The first in the nation Primaries and Caucuses are set for February 2016 so things are going to get steadily noisier over the next 90 days during which Vice President Joe Biden may or may not enter the race. In the mean time here is your popcorn time viewing schedule.
Oct. 22, 2015
Hillary Clinton testifies before the House Select Committee on Benghazi
OCT. 28, 2015
Republican debate – CNBC
Time – Main segment: 8 p.m. ET. Secondary: 6 p.m.
Location – University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado
Moderators – Carl Quintanilla, Becky Quick, John Harwood
Who’s in – Main segment: All candidates averaging at least 2.5 percent in CNBC-recognized national polls between September 17 and October 21. Secondary: Remaining candidates averaging at least 1 percent.
November 9, 2015 — Rock Hill, South Carolina
Rachel Maddow has been selected to moderate the First in the South Candidates Forum with Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders, and Martin O’Malley, to be held in South Carolina on November 6th, co-sponsored by the Democratic Parties of 13 southern states.[20]
November 14, 2015 – Des Moines, Iowa
The second debate is scheduled for November 14, 2015, at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa. It will air on CBS News and will also be broadcast by KCCI and The Des Moines Register.
The moderators are Cynthia Fodor of KCCI, with participation by Alyx Sacks of KCCI.
103 responses to “Pass The Popcorn”
Tony posted interesting article on previous thread. Another Bad Day for Benghazi Committee http://www.newsweek.com/another-bad-day-benghazi-panel-384592
Looks like full court press by team HRC in regard to Beghazi is finally having some success.
Even the NY times columnist, Dowd admits that the committee went too far, but it is still HRC’s fault.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/18/opinion/sunday/will-hillary-clinton-be-pilloried-by-the-benghazi-committee.html?rref=collection%2Fcolumn%2Fmaureen-dowd&action=click&contentCollection=opinion®ion=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=1&pgtype=collection&_r=0
Ya know something I’ve noticed is that team HRC have been successful in lampooning Dowd.
20 years ago when she was young and perky.
The snark sounded fresh, now she just sounds bitter and out of date.
Nobody cares about her 1990’s obsessions with the Clintons
Jack
I always get the feeling that Bill rejected Dowd’s eager advances and she has been playing woman scorned ever since.
Anotherr candidate for the Liz Trotta award… bitterest woman in journalism
I read Dowdy early this morning and i thought, “mean girl” . I can’t even laugh at her catty zingers anymore, bitter and old, your right Jack..
Freedom Caucus heads will be exploding over this possibility: Pelosi: House Dems are ‘open’ to a bipartisan Speaker http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/pelosi-house-dems-are-open-bipartisan-speakerutm_content=buffer67874&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer
http://www.texastribune.org/2015/10/17/video-nancy-pelosi-at-the-texas-tribune-festival/
wonder if this guy is who nancy has in mind
http://wonkette.com/595076/lets-meet-the-sexy-montana-navy-seal-stud-who-will-obviously-be-next-house-speaker
rep. gowdy better add this to his committee’s investigation agenda on thursday
http://www.wsj.com/articles/cia-directors-private-email-account-was-hacked-news-report-says-1445273851
The Democratic Primary Doesn’t Need Joe Biden
The vice president thinks Hillary Clinton needs better opposition. That’s condescending to the man who’s made this a race.
By Joan Walsh
http://www.thenation.com/article/the-democratic-primary-doesnt-need-joe-biden/
I think Joe should run if he wants.. I just don’t see a rationale for his run.. What does he bring to the table that Hillary doesn’t? The other two times he ran i didn’t think he was a good candidate..
GOP Congressman Already Floating Impeachment For Hillary Clinton
She hasn’t even secured the Democratic nomination.
Amanda Terkel
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/mo-brooks-hillary-clinton_5625053de4b0bce3470156eb
Mo Brooks was just on MTP Daily. The man is certifiable. He makes your average Right Wing Nut Job look almost sensible.
Benghazi Dems: ‘No evidence’ to support GOP attacks on Clinton
Julian Hattem
http://thehill.com/policy/national-security/257294-dems-no-evidence-to-support-gop-benghazi-attacks
Hillary Clinton: Smart leadership for the 21st Century | Hillary Clinton
https://youtu.be/FCcLW33ZAmA
The women in the van
Hillary Clinton attracts a rarity on the campaign trail — an overwhelmingly female press corps.
