Observer

Revised.

I listen to the POTUS channel on Sirius a fair amount. Pretty good middle of the road shows. Julie Mason is liberal but she has a lot of reporter guests who bring perspective. One reason I like POTUS is that they play a lot of unedited press conferences. I have heard 3-4 of Trump's. The guy can get rolling about all his hotels, golf courses, casinos at no urging but ask him about foreign policy and he can't tell China from Iceland. Most pols at his level are narcissists but he's the worst: A dumb narcissist, happy to display his ignorance but no idea how stupid he is.

60+% disapprove of Trump an 50+% disapprove of Clinton...and still each side blames the other for its own demons. The passing of the buck.

Do you think the left feels the same way? Libertarians have the right idea on ideals and the wrong idea on practical implementation. That's a lot of why they are marginalized. You can't turn off welfare in 2 weeks, legalize all drugs tomorrow, defund roads in favor of tolls, stop all school funding, etc...Libertarians need a plan, a reasonable one, to take back liberty. But instead most insist on a pie in the sky Galts Gulch utopia immediately in a country too far down the GOP/Dem socialist path. So we are left with the political reality of compromise as intended in a two party system. And at the moment there's a debate going on between the big government GOP and big government Dems, while Libertarians go to conventions as a marginalized minority.

People compromise on issues, including the Constitutional ones, every day. That's why we have a bevy of case law, statutory law, and state laws. The Constitution is often in need of clarification. Unreasonable search and seizure is hardly the clearest mandate and will always be open to change because that's how it's written. Arms don't include a sawed-off shotgun according to the Supreme Court, a decision acknowledged even by the late Justice Scalia. I am all for people's rights to bear arms by the way, including and well past sawed off shotguns. I'm also for a nice solid bit of background checking. But that's just me. Good work Chan. You and Bernie can dig in and stare at each other while the rest of us try to get things done.

You and I can dislike the compromise but in a two party system, it's the reality of getting things done. I'm a Libertarian to the core but if I walk through life like an Ayn Randian zombie, I'm the a-whole at the party who won't shut up about Rush. No friends. No sex. But lovin' Tom Sawyer because my mind is not for rent.

He's been vetted since before Scalia died. All presidents have a list and once he died, Garland got vetted more. The day after the black cloth day is sacred? You're a strange warping of the left's PC police. Never said they must confirm him, though they probably should. They just need to do their job. That's the checks and balances Boyst.

The people elected the politicians now in office who have a Constitutional duty right now. See the law? Under your system, the Senate only has to have hearings when it wants to. 6 years, 10 years, 45 years from nomination if it wants. And the President doesn't even have to nominate because there's no timeline given to do it. The Senate is playing a dumb game. Put him up in a hearing. Beat him up over stupid 2nd Amendment stuff. Reject him. Bring on Sri. Reject him too even though he was approved unanimously. But at least that's the process. Yeah, that's showing 'em. And when Hillary nominates Obama, you get to reap what you sowed. Way to put America first Doc. No one will mistake you for a patriot but you'll feel good.

Compromise is how politics works out problems. If I say, "I want all firearms toe be illegal except for police/military" and you say "I want everyone to have access to any gun he wants," our politicians try to work towards a middle ground and we have to try not to lose our %$^& over it. Abortion: "You must carry rapists pregnancies to term and risk you health pregnancies" vs. "I want to about my baby at 8 months." Etc. No one loves it but right now, there's little appetite for the art of compromise that makes the world go around. So what happens is extremes: Trump with the rise of Cruz vs. Clinton with the rise of Sanders. Setting aside Trump's "Art of the Deal" mantra, there's not a smart deal maker in the bunch. And the left will not compromise on reforming welfare, Obamcare, defining marriage, etc. See the problem? YOU don't have to compromise. But the politicians you vote for do. The art of disagreement is bruised at the moment.

