patiently fighting it out, while Lee tries to be dashing.
Their political support also exemplifies this: Grant had to deal with radicals and Copperheads behind him, and McClellan in the 1864 election, but he had Lincoln behind him. Lee was stuck with a fragmented and squabbling South, that didn't want to cough up the tax money and men he needed.
And Grant was fighting for the Union and against slavery. Despite the revisionist fantasies that fly about like fruit bats, Lee was fighting for secession and slavery.
See the diff? try John Keegan's book on the two.
2
Republicans can move into the Hillary camp because they alone know the depth of their lies about her, a narrative they have cultivated for almost 30 years. For most thinking Americans, we see those aberrations for what they are and have been - they just see her as a threat. While in office and when holding her cabinet position she was highly regarded by republican colleagues. It is no wonder those same colleagues are beginning to publicly turn the tide against the trump despotism and clownery. It's the most reasonable and responsible thing to do.... She has always been and will always be a great bipartisan negotiator.
3
Things are breaking Hillary's way, no doubt about it. Trump has given her a gift by going off the rails again. He could have pummeled her on her email parsing with Chris Wallace, or the poor GDP, but he blew it.
I'm an independent voter, but I'm not moved to go over to Hillary simply because Mr. Trump is a train wreck. Hillary is just as bad. Why? Because she's a calculated liar. That's just as dangerous to me as voting for a jerk.
Is she wins, she owes a debt to the person who recruited Mr. Khan to speak. He provided the McCarthy moment we all witnessed. And it was wonderful. Sixteen other Republican candidates must be banging their heads on the wall for being too timid to take down Trump. Some tried, but did so too late.
One poll showed that 21% of voters will sit this one out. I'm in that group. I've lived 75 years and never had such an empty feeling. Was this the best we could do?
I'm an independent voter, but I'm not moved to go over to Hillary simply because Mr. Trump is a train wreck. Hillary is just as bad. Why? Because she's a calculated liar. That's just as dangerous to me as voting for a jerk.
Is she wins, she owes a debt to the person who recruited Mr. Khan to speak. He provided the McCarthy moment we all witnessed. And it was wonderful. Sixteen other Republican candidates must be banging their heads on the wall for being too timid to take down Trump. Some tried, but did so too late.
One poll showed that 21% of voters will sit this one out. I'm in that group. I've lived 75 years and never had such an empty feeling. Was this the best we could do?
6
Frank Bruni just can’t resist the siren song of false centrism. Paralysis in Congress has nothing to do with actions by Democrats, but has everything to do with fanatical, often racist-inspired Republican obstructionism. Do you remember Rep. Joe Wilson shouting “You lie” at the President during a 2009 joint session of Congress? Remember how the Republican Party censured him for that outrageous outburst? No? Neither do I.
For the first time in American history, a President has needed a supermajority in the Senate to pass almost any bill. Hundreds of judicial openings go unfilled because Republicans block even their own judicial candidates. A Supreme Court seat goes unfilled and Republicans won't even grant Merrick Garland a haring, much less a vote. In 2013, the Republicans shut down the government and today they refuse to fund the CDC measures against Zika virus. You think tax reform, immigration reform and education reform are areas of common Democratic and Republican interest? No, they are polar opposites.You think Republican revenge would be” swift and merciless”? Do you remember Mitch McConnell saying, “The single most important thing we want to achieve is for President Obama to be a one-term president”? Republicans have shown they have no desire to govern, only to seize and hold power. Please stop pretending that Republican obstructionism has anything to do with actions by the Democrats. You know better than that…and so do we.
For the first time in American history, a President has needed a supermajority in the Senate to pass almost any bill. Hundreds of judicial openings go unfilled because Republicans block even their own judicial candidates. A Supreme Court seat goes unfilled and Republicans won't even grant Merrick Garland a haring, much less a vote. In 2013, the Republicans shut down the government and today they refuse to fund the CDC measures against Zika virus. You think tax reform, immigration reform and education reform are areas of common Democratic and Republican interest? No, they are polar opposites.You think Republican revenge would be” swift and merciless”? Do you remember Mitch McConnell saying, “The single most important thing we want to achieve is for President Obama to be a one-term president”? Republicans have shown they have no desire to govern, only to seize and hold power. Please stop pretending that Republican obstructionism has anything to do with actions by the Democrats. You know better than that…and so do we.
9
I guess then, my memory of obstructionist Democrats sitting on the floor of Congress to stop government based on misplaced ideology was then and now, a mirage? Doesn't it go both ways? Evidently not.
Just wait until the missing 30,000 emails start to dribble out. You know the Russians hacked them off her server.
2
The author is confusing the small crony politics GOP elitists who "love" HIllary with the GOP at large. If he didn't notice, the voters want nothing to do with their own elitists. Believing there's some significant GOP support for Hillary is the definition of inside the beltway delusion.
5
Bruni misstates the dynamic of PBO's first two years. Obama bent over backwards to coax Republican cooperation. The Republicans had a different idea. Oppose everything to damage the skinny black guy in the White House, everything. Remember how they obsessed about making him a one term President, the county be damned? We've had six years of divided government. The yearning for a functioning federal government can only be met by a unified, Democratic Washington.
4
Frank: there *was* a "vast right-wing conspiracy" against the Clintons, and it has survived and thrived--until it begat Trump.
4
Well . . . maybe. But do Meg Whitman, Sally Bradshaw, Maria Comella, Powell, Rice, Graham bring any voters with them? Do Trump's supporters even know who those people are? His supporters have shown that they are willing to register and vote and are impervious to the mountains of evidence attesting to their candidate's unfitness for any public office. Hillary has a long, hard fight ahead of her.
4
''Obama defied Republicans during the first two years of his presidency, only to be tormented by them for the remainder of it"
Now that is an astonishing piece of revisionist history. Conservatively 49% of Republicans believe Obama is a secret Muslim. The narrative that was put forward was that he wanted to be president to destroy the government and make us more like Kenya. Remember that? That was before the election, leading Colin Powell, in a beautifully articulate statement to endorse Obama in 2004. In the same statement he condemned Republican methods of smearing Obama and Muslim people, and talked about the service of Muslim soldiers.
Republican talk show pundits were planning to make Obama a "one term president" on Election Day. They talked of "making him fail", as did prominent senate Republicans. To put Republican obstructionism at Obama's feet is absurd!
What supposedly ticked them off? Obama care? The plan based on Mitt Romney's legislation in Massachusetts? The plan that is basically Republican in origin? The achievement that ironically Romney had to run away from when he ran for president, causing him to be smeared by the disapproval whipped up by Republicans to discredit Obama.
Please. Republicans will obstruct if they feel like it, if they haven't yet learned their lesson from Trump. Let's hope they have. Let's back Hillary when she says we are stronger together. Let's imagine politicians working across the aisle again on behalf of all Americans.
Now that is an astonishing piece of revisionist history. Conservatively 49% of Republicans believe Obama is a secret Muslim. The narrative that was put forward was that he wanted to be president to destroy the government and make us more like Kenya. Remember that? That was before the election, leading Colin Powell, in a beautifully articulate statement to endorse Obama in 2004. In the same statement he condemned Republican methods of smearing Obama and Muslim people, and talked about the service of Muslim soldiers.
Republican talk show pundits were planning to make Obama a "one term president" on Election Day. They talked of "making him fail", as did prominent senate Republicans. To put Republican obstructionism at Obama's feet is absurd!
What supposedly ticked them off? Obama care? The plan based on Mitt Romney's legislation in Massachusetts? The plan that is basically Republican in origin? The achievement that ironically Romney had to run away from when he ran for president, causing him to be smeared by the disapproval whipped up by Republicans to discredit Obama.
Please. Republicans will obstruct if they feel like it, if they haven't yet learned their lesson from Trump. Let's hope they have. Let's back Hillary when she says we are stronger together. Let's imagine politicians working across the aisle again on behalf of all Americans.
6
Frank is overdoing it a bit. I am still keeping my voo doo doll with pins.
4
Just like Germany in 1945, today's GOP needs an electoral debacle this year to reorient them to reality.
In the best traditions of this country, and reflecting the new realities of population, Hillary should be as magnanimous as this nation was in rebuilding the wreckage caused by the GOP on our economy and our infrastructure, and should try to lift up these people from a platform that seems cribbed from the Nuremberg Race Laws.
We are ALL Americans, and we have more in common than what divides us.
In the best traditions of this country, and reflecting the new realities of population, Hillary should be as magnanimous as this nation was in rebuilding the wreckage caused by the GOP on our economy and our infrastructure, and should try to lift up these people from a platform that seems cribbed from the Nuremberg Race Laws.
We are ALL Americans, and we have more in common than what divides us.
2
"Obama defied Republicans during the first two years of his presidency, only to be tormented by them for the remainder of it."
Mr. Bruni, I am shocked that even you have fallen for the Tea Party narrative that President Obama "defied" Republicans. He bent over backwards trying to bring Republicans on board to get important legislation passed, only to watch them all walk away in the end. The ACA is a prime example. The "public option" was removed to appease the GOP and there were 160+ GOP amendments to the Bill. Every he reached out to Republicans, his hand was slapped. So no, I don't believe the false narrative that Obama defied the Republicans in his first two year. As I recall, it was Mitch McConnell that met with his colleagues on the night of Obama's Inauguration to "make sure he was a one term President."
Mr. Bruni, I am shocked that even you have fallen for the Tea Party narrative that President Obama "defied" Republicans. He bent over backwards trying to bring Republicans on board to get important legislation passed, only to watch them all walk away in the end. The ACA is a prime example. The "public option" was removed to appease the GOP and there were 160+ GOP amendments to the Bill. Every he reached out to Republicans, his hand was slapped. So no, I don't believe the false narrative that Obama defied the Republicans in his first two year. As I recall, it was Mitch McConnell that met with his colleagues on the night of Obama's Inauguration to "make sure he was a one term President."
6
The Clinton Kaine presidency needs a Dem majority in the House and the Senate or nothing will get done no matter what their across-the-aisle arm-bending skills are like.
2
The biggest mistake of Obama's presidency was thinking that if he did not prosecute the war crimes of the Bush officials then the Republicans would work with him. The Republicans will never cede one inch, not one inch, to any Democrat. Obama got nothing for his decision except contempt from voters like me for his refusal to hold those accountable for the lives lost & the 3 trillion dollar mess they left us.
7
The Republicans, actually, did in fact cut some deals--up to 2014, when the lazy and ignorant "contempt from voters like me," handed them the Senate, as it had previously handed them the House.
By the way--if you really thought the country was committing "war crimes," did you go to jail for lying on train tracks and throwing paint on records?
Thought not.
By the way--if you really thought the country was committing "war crimes," did you go to jail for lying on train tracks and throwing paint on records?
Thought not.
Personally, I think Clinton need not hand out any roses or cigars. All she needs to do is carry on and ignore the trumpet. Let those people come to her. If they make their views public, fine. If they only tell her campaign, then she might quietly ask them to go public. Carry on Hillary Clinton, carry on and show your merit. Period.
5
After observing the last eight years of stubborn refusal to act in partnership, any rational American should want to see a gleam of forward motion shown encouraged by our gridlocked political parties. This article reeks of war and battle and it is all at the expense of the great majority of voters. Once again, I remind anyone listening that the government has a country to run: a population of some 320 million people. Is it wrong to ask for rational leadership? No, it isn’t. The Syrians are tired of war and so am I.
3
Maybe, just maybe, with Clinton in the White House we will actually be able to get back to running the country and getting things done.
7
Well, let's see ... It would have been an easy call for any of us who know her and are wise to the maniacal right-wing propaganda machine that has spent almost 24 years manipulating American voters not only through right-wing cable and radio, but through the conservative press and, with pressure from their corporate backers, have fed their tabloid ethics and their tabloid lies right into the news and editorial departments of The New York Times and other mainstream media. You folks have no more credibility than FOX and your assuming a superior moral perch has long since become laughable.
4
Mr. Bruni,
You said that "Obama defied Republicans during his first 2 years in office." I beg to differ because of the meeting held at a Washington D. C. steak house the night of his first inauguration, Jan. 20, 2009. Frank Luntz, Newt Gingrich, and many Republican office holders such as Kevin McCarthy were in attendance and the result of the meeting was that Republicans in Congress would "deny Obama ANY victories." Like the former Republican Senator from Ohio remarked, "If he was for it, we had to be against it."
You said that "Obama defied Republicans during his first 2 years in office." I beg to differ because of the meeting held at a Washington D. C. steak house the night of his first inauguration, Jan. 20, 2009. Frank Luntz, Newt Gingrich, and many Republican office holders such as Kevin McCarthy were in attendance and the result of the meeting was that Republicans in Congress would "deny Obama ANY victories." Like the former Republican Senator from Ohio remarked, "If he was for it, we had to be against it."
7
Hillary is as crooked as they come. She is a looter right out of Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged.
Hillary makes true Americans sick.
Hillary makes true Americans sick.
4
Excuse me, but I'm a "true American," born in Missouri, mother of two competent grown sons, daughter of a defense contractor, and I admire Hillary Clinton's intelligence and history, and anticipate her victory with joy.
Is it possible she just makes people sick if they happen to be named "Bruce"?
Is it possible she just makes people sick if they happen to be named "Bruce"?
1
Ayn Rand would have recognized trump as a lazy, disturbed con man who has built nothing but a PR house of cards. She hated PR. You are young and don't know what you're talking about.
4
Nah. Rand's "looters," have a habit of being Jewish, hispanic, or somehow vaguely dark-skinned.
Not that that stopped her from grabbing Social Security and Medicare with both scaly, meth-warped claws.
Not that that stopped her from grabbing Social Security and Medicare with both scaly, meth-warped claws.
3
Anybody counting out Trump is making a big mistake. His poll numbers have pretty much recovered from last week and, if folks like Meg Whitman come over to Clinton, that will merely energize his base. Also, I think there are probably a lot of intelligent wealthy people who won't tell pollsters they're voting for Trump because they know he's an idiot. Trump needs most of the middle class and a lot of the wealthy. That's still within reach. Claims of the death of Trump are premature.
3
Who's tortured who over the last six years? Of course President Obama would have preferred a Congress he could work with but the Republicans thought they could dominate him and again become the dominant force they were in the 80's & so pursued total obstruction.
The outcome? A Republican party in extreme disarray, with almost zero appeal to younger voters. A party headed for the graveyard.
Will Mrs. Clinton handle this situation well? Will she be a fitting encore to President Obama? I think we're going to find out.
The outcome? A Republican party in extreme disarray, with almost zero appeal to younger voters. A party headed for the graveyard.
Will Mrs. Clinton handle this situation well? Will she be a fitting encore to President Obama? I think we're going to find out.
Wow, this is all you guys do now. It's really boring to pay for this and read love letters wrapped in really bad fantasy prose and 'he's so stupid' baby talk. Yes, he's a putz but he shows that better than you guys. This has become elevator music with a 4th grade feel. Not to even mention her truthiness. Kristof did that, oh man is that just lame. Who are you playing this music for, she is just not a person who can sing, alright? Really, please...even if she wins, it isn't something you want to be associated with, is it? Forever?
1
Rather it is Hillary's "Endless Summer" of lies and Clintonian double speak. Speaking of rewards: a squadron of jobs and insider party invites to CNN, MSNBC, Late Night Talk Show hosts and most of all NY Times "Clinton sycophants" for their "Tender Mercies"; when pretending to cover Clinton objectively.In the Halls of Power in the media and in Politics Grey Lady writers give each other bak massages; while pretending to cover the news about politics. To the rest of the country it is an ongoing and self supported incestous affair.
1
There is something more foolish than counting one’s chickens before they’ve hatched. It’s putting on a pair of gloves to get ready for plucking those chickens.
Hillary Clinton cannot count on the constancy of Republican love to the extent of backing off now from a strong attack on Donald Trump and on his supporters running for seats in the House and Senate.
She cannot withhold or soften support for Democratic candidates in tough races around the country, simply to avoid upsetting prominent, cross-over Republicans whose endorsements may or may not be coming during the campaign.
Or, worse, putting on the plucking gloves, Hillary cannot ease up now to mollify well-known Republicans in the private sector who may not emerge from their shells until January to help lobby Congress for her programs.
Hillary Clinton cannot count on the constancy of Republican love to the extent of backing off now from a strong attack on Donald Trump and on his supporters running for seats in the House and Senate.
She cannot withhold or soften support for Democratic candidates in tough races around the country, simply to avoid upsetting prominent, cross-over Republicans whose endorsements may or may not be coming during the campaign.
Or, worse, putting on the plucking gloves, Hillary cannot ease up now to mollify well-known Republicans in the private sector who may not emerge from their shells until January to help lobby Congress for her programs.
1
"Obama DEFIED Republicans during the first two years of his presidency, only to be tormented by them for the remainder of it."? No! Obama tried to find reasonable partners among Republicans during the first two years of his presidency, but was constantly rebuffed. And then he was tormented by them for the remainder of it anyway.
2
Well at least we can all predict the future four to eight years with Hillary Clinton. Nothing will be achieved and it will be political monkey business as usual.
3
The DLC from the get-go was a move by some democrats to the "political center" that is a rejection of the core positions of the Democratic Party. Mrs. Clinton as a former Goldwater Girl was right at home. What has she proposed that would have been rejected in the Republicans of the Eisenhower era?
1
nice one
"It’s looking more and more like Donald Trump is the best thing that ever happened to Hillary Clinton." Isn't that what some 17 Republican candidates thought also?also does not jive with your wishful thinking Mr. Bruni. Hillary has been in politics raising money for 30 years,Trump has been doing it for 2 months,but there is only $10 Million or so difference on money's raised by both campaigns in July. Ms Whitman needs to read more and pontificate less. All of these Billionaires endorsing Hillary are just identifying as the Global Elites that they are. Do they really think that poor and middle class America gives a flip what they think?
1
Clinton is running for President as a Demcrat. She should continue to embrace Democratic policy positions and, of course, campaign for Democratic candidates.
Nobody forced the Republicans to nominate Trump. If some of them now feel as a matter of conscience that they can't support him, that's their prerogative (and reflects well on them, of course), but it doesn't mean that they get to influence policy or campaign decisions in the Democratic Party.
As for Republicans' "revenge" against Obama: Obama did nothing to infuriate Republicans other than to try to govern and to implement the policies he'd set he would implement if elected. Really, there is no reasoning with Republicans in Congress or anywhere else. They simply do not want Democrats to govern, or at least to govern as Democrats, regardless of the results of any election. Or nomination.
Nobody forced the Republicans to nominate Trump. If some of them now feel as a matter of conscience that they can't support him, that's their prerogative (and reflects well on them, of course), but it doesn't mean that they get to influence policy or campaign decisions in the Democratic Party.
As for Republicans' "revenge" against Obama: Obama did nothing to infuriate Republicans other than to try to govern and to implement the policies he'd set he would implement if elected. Really, there is no reasoning with Republicans in Congress or anywhere else. They simply do not want Democrats to govern, or at least to govern as Democrats, regardless of the results of any election. Or nomination.
5
I agree with much of this, but it is incorrect to say the President "defied" Republicans during his first two years. He enacted policies they didn't like, yes, but he repeatedly tried to get GOP support only to be rebuffed time and again.
Remember Mitch McConnell saying his job was to keep the President to one term, that is, to make him fail?
That said, when pols quietly express admiration for the abilities of someone on the other side it portends well for that person. Hillary knows how to get things done and she knows how to work with opponents.
I am well aware of her flaws and the vitriol toward her from the right. But she has rare talents, experience and determination. I believe Secretary Clinton will become a well-liked president. She can succeed in advancing a progressive agenda while finding ways to moderate the opposition by her opponents, whether it be through personal relations or finding common ground where possible.
Remember Mitch McConnell saying his job was to keep the President to one term, that is, to make him fail?
That said, when pols quietly express admiration for the abilities of someone on the other side it portends well for that person. Hillary knows how to get things done and she knows how to work with opponents.
I am well aware of her flaws and the vitriol toward her from the right. But she has rare talents, experience and determination. I believe Secretary Clinton will become a well-liked president. She can succeed in advancing a progressive agenda while finding ways to moderate the opposition by her opponents, whether it be through personal relations or finding common ground where possible.
3
All the pundits, billionaires, neocon war hawks, failed generals, media moguls, celebrities and now also a few somewhat prominent Republicans are throwing their support behind Mrs.Clinton.
Even liberal Democrats that should know better are full of praise for the - paraphrasing - "most qualified candidate for president on the face of the planet, ever".
This should give everybody pause. Is this seemingly universal support there because they truly think, as Mr.Bruni suggests, that Mrs.Clinton will bridge the idealogical divide between the donkeys and the elephants ? Is it that they truly believe a Donald Trump presidency would be that horrible despite checks and balances in place that would make it almost impossible to see any of his rhetoric transform into legislative action ?
Or are they worried that their cozy insider status could be jeopardized by the maverick Mr.Trump, that the opulent trough that is Washington D.C. for the well-heeled and well-connected might run dry ?
If there is one thing that has been made crystal clear this election cycle, it is that the main stream media and their pundits, including the NYTimes, will not tell the rest of us the whole story since they are all eating from the same trough reserved for the one percent and their entourage.
As a German I am very glad to see that the myth of American exceptionalism has been finally put to rest with the choice of these two horrible candidates. Who would have thought that "I'm not him" could get you elected.
Even liberal Democrats that should know better are full of praise for the - paraphrasing - "most qualified candidate for president on the face of the planet, ever".
This should give everybody pause. Is this seemingly universal support there because they truly think, as Mr.Bruni suggests, that Mrs.Clinton will bridge the idealogical divide between the donkeys and the elephants ? Is it that they truly believe a Donald Trump presidency would be that horrible despite checks and balances in place that would make it almost impossible to see any of his rhetoric transform into legislative action ?
Or are they worried that their cozy insider status could be jeopardized by the maverick Mr.Trump, that the opulent trough that is Washington D.C. for the well-heeled and well-connected might run dry ?
If there is one thing that has been made crystal clear this election cycle, it is that the main stream media and their pundits, including the NYTimes, will not tell the rest of us the whole story since they are all eating from the same trough reserved for the one percent and their entourage.
As a German I am very glad to see that the myth of American exceptionalism has been finally put to rest with the choice of these two horrible candidates. Who would have thought that "I'm not him" could get you elected.
6
What surprises me is that Bruni seems to suggest Hillary can reach out to and work with a Republican Congress after being elected. Time and again they showed they have no interest in any compromise with Obama whatsoever. Wy should we believe it will be different when Republicans have to work whit President Hillary Clinton, someone they loath even more then they loath Obama? Although I firmly believe in the necessity of bipartisanship politics, it has been a long time Washington Republicans showed they are capable of it.
2
Please billionaires, do not crowd so closely around Hillary - let the woman breathe or she won't be around to do your bidding! For those people still possessed of a conscience, there's still Jill Stein, rather than the Bride of Blankfein.
3
the GOP has just ratified the most right wing party platform ever, much without input from Trump. this was because either Trump didn't have a policy position yet, or he simply didn't care ( eg, Trump didn't care about gay marriage one way or the other).
the GOP has created the monster they are running from now.
the GOP has prolonged the Great Recession for the average person by blocking any stimulus spending.
the GOP takes responsibility for numerous murderous shootings by not showing any interest in gun control.
the GOP has not shown the slightest interest in governing over the last 8 years. none of the GOP is coming forward to, for instance, discuss nominating the appointee for the Supreme Court.
and this GOP should be rewarded for their behavior by all of us walking even more to the right than we already are?
Democrats have rage, too, as Sanders supporters have shown. Clinton is vulnerable from the left more than from the right. what if the Sanders voters stay home, or vote green?
if the GOPers don't want to play with their own candidate they should come to the Democratic sandbox and show that they have grown up. Not the other way round.
the GOP has created the monster they are running from now.
the GOP has prolonged the Great Recession for the average person by blocking any stimulus spending.
the GOP takes responsibility for numerous murderous shootings by not showing any interest in gun control.
the GOP has not shown the slightest interest in governing over the last 8 years. none of the GOP is coming forward to, for instance, discuss nominating the appointee for the Supreme Court.
and this GOP should be rewarded for their behavior by all of us walking even more to the right than we already are?
Democrats have rage, too, as Sanders supporters have shown. Clinton is vulnerable from the left more than from the right. what if the Sanders voters stay home, or vote green?
if the GOPers don't want to play with their own candidate they should come to the Democratic sandbox and show that they have grown up. Not the other way round.
3
Do not count your chickens before they hatch. 16 Republicans did.
3
So HRC will win by a landslide, but mainly by default. Instead of being thankful to Whomever for handing her a victory she would never have achieved with a strong GOP rival, I predict she will abuse her mandate to move the world towards WWIII. Here is the scenario:
HRC has already said the first foreign leader she will greet at the White House is (by all accounts) indisputable Zionist War Criminal Netanyahu. This may be followed by another Bibi address to the performing seals of the U.S. Congress to see if they can create a new record of standing ovations. Netanyahu will interpret this as his own mandate to continue stealing Palestinian lands, urging the U.S. to withdraw unilaterally from the U.S.-Iran nuclear pact (the U.S. does everything unilaterally anyway) and will force Iran to renew its nuclear programme.
Presto! A self-fulfilling prophecy that "Iran is the world's biggest danger".
I have watched this 2-year presidential farce with horror, as though trapped between a hippo (Trump) and a crocodile (HRC). No mainstream news outlet, least of all the NYT, has dared to expose HRC's record of warmongering, her distasteful grovelling before AIPAC and her close ties to the Kingdom of Wahhabi Arabia. Instead the focus is on her repulsive rival.
I can already foresee the NYT's Mea Culpa (Reprise) when Iran's ancient civilization is destroyed but at the cost of sinking U.S. warships, destruction of Wahhabi Arabia's oil facilities and the ultimate destruction of Israel.
HRC has already said the first foreign leader she will greet at the White House is (by all accounts) indisputable Zionist War Criminal Netanyahu. This may be followed by another Bibi address to the performing seals of the U.S. Congress to see if they can create a new record of standing ovations. Netanyahu will interpret this as his own mandate to continue stealing Palestinian lands, urging the U.S. to withdraw unilaterally from the U.S.-Iran nuclear pact (the U.S. does everything unilaterally anyway) and will force Iran to renew its nuclear programme.
Presto! A self-fulfilling prophecy that "Iran is the world's biggest danger".
I have watched this 2-year presidential farce with horror, as though trapped between a hippo (Trump) and a crocodile (HRC). No mainstream news outlet, least of all the NYT, has dared to expose HRC's record of warmongering, her distasteful grovelling before AIPAC and her close ties to the Kingdom of Wahhabi Arabia. Instead the focus is on her repulsive rival.
I can already foresee the NYT's Mea Culpa (Reprise) when Iran's ancient civilization is destroyed but at the cost of sinking U.S. warships, destruction of Wahhabi Arabia's oil facilities and the ultimate destruction of Israel.
4
@Hamid Varzi: Thanks to both Mr. Varzi and the courage it took from the N.Y.T. to publish this comment. Now if only people would listen to authoritative, informed voices rather than Hillary Trolls ala David Brock. Hillary, on behalf of her Masters is taking the world to a very dangerous place. To surround herself with the likes of Victoria Nuland, Robert Kagan and apparently considering Michele Fluornoy as defense secretary should tell an informed electorate all we need to know, we are being led to continued war, but there is a big difference between shoving around rock throwing Palestinian children and instigating a coup in Ukraine at Russia's doorstep. Netanyahu and his fellow neocons, including Hillary, are playing a deadly game, as usual with other people's lives. The people of Israel are for the most part against Bibi's right wing policies ( as shown in the last election when Tzipi Levni narrowly lost) and Harratz, the excellent Israeli daily, allows a more balanced narrative; so much so that Sheldon Adelson bought his own paper (to support Netanyahu)which is given away freely to further the right wing agenda. Please be informed before voting, there is plenty of factual information available, arguably the best thing about the Internet.
3
For people like Hillary Clinton, Meg Whitman, and Mike Bloomberg doing what's "right" for the country, means during what's good for the wealthy. How many more millions of Americans will fall out of the middle-class during her tenure due to increased immigration and one-sided trade deals. This race is about America choosing ANOTHER middle-class-destroying lifetime politician, whose focused on personal gain or choosing someone who will help the average American and who has sacrificed a lot financially in that journey.
3
Trump is simply an accelerant, tossed onto the dried out remnants of a party that's been largely centered around divisiveness and conspiracy theories for quite some time now.
3
Like an untrained dog on a leash, Trump pushes any boundaries set for him. Hillary has given him more range than perhaps any other Democrat would because she is so unpopular and disliked. His wild actions may alienate some Republicans now, but he will probably reign it in when the time is right. In any case, Hillary is pretty much despised across the aisle like no other Democrat. How she could get anything through Congress (by legal means) is beyond me, at least.
My old psychology professor defined the client’s “manipulation” as “her effort to get her needs met in a way that I don’t approve.” Rather than love, détente and complex negotiations, maybe it will be Hillary’s “crookedness” – her ability to manipulate people and systems – that will win many of the great societal goals we want. Fertilizer manipulates the soil, and we get roses.
That's a really nice dream Bruni. And, maybe possible.
But, my guess is that if Hillary wins, the obstructionists will continue with even more zeal than they spit out against Obama.
But, my guess is that if Hillary wins, the obstructionists will continue with even more zeal than they spit out against Obama.
2
Fine to point out that some Republicans are giving their support to Clinton, but you misunderstand the situation when you suggest that these are former Hillary haters undergoing a temp conversion. These are more moderate Republicans that think Clinton is reasonable and qualified, even if they would prefer a normal Republican candidate. Why make it so complex?
1
Well, of course. When I was growing up in California, & although I don't think anyone in my family ever voted for a Republican, we completely respected them; and why not? Earl Warren? Can you imagine him as a Republican now? He'd be absolutely tarred and feathered for Roe vs Wade, as for so much else!! Dwight Eisenhower? Who warned us so eloquently against the perils of the "Military/Industrial Complex"? Can you imagine what would happen to either of these if they showed up in today's "Republican" party? Does this justify us to ask whether this even is the Republican Party any more?