By Hadas Gold
Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2015/10/hillary-clinton-women-press-214891#ixzz3p3KdPRP2
Jim Webb to consider running as an independent
By Gabriel Debenedetti
Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2015/10/jim-webb-democrats-independent-214929#ixzz3p3L0hzec
Oh Craig?????
He could probably pull whatever part of the Republican Party that is still clinging to sanity.
Definitely true.. Lol, i’m sure there’s a few :0)
Poll: Obama approval highest in more than 2 years
By Nick Gass
Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2015/10/poll-obama-approval-ratings-214922#ixzz3p3LLjtc7
‘That’s Such a Lie!’ Geraldo Goes Off on Jesse Watters for Benghazi ‘Slander’
by Josh Feldman
http://www.mediaite.com/tv/thats-such-a-lie-geraldo-goes-off-on-jesse-watters-for-benghazi-slander/
Bill O’Reilly on The View: Bernie Sanders Has ‘No Chance At All’
by Alex Griswold
http://www.mediaite.com/tv/bill-oreillly-on-the-view-bernie-sanders-has-no-chance-at-all/
Peggy Noonan outdoes herself, sneers that Obama’s presidency means “Anyone can run for president now”
Noonan’s gross, racially insensitive logic: Obama somehow dirtied up the White House, invited in the Trumps
AMANDA MARCOTTE
http://www.salon.com/2015/10/19/peggy_noonan_outdoes_herself_sneers_that_obamas_presidency_means_anyone_can_run_for_president_now/
Biden 2016: A Bad Idea Gets Worse
Everyone seems to think he’s running. No one has any idea why he would.
Michael Tomasky
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/10/19/biden-2016-a-bad-idea-gets-worse.html
http://www.nytimes.com/politics/first-draft/2015/10/19/jim-webb-a-blip-in-the-polls-warns-of-an-independent-run/
JIM WEBB a blip on the polls..
from http://www.wsj.com/articles/hillary-clinton-widens-lead-in-primary-race-wsj-poll-shows-1445335201
Hillary Clinton has widened her lead in the Democratic primary race after a strong performance in the party’s first televised debate, a new Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll finds.
The poll offered little encouragement for Vice President Joe Biden as he wrestles with whether to enter the contest. For all the respect the vice president enjoys within his party, just 30% of Democratic primary voters said they would like to see him run for the presidential nomination, with 38% saying he shouldn’t run.
The survey, conducted Oct. 15-18, found Mrs. Clinton leading the primary field with 49% support, compared with 29% for Sen. Bernie Sanders, and 15% for Mr. Biden.
Without the vice president on the ballot, Mrs. Clinton’s lead over Mr. Sanders opened to 58% to 33%—a margin 10 percentage points wider than in a Journal/NBC News poll taken in late September, before the Oct. 13 Democratic debate.
http://www.kcci.com/politics/bill-clinton-katy-perry-to-campaign-in-iowa-for-hillary/35922620
nice to know there are still some sane gopers out there
this from http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2015/10/kevin-mccarthy-john-boehner-a-speaker-of-the-house-213267 by Mickey Edwards
The United States desperately needs a speaker of the House of Representatives, an important constitutional office that has largely gone unfilled for more than a quarter of a century.
[….]
It’s time to restore some semblance of democracy to what was supposed to be the most democratic institution of American government. One increasingly discussed way to do that would be to take advantage of the absence of any requirement that the speaker be a member of Congress. Members could select for the speakership a neutral party who would ensure procedural fairness and an opportunity for the House to act as a single entity in taking up the nation’s business. Or House rules could be revised to provide that any bill or amendment that receives a significant number of sponsors, perhaps a fourth of all members, would automatically be scheduled for full consideration on the House floor. Or House rules could be amended to prohibit any member from being elected speaker who had not received a minimum of, say, 20 percent of his or her votes from members of the opposition party, which would inevitably require promises of equal treatment and fair consideration. In Great Britain, speakers of the House of Commons are expected to be neutral and resign from their parties when elected; a similar procedure here could go a long way toward ensuring that the House of Representatives is an American institution, not a party institution.