No more damage than it's already done to itself? Probably true. Just a continued decline into the sewer. The only real hope here is that with Trump as the nominee and the political hacks of Hatch and others exposed, there's a true break in the party that sensible Dems join. Maybe the Dems can keep their gimme voters and the GOP can keep its evangelical Stepford people, and a 3rd party that forms from people who want a sensibly smaller government footprint emerges...one where you can make compromises on gun control, abortion, spending, trade, etc instead of rushing to an extreme. Kumbaya my lord, kumbaya.

The GOP will now embarrass itself if it doesn't hold hearings. Feel badly for the Garland. He's going to get tossed about on some rough waters through no fault of his own except for being a centrist brilliant legal mind.

Protectionism doesn't work. There are few lessons in economics that are more clear. Raising the standard for everyone is the surest path to a better economy. If the rep does a bad job, that's all that matters. If I talk to someone from India/Phillipines when I call, all I care about is getting my issue resolved. And I'm happy to talk to someone from overseas. Americans suck balls at customer service just like we don't do well in dull data entry repetitive manual labor jobs.

If my aunt had a penis, she'd be my uncle.

Please elaborate. How do they operate? What's their real agenda? Who are their pawns? What are their immediate and future plans? Links would be even better.

Ah. You're a global powerbroker guy. I wasn't sure if you were blaming it on the Illuminati, Jews, Trilateral Commission, or the Freemasons. In general, I find everyone's gloom and doom is reassuring. It's a never-ending cycle of humanity that everyone is sure they are in the worst of times and doomsday is around the corner, only to be proven wrong. Seems like it's a lesson humans have a hard time learning.

Ah, the "they." Who are "they?" Here's the thing. They haven't voted yet. Don't count those superdelegates until it's time. Sure they pledged but if Hillary gets in more legal hot water and the Bern is still hanging tough, they may waiver.

Not sure what 50 people you're talking about (genuinely not sure what you mean). In that video, the ex-Marine has every right to talk but he then decided to just keep on shouting and not listen. Clinton tried to engage him several times in dialog but he wouldn't stop shouting. That's a tactic usually reserved for the leftist protestors. I don't like the behavior on either side. Whether he's right or wrong in his shouting is not relevant to this discussion of the method. I believe the Trump protestors AND the marine are right in what they are trying to say, but disagree with both of their methods.

All for first amendment rights to protest but drowning speakers out with shouts at a rally is not much better than what Trump incites. It's legal, but it's also just a bully tactic. When that young ex-Marine wouldn't shut up at the Bill Clinton speech earlier this week, same issue, maybe even more so because Bill was willing to engage the young man in a dialog. But the guy wouldn't stop shouting even as Clinton was asking the security to give him a minute to try to talk. Protest and get all the testosterone out in a march outside. Engage in meaningful debate (with a Trump supporter...yes I see the humor) inside.

If the political machine is a computer, Hillary is Skynet. Calculating, bought and sold, hawkish...if there's a heart in there, good luck finding it.

Every candidate offers a version of this paragraph and kisses babies too. The trick is listening to them all, hearing their specific plans, reviewing their records, evaluating their character, looking at their motves, etc. Trump offers no specifics, has a horrible record, is a despicable person, and is motivated by self-love only. But Stupid Lives Matter so he's doing well with a portion of the country.

Bernie has a brain and though his message resonates with the masses, Bernie's beliefs are sincere. Trump is a braindead charlatan with no soul. The left will have its Trump moment someday, just not this year.

Read what I wrote. McCain was going to lose. Picking Palin turned his campaign into a blowout and a joke. I don't think we disagree. And I don't know where you get that I think Trump will beat Clinton. Nominating Trump is Clinton's inauguration. She can beat Trump with one hand behind her back.

Don't kid yourself. The Dems haven't put up someone like Trump yet. Note the "yet." When Sharpton or someone like him is the candidate, you'll know they've reaped what they are sowing.

WTF? Race discussion made Trump? The GOP made Trump. Catering to its "stupid lives matter" demographic for all these years sowed the seeds of a demon come to life in Donald Trump. The Dems will pay that price someday too. Their own "stupid lives matter" contingent is a block of handout-seekers. The Dems will get a "rent is too damn high" style candidate before long.