Tuesday, January 26, 2016

Iowa Democratic Town Hall


Staying up LATE, so you don't have to.   

You're Welcome.

They don't make enough Coffee on mornings like these...and the screaming of the damned finally woke me up. Okay...the Tucker-Cat...because dawn had already broken and breakfast was dismally late...again.

I think he is planning to let me go if service doesn't improve.

Which is completely how I feel about Congress right now, by the way. 

With 469 seats up for grabs...it is time to do a bit of tidying, I think. Remove some long accumulated clutter.

I am just sayin'

So...last night in Iowa...

You know...it isn't a Conspiracy if they really ARE out to get you.  Right? I guess even at 55, before this Primary Run, I was a bit naive. If anyone had told me that the media is so totally manipulated/skewed I would have handed them a roll of tinfoil and gave them a tutorial on hat-making, okay? So the past few months has been this enormously sad eye opener for me. I miss the Fairness Doctrine and I miss Walter, okay. I miss when news was news...and not semi-factoids and out and out lies...and the truth being whatever we can get away with.
Really, I do.

"You kids get off my damned lawn."

DWS who has worked diligently to all but assure her buddy Hillary Clinton the Primary Nomination by scheduling only 6 debates. SIX. And then...when Hill falls behind in the polls she helps throw together a just-before-the-Iowa-Caucus surprise showcase for her favorite candidate (oh...and those other guys, too) but basically a Hillary Show.

And it could have been devastating.

And it WAS. 
But not in the way she had planned...I don't think.

Bernie was the first Candidate interviewed. They were all brought out individually, which was very nice.

The very FIRST thing that they do is show a Hillary Clinton Ad to Bernie. I couldn't make this up!  Seriously? A Clinton Ad during the first 5 minutes of Bernie Sander's Time??????????????????????????

And he was asked to comment on it.

While watching the Town Hall in Iowa, I separate screened and engaged in Real-Time chat with a group of other Sanders supporters. Some of the comments from fellow Berniacs at this point were literally unfit to print here.

But Bernie is better than all of us. He complimented Hillary and her ad. Then he set about letting Iowa know who he was and just what he stands for...and no matter how many times Chris Cuomo ask horribly misleading questions along the lines of the infamous "So how long have you STOPPED beating you wife"   variety. Bernie just parried and thrust and handled himself wonderfully.  Better than all of that he got his message across resoundingly. He even managed to drop the grumpy old man "You kids get off my lawn" persona and let a softer funny grandfatherly Bernie out to play a bit.

His message wasn't I am doing this thing. It was WE are doing this thing.

He couldn't have had a better night. This may be the best form he has shown since he announced his candidacy. He resounded with the audience and I expect to see him get a nice bump from this.

Come see the Softer Side of Bern!
The Second to take the stage was Gov. O'Malley.

Thankfully, he did NOT have to watch the Clinton Ad. Most of his questions were directly about Sanders...a bit odd.

I am sure that Martin O'Malley is a wonderful guy. Unfortunately, he makes Al Gore seem animate by comparison. Al...who Will Durst used to refer to as "The Human Dial-Tone", okay? I am sure that  he is enthused about what he believes...but by the time it comes out of his mouth it sounds a lot like Mr. Rogers on Quaaludes.  True Story.

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

To keep ourselves amused our chat turned to

Every time O'Malley says

"In MY State I....(followed by an  anecdotal story delivered in Mr. Rogers on 'ludes voice)"

 Everyone has to do a shot. 

It is amazing we all didn't wind up with acute alcohol poisoning. 

Mercifully, it was over very soon...and I believe his applause was 80% because he was leaving the stage.

Enter Hillary Clinton...in bright RED.  Hey...at least it was some form of truth-in advertising. You can't look at her Super Pac Owners or her Flip-Flop on almost all the issues and still think she is part of the Blue Party..okay?  She should have sewn Monsanto and Goldman Sachs patches on like Race Car drivers do with their sponsors.

Anyway...

After a chummy Coumo/Clinton lovefest (I'm surprised there wasn't tongue involved) they settled into the Question and Answer portion of the Hillary Showcase.



One of the first questions from the audience came from a young man who asked her why she was doing so poorly with his age group.

To which part of her reply went like this

"You may be too young to remember this..."

And it continued with condescending, rude drivel.

You know...I think the most likely reason that she doesn't stir the younger voters is because she talks down to them like they are children. And, well..we all know how well that works. When you are just coming into your own...you certainly don't want anyone to remind you that you

"...may be too young..."

or lecture to you.

You could feel the shift in the Iowa crowd at that moment...and she never regained the house.

I believe the term is

"flop sweat"

At least one of her random questioners was an oh-so-obvious plant...and we were throwing popcorn at the screen as he asked a detailed 5 minute long question that gave her a lead in to discuss practically every foreign policy she has ever encountered...in detail...for the next 25 minutes...

And the poor Iowans eyes were glazing over.

Kinda like Livestock.


Most of these people are good hearted, hard working, God-Fearing, simple farm folk.  When she, multiple times,  launched into how she BUILT the watch (after firing the steel and hammering it herself)...instead of a direct answer about what time it was....you could see them drift away.

She also was quite clear about her hawkish views on war...and sending other people's kids to war. 

During these lectures, which got increasingly more fast paced and strident, it was never about WE or US...no it was a constant barrage of

"I, I, I, ME, ME, Me,me, me, (with a sprinkling of) WOMEN, TERRORISTS, and (God as my Witness)  9-11 "

You know why people don't LIKE you, Hillary?  Because you are GENUINELY unlikeable.  

I actually find myself agreeing with the Republicans for a moment. 

I may need a shower.


I was pretty amazed that she was shown (at the very end...and that was the best part) Bernie Sanders: Simon and Garfunkel "America" Ad.

(and if you haven't seen it...go immediately and google it on YouTube....you will be glad you did...and you'll be humming it for days...brilliant use of an ear-worm...)  

When they asked her what she thought her response was

"It is okay. You campaign in poetry, but you govern in prose."

And I am so glad that President Obama pretty effectively gave her the kiss of death by endorsing her yesterday. Funny part was...I think he knew exactly what he was doing.

So...
If we all VOTE and are very lucky...we will never have to test that poetry/prose theory. 

Off to find more coffee...




The Room Service Sucks!