And I think the answer is, yes, we're justified in asking whether it is, and in answering that, no, it absolutely is not.
And I think the answer is, yes, we're justified in asking whether it is, and in answering that, no, it absolutely is not.
2
About as well-expressed as any piece I've read in any newspaper in months ... maybe longer. I'll leave it at that except for a very heartfelt, "Thanks!"
I'm glad to see at least some Republicans realize that taking the Trump poison pill, which will permanently damage them, is just plain short-sighted idiocy of the highest order. What do they have to fear? They will almost certainly retain the power to obstruct- just as much as they did under Obama.
So the choice is: Suicide.... or putting up with a hobbled Clinton who virtually all Presidential historians will tell you is likely to lose 4 years from now. There were 12 years of Reagan and "God we hope he's more Reagan." That's it. 3 terms in a row maximum, since FDR.
Back when Hillary was up against Obama for the nomination, an anonymous Republican senator said: "I'll say this for Hillary; she's a work horse... not a show horse." Did ya get the implication? You did, didn't you? Sometimes even Republicans can be pretty witty... at least in private.
I'm a Dem, so in theory I'd love to see Republicans commit political suicide- but in practice, that is an unacceptable risk- a 1% chance of Trump winning isn't worth taking no matter how far the carnage extends down-ballot. If we're talking about putting country over party, showing dignity and patriotism, then there is no excuse for Democrats to do anything that risks a Trump victory.
Ironically, Democrats are being offered a disturbingly similar devil's bargain to the one Republicans are contemplating. The only real difference is the magnitude of the recklessness and cynicism that would be demonstrated.
So the choice is: Suicide.... or putting up with a hobbled Clinton who virtually all Presidential historians will tell you is likely to lose 4 years from now. There were 12 years of Reagan and "God we hope he's more Reagan." That's it. 3 terms in a row maximum, since FDR.
Back when Hillary was up against Obama for the nomination, an anonymous Republican senator said: "I'll say this for Hillary; she's a work horse... not a show horse." Did ya get the implication? You did, didn't you? Sometimes even Republicans can be pretty witty... at least in private.
I'm a Dem, so in theory I'd love to see Republicans commit political suicide- but in practice, that is an unacceptable risk- a 1% chance of Trump winning isn't worth taking no matter how far the carnage extends down-ballot. If we're talking about putting country over party, showing dignity and patriotism, then there is no excuse for Democrats to do anything that risks a Trump victory.
Ironically, Democrats are being offered a disturbingly similar devil's bargain to the one Republicans are contemplating. The only real difference is the magnitude of the recklessness and cynicism that would be demonstrated.
It's tempting to strategize this far into the future, but it would be a mistake for HRC to do too much of it. Better to stay in the present and take this day by day. Good planting of subliminal thoughts, though.
3
My prayer. "Oh lord please wake me from this nightmare and have Joe Biden for President."
1
Ain't gonna happen.
1
"Obama defied Republicans during the first two years of his presidency, only to be tormented by them for the remainder of it." Give me a break, Frank! Obama bent over backwards from Day One, and from Day One the GOP were implacable obstructionists who accepted zero bipartisan overtures. (Some tax cuts that did not buy one GOP vote.) He had no choice but to go it alone for the 2 years. After 2010, they weren't punishing him for"defying" them -- they were never going to offer a shred of cooperation. no matter what he did Thank God he took some advantage of the Dem majoriities when he had them -- Clinton would be a fool not to try to do the same if she can.
4
Last week Frank Bruni trashed GOP leaders who would not condemn Trump. Today he looks askance at GOP leaders who support Mrs. Clinton because of their previous partisanships against her.
When Ted Cruz pointedly unendorsed Trump at the Republican convention during a high profile prime time speech, one would think that Mr. Bruni have liked that. But no, Mr. Bruni responded with a hit piece on Cruz.
Also in today’s essay Mr. Bruni alleges that GOP figures that are wary of Trump would support a different GOP candidate with more enthusiasm. Shouldn’t Mr. Bruni like that too? One would think so.
Honestly, I’m starting to think that the only thing a Republican politician could do that would make Frank Bruni happy would be to find a tall tree and hang himself. And herself too as well, Mr. Bruni being no sexist.
When Ted Cruz pointedly unendorsed Trump at the Republican convention during a high profile prime time speech, one would think that Mr. Bruni have liked that. But no, Mr. Bruni responded with a hit piece on Cruz.
Also in today’s essay Mr. Bruni alleges that GOP figures that are wary of Trump would support a different GOP candidate with more enthusiasm. Shouldn’t Mr. Bruni like that too? One would think so.
Honestly, I’m starting to think that the only thing a Republican politician could do that would make Frank Bruni happy would be to find a tall tree and hang himself. And herself too as well, Mr. Bruni being no sexist.
1
Maybe I am extremely naive, but if I were a Republican with status I would totally ignore Trump and only focus only on regional elections. Getting a Republican president is not as important as maintaining their edge in house and senate. I am a democrat so I hope they don't read my opinion and that they lose miserably, or at least equalize the balance in house and senate to get rid of the gridlock strategy. So Republicans please ignore me.
1
Frank, the Republican Party IS a vast right wing conspiracy.
Jane Mayer's book "Dark Money: The Hidden History of the Billionaires Behind the Rise of the Radical Right" details how Charles Koch and a kindred bunch of other billionaires have controlled the Republican ideology with a web of think tanks, journalists, and pundits. And they nurtured Republican office seekers with huge amounts of good old fashioned moola.
If Clinton wins, and the Republicans keep the House and Senate, they will be obliged to trash her to keep millions of Trump Republicans happy. Of course they will blockade the very programs that are actually might provide economic and quality of life help to those angry white men. Who was it that said "Politics is the art of sweet smelling farts"?
Jane Mayer's book "Dark Money: The Hidden History of the Billionaires Behind the Rise of the Radical Right" details how Charles Koch and a kindred bunch of other billionaires have controlled the Republican ideology with a web of think tanks, journalists, and pundits. And they nurtured Republican office seekers with huge amounts of good old fashioned moola.
If Clinton wins, and the Republicans keep the House and Senate, they will be obliged to trash her to keep millions of Trump Republicans happy. Of course they will blockade the very programs that are actually might provide economic and quality of life help to those angry white men. Who was it that said "Politics is the art of sweet smelling farts"?
2
Obstructing Hillary wont have anything to do with Trump Republicans - because well, they dont actually exist, and none hold any office. The GOP will just go back to their witch-hunts.
The Trump fan-base wont be voting next time, or all that much in the locals. They are the dark side of the Sanders crowd seeking change. But the Trumplodites, the zealots, will walk away angrier and less likely to participate, because they simply had their prejudices confirmed that its all rigged, and the white-man is doomed. (so many will arm-up and hunker down) While many of the Sanders zealots will feel the same, many will learn something about the actual reality of the system, not what they believe is the system. And they will seek to participate.
Very differing POVs, and critical to the next round of elections.
The next group of "trouble-makers" will not be from the GOP, but from the Democratic, liberal side. The Dems and Hillary should be looking forward at the dedicated Sanders supporters who will pop-up like their own tea-party. Of course not well-supported - the Dems have no real Koch Bros - but they will be out there making noise, and even running for offices against their own incumbents. And the next round of elections will rely more on social media then ever before...and that will be disruptive to an organization still not up to full speed on the medium.
The Trump fan-base wont be voting next time, or all that much in the locals. They are the dark side of the Sanders crowd seeking change. But the Trumplodites, the zealots, will walk away angrier and less likely to participate, because they simply had their prejudices confirmed that its all rigged, and the white-man is doomed. (so many will arm-up and hunker down) While many of the Sanders zealots will feel the same, many will learn something about the actual reality of the system, not what they believe is the system. And they will seek to participate.
Very differing POVs, and critical to the next round of elections.
The next group of "trouble-makers" will not be from the GOP, but from the Democratic, liberal side. The Dems and Hillary should be looking forward at the dedicated Sanders supporters who will pop-up like their own tea-party. Of course not well-supported - the Dems have no real Koch Bros - but they will be out there making noise, and even running for offices against their own incumbents. And the next round of elections will rely more on social media then ever before...and that will be disruptive to an organization still not up to full speed on the medium.
Frank Bruni's analysis sounds like the fix is in, or on the way. The Republicans will go easy on Clinton, and she will go easy on the back end of the ticket, assuring continuing Republican control of Congress and the states. Let's hope it doesn't come to that.
Republicans want three things - tax cuts for the rich, benefit cuts for the poor and shutting down regulatory agencies - EPA, Consumer Protection etc. They are not interested in anything else. Obama discovered that and so will Hillary.
2
The "H" graphic attached to this article doesn't make sense to me. The D's and R's should be reversed, with the D's in the arrow, going forward. After all, it's the republicans who are always trying to drag us backwards.
3
Clinton succeeding in restoring bi-partisanship would be comparable to Nixon normalizing U.S. relations with China. Ironic indeed.
1
I can see the Republican appeal for a candidate with such a political history of helping create instability in the world that leads to further US Gun Violence (aka military intervention):
http://fpif.org/hillary-clintons-state-department-armed-saudi-arabia-teeth/
http://www.ibtimes.com/clinton-foundation-donors-got-weapons-deals-hilla...
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jul/27/us-mexico-mass-deportation...
http://fpif.org/hillary-clintons-state-department-armed-saudi-arabia-teeth/
http://www.ibtimes.com/clinton-foundation-donors-got-weapons-deals-hilla...
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jul/27/us-mexico-mass-deportation...
Nevermind the Republican Johnny - come-latelies. Work with Democrats and those challenging Republicans in both chanbers. Then let the Meg Whitmans of the world come calling, hat in hand.
3
If Mrs. Clinton actually reads any of this she is bound to be confused as Prof. Krugman advised her on Friday not to make any "right turns"
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/05/opinion/no-right-turn.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/05/opinion/no-right-turn.html
2
"Obama defied Republicans during the first two years of his presidency..." Defiance? What Obama did was enact his party's agenda, not the other party's, as any new president normally does. If he hadn't, what was the point of holding an election.
2
I wish the election was Tuesday.
I've already seen enough of Donald Trump to last me a lifetime. I cringe at the idea I have to put up with another 3 months of this disgusting display.
We will all look back on this in disbelief. Historians will be scratching their heads for a long time. Why did so many people fall for a line of bull from this mean narcissistic jerk? Will we ever understand this?
Right now I'd settle for it just being over so I don't have to spend another minute of my precious time worrying that jerk might get over on us.
Counting down.
Get some rest, Hillary. 99 days to go.
In the meanwhile. I'm going to savor the last days of the great Obama presidency.
I've already seen enough of Donald Trump to last me a lifetime. I cringe at the idea I have to put up with another 3 months of this disgusting display.
We will all look back on this in disbelief. Historians will be scratching their heads for a long time. Why did so many people fall for a line of bull from this mean narcissistic jerk? Will we ever understand this?
Right now I'd settle for it just being over so I don't have to spend another minute of my precious time worrying that jerk might get over on us.
Counting down.
Get some rest, Hillary. 99 days to go.
In the meanwhile. I'm going to savor the last days of the great Obama presidency.
1
"Clinton's summer of love?" Maybe not. Call it survival, with a few scattered Republicans desperately trying to find salvation from a menace to their Party, to themselves as individuals and to the cohesion of the country. A small uptick in Trump's fortunes would drain the love like an ice cube on a Phoenix parking lot.
As for the Democratic Party, many of whom, according to Ms. Dowd, are smelling "a rout," they'd better go out and buy some smelling salts. A lot can happen between August and November, much of it bolts from the blue. Hillary herself is no stranger to raining on her own parade. Cockiness is the kiss of death.
www.endthemadnessnow.org
As for the Democratic Party, many of whom, according to Ms. Dowd, are smelling "a rout," they'd better go out and buy some smelling salts. A lot can happen between August and November, much of it bolts from the blue. Hillary herself is no stranger to raining on her own parade. Cockiness is the kiss of death.
www.endthemadnessnow.org
2
The Clintons have always been blessed with idiotic enemies that overreach. And then there is mannah from heaven, the orange kind. I trust she will squander it.
It's fine to talk about a big tent. But such a construction is useless unless you can entice your opponents to enter and spend a bit of time.
Meg Whitman is not a currently-serving GOP official at any level. Noticeably absent from the Trump apostates are Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell, who hold the two highest positions in the party. Should Trump be trounced come November, those two officials in all likelihood will see his campaign as an aberration, and his defeat as a signal to go back to the status quo.
If Clinton runs for reelection in 2020, her most likely opponent will be Ted Cruz, beloved of the base, who is very deliberately expanding his campaign infrastructure even at this early stage. Do you think he and his acolytes will be in any mood to compromise?
Hit 'em while they're down.
Meg Whitman is not a currently-serving GOP official at any level. Noticeably absent from the Trump apostates are Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell, who hold the two highest positions in the party. Should Trump be trounced come November, those two officials in all likelihood will see his campaign as an aberration, and his defeat as a signal to go back to the status quo.
If Clinton runs for reelection in 2020, her most likely opponent will be Ted Cruz, beloved of the base, who is very deliberately expanding his campaign infrastructure even at this early stage. Do you think he and his acolytes will be in any mood to compromise?
Hit 'em while they're down.
3
It takes all sorts! We don't all see things the same way. As I see it, we are engaged in selecting a POTUS. Others may see it as a reality TV show, as a bachelor(ette) contest, or as a beauty contest. Some writers judge certain events as advantageous to Hillary (or not). As of this is tennis! What about the country? What about us?
I'm too old to feign patience with the naïve writers and commentators who think their POV is the only one that matters. Elections are about choices, not about injured pride or stroked ego. In this election, the choice is between (1) holding on that what is left of the Republic and to the hope that we can improve it, and (2) destroying the republic and making it the plaything of a furiously flawed Trump and his "poorly-educated" supporters who are now joined by the most gutless politicians in our history.
I will not take Russian lessons, but may be forced to revive my beloved Irish (Gaelic) and find a niche on the glorious west coast of Ireland.
I'm too old to feign patience with the naïve writers and commentators who think their POV is the only one that matters. Elections are about choices, not about injured pride or stroked ego. In this election, the choice is between (1) holding on that what is left of the Republic and to the hope that we can improve it, and (2) destroying the republic and making it the plaything of a furiously flawed Trump and his "poorly-educated" supporters who are now joined by the most gutless politicians in our history.
I will not take Russian lessons, but may be forced to revive my beloved Irish (Gaelic) and find a niche on the glorious west coast of Ireland.
3
Hillary needs to hammer on three big ideas that voters can understand and latch onto. I suppose infrastructure jobs is one. A second is what all congressional Democrats running for re-election should propose: The Save Social Security Act of 2017. All voters love their monthly checks, even anti-government Republicans. Hillary should repeat endlessly: "Every time Paul Ryan mentions 'entitlement reform,' he means, 'I'm going to take your Social Security check away from you.' This is a winning issue. But I'm not hearing it repeated in every interview, at every campaign stop. And please, Democrats, come up with a third big, simple, popular idea. How about taking a cue from a Republican, Dwight Eisenhower: Rein in the military-industrial complex.
5
It strikes me that Drumpf's latest ridiculous "attack" upon HRC is yet another unwitting gift to her. When he screams that she is "unhinged," and "losing her mind," one can only conclude that he "doth protest too much," and is engaging in his typical projection and deflection two-step. Anyone with a functioning brain recognizes that whatever one might say about HRC, it would not include being "unhinged" and "losing her mind." Drumpf is the inevitable spawn of almost 60 years of GOTP media dominance, fear and conspiracy mongering, race baiting, white supremacy, Christian religious extremism, and xenophobia - they have assiduously stoked and courted the raging, fearful crowd, and their efforts have resulted in this monster, over which no one in the GOTP faux "leadership" has any control. This will wholly devour them - and in stark contrast, HRC is the epitome of steadfast calm, intelligence and sanity.
2
I think people are finally appreciating Hillary's toughness in taking on all opposition over the years, and succeeding. The right wing is a seasoned group of vicious political operatives, and lightweights don't stand a chance against them. And people understand that this is a perfect proving ground for the presidency - where nothing is easy or predictable. This will not be a coronation, but a hard earned victory by Hillary Clinton. There is also a real poetic justice here in Trump being beaten in by a woman, and aided by a Muslim - Mr. Khan.
7
Hillary Clinton has had detailed, well thought out plans and policy platforms on her website since she started her campaign. She has only added to them as we have gotten deeper into the campaign. It is only a Republican fantasy to think she would abandon those plans due to the destructiveness of Trump. They are top shelf ideas for urban and rural revitalization, expanded clean energy infrastructure, how to bring businesses back so our people can work again, on and on. She doesn't need to adopt any failed Republican ideas that don't work. I'm confident she won't. What she will do on the other hand is explain her policies in ways that bring the R's on board.
It's time for the Republicans to pay electorally for their intransigence. They will adapt or die as a party. If they are ever reborn, maybe they will see the world as it really is, not the idealized version in their head.
It's time for the Republicans to pay electorally for their intransigence. They will adapt or die as a party. If they are ever reborn, maybe they will see the world as it really is, not the idealized version in their head.
9
HRC will need to unify the *country* to avoid becoming a failed President with a sky-high disapproval rating. Cutting "bipartisan" deals to serve the same-old corporate interests that define the silent base of both parties isn't going to unite us. There's a political void in our country because both parties have treated the working class and the middle class as pawns in an electoral game framed in terms of culture wars and "social" issues. What's change is that the center of public opinion no longer buys the thesis that what's good for corporations is automatically good for the Bottom 90%. Folks can see perfectly well that trickle-down isn't trickling.
6
Frank, it is hard to believe that you actually wrote , "Obama defied Republicans during the first two years of his presidency, only to be tormented by them for the remainder of it." His "defiance" took the form of acceding to huge tax breaks in place of more spending to help pull the country out of the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression, refusing to look back at the lies and potential war crimes committed by Republican leadership surrounding the Iraq fiasco and, horror of horrors, supporting a reform of Health Insurance in the United States that came straight out of the GOP playbook.
Meanwhile, contemporaneously with Obama's 2009 inauguration, McConnell et. al. were meeting and plotting to make him a one term president and thwart any agenda he put forth even though that meant resisting the implementation of programs they had championed for decades.
Let's remember that Bernie Sanders received only about a million votes fewer than Trump during the primary season and that was before Trump's mania became clear to many GOP voters over the past month. New Presidents usually have their strongest mandate in the months after their first election. Obama was criticized (correctly in hindsight) for being too accommodating to Republican's during the ACA debate and negotiating with himself in order to capture the unicorn of bipartisanship. You seem to be advocating that Hillary Clinton should make that same error.
Meanwhile, contemporaneously with Obama's 2009 inauguration, McConnell et. al. were meeting and plotting to make him a one term president and thwart any agenda he put forth even though that meant resisting the implementation of programs they had championed for decades.
Let's remember that Bernie Sanders received only about a million votes fewer than Trump during the primary season and that was before Trump's mania became clear to many GOP voters over the past month. New Presidents usually have their strongest mandate in the months after their first election. Obama was criticized (correctly in hindsight) for being too accommodating to Republican's during the ACA debate and negotiating with himself in order to capture the unicorn of bipartisanship. You seem to be advocating that Hillary Clinton should make that same error.
8
There's a subtlety in your post that raises a question about how we perceive our two party system. The phrase you quote, "Obama defied Republican during the first two years of his presidency...," uses a word, "defied," that supposes a hierarchy. In fact, during the first two years of his presidency, Congress was held by Dems, so the defying would have been done by Republicans, not Democrats. But we seem to perceive our current world as progressives subservient to extremist right wing ideologues. The phrasing reflects that. Bernie Sanders provided the Democratic Party a service by pushing it back left and reasserting progressive values as viable and desirable. This has long been needed. As we watch the Republican Party implode due to its own unrealistic fascination with power, Democrats should and will take their seats in their own rightful confidence. Hillary doesn't need to lean one way or the other, nor does she need to accommodate the GOP. She will lead with her skill in diplomacy, in being able to get her opponents to see ways they might comfortably agree. It isn't that Obama didn't have that skill; it's that he misjudged the situation during his first two years. I sincerely doubt HRC will make that mistake. Bernie supporters should listen to his advice and vote for her. She has already said she is listening to them and their concerns, and has stated she wants to work with Sanders on education.
2
Oh yes, this last week was a breath of fresh air ~ reminding the ever faithful of us long time Hillary supporters that the dream is still alive: that a moderate electorate still exists with her as our standard bearer.
Electing a woman to close out the baby-boomer era of American politics would be poetic at best. Electing an Roosevelt-democrat couple,the Clintons, to remind America (and the world) what 12-16 years of civic leadership looks like would best represent my understanding of the founders dreams.
I'm ready!
Electing a woman to close out the baby-boomer era of American politics would be poetic at best. Electing an Roosevelt-democrat couple,the Clintons, to remind America (and the world) what 12-16 years of civic leadership looks like would best represent my understanding of the founders dreams.
I'm ready!
7
I'm with you, Ellen!
2
The way Obama did it was exactly right: political capital is meant to be expended on behalf of policy change. This might be lost on Mr. Bruni, who famously legitimized George W. Bush as an amiable nonpartisan and, so far as I know, has never acknowledged that stunning analytical fail.
If she wins, I expect the Rs to chalk it up to a rejection of Trump's manifest unfitness and go right back to scorched earth opposition. This will bring out the worst in Clinton, and we'll be right back where we've been. It still beats the disaster that a Trump presidency would bring.
If she wins, I expect the Rs to chalk it up to a rejection of Trump's manifest unfitness and go right back to scorched earth opposition. This will bring out the worst in Clinton, and we'll be right back where we've been. It still beats the disaster that a Trump presidency would bring.
5
Frank seems to be hinting delicately, without stating it, that Clinton should move somewhat to the right to placate Republicans. Three flies in this ointment:
1. Paul Krugman argued ably against that yesterday in his column http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/05/opinion/no-right-turn.html mainly by showing Republican policy prescriptions are often wrong and based on myths, not facts.
2. Obama did try a big-tent approach for his first year (where was Frank?) and got sucker-punched by Mitch McConnell and Co. And he sold out single-payer to preserve insurance company parasitism of health care, only to see that failing now as the big insurers pull out.
3, Who and what is the Republican Party? The aged true-conservative shibboleths of its elite have been discarded by Trump's followers, who are arguably the majority of the party, and who polls show like their entitlements, don't like tax cuts for the rich, hate big banks and hate their elite. Why should Clinton risk sending Berners on the warpath to placate a Republican elite that is disavowed by its own party? And if trends continue, maybe, just maybe, she won't even need the Republicans.
1. Paul Krugman argued ably against that yesterday in his column http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/05/opinion/no-right-turn.html mainly by showing Republican policy prescriptions are often wrong and based on myths, not facts.
2. Obama did try a big-tent approach for his first year (where was Frank?) and got sucker-punched by Mitch McConnell and Co. And he sold out single-payer to preserve insurance company parasitism of health care, only to see that failing now as the big insurers pull out.
3, Who and what is the Republican Party? The aged true-conservative shibboleths of its elite have been discarded by Trump's followers, who are arguably the majority of the party, and who polls show like their entitlements, don't like tax cuts for the rich, hate big banks and hate their elite. Why should Clinton risk sending Berners on the warpath to placate a Republican elite that is disavowed by its own party? And if trends continue, maybe, just maybe, she won't even need the Republicans.
5
If Hillary moves to the right to meet the Republicans she will be a one term president with out a doubt and will lose the progressive wing of the Democratic party for a generation.
Hillary needs to move left if anything to drag the GOP and the DLC Democrats into the modern world. With all the current and coming problems we need more progressive ideas and programs to right the ship of state not less. If Bernie proved anything it is that many Americans are ready to move Forward into a brighter future not backward towards the solutions of the past.
Hillary needs to move left if anything to drag the GOP and the DLC Democrats into the modern world. With all the current and coming problems we need more progressive ideas and programs to right the ship of state not less. If Bernie proved anything it is that many Americans are ready to move Forward into a brighter future not backward towards the solutions of the past.
7
No we need smarter economic policies to get the middle class back to work. And we need targeted programs for minorities and the poor to get them working again.
Bruni pretends that Obama's problem with Congress was because of Obama, that he refused to compromise. That is absurd. The Republicans swore on Day One they'd defy him in anything and everything, and they did.
Why does Bruni pretend this? Because his thesis is that Hillary can do better, that she is a more skilled political operator who can work with Congress in ways Obama was not skilled enough to do.
Nonsense. That is delusion. It was the Republicans, not Obama. They won't like Hillary better. They'll hate her even worse.
Why does Bruni pretend this? Because his thesis is that Hillary can do better, that she is a more skilled political operator who can work with Congress in ways Obama was not skilled enough to do.
Nonsense. That is delusion. It was the Republicans, not Obama. They won't like Hillary better. They'll hate her even worse.
18
Actually u have it wrong. Obama green lighted the ACA , back footing it thru congress with no republican input. To pass it he and others in his administration lied to the Anerican people. Finally he had to buy 2 dem votes from Nebraska and Louisiana . Thus, the stage was set, by Obama, for the most partisan relationship with congress ever .
Well I don't know. At least she's white...
Some analyses have shown that Hillary is subject to the Republican slander when she is running for office, but once in office gains the respect of her opponents. So the question will be, are members of Congress more racist or more sexist?
1
Seems to me that Clinton would be best continuing on her present course. If she tacks right, she risks losing progressive support. If she tacks left, any Republicans who might vote for her, won't. Giving any more rope to potential Republican supporters is a losing tactic.
6
After the way the Republicans in the Congress and Senate have treated Obama for the past eight years, I don't think Hillary needs to compromise. This is a party of obstructionists and extremists who are desperate to keep the most qualified Presidential candidate in this race from making Supreme Court appointments. They deserve to be defeated and marginalized.
14
Barak Obama tried to include and embrace Republicans when he first came to office. They pretended to go along with him. Eventually—much too late—he realized they were poisonous vipers. Clinton understands Republicans; she knows who they are. They fear, respect and consider her a worthy adversary. When she is President, it will be interesting to see these adversaries engage.
10
Why would Hillary want the endorsements of Colin Powell and Condoleeza Rice? In 2002-3 Powell and Rice misled the American public about the threat Iraq posed and helped lead us into the Iraq War, one of the biggest strategic blunders in American history. Their endorsements would remind voters of Hillary's vote as a Senator to authorize the war.
Hillary Clinton should flee from such endorsements. With friends like that she won't need enemies.
This entire column by Frank Bruni is bad advice.
Hillary Clinton should flee from such endorsements. With friends like that she won't need enemies.
This entire column by Frank Bruni is bad advice.
7
Wishful thinking on the part of Bruni. There is no possibility of civility on the part of the Royals. There are no moderate or liberal Royals left after the purges of Newt and the rest of the theocrats. It is scorched earth time.
HRC's only chance of going down in history with a favorable tint is to win big and fulfill the desires of her voters, not the political class. If she abandons the working class and Bernie voters, the Royals will not be the only party in disarray.
Bill got away with it and now HRC cannot renege on her voters. Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice shame on me.
HRC's only chance of going down in history with a favorable tint is to win big and fulfill the desires of her voters, not the political class. If she abandons the working class and Bernie voters, the Royals will not be the only party in disarray.
Bill got away with it and now HRC cannot renege on her voters. Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice shame on me.
4
"Obama defied Republicans during the first two years of his presidency"
Examples please.
Examples please.
4
I can't wait until there are more than two women writing columns on the Opinion page. Then maybe we can get a more complicated narrative than the one offered by male pundits week after week after week on these pages. Though she won her primary by millions of votes and looks like she'll beat Trump handily in the general, she never gets any credit. Here we are told she's being given a gift, getting it easy with Trump as her opponent. Her successes are never her's or her team's, they're always related to Bernie pushing her left or Barack coming out for her. If you think it is a gift to run against someone who makes sexist insults about you at his rallies and talks about your husband's affairs you're obviously not a woman. She is a qualified, capable candidate with excellent people working for her. That's the reason for the summer of love. More perspectives, please.
20
How many Democrats have defected to Trump? Is the number larger than zero? That might be an interesting number for Clinton to point out to voters. How come no well known Democrats are turning to the Donald?
Trump is a zero. He has no government experience. It's scary!
The only thing we have to fear is... Donald (0) Trump
------------------------------------------------------------------
Trump is a zero. He has no government experience. It's scary!
The only thing we have to fear is... Donald (0) Trump
------------------------------------------------------------------
7
The idea of voting for anyone other than Hillary is truly dangerous logic at this time and the reasons are quite obvious if we consider them for just a minute.
1. Look at the crowds that Mr. Trump is drawing, some real blood thirsty not in contact with reality folks.
2. Listen to the diatribe Mr. T is feeding them, there is no more bitter bile in any sewer in Calcutta(Kolkata) or NYC
3. Watch the responses of those crowds at Mr. T's most outrageous flabbergasts; sheer adulation and "Grab the gun, Kate" uproar.
This is NOT the time to give any credibility to false claims by Mr. T that "The People all Love Me so anything denying me the WH is only a result of 'Crooked Hillary' and her henchmen trying to deny the will of the people, the real Americans." This 'could' be just an exaggerated statement BUT, then it could be a possible real outcome. These are strange times and feelings are running higher than any in the past.
Now, in a somewhat justifiable(?) manner, the NYT may decide it prudent not to publish this, and I can understand that, I will always prefer to err on the side of being overly cautious than being 1 finger short to stop the dam from bursting.
As a person truly for World Peace, I would LOVE to see those embracing Mr. T, with his message(s) of doom and gloom, reconsider. There is room on Mother Earth for all people willing to grow, learn & work hard for a better US & world. Prosperity, like knowledge, is not owned by any country.
Make the world great for all.
1. Look at the crowds that Mr. Trump is drawing, some real blood thirsty not in contact with reality folks.
2. Listen to the diatribe Mr. T is feeding them, there is no more bitter bile in any sewer in Calcutta(Kolkata) or NYC
3. Watch the responses of those crowds at Mr. T's most outrageous flabbergasts; sheer adulation and "Grab the gun, Kate" uproar.
