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[NYCmetsfan]

I don't want ISPs competing on the basis of what internet sectors they throttle. I'd be deeply skeptical of any market solution here. While you sniff at regulation to keep things in check, they do a great job at providing a baseline for competition, much like how milk brands don't compete on which poisons you less.

I'm not arguing for no regulation. In fact I want the regulation. I'm just saying you need the market forces with the regulation. Regulation without competition will I think leave the internet worse off. Because this isn't telephone service we need constant investment and upgrades that regulation can't mandate.

I think the one think to preserve is never blocking any data which the current FCC regulations would preserve.

I'm also surprised the FCC is thinking they're gonna get away without a court case. Even this pro cable company regulation will be challenged.

 

[WayneMorse]

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/18/us/politics/san-antonio-mayor-to-lead-hud.html

Julian Castro to lead HUD, making a Clinton/Castro ticket in 2016 more likely.

 

[alstein]

I don't want ISPs competing on the basis of what internet sectors they throttle. I'd be deeply skeptical of any market solution here. While you sniff at regulation to keep things in check, they do a great job at providing a baseline for competition, much like how milk brands don't compete on which poisons you less.

Eventually muni networks would form that wouldn't throttle, and force (at least in the cities) the ISPs to play ball with them.

I'm not arguing for no regulation. In fact I want the regulation. I'm just saying you need the market forces with the regulation. Regulation without competition will I think leave the internet worse off. Because this isn't telephone service we need constant investment and upgrades that regulation can't mandate.

I think the one think to preserve is never blocking any data which the current FCC regulations would preserve.

I'm also surprised the FCC is thinking they're gonna get away without a court case. Even this pro cable company regulation will be challenged.

I think the competition is more important. The problem is a lack of regulation has led to no competition, and quotes like the TWC CEO at one point saying we make more money by providing less.

 

[Mario]

Senate Republicans block a TAX CUT... because it provided tax cuts to the wind energy industry.

Senate Blocks $85 Billion Tax Cut Bill Because It Would Have Helped Wind Energy

Do you hear that sound? That's the sound of politicians hungrily sucking the collective cocks of Big Oil.

Part of that gridlock was driven by opposition from Republicans who oppose giving tax breaks to the wind industry on the grounds that it amounts to a form a “welfare” that unfairly props up an industry present in some states but not others.

I'm pretty sure you could make that argument about 99% of commercial tax cuts.

Of course, why even give anything other than lazy reasoning when nobody is paying attention.

 

[NYCmetsfan]

I think the competition is more important. The problem is a lack of regulation has led to no competition, and quotes like the TWC CEO at one point saying we make more money by providing less.

Its funny because a lot of Europe would like to think that their great internet is because of regulation and state mandates but I'd argue its because they're done a great job at enabling competition in both the wired and wireless internet.

 

[Aaron Strife]

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/18/us/politics/san-antonio-mayor-to-lead-hud.html

Julian Castro to lead HUD, making a Clinton/Castro ticket in 2016 more likely.

Bring it on, baby.

 

[alstein]

In more broadband cable news, AT&T just agreed to buy DirectTV

 

[NYCmetsfan]

In more broadband cable news, AT&T just agreed to buy DirectTV

DirectTV is satellite. It affects competition in the TV market but I don't think its a horrible merger. There still is Dish. I don't think its good there's more consolidation but I think its pretty fair to argue that netflix and hbogo, amazon, watchESPN, other apps are providing competition.

 

[Piecake]

Nah. Clinton/Gillibrand

That seems unlikely. I doubt political strategists will think that two women from New York will give them the best electoral advantage. Julian Castro seems like a choice that more political strategists would favor

 

[NYCmetsfan]

Nah. Clinton/Gillibrand

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twelfth_Amendment_to_the_United_States_Constitution

new york electors couldn't vote for both you'd, be giving up 29 electoral votes.

 

[Ecotic]

This is great news for Julian Castro, he didn't really have any further room for advancement, unless he wins the Texas governorship or Senate by some miracle, or bumps himself down to a career in the House which is the road to nowheresville.

