Month: February 2016

Categories
Domestic Policies

Christie’s Fat Tuesday Result Leaves His Campaign In Ashes

Those of us in New Jersey knew that this day would come, and it’s really best for the country that Chris Christie has ended his presidential bid. The governor does not have the personality to be a thoughtful, caring, empathetic leader and there’s some poetic justice in the fact that he lost mainly because Donald Trump won. Christie always thought that he was going to be the wise-cracking loudmouth in the race, but Donald upset that cart with his first campaign utterances last spring. Add in the terrible job Christie has done with the economy, his utterly disgraceful YouTube rants and his poisonous attitude towards public workers and anyone who disagrees with him, and you have the recipe for…well, for what just happened.

What struck me about Christie is that he didn’t seem to have a moral compass when it came to running for office. He would say anything, even contradict himself if it served his goals. His charge to the right on many issues left New Jersey in seriously bad shape. He vetoed a train tunnel that the state and region desperately needed, refused to raise the gas tax to pay for our potted roads, and slashed budgets for social services that many state residents needed to survive after the financial crisis hit. He did make his name during the aftermath of Sandy, but even that is overshadowed by the number of people who still don’t have their homes back.

Christie will now come back and be the governor, for at least a while. I wouldn’t be surprised if he left at some point because what’s he really got to work for now? His legacy? Another run in 2020? He can be a FOX News host or lobby for a radio program, but I can see him getting very bored and frustrated by an emboldened Democratic majority that will savage him during the 2017 election, and the state GOP that is furious with him for abandoning them during the Assembly elections in 2015. The man has no coattails. He doesn’t even appear to have much of a coat.

I’m thinking that the biggest beneficiary of Christie’s supporters will be John Kasich as he tries to navigate the rather unfriendly South Carolina political landscape. Perhaps Carly Fiorina’s backers will go with Kasich too. Or maybe I’m just a dreamer and they’ll all go to Trump because he’s such a peachy guy.

The campaign moves on.

Chris Christie goes home.

For more, go to www.facebook.com/WhereDemocracyLives or Twitter @rigrundfest

Categories
Politics

Bernie Sanders Lays Out his Economic Agenda – Video

After a one-sided win against Hillary Clinton in New Hampshire, Democratic Presidential candidate, Bernie Sanders flew back to Harlem, New York and was interviewed for MSNBC’s Politics Nation by the Rev. Al Sharpton. In the interview, Bernie Sanders laid out his policy agenda for the upcoming votes in Nevada and South Carolina, and for the rest of the country.

Among his policy initiatives are positions the Senator has advocated for decades –

  • Reforming Wall Street,
  • Healthcare for all,
  • Tuition free colleges,
  • Creating Jobs and
  • Reforming the tax code ensuring that the rich pays their fair share.

The presidential candidate spoke about his agenda in the video below. The interview will broadcast on Sunday’s episode of Politics Nation on MSNBC.

Video

Categories
Politics

A Defeated Chris Christie Pulls Out of GOP Race for President

Becoming president of the United States was a long-shot for Chris Christie ever since the New Jersey governor hugged and thanked President Obama for bringing federal help to the people of his state during hurricane Sandy. Couple that with the fact that Donald Trump, another loudmouth, callous Republican is in the race, no one cared what Christie had to say.

So after Tuesday’s sixth place reward in New Hampshire, Fox Business News is reporting that Christie is calling it quits.

Despite a strategy that heavily focused money and resources on New Hampshire, Christie ended up in a disappointing sixth place Tuesday. Christie announced shortly after Tuesday’s loss that he was retreating to New Jersey and would be reevaluating his campaign.

Another major hurdle to Christie’s prospects was that he was very unlikely to make Saturday’s CBS debate. Polling at seventh place nationwide and sixth in the next primary state of South Carolina, Christie faced an uphill battle with no clear path to victory.

Categories
Politics

Petition to Recall Michigan’s Governor Rick Snyder is Approved

Rick Snyder, the governor who approved and spearheaded the poisoning of Flint’s children by giving them water from the Flint river to drink, could be recalled from office in an upcoming recall election.

