October 14, 2015

Did you get the memo?



The NYT sure did.

Hillary won that debate. She met the test. The nomination is clinched. All true Democrats stand down. Accept destiny. It is won.

The Washington Post got the memo:



Now, I've got to admit... the memo is kind of correct. It's too late for Biden to jump in. Without a significant stumble by Clinton, the debate drives home how wrong it would be for Biden to step on her now. Bernie Sanders can't be President. He's a socialist! He gave a wonderful paean to socialism last night. And who were those other guys on the stage? I mean, really, who the hell were they? Other than Martin O'Malley. Gee, he looked handsome and tall, and he was really trying to register an impression. And you've got to give him credit for at least being a Democrat, which is not a distinction any of the other men on the stage seem to have. You'd think that would be a bare minimum for the Democratic nomination. We'll see if O'Malley gets any traction in the polls, now. It's unlikely. The acceptance of Hillary is jelling. So sayeth the memo.

Here's Bernie's paean to socialism (from WaPo's nicely annotated transcript), in response to Anderson Cooper's question whether a "democratic socialist" can win:
Well, we're gonna win because first, we're gonna explain what democratic socialism is. And what democratic socialism is about is saying that it is immoral and wrong that the top one-tenth of 1 percent in this country own almost 90 percent -- almost -- own almost as much wealth as the bottom 90 percent. That it is wrong, today, in a rigged economy, that 57 percent of all new income is going to the top 1 percent. That when you look around the world, you see every other major country providing health care to all people as a right, except the United States. You see every other major country saying to moms that, when you have a baby, we're not gonna separate you from your newborn baby, because we are going to have -- we are gonna have medical and family paid leave, like every other country on Earth. Those are some of the principles that I believe in, and I think we should look to countries like Denmark, like Sweden and Norway, and learn from what they have accomplished for their working people.
ADDED: CNN got the memo:

58 comments:

MadisonMan said...

When you aren't asked hard questions, it easy to succeed.

tim in vermont said...

You say that Democrats think the rich are gaming the system and Republicans think the poor are, but what Republicans actually think is that the very rich are buying off the poor with the middle class's money. Bernie has a point about the Tech billionaires and Wall Street embezzlers.

jr565 said...

Sanders should move to Denmark or Sweden.

Tank said...

Those are some of the principles that I believe in, and I think we should look to countries like Denmark, like Sweden and Norway, and learn from what they have accomplished for their working people

If the US was full of the old "Dens" "Swedes" and "Nords," it might work. But, of course, it's not.

We have BLM, Din Du Nuffin and La Raza.

Diversity.

Go on, look at modern Sweden now that it's becoming more and more diverse and tell me how great it's looking.

Mark said...

All the people that wanted her to win thought she did, and everyone who wants future contacts inside a potential Clinton White House just declared victory for her.

Like with the Republicans, the punditry seem completely unaware of what people are actually saying out in the country [instead of mostly unaware and misunderstanding it].

CStanley said...

Biden can still get in, and will, if Obama decides that he should. If that doesn't happen though, obviously it's going to be Hillary.

Brando said...

What did we expect? It was a rigged coronation from the beginning. Joe waited too long, if he wanted in he needed to get off the bowl months ago. Sanders--the fact that he has to try and explain socialism already tells you he isn't going to win. This is token opposition, and no one should bother watching the Dem debates because they simply do not have a race going on. This is the equivalent of a show trial.

The sad thing is the only thing left to stop our modern-day Nixon (minus the competence and shred of shame original Nixon had) is a Republican party so fractured it cannot pick a Speaker, and with a primary that resembles a circular firing squad. The 2016 cycle is a joke and the second Clinton Administration is going to be the punch line.

Tank said...

A Scandinavian economist once said to Milton Friedman, ‘In Scandinavia, we have no poverty’. Milton Friedman replied, ‘That’s interesting, because in America, among Scandinavians, we have no poverty, either.’

Oh.

jr565 said...

Sanders is the only DECLARED socialist. But really, what democrat these days isn't playing to the socialist seats? There may be a few, but they are few and far between. Sanders is the only one honest enough to say that's what he is.
Hillary clinton has flip flopped all over the map. But she is hitting all the beats that the socialists love. The democratic party is socialist now.
Name 5 things that Sanders said he's for (which are socialist goals) which Clinton would disagree with.

