The 2016 US Election (Part II)

[The Romulan Republic]

Is the reference to gamergate part of the "Sanders supporters are sexist" Clinton narrative? Because obviously we oppose Clinton because she's a woman. Can't be any other reason.

[Flagg]

Is the reference to gamergate part of the "Sanders supporters are sexist" Clinton narrative? Because obviously we oppose Clinton because she's a woman. Can't be any other reason.

No, because they're twats posting people's private information to intimidate them and are all around deluded shitbrains. And I'm not talking about run of the mill "I prefer Sanders over Clinton for the nomination and here's why, so I voted for him in the primary", I'm talking about the Internet shits. But thank you for revealing that you assume the only reason rational people would take issue with BernieBro's obnoxious antics is because "Clinton supporters just play the sexism card!", snowflake.

[The Romulan Republic]

Is the reference to gamergate part of the "Sanders supporters are sexist" Clinton narrative? Because obviously we oppose Clinton because she's a woman. Can't be any other reason.

No, because they're twats posting people's private information to intimidate them and are all around deluded shitbrains.

A few assholes who haven't even been identified yet are representative of Sanders supporters in general? Or even the hard core ones on-line?

And I'm not talking about run of the mill "I prefer Sanders over Clinton for the nomination and here's why, so I voted for him in the primary", I'm talking about the Internet shits. But thank you for revealing that you assume the only reason rational people would take issue with BernieBro's obnoxious antics is because "Clinton supporters just play the sexism card!", snowflake.

Lie, and a particularly poisonous and offensive one.

I have repeatedly stated my opposition to any sort of threats/violence. To suggest that I condone the release of private information for the purposes of threats or enabling threats/violence is defamatory.

I simply object to trying to paint large numbers of people as guilty for the actions of a few.

[Flagg]

Is the reference to gamergate part of the "Sanders supporters are sexist" Clinton narrative? Because obviously we oppose Clinton because she's a woman. Can't be any other reason.

No, because they're twats posting people's private information to intimidate them and are all around deluded shitbrains.

A few assholes who haven't even been identified yet are representative of Sanders supporters in general? Or even the hard core ones on-line?

Who else would do it? Or is a secret Clinton false flag attack? ONWARD TO POLAND!!!

And I'm not talking about run of the mill "I prefer Sanders over Clinton for the nomination and here's why, so I voted for him in the primary", I'm talking about the Internet shits. But thank you for revealing that you assume the only reason rational people would take issue with BernieBro's obnoxious antics is because "Clinton supporters just play the sexism card!", snowflake.

Lie, and a particularly poisonous and offensive one.

I have repeatedly stated my opposition to any sort of threats/violence. To suggest that I condone the release of private information for the purposes of threats or enabling threats/violence is defamatory.

I simply object to trying to paint large numbers of people as guilty for the actions of a few.

I never said any of that you stupid little pebble. You need to knock off the shit, start reading what people post, instead of reading what you want into people's posts and then maybe people will take your breathless horseshit seriously. The second I post about BernieBro's acting like gamergate shitheels because of the tactics being used by the poor fat limpdicks, you accuse me of trying to play the sexism card. You did that and then accuse me of lies and slander? Really? Is there a bed open at a mental ward near your residence? Because you may want to check in, snowflake.

[The Romulan Republic]

No, because they're twats posting people's private information to intimidate them and are all around deluded shitbrains.

A few assholes who haven't even been identified yet are representative of Sanders supporters in general? Or even the hard core ones on-line?

Who else would do it? Or is a secret Clinton false flag attack? ONWARD TO POLAND!!!

Did I say that? No.

It could be any number of people. Could be some jackass with no real political loyalties stirring shit up. Could conceivably be Right wingers too.

Or it could, obviously, be Sanders supporters. It is the most obvious explanation.

Albeit ones who are in no way representative of the majority of Sanders supporters or the campaign itself, any more than, say, Al Qaida is representative of Muslims.

I never said any of that you stupid little pebble. You need to knock off the shit, start reading what people post, instead of reading what you want into people's posts and then maybe people will take your breathless horseshit seriously.

You think I want to be subjected to dishonesty and trolling from shit stains like you? Fuck no. I judge you on what I read, although I am, of course, capable of unintentionally misinterpreting someone just like anyone else.

Whereas you chronically misrepresent what I am trying to say. So either you are incapable of comprehending me, or you are lying.