I don’t believe the writer of this article understands the traditional role of the Speaker of the House. The holder of the office has always been a dictator as was the traditional role for committee chairs. But Chairs powers have been reduced by both caucuses in the last 25 years.
Jack
http://www.kspr.com/news/politics/boehner-urged-to-stay-speaker-for-months-if-ryan-passes/21051736_35931116
A Ryan spokesman said the Wisconsin Republican “looks forward to listening to and speaking with his colleagues this week.”
He’ll have a chance to do that Tuesday. The GOP Conference scheduled an unusual meeting Tuesday evening where dinner will be served and staff will be excluded. That meeting comes on top of two all-member meetings set for Wednesday, as the party scrambles to figure out the way forward.
Fukishima death, billions in compensation, and still not fixed http://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/japan-acknowledges-possible-fukushima-nuclear-radiation-casualty-n447596
“This Daily Show clip shows how Joe Biden built his jokey “Uncle Joe” persona”
http://www.vox.com/2015/10/20/9570927/joe-biden-daily-show
The problem for Biden getting in the race is he is a year too late. This isn’t the era of party bosses where you can get a few of them and carry the state. It takes a gotv operation in every state and that takes time and money.
Sure Biden is an old war horse and he smells the smoke but it is too late.
Jack
http://media.cagle.com/89/2015/10/19/170280_600.jpg
As to Webb running as an independent……….
He is polling at one percent, has no hard core following and not enough money to build a following. Add to it that he is a bad campaigner………………
Give it up Jim you had some ideas that need to be out there but you aren’t the man to carry them forward. It happens.
Jack
Spot-on, Jack. Maybe Fearless Leader can explain those truths to him in as much as Craig is an Indy, is from that part of our country, and is undoubtedly supportive of Jim, despite his warts.
https://youtu.be/FKgvBQ2uGlI
35-deg and a light frost this morning–brrrrrh.
http://money.cnn.com/2015/10/20/news/companies/hillary-clinton-drug-prices-daraprim/index.html
Hillary Clinton calls for U.S. probe of 5,000% drug price hike
Even more worthy of investigation: Why have all drug prices covered under Medicare policies skyrocketed for next year? My copays are tripled for 2016
from http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2015/10/20/webb-to-drop-out-democratic-2016-race/
Webb is said to be disillusioned with the Democratic Party — as well as the Republican Party — and how the political parties are being pulled to allegedly extreme positions by the huge amounts of loosely regulated money fueling the campaigns.
Webb has a press conference scheduled for 1 p.m. ET.
While Webb is thought to be weighing a possible independent bid, he is not expected to launch an independent campaign for president Tuesday. Rather, he’s expected to take some time after his announcement to talk with people from across the political spectrum before making a decision.
http://images.politico.com/global/news/110111_webb-605.jpg
Feel bad for Craig, but this candidacy was doomed from the beginning. Webb may be a truly decent man, but his core stances are just too far out of step with the Democratic party, particularly in a race where Hillary Clinton is the moderate in the line up.
My prediction is that Webb will decide he’s not running for president… but then again… I’m pretty sure he never was…
I feel for Craig… it’s obvious that he very much respects Webb and believes in him. Methinks Webb is a very decent human being… but he hates politics. And being able to play politics is essential in government…. whether we’re talking about the WH or a local selectmen’s office.
this had to hurt…
http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2015/10/jim-webb-dropping-out.html#
Most voters won’t even realize Webb is gone. A recent poll from CNN showed that 56 percent of Americans had never heard of him.
If Webb has a single issue he would focus on – he could run a credible indy campaign kind of what Lawrence Lessig is doing with campaign finance reform
I do think it was pretty clear he was not in sync with the current Democratic Party (but not a gooper either)
I still think the goopers will wake up and say oh noooooooooooo what have we done.
Trump is still a feckless blowhard but #2 Ben Carson is straight out of crazy town — at least he has rid us of The Huckster.
Dr. Carson seems like a sweet man, but I always get the feeling he has been nipping at the ether mask.
