Especially since Bernie speaks this evening.

I must admit - I'm pretty upset about this. Hopefully, it's just July.

My husband just piped up with "well, Trump must be LAUGHING." I'm just shaking my head over this.

Mike Pence is a fanatic would bring us the closest in our history to Sharia law. CHRISTIAN-style Sharia law. Especially since what Kasich reported - about being hit up to be his running mate: that the VP job in a Trump administration would be the most powerful Vice Presidency EVER, because the Vice President would be put in charge of running domestic AND foreign policy. In other words, and this was a quote - the parts of the job "that he doesn't want to do." Oh great. And there's something else that bothers me about that, too: the parts of the job "that he doesn't want to do"???????????" So, Donald, you're applying for a really big important job that has include some parts that you DON'T WANT TO DO?????????????????????? The quote, if I recall correctly, is from one of Trump's sons, who now denies he said it. Figures. From the "apple doesn't fall far from the tree" department.

The "creative destruction" crowd, like Susan Sarandon and others who think that maybe four years of Donald Trump would be worth suffering through to get to critical mass on revolution just completely slay me. They REALLY, SERIOUSLY believe that? How'd their support of Ralph Nader work out for them?

All I can say after watching this circus this morning, is that I'm damn glad this is happening in July, when there are still months left to the campaign and November's still off in the distance, and there's time to recover.

A Trump/Pence win would swiftly become "the gift that keeps on shivving." As in, sticking a shiv straight into our backs. And pulling it out, while twisting. And then plunging it in again.

Sorry about all the ?s and the caps, but that's the volume, pitch, and velocity of my feelings about this. I know what would happen if I applied for a job but said I didn't want to do some of its parts that make up the job. Yeah, I wanna be a reporter, but I don't want to have to schlep out however far it is to cover some story, or pay for gas, or try to find parking, or have to sit around and set up my mic and/or camera, and do the research beforehand, read the handouts at the venue, know who and what it is about. I just want the parts where I'm on camera. Can I have the job? I'm gonna make the broadcast great again. I'd be laughed all the way to the opposite coast.

This is an outrage.

I'm old enough to remember that. And Nixon won. But only for awhile.

Thanks, underpants!

And thank you, too, pnwmom, for helping to draw attention to this thread!

But what changed for both my husband and me was when the CONS shut down the government awhile back, and quite a few pols ON OUR SIDE declared they were going to do without their own paychecks until that disgrace ended. People weren't getting their Social Security checks, their disability benefits, government employees who processed all that stuff couldn't come in to work, the federal government was frozen in place and couldn't operate, and the little guy who DEPENDS on those government services was REALLY getting screwed. Democratic Congresspeople stepped up and announced that they would not take their paychecks while this disaster was going on, and I think I recall some Democratic Senators doing so too. But not Debbie.

DWS refused to take part in that solidarity gesture. She actually joined that Renee Elmers and other CONS who refused to do so. "I need my paycheck, said the North Carolina CON (who was married to a surgeon, btw, so you KNOW she wasn't exactly gonna starve, okay?). And so did others on that side. But not Debbie. SHEESH - just BECAUSE the GOPers were refusing, for that reason ALONE, she should have joined her fellow Dems in passing up their paychecks as long as other Americans farther down the food chain were being left high and dry! But NO! So that started to turn us against her.

Glad she's leaving. I just wish somebody else was stepping in than the entirely underwhelming and dismal Donna Brazile.

May your take on this be fruitful and multiply!

It happens to every candidate, on either side. So I'm not paying much attention to this one. But I'm mighty glad WE get to go second. We can beat that Trump bounce back down easily. The DNC convention will generate enough news that there'll be TONS more to talk about and report about than simply all the adverse stuff, distractions, enemy dirty-tricks and assorted attempts at rat-fucking, all of it. We've got some of the best speakers in the business, starting with a sitting President who's POPULAR, whose poll numbers are above 50% and rising (as opposed to what we saw last week - when the last two Presidents AND nominees on the other side didn't even want to show up), a convention with A-list guests and speakers and decorative, notice-me celebrities (as opposed to the B- and lower "luminaries" we saw last week). We have loads of popular name-politicians who WANT to be here (as opposed to what we saw last week).

So as the convention gets going, I expect - and HOPE - that there's plenty more news to be generated that's all positive, plus an upbeat tone to the whole thing, that will more than counteract any convention bounce the bad guys got.