Anderson Cooper was a bit flummoxed in asking questions of the three candidates, as were the audience members who asked questions. Basically Cruz, Trump and Kasich paid little attention to the specifics of the questions and continued to stake out their by now well-established personae: Cruz is the right-wing ideologue who isn't too interested in the facts, Trump is the bully who wants to beat up on everyone and doesn't care about policy details because he "can always make a deal" and Kasich is the practical guy who can get things done and has the best chance of winning.
My favorite point in the "town hall" was when Trump was asked by an audience member what the three most important areas would be to him if he were elected. He said "national security" and then had trouble coming up with anything else, finally mentioning healthcare and education. Anderson Cooper was rendered almost speechless by this, finally saying that he thought Trump's position was that the federal government has no role in healthcare or education. Trump then admitted that that was correct, that "common core" should be abolished and education should be up to the states and healthcare should be left to private insurance companies, since we all know how well that has been working! Apparently Trump is only interested in two things: preventing women from getting abortions and putting other countries in their place.
Trump and Cruz continued bashing Muslims and immigrants while Kasich says we cannot just demonize whole groups of people. Kasich continued to be the most statesmanlike of the group (which is admittedly not saying much) and took the admirable Burkean position that one cannot make decisions with a finger in the wind of popularity, while Cruz and Trump praised themselves for not being "politically correct." All three candidates now have rescinded their pledge to support the Republican candidate, whoever he may be.
Thursday, March 31, 2016
Friday, March 11, 2016
Democratic Debate March 9, Republican Debate March 10
The debates are starting to get a bit tedious, as each candidate continues to stake out their own territory. with little deviation. At least Cuba is now being discussed, as Bernie Sanders emphasizes what good Castro had done --especially with healthcare and education -- and Clinton emphasizes Castro's poor record on human rights. The Republicans agree that we did not "get a good deal" with Castro,, Trump in particular emphasizing what a great wheeler-dealer he is, who could get a good deal with everybody, including Israel and the Palestinians. Interesting, the two populist candidates --Sanders and Trump -- both are unhappy with our current trade deals, Trump saying that if other countries "don't behave" he would institute tariffs as high as 45%. I'm beginning to find Clinton's uneasy laughter a little creepy, as she continues to dodge the question of what she said to Goldman-Sachs. David Corn (who exposed Mitt Romney's secret speech to wealthy donors in which he referred to 47% of voters as "moochers"), where are you now?
Clinton says that 90% of the country now has health insurance and though she claims to believe in universal coverage she offers no plan to cover the other 10%. Sanders correctly points out that many of those who do have insurance do not get the medical care they need because of sky-high deductibles and co-payments. The Republicans all pledge to repeal Obamacare but the only suggestions any of them have to improve things are to allow insurance companies to sell across state lines! On immigration the Republicans are opposed to a path to citizenship while the Democrats are for it and Clinton continues to criticize Sanders for not supporting "Ted Kennedy's bill" even though Sanders has clearly stated that he considered the guest-worker provision of that bill "akin to slavery." Clinton also continues to harp on Sanders's vote against the import-export bill as Sanders continues to state that the money went mostly to Boeing and other profitable companies. Clinton's response is that since other countries help profitable companies so should we. Sanders continues to support single-payer healthcare and free tuition for state colleges, while Clinton's concern is that these policies would only cause "contentious debate."
Everyone continues to complain about the lack of increase in wages but no one suggests policies that would make it easier for workers to form and join unions (except for the long-departed Martin O'Malley), presumably because of the scapegoating of teachers' and other unions.
Clinton says that 90% of the country now has health insurance and though she claims to believe in universal coverage she offers no plan to cover the other 10%. Sanders correctly points out that many of those who do have insurance do not get the medical care they need because of sky-high deductibles and co-payments. The Republicans all pledge to repeal Obamacare but the only suggestions any of them have to improve things are to allow insurance companies to sell across state lines! On immigration the Republicans are opposed to a path to citizenship while the Democrats are for it and Clinton continues to criticize Sanders for not supporting "Ted Kennedy's bill" even though Sanders has clearly stated that he considered the guest-worker provision of that bill "akin to slavery." Clinton also continues to harp on Sanders's vote against the import-export bill as Sanders continues to state that the money went mostly to Boeing and other profitable companies. Clinton's response is that since other countries help profitable companies so should we. Sanders continues to support single-payer healthcare and free tuition for state colleges, while Clinton's concern is that these policies would only cause "contentious debate."
Everyone continues to complain about the lack of increase in wages but no one suggests policies that would make it easier for workers to form and join unions (except for the long-departed Martin O'Malley), presumably because of the scapegoating of teachers' and other unions.
