I kept forgetting to answer your other question from above.

I've been known as altohone in various forums since 1996, but my friends call me Big Al.

As to the "be careful what I write in email to CW" bit... are congratulations in order?

A

That really says it all....

Michale

Hillary's implosion won't be pretty...

But it IS going to happen...

The only question is will she actually limp thru the finish line and become a mortally wounded DEM Candidate...

Or will she not even make it that far....

Michale

Clinton Camp Claims It’s Already Secured One-Fifth the Delegates Needed for Nomination
http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2015-08-28/clinton-camp-saying-it-already-secured-one-fifth-the-delegates-needed-for-nomination

So, let me see if I have this right..

On the ONE hand, Clinton is saying that she is NOT inevitable and this is NOT a coronation..

On the other hand, Clinton is saying, "Don't bother.. I already have the votes..."

:^/

Once again, I have to ask...

Clinton is the best that the Dem Party has to offer??

Michale

OK, ya lost me...

"Wha were we talkin' 'bout now??"
-Chicken Little

:D

My apologies.. The discussion is all over the board, I wasn't sure what you were referring to...

Michale

I mean mistaken conclusions like concluding I was referring to Hillary's email and pretending that amounts to vindication.

I love your enthusiasm, but my issues with Obama are relevant to your boy as well as Hillary. A long list of cons and a short list of pros.

A choice between radical right or center right amounts to a third party vote... I've turned the other cheek so often I'm all Exorcist head over here.
Real change is needed, and I just don't see Joe running against Obama's policies... NSA, opening the East Coast and the Arctic to oil drilling, "humanitarian" wars, coups and regime changes, Wall St, Wall St, Wall St...

... no more.

You mean, like the "mistaken" conclusion that the Hillary email server issue was a REAL scandal that was going to come back and bite Hillary on the ass...

Hillary Clinton’s Handling of Email Issue Frustrates Democratic Leaders
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/28/us/politics/hillary-clintons-handling-of-email-issue-frustrates-democratic-leaders.html?_r=0

From the start, I was telling everyone here that the email issue was a BIG problem and all I got in response was , "Awww, Everyone uses a private email account.. It's a faux scandal" and garbage like that..

So, who had the mistaken conclusions and who didn't?? :D

I can give you tons more examples, if required.. :D

Michale

Then it shouldn't be too hard to link it.. :D

Your opinion on the electable element has some issues. The obvious contrast with other polls, theoretical matchups that pretend the primaries are over before they've begun, and a pattern of mistaken conclusions.

For example.....????? :D

Michale

There is substantial evidence that Bernie is drawing independents. Those at his massive rallies aren't shy about pointing it out, nor in the social media groups formed by them. There is also a track record from his elections where he draws many independents and even some Republican votes. But drawing Dems who are sick of the Wall St coddlers is by far his biggest strength, because everybody else running licks their boots.
Not knowing or seeking the evidence is different than there not being any.

Your opinion on the electable element has some issues. The obvious contrast with other polls, theoretical matchups that pretend the primaries are over before they've begun, and a pattern of mistaken conclusions.

Eighty-three percent of Democrats view Biden favorably, compared to 76 percent and 54 percent who approve of Clinton and Vermont Senator Sanders, respectively. Among all registered voters, Biden has a 48 percent favorability rating, while Clinton came in at 39 percent and Sanders at 32 percent.
http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2015-08-27/biden-more-competitive-than-clinton-against-leading-republicans-poll

Are ya'all ready to concede that Hillary is toast???

"Anyone?? Anyone?? Beuhler??"

:D

Michale

Exactly!!!

As I said since this all began..

NO ONE, since the inception of email, has done what Hillary Clinton has done...

The idea that "everyone does it" is just so much partisan spin and is only believable to the Clinton-nista kool-aid drinkers...

Michale

No, Mrs Clinton.. You don't "get it"...

My use of personal email was allowed by the State Department.

Using a personal email occasionally was allowed by the State Department..

Using a personal email EXCLUSIVELY and using it from your OWN home-brew insecure server solely and completely under your exclusive control??

If THAT is allowed by Obama's State Department, then the STATE DEPARTMENT should be investigated as well...

I want to be as transparent as possible, which is why I turned over 55,000 pages,

What happened to the other 30,000 + emails that were on that server??

why I’ve turned over my server,

Oh, come on! Let's face the facts here, lady... You were FORCED to turn over the server to the FBI so they can continue their CRIMINAL probe of your activities... There was nothing voluntary about it!

Seriously, people..

Even when she "comes clean" she is lying thru her teeth...

Is THIS the best the Democrat Party has to offer???

Michale

Ooooo, now THAT is a good point.. A VERY good point...

