POLITICAL JUNKIES

marijen

Hiliary is incompetent to say the least! Can't even speak without misspeaking. And oh the shouting and meanness, coughing, hoarseness, not a nice picture. Who wants to hear/watch that for four years? She really ought to release her medical records, not just a letter. What if she gets BC and has to do chemo? Who will her running mate be? Bill? He's falling apart too. Now the NSA is involved in her Blackberry antics. You can't make this stuff up. Thank you lady from Canada for feeling sorry for us.

I had a Taurus too, it died by the side of the road from dehydration. So sad.

marijen

I didn't say she'd be useless but she might be out of commission for a while (in bed). I suppose it depends on how bad it is. Would you feel like running the country with chemo and and a bmx with six drains, TEs, reconstruction and on drugs?? Just saying. Do you think Carly Fiorina probably would have been in form to run a country when she was ill. My real point is - to me she has no stamina, and looks ill from something and very out of shape. I doubt she'd be getting up and getting dressed, going to meetings, making public speeches. That's all, worse case scenario. She should release her records and who will be filling in for her? I suppose they could move an oversized kitchen aid into the white house.

Hopeful82014

Marijen, come on. What if Trump gets prostate cancer and has to do chemo? I rather imagine that could be handled. I really felt you were lashing out rather illogically.

I thought this was supposed to be a respectful conversation and I hope I've kept my remarks thoughtful. I don't expect anyone/everyone to agree with me but I'd hope that they wouldn't avoid reading my comments. Perhaps we could all try to post in that spirit?

marijen

kayb - did you know she has to sit down and rest after the debates before she can walk to the limo?

ChiSandy

I'm sure that a lot of people need to sit down after being on their feet for two hours straight!

The “what if she gets bc" comment reminds me of the “what happens when she gets her period?" excuse cited by men long ago for opposing letting women into traditionally-male-dominated jobs.

Anyone notice how Trump seems to be getting heavier? (we know he’s not taking an AI).

steelrose

"Thank you lady from Canada for feeling sorry for us." I nearly spit up my wine when I read that!

Love you ladies… you're on FIRE! Chi-Sandy, where the heck have you been? Your posts are packed with knowledge. I was particularly interested in the Trump's business background and your views as a New Yorker. Also his dad as a slumlord. Ugh. Not so sure Trump doesn't have a screw or two missing ,for real. And poor Hillary… that woman's been gunning for the White House since her philandering husband got in there. Revenge.

What's an American voter to do?

Cheers!

Meow13

Anybody watching Rachel Maddow? I think I will run for president.

marijen

Donald should have ate less and drank a little wine. Did you know he does his own hair? I want to crawl into the TV with my scizzors

marijen

My son wants a President who looks buff! Works out and that leaves everyone out that's left.

marijen

---

You mean the the skinny guy that works out with two pound weights? You call that buff?

How about one of those Navy Seals

badger

hi, my name is badger and I'm a political junkie. :-) Great thread! While the machinations around the eventual R nominee are fascinating, I see no good choices this year, especially not the short-fingered vulgarian (Trump) or the guy who's literally in bed with Wall Street banksters (Cruz, his wife works for Goldman Sachs). Didn't like Hillary eight years ago and still don't. Bernie doesn't stand a snowball's chance.

We have closed primaries here and as an independent, I don't like it. Can't vote for the people I want if one is a D and one is an R. It was supposedly started to avoid political gamesmanship like voting in the primary to advance a 'weak' candidate to face your guy in the general election, but I still don't like having my right to vote infringed.

BTW I have voted in every election since I turned 18. I gave my first vote for President to John Anderson of Illinois in 1980, the year Ronald Reagan defeated incumbent Jimmy Carter.

ksusan

I'd have been able to run the country with drains and chemo. Certainly better than RR with Alzheimer's and astrologers.

BrooksideVT

Am I wrong in thinking that Obama (especially), Hillary, Bernie, and Cruz should be on the air right now letting people know that these protests/riots in training are not the American way? The Arizona highway shutdown just makes me think how easily terrorists could prevent egress from wherever they wanted people to remain. Ugh. Creepy.

The New York event makes me (a former NYC resident) think of how much police overtime/tax hike this event is costing. I suppose Trump will also receive a beefed up Secret Service detail.