Monday, March 7, 2016
Democratic Debate March 6
This debate revealed nothing particularly new. Hilary Clinton's evasions are starting to annoy me, I must admit. She did not address the question of whether bad teachers are protected by the union; they aren't, but why didn't Clinton answer the question directly? Is she afraid to lose the endorsement of the teachers' unions if she answers this question in a little more detail when, to so many parents, it is an important question? The same on fracking: she said she would institute (unspecified) regulations, while Sanders simply said he was opposed to it because of the environmental dangers. Is Clinton afraid to offend her fossil fuels contributors? Clinton continues to say that she will release the transcripts of her talks to Wall Street firms when others do. What others? Sanders has none to release and one would not expect the Republicans to release any, if there are some. And she continues to evade the question of why she has a super-PAC if the Wall Street contributors don't expect anything from her. Her response this time was that Obama also received a great deal of money from Wall Street; therefore it's okay? And she continues to evade questions about her e-mails; instead she attacks Trump for bringing them up.
When it comes to education Sanders once again proposed free state-college tuition, universal pre-K and more childcare, with better pay for childcare workers. Sanders continues to support single-payer healthcare while Clinton seems happy with 90% coverage and offers no plan to include the missing 10%. Both candidates would rebuild the infrastructure, though Sanders would invest more money in it. Clinton complained constantly about references to the 90's, contradicting her usual declarations that one should examine her record. Her record shows fairly clearly that she will shift with the wind, as she was constantly apologizing for previous comments and votes, from coded references to "super-predators" to her vote for the war in Iraq, though foreign policy was not discussed at all, perhaps because they were in Flint, Michigan, where the water supply is contaminated and foreign policy does not seem pressing. At the end of the debate the candidates were asked about God and Clinton gave a treacly response, not forgetting to include her usual reference to "God-given potential," while Sanders simply reaffirmed his Jewish background and simply stated that we should follow the golden rule that all religions have in common.
When it comes to education Sanders once again proposed free state-college tuition, universal pre-K and more childcare, with better pay for childcare workers. Sanders continues to support single-payer healthcare while Clinton seems happy with 90% coverage and offers no plan to include the missing 10%. Both candidates would rebuild the infrastructure, though Sanders would invest more money in it. Clinton complained constantly about references to the 90's, contradicting her usual declarations that one should examine her record. Her record shows fairly clearly that she will shift with the wind, as she was constantly apologizing for previous comments and votes, from coded references to "super-predators" to her vote for the war in Iraq, though foreign policy was not discussed at all, perhaps because they were in Flint, Michigan, where the water supply is contaminated and foreign policy does not seem pressing. At the end of the debate the candidates were asked about God and Clinton gave a treacly response, not forgetting to include her usual reference to "God-given potential," while Sanders simply reaffirmed his Jewish background and simply stated that we should follow the golden rule that all religions have in common.
Friday, March 4, 2016
Republican Debate: March 3
When I was a debater in school we always had plenty of analysis and statistics to show where our opponents were wrong. But in the Republican debates there has been little of this, since the participants all basically agree on everything. At least in this debate the Fox moderators were able to show not only Trump's inconsistencies but also they exposed his fantasy that he would make up the deficit caused by his tax cuts with getting rid of "waste, fraud and abuse" by showing the actual numbers. Trump's response was to emphasize his flexibility, which led to one of the few moments when any of the candidates showed a sense of humor: during one argument Cruz said to Trump "breathe, Donald, breathe" and a moderator said "let's cut out the yoga" and Rubio said "after all, he's very flexible."
The squabbling continued, as Rubio attacked Trump for his dubious "Trump University," his making of Trump clothes in Asia, and his employment of contract immigrants instead of Americans in his resorts. Trump said he was forced into these decisions by circumstances and, anyway, he will be vindicated in the Trump University case when it is decided in three years. Trump said also that the military would do whatever illegal torture he told them to do. Whenever he was pushed on anything Trump cited polls showing how ahead of everyone he was, including Clinton.
Kasich generally remained aloof from the squabbling and name-calling and did make the practical suggestion that we should have more vocational training in the public schools. All the participants agreed that wages have not risen in a long time but, as usual, no one suggested that strengthening unions would be one way to help the situation. The participants complained about students saddled with debts but no one had any concrete solutions. Everyone wants to abolish Obamacare and allow insurance across state lines but no one offers any solution to helping the uninsured or those who are insured and are still saddled with medical debts. All the candidates bemoaned what has happened in Flint, Michigan while wanting to abolish regulations that are preventing other such tragedies. The only solution to the illegal immigrant situation that is offered is Trump's deportation and wall with Mexico (which reminds one of the Berlin Wall).
Without analyzing delegate counts I wonder if Kasich, who has been the most statesman-like of the candidates, has a chance at the nomination. He is the one candidate who doesn't seem constrained by zealous ideology and seems genuinely interested in accomplishing things with bipartisan effort.