The second I post about BernieBro's acting like gamergate shitheels because of the tactics being used by the poor fat limpdicks, you accuse me of trying to play the sexism card.

The gamergate crowd is associated with sexist threats/harassment against women/feminists. Sanders supporters have been accused of being sexist by Clinton supporters/surrogates. So when you associate Bernie supporters with gamergate, its not a huge leap to make.

Even if you don't come right out and explicitly say it, you are familiar with the concept of a dogwhistle, no? Or subtext?

You did that and then accuse me of lies and slander? Really? Is there a bed open at a mental ward near your residence? Because you may want to check in, snowflake.

Accusations of mental illness as a debating tactic are something I find rather iffy, morally. Its easy to cross a line where you are being offensive towards the genuinely mentally handicapped.

You're a troll, and you make it more apparent with every day.

[maraxus2]

Yeah, I'm just so sure she was scared up on that stage with no one throwing chairs, no one trying to break through the line of cops in front of her. I mean jeez, how scary. What a joke.

I'm sorry, but I don't see as how you have the right to say when someone can be scared and when she can't be. Sure there was a lot of security, and sure nobody was throwing chairs. It's still an angry crowd, they're still shouting obscenities, they're still losing the vote, and they're still getting more and more angry. This is the same vein of criticism that got Jeff Weaver in so much trouble a few days ago.

[Flagg]

A few assholes who haven't even been identified yet are representative of Sanders supporters in general? Or even the hard core ones on-line?

Who else would do it? Or is a secret Clinton false flag attack? ONWARD TO POLAND!!!

Did I say that? No.

It could be any number of people. Could be some jackass with no real political loyalties stirring shit up. Could conceivably be Right wingers too.

Or it could, obviously, be Sanders supporters. It is the most obvious explanation.

Albeit ones who are in no way representative of the majority of Sanders supporters or the campaign itself, any more than, say, Al Qaida is representative of Muslims.

I never said any of that you stupid little pebble. You need to knock off the shit, start reading what people post, instead of reading what you want into people's posts and then maybe people will take your breathless horseshit seriously.

You think I want to be subjected to dishonesty and trolling from shit stains like you? Fuck no. I judge you on what I read, although I am, of course, capable of unintentionally misinterpreting someone just like anyone else.

Whereas you chronically misrepresent what I am trying to say. So either you are incapable of comprehending me, or you are lying.

The second I post about BernieBro's acting like gamergate shitheels because of the tactics being used by the poor fat limpdicks, you accuse me of trying to play the sexism card.

The gamergate crowd is associated with sexist threats/harassment against women/feminists. Sanders supporters have been accused of being sexist by Clinton supporters/surrogates. So when you associate Bernie supporters with gamergate, its not a huge leap to make.

Even if you don't come right out and explicitly say it, you are familiar with the concept of a dogwhistle, no? Or subtext?

You did that and then accuse me of lies and slander? Really? Is there a bed open at a mental ward near your residence? Because you may want to check in, snowflake.

Accusations of mental illness as a debating tactic are something I find rather iffy, morally. Its easy to cross a line where you are being offensive towards the genuinely mentally handicapped.

You're a troll, and you make it more apparent with every day.

I'm far from a troll. What I am is sick and tired of your running in circles, casual disregard and disrespect for people who find your childish use of a presidential contender's (as odious as he may be) pre-anglicized name (probably forcibly by ignorant emigration officials, or as an attempt to hide an unpopular at the time ethnicity) because "hurr hurr it sounds funny" despite multiple members requesting you knock it the fuck off because it offends them, and multiple posts and threads intimating wrongdoing by Clinton supporters (and then pulling the "you're calling me a sexist, waaaa!") card.

Every post you've made in this thread over the past 3 days has been whining, breathless, and reeking of desperation, when you're not just calling people liars because you don't like what they are saying about your dead-ender candidate of choice, snowflake.

Oh, and I had been in psych hospitals when I was a teenager (I don't know if you are by age, but you are by maturity level), and there were always several "mentally handicapped" (which is an insulting term for the mentally ill, not that you care) passive-aggressive little shits just like you knocking about. Not that I actually think you're crazy. You're just a deeply annoying twit, pebble.

[The Romulan Republic]

Since you're mostly just repeating/elaborating on old insults/dishonesty/off-topic grudges, there's not much I have to say here, except that any insult to the mentally ill was sincerely unintended, and I am sorry if my choice of terminology offended anyone else.

