National Politics

GOP Convention: mostly C and D List speakers

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Donald Trump promised ‘showbiz’ at GOP convention, but stars on stage will be relatively dim.

Here’s a helpful ratings guide. Learn The Difference between A-list, B-list, C-list and D-list:

“A-list” actors are exceptionally successful, their notoriety extends beyond the silver screen, and their name guarantees a box office hit.

“B-list” actors are usually television actors or less successful movie stars.

A “C-list” actor is a character actor that’s known by face and not by name. They are usually still good actors, but they receive less notoriety than an A or B-list actor.

“D-list” actors are the lowest on the celebrity hierarchy; they appear on celebrity game shows and reality television.

Wait, so Donald Trump is a “D-List” celebrity? What else have you got?

The New York Times reported on Thursday, Speakers at Donald Trump’s Convention: Tim Tebow, Peter Thiel, but No Sarah Palin?

tebow-bigA night highlighting the tragedy in Benghazi, Libya. An appearance by onetime football star Tim Tebow. A presentation detailing former President Bill Clinton’s sexual misconduct.

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The list, which is subject to change, as obtained by The New York Times:

Night 1: A Benghazi!!! focus, followed by border patrol agents and Mr. Shaw, whose son was killed by an undocumented immigrant. Senator Tom Cotton, Rudy Giuliani, Melania Trump, Senator Joni Ernst, and others.

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GOP Platform: collapsing inward and to the extreme right

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NewandImprovedRemember the RNC  “autopsy” report after the 2012 election?

The report, formally called the “Growth and Opportunity Project,” laid out an extensive plan the RNC believed would lead the party to victory with an extensive outreach to women, African-American, Asian, Hispanic and gay voters.

Yeah, that autopsy report was immediately filed in the waste basket. After every electoral defeat, the GOP listens to its propaganda ministers in the conservative media entertainment complex: the party must become more conservative, more radical, more extreme. Appeal to the hardcore foaming-at-the-mouth conservative base.

This is analogous to the process of The Death of a Star: once the core of the star has cooled and “turned to iron, it can burn no longer. The star collapses by its own gravity and the iron core heats up. The core becomes so tightly packed that protons and electrons merge to form neutrons. In less than a second, the iron core, which is about the size of the Earth, shrinks to a neutron core with a radius of about 6 miles (10 kilometers). The outer layers of the star fall inward on the neutron core, thereby crushing it further. The core heats to billions of degrees and explodes (a supernova), thereby releasing large amounts of energy and material into space.”

The RNC is collapsing into a supernova, and the death of the Grand Old Party.

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Bernie Sanders endorses Hillary Clinton, unifying Democrats

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BernieHillaryThis morning Senator Bernie Sanders Endorsed Hillary Clinton | Video.

Here’s Bernie Sanders’s official endorsement of Hillary Clinton, in full.

The New York Times reports, Bernie Sanders Endorses Hillary Clinton, Cementing Democrats’ Unity:

Bernie Sanders endorsed Hillary Clinton for the Democratic presidential nomination on Tuesday, clearing away the last major obstacle to a united Democratic front heading into the party’s convention this month and the general election this fall.

Entering the high school gymnasium together and waving and shaking hands along the rope line and from the stage, Mrs. Clinton and Mr. Sanders stood before a giant American flag image flanked by Mrs. Clinton’s motto, “Stronger Together.” They appeared to chat briefly before Mr. Sanders spoke, and he patted her on the back before Mr. Sanders stepped forward to cheers to “Unity!”

“Secretary Clinton has won the Democratic nominating process,” Mr. Sanders said, as cheers erupted and Mrs. Clinton broke into a wide smile. “And I congratulate her for that. She will be the Democratic nominee for president, and I intend to do everything I can to make certain that she will be the next president of the United States.”

“I have come here to make it as clear as possible why I am endorsing Hillary Clinton and why she must become our next president.”

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Sanders to endorse Clinton on Tuesday

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POLITICO Tiger Beat on The Potomac reports, Sanders to join Clinton for New Hampshire rally on Tuesday (spoiler alert: endorsement):

Screenshot from 2016-02-11 12:39:46Bernie Sanders will join Hillary Clinton on Tuesday for a rally in New Hampshire, Clinton’s campaign announced Monday.

Sanders will campaign with Clinton at a high school in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, at 11 a.m. Tuesday, less than two weeks before the party’s convention begins in Philadelphia.

The Vermont senator’s campaign announced his participation minutes after the Clinton team’s email hit inboxes, with both announcements sharing the same language that the two former primary rivals will “discuss their commitment to building an America that is stronger together and an economy that works for everyone, not just those at the top.”

The joint appearance comes after the Vermont senator scored several victories on the Democratic platform over the weekend in Orlando, Florida.

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Will Cleveland be the GOP’s Jonestown?

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Cartoon_54One week from today, the Republican National Convention gets underway in Cleveland, Ohio.

Will convention delegates “drink the Kool-Aid” and commit mass political suicide by selecting the “Toxic Trump” as the GOP nominee? Will Cleveland be the GOP’s Jonestown?

The #NeverTrump delegate revolt has a plan to deny Donald Trump the nomination, but it has no challenger around whom to rally. The Washington Post’s conservative blogger Jennifer Rubin recently pleaded, GOP delegates shouldn’t pick the worst candidate available:

There are any number of pathetic voices trying to rationalize support for Donald Trump. He is better than Hillary Clinton! (Really, how exactly?) The Supreme Court! (What about it? Trump shows no commitment to any judicial philosophy and is just as likely to make a deal with Democrats to get something he cares about.) He could pick stellar advisers! (They wouldn’t work for him, and if they did, he’d ignore them.)

It seems one argument even Trump’s most strident defenders can make is: He’s the best candidate to beat Hillary Clinton. Actually, he’s the worst, and it would be politically suicidal to nominate him when other credible contenders are readily available.

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