While Rome Burns...

I'm very sad and dismayed about our country and the world as I prepare to hit the hay tonight. Why? Because, instead of CNN et al. covering an important, positive, substance-laden rally in Miami today, in which Al Gore and Hillary Clinton discussed, in depth, her plans for tackling climate change, which was really news and really would INFORM voters about what one of the candidates stands for and will do if elected, and provide a clear contrast to her opponent, what are they covering tonight? "Trump slams Clinton..." Personal attacks and slander from Trump against Hillary. And tapes, tapes, tapes galore containing vile things that Trump spews. On and on. But no coverage of the actual issues (although, the fact that Trump is completely unfit for office, a con man, and a dangerous would-be fascist are all important issues to consider in the election, I will definitely give the media that, but couldn't they ALSO bother to cover a little SUBSTANCE about the huge issues facing our country and the world?), the actual policy differences between the candidates.

All the media cares about are sensational stories, spin, and ugliness. Why not cover the actual platform, policies and priorities of each candidate? Well, in Trump's case, he has none, other than banning entire religions, building walls, jailing his opponents, and "taking our country back from those people".  He specifically includes me as one of "those people", as he specifically said many times that Bernie supporters are "bad, bad people, folks" and "we are going to take our country back from those people". He SPECIFICALLY and clearly stated that at several rallies, when he verbally attacked Sanders' protesters or anyone he *thought* was a Sanders' protester.  It's all on tape.

Hillary, meanwhile, actually has very specific plans for how to fix what ails us, and make our country and our environment healthy. But does the news media cover that? NO. If they had any intention of doing so, they should have covered the ENTIRE rally in Miami today (which they did NOT), replayed it in part or whole throughout the rest of today (which they have NOT), and had their little panel of talking heads discuss it. They covered many, many Trump rallies in the primary season from start to finish. That is, in fact, how I know that Trump plans to take his country back from ME, specifically, as I am a "those people" and a "bad, bad people". So why don't they cover the fact that Hillary has the best, most ambitious plans to tackle climate change of any candidate ever, and that Al Gore was standing by her side, singing the praises of her plans today? Climate change is only the biggest issue facing humankind.

I guess that isn't as newsworthy as taped outtakes of "The Apprentice".

Pottersville in Perpetuity

Even though Trump is an orange disaster on two legs, his campaign is imploding before our very eyes, and Clinton is on the rise in the polls, I'm scared.

This is only October, and Clinton may be peaking early. I'm scared that all it would take would be, say, one terrorist attack, and suddenly the American people would go into xenophobic overdrive and fall into the arms of he who bellows about walls around the borders and banning all Muslims (which, by the way, is unconstitutional and should therefore disqualify Trump from being sworn in as POTUS, if he states he will do anything contrary to upholding the Constitution).

Michael Moore was on either CNN or MSNBC, either yesterday or at the crack of dawn this morning (what--my memory cells are shot), saying something I completely understood, as I feel the exact same way: he said he can't find the humor in the whole Trump-running-for-President thing, because he (Moore) is old enough to have lived through enough to know that it could actually happen--Trump could win. He said this isn't funny, this is basically extremely terrifying.

That's how I am feeling, too. Extremely terrified. It's not that I can't laugh at the humor of, for example, SNL's hilarious parody of the debate. When we lose our sense of humor, all is lost. But at the same time, I'm SERIOUSLY scared. It's been said so often that maybe it is not being taken seriously, but Donald Trump is unfit for the office of President of the United States of America.

So though he is tweeting and tanking and totally tailspinning, and I so want to REVEL in it...the Michael Moore part of me can't. I mean, speaking of Michael Moore, to this day, I cannot watch the first 15-ish minutes of "Fahrenheit 9.11" without breaking down crying, and we are talking sobbing. I remember 2000. Just a few votes can change the course of history. Even though that particular election was actually stolen by the FOBs (friends of Bush--like baby bro' and K. Harris), they probably would not have been able to pull that off, despite their best despicable efforts, had more people VOTED, and had some not voted third party in a crucial election with the best general election Presidential candidate of my lifetime running on the Democratic side.

We cannot allow history to repeat itself, as Trump would actually be, God help us, *worse* than shrub. WORSE. Than shrub! I know, I know, that seems impossible, yet it isn't--we are talking about Trump here: he'd be worse. And Hillary? She is running on the most progressive Democratic platform in history. She's not the "lesser of two evils", she's GOOD. So vote for her. Our country's life depends on it.