Out of curiosity, what term would you prefer? I assume you are okay with just "mentally ill", since you use it yourself?

However, I will point out, for the record, that you have just admitted to making a knowingly false insinuation of mental illness against me as a debating tactic.

[maraxus2]

However, I will point out, for the record, that you have just admitted to making a knowingly false insinuation of mental illness against me as a debating tactic.

It's not a debate tactic, sweetpea. We've been mocking you. Debate implies a back-and-forth of ideas and argument. You're the intellectual equivalent of a dumpster fire.

And just so this post isn't totally useless (take notes, sweetpea!), Sanders is apparently going around the Senate and telling people that he's going to chill the fuck out at the Convention. Same can't be said for his supporters though.

Sanders, Defiant on the Stump, Quietly Reassures Democrats on Unity
May 20, 2016 4 min read original
As tensions were escalating between Bernie Sanders and Democratic Party leaders over the chaos caused by his supporters at a Nevada convention, Dick Durbin got an unexpected call from the Vermont senator.

Durbin, the No. 2 Democrat in the Senate, came away from the conversation on Wednesday convinced that Sanders, who has all but lost the presidential nomination battle to Hillary Clinton, understands the need for party unity and will do his part to defeat presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump.

"We talked about the demonstrations and such," Durbin said Thursday in an interview. "I am convinced, as Bernie has said repeatedly, he is going to be on the team to defeat Donald Trump. I don't have any question in my mind."

"I think you see a lot of discomfort with tensions as high as they are now."

Randi Weingarten, AFT president and Clinton superdelegate

But such niceties mask growing impatience among Democratic Party leaders. And the behind-the-scenes assurances contrast with the defiant posture Sanders has adopted in the campaign, promising to take his fight for the nomination into the Democratic convention in July and calling the rules of the contest rigged.

Many in the Democratic establishment are privately seething over Sanders continuing to paint Clinton as the candidate of Wall Street and business and the party as corrupt. They are increasingly concerned that his refusal to back down will lead to enduring party fissures and potentially cost Democrats the White House. It may also ultimately threaten Sanders' goal of shaping the party's future and returning to the Senate with greater influence than he's ever had before.

Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia, a Clinton ally and former chairman of the Democratic National Committee, indicated that patience is wearing thin.

"It is time for the rhetoric to start to come together around helping our team win,'' he said in an interview. "I think it was very plain after the results of this week that Hillary will pass the threshold, and likely by a lot. She'll be the nominee under the rules that everybody understood were the rules when we started this."

Echoing recent statements by Clinton, Kaine recalled her decision at about this same point in the 2008 nomination race to tone down attacks on then-Senator Barack Obama even as she campaigned to the very end. "I think it's time for Bernie to do that," he said.

Trump, for his part, is salivating at the prospect of Democratic divisions boosting his chances of defeating Clinton.

"I believe that a large percentage of his [Sanders'] people vote for Trump. You watch," Trump told cheering supporters Thursday at a campaign event in Lawrenceville, N.J. "The one thing he's right on is trade."

Clinton Claims Victory
Clinton on Thursday delivered a direct message to Sanders and a challenge to his repeated assertion that he can still change the trajectory of the race.

"I will be the nominee for my party,'' she said in an interview on CNN. "That is already done, in effect. There is no way I won't be.''

The response from the Sanders campaign reflected the content and tone of the argument Sanders has been making in the final stages of the campaign. Saying polls show Sanders is a stronger candidate against Trump, spokesman Michael Briggs said in a statement that "it is clear that millions of Americans have growing doubts about the Clinton campaign." He noted that Clinton lost recent primaries to Sanders in Indiana, West Virginia and Oregon.

Members of the Democratic establishment are motivated to get out the message that the party will be unified coming out of the convention in Philadelphia, in order to calm donors and to make sure they move past internal disputes and shift focus to turning out voters to defeat Trump in November.

But Sanders has incentive to stay in the race as well. He and his strategists have said they want to maximize his leverage in the primaries to pursue a wish list of reforms at the July convention, which may include eliminating unpledged superdelegates and allowing more "open" primaries in which independents can vote, along with changes to the party platform that call for reforms like single-payer health insurance and breaking up the largest banks.