I'm totally undecided as to where my vote will go, but, whoever these people are voting for, I sure don't want to join them!

marijen

Excellent observation Brookside, I was wondering if Trump could beam his Rally Video to the billboards along the highway

Meow13

ksusan, good one. Lol

badger

ksusan!

exbrnxgrl

I'm jumping in a little late, and maybe it's tongue in cheek, but why do we need a buff president? On that count, Putin, bare chested and on horseback, comes to mind.

ksusan

Obama's more my type than Putin. Of course, as a lesbian I may make these decisions differently from the majority.

marijen

You like the almost invisible man. I get it.

chef127

I am in no way a POLITICAL JUNKIE..yet. Before all this started I was thinking that the gop can never again win a presidential election unless drastic changes were made. Well it happened and Trump (chump, drumph, little prick, I can't believe this is the first thing I think of) is leading. I know IF he is elected we have to live with him deciding for the country. He is going to need a version of the "pope mobile" to get around.

And Cruz would be shoving his crap down our throats, and overturn many of our civil rights, really scary.

Bernie, Bernie, Bernie. I love what he has to say. If nothing else he did bring awareness to a lot of issues that no one says out load.

If we get Hillary we get Bill too. There is no good choice at this point and many people I've spoken to will NOT vote. What a shame. I am ashamed for, and of, all the American candidates. Is this the best we have?

I say give Obama a bat for a 3rd home run.

rainnyc

The only buff quality I require in a president is a nimble brain.

The talk of the candidates' health, on these boards in particular, made me think about how this information has been handled in the past. President Wilson was incapacitated by stroke in 1919, greatly affecting the last year and a half of his presidency. What's more, he had at least two strokes before he was elected president.

Franklin Roosevelt went to enormous lengths, with a complicit press, to keep his disability from appearing to the public, though of course the fact he was in a wheelchair didn't affect his ability to do his job. Similarly, the press helped keep President Kennedy's significant physical disabilities (crippling back pain and Addison's disease) out of the media; he was on major painkillers the entire time he was in office. Meanwhile, opinions vary as to whether Ronald Reagan exhibited any early signs of Alzheimer's Disease while still in office.

And George Washington was out of commission for nearly two months during his first year in office, after a tumor on his thigh abscessed and had to be removed--without anesthetic.

Since the average lifespan was much shorter in the past, many of the men who were elected president were older in proportion to the rest of the population than they would seem today. So illness was just a part of their lives and not unexpected by the public, I think.

Anyway, I don't think any of the major party candidates is physically ill in a way that would keep them from doing their job. Like all 2 term presidents, Obama looks a lot older than he did when he took office. The battle scars of office....

exbrnxgrl

All presidents are human and like any of us, subject to physical ailments. I'm stage IV, do my job very well and function normally (although I have tried using the bc excuse for getting out of doing the dishes 😜). I would hate for someone to say I am not as useful as teachers who don't have bc.

Ksusan, lesbian or straight, hulks don't appeal to me either. So what's the scoop on buff looking heads of state.

Rainnyc, yes! Brains over brawn, hands down.

ChiSandy

So Trump may get “beefed-up” Secret Svce. protection? In response to the inevitable query, “where’s the beef?” may I suggest Trump Steaks? There’s an endless supply of unsold ones...

By the time the voting age was lowered to 18, I was already 21. So my first vote was for McGovern. In 1980, I’d have been happy with either Carter or Kennedy as the Dem. candidate, so I took a GOP ballot instead so I could vote for John Anderson (he didn’t run as an independent until after the primary). I did vote for Carter in the general, though, since the stakes were too high. And if Bernie runs as an independent in Nov., I’m voting for HRC for precisely the same reason--it’s more important to me to keep the White House in Democratic hands for various reasons.

Trump’s health care plan stands on three weak legs: “I won’t let anyone drop dead in the street,” HSAs, and being able to cross state lines to buy health insurance. Let’s take that last one first. Sounds great--if a MA or CA plan is higher-rated by consumer agencies, you could buy it no matter where you live. BUT what if it lacks certain protections required by your home state? Too bad--your state can’t regulate it, so you forfeit them. And what if you need to challenge or appeal its decisions? You have to file those in its, not your, home state--and probably in Fed. court there too. And if the insurance company does something that would cause you to file a complaint with your state’s Insurance Commissioner? Sorry, your state’s I.C. has no jurisdiction--and the company’s home-state I.C. would likely not go to bat for a non-resident, nor your I.C. against them, unless insurance laws were amended--and with insurance-company clout in Congress and state legislatures, ain’t gonna happen. HSA’s? You need to have the money to save for that. And the tax break is usually meaningless for the vast majority of people who take the std. deduction and file a 1040A. Medicaid would have to be shored up considerably to protect the truly poor, the truly wealthy could afford either top-drawer plans or even self-insure, and those not poor enough for Medicaid but too poor to build a good HSA and derive any tax benefit would fall through the cracks. And as for the “nobody’s gonna drop dead in the street?” True--they’ll drop dead at home, on the job--or if they’re lucky, in the teeming ER’s of squalid public hospitals. The insurance companies won’t accept prohibitions against pre-existing condition exemptions the way they did under the ACA--fool ‘em once.......