He has a very calm demeanor but he definitely belongs in Scarborough Country
I’m sure Pat Buchanan is having a hard time deciding between Trump and Carson
It’s official Webb has dropped out saying he still wants to be a voice.in the process. It seems to me he got off to a good start in the early days in Iowa but without some support to organize the
interest he got lost in the Hillary Bernie Shuffle
well hell, webb’s right about a rig job. at least from the media. tried to watch his press conference at cnn, msnbc and fox… none carried the whole speech. they broke off after he said the magic withdrawal words. their talking heads wanted to tell us what to think about what he was saying more than just letting us hear what he was saying as he was saying it. aaaarrrrgghhh! to quote charlie brown. aaarrrrggghh!!
couldn’t even see a rerun on the press club page. reminds me of that old song about being an invisible man.
https://youtu.be/WKHzTtr_lNk
he’s baaaack
from http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/charlie-crist-announces-florida-house-bid/ar-AAfFkcj?ocid=ansmsnnews11
Former Gov. Charlie Crist announced on Tuesday he’s running for Florida’s open 13th District — giving Democrats a top-tier recruit in a prime pickup opportunity next fall.
Crist, the Republican-turned-independent-turned-Democrat, lives in the part of St. Petersburg which is now in Florida’s 14th District. But a new congressional map, awaiting approval by the Florida Supreme Court, would move Crist into what would be a Democratic-leaning 13th District.
Anticipating a redrawn district that would make it a challenge for any Republican to hold, current Rep. David Jolly announced he is running for Senate in the Sunshine State, rather than re-election in his House seat.
from http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/op-ed/article39620145.html
Carl Hiaasen: from God’s lips to Gaetz’s ears
State representative says gun rights granted by God
He’s pushing legislation to allow concealed weapons on state college campuses, and to let permit-holders openly carry their handguns in stores and restaurants. He said these are rights “granted not by government but by God.”
Gaetz’s pronouncement left theologians scratching their heads, because guns aren’t mentioned anywhere in scriptures. Firearms didn’t exist when the Bible was written, and there’s no reference in either testament to “popping a cap in thine heathen ass.”
from http://dailycaller.com/2015/10/20/trump-doubles-down-on-jeb-bush-barbs-george-w-didnt-keep-us-safe-video/
Trump then told host Alisyn Camerota:
George Tenet, the CIA Director knew in advance that there would be an attack. And he said so to the president and he said so to everybody else that would listen. And that came out. The other thing is, the FBI, the NSC, and the CIA were not talking to each other. These are the three main agencies. They weren’t talking to each other and they weren’t talking because they didn’t like each other and they had a lot of problems getting along. And that’s leadership. You have to, you know, you have to get your three main agencies to talk to each other. They had a lot of information that if it could have been correlated, it would have been very, very helpful.
“You know, as President Truman said, ‘The buck stops here.’ Whether you like it or not, Truman… would have said the buck stops here,” Trump claimed.
Joe Biden Is Either Running For President Or Having A Hell Of A Time Playing Us
C’mon, man.
Igor Bobic
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/joe-biden-president-2016_562647f2e4b0bce3470226c8
“For the second time this week, Biden implicitly knocked Clinton for saying at the first Democratic debate that she considered Republicans her “enemy.”
“I don’t think my chief enemy is the Republican Party. This is a matter of making things work,” Biden said Tuesday. He touted his ability to work with congressional Republicans, saying, “Whenever there’s a problem, I get sent to the Hill, which, by the way, is a useful use of my time.”
This piece makes me think Joe is similar to Obama regarding Republicans in his first term.. Uncle Joe is a bit delusional. Like him but he actually likes Cheney, oh please Joe!
Joe Biden’s diss of Hillary just gave me a 2008 flashback. I literally growled at the computer. If he enters and should he by misfortune get the nomination, someone will have to drag me to the polls while chanting “Remember SCOTUS Remember SCOTUS”
Exactly, SCOTUS would be the only reason.. I like him personally but not for President..
Lol, Jamie, this comment is from my friend Seth (Bernie supporter) regarding Joe’s diss, spot on i’d say.
“Yes, talking shit about Hillary was drawing the line in the sand. He isnt ready and isnt going to be… ever. Its over… Not a bad career in politics…
Hillary gets no credit for being so strong. 99.999% of the population, man or woman, would not be able to take the attacks she has taken and still charge forward.”