Point to altohone :D

Michale

I'm glad you added number four to the list of reasons why Obama chose Biden because that one is the only one that really matters.

As for the choice being the best political decision Obama has ever made? Well, it was pretty much a no-brainer and written in the stars from the beginning ... not to mention in every comment I made virtually from the time Obama was the nominee until the big decision was made. :)

Be careful what you write in an email to Chris!

Biden is more electable than Hillary by a long shot, simply by virtue of him being nearly scandal free..

While Sanders might be "capable" of drawing Independents no evidence exists that he is actually doing it...

Michale

Indeed we have... and good ones too if I recall correctly... and I guess you have access to email I send to CW? Too funny.

Why did Obama choose Biden?
-Ideological similarity
-low risk of betrayal and/or political harm
-decent money connections
-to shore up the experience weakness, particularly foreign policy
-also good at pretending not to be a neoliberal
-pathetic alternatives

Just so you know, I reregistered as an independent a couple of months after Obama's inauguration, and voted against Mittens last go around.
I had pretty much given up on the reform from within approach, but I am reconsidering because of Bernie, though he hasn't sold me yet.

Now I remember ... I think we've had our own back and forths a time or two at HuffPost, correct?

I'd like to know why you think Obama chose Biden as his running mate ...

Welcome to the site! Seems your name is familiar, perhaps from another website where my stuff appears...

:-)

Your first comments (here and on the Friday Talking Points column) were automatically held for moderation, but you should now be able to post instantly -- just don't post more than one link per comment, as multi-link comments are also automatically held for moderation to cut down on comment spam.

I'm sorry you had problems registering at the site. Has anyone else experienced problems getting their passwords emailed to them or logging in for the first time? Please let me know, if so.

Anyway, welcome again to CW.com!

-CW

Biden may TRY to position himself between Clinton and Sanders, but his past positions and voting record are really nearly identical to Hillary, and nowhere near as progressive as Bernie's.
I don't see many Bernie supporters making the switch. Biden is pretty establishment and neoliberal in a year when that isn't selling well. People are sick of the status quo.

Biden has less "scandal" baggage than Clinton, but his campaigning skills are an issue. I would say they are much improved in his role backing up Obama, but that doesn't necessarily mean it will carry over when he is on his own.

All in all, I'm not sure the "more electable" conventional wisdom claim is valid for Biden or Clinton. Bernie seems to be the only Dem candidate capable of drawing independents and driving turnout from the base. And the numbers he is stacking up are comparable or in some cases even a little better than where Obama was at this point eight years ago.

But, it is still early, so we shall see what happens in the months ahead.

Thanks,
A

The criticism of Hillary's email issues from the left is missing here... as usual, Repubs are ignoring what really matters.

Starting with the recent statement from her lawyer-

First... from her lawyer?
Really?
She is a lawyer and should be more than capable of making the statement herself.

But, his two points were-
"It wasn't illegal at the time"...
... which is a pathetic excuse for an end run around transparency. It should be obvious to all that giving her control over what will not and what will EVENTUALLY be released to the public, investigators or journalists is an exercise in CYA.
Not just to protect herself from Repubs, but also from Dems.
It is just as likely that her correspondence about her role in the State Department pushing fracking internationally, the Keystone approval, trade agreements, most things Israel, Libya, Syria, Ukraine, etc. would hurt her with Dem base voters.

Then her lawyer trotted out "Republicans did it too".
Um, comparing Hillary's actions with the lying, warmongering, unethical Republicans should hardly put Dem voters at ease.
Her Wall Street money, neoliberal ideology, vote for the war in Iraq, etc. are already disturbing to the Democratic base.
Using Repub precedent (loosely at that since her private server was actually one step further)) is a political loser given the Bernie Sanders challenge from the left.
The "I'm just like the Republicans" excuse is probably why her lawyer made the statement... so she wouldn't have to say it herself.

I haven't seen anybody discussing emailgate along those lines.

Thanks,
A

Yea, a low information voter..

But I am constrained to point out that the LIV is NOT solely limited to the Right...

How many Democrats were quoted that they were voting for Obama so he could pay their mortgage and give them free ObamaPhones??

You can find morons on both sides of the political spectrum... :D

Michale

Oh I knew Trump would do well and he will continue to do well, in spite of everything the Republicans throw at him! It's hilarious to watch! I like the woman who, when asked why she believed Trump would make America great again, replied "It's on his hat." That sums up his followers right there!

Lying and honesty was a real big issue with the Left when it was a GOP POTUS...

Funny how it doesn't mean anything at all when it's a DEM POTUS and a DEM Candidate, eh??

I'm just sayin'....

