October 23, 2016

"Do you want a democracy or a demagogue?" Oprah Winfrey

Thank you Oprah Winfrey for summing up this election in one concise question. She was speaking about people who say, "I just don't know if I like her" - talking about Hillary. Oprah said something like, "she's not coming over to your house, you don't have to like her." And then Oprah asked this question, "do you want a democracy or a demagogue?"

I have no link. Maybe someone else read this too?

October 23, 2016

"Never underestimate the power of a Clinton campaign" said I.

Back when this campaign season began I repeatedly said to people, "never underestimate the power of a Clinton campaign." I said this because of my first hand experience with Bill Clinton's first campaign back in 1992. I was a college student on a campus with an overwhelming majority of Republicans, young and otherwise. I started the first campus organization for Democrats because I believe we need to be informed about both sides and we need to vote. Before this campus club for Democrats it had been decades since Democrats were represented at this university. But I digress, I was working in this election to register voters, GOTV, I was part of "the youth corps for Clinton/Gore and while working in this effort for months I was ridiculed by Young Republicans who told me repeatedly that Clinton had "no chance in hell" of being elected. And, by the way, this was the height of the "family values" era for the Republicans. I recall making signs to counter that fiction that read, "Family values, Bush teach Neil not to steal!" But, again, I digress, so Democrats kept working and finally it was Election Day. I remember going to the campus coffee shop that evening to watch the returns. Even then Young Republicans were taunting me in their dismissive tone, "dream on" and "it's never going to happen" and stuff like that. I replied "we'll see" which was my standard response. When the results started coming in it was like a blue wave, with a couple of red blotches here and there. So, again I say, never underestimate the power of a Clinton campaign.

http://www.270towin.com/1992_Election/



Oh, and, that year at an event in Houston, Bill Clinton shook my hand and said, "I like your sign" which read, "Bush lives in Maine, this Texan for Clinton."

October 22, 2016

"Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned"

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Hell%20Hath%20No%20Fury

May this message be sent loud and clear to Donald!

Recently I created a thread about the suffragettes and suffragists and how I am grateful that those women fought for my right to vote and they kept fighting for decades to ensure that all women could vote. It is interesting in the last few weeks of this election cycle the leaked tape of Donald bragging about sexually assaulting women has created a situation where for once inches history of America, women are poised to honor those suffragettes and suffragists who were never able to legally vote. That in some clever uncanny twist of fate women can completely alter the course of this election by voting all across the nation while simultaneously repudiating and denouncing men like Trump who we have all encountered in one way or another in our lives; incidentally we can also cast votes to honor our female ancestors who endured this sexist, chauvinistic attitude in addition to being sexually harassed and assaulted throughout history. We have the power!

Nate Silver at 538 created a map of what the election results would look like if only women voted.

?quality=90&strip=all&w=575&ssl=1

I believe American women can surpass even that map. Women vote. Statistically and historically we vote more than men. And this year we are "mad as hell" Trump has scorned American women! Look out Trump. You did this.

"I am woman hear me roar, in numbers too big to ignore, I am strong, I am invincible..."
Helen Reddy

Link to Suffragettes/Suffragists thread
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10028238275

October 22, 2016

All this talk about Trump supporters revolting after election reminds me of

how I felt when W and KkkRove and their cabal stole the election in 2004 by using an electronic election system that lacked an ability to audit and therefore was not transparent and therefore not democratic. I was devastated. I worked the polls that year and on election night I stayed up as late as I could watching the results but I was tired and dozed off around 1:30 AM and when I woke up around 3:30 or 4 all of the sudden W was the winner. I wailed like a weeping woman. I was terrified and furious. Somehow, no doubt by some Divine miracle, I managed not to resort to violence, or destruction of property, or to start a revolution.

I had to endure, as did many people who felt the same way I did, another 4 years of that horrid W and Darth Cheney and their cabal. And, unlike the 8 years of President Obama and VP Joe Biden, their was NO progress for America during the 8 years of Bush the lesser and there were plenty of scandals, plus an illegal war, and millions of missing (i.e. Intentionally Deleted) emails and dollars. My motto has always been, "Don't vote for the son of a Bush!" I know. I am from Texas and lived what W did to Texas before he was selected by the "Supreme" Court in 2000.

Can Americans put country before party? Will our deep divisions rip us apart? Are we a country of laws? Do we honor our American history and our traditions? Do we uphold our Democratic Process? How do we begin to mend the rended fabric of our Nation?

October 22, 2016

Everything old is new again, an article from May 2016 appears to be foreshadowing

http://www.politicususa.com/2016/05/17/democrats-rid-mitch-mcconnell-john-mccain-poll-shows-big-trouble-gop.html

A few minutes ago I created a thread about the consequences of Republicans remaining silent and going along with Trump. I found this article about McCain and McConnell and how Democrats could remove them both this year if McCain loses the election and the Republicans lose the Senate majority. According to the article this is due to the fact that McConnell could not resist obstructing President Obama one last time regarding the Supreme Court nominee.