Joe Biden’s Account of Stance on Bin Laden Raid Conflicts With Others
http://www.nytimes.com/politics/first-draft/2015/10/20/joe-bidens-account-of-stance-on-bin-laden-raid-conflicts-with-others/
“Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. has now given differing accounts of the advice he gave President Obama in 2011 as the administration debated whether to raid a compound in Pakistan where Osama bin Laden was believed to be hiding.
On Tuesday, Mr. Biden suggested that he had not opposed the raid, saying he told the president in a one-on-one conversation “that I thought he should go but to follow his own instincts.” That seemed to conflict with the public memories of others who were involved in the decision and who suggested that Mr. Biden was against the raid.”
The first time I ever heard the song” My Funny Valentine” it was on a record by Bill Dana as José Jimenez about him being an astronaut.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=x1MOLzFpqrU
With the large number of sub par candidates out there who believe themselves to be presidential timber, it seems a little sad that Mr. Webb could not break through.
Granted, he was not much of a campaigner, or a genius on the stump, but I would trust him when the chips were down.
Me thinks that the beltway press and the MSM simply are not interested in serious candidates.
Why should they be? The public isn’t either.
Joe said there are no ideological differences between himself and Ovama. Umm, Joe, that’s not gonna help you if you’re running.
Ben Carson…I just don’t get him. I laughed at his Jedi mind trick during the alleged incident at a fast food restaurant (of which there seems to be no supporting evidence). You don’t want me; you want the man behind the counter. Ha! How did this fool even decide to run. It’s like an episode of “Pranked.”
from http://www.latimes.com/nation/politics/la-na-paul-ryan-speaker-20151020-story.html
At that meeting, Ryan said he would be “willing to serve” if the three main GOP caucuses united around him. He also had other conditions, including that he not be required to travel as much as Boehner had so Ryan could spend time with his family.
“We have white smoke,” said Rep. Steve Womack (R-Ark.) as he left the closed meeting.
yep, “smoke” and a whole bunch of mirrors
to joe, paul and all the critters in critterville
https://youtu.be/-sjUVhHa73E
ahhh, it begins. the accusations about authenticity, truthiness and untrustworthiness
http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/biden-was-against-bin-laden-raid-before-he-was-for-it/ar-BBmgksi?ocid=ansmsnnews11
Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. on Tuesday offered an account of his advice to President Barack Obama before the raid that killed Osama bin Laden that differed from his previous remarks.
Biden’s recollection spilled over to the White House’s daily briefing, and offered a clear example of how Biden’s off-the-cuff style could stir up the 2016 race — and potentially undercut his potential candidacy.
“We walked out of the [Situation] Room and walked upstairs,” Biden said at a forum at George Washington University. “I told him my opinion: I thought he should go, but to follow his own instincts.”
talk about mean girls… wonkette not wishy-washy about webb
http://wonkette.com/595132/democrat-jim-webb-drops-democrat-charade-will-definitely-be-president-now
The House Benghazi committee unravels
Dana Milbank
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-house-benghazi-committee-unravels/2015/10/20/ad6101c4-7763-11e5-a958-d889faf561dc_story.html
tony, thanks for the link. astounded by their comedy of errors so far such as this one described in the article:
“Gowdy this month made the sensational allegation that one of the emails on Clinton’s private server contained the name of a CIA source, “some of the most protected information in our intelligence community.” But the CIA said the name to which Gowdy referred was not classified. The State Department asked that the name be redacted – not for security reasons but for the individual’s privacy. Gowdy, completing the comedy of errors, then released the email publicly on Sunday with the person’s name – apparently unaware that the State Department had failed to redact it.”
Yes, Pat, where the Clinton’s are concerned they overreach every time and look like the fools they are..
George W. Bush unleashes on Ted Cruz
‘I just don’t like that guy,’ the former president tells donors.
http://www.politico.com/story/2015/10/jeb-bush-george-bush-donors-ted-cruz-214933
The Task Facing Joe Biden
BY JOHN CASSIDY
http://www.newyorker.com/news/john-cassidy/the-task-facing-joe-biden