Still, his conduct is bringing intra-party tension closer to a boiling point, pitting his most enthusiastic followers—some of whom say they'd refuse to vote for Clinton in the general election—against Democrats eager to shift gears to the general election.

"It is incumbent on all of us to calm the waters as opposed to feeding the tension. Hillary has every right to say she's going to win the nomination,'' said Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, a Clinton supporter and a Democratic superdelegate to the convention. "But I think you see a lot of discomfort with tensions as high as they are now. The stakes in this election are too high."

Sanders has reached out to multiple Senate colleagues in an attempt to assuage them. Among them is Senator Barbara Boxer of California, whose keynote speech at the Nevada state Democratic convention last weekend was disrupted by rowdy Sanders supporters in a situation she described as frightening and out of control.

Boxer said she conveyed her concerns to Sanders in "a really nice talk" with him Tuesday. "I told him how bad it was in Nevada. He said he was distressed about it, and he expressed chagrin about it. I told him 'Bernie, you need to get a hold of it,' and he said he would.''

"He said, 'I can't believe my people would do this,'" said Boxer, who is stepping down from the Senate in January. "He got the point."

Sanders' Future
There are nine primaries or caucuses left on the calendar. Clinton has 96 percent of the total delegates needed to clinch the nomination, according to an Associated Press estimate Wednesday. Sanders has 64 percent. He'd need to win about two-thirds of the rest of the pledged delegates to pull even with Clinton by the end of the nominating race, a herculean task given that delegates are awarded proportionally on the basis of victory margins. He's making his last stand on June 7 in California, the biggest prize of all with 546 delegates.

Despite the party divisions, many Democrats are trying to stay optimistic. Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut predicts the divisions between Sanders supporters and Clinton supporters will be erased over time.

"Frankly, Donald Trump is going to be a fantastic unifying force within the Democratic Party,'' he said. "I just don't see this in the crisis terms that many people see it."

For Sanders, the decision on how hard to push carries implications for his future in the Senate, where he's currently next in line to chair the influential Senate Budget Committee. Alienating his colleagues has the potential to jeopardize that standing and turn him into more of an agitator in the vein of Republican Ted Cruz, who uses his grassroots support as a sword against his party.

Kaine nudged Sanders to use that influence for good.

"He'll have a lot of torque here," Kaine said. "Not just because of his seniority but because of the way he's run his campaign. It's going to give him tremendous influence."

—With assistance from Margaret Talev and Steven Dennis in Washington

Link

[The Romulan Republic]

Ah, so you admit that you and Flagg are literally engaging in nothing other than harassment for its own sake and contributing absolutely nothing of substance, nor even attempting to?

Concession accepted, etc.

[The Romulan Republic]

Anyhow, back to actual news:

http://www.kolotv.com/content/news/Bern ... 19275.html

LAS VEGAS (AP) - A group of Bernie Sanders supporters is accusing the Nevada State Democratic Party of blocking them from running for party office.

The Las Vegas Sun reported Friday that eight Democrats have filed a lawsuit against party officials for allegedly violating state law and internal rules.

Party Chair Roberta Lange and executive director Zach Zaragoza are among the defendants named in the suit.

According to the plaintiffs, Lange and Zaragoza denied their applications to run for the party's executive board because they missed an April 25 filing deadline.

The plaintiffs say a document on final election rules stated the deadline as April 29.

They are requesting a court allow applicants who filed by April 29 to run.

Party officials say the plaintiffs are "disgruntled activists" who are misinforming their supporters.

(Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

Jesus, seems like Nevada churns out a new controversy every other day now.

I'm not going to comment on who is in the right here because a) there is too little information as of yet and b) I'd prefer to defer judgement until both sides have had their day in court.

[Flagg]

Since you're mostly just repeating/elaborating on old insults/dishonesty/off-topic grudges, there's not much I have to say here, except that any insult to the mentally ill was sincerely unintended, and I am sorry if my choice of terminology offended anyone else.

Out of curiosity, what term would you prefer? I assume you are okay with just "mentally ill", since you use it yourself?

However, I will point out, for the record, that you have just admitted to making a knowingly false insinuation of mental illness against me as a debating tactic.

I was insulting you pebble, you fucking twit. Though they do say that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. So that does fit you to a goddamned T. You have thinner skin than a newborns ass, yet you lecture the participants in this thread about board culture. So grow thicker skin and stop whining, snowflake.