 

[NYCmetsfan]

This is great news for Julian Castro, he didn't really have any further room for advancement, unless he wins the Texas governorship or Senate by some miracle, or bumps himself down to a career in the House which is the road to nowheresville.

First black president, first women president, first hispanic president. GOP am cry

 

[thepotatoman]

Its funny because a lot of Europe would like to think that their great internet is because of regulation and state mandates but I'd argue its because they're done a great job at enabling competition in both the wired and wireless internet.

Right, and they have that competition despite, or maybe even because of regulations. I mean they certainly did just pass some pretty aggressive net neutrality rules, which don't allow for this whole fastlane/slowlane workaround.

I'm still not sure what exactly you think people are ignorant of. I think everyone gets that lack of competition is a big problem in ISPs, but I'm not sure why you're linking that with net neutrality. Are you saying you're for the fastlane/slowlane approach to net neutrality and think that what's keeping businesses out of the ISP market is they need fast and slow lanes to exist?

I'm also surprised the FCC is thinking they're gonna get away without a court case. Even this pro cable company regulation will be challenged.

Yeah, I've been wondering about that myself. I'm not seeing why this bill has any better chance at succeeding than the last net neutrality bill which failed.

 

[Aaron Strife]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twelfth_Amendment_to_the_United_States_Constitution

new york electors couldn't vote for both you'd, be giving up 29 electoral votes.

Let's be real here 29 electoral votes isn't going to mean shit to a Hillary candidacy

 

[NYCmetsfan]

Right, and they have that competition despite, or maybe even because of regulations. I mean they certainly did just pass some pretty aggressive net neutrality rules, which don't allow for this whole fastlane/slowlane workaround.

I'm still not sure what exactly you think people are ignorant of. I think everyone gets that lack of competition is a big problem in ISPs, but I'm not sure why you're linking that with net neutrality. Are you saying you're for the fastlane/slowlane approach to net neutrality and think that what's keeping businesses out of the ISP market is they need fast and slow lanes to exist?

The ignorance is the general sense their is an easy solution, that the fastlane/slowlane is the same thing as other aspects of net neutrality, the ignorance of the structure of the net like the fact in some aspects it IS finite, that the FCC is just kowtowing to cable, etc.

Go into those threads and you just see a lot of posters with no sense to grapple with why this is happening. Its just somehow the cable companies are evil. Not everyone to be sure, but a lot of the Euro posters especially are frustrating in their sense the EU just regulated the problem away and we can do the same.

Yeah, I've been wondering about that myself. I'm not seeing why this bill has any better chance at succeeding than the last net neutrality bill which failed.

Yeah I'm not sure on what is allowed with Info services, my guess is their trying to stay within those bounds.

Let's be real here 29 electoral votes isn't going to mean shit to a Hillary candidacy

Why even go with it though? does gillibrand help were klobuchar wouldn't? You don't want to risk easy dem votes.

 

[Coriolanus]

. Its just somehow the cable companies are evil. Not everyone to be sure, but a lot of the Euro posters especially are frustrating in their sense the EU just regulated the problem away and we can do the same.

I'd argue its more of a combination of smaller markets, smaller telecoms, and greater regulations. Tie this to how the problems in the US got worse as more regulations fell/went ignored and...whelp.

If you dont wanna regulate, you could always start enforcing antitrust law again. Does the US have provisions for forcing companies to divide themselves?

 

[kingkitty]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twelfth_Amendment_to_the_United_States_Constitution

new york electors couldn't vote for both you'd, be giving up 29 electoral votes.

Hillary could change her residency.

That's what Cheney did, from Texas to Wyoming.

 

[NYCmetsfan]

I'd argue its more of a combination of smaller markets, smaller telecoms, and greater regulations. Tie this to how the problems in the US got worse as more regulations fell/went ignored and...whelp.

If you dont wanna regulate, you could always start enforcing antitrust law again. Does the US have provisions for forcing companies to divide themselves?

