Motley Moose – Archive

Later today, the first candidate for the 2016 Democratic presidential nominating contest will throw her hat into the ring.

No, not her. She is doing a great job right where she is. She is just a reminder of what is at stake.

Former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton will officially enter the Democratic Party nominating contest. There will be much weeping and gnashing of teeth … and then the Republicans will weigh in, too! I believe their slogan will be “First the black guy, now the girl!?!1!!”

It should come as no surprise that I expect to weigh in as well and my theme for 2016 will be simple: we need to nominate the strongest candidate possible for the general election. This is not a “take the party back to our grassroots!” election, this is not a time to show our purity and consider only candidates who have never met anyone on Wall Street, this is not a time to dredge up the parts of the past that are unlikely to be good predictors of the future: it is a time to come together and emerge as strong as possible from the primary season and well positioned for the general election.

There are core Democratic Party principles that should guide all of our candidates. There are also hot button issues that make a candidate less attractive or more attractive to certain groups. But the only litmus test should be: can our candidate win in 2016?

Reason number 1: The Supreme Court (and the appellate courts and the district courts).

The next president could have the opportunity to choose 3 or 4 new justices for the Supreme Court. The chance to tilt the court to the left is a real possibility.

President Barack Obama appointed two justices for the Supreme Court: Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagen. Justice Sotomayor became the first Latina on the court and holds dear the values most  Democrats embrace.

More …

I sat down at my keyboard this morning ready to write about the 2016 presidential election, this time to weigh in on the Democratic Party’s nominating contest. I had read a troubling interview, from the Sunday morning talk shows, given by one of the not-quite-announced Democratic candidates and it reminded me of how important it is to keep our eye on the big picture.

After scanning my news feed, I found that I didn’t have to start from scratch because Michael Tomasky, in an article in the 150th Anniversary Edition of The Nation, had already made many of my points for me. His piece, snarkily titled “Lesser-Evilism We Can Believe In” included a sub-heading that asks this important question: “Should we put government in the hands of a party determined to subvert it, or a party – however flawed – that believes it still has a role to play in securing the common good?”

(p.s. I chose the latter)

The White House has released its Fiscal Year 2016 Budget. The president spoke at the Department of Homeland Security about the budget in general and the importance of a fully funded DHS in particular:

[This budget is] a broader blueprint for America’s success in this new global economy.  Because after a breakthrough year for America — at a time when our economy is growing and our businesses are creating jobs at the fastest pace since the 1990s, and wages are starting to rise again — we’ve got some fundamental choices to make about the kind of country we want to be.

Will we accept an economy where only a few of us do spectacularly well?  Or are we going to build an economy where everyone who works hard has a chance to get ahead? […]

The budget I’ve sent to Congress today is fully paid for, through a combination of smart spending cuts and tax reforms. […]

I’m going to keep fighting to make sure that every American has the chance not just to share in America’s success but to contribute to America’s success.  That’s what this budget is about.

Full transcript below.

On Saturday, the best and brightest of the Republican Party met in Iowa to plumb the depths of their descent into madness^*.

Rep. Steve King (R-IA) invited the 2016 GOP presidential hopefuls to strut their stuff (sorry for the visual!) at the Iowa Freedom Summit. King is most recently “famous” for calling young Latino college students, who were sitting with the First Lady at the State of Union, “deportables”.

The Iowa Freedom Summit was a Very Important Event: one can tell because it has “freedom” in it and it is a “summit”. And IOWA!! The place of the first nominating contest because nothing says Bellwether like a state that is 98% white and which selected Mike Huckabee in 2008 and Rick Santorum in 2012 as the Republican standard bearers. Finger on the pulse of America, Iowa, finger on the pulse.

Eric Wolfson @EricWolfson

If ignorance is bliss, #IAFreedomSummit must be the happiest place on earth.

Watching the assault on our democracy, and on our common sense, unfold would be more entertaining if it were not for this sobering observation:

BWD @theonlyadult  

One of these people might be the next president. Nothing funny about this #IAFreedomSummit

PLEASE don’t let that happen.

LOLGOP @LOLGOP

The one thing every Republican candidate seems to have in common with normal people is they don’t think Jeb Bush or Mitt can beat Hillary.

And with that, let’s follow the summit of freedumbs on Twitter …

When we look around and think things appear pretty gloomy for big D Democracy (the kind that focuses on making people’s lives better), we can take comfort in the knowledge that our political opponents will, for the second time in 4 years, be in disarray as they try to choose whether to hate in the open or hate in a less full-throated way.

The field of Republican 2016 hopefuls has the potential for more white-on-white violence than a Walmart Black Friday event. One author breaks the candidates into the following categories:

THE BIG THREE

These candidates will leverage strong donor bases and have the most potential to bridge the establishment vs. conservative gap.

– Sen. Rand Paul (Ky.)

– Gov. Chris Christie (N.J.)

– Former Gov. Jeb Bush (Fla.)

THE CONSERVATIVE GUNNERS

The 2012 Republican field was roiled by conservative upstarts, but those driving the conversation to the right this time around will be more polished and better funded.

– Former Gov. Mike Huckabee (Ark.)

– Sen. Ted Cruz (Texas)

THE SECOND TIER

In any other year, these two might be near the top of the list but each has a glaring issue that knocks them down a peg.

– Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.)

– Gov. Scott Walker (Wis.)

NEEDS AN IOWA MIRACLE

The strong competition and narrow path for these candidates has some questioning whether they’ll be able to break through.

– Gov. Rick Perry (Texas)

– Dr. Ben Carson

WAITING IN THE WINGS

Expect to see a lot of this bunch on the campaign trail, even if it’s just to build chits for a potential Cabinet spot or vice presidential candidacy.

– Gov. Mike Pence (Ind.)

– Gov. Bobby Jindal (La.)

– Sen. Rob Portman (Ohio)

– Gov. John Kasich (Ohio)

More …