To the Mattresses

I know this is going to break your heart, but the Serta mattress company is dumping the Donald Trump mattress. The Donald has already been dumped by Univision, Macy’s and NBC. Bill de Blasio, el alcalde de la ciudad de Nueva York, says the city is reconsidering its business relationships with Trump, including a new golf course in the Bronx.

Naturally, the Donald is surging in the polls. God bless America.

Charles Pierce, yesterday:

It has been an article of faith in this shebeen almost since we opened it in 2011 that there is no actual Republican party in any real sense any more. Ever since the Supreme Court legalized influence-peddling in its Citizens United and McCutcheon decisions, there only has been a loosely held group of independent franchises who are doing business for themselves under the Republican Party brand. This is why the suits belonging to obvious anagram Reince Preibus are so very empty.

So far, it seems to me the 2016 GOP nomination competition will go the way of the 2012 circus, in which one clown candidate after another took the lead and then lost it as soon as voters  — and backers — started to actually look at him. This may be happening to Scott Walker already.

Although lots of political reporters have already written off the Jeb Bush campaign, right now it appears Jeb is the new Mittens. Maybe nobody really likes him, but at least he can be cleaned up and made to look respectable.

On the other side of the fence, Bernie Sanders also is surging, sort of. Hillary Clinton is still way ahead of everybody, but Sanders has cut her lead. Joan Walsh:

But the rise of Sanders, alongside that of the GOP’s surging star, blustering racist Donald Trump, also shows the media the difference between the ideological moorings of the folks who make up the Democratic and Republican base. The Democrats have a lot of lefties, FDR Democrats, folks who want single payer health insurance, people who think we can learn from Western Europe not stigmatize it — and yes, Sanders excites them. On the GOP side, there is a loud, large, angry segment of the GOP base that’s frankly xenophobic, nativist, even racist. Trump speaks to them.

I do disagree with Walsh that news media are creating the Sanders surge out of “deranged Clinton hate.” Before this week the media wasn’t taking Sanders seriously as a candidate. It’s also been news media that’s largely responsible for the mantle of inevitability wrapped around HRC.

From what I’ve seen, Clinton backers are certain she’s the only one who can beat Republican candidate X. It’s been my observation that this is the most frequent reason they give for supporting her. It’s also been my observation that those who prefer Sanders are more likely to point to the issues he’s talking about as a reason to support him, although there’s some Clinton bashing, too.

But though Bernie himself is unlikely to be nominated, IMO he represents the party’s future. If it has a future. The Dems have been something like a loosely held group of independent franchises since the 1970s, albeit much less lucrative franchises than their Republican counterparts. My concern is that the young folks won’t turn out for HRC, and/or that eight years of an HRC Administration will persuade the Millennials and whomever come after them that party politics serve no purpose that helps them. They’re pretty much certain of that now, from what I see.

17 thoughts on “To the Mattresses

  1. “My concern is that the young folks won’t turn out for HRC, and/or that eight years of an HRC Administration will persuade the Millennials and whomever come after them that party politics serve no purpose that helps them.”

    Yes, and that’s largely thanks to our DC MSM Villagers.
    They refuse to call Republicans what they are, which is a bunch of bigoted backwards psychopaths/sociopaths who are bent one destroying government – by eliminating it from within.
    They are the barbarian/enemy INSIDE the gates.
    But, the MSM does its usual “Both sides are at fault…”

    And “Dumbnald the Chump Trump,” is the true Id of the GOP.
    He’s rich, he’s bigoted, he’s obnoxious, he’s in-your-face, and loud and proud of it!

    He is channeling the conservative’s bases G-OP-spots!!!

    And he’ll drag the GOP over the edge of the Reich-Wing world.
    They’re ALL nuts – not a dime’s worth of difference between any of them.
    They’re all FOR the same stupid sh*t – and AGAINST the smart sh*t!

    And yet, they still have a good chance of winning the Presidency, and both houses of Congress, in 2016.
    Go figure…
    Never underestimate “Divide and conquer” and the stupidity/ignorance/bigotry of the American people.
    Sadly, even the young ones.

    Btw – I love me SOOOOOOOME Bernie S.!!!

    But he won’t win.
    His age will be a factor, and the fact that he’s a Socialist and a liberal – after what 50 years of Reich-wing propaganda has done to those “labels” – will be an even bigger factor.
    The best he can do, is bring HRC further left – and that’s a good thing.
    Let the GOP candidates rant their bigoted rants.

