May 29, 2016

Clinton Supporter, Wendell Pierce of ‘The Wire’, Arrested After Attacking 2 Sanders supporters

Wendell Pierce of ‘The Wire’ Arrested After Fight Over Bernie Sanders
The bitter Democratic primary has now led to a Hollywood actor’s arrest: Hillary Clinton supporter Wendell Pierce was detained by Atlanta police early Sunday after an alleged assault on two Sanders supporters.
by Goldie Taylor * 5/15/2016 * The Daily Beast

Politics ain’t beanbag but, if press reports are to be believed, a well-known Hollywood actor and producer may have thrown more than a multi-colored children’s toy at a couple in Atlanta. Wendell Pierce, who turned in standout performances for HBO’s The Wire and Treme, was arrested after an altercation early Sunday morning at an Atlanta hotel.

A casual conversation with other two hotel guests reportedly turned tense when the subject of the Democratic presidential primary was broached. The New Orleans native, an ardent supporter of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, allegedly assaulted a woman and her boyfriend at the midtown Loews Hotel around 3:30 a.m. The alleged incident took place in The Lobby, an open bar sandwiched between the guest check-in desk and a restaurant, and a go-to venue for private receptions and after-work cocktails for Atlanta’s business and entertainment class.

The couple, said to be supporters of Bernie Sanders, said Pierce became enraged when the unknown woman declared her support for the Vermont senator. Pierce, who most recently co-starred in the HBO drama Confirmation in the role of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, allegedly pushed a male victim and then “went after his girlfriend… grabbing her hair and smacking her in the head,” according to TMZ.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/05/15/wendell-pierce-of-the-wire-arrested-after-fight-over-bernie-sanders.html

May 29, 2016

Does anyone else use photobucket to embed graphics & photos on DU?

I've been using it forever, without any problems. But just recently it's become useless, as
it won't copy in the "direct" mode or any other mode.

AND/OR ...

Can anyone recommend an alternative photo sharing website to use instead of photobucket?

May 28, 2016

THE DEMOCRATS ARE MAKING A SUICIDAL MISTAKE

THE DEMOCRATS ARE MAKING A SUICIDAL MISTAKE
As a report undermines her statements about the email server, and polls show Trump drawing even, the Clinton campaign is quickly becoming a disaster
by NATHAN J. ROBINSON * May 28, 2016 * Current Affairs

Somewhat predictably, Hillary Clinton’s campaign has become a sinking ship. All of the lessons that should have been learned after her 2008 run failed so badly (that voters’ trust in her diminishes with each word she speaks, that her campaigns are woefully poorly run, that Bill is a liability) have been ignored, as the Democrats press forward with what looks like a doomed strategy.

Things were already looking bad when new polling showed that Trump had drawn even with Clinton, or was actually beating her (something Democrats have insisted is impossible). Now, the Inspector General for the State Department has released a report that contradicts large parts of Clinton’s story about her email server, which was already a highly troublesome and persistent issue.

The report hands the Trump campaign a powerful issue to deploy against Clinton. As the New York Times reported, it has numerous damning portions:



The Clinton campaign quickly released a statement arguing that the report had in fact exonerated her of wrongdoing. But even the Times, whose Clinton coverage is generally extremely sympathetic (they are the paper, after all, that went back and re-edited a news piece about Bernie Sanders to avoid making it seem too complimentary), seemed unable to stomach this attempt to twist the report’s findings.

Much More: https://www.currentaffairs.org/2016/05/the-democrats-are-making-a-suicidal-mistake

May 25, 2016

Whaa? Congressional Demorats consider dumping Debbie Wasserman Schultz

Dems discuss dropping Wasserman Schultz
By Alexander Bolton * 05/24/16 * The Hill

Democrats on Capitol Hill are discussing whether Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz should step down as Democratic National Committee (DNC) chairwoman before the party’s national convention in July.

Democrats backing likely presidential nominee Hillary Clinton worry Wasserman Schultz has become too divisive a figure to unify the party in 2016, which they say is crucial to defeating presumptive GOP nominee Donald Trump in November.

Wasserman Schultz has had an increasingly acrimonious relationship with the party’s other presidential candidate, Bernie Sanders, and his supporters, who argue she has tilted the scales in Clinton’s favor.
“There have been a lot of meetings over the past 48 hours about what color plate do we deliver Debbie Wasserman Schultz’s head on,” said one pro-Clinton Democratic senator.

The lawmaker said senators huddled on the chamber floor last week to talk about Wasserman Schultz’s future and estimated that about a dozen have weighed in during private conversations.