And sorry, but there is no vendetta or off topic grudge matches, pebble. I'm simply one of many who have grown tired of your whiny passive aggressive horseshit. To simply disagree with what you call an argument is to be called a liar, or insinuating that ulterior motives like defending Clinton (not that I enjoy it, it's like eating shit. I hate the woman politically, but she's the most qualified person in the running from either party and the BernieBro trolls using Republican talking points and gamergate tactics to attack her supporters and pledged delegates is why I despise prostitutes like Sanders and their cults of personality that's heading towards a political Jonestown that may result in Il Douche' becoming POTUS 45) by using claims of sexism because you have nothing to attack her with other than the fact that she voted for a stupid illegal war that most other democrats did then went on to serve the President that was opposed to the war but not in the US Senate to cast a vote for or against it and did a much better job than her war criminal predecessor.

But I bet those indictments are coming any day!!!

Now to prove I can see the future, I expect passive aggressive responses and being called a liar. Come and see.

[Flagg]

Ah, so you admit that you and Flagg are literally engaging in nothing other than harassment for its own sake and contributing absolutely nothing of substance, nor even attempting to?

Concession accepted, etc.

Post reported. I'm done with you, snowflake.

[The Romulan Republic]

http://www.cnn.com/2016/05/21/politics/ ... index.html

Washington (CNN)Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders on Saturday said he supports Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz's Democratic opponent in her August 30 primary, adding that if he is elected president, he would effectively terminate her chairmanship of the DNC.

Sanders, whose campaign has engaged in an increasingly bitter feud with the DNC chairwoman during his presidential bid, said in an interview set to air on CNN's "State of the Union" that he favors Tim Canova in Florida's 23rd congressional district. Canova is supporting Sanders.
"Well, clearly, I favor her opponent," Sanders told Tapper. "His views are much closer to mine than as to Wasserman Shultz's."
Sanders added that if he's elected president, he wouldn't reappoint Wasserman Schultz to head the DNC.
In a response to Sanders on Saturday afternoon, Wasserman Schultz insisted she would remain neutral in the Democratic presidential race despite the Vermont senator's endorsement of her primary opponent.
"I am so proud to serve the people of Florida's 23rd district and I am confident that they know that I am an effective fighter and advocate on their behalf in Congress," Wasserman Schultz said. "Even though Senator Sanders has endorsed my opponent, I remain, as I have been from the beginning, neutral in the presidential Democratic primary. I look forward to working together with him for Democratic victories in the fall."
Sanders' campaign has long been critical of Wasserman Shultz's performance as head of the committee, claiming that the DNC has favored his presidential primary challenger, Hillary Clinton. Sanders and his supporters have complained about the nomination process and ways they believe it has helped Clinton, including debates held on Saturday nights, closed primaries in major states such as New York, and the use of superdelegates -- essentially free-agent party and union stalwarts who are overwhelmingly backing Clinton.
Canova, who teaches at Nova Southeastern University Shepard Broad College of Law in Fort Lauderdale, was asked in 2011 to serve on Sanders' Wall Street reform advisory panel.
"I'm so proud to know that Bernie Sanders favors our campaign for progress for all. Like Sen. Sanders, I'm running a campaign that's truly backed by the people, not big corporations -- one that stands up to Wall Street interests instead of cozying up to them," Canova told CNN in a statement Saturday. "Together, I feel confident that our campaign of nurses, teachers, students, seniors and working-class Floridians can work together to demand accountability from our leaders, and offer a more positive path forward to the people of Florida's 23rd district."
Canova has called for greater regulation of Wall Street, writing on his campaign website that "we are now in a new Gilded Age." Like Sanders, he also opposes the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal.
"Time and time again, (Wasserman Schultz) has voted to protect the pools of dark money in politics," Canova recently told the New Times newspaper of Broward-Palm Beach.
While Sanders has a strong ability to raise money and thus could impact the race, he did not fare well in Wasserman Schultz's congressional district during the March Florida presidential primary, scoring 30.1% of the vote compared with Clinton's 68%.
RELATED: Sanders campaign manager: DNC chairwoman 'throwing shade' on Bernie
On Wednesday, Jeff Weaver, Sanders' campaign manager, slammed Wasserman Schultz after she told CNN the Vermont senator did not do enough to condemn his supporters' behavior at the party's raucous Nevada convention last week.
"We can have a long conversation about Debbie Wasserman Schultz just about how she's been throwing shade on the Sanders campaign from the very beginning," Weaver told CNN's Chris Cuomo on "New Day."
"It's not the DNC," Weaver added. "By and large, people in the DNC have been good to us. Debbie Wasserman Schultz really is the exception."
Wasserman Schultz has pushed back against Sanders' accusation that the party had rigged the system against him.
"We've had the same rules in place that elected Barack Obama. These rules were adopted for state parties all across the country in 2014," she said earlier this week.
Asked about the "throwing shade" line on Wednesday, Wasserman Schultz told CNN's Wolf Blitzer, "My response to that is hashtag SMH (shake my head)."
CNN's Chris Moody contributed to this report.