Oh please make it so Number 1

October 22, 2016

I'd like your input Re: Republican elected officials and Party silence on Trump's

election result tactics. Specifically, his refusal to accept the outcome unless he wins combined with inciting violence in those people who choose to support him. One thread here this morning has an article where Ken Burns calls Trump's maneuvers "right out of the playbook of the National Socialist Party in Germany."

http://www.democraticunderground.com/12512535647

In another thread, Nancy Pelosi says "silence is complicity" describing Republican elected officials going along with what Trump is saying rather than condemning Trumps remarks outright and publicly.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/12512535460

Then, in the last couple of days I watched the Keith O. video where Keith makes an intelligent, passionate argument that the Republican Party is "compelled" to denounce Trump now or go down with him. One thing I got from this video is the question of what responsibility does the Republican Party have, and this especially includes Republican elected officials in the House and Senate as well as at other levels too, to the United States of America?

Or, to put it another way, what is the obligation of the Republican Party - and the people representing said Party especially those who hold a political office - to the Country? To our Democratic process? To our Constitution? Our historical traditions? To the American people? And, more importantly, if the Republican Party and these Republican officials remain silent now what consequences might there be for this inaction? And, just to add another layer here, what about the catch 22 place these Republican officials and leaders have put themselves in IF they do speak out? The personal political consequences for doing the right thing by the county and the people? Clearly they have put themselves in a bind here. And, what if, the shoe was on the other foot, and this was the Democrats and our Party (which thankfully is not the case)?

Link to Keith's video

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1017&pid=407135

October 21, 2016

I put my foot on Putin's face, figuratively speaking, and painted

my toenails a color called "Madam President" it is an OPI Fall 2016 color, a pretty pinky-rosey-red. Ladies I invite you to do the same. So, Putin was on the cover of Time magazine under my foot while I painted. It's silly but satisfying too.

Interesting article in said magazine about the Mercers money and super PACS and Donald as well as other Republican candidates and Citizens United. What an intricate web of people and a ghastly amount of money.

Carry on...

October 20, 2016

I've decided my vote has only been counted IF

Hillary wins.

Actually, my husband was just talking about Donald saying he would only accept the results of the election IF he wins. And hubs response to that was, "can I decide my vote was only counted if Hillary wins?"

He is so quick witted.

October 20, 2016

Um, is "such a nasty woman" code for "bitch" when you are on TV?

It seems to me that this is the age old response that some men resort to when they encounter a smart, prepared, strong, assertive woman who refuses to be a doormat or dumb-down to make insecure men feel better. Like on the tip of his tongue was "bitch" but since he couldn't' say that he mutters "such a nasty woman" instead.


I am just thinking out loud here but no doubt this applies. And, what's more, I imagine that women who were part of the suffragette and suffragist movements were called names like this and worse.
It is the same chauvinistic and bullying attitude that women have dealt with throughout history. Not to mention Donald speaks with a forked tongue as he says, "nobody respects women more than me, nobody" while simultaneously insulting the woman standing on stage debating him.

As if it was not awful enough that, by some unknown miraculous revelation, the Billy Bush Bus tape led us in this election cycle to the issue of "grab them by the pussy" aka sexual assault which is appalling to the majority of women and triggering for many women who have been sexually assaulted throughout their lives. And, by the way, boys and men have also experienced sexual assault. There is more to delve into but I'll stop there due to time and space limitations.

October 20, 2016

I keep hearing Trump & Trump supporters including members of the media

use the term "rig" along with "rigged" and "rigging" so I thought to myself after hearing the term used over and over, self, maybe they have a different definition of the term rig. I went to Google and found this definition.


rig2
riɡ/
verb
verb: rig; 3rd person present: rigs; past tense: rigged; past participle: rigged; gerund or present participle: rigging
1.
manage or conduct (something) fraudulently so as to produce a result or situation that is advantageous to a particular person.
"the results of the elections had been rigged"
synonyms:manipulate, engineer, distort, misrepresent, pervert, tamper with, doctor; More
falsify, fake, trump up;
informal fix, fiddle with
"they rigged the election"
cause an artificial rise or fall in prices in (a market, especially the stock market) with a view to personal profit.
"he accused games manufacturers of rigging the market"
nounarchaic
noun: rig; plural noun: rigs
1.
a trick or way of swindling someone.

After reading this definition, it is apparent to me that not only does this term apply to Trump and his campaign - if you want to call it a campaign - but also that Trump and people who are parroting him using this term and its variations are projecting. For example, when one person in a partnership is cheating but constantly accuses their partner of cheating. Anyway, my mother has this saying, "the skunk always smells it first" although credit to the skunk it does not project things that are not there and do not exist.

Look, right there in black and white, it says "trump up" go figure eh