Hagar said...

The Scandinavian countries never were as socialist as Bernie Sanders claims, and today they have moved on from even that.

Even in Norway - now a petro-state - the Labor Party has officially left socialism and now claims to be a Social-Democrat party. That is leftish, but no way socialist.

I don't think Bernie Sanders knows what "socialist" is.

jr565 said...

Sweden actually provides a model for unrestricted immigration and the effects on the welfare state.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-debate/swedens-ugly-immigration-problem/article26338254/

"Forty-eight per cent of immigrants of working age don’t work, he said. Even after 15 years in Sweden, their employment rates reach only about 60 per cent. Sweden has the biggest employment gap in Europe between natives and non-natives.

In Sweden, where equality is revered, inequality is now entrenched. Forty-two per cent of the long-term unemployed are immigrants, Mr. Sanandaji said. Fifty-eight per cent of welfare payments go to immigrants. Forty-five per cent of children with low test scores are immigrants. Immigrants on average earn less than 40 per cent of Swedes. The majority of people charged with murder, rape and robbery are either first- or second-generation immigrants. “Since the 1980s, Sweden has had the largest increase in inequality of any country in the OECD,” Mr. Sanandaji said."

Unrestricted immigration has the effect of creating mass inequality on a population. If you want a welfare state it kind of requires you to know how many people are paying into the system and how many are receiving benefits in turn. I realize the dems want voters, but its only going to lead to more income inequality when those who come use benefits but can't find work.

SomeoneHasToSayIt said...

How is Hillary Clinton not already in jail?

Hagar said...

I looked in for a minute or so, and was surprised by Hillary! She has indeed been well coached.

However, I don't think the situation has changed any. Hillary! is not a manageable person, and Obama is not going to want her for a successor. So I expect them to dump some really damaging stuff on Hillary! and get her indicted, and then have Slow Joe ride to the rescue, if they have to tie him into the saddle.

He is all they've got, so there is no such thing as "too late."

Brando said...

"However, I don't think the situation has changed any. Hillary! is not a manageable person, and Obama is not going to want her for a successor. So I expect them to dump some really damaging stuff on Hillary! and get her indicted, and then have Slow Joe ride to the rescue, if they have to tie him into the saddle."

I'm not counting on this. If Obama wanted to get involved in this race and get Biden in there, they would have acted by now. For some reason Biden doesn't want this--maybe two presidential campaign losses discouraged him, as well as fear of what the Clintons would do to him, and her lead in endorsements, donors, staff and in the polls made him wary. I think we need to accept that the Democratic primaries this cycle will have all the reality of a show trial. They're coronating their queen, who is entitled to the presidency because of what she endured for her husband.

This is what our country has come to.

CStanley said...

I agree with Hagar. I really don't believe that Obama is going to let Hillary win the nomination, and I think it is within his power to keep her from winning it.

MadisonMan said...

I agree with Hagar. I really don't believe that Obama is going to let Hillary win the nomination, and I think it is within his power to keep her from winning it.

Wishful thinking.

jr565 said...

If Hillary is the nominee it will allow the repubs to force her to disavow her husbands record and instead embrace Obama's. Which will be fun. So, your husband thought Sadaam had WMD's, right? Was he a liar and wagged the dog? Did he lie and did people die?

Brando said...

"If Hillary is the nominee it will allow the repubs to force her to disavow her husbands record and instead embrace Obama's. Which will be fun. So, your husband thought Sadaam had WMD's, right? Was he a liar and wagged the dog? Did he lie and did people die?"

The GOP is great at messing up opportunities to do things like this, though. For all of Hillary's vulnerabilities--and they are legion!--this is a group that will absolutely drop the ball. It'll be pure luck if they stumble into victory next year.

jr565 said...