I don't disagree but those lead to more competition . And yeah antitrust the the best solution for a lot of these problems most of its still active its the the FTC doesn't do anything anymore it seems.

Edit:
Is anyone else following the times story? The Times has perhaps the worst media relations campaign going ever.
The owner is just going "trust me" and expecting everyone to believe him besides other reporting and previous statements he's made.

Perhaps the saddest outcome of my decision to replace Jill Abramson as executive editor of The New York Times is that it has been cast by many as an example of the unequal treatment of women in the workplace. Rather than accepting that this was a situation involving a specific individual who, as we all do, has strengths and weaknesses, a shallow and factually incorrect storyline has emerged.

Fueling this have been persistent but incorrect reports that Jill’s compensation package was not comparable with her predecessor’s. This is untrue. Jill’s pay package was comparable with Bill Keller’s; in fact, by her last full year as executive editor, it was more than 10% higher than his.

Equal pay for women is an important issue in our country – one that The New York Times often covers. But it doesn’t help to advance the goal of pay equality to cite the case of a female executive whose compensation was not in fact unequal.

I decided that Jill could no longer remain as executive editor for reasons having nothing to do with pay or gender. As publisher, my paramount duty is to ensure the continued quality and success of The New York Times. Jill is an outstanding journalist and editor, but with great regret, I concluded that her management of the newsroom was simply not working out.

During her tenure, I heard repeatedly from her newsroom colleagues, women and men, about a series of issues, including arbitrary decision-making, a failure to consult and bring colleagues with her, inadequate communication and the public mistreatment of colleagues. I discussed these issues with Jill herself several times and warned her that, unless they were addressed, she risked losing the trust of both masthead and newsroom. She acknowledged that there were issues and agreed to try to overcome them. We all wanted her to succeed. It became clear, however, that the gap was too big to bridge and ultimately I concluded that she had lost the support of her masthead colleagues and could not win it back.

Since my announcement on Wednesday I have had many opportunities to talk to and hear reactions from my colleagues in the newsroom. While surprised by the timing, they understood the decision and the reasons I had to make it.

We are very proud of our record of gender equality at The New York Times. Many of our key leaders – both in the newsroom and on the business side – are women. So too are many of our rising stars. They do not look for special treatment, but expect to be treated with the same respect as their male colleagues. For that reason they want to be judged fairly and objectively on their performance. That is what happened in the case of Jill.

Equality is at the core of our beliefs at The Times. It will always be.

 

[Aaron Strife]

Why even go with it though? does gillibrand help were klobuchar wouldn't? You don't want to risk easy dem votes.

Yeah that was a joke. If Hillary went for a female VP I could only see Klobuchar as a realistic possibility.

Before anyone says Warren that's Dailykos fantasy nonsense, though kos himself thinks it'll be Mark Warner iirc.

 

[NYCmetsfan]

Yeah that was a joke. If Hillary went for a female VP I could only see Klobuchar as a realistic possibility.

Before anyone says Warren that's Dailykos fantasy nonsense, though kos himself thinks it'll be Mark Warner iirc.

I think she'll want to pacify the left flank depending on how the primary goes. Warner isn't that. Its gotta be someone with a strong progressive message. I don't think its warren though. I agree there.

 

[PhoenixDark]

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/18/us/politics/san-antonio-mayor-to-lead-hud.html

Julian Castro to lead HUD, making a Clinton/Castro ticket in 2016 more likely.

He better start learning Spanish...

 

[Aaron Strife]

He better start learning Spanish...

Obama did it.

 

[PhoenixDark]

Report: Tea Party Campaign Knew Details About Nursing Home Break-In

The Clarion-Ledger is reporting that State Sen. Chris McDaniel's campaign knew details about the break-in at the nursing home where Sen. Thad Cochran's wife lives before they were public.

Clayton Thomas Kelly, the political blogger supportive of McDaniel who is accused of sneaking into the nursing home and photographing Cochran's wife, had "no relationship" with the campaign, according to McDaniel's campaign staff.