As I posted on another thread, the Donald apple hasn’t fallen far from the Trump (Drumpf?) family tree. Fred Trump, besides being a real estate mega-mogul (Coney Island/Brighton’s Trump Village highrise rental/condo development is practically the size of an actual village, dwarfing the Lefrak empire), was an unprincipled slumlord (making the elder Durst look like a saint). Recently, a song by Woody Guthrie about his Coney Island landlord, the pre-highrise Fred Trump, was unearthed. As you may have guessed, it wasn’t exactly a love song.

Hillary is far from perfect, and not my first choice. But despite polls that seem to show Bernie stands a better chance against Trump than does she (and is the only one of the two who could edge out any GOP candidate), I am dubious about polls. Why? Because public opinion polls have no consequences. You can answer a poll question (including, BTW, an exit poll) any way you want, to no real effect. You can lie about how you’re going to vote and how you voted. You can even be utterly ineligible to vote and still participate in a poll, so long as you conceal your ineligibility--lying to a pollster is not illegal. Neither convention delegates nor Electoral College votes are awarded on the basis of polls. The truth is that allegations against HRC can be refuted. Benghazi was not an embassy, and though the Ambassador was there, it functioned primarily as a CIA special-ops center--out of the 30 Americans evacuated, 23 were CIA agents, and the State Dept. was insufficiently funded to protect both the Benghazi consulate and the Tripoli embassy (and the latter, being in the capital, was deemed a higher priority in terms of danger). The GOP-majority House committee that grilled her appointed a commission--which concluded in its report that she was not to blame. None of the e-mails in Servergate were classified at the time they were sent or received. Even Colin Powell used his own private server rather than State’s. And as to those “smoking gun” FBI and NSA employee whistleblowers? Both agencies are still largely staffed by Bush-era holdovers. Previous allegations while she was First Lady were disproved, and are Whitewater-under-the-bridge. Bill’s tomcatting was not her fault, and her refusal to dump him has no bearing on her ability to govern. She was a good and hardworking Senator as well.

OTOH, the things that could scuttle a Sanders candidacy at the hands of the Koch Bros. and conservative super-PACS are misconceptions inured in the minds and hearts of the GOP base, and while it’s possible to disprove alleged factual assertions, it’s impossible to erase deeply-held prejudices (and correct misconceptions without insulting the ignorance of those who hold them--and insulting a voter ensures even stronger antipathy). First the misconception of Bernie’s brand of “socialism.” Every plank in his would-be platform tracks LBJ’s Great Society, FDR’s New Deal and even Teddy Roosevelt’s trustbusting anti-robber-baron agenda. Yet conservatives conflate “Socialist” with “Soviet” or “Communist” (Trump has called him “our Communist friend”) because they know that most voters alive today were never taught the difference between socialism and Communism--either the Iron Curtain dissolved before they were old enough to vote, civics & economics long ago disappeared from the K-12 curriculum, or both. And as I posted in another thread, few Evangelicals have any use for a Jew who doesn’t embrace Israel's Likud government’s actions and kiss Bibi Netanyahu’s ring--because in order for the events culminating in the Rapture to be set in motion, Israel must first be in Jewish hands, and then the Jews eventually convert. Even the VP candidacy of observantly Modern-Orthodox, Israeli-gov’t-supporting Joe Lieberman was not immune to Anti-Semitic dirty tricks: my sister & I (in two different states & regions) both received the identical phone push-poll, culminating in the loaded question, “would you be comfortable with someone who denies Jesus Christ is our Lord & Savior a heartbeat away from the Presidency?” Sadly, this country is not as evolved as we think we are.

marijen

HEALTHCARE REFORM TO MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN

Since March of 2010, the American people have had to suffer under the incredible economic burden of the Affordable Care Act—Obamacare. This legislation, passed by totally partisan votes in the House and Senate and signed into law by the most divisive and partisan President in American history, has tragically but predictably resulted in runaway costs, websites that don't work, greater rationing of care, higher premiums, less competition and fewer choices. Obamacare has raised the economic uncertainty of every single person residing in this country. As it appears Obamacare is certain to collapse of its own weight, the damage done by the Democrats and President Obama, and abetted by the Supreme Court, will be difficult to repair unless the next President and a Republican congress lead the effort to bring much-needed free market reforms to the healthcare industry.