This is NOT the time to give any credibility to false claims by Mr. T that "The People all Love Me so anything denying me the WH is only a result of 'Crooked Hillary' and her henchmen trying to deny the will of the people, the real Americans." This 'could' be just an exaggerated statement BUT, then it could be a possible real outcome. These are strange times and feelings are running higher than any in the past.
Now, in a somewhat justifiable(?) manner, the NYT may decide it prudent not to publish this, and I can understand that, I will always prefer to err on the side of being overly cautious than being 1 finger short to stop the dam from bursting.
As a person truly for World Peace, I would LOVE to see those embracing Mr. T, with his message(s) of doom and gloom, reconsider. There is room on Mother Earth for all people willing to grow, learn & work hard for a better US & world. Prosperity, like knowledge, is not owned by any country.
Make the world great for all.
3
Turns out that it was only a half-vast right wing conspiracy!
3
So, what should we make of earlier cries that Clinton was only distrusted because a vast Republican conspiracy to discredit her? Perhaps Clinton and the Republicans who opposed Trump are actually symbiotic in the general functioning of American politics.
"But it would reflect the unpopularity of Trump as much as any sweeping, compelling mandate for a particular program."
What!
That IS the GOP!
What have you missed the last 30 years or more?
The GOP needs shoved out the door.
The SCOTUS needs to be repaired and secured for the next 3 decades.
Nothing else matters much!
Frank, I can't believe your wrote this at this time. These GOPers all need to go down in defeat and spend a few cycles contemplating just what horrible damage THEY have done to America.
What!
That IS the GOP!
What have you missed the last 30 years or more?
The GOP needs shoved out the door.
The SCOTUS needs to be repaired and secured for the next 3 decades.
Nothing else matters much!
Frank, I can't believe your wrote this at this time. These GOPers all need to go down in defeat and spend a few cycles contemplating just what horrible damage THEY have done to America.
6
SUMMER OF LOVE? To me that meant 1968, the Woodstock summer with lots of sex, pot and rock and roll. Decidedly NOT the priorities of the summer of 2016, where, for the faded hippies of 1968, the ravages of time have changed the desires and creature comforts we're looking for right now. They include downgraded creature comforts to settle for a slog to the ballot box rather than a romp in the grass at Woodstock, some Prozac rather than getting stoned and dancing to the siren songs of the political parties. And the sounds of the death throes of the soon-to-be-dead elephant in the middle of the election campaign. So, this is what Hillary's summer of love is going to be like. Settling. Compromising. Saving our right to Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness. Isn't that what the summer of 1968 was all about? We've come so far to have traveled the whole circle.
Woodstock was in 1969. The summer of love was 1967, San Francisco.
2
Bipartisan – see chump, naif.
The Republicans idea of compromise is: adopt our position and we'll think about voting for it. Yet Hillary apparently thinks that if she pivots to the right she can pick up enough center-right support that she can shed the progressive wing – something she would dearly love to do. A terrible mistake though. Rank and file Republican voters have no problem with Trump and would sooner cut off their fingers than vote for the hated Hillary. It's just assorted congressmen in swing districts that would think of crossing over and supporting Hillary.
The Republicans idea of compromise is: adopt our position and we'll think about voting for it. Yet Hillary apparently thinks that if she pivots to the right she can pick up enough center-right support that she can shed the progressive wing – something she would dearly love to do. A terrible mistake though. Rank and file Republican voters have no problem with Trump and would sooner cut off their fingers than vote for the hated Hillary. It's just assorted congressmen in swing districts that would think of crossing over and supporting Hillary.
2
Try reading her website. She is not pivoting right. And you are wrong about rank and file GOP voters. There is a lot of confusion going on there.
1
OK, Frank, so you and Tom Friedman are now on the same page. Who's next?
Can't wait for the debates, pass the popcorn.
6
"Who would have ever predicted that?" That Hillary would govern center-right? Only about every Sander's supporter.
4
Hillary Clinton is preoccupied with amassing wealth. Maybe that makes her easier for her Republican counterparts to understand.
What a sad state we're in, with two bad candidates. But 'none of the above' has become 'anyone but Trump'.
What a sad state we're in, with two bad candidates. But 'none of the above' has become 'anyone but Trump'.
3
If Democrats control the White House, the Senate and place smart judges on the Supreme Court, we are looking at a generation of potential progress. Plus we'll be able to refer to Trump as a LOSER for the rest of his miserable life.
4
The last thing she should do; Anything the GOP wants.
6
That third paragraph should be etched in stone.
All the talk about a renascent Hillary is fine and dandy...but without winning back Congress, the best ideas may drown in recriminations and obstructionism (of which the republicans are so well adept at). Now, if the G.O.P.'s persistent blockage was racist, Obama being black, then a respite may be possible, and real action seen on people's behalf.
1
Suppose the Republicans do stage an intervention. Suppose Donald calls it quits. Suppose the RNC picks a more traditional Republican to take his place. Suppose Donald blesses that change, arguing that he has achieved all that he wanted to achieve, and that a new GOP candidate could do what he realizes he can't -- denying the "congenital liar" the White House. That famous "sucking sound" that Ross Perot talked about in 1992 will apply to the Republicans gladly taking back their support of a woman who doesn't deserve their support. Keep trying to drive Trump out, in the long run, may not be in Hillary's best interest.
2
As Donald Trump keeps shrinking the Republican tent and turning people away, it only makes sense for the Democrats to broaden theirs. Otherwise where will all those people go? Disaffected, disconnected masses don't help anyone, and can lead to unrest and disorder.
It helps that the Republicans being shaken off at the margins by the Trump beast happen to be the MOST reasonable Republicans. These are people the Democrats should be happy to pick up.
Also, broadening the tent doesn't mean "making a right turn" or drastically changing policy. It just means being ideologically flexible and open-minded. Thank God these are qualities that Hillary Clinton seems to evince naturally.
This development makes me very hopeful for the future of the Democratic party, and for American democracy in general.
It helps that the Republicans being shaken off at the margins by the Trump beast happen to be the MOST reasonable Republicans. These are people the Democrats should be happy to pick up.
Also, broadening the tent doesn't mean "making a right turn" or drastically changing policy. It just means being ideologically flexible and open-minded. Thank God these are qualities that Hillary Clinton seems to evince naturally.
This development makes me very hopeful for the future of the Democratic party, and for American democracy in general.
4
Hillary Clinton has a sincere lifetime of public service that precedes her run for President. She will be the great President that Obama could have been. She knows what she wants and she'll fight cajole sell and compromise to get it. She'll be everything Bill could have been.
Is there an icky association with Wall Street? A money grubbing aspect to her life? Yes. Whatever. FDR was born rich. Lincoln married crazy to get into high society. Hillary is the most qualified person to ever run for President.
I'm with her. Duh. May she win by 20 points.
Is there an icky association with Wall Street? A money grubbing aspect to her life? Yes. Whatever. FDR was born rich. Lincoln married crazy to get into high society. Hillary is the most qualified person to ever run for President.
I'm with her. Duh. May she win by 20 points.
8
So do we want a Republican or a Republican? Some choice. At this rate, wait till Donny T acquires the White House. For an hilarious look behind closed doors at a Halloween there under Donny T, the ribald romp AW, DONNY! is spot-on unforgettable political satire. HRC superPac Priorities USA should post that playscript for free downloads, as its devastating effect is long lasting, unlike pricey TV ads that evaporate in a few days. Or we can resign ourselves to a Donny T White House … some choice.
1
If Weld was at the top of the Libertarian ticket, I think they'd take it.
3
I'm sorry...swoon? No. No way. They are simply avoiding Defcon 5 with Trump on deck. Swoon is pushing it.
1
It's time for the Republicans to adapt or die.
Trump will not win the Presidency - the electoral and demographic math is clear. It could well be a devastating loss.
It is likely the GOP (what is left of it, anyway) will go one of two routes: double down on Trumpism, or reject it for a "purer" conservatism. Either way, expect even more obstructionism and flat-out refusal to compromise. They will, as they have for the past 8 years, put party over country.
What they should do is take their own advice. They don't need a new "autopsy;" they can start by reading the one from 2012. The Republican Party must modernize, rejecting racial appeals and discrimination.
Economically, it's time to stop catering to the 1%. Yesterday NYT ran a piece on A1 titled "'Reformocons' See Chance to Update G.O.P.'s Economic Views." It was a laundry list of moderate Democratic ideas.
The GOP is staring into the abyss. Only they can save themselves. Will they quit peddling voodoo economics? Will they accept a diverse America? Will they accept science?
The onus is not on the Democrats to change. It is on the Republicans.
Trump will not win the Presidency - the electoral and demographic math is clear. It could well be a devastating loss.
It is likely the GOP (what is left of it, anyway) will go one of two routes: double down on Trumpism, or reject it for a "purer" conservatism. Either way, expect even more obstructionism and flat-out refusal to compromise. They will, as they have for the past 8 years, put party over country.
What they should do is take their own advice. They don't need a new "autopsy;" they can start by reading the one from 2012. The Republican Party must modernize, rejecting racial appeals and discrimination.
Economically, it's time to stop catering to the 1%. Yesterday NYT ran a piece on A1 titled "'Reformocons' See Chance to Update G.O.P.'s Economic Views." It was a laundry list of moderate Democratic ideas.
The GOP is staring into the abyss. Only they can save themselves. Will they quit peddling voodoo economics? Will they accept a diverse America? Will they accept science?
The onus is not on the Democrats to change. It is on the Republicans.
11
Your comment that President Obama spent his first two years defying Republicans is baffling. He reached out, wanted to work with, and watered down his healthcare act to get their support. It is the Republicans who defied--and planned to defy--the president. It was unprecedented, and we are feeling the results. I hope you are right that by supporting Hillary she becomes someone they reach out to and find a way to make things work.
10
Clinton's history is not one that suggests she will cooperate with democrats in Congress, never mind republicans. She is not even willing to user the press as a megaphone to talk to the American people--denying herself the most powerful tool for selling herself and her programs to the rest of us.
Voters will back her against the Uhhh-jest mistake the republicans have ever made. Will they rue their decision? No. Will they rue what may be a single term in office? No.
Voters will back her against the Uhhh-jest mistake the republicans have ever made. Will they rue their decision? No. Will they rue what may be a single term in office? No.
2
Sorry Frank.
It's time to stick it to the GOP as hard as possible.
If they could be destroyed that would be the good outcome.
To think they would play nice with a conciliatory Hillary is just plain naive.
They are after ONE thing: Stopping any Democratic SCOTUS appointment.
Period.
Come on! Get real Frank!
It's time to stick it to the GOP as hard as possible.
If they could be destroyed that would be the good outcome.
To think they would play nice with a conciliatory Hillary is just plain naive.
They are after ONE thing: Stopping any Democratic SCOTUS appointment.
Period.
Come on! Get real Frank!
11
Couldn't agree more. After 4, or perhaps 8, years whoever is president will be gone. But the makeup of SCOTUS will be with us for decades.
A strong Democratic win, from the top of the ticket to the bottom is essential to the future health of this country.
Let's keep our eye on the (real) prize.
A strong Democratic win, from the top of the ticket to the bottom is essential to the future health of this country.
Let's keep our eye on the (real) prize.
3
The voting age was just lowered to 18, my age when I voted for McGovern in 1972. I look back with pride that I didn't vote for Nixon. Folks who are considering voting for Trump might want to consider their legacy.
1
I doubt the Democrats will retake either house of Congress even with Trump dragging the Republican party down. The Democratic establishment's eagerness to compromise on serious issues and their slavish devotion to special interests will, as usual, translate into a lack of enthusiasm from their core membership.
And why should the public be served? Ordinary folk don't fork up millions of dollars for speeches once you're out of office.
And why should the public be served? Ordinary folk don't fork up millions of dollars for speeches once you're out of office.
1
Actually they do.
This is a great piece. What the country is hungry for is the government to unlock and start working again. People's lives have been put on hold, now even by the lack of a functioning Supreme Court . I do believe Clinton could help it along with some of the extreme members of Congress being replaced.
5
"Obama defied Republicans during the first two years of his presidency..." On the contrary, from day one, the Republicans coalesced around a plan to block every one of Obama's initiatives and they never let up.
6
And that is why they won't win the White House in 2016.
Stupidity has its price.
Stupidity has its price.
1
>Obama defied Republicans during the first two years of his presidency, only to be tormented by them for the remainder of it<
Yes, he didn’t consult Republicans, but he didn’t consult Democrats either. He went AWOL right after he moved into the White House, fearing that any political engagement might besmirch his legacy. In fact, he had no need to worry: his legacy consists mainly of a newly risen loony tune right, infecting all aspects of public life from economics & politics to science.
It is easy to confuse celebrity with leadership, but the two have nothing to do with each other. Hillary’s lack of rock star status should not detract from her inner LBJ. At least we can hope so.
Yes, he didn’t consult Republicans, but he didn’t consult Democrats either. He went AWOL right after he moved into the White House, fearing that any political engagement might besmirch his legacy. In fact, he had no need to worry: his legacy consists mainly of a newly risen loony tune right, infecting all aspects of public life from economics & politics to science.
It is easy to confuse celebrity with leadership, but the two have nothing to do with each other. Hillary’s lack of rock star status should not detract from her inner LBJ. At least we can hope so.
1
Trump is the anti-establishment candidate in this election. Of course establishment Republicans will choose the other establishment candidate rather than their own populist one.
Despite the dog and pony show in Washington, hasn't always been tweedle and tweedle dee?
Despite the dog and pony show in Washington, hasn't always been tweedle and tweedle dee?
1
"Obama defied Republicans during the first two years of his presidency." I remember Obama trying to hold hands and sing Kumbaya with Republicans those first two years. He was going to reverse the Clinton partisanship and prove that we are all Americans. Public option couldn't even get mentioned, he was groveling to give them their balanced budget. Talk about rewriting recent history.
4
"Obama defied Republicans during the first two years of his presidency"?! Like what? Pushed for a single-payer, Medicare for all health care system rather than draw upon that laboratory of democracy that is the states and adopt something that was desidned by the Heritage Foundation and tried out at the state level by a GOP governor. No, wait, I think one of us is confused.
3
Come on. Republicans hate her as much as ever. Her opponent couldn't find most places on a map that she either knows the leaders of, or can get so deep in the weeds she leaves everyone wondering where she finds the time. She's got my vote, and half the stuff people whine about? They can't prove, or they wouldn't care if she were male (Donald Trump? Male, entitled, know nothing.)
7
Let's give credit to President Obama also for this set up. Trump supporters along with most of us are fed up with a just say no Congress... a big defeat might finally get Ryan's and McConnell's attention, finally. I think Hillary would be the right person, in the right place, to make the right calculations on creating some of productive bi-partisanship. She is not an ideologue, she is a pragmatists, which is just what we need right now.
3
Frank,
Cigars and the Clintons don't have the happiest of histories... Maybe Hillary could promise Colin Powell that she will turn Don Rumsfeld, Paul Wolfowitz, Scooter Libby, and Dick Cheney over to an international war crimes tribunal for his endorsement.
Cigars and the Clintons don't have the happiest of histories... Maybe Hillary could promise Colin Powell that she will turn Don Rumsfeld, Paul Wolfowitz, Scooter Libby, and Dick Cheney over to an international war crimes tribunal for his endorsement.
1
It's the saddest election in human history that it takes Donald Trump, for some people to see Hillary Clinton in a positive light, and that's not really saying much. She is the most corrupt, crooked, lying politician in decades. She is a storm of deceit and mayhem like nothing we may ever see again. The New York Times editorial staff and many of its readers know this too. But they are doubling down and drawing a line in the sand. I guess I can't blame them. What's their options? They rigged the election and picked the wrong candidate in doing so. It's a scary proposition for Democrats because despite Trump's week of mayhem himself nearly 70% of the population is still going to vote for him. And that's the reality. People are fed up. I consider myself liberal, but I'm voting Trump and it's taken me a long time to understand why and I've final come to terms that I'm voting Trump in spite of Black America. And that's not a racist statement, despite many wanting to pick that apart. I am sick and tired of the look at me, it's all about us and only us, narrative. Victimization is repulsive and there is no less quality of a human. Hillary is disgusting for pandering to these people and flat out lying to them. It's got to stop and people are entirely out of control in this country and I support Trump's law and order agenda. The time has come and we are going to clean up the mess. Bad news for Hillary is that many American Hispanics and Asians want this too. She will lose.
Take a deep breath and come back to reality.
3
The all in trumpoholic speaks.
2
This isn't Hillary Clinton's "Summer of Love", Frank. It's the fall of the "big,big tent" of the Republicans' demented choice of Donald Trump as their Presidential nominee. Hillary is the blessed Democratic Deus ex Machina that will put paid to the Republicans' grotty effort to win this horrorshow of an election in three months. "Wretched sclerosis" is as good a metaphor for this election as we the people need Trump like a hole in the head or a third armpit.
2
There are so many things in this piece that infer a negative view of Clinton, it would be impossible to address them in 1500 characters. This is obviously not a campaign about issues. No matter how hard Clinton tries to bring about discussion of the economy, jobs, infrastructure, and so on, the media and her opponent still manage to bring up all the witch hunt stuff Clinton has endured for at least 35 years from the GOP. It began when she decided to keep her own name when she married, and when she decided to use her education and training for the good of children and families instead of staying home and baking cookies. Clinton reaches across the aisle because she is a seasoned diplomat who knows how to have a conversation with an opponent (a reasonably sane one, anyway). Clinton has always asserted that she represents all Americans, even her enemies. Let's face it, the only article so far this summer that has discussed Clinton's competency, experience, and policies has been the one by Morell. When, oh when, will you write about her, instead of about her in relation to Trump, her in relation to Bill, her in relation to Congress. This war by the GOP was started in the '60s with the Southern Strategy, and perpetuated by the Bush/Rove/Rumsfeld/etc. group for 40+ years. How about a piece that discusses that obstacle to bipartisan government? How about the fact, neatly hidden in the middle of this opinion, that many Republicans and many Dems like her? Vote HRC in Nov.
3
I absolutely agree that HRC has been given nothing but compare/contrast in the NYT. There are days when the Trump articles show up TEN TO ONE (I've since stopped counting.) The only saving grace is that the snake of the press--and that's everybody, not just the Times--is biting its own tail. If it sells more papers, they will follow the latest transgression rather than the achievement and in the end produce a draw between the two candidates where none could possibly exist.
1
Yes, it's definitely been spasmodic. And not a little terrifying. I'm praying (as a white, Catholic woman unaffiliated with any political party) that Mr. Trump is not elected. The United States cannot elect Mr. Trump the same year as Elie Wiesel's death. We just can't. "First they came for the Socialists...." (Martin Niemöller). Praying for human dignity and the dignity of this country.
3
Mr. Bruni - please be more cautious of your "Barbie" descriptor until you're able to use it worthily and well. Many of us were still playing with the toy while HRC was already fighting for women's and children's rights - so that the next generation would not be a valley of dolls.
76
Sorry, but I agree with Paul krugman. The answer for democrats is not always moving right. Majorities of the public agree with democratic policy prescriptions. What they need now is the courage of their convictions, not to prematurely make concessions whenthe Republican Party is on its knees.
3
Clinton needs to resurrect the voices of Republicans who admired her performance in the Senate and in the State Department. She should make addressing Washington dysfunction a central issue. She should make reforming the tax code and looking hard at Dodd-Frank regulations that hurt small banks a priority over tax increases on the wealthy. She should make systemic (i.e. Washington) reform, with Republican help, a rallying cry.
2
Mr. Bruni, I have long admired your writing and perspicacity. But this column reads like it was written by someone who, for the past 8 years, has been living on another planet. Has there ever been a Democratic president more committed to bridging the partisan divide than Barack Obama? It's what he originally ran on. It's an idea that permeated his first inaugural address. It is an idea that still inflects his thinking. And look at all the good it's done: 8 years of sneering and conscious, systematic obstruction. A Republican congressional leadership which openly boasted, during his first term, that its only program was to make Obama a one-term president and which during his second-term, admitted that its only program was to obstruct anything Obama wanted. Are THESE the people you are suggesting Hillary should now reach out to? If we are fortunate enough to avoid the disaster of a Trump presidency, and if the American people vindicate themselves by handing the Republican party a richly-deserved historic drubbing, the Democrats should RUTHLESSLY use every millimeter of the advantage it gains to -- at last! -- set this country back on a progressive course so that the multitude of grave problems we face can, bit by bit, be solved. That's right: RUTHLESSLY. Let the Republican Party be thrown where it belongs: on the trash heap of history.
255
Frank Bruni finds it surprising and hopeful that Hillary Clinton and some Republicans may find common ground after years of partisan gridlock. I hardly think this is a surprise, since the Clintons' political views are effectively similar to those of moderate Republicans. Neither do I think it is a hopeful sign. It is a consequence of both parties moving in a rightward direction over the past 40 years. The Clinton wing of the Democratic Party is centrist, while the Trump wing of the GOP has, at least on some issues, moved so far to the right that even some Republicans can no longer support the party's nominee.
44
If Clinton is looking good to the more moderate of Republicans, it has more to do with not being Trump, than being Clinton. The folks who demonized her are still demonizing her.
Newt has faded away, but left behind a powerful legacy, picked up in talk radio, in rhetoric from GOP leadership, in the angry and profane shouts of Trump fanatics. I expect Mitch McConnell to grant her all the respect he showed President Obama. The judicial nominations, if Clinton makes it to the WH, will be legendary. The House will block every action as well.
But I'd rather see the fight between Congress and Clinton, than the fight between dignity and Trump. Apparently Republicans like Meg Whitman are on the same page.
Newt has faded away, but left behind a powerful legacy, picked up in talk radio, in rhetoric from GOP leadership, in the angry and profane shouts of Trump fanatics. I expect Mitch McConnell to grant her all the respect he showed President Obama. The judicial nominations, if Clinton makes it to the WH, will be legendary. The House will block every action as well.
But I'd rather see the fight between Congress and Clinton, than the fight between dignity and Trump. Apparently Republicans like Meg Whitman are on the same page.
69
Hillary will not need to work "stridently" against Republicans, since Trump is doing that work for her. The Republican senators from Arizona and New Hampshire, among others, are political victims, but Trump's fingerprints, not Hillary's, are at the crime scene.
Bring on the rout!
Bring on the rout!
5
I saw the events of the last quarter century much differently. Tycoons financed investigations against the Clintons while republicans in congress set out to destroy them. There was truly that vast right wing conspiracy for no good reason. Bill appointed Hillary to create universal health care. Hillary labored at it and made mistakes. It did not come into being. Hillary learned. Insurance companies ran ads dramatizing imaginary worst case scenarios. Bill did what he thought was best given inimical congresses. Newt went on to primary republicans who showed more interest in governing than in hating democrats. Nobody was perfect. All Gore avoided Clinton and we got the Bush Junior presidency. Anyway, all the effort that had gone into balancing the budget was wasted, and republicans voted against their stated principles. Under Obama's presidency, congressional republicans sabotaged the government rather than help our president confront the war and financial crises. If there are republicans now willing to vote for Hillary, it may be acknowledgment that it is high time for them to place country above party.
5
Hillary is sane and competent, and has not been bashing republicans for eight years of obstruction. For republicans who put country ahead of party, that should be all the outreach that is needed.
4
The Republican's have spent eight years creating this monster with their hatred of everything and anything Obama. They get what they deserve.
The unfortunate issue is that so does the nation. A one party government is not a good place to be for the nation, no matter the party.
The unfortunate issue is that so does the nation. A one party government is not a good place to be for the nation, no matter the party.
2
Today's Democratic Party is *already* the big tent. Inviting fossil fuel dead-enders, militarists, billionaires, and white nationalists into leadership makes it a smaller, more dangerous party.
Bernie Sanders won almost half the states in the primary. That is not a signal to tack right.
Bernie Sanders won almost half the states in the primary. That is not a signal to tack right.
3
"Obama defied Republicans during the first two years of his presidency, only to be tormented by them for the remainder of it."
Cause and effect? Hardly. Newly elected President Obama repeatedly frustrated his supporters with futile attempts to appease Republicans, only to be stonewalled by an obstructionist GOP "leadership" determined to use their newly inducted Tea Party brats (who had no respect for compromise or governance) to bring Obama to his knees. His signature accomplishments, including the Affordable Care Act, were not acts of defiance. They represented the long-delayed social progress which the majority of Americans elected Obama to accomplish. Republicans brought that progress to a screeching halt in the 2010 midterm elections with a concerted program of radical gerrymandering, voter suppression, big money and a shameless campaign of lies and propaganda.
"And we’ve seen, in recent years, what sharply drawn lines and perpetual warfare between the parties bequeath: legislative paralysis, debased discourse and the precise public disgust with politics and politicians that has given rise to Trump."
Who drew those sharp lines? Who declared war between the parties? Who promoted legislative paralysis? Who debased the discourse? There are many reasons for Trump's ascendance, but it has nothing to do with Democrats.
Cause and effect? Hardly. Newly elected President Obama repeatedly frustrated his supporters with futile attempts to appease Republicans, only to be stonewalled by an obstructionist GOP "leadership" determined to use their newly inducted Tea Party brats (who had no respect for compromise or governance) to bring Obama to his knees. His signature accomplishments, including the Affordable Care Act, were not acts of defiance. They represented the long-delayed social progress which the majority of Americans elected Obama to accomplish. Republicans brought that progress to a screeching halt in the 2010 midterm elections with a concerted program of radical gerrymandering, voter suppression, big money and a shameless campaign of lies and propaganda.
"And we’ve seen, in recent years, what sharply drawn lines and perpetual warfare between the parties bequeath: legislative paralysis, debased discourse and the precise public disgust with politics and politicians that has given rise to Trump."
Who drew those sharp lines? Who declared war between the parties? Who promoted legislative paralysis? Who debased the discourse? There are many reasons for Trump's ascendance, but it has nothing to do with Democrats.
2
You are offering losing advice to Mrs. Clinton.
This is one of those years when all of you who are paid to write about these things are wrong, wrong, wrong.
This is one of those years when all of you who are paid to write about these things are wrong, wrong, wrong.
3
Again, another brilliant graphic from NYT artists. Please do a feature story on these people!
You left out that Obama never presented a final deal to Republicans. He kept saying if they had a better idea he was open. A disastrous negotiating strategy. Also it was not just right wing Republicans who were appalled by Hillary's kiss of Suha Arafat. I know many left wing Democrats who would not forgive Clinton for it. Now, however, Trump's bigotry and anti-Semitism have brought them back to Hillary.
Hillary must support the Democratic congressional candidates because without control of the Senate and and House it will be four more years of stagnation, government shutdowns, and vicious personal attacks on her.
If she gets the control needed to move an agenda, she has another serious issue: Restraining joyous Democrats from overreaching on their agenda.
Rather than a massive 100 days of accomplishments, Economy and Environment are good starting places. Infrastructure investments for jobs, codifying Obama environmental executive orders into law, and implementing a carbon tax as part of a tax overhaul designed to increase revenues, provides a lot of work for them to do on issues where they can get some fairly broad agreement.
If she gets the control needed to move an agenda, she has another serious issue: Restraining joyous Democrats from overreaching on their agenda.
Rather than a massive 100 days of accomplishments, Economy and Environment are good starting places. Infrastructure investments for jobs, codifying Obama environmental executive orders into law, and implementing a carbon tax as part of a tax overhaul designed to increase revenues, provides a lot of work for them to do on issues where they can get some fairly broad agreement.
In much of the country such as here in Oklahoma where I am Republicans are firmly entrenched. I'm not sure they can actually believe what's going on in the presidential race. But this week's moderate GOP coup against the Tea Party in Kansas is probably waking them up. At least some thoughtful Republicans are doing some soul searching, it's unfortunate that it has taken a grotesque figure such Mssr. Trump to make it happen.
1
It really shouldn't be too hard for those Republicans to vote for Hillary. After all, she supports the same things they do: Wall Street strange banking rules, any and all wars, all trade agreements, need I go on?
Hillary is actually Republican lite.
And those Republicans will know what she will do, no one has any idea what Trump may do.
Hillary is actually Republican lite.
And those Republicans will know what she will do, no one has any idea what Trump may do.
1
From the beginning Obama was one who favored accommodation with the other side (e.g. Romneycare). From the beginning a Republican cabal set forth with the single goal to make him a "one term president" by opposing everything he might propose of favor.
Will Republicans act differently toward Hillary? "The base" still sees compromise as defeat. And worse yet, at this moment the Republican Party is still the party of Trump.
Will Republicans act differently toward Hillary? "The base" still sees compromise as defeat. And worse yet, at this moment the Republican Party is still the party of Trump.
2
I'm sick of pandering to Republican fools. Let's nail them this time, and do what is right for America! But I do trust Hillary, and I'll follow her lead.
2
It is, of course, NEVER quite the right time to implement Demoicratic ideas; movement towards dead center and the "best thoughts of serious financial people" is always "wise," and in the end, the more Republican the Democrat is, the "better." (This one was basically a Chuck Percy Republican to begin with.) That would be tru, of course, even if there were to be a Democratic landslide. And this is the "liberal" NY Times betting ready to tell Democrats how little to do--and for whom.
1
Please Mr. Bruni don't encourage such defeatist, small-gauge politics as the fantasy--and the Obama presidency shows it's a total fantasy--of a bipartisan governing coalition. If you really believe that Mitch McConnell and Paul Ryan are going to work with a Clinton Administration, you've got to believe that Divine Providence will suddenly intervene to convince them that climate change is real and guns are dangerous and need to be regulated. The Democrats must not cave to such wishful thinking before the campaign even begins, but work to register voters now that Voter ID laws are being revoked and to take back the Senate which is within their grasp. We need a Supreme Court justice who will redress the pro-corporate, rightward stance of the Roberts court by reversing Citizens United, restoring the Voting Rights Act, and maintaining a women's right to choose. A rightward, centrist tilt that Hillary is making risks what could be the most important prize of her election and also risks alienating those who backed Bernie Sanders, especially the passionate young voters who often don't turnout to vote. Let's not be fooled by a "summer of love" which always becomes a fleeting romance when the hard reality of the fall arrives.
2
You say about Mrs. Clinton's time in the Senate that, "several Senate Republicans told me how surprised and impressed they were by her work ethic, warmth and willingness to cooperate."