But according to the Clarion-Ledger, McDaniel's campaign manager, State Sen. Melanie Sojourner, called Cochran's campaign manager on Saturday morning at 7:45 a.m. to offer her condolences about the break-in -- about 90 minutes before the connection to the Cochrans became public.

Kelly had been arrested Friday, the Clarion-Ledger reported, but the initial reports did not mention Cochran's wife, Rose, who has dementia and lives in a nursing home. That connection became known on Saturday morning when the Clarion-Ledger published a story -- and after Sojourner made her call.

A McDaniel campaign spokesperson had said earlier that he knew nothing about Kelly's arrest.

"I think it would be interesting to know how (Sojourner) would hear about it before 7:45 a.m.," a Cochran spokesman told the newspaper.

Sojourner couldn't be reached for comment by the Clarion-Ledger, and McDaniel's campaign did not issue an immediate response.

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/mcdaniel-campaign-knew-more-cochran-break-in-report

update:
McDaniel Campaign Contradicts Itself On Blogger Break-In
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/chris-mcdaniel-break-in-clayton-kelly-rose-cochran-statements

jeez...

The tea party is disgusting, in general.

 

[Avon Barksdale]

He better start learning Spanish...

He's Mexican, which already makes more appealing than Rubio.

 

[Piecake]

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/mcdaniel-campaign-knew-more-cochran-break-in-report

update:
McDaniel Campaign Contradicts Itself On Blogger Break-In
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/chris-mcdaniel-break-in-clayton-kelly-rose-cochran-statements

jeez...

The tea party is disgusting, in general.

If the campaign knew about it before it happened, that is just vile...

 

[Pastry]

He better start learning Spanish...

He's been working on it for a while, I remember reading several years ago during one of the elections (I'm from San Antonio) that he had a Spanish tutor.

 

[Wilsongt]

Teehee

The “second American revolution” got off to a slow start in Washington, DC on Friday, falling roughly 9,999,950 people short of their goal of 10 million angry, constitution-wielding participants. (That was the low-end estimate. They were prepared for upwards of 30 million).

The few who did make it to Washington, D.C came with a laundry list of grievances, ranging from Benghazi, to Obamacare, to President Obama’s birth certificate, to general lawlessness.

“Our main goal is to return our government to the constitutional government,” said Marty Church, a protestor who traveled to Washington, D.C from the Maryland suburbs. “The whole administration is based on lies,” added Fred Lachance, another protester from Maryland.

“Benghazi’s a lie and a cover-up,” said Church. “And if you’re lying about something as stupid as that, what else are you lying about?”

Wiley Drake, a pastor and talk radio host from California, knows the truth behind the Benghazi coverup.

“What caused Benghazi was a kidnapping gone awry from Barry Soetoro,” he said, referencing the name Birthers have ascribed to Obama based on a widely-circulated (and hastily photoshopped) Columbia University student ID. “He was going to kidnap Mr. Stevens, and he got killed in the process. That’s what really happened, that’s the truth.”

That's a new Benghazi theory I've never heard of.

 

[Thatonemoor]

Teehee



That's a new Benghazi theory I've never heard of.

That.... Please tell me that isn't real? I know these guys are as crazy as all get out but they can't seriously be that dumb.

 

[Rhomega Beta]

I've never heard Barry Soetoro either.

 

[explodet]

The “second American revolution” got off to a slow start in Washington, DC on Friday, falling roughly 9,999,950 people short of their goal of 10 million angry, constitution-wielding participants. (That was the low-end estimate. They were prepared for upwards of 30 million).

No they weren't.

The population inside the District of Columbia is ~632,000. The population of the DC metropolitan area is ~5,800,000. An event of 30,000,000 would be bringing in SIX TIMES the population of the entire region. Even a turnout of a 'mere' 10,000,000 would be doubling the population.

Think about that, for a second. What city, town, village, etc can accommodate that many additional people? In terms of roads, public transport, and simply physical space, it's simply not possible. 30,000,000 people in one place would pack ALL of DC like an average concert crowd, and if packed in like a mosh pit, they would fill all of the downtown area and well out into areas like Georgetown.