But none of these positive reforms can be accomplished without Obamacare repeal. On day one of the Trump Administration, we will ask Congress to immediately deliver a full repeal of Obamacare.

However, it is not enough to simply repeal this terrible legislation. We will work with Congress to make sure we have a series of reforms ready for implementation that follow free market principles and that will restore economic freedom and certainty to everyone in this country. By following free market principles and working together to create sound public policy that will broaden healthcare access, make healthcare more affordable and improve the quality of the care available to all Americans.

Any reform effort must begin with Congress. Since Obamacare became law, conservative Republicans have been offering reforms that can be delivered individually or as part of more comprehensive reform efforts. In the remaining sections of this policy paper, several reforms will be offered that should be considered by Congress so that on the first day of the Trump Administration, we can start the process of restoring faith in government and economic liberty to the people.

Congress must act. Our elected representatives in the House and Senate must:

1. Completely repeal Obamacare. Our elected representatives must eliminate the individual mandate. No person should be required to buy insurance unless he or she wants to.
2. Modify existing law that inhibits the sale of health insurance across state lines. As long as the plan purchased complies with state requirements, any vendor ought to be able to offer insurance in any state. By allowing full competition in this market, insurance costs will go down and consumer satisfaction will go up.
3. Allow individuals to fully deduct health insurance premium payments from their tax returns under the current tax system. Businesses are allowed to take these deductions so why wouldn't Congress allow individuals the same exemptions? As we allow the free market to provide insurance coverage opportunities to companies and individuals, we must also make sure that no one slips through the cracks simply because they cannot afford insurance. We must review basic options for Medicaid and work with states to ensure that those who want healthcare coverage can have it.
4. Allow individuals to use Health Savings Accounts (HSAs). Contributions into HSAs should be tax-free and should be allowed to accumulate. These accounts would become part of the estate of the individual and could be passed on to heirs without fear of any death penalty. These plans should be particularly attractive to young people who are healthy and can afford high-deductible insurance plans. These funds can be used by any member of a family without penalty. The flexibility and security provided by HSAs will be of great benefit to all who participate.
5. Require price transparency from all healthcare providers, especially doctors and healthcare organizations like clinics and hospitals. Individuals should be able to shop to find the best prices for procedures, exams or any other medical-related procedure.
6. Block-grant Medicaid to the states. Nearly every state already offers benefits beyond what is required in the current Medicaid structure. The state governments know their people best and can manage the administration of Medicaid far better without federal overhead. States will have the incentives to seek out and eliminate fraud, waste and abuse to preserve our precious resources.
7. Remove barriers to entry into free markets for drug providers that offer safe, reliable and cheaper products. Congress will need the courage to step away from the special interests and do what is right for America. Though the pharmaceutical industry is in the private sector, drug companies provide a public service. Allowing consumers access to imported, safe and dependable drugs from overseas will bring more options to consumers.

The reforms outlined above will lower healthcare costs for all Americans. They are simply a place to start. There are other reforms that might be considered if they serve to lower costs, remove uncertainty and provide financial security for all Americans. And we must also take actions in other policy areas to lower healthcare costs and burdens. Enforcing immigration laws, eliminating fraud and waste and energizing our economy will relieve the economic pressures felt by every American. It is the moral responsibility of a nation's government to do what is best for the people and what is in the interest of securing the future of the nation.

Providing healthcare to illegal immigrants costs us some $11 billion annually. If we were to simply enforce the current immigration laws and restrict the unbridled granting of visas to this country, we could relieve healthcare cost pressures on state and local governments.

To reduce the number of individuals needing access to programs like Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Program we will need to install programs that grow the economy and bring capital and jobs back to America. The best social program has always been a job – and taking care of our economy will go a long way towards reducing our dependence on public health programs.

