Clinton and Sanders Are United

Today July 12^th is the date that will mark the turning point of the democratic campaign because this is the day Bernie and Hillary reconciled their differences.  First Bernie spoke saying that yes, “Hillary is the rightful winner of the nomination” and that he endorses her.  Thom Hartman says “I don’t think I disagree with Bernie on any issue and today I am officially endorsing Clinton”.   Both Bernie and Hillary said nice things about each other.  Bernie says that Hillary is going along with eighty percent of the things Bernie stood for in his campaign.  Four out of five ain’t bad.  Hillary is standing for going after Wall Street and taxing the big financial interests.  She wants a free education for anyone under a hundred thousand dollars.  It’s been said that Johnson envisioned that it would be “Medicare for all” eventually as they gradually lowered the elegability age.  But Hillary wants to re-work Medicare Part D so the drug companies don’t hold the rest of us hostage with high prices, and also prescribe more generic drugs.  Hillary came out strongly in favor of repealing Citizen’s United.  I’d like to see a full transcript of this speech as well as listen to the entire thing again.  She wants a living minimum wage so Wall Mart people don’t have to go on food stamps.  The crowd enthusiasm was high for both speeches.  Her slogan is a good one of “Stronger together” and they are a whole lot stronger together than they are at each other’s throats.  Hillary has won me over.  She’s repeated her stand against the Trans Pacific Partnership.  Many have said “The era where a politician can campaign one way and rule a different way - - is Over”.  This enthusiasm should show up in the next poll numbers- - and it’s my guess that Trump will be on the run.   Let’s keep it that way.   There were no hints as to who her vice presidential pick would be.  She’s shown she can get along well with both Elizabeth Warren and Bernie.  Tim Cane of Virginia is still in the running.

 

I didn’t hear the first part of President Obama’s speech in Dallas today but from what I heard on the Gary and Shannon show on KFI, the President spent too much time on race relations and Black frustrations with the police.  I think he forgot whom he was speaking to.  He got a lot of applause lines.  (This group was generous with their applause)   As far as I heard he didn’t spend any time talking about the victims of the tragedy or their grieving families, unless he did that earlier in the speech.  I began listening to this speech right about noon and it went on for another twenty plus minutes.  I think had I given the speech I would have phrased it differently talking about how hard a policeman’s job is and the average person doesn’t realize just what pressures a police officer, or the people he’s dealt with earlier in that day.  After all when you’re dealing with the dredges of society, it’s bound to shape your point of view.  

Donald Trump as of Tuesday July 12, 2016 still hasn’t picked his vice president.  Mike Pence (?) the governor of Indiana has to be picked within two days or he won’t be able to re-file to run for governor.  Shawn doesn’t believe the good governor has the national experience and the broad view necessary to be VP.  Shawn never mentioned Governor Christie so I guess he’s out of the running, at least on Shawn’s list.  There is that military guy who is a democrat and Shawn has interviewed him twice.  But he’s lacking experience with both congress and the economy.  No, according to Shawn the only candidate with the broad experience and ability “to make the case for Donald Trump better than he could make it himself” would be Newt Gingrich.  Shawn believes Newt has such great debating skills and could take apart Hillary’s arguments making the case to the undecided voters.  Personally I think Hillary would chop up Newt like a lawnmower.  It’s the Newt verses the lawnmower.  Of course you’d have six wives between the two candidates and Newt Gingrich is even older than Trump, and many feel the Vice President should be a younger man given the age considerations.  Has Donald Trump been certified to be in pretty good health?  Shawn says that Gingrich is a better candidate today than he was twenty years ago at the height of how power because he reads so many books and he’s gotten a lot more religious, and perhaps has mellowed and isn’t so brash now.  That’s his opinion.

Prime Minister David Cameron resigned today and Teresa Mae of the conservative party is the new prime minister of England.  This took place a lot sooner that we thought it would.   Of course even when we had the labor party in control- -Tony Blair heartily supported George Bush's Iraq War effort.  Bush appeared to have Blair in his back pocket.  Of course at least they change Prime Ministers now and them.  It was twenty years ago in the spring of 1996 that Netanyahoo was elected Prime Minister of Israel and he's still there.  Not only that but he's not the most conservative person in the government.  Apparently others in the Knisett are even more right wing so that Netanyahoo appears to have an almost moderating influence.

The following are observations from Monday.  On C-Span the Republicans in their platform hearings voted down a pro drug amendment.  There were a few “tenth amendment” people who wanted the federal government to get out of the war on drugs because you can’t find support for such activity in the US Constitution.  Honestly I don’t know how I’d vote on this.  Both sides have a  point.  I looked at Finance and the Dow Jones Industrials have in the past couple of days gotten into new high territory.  Indeed that two day market drop was just some sort of an emotional tantrum, a lot of sound and fury signifying nothing.  But I’d like to consult with Thom Hartman before I give an all out “buy” signal.  If we are ready for a crash, it’d be nice if somebody told us that.  Right now Norman Goldman is on and apparently Bernie Sanders and Hillary are continuing to reconcile.  We don’t know who either Trump or Hillary will pick for their vice presidents.  Sarah Palin was picked the day after Barock Obama gave his convention acceptance speech to get the cameras off the would be President and on to the next big fad, which is Sarah Palin.  It would only be poetic justice that Hillary would pull the same stunt announcing a controversial vice presidential pick the day after Donald Trump gives his acceptance speech at the Cleveland convention.