 

[Particle Physicist]

I've never heard Barry Soetoro either.

Me neither, but I found this:

http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/birthers/studentid.asp

lol

 

[Wilsongt]

No they weren't.

He's saying that the teatards who were organizing this thing were "expecting" 30mil people, not Washington, DC was expecting that many.

 

[Aaron Strife]

Me neither, but I found this:

http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/birthers/studentid.asp

lol

I'm not even sure what this is supposed to prove. Obama's real name could be Osama bin Prayintoallah and he'd be a natural citizen by his mother.

 

[PhoenixDark]

I'm not even sure what this is supposed to prove. Obama's real name could be Osama bin Prayintoallah and he'd be a natural citizen by his mother.

It fits the "he's hiding something" narrative. And notice how Rove is starting it up now on Hillary. "What is she hiding about her health history?"

Rove and his ilk know their audience, I'll give them credit. They know this stuff is catnip to the far right and will serve as a foundation for any future issue that comes up.

 

[TacticalFox88]

Caught me off guard. :lol

 

[B-Dubs]

Caught me off guard. :lol

I can't say I expected that punchline. Well done :lol

 

[Frank the Great]

Caught me off guard. :lol

LOL, didn't see that coming.

 

[RustyNails]

It fits the "he's hiding something" narrative. And notice how Rove is starting it up now on Hillary. "What is she hiding about her health history?"

Rove and his ilk know their audience, I'll give them credit. They know this stuff is catnip to the far right and will serve as a foundation for any future issue that comes up.

It's a lead up to the talking point "Democrats in 2008 wanted to litigate John McCain's health records, and it's only fair we do the same with Hillary's"

 

[thepotatoman]

wtf @ generic ballot. Pew is the gold standard of midterm election polling. They were spot on last time. I sincerely doubt there's enough time to turn it around. What's especially disturbing is that they seem to be polling better than they were in 2010. You have got to be fucking kidding me. I figured 2010 was the height of tea party lunacy...

We're fucked. How can Americans want to support the GOP after all this? Seriously? Is it more because so many other Americans are turned off by midterms in general while the GOP makes sure they vote? I am finding it so hard to believe MORE Americans want to support them today.

Is OFA going to be more involved this time around? Dems could really use the push.

Also I do not buy for one second that the GOP is backing off repeal. Perhaps right now they are. But a Senate majority might make them all start beating the drum again, Boehner and McMorris Rodgers included. They might say the 'fight is lost' but if they win back the Senate they'll act like they won the White House. Can you imagine another shutdown with the GOP controlling both the House and Senate? It would be worse than the last one, and it might happen. What happens when they keep sending Obama bills that have repeal language and he keeps vetoing them? It would get messy really fast. Constitutional/treasury option actually might happen at some point before 2016 guys...

Democrats have to pour every ounce of everything they have into every Senate race. Otherwise the new Senate majority will have the face of loons like the pig castrating candidate from Iowa. Please don't tell me she has a chance of winning the primary btw?

I knew the GOP was in a good position this year, but to see them doing better than they were in 2010 in a Pew poll... I just... I can't find the words...

#isthisreallife

Maybe it's time to come back to this discussion now that the generic ballot is looking tons better with Fox News reporting a +3 for democrats 43-40. I was rather worried about that wave of republican polls myself.

It does seem like APK is right that the movements are mostly between undecideds going back and forth between republican and undecided, so that's worrying. April 24th was the Bundy racist video and April 26th was the release of Sterlings racist rants. April 24th was the start of the first polling period that gave democrats the advantage back. It seems to line up pretty perfectly with the theory that undecideds are just embarrassed republicans. I wouldn't want to align myself with the racist party at a time when everyone's hating racists even if the republicans are strongly rejecting the comments themselves.

May 1st was the "smoking gun" benghazi email, which has basically been Fox News's focus ever since, and I'd be pretty embarrassed to be a member of the conspiracy theory party too. And then May 10th was Rubio's climate change statements, which got a lot more backlash from the news media than you might expect. All of this also resulted in a move away from talking about Ukraine, which is one issue which I think republicans were winning the public on.