I'd love to see Schultz kicked out, probably even more than I want Sanders to win the nomination.

But I do appreciate Weaver's comment that I bolded.

[Flagg]

Yeah, Schultz is a fucking train wreck. She's the Reince Priebus of the democratic party, only she loses over and over. Governor Howard Dean gets us the House, Senate, and Presidency and is replaced with a House Rep. from Florida who promptly loses the House in a massive red gush not seen since the elevator doors opened in 'The Shining' and then loses the Senate a couple years later but like a barnacle on the tail end of a whale she hangs onto her job despite contributing nothing of value and being a literal pain in the ass.

Still, she can support whomever she chooses and as head of the DNC ultimately can choose whom the DNC supports. But it's nice to know that Bernie's first time stumping for a Democrat as a member of the Democratic party is to get even with a political rival. That shows character. You know, the petty, vindictive kind. He, Trump, and Cheney should go quail hunting together.

[maraxus2]

Yeah, Schultz is a fucking train wreck. She's the Reince Priebus of the democratic party, only she loses over and over. Governor Howard Dean gets us the House, Senate, and Presidency and is replaced with a House Rep. from Florida who promptly loses the House in a massive red gush not seen since the elevator doors opened in 'The Shining' and then loses the Senate a couple years later but like a barnacle on the tail end of a whale she hangs onto her job despite contributing nothing of value and being a literal pain in the ass.

Still, she can support whomever she chooses and as head of the DNC ultimately can choose whom the DNC supports. But it's nice to know that Bernie's first time stumping for a Democrat as a member of the Democratic party is to get even with a political rival. That shows character. You know, the petty, vindictive kind. He, Trump, and Cheney should go quail hunting together.

Your timeline's not quite right. Tim Kaine was DNC Chair during 2010 and he left after the aforementioned blood-letting. He has turned out to be a pretty decent Senator though. DWS' initial elections were actually fairly successful too; the Dems managed to pick up two seats in the Senate and keep ahold of some of their more difficult seats (MO, ND, and MT specifically). They would have severely cut into the GOP margin in the House as well had the GOP not gerrymandered the bejesus out of PA, OH, MI, NC, IN, and VA. Might have also helped if the CA Dems were allowed to do a counter-gerrymander (damn you, good government groups!).

I would agree tho that her tenure post-2012 has been less than stellar, and she'll most likely get the heave-ho once Clinton gets into office. That being said, I also totally understand why Dean got the boot once Obama got into office; the Dems almost certainly weren't going to be able to rely on his small-dollar donations once they lost Dubya as their foil. There's also little reason to think that the Obama administration wanted a permanently organized Left-wing once they got into office.

[maraxus2]

In non-Presidential news, John McCain might want to complete the danged fence, but he doesn't want you to watch his danged campaign ad.

Bit of background: McCain's been one of the least popular senators for a while now, mainly because conservative Arizonans regard him with fear and loathing. Last time he was up for re-election, he faced a potentially serious primary challenge from Tempe-area knuckle-dragger J.D Hayworth. McCain ended up winning the primary, in part because Hayworth was a low-voltage huckster who didn't actually campaign that hard, but also in part because he completely flipped his previously moderate stance on immigration. This was an understandable move at the time, as Arizona was right in the middle of the SB1070 debacle, and Hayworth had a pretty sterling anti-immigrant track record.

What was less understandable was why McCain released this incredible campaign ad (Featuring Pima Sheriff Paul Babeu who was not only gay, but at one point threatened to deport his undocumented lover if said lover went public. Strange times indeed!) In this ad, McCain talks about the "plan" to "complete the danged fence" by bringing national guard troops down to the border.

