Dark Psychic Forces

Debate Two, Part One:  Well that was underwhelming.  My biggest takeaway of the evening was that the CNN format stunk.  In an effort to prevent anyone from hogging the night CNN enforced time limits and penalized interruptions so that candidates were frequently cut off by one of the three moderators, Jake Tapper, Dana Bash and Don Lemon, just as they were about to get into the substance of their remarks. Jake Tapper, who kicked things off took his monitor role too seriously, he was that tattle tale kid you hated in school, I wanted to see him voted off the stage.  I also thought that Dana Bash was off base when she highlighted self-made millionaire John Delaney’s wealth by pointing out that he was one of those super rich people who would be subjected to Elizabeth Warren’s wealth tax, though he responded well saying that though he thought the wealth tax idea was an unrealistic, unenforceable pipedream he agreed that the very wealthy should pay more in taxes.  Of the three moderators, I though Don Lemon came off the best but the night wasn’t supposed to be about the moderators so here’s my take on the candidates.  Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren did well, although Bernie’s inability to modulate his voice continues to rankle.  Despite the best, or in this case the worst, efforts of the moderators, the two senators refused to go after each other, and instead came off as collegial, like minded colleagues. If you agree with their progressive views, particularly their position on providing universal health care without private insurers and the need to disrupt almost everything about the way that the government is currently working, than the choice between them is one of personal preference. Warren who questioned why anyone would run for president “just to talk about what we can’t do” is more into details, Sanders more into bombast but the substance is pretty much the same.  As to the rest of the candidates, though she got in a few zingers and applause from the Detroit crowd with her historical justification for slavery reparations, I’m sticking with the view that Marianne Williamson doesn’t belong on the stage, there’s too much at stake right now to give time to fringe candidates, even entertaining, shrewd ones.  That said, she was spot on when she said that there is a “dark psychic force” hanging over the country.  The rest of the crowd was split between left leaning moderates and centrist moderates.  Montana Governor Steve Bullock was sometimes a bit tongue tied particularly when he accidentally called for nuclear proliferation (he corrected himself quickly) while arguing with Warren that it was bad strategy to promise never to use nukes first, to be clear he didn’t say he would, but like some of the other moderates including Hickenlooper, Klobuchar, Ryan and Delaney, his point that a Democratic victory might hinge on picking a centrist candidate probably resonated with many watching from home. When Beto O’Rourke suggested that the Democrats could win Texas, Bullock reminded the crowd that unlike Beto, he’s the guy with a proven track record of winning in a red state.  Beto did a better job this time than during the first debate, but like Mayor Pete, he didn’t get his soundbite moment.  Neither did Senator Klobuchar, who despite or maybe because of her earnestness is beginning to look more like a possible vice presidential candidate than someone who’ll be able to get herself to the top of the presidential pile.  In addition to health care, the candidates were queried about their positions on the climate crisis, race relations, and immigration.  Their answers varied from realistic to aspirational but obviously they all agree that we are facing a climate crisis, a position that distinguishes all of them from the head in the sand/kowtow to the energy lobby until the earth reaches its boiling point position of the Republican party.  On immigration, at the end of the day they all want to stop the separation of families and fix the system, some would continue to criminalize illegal crossings others would limit criminalization to “bad” players, making the crossings a civil offense but none, contrary to Republican talking points were calling for totally open borders although Warren’s position comes close.  Notably yesterday the ACLU pointed out that despite court rulings prohibiting continued separation, the Trump administration is still separating children from their families for questionable reasons and has separated an additional 900 or more children since the issue first hit the headlines.  On race relations, although Trump’s actions and recent remarks were not the focus of the debate, everyone on the stage agreed that the current state of discourse is a bigly problem.  For his part, yesterday Trump continued to attack Baltimore and Congressman Elijah Cummings while asserting that he’s heard from countless Black people and that each and every one of them agree that his criticism is spot on and that he’s the greatest thing since sliced bread.  The Democrats need to get their act together or we will have four more years of the “stable genius” Wonder Bread boy and his racially divisive policies as we spiral off into an increasingly hot mess.  Tonight during Debate Two, Part Two expect to see a lot of other candidates attacking former VP Biden in an effort to get their viral moment.

Human Resources:  Here’s a shocker, Texas Congressman John Ratcliffe, Trump’s candidate to replace the outgoing Dan Coats as Director of National Security, has misrepresented his credentials.  Ratcliffe’s claim that he prosecuted terrorists during his stint as a Federal Attorney isn’t true.  The bottom line is that aside from being a Trumpian conspiracy theorist, he has no relevant experience for the post, a problem because like it or not Trump, the intelligence agency skeptic, needs to know what’s really going on in the world and because the authorizing legislation that established the DNI position requires that candidates have relevant experience.  It’s unclear whether Ratcliffe’s lack of qualifications will kill his confirmation because we already know that Moscow Mitch mostly does what Trump tells him to do but at least one Republican, Senate Intelligence Committee Chair Richard Burr has told Trump that Ratcliffe is not qualified.  Another one of Trump’s candidates, General John Hyten who has been nominated to be the Vice Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was grilled by the Senate yesterday, not over his lack of experience but because of a credible or incredible claim, depending on who you believe, that he sexually assaulted one of his underlings.  Curiously, Arizona Senator Martha McSally, who earlier disclosed that she had been raped while serving in the military, rose to his defense saying that while “sexual assault happens in the military, it just didn’t happen in this case,” while Iowa Senator Joni Ernst, who like McSally is up for a tough reelection in 2020, told Hyten that the facts of the investigation “left me with concerns regarding your judgment, leadership and fitness to serve as the next vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.”  As to Republicans in general though Trump and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy insist that they are poised to retake the House, some don’t appear convinced.  About eight Republicans representatives, including two of the party’s very few women have already  announced that they will not be seeking reelection in 2020.  Democrats are still running, and as of now 113 of them, several from purple districts, are also supporting impeachment. And lastly, another one of the more vulnerable Republicans, Maine Senator Susan Collins, became the first Republican to sign on to Democratic Senator Warner’s election interference FIRE Act which would “require presidential candidates” to immediately notify the Federal Elections Commission, who would then contact the FBI, if they are “contacted by a foreign power” that is trying to interfere in US elections. Neither Moscow Mitch nor Trump will be very pleased about that.