It makes me wonder if Democrats have any hope at getting those undecideds, or if their best hope is to keep embarrassing them all the way out of the voting booth. It'll also be interesting to see if May 15th's net neutrality news hurts the democrats in any way.

 

[PhoenixDark]

It's a lead up to the talking point "Democrats in 2008 wanted to litigate John McCain's health records, and it's only fair we do the same with Hillary's"

There certainly was a lot of "John McCain is old/unhealthy" stuff going on in 2008, and I think it's fair to bring it up with Hillary. The difference here is that Hillary has been pretty healthy her whole life outside of the concussion, whereas McCain was a cancer survivor, was tortured for years, etc; on the plus side his mother lived well into her 90s iirc.

People trying to play the sexism card here should be dismissed. If anything it's ageism. And to be perfectly honestly I think we do need to have a discussion on whether an older person can effectively be president now. It reminds me of JFK aides who noted the long hours he had to put in during and after the Cuban Missile Crisis, compared to Reagan who would get noticeably tired during his terms. Hillary would be 69 at the start of her first term.

The only thing is out of bounds is this nonsense about brain damage. You can just tell there will be plenty of "is she mentally unstable" stuff written during her first term.

 

[sc0la]

Aw yeah.

Naw, it wasn't the media it was the weather. 9 million true patriots couldn't be arsed to defend the constitution while it was raining. Next time though they will all be out in force.


*weather permitting*

 

[NYCmetsfan]

This operation american spring cheerleading by dems is really silly

 

[Aaron Strife]

Maybe it's time to come back to this discussion now that the generic ballot is looking tons better with Fox News reporting a +3 for democrats 43-40. I was rather worried about that wave of republican polls myself.

It does seem like APK is right that the movements are mostly between undecideds going back and forth between republican and undecided, so that's worrying. April 24th was the Bundy racist video and April 26th was the release of Sterlings racist rants. April 24th was the start of the first polling period that gave democrats the advantage back. It seems to line up pretty perfectly with the theory that undecideds are just embarrassed republicans. I wouldn't want to align myself with the racist party at a time when everyone's hating racists even if the republicans are strongly rejecting the comments themselves.

May 1st was the "smoking gun" benghazi email, which has basically been Fox News's focus ever since, and I'd be pretty embarrassed to be a member of the conspiracy theory party too. And then May 10th was Rubio's climate change statements, which got a lot more backlash from the news media than you might expect. All of this also resulted in a move away from talking about Ukraine, which is one issue which I think republicans were winning the public on.

It makes me wonder if Democrats have any hope at getting those undecideds, or if their best hope is to keep embarrassing them all the way out of the voting booth. It'll also be interesting to see if May 15th's net neutrality news hurts the democrats in any way.

I don't trust Fox News' polls even when they show the Democrats winning, same with Rasmussen. That being said I think the generic ballot will be no worse than a tie which could produce anywhere between a gain of 5 seats either way.

 

[Incognito]

Maybe it's time to come back to this discussion now that the generic ballot is looking tons better with Fox News reporting a +3 for democrats 43-40. I was rather worried about that wave of republican polls myself.

It does seem like APK is right that the movements are mostly between undecideds going back and forth between republican and undecided, so that's worrying. April 24th was the Bundy racist video and April 26th was the release of Sterlings racist rants. April 24th was the start of the first polling period that gave democrats the advantage back. It seems to line up pretty perfectly with the theory that undecideds are just embarrassed republicans. I wouldn't want to align myself with the racist party at a time when everyone's hating racists even if the republicans are strongly rejecting the comments themselves.

May 1st was the "smoking gun" benghazi email, which has basically been Fox News's focus ever since, and I'd be pretty embarrassed to be a member of the conspiracy theory party too. And then May 10th was Rubio's climate change statements, which got a lot more backlash from the news media than you might expect. All of this also resulted in a move away from talking about Ukraine, which is one issue which I think republicans were winning the public on.