The Board of State Canvassers, part of the secretary of state’s office, rejected nine other recall petitions, six of them based on Snyder’s widely criticized handling of lead from corroded pipes that began leaching into Flint homes following a cost-saving move to pump water from the Flint River.

The water crisis is under criminal investigation by state and federal authorities.

But the petition approved Monday seeks to remove Snyder, a Republican, from office over his decision last year to take control of the state office to reform schools, which organizers say disregards local prerogatives, according to The Detroit News and The Associated Press.

It takes three members of the four-person member board, which is split between Republicans and Democrats, to approve a recall petition.

Categories
democrats Domestic Policies

The Very Late New Hampshire Primary Predictions

Here’s how it will go down:

GOP

Trump–28%
Kasich–20% (upset special)
Rubio–17%
Bush–13%
Cruz–11%
Christie–8%
Fiorina–2%
Carson–1%

Democrats

Sanders–54%
Clinton–46%

There’s a real possibility that nobody on the GOP side drops out, but I think that Fiorina is the likliest.

For more, go to www.facebook.com/WhereDemocracyLives or Twitter @rigrundfest

Categories
Politics

Flint Residents Say Hillary Clinton’s Visit was All About Politics

Some of Flint’s residents have a message for the former Secretary of State and current Democratic presidential candidate, Hillary Clinton – don’t use us for your own political gain.

Hillary Clinton visited Flint Michigan on Sunday to bring more attention to the catastrophic water problems caused by Michigan Republican governor, Rick Snyder. Mrs. Clinton would be the first one to say that her visit was not political, but according to some residents, the visit was just another ploy by the Clinton campaign to get votes when Michigan goes to the polls on March 8th.

“I feel blessed to be here but I wish it were for a different reason,” Clinton said, as she took to the stage at the House of Prayer Missionary Baptist Church. “But I am here because for nearly two years mothers and fathers were voicing concerns about the water’s color and its smell, about the rashes that it gave to those that were bathing in it. And for nearly two years Flint was told the water was safe.”

Some however, felt the photo-op moment was just to get votes.

“Don’t jump on a cause just to get votes,” said Flint Lives Matter organiser Calandra Patrick, as Clinton’s jet arrived in town. “It doesn’t matter to me if she makes an appearance or not – it doesn’t matter to me one bit.”

Arnette Rison III, a 47-year-old independent contractor, put Clinton’s visit in starker terms: “If she’s bringing 35,000 hydroelectric filters, I’ll love her for it. But that’s not what she’s about to do.”

At the church, though the topic was serious, the mood was jovial and warm. Clinton stood before a packed audience and spoke emphatically about the moral imperatives of the situation, saying: “The children in Flint are just as precious as the children in any other part of America”.

Categories
Ben Carson Donald Trump Politics

Mindless Republicans Messed Up their Own Debate Introductions – Video

This is what happens when you put a bunch of Republicans in a room – Total and utter Confusion, as no one seems to know which way is up.

Watch, as debate moderators race through the introduction for the Republican presidential candidates. That, coupled with the applause of adoring Republican fans and the mindlessness of the candidates themselves, managed to mess up a perfectly ordinary and otherwise uneventful introduction.

Video

Categories
marco rubio Politics

Christie Slams “Boy in the Bubble” Marco Rubio During GOP Debate

Republican U.S. presidential candidate Senator Marco Rubio (L) speaks as businessman Donald Trump (R) listens during the Republican U.S. presidential candidates debate sponsored by ABC News at Saint Anselm College in Manchester, New Hampshire February 6, 2016. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri . SAP is the sponsor of this content. It was independently created by Reuters' editorial staff and funded in part by SAP, which otherwise has no role in this coverage.

Besides standing on stage next to Donald Trump with his 3 inch heels on and still looking too short for the podium, Marco Rubio had other issues at Saturday’s Republican debate, namely Chris Christie.