Finally, we need to reform our mental health programs and institutions in this country. Families, without the ability to get the information needed to help those who are ailing, are too often not given the tools to help their loved ones. There are promising reforms being developed in Congress that should receive bi-partisan support.

To reform healthcare in America, we need a President who has the leadership skills, will and courage to engage the American people and convince Congress to do what is best for the country. These straightforward reforms, along with many others I have proposed throughout my campaign, will ensure that together we will Make America Great Again.

ruthbru

Grover Cleveland was diagnosed with a cancerous tumor of the jaw when he was president. The economy was in shaky shape, and he didn't So he announced that he was going on vacation on a friend's yacht, waved goodbye to the press, and on board, he was met by a team of surgeons (who had been smuggled onto the ship). He had surgery (presumably on a very calm day). The tumor and his whole upper palate was removed. He was fitted with a rubber prosthesis, had a few sessions with a speech therapist, and no one knew the difference. His secret was not revealed until many years after his death (of natural causes), when one of the doctors write an article about it in a medical journal. (This caused some to speculate that it had not been cancer at all. Fortunately they had saved a tumor sample and when it was retested, it was, indeed, found to be cancerous.) If you were going to disqualify people on the basis that they might be struck with a serious health problem (or that they could not handle the job if they were to become ill), you would disqualify 100% of the human race!

rainnyc

Wow, Ruth, that's fascinating! How do you know this?

marijen

Ben Carson is working on the details of Trump's Healthcare Plan.

ruthbru

It's a hobby of mine. I am an 'amateur presidential historian'. I give talks to local groups, schools etc. about the all presidents, their spouses & families. And I also do talks specifically about Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt . One of the biggest thrills of my life came in 2009, when I was chosen as the North Dakota teacher for something called a Horace Mann/Abraham Lincoln Fellowship. Each year the Horace Mann Insurance Company (headquartered in Springfield, Illinois) and the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum team up and chose one teacher applicant from each state & fly them down to Springfield (in 2 groups) where you spend a week doing workshops, in discussions, listening to the top Lincoln scholars, touring all the Lincoln sites etc. etc For a history nerd like me, it was like being in heaven! (Plus the whole year before I had been recovering physically and mentally from cancer treatments......so I felt ABSOLUTELY grateful to be around doing something I loved. Ironically, I would have probably never even dared applied for the fellowship before cancer, afterwards it was, "What the heck, why not try." And it was so awesome. About Theodore Roosevelt.....since we in North Dakota claim Theodore Roosevelt as 'our president' (as he, himself, said he would have never been president if not for the time he spent here), I have done lots and lots of research about him too, just for fun .

ruthbru

Thanks for the link, kayb. I actually like all the presidents better when I get to know about them as people with real challenges, strengths and weaknesses.

ChiSandy

To be frank, I think Trump’s plan has a (very) few good ideas, but there are mostly serious flaws and glaring omissions. Where did he get that $11B figure for current health expenditure for undocumented immigrants? (Probably, where he gets most of his assertions--uh, let’s just say “from within,” putting it euphemistically). Certainly, it isn’t the gov’t spending most (if any) of it. Undocumented immigrants are usually terrified to go public with any concern, from landlord-tenant grievances to trying to get medical care, for fear of being reported to the INS and getting deported. Allowing Americans to freely purchase drugs abroad is a good first step--but there need to be reciprocal agreements with other nations that their pharmacies can be sued by Americans (and their citizens who are crazy enough to want to buy their meds here can sue the US pharmacies where they bought them). And Medicare needs to be able to negotiate drug prices the way private insurers do--which would bring down both Part D co-pays and premiums. Medicaid block grants to states are meaningless without mandates that they be spent solely on Medicaid and how they should be spent within each state’s Medicaid system. Block grants currently carry few if any restrictions--some states that do accept them spend them instead on public works projects, administrations, TIF grants to businesses, etc. The glaring omissions have already been addressed in this thread.

Retired Congressman Barney Frank had a good idea last night on Real Time with Bill Maher: lower the Medicare eligibility age to 55. It’s not as good as “Medicare for all,” which is Sanders’ and most progressives’ preference--but it is better than the current system. Many of the most expensive conditions to treat have their onset in one’s 50s, and Medicare (plus supplemental plans) generally foots the entire bill, with no patient co-pays because most providers agree to accept whatever Medicare wants to pay them. Let me tell you, it’s a joy to get those EOBs with the original fee being some eye-popping figure and the bottom line saying “Amount You May Owe: $0."