It makes me wonder if Democrats have any hope at getting those undecideds, or if their best hope is to keep embarrassing them all the way out of the voting booth. It'll also be interesting to see if May 15th's net neutrality news hurts the democrats in any way.

http://www.politico.com/story/2014/05/politico-poll-shows-mounting-danger-for-dems-106814.html?hp=t1

President Barack Obama’s job approval slump and voters’ entrenched wariness of his health care law are dogging Democrats ahead of the 2014 midterm elections, and Republicans have captured a lead in the areas home to the year’s most competitive races, according to a new POLITICO poll.

In the congressional districts and states where the 2014 elections will actually be decided, likely voters said they would prefer to vote for a Republican over a Democrat by 7 points, 41 percent to 34 percent. A quarter of voters said they were unsure of their preference.

as an aside, i see castro's move to HUD as one predicated on a bunch of "ifs" going his favor the next two years. one, hillary running for president. two, hillary winning nomination. three, hillary deciding to select him as vp. alternately, a democrat winning the white house and selecting castro for cabinet. again, a lot of ifs that frankly might not materialize. what's his move after HUD and he's not the VP candidate, back to texas? to be sure, wayne slater of texas monthly has speculated that is indeed castro's move -- come back to texas just in time for 2018/2020 with executive credentials (the sa mayor has exactly no executive power) and with 5-7 years of BGTX efforts to awaken texas democrats from their voting slumber. that's some 6d chess right there...

of course, it could also just be that castro could no longer keep saying no to the president. he already turned down the transportation post.

 

[Crisco]

Are any other Democrats going to seriously challenge Hillary in the primaries if she actually decides to run? I just looked through the list of potential non-Hillary candidates and it is not pretty. The fact that Biden seems to be the consensus #2 choice tells you all you need to know. How have no rising stars in the Democratic party gained national prominence in the last 8 years?

 

[alstein]

Are any other Democrats going to seriously challenge Hillary in the primaries if she actually decides to run? I just looked through the list of potential non-Hillary candidates and it is not pretty. The fact that Biden seems to be the consensus #2 choice tells you all you need to know. How have no rising stars in the Democratic party gained national prominence in the last 8 years?

Bernie Sanders and Robert Reich have made feelers.

Sanders would likely have a Jerry Brown-type campaign.

I do think a "not Hillary" would do about as well as "not Romney" did for Republicans in 2012, but the "not Hillary" candidate would be able to not shoot themselves in the foot every week.

That said, I don't think it will be like 2008 Hillary vs Obama where NC ended up relevant in the primaries.

 

[cartoon_soldier]

Will we see this in the US?

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/wor...ram-to-address-dozens-of-rallies-at-once.html

Narendra Modi’s relentless campaign to be India’s next prime minister has been so frenetic he has often appeared, magically, to have addressed several rallies throughout the country at the same time.

Today his party officials paid tribute to his pioneering use of hologram technology which has allowed him to do just that – speak live to the world’s largest electorate at rallies in dozens of remote towns all over the country as though he were there in the flesh.

http://www.tvmix.com/narendra-modi-india-victory-holograms-musion/123

 

[KtSlime]

Bernie Sanders and Robert Reich have made feelers.

Sanders would likely have a Jerry Brown-type campaign.

I do think a "not Hillary" would do about as well as "not Romney" did for Republicans in 2012, but the "not Hillary" candidate would be able to not shoot themselves in the foot every week.

That said, I don't think it will be like 2008 Hillary vs Obama where NC ended up relevant in the primaries.

If Bernie or Elizabeth run I'll go to the trouble of filing an absentee ballot.

 

[Aaron Strife]

http://www.politico.com/story/2014/05/politico-poll-shows-mounting-danger-for-dems-106814.html?hp=t1

What does that even mean? Generic ballot polls of a select few states/districts are useless.

 

[PhoenixDark]

Sounds like Dems are fucked. Seems like people have tuned Obama out after six years of a bad economy and random media flare ups/fake scandals. And democrats won't show up to vote either so we'll end up with 7-10 GOP gains in the house and a couple senate seats.