“I don’t see how she can continue to the election. How can she open the convention? Sanders supporters would go nuts,” said the lawmaker, who requested anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the discussions.

http://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/281147-dems-discuss-dropping-wasserman-schultz

May 22, 2016

Snopes: Chair-throwing at NV Convention? FALSE

FOR THE RECORD:
http://www.snopes.com/did-sanders-supporters-throw-chairs-at-nevada-democratic-convention/

May 22, 2016

Bernie Supporters need to get a grip. Next thing you know, they'll be throwing chairs

Next thing you know, they'll be throwing chairs. This needs to stop!!

Sign petition here, to stop this outrage!!!
https://www.change.org/p/bernie-sanders-bernie-sanders-call-on-your-supporters-to-stop-launching-small-children-from-trebuchets?source_location=topic_page

Bernie Sanders: call on your supporters to stop launching small children from trebuchets!!

Dear Senator Sanders,
At a recent Hillary Clinton rally, a Bernie Sanders protestor, not only disrupted the event, but began harassing a young girl with a Hillary Clinton sign. In a violent rage, the protestor placed the small child into a 14th century trebuchet, and launched her over the ramparts of a castle wall. We are writing this petition to ask you to call on your supporters to stop using children as medieval siege weaponry. We are including the tweet about this incidence as evidence in the hopes that you can put an end to this despicable practice.

May 21, 2016

If Bernie Wins California, Should Hillary Step Down?

If Bernie Wins California, Should Hillary Step Down?
5/20/2016 * Les Leopold * HuffPo

The Democratic Party must nominate the candidate with the best chance of defeating Trump. If Bernie wins California, Hillary is not the best candidate.

Oh, I hear the groans aplenty. Hillary won the most votes. Hillary has the most delegates. Bernie can’t possibly win against the Republican attack machine. Katha Pollitt in The Nation colorfully expresses the position heard often from progressive Hillary supporters:

“I just don’t believe Americans are ready for a 74-year-old self-described socialist with a long far-left CV who would raise their taxes by quite a lot. By the time the Republicans got finished with him, he’d be the love child of Rosa Luxemburg and the Ayatollah Khomeini, and then it’s hello, President Trump.”

But if Hillary loses California, what does that say about her ability to win in the fall? It would mean that she has alienated most white voters. It would mean she again has lost the vast majority of independents, a crucial category. It would mean she couldn’t win dog catcher among those under 30. And most importantly it would mean that she could lose to Trump.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/les-leopold/if-bernie-wins-california_b_10051886.html

May 20, 2016

Why Voters Might "Respectfully Disagree" With Clinton's Declaration of Victory

Why Voters Might "Respectfully Disagree" With Clinton's Declaration of Victory
Meanwhile with Clinton trailing Trump nationally, polling group wonders: 'Are Democrats on track to nominate the wrong candidate?'
byDeirdre Fulton, staff writer * May 20, 2016 * Common Dreams

The Bernie Sanders campaign struck back at Hillary Clinton on Thursday for her statement that the Democratic presidential nominating process was "already done," pointing to not only the nine remaining contests, but also poll after poll showing Sanders outperforming Clinton in hypothetical match-ups against presumptive GOP nominee Donald Trump.

Clinton told CNN on Thursday: "I will be the nominee for my party. That is already done, in effect. There is no way that I won't be." But Sanders spokesman Michael Briggs, in a strongly worded statement issued late Thursday afternoon, begged to differ.

"In the past three weeks voters in Indiana, West Virginia and Oregon respectfully disagreed with Secretary Clinton," Briggs said. "We expect voters in the remaining nine contests also will disagree. And with almost every national and state poll showing Sen. Sanders doing much, much better than Secretary Clinton against Donald Trump, it is clear that millions of Americans have growing doubts about the Clinton campaign."

A new Rasmussen poll published Friday finds Sanders ahead of Trump, 45-41 percent, but Trump ahead of Clinton, 42-37 percent. The polling group wonders: "Are Democrats on track to nominate the wrong candidate?"

Meanwhile, a CBS News/New York Times poll released Thursday evening showed Sanders ahead of Trump by 13 points, 51 to 38 percent—more than double Clinton's six-point lead over the New York real estate mogul.

The same poll found that 52 percent of Democratic primary voters would enthusiastically support Sanders if he were the nominee, compared to 44 percent who feel that way about Clinton.

http://www.commondreams.org/news/2016/05/20/why-voters-might-respectfully-disagree-clintons-declaration-victory

May 19, 2016

Five things people should stop saying about Bernie Sanders

ESPECIALLY #5, IMHO.
___________________

Five things people should stop saying about Bernie Sanders
by Trevor Timm * May 19, 2016 * The Guardian

It seems to be open season on Bernie Sanders in the Democratic party now that his chances of winning the nomination are dwindling. But the criticism of him is misguided and hypocritical, and he is doing the right thing by largely ignoring it.