It seems to me that many, including Republicans, don't find the same "work ethic, warmth and willingness to cooperate" in Trump.
The co-author of Trump's book “The Art of the Deal", Tony Schwartz, says in the New Yorker that Trump wasn't even willing to put in the time to provide details needed for the book, not exactly a model of work ethic. Schwartz says Trump was “like a kindergartner who can’t sit still in a classroom.” More damning is this quote from Schwartz: “If he had to be briefed on a crisis in the Situation Room, it’s impossible to imagine him paying attention over a long period of time,”
Giving his fellow participants in the GOP unflattering appellations, such as "Lying" Ted, "Little" Marco, "Low Energy" Jeb, and making fun of Carly Fiorina's look are not testament to Trump's warmth but crassness.
The list of things that make Trump unqualified to be president is quite long indeed.
It seems to me that many, including Republicans, don't find the same "work ethic, warmth and willingness to cooperate" in Trump.
The co-author of Trump's book “The Art of the Deal", Tony Schwartz, says in the New Yorker that Trump wasn't even willing to put in the time to provide details needed for the book, not exactly a model of work ethic. Schwartz says Trump was “like a kindergartner who can’t sit still in a classroom.” More damning is this quote from Schwartz: “If he had to be briefed on a crisis in the Situation Room, it’s impossible to imagine him paying attention over a long period of time,”
Giving his fellow participants in the GOP unflattering appellations, such as "Lying" Ted, "Little" Marco, "Low Energy" Jeb, and making fun of Carly Fiorina's look are not testament to Trump's warmth but crassness.
The list of things that make Trump unqualified to be president is quite long indeed.
4
Vote for Hillary for president. Show all Americans that an American female can be president of the U.S., that our grandmothers could have been, that our sisters can be, that our daughters can be, that our wives can be, that our granddaughters can be, that our great granddaughters can be, that our nieces can be, and that female friends and female strangers can be, can be President of the U.S.
(It has been a false mistaken belief system that has been indicating that only males could hold presidents of the U.S. ).
(It has been a false mistaken belief system that has been indicating that only males could hold presidents of the U.S. ).
I think the basic gist of this article is that Hillary should move ever rightward. I'd fear a split in the Democratic party if that happened. The progressives have been coddled and given a small niche in the party for decades....however, today more and more people define themselves as progressives, even socialists. The Democrats, and especially Hillary since she is already seen as a neoconservative (or neoliberal, they are the same basic thing) by many, have limited wiggle room to maneuver rightward anymore without fracturing the Democratic coalition. This will become even more of a problem as us Millenials get older.
Better to stay center left than try to attract disaffected Republicans that will jump ship in four months.
Better to stay center left than try to attract disaffected Republicans that will jump ship in four months.
3
"vast right-wing conspiracy"
Well, it may not have been 'vast' but it was real enough.
You are forgetting the 'American Spectator,' David Brock and the "Arkansas Project". The Project and part of Brock's assignment - unequivocally stated - as a writer for the magazine was to dredge up scandal to discredit the Clintons.
You are forgetting that when Brock, to his credit, discovered that the state troopers who testified had been paid by conservative forces, he went public with the information.
You are forgetting that the American Spectator was investigated by the Justice Department for alleged witness tampering in the Whitewater investigation.
You are forgetting that the Republican charge for the impeachment of Bill Clinton was led by Newt Gingrich - three times married and at the time himself embroiled in an affair with the woman who would become his third wife. Let's not even mention the role of Denny Hastert today serving prison time.
You seem even to be forgetting that the Benghazi Hearings cost more money and took more time than the investigation into 9/11 or the assassination of John F. Kennedy.
Now that I think about it, maybe I was wrong. Maybe it really is vast too.
Well, it may not have been 'vast' but it was real enough.
You are forgetting the 'American Spectator,' David Brock and the "Arkansas Project". The Project and part of Brock's assignment - unequivocally stated - as a writer for the magazine was to dredge up scandal to discredit the Clintons.
You are forgetting that when Brock, to his credit, discovered that the state troopers who testified had been paid by conservative forces, he went public with the information.
You are forgetting that the American Spectator was investigated by the Justice Department for alleged witness tampering in the Whitewater investigation.
You are forgetting that the Republican charge for the impeachment of Bill Clinton was led by Newt Gingrich - three times married and at the time himself embroiled in an affair with the woman who would become his third wife. Let's not even mention the role of Denny Hastert today serving prison time.
You seem even to be forgetting that the Benghazi Hearings cost more money and took more time than the investigation into 9/11 or the assassination of John F. Kennedy.
Now that I think about it, maybe I was wrong. Maybe it really is vast too.
4
Obama had the bi-partisan concerns in mind when he adjusted and modified the ACA after multiple meetings with Republicans. If that had not occurred, many of the sticky issues remaining with the ACA would not be present. In other words, Obama compromised to get that started.
So, let's not say that the Democrats simply rammed that legislation through with their majority in 08-10.
But come January, if on present course, all of those stupid issues should just go away. Onward to national healthcare.
So, let's not say that the Democrats simply rammed that legislation through with their majority in 08-10.
But come January, if on present course, all of those stupid issues should just go away. Onward to national healthcare.
1
The Democrats should not get cocky and hope that "Hillary's Summer of Love" does not turn to "Hillary's Fall of Tears."
1
Oh please. The Republicans have created their own Mr. Hyde now they want to take over Democrats Dr. Jeckyll and have a whack at her.
Just because they broke their toy doesn't mean they get to take ours and repaint her in their image. I've read this suggestion more than once in the last two weeks and the kookooness behind it still gives me pause.
The reason the Republicans are lining up behind HRC is because they are rich and powerful, and have a lot invested in the planet. They can't continue (as most of the rest of us cannot) if Trump destroys the economy and starts WWIII.
So HRC is their savior. Now you want her to what? Abolish gay marriage? Agree that we should have Christianity in schools? Or maybe you want her to build a wall and cut Social Security? Or cut taxes for the rich?
Does the old adage, "You broke it. You bought it." carry any weight for you?
Just because they broke their toy doesn't mean they get to take ours and repaint her in their image. I've read this suggestion more than once in the last two weeks and the kookooness behind it still gives me pause.
The reason the Republicans are lining up behind HRC is because they are rich and powerful, and have a lot invested in the planet. They can't continue (as most of the rest of us cannot) if Trump destroys the economy and starts WWIII.
So HRC is their savior. Now you want her to what? Abolish gay marriage? Agree that we should have Christianity in schools? Or maybe you want her to build a wall and cut Social Security? Or cut taxes for the rich?
Does the old adage, "You broke it. You bought it." carry any weight for you?
1
"Obama defied Republicans during the first two years of his presidency, only to be tormented by them for the remainder of it."
Let's be clear about something: Barack Obama did not "defy" Republicans. Obama inherited the biggest economic crisis in the past 80 years, took affirmative steps to stimulate the economy, and enacted health-care legislation that has provided medical care to millions of U.S. citizens who previously could not afford it.
I'm in agreement with Paul Krugman ("No Right Turn"):
"Grand coalitions do sometimes have a place in politics, as a response to crises that are neither party’s fault — external threats to national security, economic disaster. But that’s not what is happening here. Trumpism is basically a creation of the modern conservative movement, which used coded appeals to prejudice to make political gains, then found itself unable to rein in a candidate who skipped the coding.
"If some conservatives find this too much and bolt the party, good for them, and they should be welcomed into the coalition of the sane. But they can’t expect policy concessions in return. When Dr. Frankenstein finally realizes that he has created a monster, he doesn’t get a reward. Mrs. Clinton and her party should stay the course."
Let's be clear about something: Barack Obama did not "defy" Republicans. Obama inherited the biggest economic crisis in the past 80 years, took affirmative steps to stimulate the economy, and enacted health-care legislation that has provided medical care to millions of U.S. citizens who previously could not afford it.
I'm in agreement with Paul Krugman ("No Right Turn"):
"Grand coalitions do sometimes have a place in politics, as a response to crises that are neither party’s fault — external threats to national security, economic disaster. But that’s not what is happening here. Trumpism is basically a creation of the modern conservative movement, which used coded appeals to prejudice to make political gains, then found itself unable to rein in a candidate who skipped the coding.
"If some conservatives find this too much and bolt the party, good for them, and they should be welcomed into the coalition of the sane. But they can’t expect policy concessions in return. When Dr. Frankenstein finally realizes that he has created a monster, he doesn’t get a reward. Mrs. Clinton and her party should stay the course."
1
"Of all politicians, she could be the one with the best chance to move us a few crucial inches beyond this wretched sclerosis. Who would have ever predicted that?"
Who would have predicted that? Anyone who's been paying to Hillary Clinton, I think. Even the former CIA director, Michael Morrell, talked about how brilliantly bipartisan she's been. We've seen it and heard it again and again: she likes to get things done. I for one can't wait for her to have at it.
Who would have predicted that? Anyone who's been paying to Hillary Clinton, I think. Even the former CIA director, Michael Morrell, talked about how brilliantly bipartisan she's been. We've seen it and heard it again and again: she likes to get things done. I for one can't wait for her to have at it.
1
Is there really any chance, however, that Republicans will work with Hillary once Trump is demolished? I mean, I'm always hearing about how Obama didn't do enough to woo Republican congressmen, but how do you woo someone who wants to kick you in the face? I think it's a shell game to insist that Hillary do more to court congressmen (and they are almost ALL men) who are never going to cede an inch to her, and will continue the same crybaby obstructionism they've employed for the last eight years.
This is like that high school bully who tells you that if you give him your lunch, he won't kick your butt after school. He's still going to kick your butt, you might as well enjoy your lunch.
This is like that high school bully who tells you that if you give him your lunch, he won't kick your butt after school. He's still going to kick your butt, you might as well enjoy your lunch.
1
It's a delicate balance for Hillary Clinton to make good her promises to Bernie supporters and the desire to create a big enough tent to include middle of the road Republicans. But there may be enough in common stands that it may be possible. An infrastructure rehab bill, reform to higher education interest rates, immigration bill and even a better ACA may be possible, but it all depends on her achieving a large enough margin of victory.
Those idealists on the left and right will need to compromise which is the great bug a boo among both these groups. Bernie did a service to the Democratic Party, but he also left a lot of bitterness which may in the end sink the revolution that he and his supporters hoped to achieve. Again we need to look beyond personalities to the larger vision of the progressive cause.
Those idealists on the left and right will need to compromise which is the great bug a boo among both these groups. Bernie did a service to the Democratic Party, but he also left a lot of bitterness which may in the end sink the revolution that he and his supporters hoped to achieve. Again we need to look beyond personalities to the larger vision of the progressive cause.
2
Frank, you overstate Clinton's 'summer of love.' But you don't overstate the rout that is fixing to happen.
"...perpetual warfare between the parties..." is called democracy. However, if Clinton is wise and forward looking, which Democrats are supposed to be, she will not invoke a colossal conservative backlash.
America must continue to be a global bastion of stability, with a march towards a progressive future, and whiplash would not serve the public interest. The public interest is all that matters.
"...perpetual warfare between the parties..." is called democracy. However, if Clinton is wise and forward looking, which Democrats are supposed to be, she will not invoke a colossal conservative backlash.
America must continue to be a global bastion of stability, with a march towards a progressive future, and whiplash would not serve the public interest. The public interest is all that matters.
1
The idea that Clinton won't work HARD to defeat incumbent Republican senators and congresspersons implies that she puts winning the White House over the party's taking back the Houses of Congress.
Frankly, Republicans endorsing Clinton should be considered manna from heaven, but not the foundation of a Democratic victory. To forget her base and the support of the Bernie Sanders voters is to be the "Hillary Clinton" painted by the right and far Left.
Frankly, Republicans endorsing Clinton should be considered manna from heaven, but not the foundation of a Democratic victory. To forget her base and the support of the Bernie Sanders voters is to be the "Hillary Clinton" painted by the right and far Left.
1
No matter how belated, a Conversion to Democracy should be celebrated!
Whether it's a wake-up call to avoid a National Disaster or a sudden realization that the GOP has been harboring crazed lunatics - like those sighted at trump rallies - dancing and chanting and looking for all the world like would-be lynch mob fiends, sane refugees need time to heal. Before taking the Democratic plunge.
These are strange times we live in.
Come on in, folks! Our Republic is worth it!
Whether it's a wake-up call to avoid a National Disaster or a sudden realization that the GOP has been harboring crazed lunatics - like those sighted at trump rallies - dancing and chanting and looking for all the world like would-be lynch mob fiends, sane refugees need time to heal. Before taking the Democratic plunge.
These are strange times we live in.
Come on in, folks! Our Republic is worth it!
Sir,
"Obama defied Republicans during his first two years of his presidency...'
Do you mean, like when, in the first weeks after election, Senator McConnell declared defeating Obama's bid for a second term was the Republican priority?
Do you mean when Mr. Obama ignored Democratic wishes for a deeper stimulus package, and held it below a trillion dollars to make it palatable for Republicans, after their own GOP had brought us to the brink of a second Great Depression? Do you when when President Obama ignored Democrats seeking a single payer health care system, or at least a public option in health care reform, and instead proposed an industry-friendly mess based on Mitt Romney's/Heritage Foundation reforms? Your revisionist history is showing, sir.
And tell me, is it too much to ask for Republicans to not only to disown a possibly crazy, certainly "unfit" candidate? Not much of a stretch there. Republicans can really show their patriotism by joining in efforts to stem climate change, create a modern national infrastructure, repeal Citizens United and fully fund universal pre_K. These are not controversial matters, unless you are well, Mr. Trump, or a current Republican office holder.
"Obama defied Republicans during his first two years of his presidency...'
Do you mean, like when, in the first weeks after election, Senator McConnell declared defeating Obama's bid for a second term was the Republican priority?
Do you mean when Mr. Obama ignored Democratic wishes for a deeper stimulus package, and held it below a trillion dollars to make it palatable for Republicans, after their own GOP had brought us to the brink of a second Great Depression? Do you when when President Obama ignored Democrats seeking a single payer health care system, or at least a public option in health care reform, and instead proposed an industry-friendly mess based on Mitt Romney's/Heritage Foundation reforms? Your revisionist history is showing, sir.
And tell me, is it too much to ask for Republicans to not only to disown a possibly crazy, certainly "unfit" candidate? Not much of a stretch there. Republicans can really show their patriotism by joining in efforts to stem climate change, create a modern national infrastructure, repeal Citizens United and fully fund universal pre_K. These are not controversial matters, unless you are well, Mr. Trump, or a current Republican office holder.
2
Obviously Frank Bruni and Paul Krugman don't even share a coffee nook at the Times. Of course Bruni is just the sort of centrist that Krugman laments in his column. It didn't take him long to revert to his Republican leaning because "hey not all Republicans are whackaloons ". Krugman has a good synopsis "When Republicans were in the ascendant, centrists urged Democrats to adapt by moving right. Now that Republicans are in trouble, with some feeling that they have no choice except to vote Democratic, these same centrists are urging Democrats to … adapt by moving right. Funny how that works".
1
Beware of Gary Johnson. If he gains five points in polls, he could be in the debates. Clinton will do well in a one-on-one debate against Trump, a format that constrains him; she would have a much harder time in a three-way.
A very good piece, Frank: this behind-the-scenes Republican shift to Hillary gives the average American of how professional politicians see the wind blowing. It would be remarkable if the GOP, after years of demonizing and dehumanizing Hillary, found issues and ways to cooperate with her on running the country. Some level of cooperation with Hillary may be a way for the party to run from the stench of Trump and claim a level of achievement that could help them in the 2018 mid-term elections.
I have one objection to this piece, though, based on this sentence: "Obama defied Republicans during the first two years of his presidency, only to be tormented by them for the remainder of it."
I remember things quite differently: Obama went out of his way to reach out and try to include Republicans in legislation. Given the nation's need at that time for effective policy to address serious crises, the GOP's intransigent response was completely irresponsible. If Obama got things done without help from Republicans, that was because he had no other choice.
I have one objection to this piece, though, based on this sentence: "Obama defied Republicans during the first two years of his presidency, only to be tormented by them for the remainder of it."
I remember things quite differently: Obama went out of his way to reach out and try to include Republicans in legislation. Given the nation's need at that time for effective policy to address serious crises, the GOP's intransigent response was completely irresponsible. If Obama got things done without help from Republicans, that was because he had no other choice.
1
Governing while female is of course far less of a sin than governing while black, so of course the obstructionists claim that Clinton would be easier to deal with than Obama. But let's not kid ourselves. It's not Obama's fault that the Republicans have been so piggishly negative to the detriment of the country. It's the party that questioned his legitimacy from the start. One hopes they'll interact better with Clinton, but you're letting them off the hook too easily for their disgraceful behavior against Obama.
1
"Obama defied Republicans during the first two years of his presidency..." The press, and multiple 'centrist" pundits, continue to push this spurious, insulting argument, even after all we've seen the last 8 years. It was McConnell and the Republicans who swore the night of Obama's inauguration in 2009 that they would obstruct and impede EVERYTHING (their word) that the new president proposed or attempted to do. Obama was not the defiant one; the Republicans defied the will of the people who had just elected a president in a landslide, and they continue to defy it by obstructing Merrick Garland and a slew of Obama nominations for judgeships and administrative posts. They defied him before he had his first day in the Oval Office. I guess it is just not possible for some people to absorb this factual, irrefutable information.
1
And vice-versa, Mr B.,If Hillary wasn't the candidate, Elizabeth Warren would be thinking Inaugural Ball right now and Donald Trump would be at Turnberry, working on the book. The populace of course would be equally miserable and wondering how the Iranians really got the $400 mil. in used bills of various denominations and currencies. I wonder if they'll come up short $5 mil. or so when they finish counting?
It's a feel good column for Clinton backers but don't get too starry eyed. The Whitmans of the world can help with campaign money, but do keep in mind that among the many things we've seen this year is that millions of Trump voters don't care what the bigwigs think. In fact, bigwig denunciation incites and invites these voters to support Trump. The column makes a second, and good, point. In wooing the GOP, Clinton may be diminishing her coattail effect for Democrats. It will be interesting to see how she plays it.
2
I can't agree that a different approach than the one taken by President Obama is needed. The President offered substantial substantive concessions on such critical matters as the stimulus package. And what did it get him? A couple senators from Maine.
What's needed is Republican acceptance of a Democratic president's legitimate victory (together, I hope, with a Democratic takeover of both houses of Congress), and a willingness to engage constructively in the process of governing. That includes a willingness to compromise, and to avoid demonizing their opposition and pointing an economic gun at the head of America (as in the debt default) to extract concessions. I don't mean Republican prostration. I would hope for genuine participation and a contest of ideas--and then actual votes to pass actual laws to move our country forward.
What's needed is Republican acceptance of a Democratic president's legitimate victory (together, I hope, with a Democratic takeover of both houses of Congress), and a willingness to engage constructively in the process of governing. That includes a willingness to compromise, and to avoid demonizing their opposition and pointing an economic gun at the head of America (as in the debt default) to extract concessions. I don't mean Republican prostration. I would hope for genuine participation and a contest of ideas--and then actual votes to pass actual laws to move our country forward.
1
If this election and their bizarre candidate does not destroy the Republican Party, any surviving party honchos really OUGHT to have gotten the message that they can NOT keep ignoring blue collar Americans' needs and expect to survive any further. I believe that sort of thinking - IF it happens - will help thaw the partisan cold war more than any mutual fondness between the principle players.
The entire USA - not just politicians but also the grass roots - desperately needs to re-embrace a relic concept from the good-old-days 1950's. Namely, that there IS such a thing as "the honorable opposition."
The entire USA - not just politicians but also the grass roots - desperately needs to re-embrace a relic concept from the good-old-days 1950's. Namely, that there IS such a thing as "the honorable opposition."
1
Don't get too carried away. All these "defections" are from GOP types who have nothing to lose; Romney, the Bushes, wealthy donors with much better ways to waste their money. Their GOP is gone anyway, so they get to look noble for doing the right thing - it costs them nothing.
1
There is no reason to believe that a Republican congress would not continue to demonize Ms. Clinton and block her legislative policy initiatives at every turn. A smashing victory in November over Trump me be emotionally gratifying, but unless accompanied by major gains in Congress by Democrats may leave the veto and executive orders Clinton's only real policy tools.
These unfaithful Republicans. including some who raised their right hands and swore on the journalistic grave of Roger Ailes that they would support the party's nominee, have little to no interest in abandoning the principles (!) of their party, which include drowning the national economy in a bathtub and "Bomb, Bomb, Iran" (thanks Sen. McCain).
Who among us believes that this defection has been caused by anything but embarrassment at being publicly lashed to the mast of the S.S. Trump?
Who among us believes that these turncoats would have stayed on the sinking ship had the vessel been piloted by Ted Cruz, a man who needs slightly less public approbation because he has a yuge imaginary friend who thinks Ted's terrific?
When these Republicans run for the exits, do they realize that when Trump is gone the party will remain? How can a man who received tens of millions of Republican votes in primary elections not represent the Party, whose soul can be pictured as a comet, a continent of ice hurtling at such high speed that its outer edges are in flame.
Ms. Whitman and Secretary Powell, when you return you will find nonentities like Darryl Issa and Trey Gowdy banging gavels trying desperately to besmirch Democrats. Like little children standing in mud up to their waists, they will fling some of medium in which they are immersed at anyone who looks clean, and they will make loud animal grunts whenever a missile lands.
You've escaped, Colin and Meg. Don't look back.
Who among us believes that this defection has been caused by anything but embarrassment at being publicly lashed to the mast of the S.S. Trump?
Who among us believes that these turncoats would have stayed on the sinking ship had the vessel been piloted by Ted Cruz, a man who needs slightly less public approbation because he has a yuge imaginary friend who thinks Ted's terrific?
When these Republicans run for the exits, do they realize that when Trump is gone the party will remain? How can a man who received tens of millions of Republican votes in primary elections not represent the Party, whose soul can be pictured as a comet, a continent of ice hurtling at such high speed that its outer edges are in flame.
Ms. Whitman and Secretary Powell, when you return you will find nonentities like Darryl Issa and Trey Gowdy banging gavels trying desperately to besmirch Democrats. Like little children standing in mud up to their waists, they will fling some of medium in which they are immersed at anyone who looks clean, and they will make loud animal grunts whenever a missile lands.
You've escaped, Colin and Meg. Don't look back.
3
I would urge caution on the part of the HRC campaign regarding crowing over Republican defections. I would quietly embrace them and let those defectors determine the volume that accompanies their support. I agree with reaching across the aisle. If Hillary's long career has taught her anything, it should be about the practical ways to actually get things done. I appreciate the leftward pull the Bernie campaign exerted on HRC. And I'm not against her tacking centrist and bipartisan as the election closes in and her (hoped for) administration starts. Above all, let's not be sore winners should we be so lucky. High road, please.
99
How well did the high road work for President Obama?
Good God, we don't need a "bipartisan agenda" from Hillary Clinton. We need her to rally the 60+% of Americans who want a higher minimum wage, expanded Social Security, inexpensive or free college, increased gun control, universal healthcare, and action on global warming so that we can finally live in a 21st-century society. All Hillary's bipartisanship is going to get us is more free trade, more tax breaks for the rich, more corporate welfare, more wars, and more backsliding for working people in this country. Stop pretending that "bipartisanship" is the solution, especially when one side has shown that it's completely unwilling to acknowledge reality.
213
Margarets Dad, please explain how we're going to pay for all these goodies?
1
Why don't you go to her website and read about her positions on issues. She supports a higher minimum wage, expanded Soc Security, an end to the student loan nightmare, increased gun control, universal healthcare and action on global warming. She supports everything on your list. If Hillary is capable of talking to members of the GOP, it's because she is quite talented in diplomacy and many Republican senators and others know that about her and respect it. Due to their slavish adherence to Party over nation, they don't openly admit it. But she is well liked and well respected by her colleagues. It's only when she RUNS for office that she gets this garbage. They have to do it. They are small minded people who don't know any other way to deal with a high-powered, competent, experienced woman in politics.
1
Dad,
Sorry. Just as seen in the Dem. Primary. The scorpion will sting the frog. Guaranteed. It is in the nature of the DINO.
Sorry. Just as seen in the Dem. Primary. The scorpion will sting the frog. Guaranteed. It is in the nature of the DINO.
1
Darn it, stand by for reams of comments about how Hillary will betray progressives the first chance she gets. Can we please stop predicting the future? And can we please stop insisting Hillary is the devil? 20 years of it is more than enough. As for Trump, I don't have to predict anything, I can observe he's clearly a nut job unfit to be President right now.
1
I'm worried that Hillary, being Hillary, will find a way to screw this up. Yesterday she snatched defeat from a week of Trump-and-his-big-mouth victories by obfuscating, once again, about the darn email server. She doesn't seem to be able to help herself, anymore than Trump can keep himself from mouthing off. Somebody, please, tell her to just say "I've said all I'm going to say about that" when asked about the emails. Chelsea, are you listening?
3
To say that Trump suffers "spasms of knowledge" gives him far too much credit. It implies he has ordinary knowledge or at least some.
In fact it is all but certain he is the single most ignorant man ever to be nominated by a major political party for president.
I would like to see one of the three presidential debates given over to the following format:
A panel comprised of a renowned historian, a foreign policy expert experienced in national government and academia, and an Ph.D economist will be chosen by the Commission on Presidential Debates.
Each will be asked to prepare a list of 50 fact/knowledge questions -- not questions answerable with opinion or policy position but questions to test the candidates' knowledge of American history, public policy history, global geography and international structures, history of American diplomacy, American diplomacy today and fundamentals of fiscal, economic and financial policy and policy making history.
No speeches from the candidates, no statements about this that or the other policy issue. Just a plain forthright test of what they know and whether what they know passes the knowledge test to be president.
I believe Sec. Clinton would get an A+. I believe Mr. Trump would score less than 10 on a scale of 100 and get an F-.
Each questioners would ask as many questions of each candidate as possible in 90 minutes. I doubt Trump would get a score above 5.
We need that debate to fully expose his ignorance.
In fact it is all but certain he is the single most ignorant man ever to be nominated by a major political party for president.
I would like to see one of the three presidential debates given over to the following format:
A panel comprised of a renowned historian, a foreign policy expert experienced in national government and academia, and an Ph.D economist will be chosen by the Commission on Presidential Debates.
Each will be asked to prepare a list of 50 fact/knowledge questions -- not questions answerable with opinion or policy position but questions to test the candidates' knowledge of American history, public policy history, global geography and international structures, history of American diplomacy, American diplomacy today and fundamentals of fiscal, economic and financial policy and policy making history.
No speeches from the candidates, no statements about this that or the other policy issue. Just a plain forthright test of what they know and whether what they know passes the knowledge test to be president.
I believe Sec. Clinton would get an A+. I believe Mr. Trump would score less than 10 on a scale of 100 and get an F-.
Each questioners would ask as many questions of each candidate as possible in 90 minutes. I doubt Trump would get a score above 5.
We need that debate to fully expose his ignorance.
2
Obama defied the Republicans in congress, you say? How, by shoving Romney's conservative think tank hatched health care reform down their throats?
Obama never had a Senate that allowed him much creativity and after his second year that small room became a torture box of obstruction.
I pray for the annihilation of the current Republican party so Hillary will be free to at least pursue a centrist agenda. The Angry Southern White Man's Party needs to be replaced with something interested in governance.
Obama never had a Senate that allowed him much creativity and after his second year that small room became a torture box of obstruction.
I pray for the annihilation of the current Republican party so Hillary will be free to at least pursue a centrist agenda. The Angry Southern White Man's Party needs to be replaced with something interested in governance.
1
"Obama defied Republicans during the first two years of his presidency, only to be tormented by them for the remainder of it."? Did I read that right? If Obama defied Republican views we would have had a public option and a second stimulus package. As I saw it he tried hard to reach across the aisle and was told, repeatedly, to get out of the aisle and proceed to the back of the bus. Hillary may be the most exonerated women ever to be found guilty by a Republican mob but Obama was disrespected before he took his hand off the bible at his inauguration. There is no cooperation in the Republican party's DNA (just watch the coverage on FOX news). Five Republicans cozying up to the, obvious, front runner in the presidential race does not equate to passing the peace pipe. Obama was not ruthless enough with the opposition. Hillary would be naive not to learn the lessons from the gauntlets he, she and Bill have been forced to run through.
2
"The best chance to move us a few crucial inches beyond this wretched sclerosis" is certainly a pleasant thought, but there's absolutely no evidence to support that. Anybody remember Hillarycare? And that's when the Democrats controlled not only the White House, but both houses of Congress. Yes, both.
So while there's a sense of relief witnessing the inexorable, albeit inevitable, Trump self-destruction, that doesn't obscure the fact that we'll be left with the lesser of two evils. Which isn't exactly a reason for many people beyond Mrs. Clinton's patronage list -- especially economically battered Americans -- to either feel the love or jump for joy.
So while there's a sense of relief witnessing the inexorable, albeit inevitable, Trump self-destruction, that doesn't obscure the fact that we'll be left with the lesser of two evils. Which isn't exactly a reason for many people beyond Mrs. Clinton's patronage list -- especially economically battered Americans -- to either feel the love or jump for joy.
3
Hilarious!! Frank, I am going to be looking out for Hallmark card with an elephant and a donkey lovingly looking into each others' eyes! As for Clinton she can woo every side of the electorate Her résumé is stacked, perused, recorded and her experience, knowledge of issues, capabilities, intelligence and steely determination in her public service is unrivaled including Bill Clinton and President Obama, a point stressed by Obama himself. But she is Politician after all who knows compromise and consensus is very important in a Democracy. How can anything get done in a Democracy, a form of Government which is inherently complicated and messy? Pragmatism is extremely essential. Sometimes there is agreement, sometimes it is agreement to disagree. Can Trumps's résumé reveal any of the experience or capability? Sorry, I forgot. He does'nt have a real one or any, for that matter. He is all about - me. myself and I. Ryan, now considered as one of the most moderate, wise Republican (!!) take note - you have reluctantly endorsed him but he has refused to return the favor. But consider it a blessing in disguise! Vote for Hillary. No one can see you voting in the poll booth!