The squabbling continued, as Rubio attacked Trump for his dubious "Trump University," his making of Trump clothes in Asia, and his employment of contract immigrants instead of Americans in his resorts. Trump said he was forced into these decisions by circumstances and, anyway, he will be vindicated in the Trump University case when it is decided in three years. Trump said also that the military would do whatever illegal torture he told them to do. Whenever he was pushed on anything Trump cited polls showing how ahead of everyone he was, including Clinton.
Kasich generally remained aloof from the squabbling and name-calling and did make the practical suggestion that we should have more vocational training in the public schools. All the participants agreed that wages have not risen in a long time but, as usual, no one suggested that strengthening unions would be one way to help the situation. The participants complained about students saddled with debts but no one had any concrete solutions. Everyone wants to abolish Obamacare and allow insurance across state lines but no one offers any solution to helping the uninsured or those who are insured and are still saddled with medical debts. All the candidates bemoaned what has happened in Flint, Michigan while wanting to abolish regulations that are preventing other such tragedies. The only solution to the illegal immigrant situation that is offered is Trump's deportation and wall with Mexico (which reminds one of the Berlin Wall).
Without analyzing delegate counts I wonder if Kasich, who has been the most statesman-like of the candidates, has a chance at the nomination. He is the one candidate who doesn't seem constrained by zealous ideology and seems genuinely interested in accomplishing things with bipartisan effort.
Tuesday, March 1, 2016
Republican Debate Feb. 25 and The Oscars Feb. 29
I'm not sure which I found more dispiriting in the past week, the most recent Republican debate or the Oscars. Politicians and movies both seem worst than ever.
The Feb.25 debate was a depressing spectacle,, with Trump, Cruz and Rubio calling each other "liar," Kasich on the sidelines defending his long record in Congress and as the governor of Ohio, and Ben ("can somebody please attack me") Carson more out of it than ever, saying that we should "examine the fruit salad of their lives" when considering Supreme Court nominees. Meanwhile, there is almost no "debate" about the issues, the only disagreement being how much one can accomplish on the first day in office: tearing up the agreement with Iran, bombing ISIS back to the Stone Age, defunding Planned Parenthood, getting rid of those obstructionist environmental regulations, abolishing Obamacare. Some of this might have to involve the Congress, however, since all the Republicans agree that President Obama has been too dependent on "unconstitutional" executive orders. As usual no one had any useful suggestions to replace Obamacare -- health empowerment accounts and letting health insurance companies sell across state lines would not help those who are too poor to afford insurance -- and unions were again conspicuous in their complete absence.
As for the Oscars: the debate about diversity tended to obscure the fact that most movies today look as if D.W. Griffith had never lived. The only positive spot in the whole tedious evening was the Oscar for best music to Ennio Morricone for Tarantino's The Hateful Eight. Morricone was given an honorary Oscar in 2006, when he was 78, but he defied the tradition of death, which usually follows the honorary Oscar, and stuck around to win the genuine article. Morricone has scored over 500 movies and TV shows and, of the ones I've seen and heard, C'er una volta il West (Once Upon a Time in the West, 1968) is the best; it might even be true that director Sergio Leone made the film to fit the score that Morricone wrote! Film scores have never gotten the attention they deserve but I am sometimes influenced to watch a movie based on who did the music (in my more more purist days I preferred no score, as in the films of Ingmar Bergman).
The Feb.25 debate was a depressing spectacle,, with Trump, Cruz and Rubio calling each other "liar," Kasich on the sidelines defending his long record in Congress and as the governor of Ohio, and Ben ("can somebody please attack me") Carson more out of it than ever, saying that we should "examine the fruit salad of their lives" when considering Supreme Court nominees. Meanwhile, there is almost no "debate" about the issues, the only disagreement being how much one can accomplish on the first day in office: tearing up the agreement with Iran, bombing ISIS back to the Stone Age, defunding Planned Parenthood, getting rid of those obstructionist environmental regulations, abolishing Obamacare. Some of this might have to involve the Congress, however, since all the Republicans agree that President Obama has been too dependent on "unconstitutional" executive orders. As usual no one had any useful suggestions to replace Obamacare -- health empowerment accounts and letting health insurance companies sell across state lines would not help those who are too poor to afford insurance -- and unions were again conspicuous in their complete absence.
As for the Oscars: the debate about diversity tended to obscure the fact that most movies today look as if D.W. Griffith had never lived. The only positive spot in the whole tedious evening was the Oscar for best music to Ennio Morricone for Tarantino's The Hateful Eight. Morricone was given an honorary Oscar in 2006, when he was 78, but he defied the tradition of death, which usually follows the honorary Oscar, and stuck around to win the genuine article. Morricone has scored over 500 movies and TV shows and, of the ones I've seen and heard, C'er una volta il West (Once Upon a Time in the West, 1968) is the best; it might even be true that director Sergio Leone made the film to fit the score that Morricone wrote! Film scores have never gotten the attention they deserve but I am sometimes influenced to watch a movie based on who did the music (in my more more purist days I preferred no score, as in the films of Ingmar Bergman).
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