Here’s a breakdown of what the party’s establishment is saying and why it makes little sense.
1. Bernie should stop criticizing Clinton! (for 1-3, see link)
2. Bernie should criticize Trump more!
3. Stop criticizing the party!
4. Bernie should drop out!
There is nothing worse than Democratic establishment politicians decreeing that Sanders must drop out or feigning horror that his supporters sometimes don’t unquestionably support other Democratic politicians on 100% of the issues.

Again, let’s look back at the 2008 race: the Clinton camp said she had every right to stay in the race for as long as she wants, even though it was clear that Obama would win. She even said one of her reasons was “we all remember Bobby Kennedy was assassinated in June in California” before the Democratic convention in 1968. If Sanders said something like that he would be raked over the coals (and rightly, I might add).

It’s not politicians who should be dictating when Sanders drops out, that’s the voters’ job. And Sanders, despite finding his mathematical chance increasingly dwindling, continues to win primaries. Last night he won Oregon, for example. So it seems that voters don’t want him to drop out, only the politicians who are tied to the system he is constantly criticizing do.

5. Sanders supporters are out of control!
Certainly the behavior of a few Sanders supporters crossed the line in Nevada last week, which Sanders himself has acknowledged. But the lengths the Clinton camp and the media has gone to turn this election into a referendum on who has the better behaving supporters really has taken away from the important issues the candidates were debating.

What’s worse is Clinton surrogates outrage over a very small minority of Sanders supporters claiming they don’t want to support Clinton in the general election. As many commentators have pointed out in response to the countless “Bernie bro” think pieces that are churned out on a regular basis, every candidate has awful supporters.

The Clinton camp also seems to have conveniently forgotten that the phenomenon known as Pumas, hardcore Clinton supporters who were so intent on not supporting Obama after the 2008 Democratic primaries that they literally named their contingent “Party Unity My Ass.” And surprise, surprise, after a few months that controversy was largely ancient history and Clinton supporters overwhelmingly voted for Obama, because the other general election candidate was much worse.

Bernie Sanders has certainly been a shot in the arm for the Democratic party. But that is only a good thing, and I, for one, hope he continues.

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/may/19/bernie-sanders-establishment-democrats-stop-arguments-primaries

May 19, 2016

Five things people should stop saying about Bernie Sanders

Five things people should stop saying about Bernie Sanders
by Trevor Timm * May 19, 2016 * The Guardian

It seems to be open season on Bernie Sanders in the Democratic party now that his chances of winning the nomination are dwindling. But the criticism of him is misguided and hypocritical, and he is doing the right thing by largely ignoring it.

Here’s a breakdown of what the party’s establishment is saying and why it makes little sense.
1 Bernie should stop criticizing Clinton! (for 1-3, see link)
2 Bernie should criticize Trump more!
3 Stop criticizing the party!
4 Bernie should drop out!
There is nothing worse than Democratic establishment politicians decreeing that Sanders must drop out or feigning horror that his supporters sometimes don’t unquestionably support other Democratic politicians on 100% of the issues.

Again, let’s look back at the 2008 race: the Clinton camp said she had every right to stay in the race for as long as she wants, even though it was clear that Obama would win. She even said one of her reasons was “we all remember Bobby Kennedy was assassinated in June in California” before the Democratic convention in 1968. If Sanders said something like that he would be raked over the coals (and rightly, I might add).

It’s not politicians who should be dictating when Sanders drops out, that’s the voters’ job. And Sanders, despite finding his mathematical chance increasingly dwindling, continues to win primaries. Last night he won Oregon, for example. So it seems that voters don’t want him to drop out, only the politicians who are tied to the system he is constantly criticizing do.

5 Sanders supporters are out of control!
Certainly the behavior of a few Sanders supporters crossed the line in Nevada last week, which Sanders himself has acknowledged. But the lengths the Clinton camp and the media has gone to turn this election into a referendum on who has the better behaving supporters really has taken away from the important issues the candidates were debating.

What’s worse is Clinton surrogates outrage over a very small minority of Sanders supporters claiming they don’t want to support Clinton in the general election. As many commentators have pointed out in response to the countless “Bernie bro” think pieces that are churned out on a regular basis, every candidate has awful supporters.

The Clinton camp also seems to have conveniently forgotten that the phenomenon known as Pumas, hardcore Clinton supporters who were so intent on not supporting Obama after the 2008 Democratic primaries that they literally named their contingent “Party Unity My Ass.” And surprise, surprise, after a few months that controversy was largely ancient history and Clinton supporters overwhelmingly voted for Obama, because the other general election candidate was much worse.

Bernie Sanders has certainly been a shot in the arm for the Democratic party. But that is only a good thing, and I, for one, hope he continues.

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/may/19/bernie-sanders-establishment-democrats-stop-arguments-primaries