1
Yes, it will be Mrs. Hillary Clinton, President and when installed as the Nation's
president any number of high-water marks will be reached. Hopefully, one of them will be to let the Lady Reign without constantly as at present being besieged by an insufferable reportage of her every wink and wringle. The worst scenario will be an increase of news coverage of our first woman in history elected to our highest office. Suggestion: Along with the refacing in progress these many months of the Capitol Dome, replace the Native American Woman who has stood there peering over the capital city by a mighty statue cast in iron of Former First Lady now First Woman President of these United States.
president any number of high-water marks will be reached. Hopefully, one of them will be to let the Lady Reign without constantly as at present being besieged by an insufferable reportage of her every wink and wringle. The worst scenario will be an increase of news coverage of our first woman in history elected to our highest office. Suggestion: Along with the refacing in progress these many months of the Capitol Dome, replace the Native American Woman who has stood there peering over the capital city by a mighty statue cast in iron of Former First Lady now First Woman President of these United States.
1
I'll happily settle for grudging affection not just because I support Ms. Clinton, but because I think Trump is an unhinged bigot who is in no way fit to lead this country. I find it hopeful that so many Republicans are willing to reclaim some semblance of sanity and denounce Trump. Though not often spoken about publicly, it is well known how respected ms Clinton is as an intellect and worker by republicans in congress. I am hopeful that as the GOP looks into the precipice of a trump presidency, they will retreat and embrace four productive years of a Clinton presidency.
3
Thanks for the on-target commentary - a good laugh, followed by some serious imperatives for HRC. If (when) elected, Clinton might very well enjoy the convergence of two changes favorable to Democrats: the evaporation of 8 years of covert anti-Obama racism that stymied nearly everything he proposed - just because; and the Republican schism as they search for a new identity post-Trump. If Hillary can overcome the politics of separation, marginalization and us-against-them, and propose workable solutions for those that are actually marginalized and aggrieved, we just might have a chance to move forward as a nation.
Don't you think the thing that most worries Trump among the Republicans who say they will vote for Clinton is that he has not paid for his campaign with corporate cash and therefore can't reliably be counted on to do any of their bidding?
2
I envision two boxes of Krispy Kreme donuts en route to Gov. Christie, tickets to the White Party Palm Springs to Senator Lindsey Graham and a choice of 3 pounds of Canadian Bacon or a Havana Cruise to Mr. Cruz.
"Clinton administration would differ from President Obama’s in the earnestness and aggressiveness of its bid for bipartisan cooperation...."
Where have you been? Every time Obama tried this the GOP virtually ridiculed him, almost calling him a traitor.
By the way, if people vote for Hillary it means they want a Democrat, not GOP Lite.
Where have you been? Every time Obama tried this the GOP virtually ridiculed him, almost calling him a traitor.
By the way, if people vote for Hillary it means they want a Democrat, not GOP Lite.
3
Nobody could have ever predicted, after the past few decades that the two parties would ever work together towards a common goal, with the exception of right after 9/11. I really hope it happens. There has been a right wing conspiracy against the Clintons since the early nineties when he had the audacity to beat Bush. Some of it is probably deserved, but we have to somehow stop the republican congress from non-stop investigations into nothingness that has cost our country millions and we have gotten nothing out of it, while they did no legislation at all. Hillary is very smart, I cannot believe she would squander this opportunity to fix some of the major problems with our country. She knows it cannot go all her way, but the other party needs to realize that also, that is why I am hoping we take back the Senate (from that horrible, intractable McConnell). I have followed her career and have always been impressed with all of the selfless things she has done to improve other people's lives - be they old, young, poor, disabled. Trump on the other hand has insulted all of those but the old, even he has to know he is old - but he is a very, very, good old, the best old there is.
3
"Obama defied Republicans during the first two years of his presidency" .... WHAT? He reached so far over towards them in his health care initiative that he ditched the public option and almost gave up on it entirely, and it had to be rescued from the dumpster by Nancy Pelosi.
It wasn't Obama who defied the Republicans, Frank. It was the Republicans who defied him, to deny him any success, and even to deliberately tank the economy so that he would be a one-term President.
It wasn't Obama who defied the Republicans, Frank. It was the Republicans who defied him, to deny him any success, and even to deliberately tank the economy so that he would be a one-term President.
7
And she shall. Hillary Clinton is smart a savvy and also is surrounded with loyalists some of them are brilliant to channel her in the upward direction that no one could imagine.
1
Here we go again. Already talking about moving towards the Republican bullies positions, that by the way are harmful to this country, at even a sniff of victory.
To say Clinton should be dishonest about her Primary policy positions to appease some phantom moderate Republicans who can't stomach Trump is ludicrous. These same Republicans have voted as a block to our government functioning for 8 long years. The same Republicans who refuse to consider the Presidents appointment to the Supreme Court. The same Republicans who refuse to believe in the need to address the climate. The same Republicans who support the Republican states efforts at voter suppression and gerrymandering. The same Republicans who have turned this country upon each other. The same Republicans who want to take away rights from women. The same Republicans who have hounded and investigated Democrats to a partisan excess.
If the Republicans have a better plan for the country then let them advocate it to the people. If the American people then elect Clinton, then they are showing they want a more progressive and functioning government. Those are the people she needs to appease.
To say Clinton should be dishonest about her Primary policy positions to appease some phantom moderate Republicans who can't stomach Trump is ludicrous. These same Republicans have voted as a block to our government functioning for 8 long years. The same Republicans who refuse to consider the Presidents appointment to the Supreme Court. The same Republicans who refuse to believe in the need to address the climate. The same Republicans who support the Republican states efforts at voter suppression and gerrymandering. The same Republicans who have turned this country upon each other. The same Republicans who want to take away rights from women. The same Republicans who have hounded and investigated Democrats to a partisan excess.
If the Republicans have a better plan for the country then let them advocate it to the people. If the American people then elect Clinton, then they are showing they want a more progressive and functioning government. Those are the people she needs to appease.
4
Even if the Republicans retain control of Congress after November, Hillary Clinton should be able to achieve more progress with it than Barack Obama for two reasons: (1) by most accounts, she is a better behind-the-scenes politician than Obama; and (2) Republicans might finally realize that an agenda of pure obstructionism can only lead to candidates like Donald Trump and Ted Cruz. But first Mrs. Clinton needs to win the election. Democrats may be buoyed by her post-convention bounce in the polls, but three months remain until November 8, and the electorate is so fickle that any major development (such as another terrorist attack on American soil) could throw the race back into a toss up.
3
So Trump can make America Great Again by uniting against him. And look who is getting his highest approval ratings; Obama. And even more surprising, it took a Muslim family to shame Trump and cause his precipitous drop in the polls. Just when you think you have seen it all.
6
Individuals like Meg Whitman and Mike Bloomberg have thrown down the gauntlet for other Republicans: put country first and vote for the only responsible Presidential candidate. President Obama chimed in this week, too, asking Republicans to honestly consider whether Trump is constitutionally unfit for the Presidency and to act accordingly.
Those Republicans who can't bring themselves to be leaders, either because they follow constituents' lowest instincts, or because they fear personal retaliation from the ever-vindictive Trump, do not deserve to hold powerful positions and should be remembered as cowards.
Those Republicans who can't bring themselves to be leaders, either because they follow constituents' lowest instincts, or because they fear personal retaliation from the ever-vindictive Trump, do not deserve to hold powerful positions and should be remembered as cowards.
90
I hope you're right, Mr. Bruni, that honorable Republicans, (they have to be out there) will decide that a public endorsement of Hillary Clinton is the last act of patriotism and so begin to topple the dominoes.
Michael Bloomberg and Meg Whitman are fine to begin with. But what of two of your names, former SecStates Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice? They are both fresh enough (and, truth be told, bear more than small guilt for Afghanistan and Iraq and ISIS) in the public mind to seize perhaps the last great opportunity they'll ever have to demonstrate their patriotism. They don't have to love Mrs. Clinton; they simply have to love their country. Given the tenor of the current Congress and the silence from far too many former cabinet officials, it still appears that they are anchored to party and not to patriotism.
The personal ruin Republicans might fear as the price of an endorsement of Mrs. Clinton, in public service or in private enterprise, should be no factor. The most grudging, watered-down public acknowledgement need not be seen as traitorous, as a career-wrecker.
The party hierarchy fears to say that Donald Trump is quite unfit to be president. Given his disastrous candidacy, what can possibly be sacrificed by reputable Republicans simply stating the obvious: "We will help elect Mrs. Clinton. Then we will begin the long process of rebuilding our once-honorable party into a great institution to which Americans will be attracted and wish to call their own."
Michael Bloomberg and Meg Whitman are fine to begin with. But what of two of your names, former SecStates Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice? They are both fresh enough (and, truth be told, bear more than small guilt for Afghanistan and Iraq and ISIS) in the public mind to seize perhaps the last great opportunity they'll ever have to demonstrate their patriotism. They don't have to love Mrs. Clinton; they simply have to love their country. Given the tenor of the current Congress and the silence from far too many former cabinet officials, it still appears that they are anchored to party and not to patriotism.
The personal ruin Republicans might fear as the price of an endorsement of Mrs. Clinton, in public service or in private enterprise, should be no factor. The most grudging, watered-down public acknowledgement need not be seen as traitorous, as a career-wrecker.
The party hierarchy fears to say that Donald Trump is quite unfit to be president. Given his disastrous candidacy, what can possibly be sacrificed by reputable Republicans simply stating the obvious: "We will help elect Mrs. Clinton. Then we will begin the long process of rebuilding our once-honorable party into a great institution to which Americans will be attracted and wish to call their own."
88
Some Republican support of Hillary is principled and I have to respect that, even if I don't share or respect the principles. Neocons like Hillary better because they see her as a better bet for furthering their worldview and I guess there is nothing wrong with that. It is at least honest.
But the other side to this has nothing to do with ideas and has everything to do with interests. Many Republicans toy will Hillary because they see their party moving away from them. The best chance they have to maintain control is to shill for Hill and then dump on Trump when its over. In this way the party of privilege is thought to re-emerge from the current pity party.
Could be. Or could be that the blame will fall squarely on the defectors. In the end that will mostly be a question of who writes the history and that in turn will be a question of the balance of power after the election. Me? I think Trump may go away but I don't think Trumpism, or some form of it, will go away easily.
Now it could be that Hillary, in a fit of political generosity and long term wisdom, will take advantage of a Trump loss to go after the disaffected he energized. I doubt that too. She's too establishment for that; her supporters are too put off by flyover country; her ties to finance are too great; and her party will emerge in a triumphalist mood.
But the other side to this has nothing to do with ideas and has everything to do with interests. Many Republicans toy will Hillary because they see their party moving away from them. The best chance they have to maintain control is to shill for Hill and then dump on Trump when its over. In this way the party of privilege is thought to re-emerge from the current pity party.
Could be. Or could be that the blame will fall squarely on the defectors. In the end that will mostly be a question of who writes the history and that in turn will be a question of the balance of power after the election. Me? I think Trump may go away but I don't think Trumpism, or some form of it, will go away easily.
Now it could be that Hillary, in a fit of political generosity and long term wisdom, will take advantage of a Trump loss to go after the disaffected he energized. I doubt that too. She's too establishment for that; her supporters are too put off by flyover country; her ties to finance are too great; and her party will emerge in a triumphalist mood.
2
I always get something from Bruni's columns but this Sunday morning I was left with more confusion than clarity. He writes that Hillary should form a "bridge across the aisle" and be a big tent President. The problem is that at the moment casting any sort of line to the GOP is to enter into a cesspool. There is virtually NO coherent platform upon which the Republicans are standing other than bigotry, bellicose 2nd amendment gun rights, and the desire to kick out on the brown skinned newcomers. There has not been an education reform -- other then thinly veiled attempts at resegregation; there has not been legitimate talk of immigration reform other than 'Build that Wall.' Until the Republicans hit rock bottom, regroup, shed the hatred and develop a new vision for the GOP, I don't think Hillary should be appeasing them. Would you ask that of a male candidate running in opposition to this floridly offensive election season?
7
You imply the defining crisis of our time is not the slow growth economy or global warming but first of all the unfolding breakdown of our politics. I agree. The tidal wave of nativism from one side and and anarchy or bust from the other will make it impossible to solve our problems in any manner approximating a representative democracy. The critical challenge is to assemble a new center of popular pragmatism, prepared to consider all ideas but isolating the extremes from hijacking the public will. Clinton is uniquely positioned to seek that center.
1
What Trump revealed is that there is no core to the Republican Party. No principles, no platform, no record of working for the greater good (unless one considers restrictions on voting rights and women's health as ''good''.)
A President Clinton need not worry about going too far to the left as decades of political maneuverings have driven Republicans out on a shaky ledge on the right. As poll after poll shows, most Americans want polices that the Republican Congress is unwilling to even address.
From job creation through infrastructure investments, hearings and action on Judge Garland, through inaction on the Zika crisis, we have a do-nothing Congress. It is no wonder most Americans believe America is on ''the wrong track.''
The prominent Republicans supporting Clinton undoubtedly have two things in common. First, they realize that Trump is dangerously unpredictable and unfit to be given the powers of the presidency. Second, they want to get American moving forward, not backward. Trump offers only regression.
(Frank, on Obama, you would do well to review some of the C-SPAN archives on the bipartisan meetings he hosted on health care the and budget early in his first term. This was prior to the time we became aware that Republican ''leaders'' met for dinner on January 20, 2009 and agreed to oppose anything and everything Obama ever proposed. Politics is almost always partisan, but never before like the anti-Obama venom since 2009.)
A President Clinton need not worry about going too far to the left as decades of political maneuverings have driven Republicans out on a shaky ledge on the right. As poll after poll shows, most Americans want polices that the Republican Congress is unwilling to even address.
From job creation through infrastructure investments, hearings and action on Judge Garland, through inaction on the Zika crisis, we have a do-nothing Congress. It is no wonder most Americans believe America is on ''the wrong track.''
The prominent Republicans supporting Clinton undoubtedly have two things in common. First, they realize that Trump is dangerously unpredictable and unfit to be given the powers of the presidency. Second, they want to get American moving forward, not backward. Trump offers only regression.
(Frank, on Obama, you would do well to review some of the C-SPAN archives on the bipartisan meetings he hosted on health care the and budget early in his first term. This was prior to the time we became aware that Republican ''leaders'' met for dinner on January 20, 2009 and agreed to oppose anything and everything Obama ever proposed. Politics is almost always partisan, but never before like the anti-Obama venom since 2009.)
6
Imagine: President Donald J. Trump meeting with his most trusted advisors: Melania, Ivanka, Tiffany, Donald Jr., Eric and Barron. Dividing up the family's chores so that every key task to Make America Great Again is guided by a reliable acolyte while Donald himself deals with the most important issue: Building an impregnable wall, moat and dome around the heavily fortified Trump White House as its structure and interior are beautified with 24 carat gold-plated beams, furnishings and plumbing fixtures while its grounds are expanded to accommodate a new 18-hole professionally designed presidential golf course. Donald has also taken personal responsibility for the design of the new Nuclear Control Center in which the name and location of every country are clearly identified to enable President Trump to launch pinpoint attacks against those countries that threaten our national security by criticizing Donald the Great. All Americans, feeling (and fearing) the Leader's greatness, will sleep better at night knowing that the Trump White House is secure from invasion by ISIS, illegal immigrants and critics alike.
2
The logo in this article sums of Clinton perfectly; a Republican, Moving to the right; is what it signals. It signals the truth that this person, a Young Republican at Yale, is what her true leanings are. So call her a "neoliberal", but Republican is what she truly is. And her rhetoric fits in perfectly with the Republicans. She is for the 1%, the elite. Those who did not voter for saw this through her rhetoric. She, in action and words, is a female version of Nixon. Both politically and ethically. And the only reason she is at least tied, or leading in the polls, is because she is running against a person who never should have been nominated.
But, Ms. Clinton is very good at pandering. She's pandered to African- Americans, she's pandered to women, she's pandered to Hispanics and now she's is pandering to Republicans. And people called, when he ran against her, Mr. Obama an "empty suit". She is an empty white, pant suit.
And such it is, the better of two evils continues the pandering and lying express. Because of her 1% support, the oligarch gravy train, the organized army to squelch any dissent, she may be the next president. And when she gets there, she will revert to the same person we, in 2008, rejected. A person with no integrity, no ethics, and no morals. And to those who she pandered to, she will just dump them by the wayside as ravel. As her goal was to get elected any any cost.
As for GOP people supporting Clinton; Satan is still Satan be it Clinton or Trump.
But, Ms. Clinton is very good at pandering. She's pandered to African- Americans, she's pandered to women, she's pandered to Hispanics and now she's is pandering to Republicans. And people called, when he ran against her, Mr. Obama an "empty suit". She is an empty white, pant suit.
And such it is, the better of two evils continues the pandering and lying express. Because of her 1% support, the oligarch gravy train, the organized army to squelch any dissent, she may be the next president. And when she gets there, she will revert to the same person we, in 2008, rejected. A person with no integrity, no ethics, and no morals. And to those who she pandered to, she will just dump them by the wayside as ravel. As her goal was to get elected any any cost.
As for GOP people supporting Clinton; Satan is still Satan be it Clinton or Trump.
4
Frank, Market forces have absorbed the concepts of all of the domains of society to their grief and ruin. The Arts have declined 98 percent in the last hundred years.. Religion is now the sole property of fundamentalist market oriented mega organizations. Education of the ignorant presumes an "intelligent" consumer in conflict with his ignorance. Trump points out the market confusion with governing, statesmanship as opposed to the doctrine of self interest. The market turns science on its head and refuses to fund serious research. Healthcare tied to the market means making profit (surplus) on sickness. The market is only appropriate for goods and sales and is highly inefficient for the domains that require ideals and self sacrifice. That includes almost all propfessionsl services like education, the virtuosic arts, medicine, government and law, religion and morality, etc.. Six of the seven domains of culture and advanced societies are not supported by market self interest. That's why Bloomberg didn't run for President. Bloomberg is a businessman while Trump is a land speculator, low grade business at best. Republicans, like other prejudices, are not interested in the whole or the future. You would not tolerate racism or gender bigotry. Why then do you tolerate the bigoted opinions inherant in the theories of economic tyrants and urge conciliation? The same moral principles as "don't ask don't tell."
1
Bipartisanship with a fact denying syndicate? The choice of direction is the Kansas/Brownback trickle down disaster or the California/Brown progressive success.
Republicans gave up on the medieval practice of bloodletting for themselves but they continue to insist on it for the less blood thirsty, somnolent hosts of the poor and middle classes whose throats they periodically incise for transfusions of the lifeblood of the country.
The Democrats on the other hand believe in reverse vampirism whereby everybody gives their fair share to build up the blood bank for emergencies, to promote a smooth and equitable circulation throughout the body politic, to reinvigorate limbs atrophied by coronary obstruction and to flush the system entirely of the septicemic pathogens left behind by the Republican’s filthy extraction methods.
Republicans gave up on the medieval practice of bloodletting for themselves but they continue to insist on it for the less blood thirsty, somnolent hosts of the poor and middle classes whose throats they periodically incise for transfusions of the lifeblood of the country.
The Democrats on the other hand believe in reverse vampirism whereby everybody gives their fair share to build up the blood bank for emergencies, to promote a smooth and equitable circulation throughout the body politic, to reinvigorate limbs atrophied by coronary obstruction and to flush the system entirely of the septicemic pathogens left behind by the Republican’s filthy extraction methods.
2
As Trump's loss becomes more inevitable, many Republicans will seek an escape. When Trump loses many Republicans will view it as reputation of Trump and not the positions of the Republican Party. Neither should be allowed to happen. Those Republicans distancing themselves from Trump are still responsible for creating the mess. Encouraging Republicans to disavow Trump is throwing a lifeline to rats on a sinking ship. Don't think that the far right will have changed their opinions or tactics after losing.
3
Republicans have had their way for the most of my adult life of 38 years, including Clinton concession on NAFTA and Welfare Reform. Like in WWII, appeasement has begotten only expectation of capitulation moving toward outright beating anyone who dares to not fall in line. Not unlike the way indentured workers and slaves were/are treated. The result: Trump an economy that is leading the world in no growth, global destruction of the environment, more people migrating from war and persecution than anytime since WWII.
Obama came in with his open hand out to everyone and was slapped in the face for it and now is attacked for using with discretion the same hard knuckle methods the right employs openly, joyfully, gratutiously. Best example: Trump
Obama has struggled with the hard right, but also the now well established majority left who thought they were voting in someone who would at least attend to jobs and healthcare. Instead they got what at any other time past would have been considered a centrist right candidate with a leaning toward social justice which should be neutral, neither right nor left but just just.
It's clear now that just just is considered a leftist pipe dream by the right so used to getting its way progressive might as well be russian communism.
Summer of love?
I don't know what you are talking about.
Obama came in with his open hand out to everyone and was slapped in the face for it and now is attacked for using with discretion the same hard knuckle methods the right employs openly, joyfully, gratutiously. Best example: Trump
Obama has struggled with the hard right, but also the now well established majority left who thought they were voting in someone who would at least attend to jobs and healthcare. Instead they got what at any other time past would have been considered a centrist right candidate with a leaning toward social justice which should be neutral, neither right nor left but just just.
It's clear now that just just is considered a leftist pipe dream by the right so used to getting its way progressive might as well be russian communism.
Summer of love?
I don't know what you are talking about.
2
"Obama came in with his open hand out to everyone" - as I recall he came in saying elections have consequences and embarrassed and put down Ryan and others at a meeting that was to be an open forum to discuss health care - Obamacare was his way or the highway from day 1. That is/was clear.
Hillary may get Republican votes because Trump is considered a worse choice but the love will stop as soon as she walks into the Oval Office when the impeachment efforts and obstruction will begin. Hillary gives the Republicans plenty if ammunition with her years of sneaky and blatant corruption in the firm if the Clinton Foundation. Much of whether she remains in office depends upon whether Lynch continues to obstruct efforts to investigate her.
The next four years will be nothing but hearings and gridlock. The country will pay a heavy price for the corruption if the DNC and their rigged primary.
The next four years will be nothing but hearings and gridlock. The country will pay a heavy price for the corruption if the DNC and their rigged primary.
4
Maybe. But, it is also likely that the whole country will need/want a period of normalization after this. Trumps supporters will continue to rage, but I suspect that Republicans on Capitol Hill will be ready to play some ball, particularly if their ranks are purged of some more of the Tea Partyers. One thing is certain -- all of the Trumped-up charges against Clinton are way past their peak. If Congressional Republicans want to triple down on hearings, they will be preening to empty seats and very little interest on TV. It's over.
6
If Republicans were ready to play ball with Hillary, nobody else would. The supporters of Bernie, the Greens, and Libertarians are not just going away. They are the future of both parties.
Anyway, Republicans wouldd not play ball with The Hated One no matter how she sells out. It will be worse than with Obama, return of a White House they ALREADY impeached once.
Hillary's experience would make Obama's look like cooperation. Don't kid yourself.
Anyway, Republicans wouldd not play ball with The Hated One no matter how she sells out. It will be worse than with Obama, return of a White House they ALREADY impeached once.
Hillary's experience would make Obama's look like cooperation. Don't kid yourself.
I support Hillary, but I don't expect any spirit of bipartisanship to emerge if she wins. Rather, I expect that Republicans will try to impeach her. Over and over. Instead of voting every month to repeal Obamacare, they will vote to impeach her. And investigate her, over and over. As Trump would say, SAD!
6
Mr Bruni's column unfortunately perpetuates a false characterization of President Obama's alleged partisanship during the first two years of his presidency. True, Democrats controlled both houses of Congress by significant margins, but multiple factions within the House majority, and the procedural opportunities afforded Republicans in the Senate, necessitated a spirit of compromise even within that governing majority. More to the point, Mr Obama was adamant event before his inauguration that his strong preference was for bipartisan legislation, much like the TARP law passed during the waning months of the Bush presidency, to the exasperation of some congressional allies who doubted such bipartisanship was achievable. Congressional Republicans, however, made it explicitly clear during the earliest days of his presidency that they had no intention whatsoever of collaborating with the new Administration, and although significant concessions were made in early legislative efforts such as stimulus and health care to incorporate Republican policy priorities, the dour predictions of congressional leaders were proven correct. A narrative of President Obama's obstinacy in dealing with Hill Republicans has gained traction over the years, including in Mr Bruni's column, but the historical record does not bear out accusations of partisan governance
on Obama's part until the intractability of his opponents became manifest.
on Obama's part until the intractability of his opponents became manifest.
17
"It would also be a huge, risky bet on sustained Republican disarray and a durable Democratic advantage, without which Republican revenge would be swift and merciless. Obama defied Republicans during the first two years of his presidency, only to be tormented by them for the remainder of it."
No he didn't. I remember after his election it seemed all we heard about was his outreach to Republicans and efforts to achieve a grand bargain on many issues. He actually became a more successful President when he scrapped outreach to an insane political party that actually needs to be beaten down like in California if there is any hope of its resurrection into a more healthy form. Remember this is the party that on day one vowed to become the party of No, object and filibuster normal governing, shut the government down and threatened to blow up the US economy unless they received unilateral concessions. They have even left town this summer without providing a clean funding bill for our efforts to tackle the Zika virus while controlling both houses of Congress because they couldn't harm Planned Parenthood in the process. The GOP does not need outreach, they sure wouldn't give it to Democrats, they need to lose enough times until they realize that they have to try new policies and practices necessary to govern responsibly and reflecting the new diverse America we are becoming.
No he didn't. I remember after his election it seemed all we heard about was his outreach to Republicans and efforts to achieve a grand bargain on many issues. He actually became a more successful President when he scrapped outreach to an insane political party that actually needs to be beaten down like in California if there is any hope of its resurrection into a more healthy form. Remember this is the party that on day one vowed to become the party of No, object and filibuster normal governing, shut the government down and threatened to blow up the US economy unless they received unilateral concessions. They have even left town this summer without providing a clean funding bill for our efforts to tackle the Zika virus while controlling both houses of Congress because they couldn't harm Planned Parenthood in the process. The GOP does not need outreach, they sure wouldn't give it to Democrats, they need to lose enough times until they realize that they have to try new policies and practices necessary to govern responsibly and reflecting the new diverse America we are becoming.
28
It's true that in California, we have taken the GOP out to the woodshed and the state has emerged from an economic house-on-fire like a house afire. Times are wonderful in the Golden State and we know that when the Republicans next emerge on our radar, it will be by virtue of having abandoned the pedagogues and big money interests and returning to its roots as the streamlined honest, federalist alternative to the Greek style free-for-all which has found itself so empowered in the age of information, at least here on Thousand Mile Beach...
While support from notables such as Republican Meg Whitman bodes well for Mrs. Clinton giving encouragement and even permission to party moderates to follow suit, I fear wholesale defection at this time may actually be a disservice to the Democrats. The news that unprecedented Republican support is growing may be just the confrontation bully D.trump fears or even desires so he can take his marbles and go home leaving the Democrats without their best poster boy for their campaigns. If Trump quits, the playing field will likely be leveled overnight ,whereas his continued blundering gives Mrs. Clinton free negative exposure of her rival's un-presidential behavior. Just as Trump reaped free promotion by his antics in the primaries, Mrs. Clinton is getting similar free campaign support from the press no longer with a crush on Mr. Trump. Could the Republican leadership be quietly encouraging well known supporters to publicly defect in hope that Trump feels piled on and quits so that he can avoid being the biggest "loser" of all ?
1
I remember when Hillary Clinton talked about that "right-wing conspiracy" and how the media responded generally treating her comment as sour grapes or some kind of deflection. Looking back over the decades of attacks, it seems to me that it wasn't so much a conspiracy as an overt all-out war.
Now, we see Republicans cozying up to Clinton because the alternative is so unacceptable. Frank Bruni thinks the answer is for Clinton to form an alliance with them in issues where there is some agreement.
He mentions tax reform, immigration reform and even education reform. I have to wonder what compromise would look like on any of those issues.
Let's remember that Barack Obama campaigned on healthcare reform. He had a plan and some might have though he had a mandate. What emerged from the sausage-making was quite unlike that plan.
Although it's hard to remember now, he tried very hard to compromise with Republicans. Yes, he had to assuage some Democrats as well and there were good reasons to avoid truly radical reforms like single-payer.
What did the Republicans do? They refused en masse to vote for the compromise and proceeded to implement a vicious public relations campaign against the legislation.
Is that what would happen if Clinton tries to erect a big tent? The devil is always in the details and, while there may be some agreement on the need for tax reform, immigration reform and even education reform, the Republicans are quite capable of subverting the process.
Now, we see Republicans cozying up to Clinton because the alternative is so unacceptable. Frank Bruni thinks the answer is for Clinton to form an alliance with them in issues where there is some agreement.
He mentions tax reform, immigration reform and even education reform. I have to wonder what compromise would look like on any of those issues.
Let's remember that Barack Obama campaigned on healthcare reform. He had a plan and some might have though he had a mandate. What emerged from the sausage-making was quite unlike that plan.
Although it's hard to remember now, he tried very hard to compromise with Republicans. Yes, he had to assuage some Democrats as well and there were good reasons to avoid truly radical reforms like single-payer.
What did the Republicans do? They refused en masse to vote for the compromise and proceeded to implement a vicious public relations campaign against the legislation.
Is that what would happen if Clinton tries to erect a big tent? The devil is always in the details and, while there may be some agreement on the need for tax reform, immigration reform and even education reform, the Republicans are quite capable of subverting the process.
30
Republicans have been bent on following a scorched earth, take-no-prisoners strategy during most of Obama's presidency. To hope that by brandishing an olive branch they would suddenly be more cooperative with Clinton, if she were to win, seems naive at best and delusional at worst.
37
It occurs to me that most presidential candidacies are based on one of three things: the person, the policies or the opponent. Hillary Clinton certainly has the opponent in her favor. Which is good, because it seems that many people don't care for the person.
However, her policies seem to be a dilemma for her. Bernie Sanders scared her to the left, the general election is scaring her back to the center - except she can't go too far center, because of the fear she'll lose the Sanders bloc.
But where, in all this, are the candidate's convictions? We know she has them, her convention was full of that reassurance. She has the mind, for sure, and she has the experience.