On the days leading up to Saturday’s debate, Chris Christie laid focus on Rubio, giving the young Florida Republican some attention Rubio probably didn’t want. Christie actively tried to re-coin the phrase “Boy in the Bubble” to describe Marco Rubio – the robotic Republican presidential candidate, who is apparently well versed in the art of memorizing and regurgitating portions of written speeches to answer questions. Christie zeroed in and chritcized Rubio and an inexperienced first-term senator who has no place running for president.

In the last Republican debate before New Hampshire goes to the polls, Christie seized the opportunity and continued hitting Rubio.

“Marco, the thing is this,” Christie said during one heated exchange early in the night, “when you’re president of the United States, when you’re a governor of a state, the memorized 30-second speech where you talk about how great America is at the end of it doesn’t solve one problem for one person.”

The trouble for Rubio began soon after the debate started when the ABC News moderators asked Christie about Rubio’s experience in the U.S. Senate, and Christie pressed his case.

Rubio critics have made much of the fact that his experience is akin to that of much-derided Democratic President Barack Obama, elected in 2008 when a first-term senator.

Rubio’s defense was that his and Obama’s world views are different, not that Obama has simply led the country down the path it is on because of inexperience.

“Let’s dispel with this fiction that Barack Obama doesn’t know what he’s doing. He knows exactly what he’s doing,” Rubio said.

When Rubio repeated the same line again, Christie sought to reinforce the charge that Rubio is so inexperienced that he relies on well-worn talking points and cannot think on his feet.

“There it is. There it is. The memorized 25-second speech. There it is, everybody,” Christie said.

Rubio repeated the line enough that someone created a Twitter profile called

Categories
Domestic Policies News Politics

Christie’s Last Stand

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie gives a news conference in Trenton January 9, 2014. Christie on Thursday fired a top aide at the center of a brewing scandal that public officials orchestrated a massive traffic snarl on the busy George Washington Bridge to settle a political score. Christie told a news conference he was stunned and heartbroken by revelations that his staff was behind the traffic jam designed to punish a local mayor who declined to endorse Christie's re-election bid. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS HEADSHOT) - RTX177WY

It’s too late to say it with any meaningful conviction now, but Chris Christie should have run for president when the Republican Party and Nancy Reagan were imploring him to do so in the late fall of 2011. He was the guy, the shining star, six months removed from pounding out a public worker pension and benefits bill that would be his most lasting achievement. The stars were aligned, and let’s face it; that doesn’t happen twice.

Then came his insatiable desire to win the biggest landslide in New Jersey history which led to the George Washington Bridge scandal which occurred at the same time that New Jersey’s economy was doing bupkis and the governor was actively running away from his signature accomplishment. When asked the NJ Supreme Court to rule his pension and benefits bill unconstitutional so he wouldn’t have to make a full pension payment. This is not at all presidential and, to their credit, most of the national Republican electorate has rejected Christie’s message, such as it is, his bluster, and his insufferable swaying back and forth on the issues. Of course, that same Republican electorate seems to have fallen for the political alchemy that Donald Trump and Ted Cruz are pandering would suggest that the voters are batting .500.

Last night’s debate was really and truly Chris Christie’s final chance to turn an aggregate 5% polling average into a stunning political comeback. He yelled mightily at Marco Rubio and continued to tout his aggressive style of governance, which is exactly what the country doesn’t need. He was angry at the weather when it forced him to leave the campaign trail in January and understands that he needs to finish way ahead of Jeb Bush and John Kasich in Tuesday’s New Hampshire primary.

I don’t see it happening.

Christie should blame Trump for most of the damage done to his campaign. Christie was all set to be the loudmouth truth-teller, but even he couldn’t have foreseen Trump’s supreme ability to say whatever was on his mind and watch his poll numbers rise. When terrorism reared its ugly head in November, Christie’s numbers rose too, but ultimately there were just too many other candidates for him to leapfrog in the standings. If Christie can somehow finish in the top three or four with double-digit number next to his name, then maybe he can move on to South Carolina and Nevada and get squashed there.