Actually in relation to Denmark (from Kevin Williamson):
Bernie Sanders’s Denmark love is another reminder that our Democratic friends, who imagine themselves to be worldly cosmopolitans more at ease with sophisticated European ways, don’t actually know a damned thing about what’s going on overseas. For those of you who are keeping score, the Heritage Foundation, which literally keeps score, rates Denmark’s economy as slightly more free – slightly more capitalistic — than that of the United States. Denmark is in a rough spot just lately, but it has been undergoing a series of deep and intelligent reforms to its welfare state (as have many of the other Northern European countries) to counteract the ill effects of earlier excesses.

http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/425544/somethings-awesome-state-denmark-kevin-d-williamson

So, if Sanders is proposing america have a more free economy and a lower tax rate for corporations, yeah, lets go there. One thing that Denmark has is a really high tax rate for the middle class. I'd love to see Sanders make that argument. The middle class isn't paying their fair share.

bgates said...

Bernie Sanders can't be President. He's a socialist!

I'd like to ask Obama which of Sanders' ideas he would oppose.

damikesc said...

"Attacks"? They didn't try to attack her once.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

Pro-democrat media falls in line.

Wow - shocka.

Hillary is still corrupt.

Anyone going to ask how life in public service got the Clintons $230 million?

Brando said...

""Attacks"? They didn't try to attack her once."

Attacking her would have gone off script! This is a show trial, a planned coronation. Why any idiot would donate money to the other candidates is beyond me, when it's clear they only serve to present the veneer of opposition. In truth the party has decided they want this incompetent crook to be a president so awful Obama will look like George Washington.

Americans should completely ignore the Democratic primary--debates and caucuses and primary elections--because why play along with this pantomime? It's a sick joke.

Big Mike said...

Well if it's going to be Hillary then Republicans have to nominate Fiorina. She's the only one who can look a bitch square in the eyes and call the bitch a bitch, and get away with it. If a man says anything bad about Hillary -- no matter how true it is! -- then Althouse and a lot of other (ostensibly sophisticated) women will have a collective fit of the vapors.

Get used to saying "President Fiorina," Althouse.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

Agreed, Brando. It is a sick joke. The dems are going to nominate a crook, and that's the end of it.

damikesc said...

Attacking her would have gone off script! This is a show trial, a planned coronation.

Which is beyond irksome. Are Progressives so dumb that they cannot handle disagreements?

Americans should completely ignore the Democratic primary--debates and caucuses and primary elections--because why play along with this pantomime? It's a sick joke.

Honest question: If Sanders somehow won, does anybody believe the DNC wouldn't find a reason to "disqualify" some of the primary votes for any reason?

David Begley said...

If Gowdy nails Hillary Joe could still jump in.

Brando said...

"Which is beyond irksome. Are Progressives so dumb that they cannot handle disagreements?"

Dumb perhaps, but this is more craven wagon circling than anything else. They've accepted she is their queen and they must defend her from anything. The slightest dissent means President Carson is going to take away women's rights and everyone's free goodies.

"Honest question: If Sanders somehow won, does anybody believe the DNC wouldn't find a reason to "disqualify" some of the primary votes for any reason?"

I wouldn't put it past Clinton's allies to do that. They learned their lesson when Obama beat them, they are pulling no punches now. If Sanders somehow got ahead of her in the polls (hard to imagine since it looks like he's not even trying to do that) we would see a lot of nasty leaks in the press about him. Coming from sources unconnected to the Clinton campaign, of course--just like the "Obama wasn't born here" rumor.

Hagar said...

I think you have to recognize that for Obama, the Democratic Party is just a means to an end. In the current situation he might be perfectly happy for a Republican president to be elected if the Democrats can regain the Senate (which is quite possible), and he will rely on knee-jerk Democratic reaction to stop the Republicans from passing any legislation reversing what he has set in motion.

Brando said...

"If Gowdy nails Hillary Joe could still jump in."

Spoiler alert--Gowdy will nail no one. The hearings will be more examples of idiot GOP congressmen preening for YouTube clips, giving Daily Show plenty of ammunition, and supporting the narrative that it is a hearing about nothing and a partisan witch hunt. And Joe is not jumping in. Like the rest of his party's establishment, he's getting in line.

Brando said...

"I think you have to recognize that for Obama, the Democratic Party is just a means to an end. In the current situation he might be perfectly happy for a Republican president to be elected if the Democrats can regain the Senate (which is quite possible), and he will rely on knee-jerk Democratic reaction to stop the Republicans from passing any legislation reversing what he has set in motion."