There's a reason Sanders and Trump were so successful this time around. One's unrealistic, the other one is nuts, but they told us what they stood for and never veered. I know, Trump stood for a wall and a ban on Muslims, but it was not something he worked out in a focus group. People clearly yearn for that kind of certainty.
Why can't Clinton just stake out smart, sensible positions, without worrying whether Republicans might go along, or the fringes of Democrats might go along? Stop parsing and really give us a look at a Clinton presidency. It will make her so much more a compelling candidate and not just an "I'm Not With Crazy" t-shirt.
However, her policies seem to be a dilemma for her. Bernie Sanders scared her to the left, the general election is scaring her back to the center - except she can't go too far center, because of the fear she'll lose the Sanders bloc.
But where, in all this, are the candidate's convictions? We know she has them, her convention was full of that reassurance. She has the mind, for sure, and she has the experience.
There's a reason Sanders and Trump were so successful this time around. One's unrealistic, the other one is nuts, but they told us what they stood for and never veered. I know, Trump stood for a wall and a ban on Muslims, but it was not something he worked out in a focus group. People clearly yearn for that kind of certainty.
Why can't Clinton just stake out smart, sensible positions, without worrying whether Republicans might go along, or the fringes of Democrats might go along? Stop parsing and really give us a look at a Clinton presidency. It will make her so much more a compelling candidate and not just an "I'm Not With Crazy" t-shirt.
6
Hope against hope. We are doing the same by voting Green and hoping against hope this election is thrown to the House for decision. This constitutionally sanctioned possibility would be just the sort of chaos this ignorant, uninformed, over fed, over medicated and over indulged electorate deserves. It will produce a de-legitimized - in the eyes of the whining and government-dependent media and in the salons of the naive and self-absorbed academy - administration whose ineptitude will further erode support for the corrupt "two party system" of servitude and control. As a wit has said, "the revolution will be televised". But it won't be managed. Bring it on.
3
What a naive and self-serving fantasy. For your own high and mighty principles, you would attempt to throw the country to the dogs in vague hopes of proving something, in an imaginary scenario that something better occurs?
Do you really think there is a anything more than a teensy chance of there being a tie? And if there were, do you really think the House would do anything responsible? All the data is against you.
Do you really think there is a anything more than a teensy chance of there being a tie? And if there were, do you really think the House would do anything responsible? All the data is against you.
1
Voting for Hillary, given the choices, is something you can do to move the country in the right direction. She isn't perfect, and it isn't revolution, but revolutions don't always work out he way you think they will. Vote smart in November and keep working to make the Green Party a contender. Eventually, health care will be socialized, and the U.S. Mail will get un-socialized.
2
You sound like Nixon, destroy the village to save it. No thanks, I'll take no drama Obama incrementalism.
2
Of course they rooting for her! She represents the status quo. The military industrial complex, big pharma, the school to prison pipeline...it all depends upon more of the same politics as usual to continue to be profitable for the monied minority. The nation deserves better than either of the mainstream parties has to offer. Johnson -Weld should be getting a closer look by all media outlets so that civic minded Americans have an honest choice.
8
Interesting that you object to the status quo when Johnson has no issue with Citizens United and thinks corporations should be able to fund campaigns.
Also a "closer look" reveals that he supports further elimination of regulations on corporations and the elimination of corporate taxes and ALL income taxes. The alternative flat tax is completely regressive.
Also a "closer look" reveals that he supports further elimination of regulations on corporations and the elimination of corporate taxes and ALL income taxes. The alternative flat tax is completely regressive.
27
you know nothing about corporations, or taxes. the usa has one of the heaviest corporate tax burdens in the 1st world. that's why all our corporations look for ways to offshore money/enterprise.
1
Frank Bruni gives the past decade's Republicans the benefit of the doubt, even though they have been intransigent and unkind to President Obama throughout his Presidency. He has responded to their calumny with kindness and grace.
Republicans in Congress have rewarded his grace with an understaffed bureaucracy in every department and agency for his entire Presidency. No other President has been blocked from fully appointing all allowable political appointments.
Burni suggests that if Hillary Clinton reaches out to Republicans in her campaign and when she is in office, she will be able to stop the gridlock. I disagree. Gridlock has worked out well for Republicans in Congress; they have no incentive to go along to get along.
The best way for Hillary Clinton to stop the gridlock is to expand the electorate across the whole country and to get everyone to vote a straight Democratic ticket. Gaining more than 60 Democratic senators (67 even better), a Democratic majority in the House, and more than half the state legislatures, will be the best way to stop the gridlock.
Republicans in Congress have rewarded his grace with an understaffed bureaucracy in every department and agency for his entire Presidency. No other President has been blocked from fully appointing all allowable political appointments.
Burni suggests that if Hillary Clinton reaches out to Republicans in her campaign and when she is in office, she will be able to stop the gridlock. I disagree. Gridlock has worked out well for Republicans in Congress; they have no incentive to go along to get along.
The best way for Hillary Clinton to stop the gridlock is to expand the electorate across the whole country and to get everyone to vote a straight Democratic ticket. Gaining more than 60 Democratic senators (67 even better), a Democratic majority in the House, and more than half the state legislatures, will be the best way to stop the gridlock.
140
For those with a short memory, I would like for them to harken back to President Obama's lack of grace as he told Republicans that elections matter and to have a seat on the back of bus, signalling his total lack of understanding of the political process in Washington. The Democrats responded by using a parliamentary maneuver to get one the worst pieces of legislation ever to come out of Congress passed without one Republican vote, amendment, or nod of agreement. People in both parties are mad at Washington because of shenanigans like that and will decide the presidency based on who can yell the loudest at the 'debates'. People are not happy with Trump whose worst fault is that he is not a polished politician with a huge staff that spoon feeds him focus group tested facts daily. He says what he thinks at the time like most of us do. If you are a liberal you cannot begin to fathom the hatred people who aren't liberals have for Mrs Clinton. She is, in their eyes, the epitome of a privileged, rich, white, East Coast liberal who says things like Republicans are the enemy and believes that over half the country isn't good enough to carry her luggage or clean her floors. Normal people do not instinctively like people like her, believe her in particular, or trust people like her who have endless problems with the truth. This is the America we want? Corrupt to the core. DNC corrupt. Wall Street Corrupt. Clinton Corrupt.
To the last question in the article, asking who could have seen that HRC would be in position to both advance progressive ideas and try to work across the aisle: anyone paying attention could have seen that In her nonprofit work, in her health care work, in her Senate work, we consistently have heard that that's exactly what she does. It just seems shocking because we've gotten used to gridlock. If the Republicans have the sense to take the likely defeat of Trump as a wake-up call, we could have bipartisan work. If not, and they remain instransigent, don't be surprised if Hillary gets things done one way or another. It seems to be what she does.
41
the gop, should they lose, will decide the loss was caused by not running a "true conservative"
Fortunately for the GOP ( and unfortunately for everyone else) Dems will fail to show in 2018 and hand the GOP everything Dems might win this year.
The GOP is implacable, they possess most states, both houses, and the SCOTUS. Dems will see they have the WH and go back to allowing the GOP to take all else.
Everything GOP with which the GOP has gotten away, they did because (aside from HRC) Dems lack not only spine but the rest of the skeleton as well
Fortunately for the GOP ( and unfortunately for everyone else) Dems will fail to show in 2018 and hand the GOP everything Dems might win this year.
The GOP is implacable, they possess most states, both houses, and the SCOTUS. Dems will see they have the WH and go back to allowing the GOP to take all else.
Everything GOP with which the GOP has gotten away, they did because (aside from HRC) Dems lack not only spine but the rest of the skeleton as well
1
If Clinton wins, by a landslide or otherwise, she will have just as much a mandate as the ones claimed successfully by Reagan and Bush the 2nd. It would be absurd to discount the victory because her opponent was Trump. He is the democratic choice of the Republican voters and, more importantly, the natural product of what the Republican establishment has promoted or decades.
Given that mandate, it would be foolhardy for Clinton to move rightwards before the Republican leaders in Congress give clear indications that they are interested in cooperation and compromise. No matter how badly their party is defeated, Republicans tend to believe that governmental power is rightfully theirs (a mistake that also seems reflected at times in the media).
The Republicans are reaping what they sowed. It is not the job of the Democrats to save them.
Given that mandate, it would be foolhardy for Clinton to move rightwards before the Republican leaders in Congress give clear indications that they are interested in cooperation and compromise. No matter how badly their party is defeated, Republicans tend to believe that governmental power is rightfully theirs (a mistake that also seems reflected at times in the media).
The Republicans are reaping what they sowed. It is not the job of the Democrats to save them.
118
Hillary can win a lot of Republican votes, certainly enough to become President. Based on conversations with self identified Republicans in 47 states, many of them are social liberals and economic conservatives. Their business interest is primary to political decisions. All Hillary has to do is agree, publicly, that profit is good for us all, that her administration will seek ways to create a supportive, responsible regulatory climate and a stable regulatory and tax system.
Unfortunately, she and other Democrats seem unable to utter the word profit and unable to overcome the perception that they are hostile to business.
She can win if she will make a simple declarative statement in support of profitable business as the route to create jobs and fund infrastructure, education, security and all the rest.
###
Unfortunately, she and other Democrats seem unable to utter the word profit and unable to overcome the perception that they are hostile to business.
She can win if she will make a simple declarative statement in support of profitable business as the route to create jobs and fund infrastructure, education, security and all the rest.
###
2
No, it is not we Dems that are hostile to business. It is business that is hostile to blue-collars and what is left of the middle-class. Let's remember that Repubs gave us a new wave of right-to-work laws and laws that removed collective bargaining rights from those that need them the most, the lower- and middle-classes. You support corporate outsourcing, inversions and offshoring. Yes, you support profits at all costs, especially when those profits come on the backs of people that have little voice in their workplace. And companies are more profitable, because they do not pay pensions to retirees, they do not provide healthcare, so those monies are free to be gobbled up on the company bottom line.
You know, my late father told me when I was young that a worker should not demand too much from his company, lest we cause harm to that company. That was back in the day when companies did have at least a shred of respect for workers. Today however, it is dog-eat-dog and the modern company has established a new normal where wages and benefits are to be eliminated at every turn.
HRC is in favor of profitable businesses, as am I, in the same reason my father stated.But, Exit, we've seen obscene profits since Reagan and trickle down. Don't expect me to buy into your assertion that companies aren't profitable enough.
No, it is workers who have to pay too much for health coverage & for questioable 401s that reduce stagnant paychecks more.
Now, did you like my mention of profits?
You know, my late father told me when I was young that a worker should not demand too much from his company, lest we cause harm to that company. That was back in the day when companies did have at least a shred of respect for workers. Today however, it is dog-eat-dog and the modern company has established a new normal where wages and benefits are to be eliminated at every turn.
HRC is in favor of profitable businesses, as am I, in the same reason my father stated.But, Exit, we've seen obscene profits since Reagan and trickle down. Don't expect me to buy into your assertion that companies aren't profitable enough.
No, it is workers who have to pay too much for health coverage & for questioable 401s that reduce stagnant paychecks more.
Now, did you like my mention of profits?
54
Some truth
But it's a dodge of the central political problem
Parties ebb and flow all the time but this GOP is different.
It's structurally broken mr Bruni and this needs to be discussed. It's a far right party. It's been racist for decades. The list goes on. It's underlying divisive messaging and actions are kerosene: anything can spark disaster under such conditions: stagnation, racial conflict.
Clinton needs to have an inclusive message but the big tent can't include or cater to the dark side of the GOP. Obama tried to be inclusive and conservatives hate him despite the overtures. Obama can avoid making things worse but he can't fix the other party. He's been demonized by your party. Majorities believe he's a Muslim traitor.
Peel off a few moderates by addressing any reasonable wishes. But let's not pretend that the 2 parties are equal. The GOP needs to genuinely change and cater to more than the wealthy. They needs to stop trying to oppress anyone who isn't a white male.
Frank Bruni that's what you need to write about.
These articles are a distraction from the real issue: the divisive GOP. A fix will take years of messaging.
As long as the GOP tries to scapegoat, obstructs and divides then they will always have a tinderbox following. At some point that following will erupt in violence and the GOP will blame others for lack of appeasement. With right wing radio, Fox News and the GOP spreading hate America will not be able to come together under any democrat
But it's a dodge of the central political problem
Parties ebb and flow all the time but this GOP is different.
It's structurally broken mr Bruni and this needs to be discussed. It's a far right party. It's been racist for decades. The list goes on. It's underlying divisive messaging and actions are kerosene: anything can spark disaster under such conditions: stagnation, racial conflict.
Clinton needs to have an inclusive message but the big tent can't include or cater to the dark side of the GOP. Obama tried to be inclusive and conservatives hate him despite the overtures. Obama can avoid making things worse but he can't fix the other party. He's been demonized by your party. Majorities believe he's a Muslim traitor.
Peel off a few moderates by addressing any reasonable wishes. But let's not pretend that the 2 parties are equal. The GOP needs to genuinely change and cater to more than the wealthy. They needs to stop trying to oppress anyone who isn't a white male.
Frank Bruni that's what you need to write about.
These articles are a distraction from the real issue: the divisive GOP. A fix will take years of messaging.
As long as the GOP tries to scapegoat, obstructs and divides then they will always have a tinderbox following. At some point that following will erupt in violence and the GOP will blame others for lack of appeasement. With right wing radio, Fox News and the GOP spreading hate America will not be able to come together under any democrat
36
HRC is a politician. She dodges the sort of confrontations that the right wing have used to skewer their enemies- but in doing so - makes a clumsy protracted issue out of minor errors. She may be sincere when she insists she never intentionally violated truly classified email restrictions;a wonkish truth.
But she keeps a negative buzz humming and allowing false equivalents with Trump's careless poppycock. He doesn't think he is lying- he hears stuff on garbage radio, throws any idea out there to 'close the deal.' Birther c;aims were never renounced; he just moves on. His cavalier swagger simply confirms he doesn't even know what he needs to know. The only metric is winning.He is not crazy (nor should any mental health clinician dare make such a wildly unethical diagnosis). He is immature and grandiose, strutting in constant anxiety to prove he is a Big Man. (He showeth off too much!)
Can a competent knowledgeable sane woman beat this bankrupt salesman ?
Trump could start reading talking points. His minions would forgive him for caving. He'd clean up his act a bit- refuse to debate- and then a horrific event could scare folks into to electing him.
No one should relax now. Really.
But she keeps a negative buzz humming and allowing false equivalents with Trump's careless poppycock. He doesn't think he is lying- he hears stuff on garbage radio, throws any idea out there to 'close the deal.' Birther c;aims were never renounced; he just moves on. His cavalier swagger simply confirms he doesn't even know what he needs to know. The only metric is winning.He is not crazy (nor should any mental health clinician dare make such a wildly unethical diagnosis). He is immature and grandiose, strutting in constant anxiety to prove he is a Big Man. (He showeth off too much!)
Can a competent knowledgeable sane woman beat this bankrupt salesman ?
Trump could start reading talking points. His minions would forgive him for caving. He'd clean up his act a bit- refuse to debate- and then a horrific event could scare folks into to electing him.
No one should relax now. Really.
25
Perhaps the most important thing to happen during the last 8 years was the agreement between China and the United States to fight climate change and to make COP-21 in Paris a success. It is a step, only the first step on a long road to avoid the worst impacts of human-caused climate change.
This was not going to be done by Sanders' revolution. It was never going to be done by a GOP entirely owned by fossil fuel interests. But we do have a chance to do it in a step-at-a-time incremental fashion. HRC is capable of the methodical step by step approach that can lead the world to save itself from the biggest threat facing humankind.
Are the newly adult GOPers willing to grow enough to do the work and to keep the Kochs from derailing Clean Power one state at a time? That is how this generation will be judged by its grandchildren.
This is the opportunity that Trump has given us and we would be fools to blow it.
This was not going to be done by Sanders' revolution. It was never going to be done by a GOP entirely owned by fossil fuel interests. But we do have a chance to do it in a step-at-a-time incremental fashion. HRC is capable of the methodical step by step approach that can lead the world to save itself from the biggest threat facing humankind.
Are the newly adult GOPers willing to grow enough to do the work and to keep the Kochs from derailing Clean Power one state at a time? That is how this generation will be judged by its grandchildren.
This is the opportunity that Trump has given us and we would be fools to blow it.
27
Climate change is a hoax. Most people know what the real problem is and will do nothing to solve it. The problem is that we have too many people on this planet. They are polluting it at an alarming rate. Adding 5 million Priuses and 5 million more windmill mills and all the other so-called green solutions will not solve the problem. A negative birth rate for 20 years might. Every hour of every day we had thousands of more people competing for and using resources and while they do create a foul mess you do not have to go far to see. Climate Change alarmists like Mrs Clinton and President Obama are the enemy. They should be population growth alarmists.
3
This is true. Population control is needed.
1
Republicans are facing two/three things:
* Trump will lose 'bigly.'
* The party is ripped asunder, and "mainstream" conservatives now realize that they are only about 25% of the GOP. Worse yet for them -- both the Cruz/Evangelical and Trump/NeoFascist wings hate them. The GOP was not competitive on the national stage with the "big tent" -- now that that's gone, it's toast.
* Trump has alienated just about all future voters that a mainstream conservative party needed to attract to have any future.
It's no wonder than saner mainstream conservatives realize that this is a moment of political armageddon -- it is for them.
The future holds the more moderate conservatives drifting toward the Democrats, and then what happens depends on what do the Evangelicals and the Trumpers do? If they can get along, then they constitute a weaker & crazier GOP, but a party significant enough to hold a "big tent" Democratic party together, mostly.
But I'll bet you they can't. And if they don't get along then because they can't each individually becomes a minor crank party.
And I think what happens is that the Democrats then fission into two parties, one more liberal (in today's terms the "Progressive" party) and one more conservative, that took in the moderate Republicans.
And that would leave us with a very European political alignment ... which is another way of saying "less crackpot" than where we are right now with the GOP.
* Trump will lose 'bigly.'
* The party is ripped asunder, and "mainstream" conservatives now realize that they are only about 25% of the GOP. Worse yet for them -- both the Cruz/Evangelical and Trump/NeoFascist wings hate them. The GOP was not competitive on the national stage with the "big tent" -- now that that's gone, it's toast.
* Trump has alienated just about all future voters that a mainstream conservative party needed to attract to have any future.
It's no wonder than saner mainstream conservatives realize that this is a moment of political armageddon -- it is for them.
The future holds the more moderate conservatives drifting toward the Democrats, and then what happens depends on what do the Evangelicals and the Trumpers do? If they can get along, then they constitute a weaker & crazier GOP, but a party significant enough to hold a "big tent" Democratic party together, mostly.
But I'll bet you they can't. And if they don't get along then because they can't each individually becomes a minor crank party.
And I think what happens is that the Democrats then fission into two parties, one more liberal (in today's terms the "Progressive" party) and one more conservative, that took in the moderate Republicans.
And that would leave us with a very European political alignment ... which is another way of saying "less crackpot" than where we are right now with the GOP.
16
Follow your centrist tripe advice and say goodbye to the current left of the Democratic Party, i.e., the Berniecrats, forever, which includes the young voters who will be running the show ten years from now. Either the Democratic Party will strongly support its predominately Sanders-derived platform, or it will die a deserved death in 2020, which will be after the Scalia seat is filled as well as that of Ginsberg, and the Supreme Court control argument is substantially removed.
18
Mr. Bruni, no one could have tried harder than President Obama to build a bridge between the two sides of the aisle. Have you forgotten he wanted to include three Republicans in his Cabinet in the true spirit of bipartisanship when he was elected in 2008? Gregg backed out when it became obvious he would become a pariah in his own Party. The bridge President Obama tried time and time again to build between himself and the Republicans, was the bridge to nowhere.
Like others commenting here, I doubt if Clinton is elected, (and I hope she is) that the Republicans will welcome her with open arms, no matter how relieved they are that the clear and present danger of a President Trump is averted. I suspect we will be subjected to more of the same of Republican obstructionism unless and until we get more moderate Republicans in Congress. I also suspect that a Supreme Court nomination by Clinton would go nowhere, as well. Some Republicans are supporting Trump in the hopes he will be elected, and they can swing the Court to the right
I only hope that Clinton will be elected, and that at least the status quo can be maintained. I am afraid that is the best that can be hoped for given the current temperament of the Republicans in Congress, unless Clinton is elected by a landslide and has large coattails, and we get a Democratically controlled Congress. If that were to happen, then maybe just maybe the Republicans would become more open to overtures of bipartisanship by Clinton.
Like others commenting here, I doubt if Clinton is elected, (and I hope she is) that the Republicans will welcome her with open arms, no matter how relieved they are that the clear and present danger of a President Trump is averted. I suspect we will be subjected to more of the same of Republican obstructionism unless and until we get more moderate Republicans in Congress. I also suspect that a Supreme Court nomination by Clinton would go nowhere, as well. Some Republicans are supporting Trump in the hopes he will be elected, and they can swing the Court to the right
I only hope that Clinton will be elected, and that at least the status quo can be maintained. I am afraid that is the best that can be hoped for given the current temperament of the Republicans in Congress, unless Clinton is elected by a landslide and has large coattails, and we get a Democratically controlled Congress. If that were to happen, then maybe just maybe the Republicans would become more open to overtures of bipartisanship by Clinton.
47
Keeping in mind that I am and always will be a liberal:
1) Obama was very naive, and he was played. It took him until after the disastrous midterm elections in 2014 to fully realize this and to begin to act accordingly.
2) How long can the Republicans refuse to confirm a replacement for Scalia? Judge Merrick Garland will be confirmed within one week of Clinton's election on November 8th.
3) Colorado is a battleground state; advocate, and vote, with that in mind.
1) Obama was very naive, and he was played. It took him until after the disastrous midterm elections in 2014 to fully realize this and to begin to act accordingly.
2) How long can the Republicans refuse to confirm a replacement for Scalia? Judge Merrick Garland will be confirmed within one week of Clinton's election on November 8th.
3) Colorado is a battleground state; advocate, and vote, with that in mind.
1
When Democrats put country before party, it does not turn out well. Instead of contesting with the same ferocity as the Republicans, the Democrats were gentlemen in 2000. And we got a financial meltdown, an unneeded war, eight years of doing nothing about global warming, and the destabilization of the Middle East, trading al Qaeda for ISIS.
A country paralyzed for a few months would have been preferable. And who knows, the Supreme Court might have decided to do the logical thing and decide that since the Florida result depended on which methods were chosen to count and validate the ballots, the US result was in reality nonexistent and unavailable using accepted methodology. In that case the logical thing would be to give the presidency to whoever received the most popular votes, since the Electoral College made sense only under conditions that no longer obtained.
A country paralyzed for a few months would have been preferable. And who knows, the Supreme Court might have decided to do the logical thing and decide that since the Florida result depended on which methods were chosen to count and validate the ballots, the US result was in reality nonexistent and unavailable using accepted methodology. In that case the logical thing would be to give the presidency to whoever received the most popular votes, since the Electoral College made sense only under conditions that no longer obtained.
16
sdavidc9 -- you are totally confused about what the Democrats could have done in 2000, unless you are suggesting a shooting revolution.
This might sound logical to reasonable people, but that does not include so-called "constructionists," such as that supreme cynic, Scalia.
So..... Mr. Bruni: "Obama defied Republicans during the first two years of his presidency, only to be tormented by them for the remainder of it". I'm not sure on what fantasy planet that alleged situation is said to have occurred, but it was not on our own mother Earth.
As soon as Barack Obama was elected President in November of 2008, the Republican knives came out and Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell stated very publicly at a microphone in the Senate Chamber that the main goal going forward for republicans would be to make President Obama a one term president. Meeting on the evening of Obama's first inauguration in January of 2009 at a dinner in Washington D.C., a group of prominent republicans met to begin plotting and planning the all out sabotage and obstruction of the newly elected president's plans, goals and policies. President Obama was rebuffed from day one in his attempts to meet and work with congressional republicans, who incidentally now have an approval rating of about 13%
In spite pf the hate. racism and mean spirited, petulant, childish behavior which was thrown his way, President Obama has been a class act and has accomplished a great deal in his two terms as president. The republican haters and "tormenters" have not prevaile ; they have only made themselves look small and petty.
As soon as Barack Obama was elected President in November of 2008, the Republican knives came out and Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell stated very publicly at a microphone in the Senate Chamber that the main goal going forward for republicans would be to make President Obama a one term president. Meeting on the evening of Obama's first inauguration in January of 2009 at a dinner in Washington D.C., a group of prominent republicans met to begin plotting and planning the all out sabotage and obstruction of the newly elected president's plans, goals and policies. President Obama was rebuffed from day one in his attempts to meet and work with congressional republicans, who incidentally now have an approval rating of about 13%
In spite pf the hate. racism and mean spirited, petulant, childish behavior which was thrown his way, President Obama has been a class act and has accomplished a great deal in his two terms as president. The republican haters and "tormenters" have not prevaile ; they have only made themselves look small and petty.
323
MJG:
President Obama did spend the time of his majority on the ACA which was important legislation passed without attempt to garner votes from the out party. That doesn't seem like he was the one rebuffed to me. Just because McConnell acted unstatesmanlike doesn't mean Obama didn't too. And, you do President Obama a great disservice by alleging all opposition is racism.
President Obama did spend the time of his majority on the ACA which was important legislation passed without attempt to garner votes from the out party. That doesn't seem like he was the one rebuffed to me. Just because McConnell acted unstatesmanlike doesn't mean Obama didn't too. And, you do President Obama a great disservice by alleging all opposition is racism.
The article seems to suggest that Trump is so bad that Clinton may win the election. This diminishes her as a capable administrator who has enormous tenacity and emotional intelligence. She has not responded to any personal muck thrown at her by the Benie or Trump backers. Her objective of winning the Presidency is her priority. She seems to be bounding with endless energy slugging through these prolonged election campaigns. She does not need the money or the attention. It must be either power or a dedication to serve her country or a mix of both. Good luck Ms. Clinton.
43
"That’s why I’m hoping that Clinton takes a different, big-tent tack, and combines passion projects with attention to areas of common Democratic and Republican interest: tax reform, immigration reform, maybe even education reform."
With respect to tax reform, Clinton just stated at rally that her idea of tax reform is raising wages on the middle class (and the crowd cheered). Between this comment, the closing the coal mine comment, and others, she is totally tone deaf.
She blew it. The RNC will be running the tax increase comment over and over and over.
With respect to tax reform, Clinton just stated at rally that her idea of tax reform is raising wages on the middle class (and the crowd cheered). Between this comment, the closing the coal mine comment, and others, she is totally tone deaf.
She blew it. The RNC will be running the tax increase comment over and over and over.
3
Tone deaf? No - simply realistic.
So the Republicans who can not pass a program out of a House that they control imagines that a victorious HRC would give the GOP what they did not win at the ballet box just to be bi-partisan?
A market-loving GOP wants to save King Coal by government intervention while it is being killed in the marketplace by natural gas?
If HRC wins big by running the tax increase adds being shown on the Olympics, then there is little to fear from the GOPs "over and over and over." You think that "Read My Lips" is written somewhere in the Constitution?
So the Republicans who can not pass a program out of a House that they control imagines that a victorious HRC would give the GOP what they did not win at the ballet box just to be bi-partisan?
A market-loving GOP wants to save King Coal by government intervention while it is being killed in the marketplace by natural gas?
If HRC wins big by running the tax increase adds being shown on the Olympics, then there is little to fear from the GOPs "over and over and over." You think that "Read My Lips" is written somewhere in the Constitution?
7
Compared to the craziness of Trump, isn't this the definition of small potatoes?
Given that only roughly 4.5% of the population chose each of the two mainstream candidates, representative democracy is already dead in the Plutocracy of the USA.
If Hillary would rather be elected as a republican's President, and dump the massive upsurge in her own party for the ideas of Bernie Sanders, the she will go down in history as one of the richest and most disliked by both parties Presidents ever. Not the beloved and revered first woman she thinks she is. When we desperately need fair and honest governance, record books are irrelevant
If Hillary would rather be elected as a republican's President, and dump the massive upsurge in her own party for the ideas of Bernie Sanders, the she will go down in history as one of the richest and most disliked by both parties Presidents ever. Not the beloved and revered first woman she thinks she is. When we desperately need fair and honest governance, record books are irrelevant
12
Our GREAT nation needs to read and travel more. Clinton will win this election because the highly educated or merely educated outnumber Drumpfs beloved poorly educated dolts that he easily convince of boogeymen "others" causing all their maladies. Elect "Only I" Drumpf and voila Anerica goes back to a country dominated by only white folks Leave it to Beaver brought to life. Sorry Donald too many of us can clearly see that you sir are mentally diseased with a degree of narcissism beyond easy diagnosis. Make America Read Again.
19
I disagree. I know quite a few serious, intelligent, professional people who support him. I can't understand why. But, while I'd like to think that only dolts support him, the reality is that the race could be quite close.
1
It is tempting to dismiss the "vast right wing consipracy" talk, but the Clinton's have driven Republicans crazy for decades. This started first with Bill - a Southern Democrat whose stump style was so folksy, so 'likeable', and so sympathetic ("I feel your pain") that blue-collar white former-Democrats at the heart of the 'Southern Strategy' might have been wooed away. Republicans went after Bill with a vengance. They were warned that impeachment was a big stretch, but they went for it anyway, and Gingrich took the fall for the over-reach. Hillary has been the target of concerted efforts ever since it was apparent that she would have a political career as more than "spouse". Six or seven Congressional investigations of Benghazi! Benghazi! Benghazi! -- but only one or two for the entire Iraq war's justifications? Is it that Republicans in Congress are more concerned about the deaths of four Foreign Service personnel than they are about over 4,000 US soldiers? Or is it that they did everything they could to smear mud on Hillary because they hoped it might stick. Until they got Trumped, it might have been a good strategy... but the other half of political success is actually having a good alternative. Despite 17 contenders, there wasn't a single compelling alternative on the Republican side. Even now, one of the big points for Trump supporters is they don't want Hillary, no matter how bad Trump is.