This turned out to be a bad idea in retrospect, as McCain now has to run with Donald Trump at the top of the ticket. Even worse, the Dems managed to get a great opponent for the Senate seat in Ann Kirkpatrick, the Congresswoman representing Flagstaff and the Navajo/Hopi Indian reservations. Kirkpatrick has longstanding ties to the Indian and Hispanic communities in Arizona, both of whom are crucial to Dems winning in the state. Coincidentally, these voters pretty much despise Trump and his stupid wall. So Kirkpatrick's been using McCain's old ads to remind people that he was Trump before Trump was Trump.

Also McCain has a primary challenger who has interesting and inconsistent views on Chemtrails. This might be an issue for Ward if McCain didn't have his own bizarre chemtrail problem. McCain currently leads Ward by about 13 points. Not a strong margin for a thirty-year Senate veteran.

McCain campaign blocks own ad from YouTube
May 19, 2016 1 min read original
A campaign ad for Sen. John McCainJohn McCainSenate set for showdown over women in the draft McCain presses colleagues on defense spending Senate defense bill includes funding to design Gitmo alternative MORE's 2010 reelection bid was blocked on YouTube earlier this week, per a request from the Arizona Republican's 2016 reelection campaign.

The ad was uploaded by the campaign of McCain challenger Rep. Ann KirkpatrickAnn KirkpatrickThe Trail 2016: Sanders who? McCain campaign blocks own ad from YouTube Poll: McCain locked in tough reelection fight MORE (D-Ariz.), and it was unmodified except for the addition of Spanish subtitles. The spot shows McCain walking by the border fence and telling Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu to "complete the danged fence."

"John McCain is trying to hide his comments and agenda from the Latino community and Arizonans now that he admits he's caught in the 'race of his life,' " said D.B. Mitchell, a Kirkpatrick campaign spokesman.
McCain acknowledged earlier this month the challenge of confronting a confluence of anti-immigrant rhetoric by presumptive GOP presidential nominee Donald TrumpDonald TrumpMichelle Fields will report on Trump campaign again Report: Graham privately asks conservatives to back Trump Trump slow to set up Ohio campaign: report MORE and an increasingly Hispanic voting population in Arizona.

The ad in question was not blocked because of its content, according to Lorna Romero, a McCain campaign spokeswoman.

"The Kirkpatrick campaign launched a digital ad which was a clear copyright violation and YouTube agreed," Romero said.

The subtitled TV spot was reinstated Thursday, but it was not immediately clear if YouTube acted unilaterally or with input from the McCain campaign.

Mitchell argued that political ads fall under fair use regulations, a notoriously difficult-to-interpret area of copyright law. According to Stanford University, fair use of copyrighted content must either fall under "commentary and criticism" or "parody."

McCain can expect to be aggressively targeted, not only because Democrats would revel in toppling one of the Republican Party's most prominent senators, but because they believe the Hispanic vote can turn Arizona into a swing state for the presidential election.

"McCain's admission that his own Trump-like commercial is a political liability isn't 'straight talk,' it's more proof he's changed after 33 years in Washington," Mitchell said.

But McCain's record on immigration parts from Trump's 2016 rhetoric. As a member of the Gang of Eight, McCain helped write and promote 2013's comprehensive immigration reform bill, which passed the Senate but never made it to the House floor.

"John McCain is very proud of his long record of working to reform our broken immigration system and secure our border, while Democrat Congresswoman Kirkpatrick has zero record of accomplishment on this important issue," said Romero.

Regardless, Democrats have made it clear they will use Trump's reputation with Hispanics to attack vulnerable down-ballot candidates.

Babeu is running for Congress in Arizona's 1st District, Kirkpatrick's current seat.

Scott Wong contributed to this report.

This story was updated Friday, May 20 to reflect that the video in question has been reinstated.

[Purple]

"Chemtrails" conspiracists claim that airplanes, via visible contrails, are spraying dangerous chemicals into the air, either to change the weather or for other more sinister purposes.

Tell me this isn't really a thing.

I heard of it before. But it's so stupid I thought it was an internet hoax to parody conspiracy theorists.

[maraxus2]

"Chemtrails" conspiracists claim that airplanes, via visible contrails, are spraying dangerous chemicals into the air, either to change the weather or for other more sinister purposes.

Tell me this isn't really a thing.