I don't disagree with that--Obama hasn't really done much for Democrats not named "Obama." But I'm getting the sense that he couldn't care less what happens in this election cycle, because he isn't in it. He has no love for Hillary, but I don't see him doing anything to stop her either.

Hagar said...

Just how do you think all the drip-drip about he e-mails get released?

rehajm said...

I'm so grateful Bernie was there to tell me how I feel about things.

Static Ping said...

I agree with some other comments, if Obama could take out Hillary at any time. She's so incredibly corrupt that he could have her indicted legitimately on dozens of charges. That would open the path to the nomination to Biden or whomever Obama wants to be the nominee, given that Sanders draws a high level of support but only from a small part of the primary electorate and the other nominees are not serious candidates. Biden would be too late to jump in against a normal primary field but this is not a normal primary field.

Of course, it is possible that the Clintons have their own doomsday plan against Obama if he were to strike. Having such corrupt leaders makes such speculation so interesting. It is a lousy way to run a country, but if it is all going to heck it might as well be entertaining. Let's just skip the swimsuit competition.

holdfast said...

I feel a little sorry for Jim Webb. The guy's a little weird but his sense of duty and love of country is clearly very strong. Unfortunately, the the Dems have no Jacksonian wing left - sure the DNC liked him when he was flipping Virginia for them (which flip has not been pretty much cemented by the addition of more snivel servants in NoVa plus huge Hispanic immigration), but he can't be their face at the national level. On the other hand, he's burned most of his bridges with the GOP - though a smart Republican President might offer him Veterans Affairs or even SecDef.

Writ Small said...

The media interest in Hillary's scandals is going to dry up if all the to-her-left opponents are no longer seen as credible.

Here's hoping Bernie's polls don't skitter off the cliff.

Unfortunately, D's seem to be better strategists than R's these days.

Wince said...

The press may be jazzed about Hillary!, but the Obama-Sanders foot soldiers aren't.

Neither are moderates.

And that is key.

walter said...

Missed it. Was hoping Sanders was going to light up a can of Berno. O'Malley's call for "green revolution" could have been his cue.
Does Berno like Norway?
"Petroleum activities have contributed significantly to economic growth in Norway, and to the financing of the Norwegian welfare state. Through over 40 years of operations, the industry has created values in excess of NOK 12 000 billion in current terms. In 2012, the petroleum sector accounted for 23 percent of value creation in the country. This is more than twice the value creation of the manufacturing industry and around 15 times the total value creation of the primary industries."

Deb said...

Man oh man. Load the trucks, folks. It's go-time.

Bushman of the Kohlrabi said...

It sounds like Hillary beat the DNC version of the Washington Generals last night. Obviously the Generals earned a living trying to make the Globetrotters look good. I wonder what Bern and the boys received.

walter said...

With all the talk about "the rich", did Clinton Inc's net worth come up?
Did Hil' re-offer the "two for one" proposal with Bill as first (black) lady?

MikeR said...

As we all have known for some time, Clinton will be nominated if she isn't destroyed by the email scandal. None of us has any idea how likely that is, though everyone says they do. Wait and see.

Jon Burack said...

Hillary clearly won hands down. And yet I do not think she or the Democrats won anything lasting. First off, Bernie didn't do himself any good last night. It was sad to see him pander to Hillary on her emails only to have her turn on him on guns in return. But the Democrats are far off to the left of the voters on guns, on faith in government spending on free services none of them has a plan to pay for, on Black Lives Matter pandering, on the nutty notion the biggest security threat to the nation is the weather. I am not arguing here the merits of any of this, but simply that no majority of Americans is going to vote for this. We are not Denmark (as even Hillary had the good sense to note) and Denmark would not work here anyway even if people chose to be Denmark. For the first time, I began to think even Trump might beat Hillary. A disquieting thought, but I can't say for sure how I would vote in such a contest. Her dishonesty is simply too disturbing to me. The Clintons have always gotten away with the "it's all the rightwing conspiracy against us" line on past scandals, and the cowed field last night bought into that, but this scandal is not like the others, it is not going away, and what she did last night on it will not work. Neither she nor the others actually did her a bit of good by continuing to act as if there is no there there on it. But I think the Democratic Party is stuck with her, unless Joe gets his mojo going fast and gets at it.