Michale

The whole Dowd story is a furphy and the giveaway is her outright lie regarding Beau Biden. It was reported at the time of Beau's death that he did not regain consciousness after surgery so there could not have been any deathbed words with his father. That Dowd exploited the death of Joe's son in such a way is inexcusable and unforgivable. The woman should be figuratively burnt at the stake.

There is so little integrity in US media these days. It's been leached away by corporate interests who use the First Amendment to defend their distortions and disinformation. So vile scribblers like Dowd get to run riot without being checked. I know if I was a member of the Biden family I would never speak to the woman again.

As for Clinton, her polling figures are remarkable given that she has very little support on Democratic strongholds like Daily Kos and is anything from disliked to reviled by all pundits. I haven't read or heard a positive word about her in any media. Everything about her is attacked: how she's running her campaign, her policies, her speeches, her clothes, what she says and what she doesn't say.

Clinton is going to "stumble" or "implode"; she has negative figures for "trustworthiness" and "likability". She's super-glued to corporations and Wall Street.

In all fairness, the GOP did warn us last year that they would attack HRC via any rumor of scandal that would stick. Happily for them, the US media has decided she's guilty on all counts: Benghazi, emailgate, any number of frauds and even the murder of Vince Foster.

It's amazing anyone voted for her husband let alone for her! From reading and listening to the US media, you'd think she'd be polling at around zero percent. So I guess you must all think her supporters represent the most stupid Americans.

I know it is a thousand times harder for women in politics, especially at the top, and I am stunned by her stamina and resilience. I wasn't a particular fan of HRC but I am now after seeing what she is being put through. Can't help but admire that kind of inner strength. Wish I had half of it.

Postulate a scenario where Biden announces his candidacy for POTUS and also announces at the same time that Warren will be his VP.....

What do you think that would do for his chances against Hillary??

Michale

It will continue and here's why...

Hillary's security breach, and why it matters...
Perhaps you've heard of Sergey Lavrov — or perhaps you haven't. He has been Russia's foreign minister since March 9, 2004.

Yang Jiechi was the foreign minister of the People's Republic of China during those years. Imagine if President Obama had had access to all of Yang's Internet trails and the data that flowed to and from his virtual desk. What an advantage to our president that would have been! What a trove of insight into the ambitions of the PRC's inner core of powerful party elites.
http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/hillarys-security-breach-and-why-it-matters/article/2570680

There are still Democrats out there (and a few here in Weigantia) who are still peddling the totally BS story that there are many people in the government who did what Hillary did...

Let's lay that lil crock o crap to rest right now..

NO ONE, since the inception of email, had done what Hillary Clinton did.

NOT... ONE.... SINGLE..... official..

So let's can that self-serving lie right now...

Michale

Of course it's changed...

If it's a choice between Hillary and Biden, that's a whole new dynamic...

Even Democrats are coming around to the idea that Hillary is toxic...

Well, most Democrats anyways...

There are still those who still believe that Hillary walks on water despite all the facts to the contrary..

Michale

Aww, come on...

That's like saying Katrina was a minor rain squall..

Hillary's numbers are plummeting...

The one thing I will say about a Biden campaign is that it will likely bring some honesty and integrity to the Dem side of the race... :D

Michale

I mean, last I checked, the national American electorate has never been particularly inclined to vote for Joe Biden and I don't think that dynamic has changed in any statistically significant way.

Hence my eternal frustration about all of this and the tone of my previous comments in this thread. I trust you can understand that, Chris.

Biden does draw some fervent support among a certain segment of the Democratic electorate, but Clinton would still have a lot of daunting advantages (in money, in campaign staff, and in voter support). A head-to-head race between Biden and Clinton would be tough (but not impossible) for Biden to win.

There are several advantages that Hillary Clinton does not have over Biden in a head-to-head race - in competency, judgement, qualifications and experience, integrity and candor, and a reason for running that has solely to do with putting his unique and expansive expertise to good use in moving the country forward in the absence of any other motivation.

Even if Biden runs and loses, he'll definitely sharpen up whichever candidate beats him for the nomination. All this might be enough for him to make the effort.

Those of us who have come to know, respect and have affection for Senator and Vice President Biden over the course of his outstanding career as a public servant and statesman know that not only would the above not be nearly enough for him to make the effort but that particular sort of analysis doesn't even enter the picture in his decision to enter the race or not, not even by an Olympic-sized long shot!

We are not surprised, however, that this kind of speculation is so prevalent throughout the media - very few members of the media have ever really understood who Biden is and what he is all about. Sadly, after almost seven years in the vice president's office, this lack of knowledge persists.

Well, thank-you ... thank-you very much ...

I was hoping, against hope, that the g-word wouldn't make it into this column, much less a comparison to Trump but, what are ya gonna do. The asinine media storyline lives on. :(

:-)

-CW