44
Actually, I am rather shocked that Frank Bruni could write this piece. It is a matter of record that, from the moment Newt Gingrich took over as the leader of the House Republicans, the Republican's biggest goal was to obstruct every single goal that Clinton had, including reforming the healthcare system, to deprive Clinton of a popular legislative victory. No president in modern terms was subjected to more vicious personal and political attack than Bill Clinton -- until Barack Obama. It is not a matter of opinion, but a point of fact, that the GOP has obstructed Obama in ways that have made a mockery of their claims that they were willing to compromise and be bipartisan, but that he did not meet them halfway.
Hillary would be a fool to think that the Republicans will act any differently once she takes office. There are too many right-wing media entrepreneurs out there who stand to make tens of millions of dollars by feeding the rage of their audience. There are too many GOP politicians in justifiable fear of their primary voters.
Hillary's only hope will be to offer multibillion-dollar jobs programs and policies that are wildly popular with the working-class whites that make up the GOP base, promote those programs loudly and aggressively, and dare the Congress not to vote for them. In other words, she must separate the GOP base from its representatives. Trying to work in a normal manner with the GOP Congress is worse than negotiating with Putin.
Hillary would be a fool to think that the Republicans will act any differently once she takes office. There are too many right-wing media entrepreneurs out there who stand to make tens of millions of dollars by feeding the rage of their audience. There are too many GOP politicians in justifiable fear of their primary voters.
Hillary's only hope will be to offer multibillion-dollar jobs programs and policies that are wildly popular with the working-class whites that make up the GOP base, promote those programs loudly and aggressively, and dare the Congress not to vote for them. In other words, she must separate the GOP base from its representatives. Trying to work in a normal manner with the GOP Congress is worse than negotiating with Putin.
189
The way to defuse this Republican stonewalling is to vote for Democratics down the line. If we can have a balanced Senate and House, we could see some progress in the country.
1
The entire conceit upon which this article is based is flawed. "Love" is not in play here. Fear and loathing of the alternative does not imply anything more than Hillary is considered to be the lesser of two evils. Choosing survival is not the same thing as loving chemotherapy. And this observation applies equally to many Democrats as to Republicans.
20
I'll take survival any day. And I hope you will, too. Are you voting for Trump? Then you aren't voting for survival.
1
It would be prudent to demand Trump's taxes before speculating on a Clinton coronation, to demand them over and over, day after day until he produces them or it becomes obvious that he is hiding real damage.
40
I suspect that nothing in Mr Trump's tax returns could persuade you to vote for him. It that be the case, then I cannot see why you or anyone else would want to see his tax returns other than out of idle curiosity.
1
may it be so; he's obviously hiding enough to lose him the election so he will not disclose; never
1
Better idea - a prisoner exchange -- Trump produces his tax returns and Hillary produces the transcripts of the speeches she gave to Wall Street.
2
If one steps back, it appears that our political contests are just that, individuals competing with each other, more for their own benefit than the constituency they are elected to represent.
If elected, Trump is odious enough to rub off on any politician that claims to be from the same party. He fails at most everything he does, but our bizarre bankruptcy laws, et al. allow him to not only survive but thrive. He's a personal threat to those that seem to have "abandoned" their party! As a nation we need to look closely at ourselves and ask- "Where did we go wrong?"
If elected, Trump is odious enough to rub off on any politician that claims to be from the same party. He fails at most everything he does, but our bizarre bankruptcy laws, et al. allow him to not only survive but thrive. He's a personal threat to those that seem to have "abandoned" their party! As a nation we need to look closely at ourselves and ask- "Where did we go wrong?"
10
Wrong strategy.
Republicans will have to repudiate Trump to retain any political credibility, and will do so without overtures from the Clinton campaign.
Clinton should not give them welcome - their support is but expediency.
She should shake her head sadly and say:
yup, too late they get it - they could not lead their own party, overwhelmed by mere theatre. The Republicans are as bankrupt as a Trump casino, as impoverished as a Trump University graduate. Vote out the obstruction that have grid-locked the Republican Congress - let the Democrats work for you.
The Presidency is no longer the prize, Clinton should be aiming for Congress.
Republicans will have to repudiate Trump to retain any political credibility, and will do so without overtures from the Clinton campaign.
Clinton should not give them welcome - their support is but expediency.
She should shake her head sadly and say:
yup, too late they get it - they could not lead their own party, overwhelmed by mere theatre. The Republicans are as bankrupt as a Trump casino, as impoverished as a Trump University graduate. Vote out the obstruction that have grid-locked the Republican Congress - let the Democrats work for you.
The Presidency is no longer the prize, Clinton should be aiming for Congress.
33
My takeaway after reading so many good comments from the commentariat today.
Absolutely do not reach across the isle. But leave to door open for some of the small number of intelligent 'righties' to come across the isle to help out based on country before party first. Indications of bona fides must be offered.
Such as repudiation of all the Bush tax cuts & agreement to raise taxes on the wealthy plus large corporations and the finance sector.
This must include a series of much talked about but never enacted cancellation of sweetheart deals, tax give aways dressed up as incentives, and re-manning the IRS to audit the wealthy and large Corp.'s on a frequent basis.
Admission that Climate Change is the single largest issue we must address as a nation. No shillyshalling.
A commitment to debate and pass a War Authorization Act.
Support for a large stimulus package.
A firm commitment to re-fund the safety net.
Commitment to actually vote on Presidential nominations in a timely way.
An end to ridiculous culture war issues.
Otherwise we Democrats will continue to attack the 'righties' every way we can. And instantly continue the fight into the 2018 cycle if we have too. Sanity, Fairness, and Commonsense must be restored to government.
Absolutely do not reach across the isle. But leave to door open for some of the small number of intelligent 'righties' to come across the isle to help out based on country before party first. Indications of bona fides must be offered.
Such as repudiation of all the Bush tax cuts & agreement to raise taxes on the wealthy plus large corporations and the finance sector.
This must include a series of much talked about but never enacted cancellation of sweetheart deals, tax give aways dressed up as incentives, and re-manning the IRS to audit the wealthy and large Corp.'s on a frequent basis.
Admission that Climate Change is the single largest issue we must address as a nation. No shillyshalling.
A commitment to debate and pass a War Authorization Act.
Support for a large stimulus package.
A firm commitment to re-fund the safety net.
Commitment to actually vote on Presidential nominations in a timely way.
An end to ridiculous culture war issues.
Otherwise we Democrats will continue to attack the 'righties' every way we can. And instantly continue the fight into the 2018 cycle if we have too. Sanity, Fairness, and Commonsense must be restored to government.
44
Actually, Hillary was right about the "right-wing conspiracy." It was called the Arkansas Project, and it was a real thing.
As for the Republican support, the explanation is simple: some Republicans are actually sane, and actually care about the future of the country. So they prefer a centrist Democrat that they disagree with, but who will do a responsible job over a genuinely dangerous lunatic who has no idea what he's doing.
As for the Republican support, the explanation is simple: some Republicans are actually sane, and actually care about the future of the country. So they prefer a centrist Democrat that they disagree with, but who will do a responsible job over a genuinely dangerous lunatic who has no idea what he's doing.
199
I remember George Will commenting on Hillary's remark at the time: he said that it couldn't be classified as a conspiracy, because conspiracies are secret, and these folks were openly out to get the Clintons.
2
I don't share Bruni's sanguine views regarding the ascendance of Hillary.
Bruni is joyous about the defection of Republicans to Hillary. Since Trump is utterly irresponsible I will support Hillary, and I should be happy about the movement of republicans toward Hillary. But as a Sanders supporter, this gives me pause: If Hillary believes that her election was made possible because of the support of Republicans, she will be more likely to renounce her commitments to the Sanders team. Of course, Hillary is well positioned to get the support of lots of Republicans.
Most people are not familiar with the positions of most pols. They think a pol is a liberal or a conservative because of stylistic matters -- is he a scotch person or more chablis and brie. People think Hillary is a liberal, but its because she's a woman and has a blue state aura. She has sat idly by as income inequality has ballooned and I can't stand her.
I live in New York. This state will definitely go for Hillary. So I will feel free to vote for Jill Stein knowing that my vote won't give the presidency to Trump.
Bruni is joyous about the defection of Republicans to Hillary. Since Trump is utterly irresponsible I will support Hillary, and I should be happy about the movement of republicans toward Hillary. But as a Sanders supporter, this gives me pause: If Hillary believes that her election was made possible because of the support of Republicans, she will be more likely to renounce her commitments to the Sanders team. Of course, Hillary is well positioned to get the support of lots of Republicans.
Most people are not familiar with the positions of most pols. They think a pol is a liberal or a conservative because of stylistic matters -- is he a scotch person or more chablis and brie. People think Hillary is a liberal, but its because she's a woman and has a blue state aura. She has sat idly by as income inequality has ballooned and I can't stand her.
I live in New York. This state will definitely go for Hillary. So I will feel free to vote for Jill Stein knowing that my vote won't give the presidency to Trump.
13
In a normal election I wouldn't care. Here, I wouldn't risk it: Stein (at least from the from headlines) does not look like a responsible alternative and, more importantly, Trump needs to be beaten by a landslide to show he does not come close to representing us.
I think we CAN make a little of everyone's agenda work if we work together. I feel like I've got a toe or two in many camps (except Trump's).
I think we CAN make a little of everyone's agenda work if we work together. I feel like I've got a toe or two in many camps (except Trump's).
2
I ask you, as a fellow Dem and lover of peace, do reconsider as there are real potentials of national danger if Mr. Trump is not overwhelmed by the size of his loss.
2
And if many more voters gave themselves the pass that you just did, Trump could win after all. It takes no courage to say, 'everyone else will do the responsible thing, so I can just ease my conscience.'
2
While Barack was thinking he could work with Republicans, on the very evening of his inauguration, GOP leaders were meeting at the Caucus Room restaurant and plotting to deny him any legislative achievements, even ones that they supposedly believed in.
If Hillary is elected, she had better be prepared for such treachery to repeat itself. By all means let her make a gesture to the Republicans and if it's reciprocated, well and good. But especially if she wins with a supportive Congress, she should dance with the people that brung her. She will owe Progressives more than Republicans, who should be reminded that their destructive behavior as a "loyal" opposition is exactly what led to the rise of candidate Trump.
If Hillary is elected, she had better be prepared for such treachery to repeat itself. By all means let her make a gesture to the Republicans and if it's reciprocated, well and good. But especially if she wins with a supportive Congress, she should dance with the people that brung her. She will owe Progressives more than Republicans, who should be reminded that their destructive behavior as a "loyal" opposition is exactly what led to the rise of candidate Trump.
181
Tax reform, immigration reform, education reform are all good things to talk about, Mr. Bruni - but let's take a step back, because there are too many people living hand to mouth, literally too poor to listen.
Obama heroically attacked round 1 of economy cleanup. Employment rates are back up - but wages are far too low.
For economy round 2, we need an infrastructure focus similar to the New Deal (industry needs passable roads and bridges, and workers need solid employment), we need to address pay disparity between the line workers and CEOS (what used to be a differential in pay by factors of tens and hundreds is now thousands - stop snowing in line workers with social issues and convince them to vote for their financial future!), and we need to focus on building the economy (the real way, by building businesses and educating workers for those businesses, not the trickle down fantasy). Last, but not least, education needs to be understood as a pathway for building our entire nation's financial productivity, and also as a critical pathway for maintaining a healthy democracy so that we don't have Trumpence embarrassments going forward. Support night school, GED programs, job training, daycare, school co-op training - make education work for the people who need it the most. Then, when more of our people can breathe because there is a genuine pathway to the middle class, you can cover the rest of the platform.
Obama heroically attacked round 1 of economy cleanup. Employment rates are back up - but wages are far too low.
For economy round 2, we need an infrastructure focus similar to the New Deal (industry needs passable roads and bridges, and workers need solid employment), we need to address pay disparity between the line workers and CEOS (what used to be a differential in pay by factors of tens and hundreds is now thousands - stop snowing in line workers with social issues and convince them to vote for their financial future!), and we need to focus on building the economy (the real way, by building businesses and educating workers for those businesses, not the trickle down fantasy). Last, but not least, education needs to be understood as a pathway for building our entire nation's financial productivity, and also as a critical pathway for maintaining a healthy democracy so that we don't have Trumpence embarrassments going forward. Support night school, GED programs, job training, daycare, school co-op training - make education work for the people who need it the most. Then, when more of our people can breathe because there is a genuine pathway to the middle class, you can cover the rest of the platform.
63
Yes, wages are too low. But there's a cost to raising them -- more jobs will leave the US to lower-wage countries. It's an uncomfortable dilemma.
"For many months now, she has been sending signals that a second Clinton administration would differ from President Obama’s in the earnestness and aggressiveness of its bid for bipartisan cooperation."
Throughout his administration, Obama has bent over backwards to accommodate Republican demands. He larded the Stimulus with tax cuts, later deemed by the Congressional Budget Office to be the least effective job creators in the entire bill, simply to gain 3 lousy (and I do mean lousy) Republican votes in Congress.
In the idiotic debate over raising the debt ceiling (something NEVER imposed on ANY prior president) John Boehner infamously said that he got “98 of what he wanted.” And despite the fact that a majority of Republicans (and a near majority of Tea Party members) wanted to raise taxes on the top 2%, that was off the table. Obama has continually negotiated with himself before negotiating with the Republicans, and then they spit in his face anyway.
The claim that Obama did anything other than twist himself into a pretzel to compromise with Republicans is the kind of lie one expects to see and hear on Fox or the kind of appalling ignorance that one one expects from Fox's viewers and readers.
Mr. Bruni should go back to reviewing restaurants.
Throughout his administration, Obama has bent over backwards to accommodate Republican demands. He larded the Stimulus with tax cuts, later deemed by the Congressional Budget Office to be the least effective job creators in the entire bill, simply to gain 3 lousy (and I do mean lousy) Republican votes in Congress.
In the idiotic debate over raising the debt ceiling (something NEVER imposed on ANY prior president) John Boehner infamously said that he got “98 of what he wanted.” And despite the fact that a majority of Republicans (and a near majority of Tea Party members) wanted to raise taxes on the top 2%, that was off the table. Obama has continually negotiated with himself before negotiating with the Republicans, and then they spit in his face anyway.
The claim that Obama did anything other than twist himself into a pretzel to compromise with Republicans is the kind of lie one expects to see and hear on Fox or the kind of appalling ignorance that one one expects from Fox's viewers and readers.
Mr. Bruni should go back to reviewing restaurants.
195
Maybe the act of Republicans considering and supporting Clinton will break the partisan spell. The message is: This is someone we can work with. Representatives will have an easier time telling their constituents, "This is how we make Washington work."
17
The Republicans already know that they can work with Clinton. They worked with her as a Senator. She was well-liked and respected.
I don't for a minute believe that McCain, Graham, Ryan and McConnell are either voting for Trump or not voting for president. They'll all vote for Clinton, because they aren't crazy. They know Trump is a loose cannon - to put it mildly. They don't want him anywhere near the nuclear codes. The public statements are an effort to keep the party from tanking in the Senatorial and House contests.
I don't for a minute believe that McCain, Graham, Ryan and McConnell are either voting for Trump or not voting for president. They'll all vote for Clinton, because they aren't crazy. They know Trump is a loose cannon - to put it mildly. They don't want him anywhere near the nuclear codes. The public statements are an effort to keep the party from tanking in the Senatorial and House contests.
If only. HRC has been portrayed as the Wicked Witch for so long, it is unlikely to change, unless the Congress goes Democratic. The Senate, yes, the House, unlikely. So that will put HRC in the same position as Obama at the beginning of his first term, but with vastly more experience.
1
It would be a mistake for Sec. Clinton to change any of her policy positions in order to attract Republican endorsements. No one would believe it and it's unnecessary. All she needs to do, is continue to signal an "eagerness ... for bipartisan cooperation", once elected. That's what most Americans want her (or any President) to do, anyway.
In addition, there's very little incentive for Sec. Clinton to campaign hard against down-ballot Republicans. The Republican party is likely to lose the Senate and be much weaker in House, anyway. Let the DNC worry about that. She needs to keep her eyes on the prize. Of course she should do the normal amount of campaigning with other Democratic office seekers, but that's all.
In addition, there's very little incentive for Sec. Clinton to campaign hard against down-ballot Republicans. The Republican party is likely to lose the Senate and be much weaker in House, anyway. Let the DNC worry about that. She needs to keep her eyes on the prize. Of course she should do the normal amount of campaigning with other Democratic office seekers, but that's all.
18
Cam-pain switches in friends and enemies. Drama.
Which side of the spectrum will Madame President favor? Now will she follow Bill and Barack with a Wall St cabinet?
The vast right wing conspiracy was used by the Clintons—it set up their identity as victim of the rw. AND it was real and still is, attacking Obama from the get go.
Appeasing the other side? We don’t really know what side the Clintons are on, or will be. Wall St paid Hillary big money for her speeches—the majority of average working Americans didn’t.
Interesting that Bruni brings up only welfare reform as an example of Bill appeasing the Gop. Bruni feels sorry for those knocked off welfare, as a sort of liberal, presumably.
But the nation suffered from what he leaves out---Bill’s main financial achievement for the Gop---signing their crucial repeal of Glass Steagall and other laws that had kept us safe from Wall St crime since 1930s.
This removal of financial safety regulations led to legalization of risky banks, thus to the 08 crash, almost bringing down the economy, affecting millions of citizens, and forcing our tax bailouts to foam the runway for crashing banks.
And no consequences, with banks bigger than ever.
Is it uncomfortable for columnists to frankly challenge the financial mighty? They pay for our elections, and bring big ad fee profits to big media.
Best to follow the money in US politics and punditry, underlying all this discussion of personality drama.
Which side of the spectrum will Madame President favor? Now will she follow Bill and Barack with a Wall St cabinet?
The vast right wing conspiracy was used by the Clintons—it set up their identity as victim of the rw. AND it was real and still is, attacking Obama from the get go.
Appeasing the other side? We don’t really know what side the Clintons are on, or will be. Wall St paid Hillary big money for her speeches—the majority of average working Americans didn’t.
Interesting that Bruni brings up only welfare reform as an example of Bill appeasing the Gop. Bruni feels sorry for those knocked off welfare, as a sort of liberal, presumably.
But the nation suffered from what he leaves out---Bill’s main financial achievement for the Gop---signing their crucial repeal of Glass Steagall and other laws that had kept us safe from Wall St crime since 1930s.
This removal of financial safety regulations led to legalization of risky banks, thus to the 08 crash, almost bringing down the economy, affecting millions of citizens, and forcing our tax bailouts to foam the runway for crashing banks.
And no consequences, with banks bigger than ever.
Is it uncomfortable for columnists to frankly challenge the financial mighty? They pay for our elections, and bring big ad fee profits to big media.
Best to follow the money in US politics and punditry, underlying all this discussion of personality drama.
20
Please watch "Real Time with Bill Maher" of August 6, the portion including Barney Frank.
Yes, let's follow the money. How about those loans to Trump from Russian banks? They went to his holding corp and we have to wonder how he will use the money...perhaps to pay himself back for spending on his own campaign? He is in Putin's pocket. Are you ok with that?
1
Nice of you to admit that everything she said about adopting ideas from Bernie was transparent lies obvious well before the Convention -- "for many months now, she has been sending signals."
You imagine the Republicans believe she is telling them the truth, only them? Yet you think the same people are too sophisticated to support Trump?
Hillary might get a handful of Republicans, but this line of Hillary-support will cost her a lot more from the reluctant Bernie supporters who were 45% of the Democratic primary voters, and even more among the Independents.
You imagine the Republicans believe she is telling them the truth, only them? Yet you think the same people are too sophisticated to support Trump?
Hillary might get a handful of Republicans, but this line of Hillary-support will cost her a lot more from the reluctant Bernie supporters who were 45% of the Democratic primary voters, and even more among the Independents.
25
As one of the 45%, we are the future thinkers.
Ms. Clinton must put country before party, corporate money and self Now.
We are in a long phase of critical mass on this Earth.
Ms. Clinton could be one of the best presidents in history
if she can resist wars and its lucre. Killing people in other parts of the world for greedy exceptionalism obviously is having dire consequences.
Ms. Clinton must put country before party, corporate money and self Now.
We are in a long phase of critical mass on this Earth.
Ms. Clinton could be one of the best presidents in history
if she can resist wars and its lucre. Killing people in other parts of the world for greedy exceptionalism obviously is having dire consequences.
3
Just because Bruni says something about Hillary's intentions doesn't make it so.
1
Yes, Bruni is wrong here, Obama proved it, and Krugman opposed it in his last column.
Don't move right, Hillary, stick to the platform you negotiated with Bernie. Call the progressive base of the Democratic Party to the fray. The Republicans aren't going to carry water for anybody but the billionaires.
They're NOT more moderate than Trump. They're the White Citizens Council to his KKK. They oppose Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, as well as attempts like the Affordable Care Act to move a bit in the right direction. They won't support free tuition at public colleges, raising the minimum wage, women's rights, dismantling the racist bias of the justice system, repealing Citizens United, i.e. repealing the bribery of themselves, nor will they fight global warming and promote green energy against their fossil fuel billionaire paymasters.
The rightward drift would be a trap. Again. Call on Bernie and his supporters to go to the streets of Washington if you need to break a Republican blockade of your governance. Lead the people to advance their interests or they will abandon you.
Don't move right, Hillary, stick to the platform you negotiated with Bernie. Call the progressive base of the Democratic Party to the fray. The Republicans aren't going to carry water for anybody but the billionaires.
They're NOT more moderate than Trump. They're the White Citizens Council to his KKK. They oppose Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, as well as attempts like the Affordable Care Act to move a bit in the right direction. They won't support free tuition at public colleges, raising the minimum wage, women's rights, dismantling the racist bias of the justice system, repealing Citizens United, i.e. repealing the bribery of themselves, nor will they fight global warming and promote green energy against their fossil fuel billionaire paymasters.
The rightward drift would be a trap. Again. Call on Bernie and his supporters to go to the streets of Washington if you need to break a Republican blockade of your governance. Lead the people to advance their interests or they will abandon you.
3
For all of the reasons that Mr. Bruni cites, Mrs. Clinton would be prudent to begin her administration promoting policies in areas that can attract some bipartisan support.
We Democrats need to remind the American public that someone in Washington knows how to govern. With another Democrat in the Oval Office and, hopefully, a Democratic Senate, the citizens of the United States can observe how smoothly Washington can "grind sausage"!
If Democrats can sustain any majority that we might attain in Congress through the 2018 elections, then she should green light more partisan and more Democratic policies.
However, tax increases upon the 1% and tax fairness for the rest should be implemented immediately if not sooner upon her inauguration. Tax increases are badly needed to fund ANY budget items in a new administration and greater tax fairness is what Mrs. Clinton is running upon.
We Democrats need to remind the American public that someone in Washington knows how to govern. With another Democrat in the Oval Office and, hopefully, a Democratic Senate, the citizens of the United States can observe how smoothly Washington can "grind sausage"!
If Democrats can sustain any majority that we might attain in Congress through the 2018 elections, then she should green light more partisan and more Democratic policies.
However, tax increases upon the 1% and tax fairness for the rest should be implemented immediately if not sooner upon her inauguration. Tax increases are badly needed to fund ANY budget items in a new administration and greater tax fairness is what Mrs. Clinton is running upon.
44
Agreed, but sooner than "immediately"?
"Yes, a big Democratic victory in November would give Democrats both the right and the imperative to implement their most deeply cherished ideas."
Not surprisingly, the next sentence starts with the word "but." If Hillary Clinton should have learned anything from her nomination process, it is that people are tired of those "buts." Exactly what more else do the American people need to do to make Washington understand they want real change? If one party gets booted, there's likely a reason why. In the words of George W. Bush, "Elections have consequences."
Not surprisingly, the next sentence starts with the word "but." If Hillary Clinton should have learned anything from her nomination process, it is that people are tired of those "buts." Exactly what more else do the American people need to do to make Washington understand they want real change? If one party gets booted, there's likely a reason why. In the words of George W. Bush, "Elections have consequences."
31
SD,
It seems the GOP has torched their own party. Now they are looking around for new property and see the Democratic Party. So they want to take it over and do for the Dems what they did for the GOP.
Insanity.
Hillary needs to straight-arm these cretins. Let em stew in their own frog-boil.
It seems the GOP has torched their own party. Now they are looking around for new property and see the Democratic Party. So they want to take it over and do for the Dems what they did for the GOP.
Insanity.
Hillary needs to straight-arm these cretins. Let em stew in their own frog-boil.
Hmm... If recall Obama voiced those words a little later too.
Nixon won a huge, LANDSLIDE victory in 1972 over McGovern, that clearly showed the nation at that time was tilting right and sick of lefty liberalism (as it was in 1972).
How'd that work out? in 2 years, Nixon had resigned in disgrace. In 4 years, the GOP had lost the White House.
Landslides look and seem so "cool", it is easy to forget they don't often work out that well. Also it is REALLY premature to assume Hilary will win, let alone in a "landslide".
How'd that work out? in 2 years, Nixon had resigned in disgrace. In 4 years, the GOP had lost the White House.
Landslides look and seem so "cool", it is easy to forget they don't often work out that well. Also it is REALLY premature to assume Hilary will win, let alone in a "landslide".
1
The vast "right-wing conspiracy" is a fact, not a myth. It has unfolded like that corpse flower in Central Park, encompassing Faux News, right-wing radio, most of the main stream media oligopolies, the Christo-Fascist "evangelical" grifters, the various other oligarchs with more money than morality, a co-opted Supreme Court that in its ideological fervor (or idiocy, take your pick) suddenly discovered that since money talks it must vote as well, that corporations are people except they never go to jail, gerrymandering, faux congressional "investigations", the list is endless, the consequences disastrous.
Ironically, many of the folks most severely impacted by this conspiracy, poor and poorly educated white guys blame the Dems for their plight, considerably lowering the bar of stupidity by voting in the very authors of their misfortune time and time again. Proving only that PT Barnum WAS right, the IS one born every minute.
Sure, Mr. Bruni, Mrs. Clinton should make room for the disaffected GOP to temporarily hide from their mistakes on the right side of the big tent. What did LBJ say about that tent? But first they must publically repudiate their sins, confession is good for the soul, if they have any.
But bet on it, once the dust settles, they'll run back to their coven, smirking at having put one over on the Dems and start a new attempt to shut down the government and impoverish the hoi polloi. It's the GOP way.
Ironically, many of the folks most severely impacted by this conspiracy, poor and poorly educated white guys blame the Dems for their plight, considerably lowering the bar of stupidity by voting in the very authors of their misfortune time and time again. Proving only that PT Barnum WAS right, the IS one born every minute.
Sure, Mr. Bruni, Mrs. Clinton should make room for the disaffected GOP to temporarily hide from their mistakes on the right side of the big tent. What did LBJ say about that tent? But first they must publically repudiate their sins, confession is good for the soul, if they have any.
But bet on it, once the dust settles, they'll run back to their coven, smirking at having put one over on the Dems and start a new attempt to shut down the government and impoverish the hoi polloi. It's the GOP way.
372
Very picturesque, vivid comment. Where are some columns in the Times detailing how Americans keep 'voting in the very authors of their misfortune time and time again.'
But then the authors vs protectors from misfortune have been getting very confused in the Democratic party too, tethered as they are to big money as well. The policies, intentions and true positions of both Trump and Clinton seem very muddled, changing, and opportunistic--and their effects on the public are poorly analyzed by the news media.
But that's what happens in big money, hoopla media campaigns that last almost 2 interminable years, costing billions of dollars.
But then the authors vs protectors from misfortune have been getting very confused in the Democratic party too, tethered as they are to big money as well. The policies, intentions and true positions of both Trump and Clinton seem very muddled, changing, and opportunistic--and their effects on the public are poorly analyzed by the news media.
But that's what happens in big money, hoopla media campaigns that last almost 2 interminable years, costing billions of dollars.
3
Was it a myth that HRC and her minions lied about and defamed Monica Lewinsky as well as a slew of others later proven to have been involved with her husband. I will probably vote for her, in any event not for Trump, but if I do I will hold my nose because the stench of corruption and lies permeates her.
1
The corpse flower is located at the Bronx Botanical Gardens.
I would have predicted that. She told her Senate staff, "I will work with anyone." She is always on the listen for collaborative paths that can lead to life being better for children especially. She isn't into the usual political metaphysical hot-air. She's what I think of as 'gloriously sensible.' So she pursues with tireless curiosity and imagination the epistemological "How" do *we* get this x/y/z done?
The Listening Force Is With Her.
The Listening Force Is With Her.
88
And she will work against anyone, including the workers of this country.
I find this very disrespectful and out of line, Mr. Bruni, "I envision a box of cigars en route to Colin Powell, long-stemmed roses for Condoleezza Rice, a brand-new smartphone for Senator Lindsey Graham. Hallmark should consider a line of come-to-Clinton cards, with a donkey and an elephant gazing into each other’s eyes against the setting sun of Trump’s orange head."
Maybe you missed the point that many of the "prominent" republicans are WOMEN and Colin Powell also voted for President Obama. Why is it so difficult for you fellows to wrap your minds around the absolute HERstory we are going to add to his on November 8? It's ridiculous.
We have grave national and international issues in front of us and, as President Obama said, Ms. Hillary Rodham Clinton is the MOST qualified candidate to EVER run for the office of the President of the United States - including he and Bill. SHE has my vote and smart people everywhere are getting on board. Why is that so hard to understand?
Maybe you missed the point that many of the "prominent" republicans are WOMEN and Colin Powell also voted for President Obama. Why is it so difficult for you fellows to wrap your minds around the absolute HERstory we are going to add to his on November 8? It's ridiculous.
We have grave national and international issues in front of us and, as President Obama said, Ms. Hillary Rodham Clinton is the MOST qualified candidate to EVER run for the office of the President of the United States - including he and Bill. SHE has my vote and smart people everywhere are getting on board. Why is that so hard to understand?
103
"Ms. Hillary Rodham Clinton is the MOST qualified candidate to EVER run for the office of the President of the United States"
In order backward of just some of the obvious:
LBJ
Eisenhower
FDR
Teddy Roosevelt
Lincoln
Madison
Jefferson
Adams
George Washington
We can debate more.