But then what? Christie says that he’s going to come back to New Jersey to finish out his term, but he will return to a very different political landscape. He won’t be able to be the dominant force in Trenton that he would like, and will find that many GOP legislators will defy him if it’s in their political interests. And it will be. The Democrats can smell a victory in 2017 and will do all they can to get a supermajority in both the Assembly and the Senate. Further, those Republicans who voted against Christie when bills would come up for votes but then vote to uphold Christie’s vetoes, will not always do so in the future.

On the flip side, Christie will not need to be so conservative if he returns, so maybe we can get some common sense laws on firearms, school financing, health care and transportation. In the end, it will be up to the Governor and what he wants to see as his legacy.

For more, go to www.facebook.com/WhereDemocracyLives or Twitter @rigrundfest

Categories
iowa caucus Politics

Audio Proof That Ted Cruz’s Campaign Cheated in Iowa Caucus – Audio

Donald Trump has shouted this from the mountain top that Ted Cruz cheated in the Iowa caucus last Monday. Well now there’s audio to suggest that Donald Trump is right!

According to recent reports by Breitbart, members of Cruz’s campaign called various prescient workers in Iowa moments before the caucus votes happened, asking them to tell Ben Carson voters that Carson was dropping out of the race and that these caucus-goers should not “waste” their vote on Carson, but should vote for Cruz instead.

“It has just been announced that Ben Carson is taking a leave of absence from the campaign trail,” one voicemail stated. “So it is very important that you tell any Ben Carson voters that for tonight, uh, that they not waste a vote on Ben Carson, and vote for Ted Cruz. He is taking a leave of absence from his campaign.”

The two voicemails were left at 7:07 p.m. and 7:29 p.m. local time, after CNN reported that Carson would be traveling to his home in Florida after the caucuses, but not ending his campaign for the Republican presidential nomination.

The second voicemail states that Carson will be “suspending campaigning following [Monday’s] caucuses,” adding that any caucusgoers backing Carson should be urged to switch their support to Cruz.

Audio

h/t Breitbart.com

Categories
Politics

Bernie Sanders Stops Campaign Speech to Help Fainted Supporter – Video

The most important thing to politicians campaigning for higher office is the constant effort to get their message across. And for most, standing on stage in front of a room filled with people is the goal, the perfect opportunity to reiterate that message over and over again. But there are the exception and his name is Bernie Sanders.

At a campaign event in New Hampshire, Sanders was in the middle of his speech when he heard a loud noise on stage. Realizing that someone had fainted, Sanders yelled, “Oh my God” and rushed over to aide the fallen supporter.

The speech was being held at the Brotherhood of Electrical Workers union hall in Concord. The man who fainted was reported to be a union worker.

The video was recorded and posted to Vine by Frank Thorpe of NBC News. Thorpe added that the man “laid there for a bit before he was helped up and walked out of the room.”

Video

Categories
Donald Trump Politics

The Cruz Curse – Donald Trump’s Numbers On a HUGE Decline

Call it the Cruz Curse, but since Donald Trump lost to the cheating efforts of Ted Cruz in Iowa earlier this week, Trump’s national numbers have been on a steady decline. The first national polling since his Iowa lost shows Trump’s fall from grace, coming in with just 25%. He still leads the pack of Republicans, but not by the HUGE numbers he once had.

Trump remained in first place in the survey, which was conducted by the Democratic firm Public Policy Polling and was set to be released later Thursday. He received 25% of the vote from Republican-primary voters nationally. Cruz and Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida tied for second at 21% apiece.

Retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson grabbed 11%. None of the remaining Republican candidates received more than 5% of the vote.

It was a stark contrast from the national survey that Public Policy Polling released in mid-December. That poll found Trump, at 34%, maintaining a large national lead over both Cruz (18%) and Rubio (13%). Rubio seemed to benefit at Trump’s expense with astronger-than-expected showing in the Iowa caucuses, in which he nearly caught up to Trump. His poll standing was up 8 points from December.

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