I heard of it before. But it's so stupid I thought it was an internet hoax to parody conspiracy theorists.

It's all too real! Ward represents rural Mohave county in the State Senate. It's Cliven Bundy territory's southern province. People believe all kinds of crazy shit out there.

[Purple]

"Chemtrails" conspiracists claim that airplanes, via visible contrails, are spraying dangerous chemicals into the air, either to change the weather or for other more sinister purposes.

Tell me this isn't really a thing.

I heard of it before. But it's so stupid I thought it was an internet hoax to parody conspiracy theorists.

It's all too real! Ward represents rural Mohave county in the State Senate. It's Cliven Bundy territory's southern province. People believe all kinds of crazy shit out there.

Crazier than chemjtrails? That can't be.

[U.P. Cinnabar]

Crazier than chemjtrails? That can't be.

Anti-vaxxers and flat earthers certainly qualify as crazier than chemtrails.

Only just.

[Darth Nostril]

If you really want to fuck with these idiots tell them that there is a vaccine for chemtrails.

[Flagg]

Yeah, Schultz is a fucking train wreck. She's the Reince Priebus of the democratic party, only she loses over and over. Governor Howard Dean gets us the House, Senate, and Presidency and is replaced with a House Rep. from Florida who promptly loses the House in a massive red gush not seen since the elevator doors opened in 'The Shining' and then loses the Senate a couple years later but like a barnacle on the tail end of a whale she hangs onto her job despite contributing nothing of value and being a literal pain in the ass.

Still, she can support whomever she chooses and as head of the DNC ultimately can choose whom the DNC supports. But it's nice to know that Bernie's first time stumping for a Democrat as a member of the Democratic party is to get even with a political rival. That shows character. You know, the petty, vindictive kind. He, Trump, and Cheney should go quail hunting together.

Your timeline's not quite right. Tim Kaine was DNC Chair during 2010 and he left after the aforementioned blood-letting. He has turned out to be a pretty decent Senator though. DWS' initial elections were actually fairly successful too; the Dems managed to pick up two seats in the Senate and keep ahold of some of their more difficult seats (MO, ND, and MT specifically). They would have severely cut into the GOP margin in the House as well had the GOP not gerrymandered the bejesus out of PA, OH, MI, NC, IN, and VA. Might have also helped if the CA Dems were allowed to do a counter-gerrymander (damn you, good government groups!).

I would agree tho that her tenure post-2012 has been less than stellar, and she'll most likely get the heave-ho once Clinton gets into office. That being said, I also totally understand why Dean got the boot once Obama got into office; the Dems almost certainly weren't going to be able to rely on his small-dollar donations once they lost Dubya as their foil. There's also little reason to think that the Obama administration wanted a permanently organized Left-wing once they got into office.

You're right, I spaced on that one and forgot Kaine. Makes me feel like a dick now since I laid the 2010 electoral abortion strategy at the feet of a woman when it was a guy.

[Flagg]

"Chemtrails" conspiracists claim that airplanes, via visible contrails, are spraying dangerous chemicals into the air, either to change the weather or for other more sinister purposes.

Tell me this isn't really a thing.

I heard of it before. But it's so stupid I thought it was an internet hoax to parody conspiracy theorists.

No it is real, and I was almost there with you except I'd hear about it on that crazy overnight AM radio show a few times a month by that lunatic who is on Ancient Aliens all the time when I did overnight security and the cocksuckers that ran shipping/receiving would leave the fucking radio on the RW talk station after they left in the one cage area of the warehouse I didn't have a key for (because if for some reason the electrical equipment in there caught fire they didn't want me to be able to get in there an hit it with an extinguisher and instead would rather the entire building with it's multimillion dollars worth of Apache helicopter optics equipment burned to the ground) and couldn't turn it off.

Then, after I broke my hand and 3 days later was in a car wreck that totaled my shitty Stratus had to rely on a state funded transport service to and from doctors appointments I was driven twice by a crazy lady that always talked about how dangerous chemtrails were and how much she hated "the fucking f***ot liberals" in the state who banned her from smoking in the taxi.

[Flagg]

If you really want to fuck with these idiots tell them that there is a vaccine for chemtrails.

Dude, quote of the month. But they would just say that chemtrails weren't really toxic, they were exactly what scientists (and sane people) say they are, but it's really the guvmint spreading lies about them being poison so more people will get vaccinated!