This is like 2000 on steroids, and the question is: do you want Bedford Falls or Pottersville? With shrub, with the 2000 election being stolen, we got Pottersville...but we're coming back from it slowly but surely now, and there is still time to save us. If we elect Donald J. Trump, there will be no going back: our country will become unrecognizable. Our constitution will be trashed. Trickle-down will be the law of the land, and we, my friends, will all be living in Pottersville in perpetuity.

Twitter version: for the love of God, please vote Clinton!

This Female Bernie Supporter Accepts Your Apology, Madeleine, and I Appreciate It

This is a follow-up to my last outraged blog which was regarding a statement Madeleine Albright made at a Hillary Clinton rally, which in the context she spoke it, implied that women who do not support Hillary Clinton have a "special place in Hell" reserved for us.  She has, as of yesterday, since apologized, and clarified, in the following New York Times editorial.

My reaction?  Apology accepted, and appreciated.  One poor choice doesn't necessarily negate a lifetime of great achievement.  I, for one female Bernie supporter, forgive her and am back to my previous stance of admiring her.  Here is her apology:

Madeleine Albright apologizes in a New York Times Op Ed

Going to Hell for Bernie

I’m exhausted.  I’m busy.  I work so hard, as a female member of the 99%, and I don’t feel like coming home and summoning up the eloquence to write a blog tonight.  But, I’m also pissed off.  You know:  ANGRY.  And I am therefore compelled to write this tonight.

I am an ardent supporter of Bernie Sanders.  He has been a hero of mine since way back when he was mayor of Burlington, Vermont.  I love his ideals.  I love what he stands for and how he stands for it.  Until today, I also had a lot of respect for Hillary Clinton.  A long time ago, I used to think she was just about power and ambition, and not about ideals.  Then I came to believe that she actually did stand for things—good things—and not only that, she’s smart and experienced and a damn eloquent speaker and she, somewhere along the way, earned my respect.  Today, she lost it again.  For good.  Oh, I will vote for her in the general election if she’s the nominee of my party, don’t worry.  But before today, I would have done so with great enthusiasm.  After today, I will just do it, like I did for Barack Obama twice, and for John Kerry.  The last presidential election I was truly excited about was 2000.  And I’m excited again now, for Bernie—and only for Bernie—thanks to the Clinton campaign’s dogged determination to profoundly insult female Bernie voters.

First up to the plate, apparently as sort of a warm-up act, we had Gloria Steinam.  Now, I’m not sure if this opening act was sanctioned by the Clinton Camp or not, so in fairness, she may not have been acting as a Clinton surrogate, as I am 100% sure the next two people and statements I’m going to describe after the Gloria incident clearly were.  Gloria got interviewed by Bill Maher and decided to opine that young women are only voting for Bernie because they are thinking, quote:  “Where are the boys?  The boys are with Bernie.”  Now, folks, I am just going to let that one speak for itself, because that is just the kindling for my fire tonight.  It is not the reason I am taking time I don’t have, energy I don’t have and facing facts I don’t want to face, just to write this.  No, that would be because definite surrogates of the Clinton campaign:  Bill Clinton, speaking on Hillary’s behalf, and then Madeleine Albright, speaking on Hillary’s behalf with Hillary right there cheering her on, no less, have said things that are so offensive that I am DONE.  DONE with respecting Hillary, done with sticking up for her, finito.

Let’s start with Bill.  He is going around saying that Bernie’s campaign is engaging in sexist attacks against Hillary.  This is simply NOT the truth.  In fact, Bernie has said that if any of his supporters are posting anything sexist against Hillary (which, as anyone who has the slightest understanding of the internet realizes, he has no control over), he not only does not condone it and requests that they stop, but he doesn’t want their support.  You can’t be any clearer AGAINST sexism in the campaign than that.

Now we move on to what has spurred my complete outrage:  Madeleine Albright.  Former Secretary of State.  Current Clinton campaign spokesperson.  Someone I have met.  Someone I had great respect for.  Someone who completely lost ALL my respect with ONE comment today, and also—taken in tandem with the Steinem shocker and the Bill artful smear—managed to make me lose respect for Hillary, which Hillary had built up from basically where I’ve been SHOT back to today, which is nil.  I have no respect for her.  In fact, I now have active contempt for her.

For you see, Madeleine Albright decided to say that women who don’t support Hillary have “a special place in hell”.  Yep.  You read that right.  I decided to listen to the comment myself on video this afternoon, since I couldn’t believe I had heard it reported correctly, or in context, on CNN’s early news this morning.  CNN had reported that she said young women who support Bernie have a special place in Hell.  What she actually said, at first blush, does sound a lot better:  women who don’t support other women have a special place in hell.  HOWEVER, if you listen to the entire thing in context, it was clearly and solely in the context of saying women should support Hillary.  There is absolutely no mistaking her meaning:  Madeleine Albright definitely, clearly, unmistakably meant that women who don’t support HILLARY have, quote, “a special place in hell.”