    Hillary is a woman, and, after President Obama, she’ll be the first woman with a legitimate chance to win the Presidency.
    Imho – that will motivate a lot of women in this country.
    Especially since every Republican seems to have studied women’s health issues, and gynecology, at least part of the time.
    OY!!!!!!!!

  2. I like the fact that there are two credible Democrats out there, both more thoughtful and mentally stable than the ReTeaVangeliKlan crew. I really don’t think you could pick and choose good qualities and achievements from among all those R’s and come up with a serious challenger to either Hillary or Bernie. Of course, nobody ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American public, should it come to a choice like that. The talk of bringing Mittens back is just sad, as it makes that seem like a high point of their past. Oh, wait….it was. Oops!

  3. “The talk of bringing Mittens back is just sad, ….” What?! Not McCain and his hubsch attack dog (I mean girlfriend). John’s the man; they can do wonders with formaldehyde these days, and, besides, we haven’t declared war on anybody in over eight years!

  4. I still say Kasich is the dark horse. With all the bumbling homophobic, racist bullsh!t going on with the GOP candidates I think the GOP has too much money and too many experts to let this go on forever. Kasich will ride in on his horse of moderation and right of center common sense and save the day. Maybe all this right -wing craziness is just a ploy to make the eventual nominee (who will be an anti-government, anti-woman, anti-science, corporate war monger) look moderate?

  5. JDM,
    And they came voluntarily – unlike Liberty U. which made attending Cruz-ader’s (I think it was the Cruz-ader) coming-out speech(for the Presidency, not the closet – at least not yet…) mandatory for the students.

  6. OT – In an act of supreme irony, the USPS decided to fire me – effective July 4.

  7. Doug,
    I’m really, really very sorry to hear that!

    Nice timing.
    Kind of ironic, no?
    They made you “independent’ of your job, effective Independence Day.
    Sheeeeeeeeeeeeesh!

    I’m hoping you can still collect your pension and retirement.

    How’s it going legally?

  8. Thankfully, this past January I started getting Social Security Disability checks after being unemployed since May of 2010.

    In the 4+ years, no matter what or how many jobs I applied for, I was told that I was “over-qualified” – and that’s if they bothered to even contact me at all.

    I had a college degree, you see.
    And I had been a Training Manager at a telecommunications company for years, and before that, an Adjunct Professor in Theatre Arts.
    Another factor, I think, was that I was over 50.

    I’m thankful for the SSDI checks, but I’d rather be working.
    Unfortunately, where I live, it’s mostly retail and restaurant jobs, and I can’t stand for very long, and can’t walk far.

    The first few weeks after you lose or leave your job, it seems like fun.
    But, it gets boring mighty fast.

    If it wasn’t for the internet, I’d be in a Mental Institution – if we still had many of them, that is!
    Sitting and reading and commenting, are the only things keeping me sane.
    That, and taking care of my 83 year-old mother.

    So, thanks to WaMo, and other liberal websites where my word-turds are welcome, I’m at least still reasonably sane.
    Grumpy and lonely, but still somewhat sane.

  9. Damn!

    I did it again!!!

    This comment was meant for WaMo, whose comment section sucks because it’s slower anything except dial-up!

    Sorry……

  10. maha,
    You can delete this, and my prior two comments.

    But please not the one about our beloved hero, Doug!

    Thanks.

  11. Doug …Sorry to hear that. Can you fight that decision, or has that battle already been fought?

  12. Thanks, all. It’s not a surprise, but I had hoped they would wait til the trial. I can fight it – but if I do (and I will) I can’t get at my retirement money. (Basically a federal 401-K) until the challenge is settled. SO for months and months when I need the income, I can’t get it.

    The lawyers want to delay the trial while they do lawyer stuff – I can allow continuances or I can force the trial in September before the prosecution or defense are ready. Continuances will probably help my side more, because the prosecution seems to have infinite resources and could adjust to a rush trial – BTW, they are apparently watching social media, emails and phone calls.

    Everybody say ‘hi’ to Mr. Chawla. And what’s really funny is that it’s a license and registration trial – violating airspace is a misdemeanor and they want to erect the gallows for imitating a mailman. Only our government could write such a poor comedy.

  13. Doug: Sorry for that. It seems they want to make an example of you. Don’t anyone even try to change anything in their government. You are no threat to anyone except the fat cats who don’t really want a democracy. They want power and money. I have faith in you and your message. And I will be sending positive thoughts and energy your way.

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