Brill said...

It looks like we might get our very own Evita. How low we have fallen.

damikesc said...

But the Democrats are far off to the left of the voters on guns, on faith in government spending on free services none of them has a plan to pay for, on Black Lives Matter pandering, on the nutty notion the biggest security threat to the nation is the weather.

They're also boned on "partisanship". When your front-runner calls half the country her "enemy" and she's "proud" of that --- hard to look like much more than a ideologue.

We are not Denmark (as even Hillary had the good sense to note) and Denmark would not work here anyway even if people chose to be Denmark.

To paraphrase Milton Friedman, we don't have impoverished Scandinavians in the US, either. It's not just in Scandinavia that they do well.

Big Mike said...

My wife scanned Drudge this morning. She told me that Hillary had no major gaffes in last night's debate, so "obviously they gave her copies of the questions well in advance."

And I though that I was the cynical member of the household!

walter said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
walter said...

This would have been a great time for her to skip the pantsuit and wear this! Maybe do one of those walk overs to Berno's podium and watch him stutter.

walter said...

I mean this..

Tyrone Slothrop said...

Well, fine. With Hillary as the nominee any Republican-- and I mean any Republican-- will win the election.

Brando said...

"Well, fine. With Hillary as the nominee any Republican-- and I mean any Republican-- will win the election."

That's the attitude that will get Hillary elected. As awful a president as Hillary will make, unfortunately there are too many Americans who will vote for her if they see the GOP nominee as a ghoul.

mtrobertslaw said...

The real test will be how Hillary does in the polls over the next few weeks. If her polls continue to drop, or even remain stationary, the clamor for Uncle Joe will get louder.

CStanley said...

Hillary was polished.

Like, what, with a cloth?

Brando said...

"The real test will be how Hillary does in the polls over the next few weeks. If her polls continue to drop, or even remain stationary, the clamor for Uncle Joe will get louder."

I suspect Hillary's polling will actually improve a bit, as the feckless performance by her "opponents" will make her look like the alpha by comparison, and I'm almost sure of it that the GOP will botch the Benghazi hearings as only they can.

But regardless, I think Biden's chance has passed. I don't see any reason for him to have waited this long if he really wanted to run. He's probably just pretending to be on the fence because it's his last chance to get media attention before going forth into that good night.

damikesc said...

But regardless, I think Biden's chance has passed. I don't see any reason for him to have waited this long if he really wanted to run. He's probably just pretending to be on the fence because it's his last chance to get media attention before going forth into that good night.

Most likely. People keep ignoring that states have deadlines to be added to ballots for primaries. He can't just enter in March.

And why isn't the media more annoyed at the blatant kabuki act of the Democratic debates? Nobody clearly wants to disagree with Hillary or say anything. I love the whole "substantive debate". It was a circle jerk, to be gentle.

rsbsail said...

"And who were those other guys on the stage? I mean, really, who the hell were they? Other than Martin O'Malley. Gee, he looked handsome and tall, and he was really trying to register an impression. And you've got to give him credit for at least being a Democrat, which is not a distinction any of the other men on the stage seem to have."

Well, hell's bells. The Republican front runner is a Democrat. Why can't former Republicans run as Democrats?

Anonymous said...

While ballot deadlines never seem to matter much when Democrats need flexibility there, the problem for Biden is Hillary would send an army of lawyers to keep him off the ballot if the official deadline is past.

It does feel that Biden has waited too long, and that pretty much all the media were signalling to him, as it were, that last night was the chance for him to get in, with that waiting podium and all. While I wouldn't count him out until around Halloween given Obama's likely support of his candidacy, I really don't see him winning unless Hillary's campaign gets torpedoed with her being indicted, in which case Biden would emerge as the most viable replacement candidate. If Obama does intend to play that card, it is more advantageous to play it late, nearer the convention, when there is little to no opportunity for Democratic primary voters to interfere.

s'opihjerdt said...

So "Democratic-Socialism" does mean "That guy has oxen!!!! Covet them!!!!"