Folks, there is really no way, and thankfully, no need, to put into words just how offensive this is to me as a woman who supports Bernie.  As a Democrat.  As someone who has stuck up for Hillary to my fellow Bernie supporters throughout this campaign.  As someone who has admired Madeleine Albright for decades.  I’m done.  I’m done trying to bring the party together.  I’m done trying to bring progressives together.  I’m done sticking up for Hillary.  Why would I stick up for someone who claps when her surrogate says I have a special place in hell?

Do they honestly think that is the way to win female Bernie voters over?  By condemning us?  By insulting us?  By saying we have a special place in hell?  My mom always told me, “You catch more flies with honey.”

But these people evidently think bullying will work.  They think fire and brimstone condemnation will work.  They think playing the vagina card will work.  Well, I am not voting for someone just because they are a woman, I’m voting for the person whose POLICIES help women, men, children, the elderly, the environment, the economy, our country and the world.  That person is Bernie.  He steadfastly sticks to the issues, the substance, and refuses to engage in personal attacks.  He doesn’t insult my intelligence.  So who is the true feminist?  He doesn’t bully and threaten me with going to hell.  So who is the true feminist?  His policies would really challenge the patriarchy, so who is the true feminist?

I tend to vote for those who don’t tell me I have a special place in hell reserved for me.  I tend to vote for those who are respectful and respectworthy.

The First Democratic Debate of 2016 Made This Democrat Very Proud

#Wow!

I should wait until manana to write and post this. I have to be up at six a.m. and off to work. But I just CAN'T CONTAIN MY PRIDE AT BEING A LIFELONG DEMOCRAT at this moment!

The Republican debate and all the coverage of their candidates has been like watching some sort of grotesque hybrid of a professional wrestling match meets a witch hunt meets Reaganomics on crack.

Contrast that to the impressive Democratic Party debate we witnessed tonight. The candidates did not personally attack each other. Not once. They did not attack women. They did not attack immigrants. They did not attack Planned Parenthood. What did they do? They respectfully, passionately, substantively discussed THE ISSUES.

I am so proud of my party right now I honestly am fighting back tears (not sure if it is okay to cry a few weeks post-cataract-n-LRI surgery, or I would let 'em flow, babies). Our country desperately needs this kind of intelligent, thoughtful, respectful, substantive debate on the issues, and leadership in kind.

Instead of going on a witch hunt against Planned Parenthood​, Rosie O'Donnell and immigrants, the Democratic Party and our impressive field of candidates are trying to bring people together. Bernie Sanders wants people to wake up and realize their power over corporate money. Hillary Clinton wants to help women, children and the middle class. They both want us to have family leave and health care. Martin O'Malley wants us to move to a clean energy grid (not fast enough, but at least he is talking about it and wants to move us toward it). All of the candidates are talking about issues and what is best for the people, our country and our world.

I don't know about you, but I profoundly prefer that to the aforementioned professional wrestling match meets witch hunt we have been horrifyingly and embarrassingly-to-our-country witnessing from the other side of the aisle. I am so proud to be a Democrat tonight.

Clinton or Rubio: Which One is Really Yesterday?

What gets me is Rubio trying to spin Hillary as "yesterday" and same old same old, when that is purely AGEISM: it is based SOLELY on the age/generational difference between Clinton and Rubio. If you base your vote on IDEAS versus ageism, you see that it is the Republicans and Rubio who espouse the profoundly TIRED, OLD, and utterly discredited ideas of the past, namely, three words: trickle down economics. I mean, REALLY? You can't get more YESTERDAY than that, Marco.

Hillary is older than Marco but her ideas are PROGRESSIVE, whereas Rubio's and the Republican party's are REGRESSIVE. No mas trickle down! NO MAS. That is the true bridge to the PAST.

Last time I checked, elections are about IDEAS, not biological age...unless you count the EXPERIENCE factor, which is a GOOD thing and usually (but not always) goes along with age. There are good things to be said for youth and good things to be said for age, but trying to paint someone as "yesterday" and "the past" just because they are older than you is PURE, unabashed ageism, period. Ask yourselves: which IDEAS are relevant and healthy for today? Then it becomes evident why Rubio is trying to spin your attention away from where it should be focused.