In order backward of just some of the obvious:
LBJ
Eisenhower
FDR
Teddy Roosevelt
Lincoln
Madison
Jefferson
Adams
George Washington
We can debate more.
19
No, Mark Thomason.
While some of those presidents performed very well in office, they were not, at the time they ran, more qualified than HRC.
She is, indeed, the *most* qualified ever to have run.
While some of those presidents performed very well in office, they were not, at the time they ran, more qualified than HRC.
She is, indeed, the *most* qualified ever to have run.
58
Mark -- Most people think Lincoln was our greatest President. Me included. But, he certainly isn't on the list of most experienced. He was a 4 term Illinois state representative and one term Congressman. He'd been out of office for more than a decade before he was elected President.
17
I predict that Donald Trump will be forced to resign his candidacy and that Mike Pence will move into the first place. He will then pick a GOP VP candidate.
What does this mean? Five things. 1) A devout Muslim family will ultimately be responsible for Trumps demise as a presidential candidate. 2) A Muslim waved a copy of the US Constitution in front of hundreds of million Muslims on last Thursday and said this is our and his governing compass. 3) the structure and business model of the Republican Party largely architected by Mitch McConnell is collapsing before America's eyes. 4) you are witnessing an inflection point in the arc of American democracy that will reverberate across the planet. This is our history in the making. And lastly 5) everyone will start wondering how the world's now biggest loser will spin this.
Maybe 6. The GOP spent its last 8 years bashing the Affordable Care Act and in setting up lengthy Benghazi committees but never thought for one minute about training its legislators to actually govern and show they could get things done. The end result is that it had no bench to offer for the 2016 election -- a colossal failure now 16 years running.
What does this mean? Five things. 1) A devout Muslim family will ultimately be responsible for Trumps demise as a presidential candidate. 2) A Muslim waved a copy of the US Constitution in front of hundreds of million Muslims on last Thursday and said this is our and his governing compass. 3) the structure and business model of the Republican Party largely architected by Mitch McConnell is collapsing before America's eyes. 4) you are witnessing an inflection point in the arc of American democracy that will reverberate across the planet. This is our history in the making. And lastly 5) everyone will start wondering how the world's now biggest loser will spin this.
Maybe 6. The GOP spent its last 8 years bashing the Affordable Care Act and in setting up lengthy Benghazi committees but never thought for one minute about training its legislators to actually govern and show they could get things done. The end result is that it had no bench to offer for the 2016 election -- a colossal failure now 16 years running.
220
Let's be done with the ham-fisted false equivalence once and for all.
Legislative gridlock is the doing of the GOP. They haven't budged for 8 years. No doubt about it: the GOP is a decomposing corpse without a grave.
(What does Paul Krugman keep saying about "zombie ideas"?)
Bury this rotted thing America. Bury it beneath millions of votes in favour of moving the American project forward on your more natural inclinations to progress.
Legislative gridlock is the doing of the GOP. They haven't budged for 8 years. No doubt about it: the GOP is a decomposing corpse without a grave.
(What does Paul Krugman keep saying about "zombie ideas"?)
Bury this rotted thing America. Bury it beneath millions of votes in favour of moving the American project forward on your more natural inclinations to progress.
4
With the evil genius of hackers, or a disillusioned staffer (speech writer), one wonders why no-one has produced Hillary's speeches to the bankers. With the right timing - maybe closer to the election - they would surely damage her more than her two-faced e-mail scandal that she continually crawls through receipting as she goes. A little more subtly than Trump's backtracking, but still awfully odious.
17
Since her speeches were not to a small group of oligarchs, but to a huge group of employees of all stripes, the obvious answer is, there is nothing there. Anyone who has ever worked for a large corporation knows what these speeches are. We have all sat through them. (Unlike Bernie and many of his acolytes, who never had actual jobs) They are mandatory attendance, and most people in the audience are texting friends rather than listening. Especially if there is an open bar at the end of it.
This was one of Bernie's most egregious charges. He should be ashamed.
This was one of Bernie's most egregious charges. He should be ashamed.
35
@CSLW 2000 If there really is "nothing there", she has chosen to endure a huge (and ongoing) amount of political damage refusing to show the "nothing". So it's either bafflingly poor judgement, or there is indeed "something there". Take your pick. I choose the latter, personally.
Do you also suspect Trump is not releasing his tax returns and they haven't otherwise come to light because there is "nothing there"?
In asking the question, Bernie has absolutely nothing to be ashamed of. I think the voting public have a reasonable expectation of transparency regarding the personal enrichment of politicians by corporate sponsors and the ensuing potential for conflicts of interest.
Do you also suspect Trump is not releasing his tax returns and they haven't otherwise come to light because there is "nothing there"?
In asking the question, Bernie has absolutely nothing to be ashamed of. I think the voting public have a reasonable expectation of transparency regarding the personal enrichment of politicians by corporate sponsors and the ensuing potential for conflicts of interest.
2
A speech before an audience of a couple hundred would be an odd place to engage in nefarious derring-do. This has always been a dead horse on arrival. If only people would use their common sense. [Oh, and if you think Bernie's last Senate campaign didn't use up a few Goldman Sachs-raised funds, you need to spend less time acquiring information through social media.]
1
Yes, it would be nice to see Hillary reach across the aisle (as the hackneyed phrase says) to work on "areas of common Democratic and Republican interest: tax reform, immigration reform, maybe even education reform."
But remember what has happened whenever Obama tried that? Think about health care reform. Remember all the "compromises" he made, only to be stabbed in the back? How many times did he agree to meet the Republicans halfway, only to have them (another hackneyed phrase) move the goalposts, set a new halfway where they demanded a meeting?
How well efforts at cooperation will work depends on the good faith of those Republicans still in the Congress. For almost eight years we have been subjected to Republicans automatically working against Obama--the man himself, not his agenda or his proposals--and putting partisan vitriol ahead of the the needs of the country and its citizens.
I want to be optimistic. But I'm not sure how.
But remember what has happened whenever Obama tried that? Think about health care reform. Remember all the "compromises" he made, only to be stabbed in the back? How many times did he agree to meet the Republicans halfway, only to have them (another hackneyed phrase) move the goalposts, set a new halfway where they demanded a meeting?
How well efforts at cooperation will work depends on the good faith of those Republicans still in the Congress. For almost eight years we have been subjected to Republicans automatically working against Obama--the man himself, not his agenda or his proposals--and putting partisan vitriol ahead of the the needs of the country and its citizens.
I want to be optimistic. But I'm not sure how.
125
No, Madame President should not "reach across the aisle" and play the spoiled little boys game that Bernie Sanders played - she'll be crucified for it for being a "soft woman". No, WE must make sure that socially conscious democrats and independents get and keep control of our governments at all levels until America is healthy again.
40
"Spoiled little boys game that Bernie Sanders played."
What does that even mean? You should thank your lucky stars that Bernie put the country first and chose not to run independent, but to instead throw his support behind her, even in the face of the DNC email leaks proving that,yes, it was rigged. If he had run independent, she'd have lost. But he did the right thing for the country. And jabs like this are disgraceful.
What does that even mean? You should thank your lucky stars that Bernie put the country first and chose not to run independent, but to instead throw his support behind her, even in the face of the DNC email leaks proving that,yes, it was rigged. If he had run independent, she'd have lost. But he did the right thing for the country. And jabs like this are disgraceful.
6
A most puzzling post "No, Madame President should not "reach across the aisle" and play the spoiled little boys game that Bernie Sanders played. Huh? What in the world are you talking about?
5
Perhaps a Clinton presidency will provide the opportunity for the Democrats to redeem themselves.
If and when the Democrats repeat something like their 2008 sweep, they will have to use their House and Senate majorities much more effectively than they did then.
This is not hindsight. I said it then and I repeat it now: The Democrats in 2008 should have devoted all of their political capital to economic issues--especially to promoting good-paying jobs, jobs, jobs!
Instead they frittered that capital away over a complex and unsatisfactory Affordable Care Act.
Had they proven their economic competence, their social agenda--particularly securing single-payer healthcare for all and bolstering the tattered warp and woof of the social safety net--would have readily followed.
I only hope that the Democratic Party--which on economic issues has for far too long been a center-right party--has taken the Trump phenomenon and the Sanders incursion to heart.
If the Democratic Party fails to profit from the lessons of the 2015-16 election cycle, they will squander their New Deal inheritance. All progressive hopes will be for naught.
Too many of us are too thoroughly sickened by the actions and inactions of Democrats who, on the economy, provide solely GOP-lite.
I am voting for Hillary, but she, if elected, must do much to sustain my support for her and for the Democratic Party.
I fear that she will not!
If and when the Democrats repeat something like their 2008 sweep, they will have to use their House and Senate majorities much more effectively than they did then.
This is not hindsight. I said it then and I repeat it now: The Democrats in 2008 should have devoted all of their political capital to economic issues--especially to promoting good-paying jobs, jobs, jobs!
Instead they frittered that capital away over a complex and unsatisfactory Affordable Care Act.
Had they proven their economic competence, their social agenda--particularly securing single-payer healthcare for all and bolstering the tattered warp and woof of the social safety net--would have readily followed.
I only hope that the Democratic Party--which on economic issues has for far too long been a center-right party--has taken the Trump phenomenon and the Sanders incursion to heart.
If the Democratic Party fails to profit from the lessons of the 2015-16 election cycle, they will squander their New Deal inheritance. All progressive hopes will be for naught.
Too many of us are too thoroughly sickened by the actions and inactions of Democrats who, on the economy, provide solely GOP-lite.
I am voting for Hillary, but she, if elected, must do much to sustain my support for her and for the Democratic Party.
I fear that she will not!
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You made some good points but when faced with a party that announced Obama would be a one-term President from Day 1, and dedicated to obstruction of his proposals and little else, it is hard to imagine a different outcome. Hillary does have a reputation for conciliation and getting things done, so we'll see. Unless the GOP comes out of this willing to change some of its tactics, it may not matter.
2
"...Hillary [when elected] must do much to sustain my support for her and for the Democratic Party." And what is your alternative?
Don't fear ... just give her a chance. You may be very surprised.
1
Trump is the end result of years of talk radio and Fox hyper-partisanship. And proof of what many of us suspected - what holds those blowhards together isn't ideology, but the lucrative showmanship of demagogy. The Tea Party congressional faction is just their audience participation. Trump's awfulness might just provide honest GOP lawmakers with the tools to neutralize that faction.
But only if Hillary lends them a sincere hand. The last thing the Democratic party needs is its own tea party equivalent. She needs to resist those dead end Bernie trolls who make up probably only 10% of his voters and were always more Green than Democrat. American needs the productive dialogue of both parties. As a true blue San Francisco Democrat, I often find myself wishing we had a couple of Republicans on our often too blue board of supervisors.
But only if Hillary lends them a sincere hand. The last thing the Democratic party needs is its own tea party equivalent. She needs to resist those dead end Bernie trolls who make up probably only 10% of his voters and were always more Green than Democrat. American needs the productive dialogue of both parties. As a true blue San Francisco Democrat, I often find myself wishing we had a couple of Republicans on our often too blue board of supervisors.
12
Please, Frank, do not count your chickens before they're hatched! All Trump has to do is to something pretty standard and very obvious--like retract his non-endorsement of Ryan et al, and suddenly he looks like a GOP hero, a diplomat if you will.
Some of these Republican endorsements might melt faster than a Boston snowflake in July if he starts to maintain some level of normalcy. If we know anything at all, it's how up and down campaigns are, not just across weeks, but across hours. Already, now that Donald is acting like an alleged grownup by finally attacking Clinton and sounding less Trump-like, the flashlight is back trained directly into Clinton's eyes. And frankly, she hasn't covered herself with glory on these "damned emails".
For God's sake, Hillary, put this to rest: do what you have to do and stop talking in circles. Repeat your apology, stop saying who said what to whom, and if you want to raise those "trust" issues, then earn then. Come clean: not on what was said, but on your role in being secretive.
And while I'm giving you advice, I never ever want to hear the word complacent alongside the your name in the same sentence. Hai capito?
Trump didn't get where he's at by being a nice guy. Do not let up on him, because you can't. Watch your back: and while you're at it, remember how many supporters--and thus haters of you--he has.
Fight as if your life depended on it.
Because it does.
Some of these Republican endorsements might melt faster than a Boston snowflake in July if he starts to maintain some level of normalcy. If we know anything at all, it's how up and down campaigns are, not just across weeks, but across hours. Already, now that Donald is acting like an alleged grownup by finally attacking Clinton and sounding less Trump-like, the flashlight is back trained directly into Clinton's eyes. And frankly, she hasn't covered herself with glory on these "damned emails".
For God's sake, Hillary, put this to rest: do what you have to do and stop talking in circles. Repeat your apology, stop saying who said what to whom, and if you want to raise those "trust" issues, then earn then. Come clean: not on what was said, but on your role in being secretive.
And while I'm giving you advice, I never ever want to hear the word complacent alongside the your name in the same sentence. Hai capito?
Trump didn't get where he's at by being a nice guy. Do not let up on him, because you can't. Watch your back: and while you're at it, remember how many supporters--and thus haters of you--he has.
Fight as if your life depended on it.
Because it does.
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Only a woman would be asked to apologize, repeatedly, for something she did not do. But if that's going to be the mantra - apologize - then we are in trouble. The Republican nominee can lie, cheat, lie again, and it's a not problem. His base of "low information voters" are going to stay loyal. But the woman who is, according the President Obama, the most qualified person to be president, has to keep "apologizing" for doing what every other secretary of state has done. As the meme of Condi and Colin sitting together portrays, and Condi asks about their emails, and Colin replies, "Don't worry, Condi, we're Republicans." Every time Sec Clinton "apologizes" for something she did not do, it gives credence to the myth that she did it. Misogyny comes in all shapes and genders.
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@cbd212: Thank you!!! I should not have even thought what I wrote, let alone written it. Great lesson in the art of politics. And you are right: she is absolutely held to the highest standard, forced to "defend" her story on Benghazi as if she were some sort of double agent working for Al Quaeda, and when she appears before that committee of voracious wolves, asking her the same questions over and over in the hopes of tripping her up--a form of torture in and of itself--it's nothing short of an inquisition.
And yes, I agree, underneath this is the last taboo, that which will not be named: misogyny. The sort that support Trump had enough to stomach President Obama, and now a woman dares be elevated to the highest political office in the land? If Clinton is elected, and I sure hope she is, I think it will be the ultimate feather in her cap against the last, and often unspoken, American discrimination.
And yes, I agree, underneath this is the last taboo, that which will not be named: misogyny. The sort that support Trump had enough to stomach President Obama, and now a woman dares be elevated to the highest political office in the land? If Clinton is elected, and I sure hope she is, I think it will be the ultimate feather in her cap against the last, and often unspoken, American discrimination.
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OUR life depends upon it.
"Obama defied Republicans during the first two years of his presidency, only to be tormented by them for the remainder of it." This statement is not even close to being true. As everybody knows, Mitch McConnell held a meeting the night of Obama's inauguration where it was decided that they would make him a one term president. Obama's first attempts to work with the Republicans on the stimulus bill were met contempt, cries of "socialism" and even a threat of secession by Rick Perry. There was never any attempt by the Republican Party to work with this President on any level. Their opposition to him was consistently unanimous and unrelenting.
The lack of deference, respect for the office and common courtesy were unprecedented and continue to this day. Does anybody think that by betraying her supporters and moving to the right to please congressional Republicans she will be treated any differently?
The lack of deference, respect for the office and common courtesy were unprecedented and continue to this day. Does anybody think that by betraying her supporters and moving to the right to please congressional Republicans she will be treated any differently?
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Agreed. To say that Obama "defied" Republicans during his first two years, implying that he was unopen to compromise, is an inaccurate reading of recent history. As Howard's says so well, the GOP was bent solely on obstructionism from the start. While I think Hillary should and will make efforts at bipartisanship, ultimately the GOP needs to return to sanity for her efforts to succeed. The ball is in their court.
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Thank you. I was about to write this comment but you beat me to it quite eloquently.
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has Bruno been brainwashed by the GOP machine to come up with such s statement?
Gifts for the Honorable Colin Powell and other respectable distinguished Republicans? If Americans wake up from a Mid-Summer's Dream and understand that we were temporarily infatuated with Mr. Bottom, we may have cause to quietly say some prayers or poems in honor of our Country.
I have never wished harm to any of our candidates for presidential elections, but I have been somewhat bemused by the Trump Love Affair. We may be tired of politicians, but at this stage I am beginning to like them.
In the meantime, this American will plant the Flag in the garden here, and think of the endurance and courage of Mrs. Clinton. It was been a thorny path of wild roses for her, and she has secured my conviction that she will be a grand President.
I have never wished harm to any of our candidates for presidential elections, but I have been somewhat bemused by the Trump Love Affair. We may be tired of politicians, but at this stage I am beginning to like them.
In the meantime, this American will plant the Flag in the garden here, and think of the endurance and courage of Mrs. Clinton. It was been a thorny path of wild roses for her, and she has secured my conviction that she will be a grand President.
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We’ve been dragged toward the right for decades, to the point where Bernie Sanders’ call for fair pay, affordable education and lower taxes sounded like he was building a socialist utopia. These things were the norm when I was growing up. Now they’re cast as the pipe dreams of crotchety, out-of-touch old men.
Republicans are unlikely to be conciliatory, given their behavior over the last 20 years. They’ve ruined the economy with endless wars, mired us in evangelical ignorance, and robbed us of our prosperity. The Republican candidates assured us that they would weaken the social safety net, redouble their attacks on the LGBT community and do all they could to prevent women from exercising their constitutional right to abortions.
The path forward may be uncertain, considering the nominal defection of some Republicans. But the promise of forks in the road is no guarantee against knives in the back. Our goal should not be to give in to homophobes and science deniers and plutocrats who tax the poor, but to get back some of what we lost.
Republicans embraced the birther nonsense of Donald Trump and nurtured the low-information voters who think Trump is a good idea. This is the party that sneered at grieving parents who asked for gun control. They must not be rewarded for fertilizing the soil in which Trump now flourishes by giving them inducements to act like normal human beings.
Hillary will get my respect if she stands firm, and fights to reclaim what we've lost.
Republicans are unlikely to be conciliatory, given their behavior over the last 20 years. They’ve ruined the economy with endless wars, mired us in evangelical ignorance, and robbed us of our prosperity. The Republican candidates assured us that they would weaken the social safety net, redouble their attacks on the LGBT community and do all they could to prevent women from exercising their constitutional right to abortions.
The path forward may be uncertain, considering the nominal defection of some Republicans. But the promise of forks in the road is no guarantee against knives in the back. Our goal should not be to give in to homophobes and science deniers and plutocrats who tax the poor, but to get back some of what we lost.
Republicans embraced the birther nonsense of Donald Trump and nurtured the low-information voters who think Trump is a good idea. This is the party that sneered at grieving parents who asked for gun control. They must not be rewarded for fertilizing the soil in which Trump now flourishes by giving them inducements to act like normal human beings.
Hillary will get my respect if she stands firm, and fights to reclaim what we've lost.
768
Obama ran as a post-partisan candidate and was treated like hired-help when he tried to deal with Republicans. Bruni suggests the same path for Hillary; that is delusional. She really needs a majority in both Houses, and, for better or worse, that means Repubs must lose all the way down the ticket.
6
Some very good commentary here (from one lefty to another), but where in the Constitution is abortion guaranteed?
"...fair pay, affordable education and lower taxes sounded like he was building a socialist utopia. These things were the norm when I was growing up."
They were not only the norm, when we were growing up, they were a major ingredient in the growth of the middle class--which was, itself, a primary reason for American economic and political success, and international prestige!
The continued hollowing out of that middle class, by economic and political systems that benefit only the super rich, spells disaster for the "American Experiment." What made America great was not the rich, it was its ability to engage ALL of its people's talents, energies and loyalties.
A suffering and resentful population "led" by a tiny economic aristocracy is not the recipe for success in a competitive world, with major problems to solve. We need ALL of our creativity and drive to survive and prosper in the 21st Century.
They were not only the norm, when we were growing up, they were a major ingredient in the growth of the middle class--which was, itself, a primary reason for American economic and political success, and international prestige!
The continued hollowing out of that middle class, by economic and political systems that benefit only the super rich, spells disaster for the "American Experiment." What made America great was not the rich, it was its ability to engage ALL of its people's talents, energies and loyalties.
A suffering and resentful population "led" by a tiny economic aristocracy is not the recipe for success in a competitive world, with major problems to solve. We need ALL of our creativity and drive to survive and prosper in the 21st Century.
2
Oh sure, it would be very easy for Hillary to construct a policy- building bridge across the aisle. In fact, she needs only to do three things: support tax cuts for the rich, agree to destroy America's social safety net and send up a Supreme Court nominee who'll vote to overturn Roe v Wade. These are pretty much the only things that congressional Republicans are interested in (along with guns and war), and perhaps HRC will defy the will of the voters who put her in the White House in order to make common cause and go along to get along and all that rubbish. Still, I wouldn't place bets on that happening.
243
Don't forget privatizing Medicare and cuts to Social Security benefits.
3
It isn’t what Hillary should do with the wayward Republicans but what Trump should do. I’ve suggested that he put an ad in the can that has all of them gathering on a mountain-top, Lindsey Graham and Mark Kirk prominent among them having had their halos recently burnished, and all of them singing “I want to build the world a home / And furnish it with love / Grow apple trees and honey bees / And snow white turtle doves”. Hillary could break-dance while Bill did “The Robot”, just to show how “with it” they are. Lindsey and Mark could double as towel-boys after the exertions.
If Trump can’t turn this around for an inability to avoid tripping over his (small) mouth and falling childishly into transparent traps laid by the Clintons, then I’ll have to cave like Meg Whitman and simply accept that the next four years are going to be a mere re-play of the years since 2011, when our governance froze for an inability to find the slightest common ground and the lack of political talent to invent it.
That would be a monumental loss for America. Mr. Trump, you owe America a lot, and if redeeming the gifts it has bestowed on you requires that you stop before reacting to every calculated assault and do as Lincoln did – write a scathing letter, then file it without ever having sent it – then it’s a very small price to pay for the chance to do our nation immense service and achieve for yourself immortality.
He’s got a month to turn this around. If he hasn’t by early-September, it’s over.
If Trump can’t turn this around for an inability to avoid tripping over his (small) mouth and falling childishly into transparent traps laid by the Clintons, then I’ll have to cave like Meg Whitman and simply accept that the next four years are going to be a mere re-play of the years since 2011, when our governance froze for an inability to find the slightest common ground and the lack of political talent to invent it.
That would be a monumental loss for America. Mr. Trump, you owe America a lot, and if redeeming the gifts it has bestowed on you requires that you stop before reacting to every calculated assault and do as Lincoln did – write a scathing letter, then file it without ever having sent it – then it’s a very small price to pay for the chance to do our nation immense service and achieve for yourself immortality.
He’s got a month to turn this around. If he hasn’t by early-September, it’s over.
11
Even if The Donald could do something about his mouth he'd still need a lobotomy to make him a plausible candidate for the Presidency. Is Dr. Carson still around?
192
Hillary would be much better than Obama at picking off small numbers of Republicans to achieve limited goals they both could support, such as criminal justice reform. Enough limited goals and the Republican unity that produces gridlock might start to crack, and we would get back to a more normal politics, with Tea Party types shut out and screaming curses from the sidelines.
9
Richard, Trump can no more abandon, reverse or "turn around" his perpetual infancy and terminal affluenza than you can part with the smug, self righteous vapors of superiority from whence you pronounce the "facts", much like Karl Rove would before said facts marginalized him. What would be an actual monumental loss would be what happens to the markets should he take office. They will roil, boil and spoil, making 2008 look like a campfire next to a volcano erupting during a category 5 hurricane, both atop a significant earthquake.
Trump has no clue about redeeming anything except the coupons on his bonds and possibly green stamps. He can no more stop and calculate before reacting than a momma grizzly separated from her cubs by a pig wearing lipstick. He will stop and think when that pig flies (Geico commercials excepted).
Even as an older, white, certified redneck (guns, pickup and all) I know better than to shoot myself in the foot over my displeasure with HRC. They say that when you lay down with dogs, you wake up with fleas. I fell certain that many of you who lay down with Trump (like Chris Christie) will wake up with pleas, either for a return of what will be lost or a deal with the authorities.
Much of the country has not reacted well to how congress treated Obama. It remains to be seen if they are more or less discontent with them heaping the same or worse on a woman who is white, a mother, and a proven statesperson. This equation resolves with THE math, not yours.
Trump has no clue about redeeming anything except the coupons on his bonds and possibly green stamps. He can no more stop and calculate before reacting than a momma grizzly separated from her cubs by a pig wearing lipstick. He will stop and think when that pig flies (Geico commercials excepted).
Even as an older, white, certified redneck (guns, pickup and all) I know better than to shoot myself in the foot over my displeasure with HRC. They say that when you lay down with dogs, you wake up with fleas. I fell certain that many of you who lay down with Trump (like Chris Christie) will wake up with pleas, either for a return of what will be lost or a deal with the authorities.
Much of the country has not reacted well to how congress treated Obama. It remains to be seen if they are more or less discontent with them heaping the same or worse on a woman who is white, a mother, and a proven statesperson. This equation resolves with THE math, not yours.
37
Frank, let HRC know she shouldn't be too quick to tack rightward, since Wiki Leaks has promised they have more emails, so we know there will some sort of release from them in late Sept. or Oct. of possibly manufactured propaganda that will be too close to election day for her to de-bunk; she will need to have her Dems ready for that day, to make sure nothing stems Dem turnout, never mind GOP'ers crossing over.
As well, if Dems do take the Senate and possibly the House in addition to 1600 Penn, the Dem Senators from purple states will be so subject to pressure from special interests, and will be looking over their shoulders at re-election, that the 5-6 Senators who might constitute the Dem majority will always be acting as a counter weight to any runaway Clinton Progressivism like you seem to fear.
There is no reason to fear such a thing, since there is so much GOP'er damage to repair - remember how many administrations it took FDR to put the New Deal provisions in place that created the foundations for the vaunted '50s - it has taken GOP'ers considerably less time to tear down what was built, and it will take multiple Progressive administrations to correct things.
As well, if Dems do take the Senate and possibly the House in addition to 1600 Penn, the Dem Senators from purple states will be so subject to pressure from special interests, and will be looking over their shoulders at re-election, that the 5-6 Senators who might constitute the Dem majority will always be acting as a counter weight to any runaway Clinton Progressivism like you seem to fear.
There is no reason to fear such a thing, since there is so much GOP'er damage to repair - remember how many administrations it took FDR to put the New Deal provisions in place that created the foundations for the vaunted '50s - it has taken GOP'ers considerably less time to tear down what was built, and it will take multiple Progressive administrations to correct things.
268
Glad you brought up Wikileaks. What is Assange's self-righteous agenda while he is trapped inside the Bolivian embassy? Maybe he is totally losing it? Wants to take over the world?
By de-bunking you mean risking a negative escalation in US-Russia relations to deflect from the contents of the Emails as was the case last week ? Shouldn't the contents speak for themselves ? When is enough enough ?
4
Republicans refused to work with Obama.
I hope the situation will change if Clinton wins.
Let's just say that in spite of a few Republicans supporting Hillary, the rest of the GOP remains silent.
I am skeptical that, even in the event of a shellacking this November, the leadership of the opposition party will bring forth an olive branch.
I'll be content with having Justice Garland confirmed, and also the possibility of more liberal justices appointed to the Supreme Court in the years ahead.
I hope the situation will change if Clinton wins.
Let's just say that in spite of a few Republicans supporting Hillary, the rest of the GOP remains silent.
I am skeptical that, even in the event of a shellacking this November, the leadership of the opposition party will bring forth an olive branch.
I'll be content with having Justice Garland confirmed, and also the possibility of more liberal justices appointed to the Supreme Court in the years ahead.
498
The problem is that there is no leadership in the opposition party just obstruction.
2
Agreed. Not just a shellacking but winning back a more balanced congress will be enough to stop the rabid madness.
3
As far as Justice Garland's confirmation is concerned, if Hillary takes the Presidency and the Senate, she should put Obama's name up as the nominee.
2
Obama squandered his first two years. His fixation on healthcare - not the economy - and the White House - not the grass roots - lost the democrats congressional control and state redistricting. But, he certainly did not torment the GOP.
21
@twstroud: No, the President did nothing to address our economic problems during his first two years. The stimulus, the bail-outs- clearly we can thank the republicans in Congress for the fact that most of us who owned bank accounts in 2008 still own them today. The Depression that this nation so narrowly avoided- thank you, John (McCain, Boehner), thank you Mitch, thank you Sarah. If not for your hard work and sacrifice who knows where our economy would be today.
137
Sorry twstroud, healthcare is really important. I'm glad he focused on healthcare and I hope the next President also focuses on healthcare among other things. It's still super expensive to get good healthcare.
10
Ah, so the fact that Dems and likeminded independents sat out the 2010 midterm elections while the new Tea Party voters—enraged by the Great Recession, organized and funded behind the curtain by those whose interests they served—swept their freshman group into Congress and GOP majority, that doesn't have any bearing, right? And I guess the stimulus he got through Congress doesn't matter, right? I could continue, but you can get the drift.
"The stimulus could have done more good had it been bigger and more carefully constructed. But put simply, it prevented a second recession that could have turned into a depression. It created or saved an average of 1.6 million jobs a year for four years. (There are the jobs, Mr. Boehner.) It raised the nation’s economic output by 2 to 3 percent from 2009 to 2011. It prevented a significant increase in poverty — without it, 5.3 million additional people would have become poor in 2010."
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/23/opinion/sunday/what-the-stimulus-accom...
"The stimulus could have done more good had it been bigger and more carefully constructed. But put simply, it prevented a second recession that could have turned into a depression. It created or saved an average of 1.6 million jobs a year for four years. (There are the jobs, Mr. Boehner.) It raised the nation’s economic output by 2 to 3 percent from 2009 to 2011. It prevented a significant increase in poverty — without it, 5.3 million additional people would have become poor in 2010."
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/23/opinion/sunday/what-the-stimulus-accom...
6