Published Thursday, August 04, 2016 @ 12:10 PM EDT
Aug042016
"In the last 24 hours, Donald Trump has refused to endorse Republican
leaders up for re-election, accused John McCain of failing veterans,
suggested Americans pull their 401(k)s out of the stock market, threw
out a crying baby at a rally, fought with the father of a dead soldier,
and suggested President Obama was responsible for the death of troops
during George W. Bush's time in office. Said voters, 'Yeah, but I'm not
sure I trust Hillary Clinton.'" -Seth Meyers
Of all the speeches given at the Democratic convention this week,
Michael Bloomberg's
was the most unexpected and compelling.
The former New York mayor's business empire is worth $46 billion,
roughly ten times that of Donald Trump's, sp je's not intimidated by
Trump's weath and influence You rarely hear billionaires bashing each
other, but Bloomberg pulled no punches.
-----
Now, I'm not here as a member of any party, or to endorse any party
platform. I am here for one reason, and one reason only: to explain why
I believe it is my imperative that we elect Hillary Clinton as the next
president of the United States. And to ask you to join with me in
supporting her this November.
When the Founding Fathers arrived here in Philadelphia to forge a new
nation, they didn't come as Democrats or Republicans, or to nominate a
presidential candidate. They came as patriots who feared party politics.
I know how they felt. I've been a Democrat, I've been a Republican, and
I eventually became an independent because I don't believe either party
has a monopoly on good ideas or strong leadership.
When I enter the voting booth each time, I look at the candidate, not
the party label. I have supported elected officials from both sides of
the aisle. Probably not many people in this room can say that, but I
know there are many watching at home who can. And now, they are
carefully weighing their choices. I understand their dilemma.
I know what it's like to have neither party fully represent my views or
values. Too many Republicans wrongly blame immigrants for our problems,
and they stand in the way of action on climate change and gun violence.
Meanwhile, many Democrats wrongly blame the private sector for our
problems, and they stand in the way of action on education reform and
deficit reduction.
There are times when I disagree with Hillary. But whatever our
disagreements may be, I've come here to say: We must put them aside for
the good of our country. And we must unite around the candidate who can
defeat a dangerous demagogue.
I believe it's the duty of all American citizens to make our voices
heard by voting in this election. And, if you're not yet registered to
vote, go online. Do
it now. It's just too important to sit this out.
Now, we've heard a lot of talk in this campaign about needing a leader
who understands business. I couldn't agree more. I've built a business
and I didn't start it with a million-dollar check from my father.
Because of my success in the private sector, I had the chance to run
America's largest city for 12 years, governing in the wake of its
greatest tragedy.
Today, as an independent, an entrepreneur, and a former mayor, I believe
we need a president who is a problem solver, not a bomb thrower. Someone
who can bring members of Congress together, to get things done. And I
know Hillary Clinton can do that because I saw it firsthand.
I was elected mayor two months after 9/11, as a Republican- and I saw
how Hillary Clinton worked with Republicans in Washington to ensure that
New York got the help it needed to recover and rebuild. Throughout her
time in the Senate, we didn't always agree- but she always listened. And
that's the kind of approach we need in Washington today, and it just has
to start in the White House.
Given my background, I've often encouraged business leaders to run for
office because many of them share that same pragmatic approach to
building consensus, but not all. Most of us who have created a business
know that we're only as good as the way our employees, clients, and
partners view us. Most of us don't pretend that we're smart enough to
make every big decision by ourselves. And most of us who have our names
on the door know that we're only as good as our word.
But not Donald Trump.
Throughout his career, Trump has left behind a well-documented record of
bankruptcies, thousands of lawsuits, angry shareholders, and contractors
who feel cheated, and disillusioned customers who feel ripped off. Trump
says he wants to run the nation like he's run his business. God help us.
I'm a New Yorker, and New Yorkers know a con when we see one! Trump says
he'll punish manufacturers that move to Mexico or China, but the clothes
he sells are made overseas in low-wage factories. He says he wants to
put Americans back to work, but he games the US visa system so he can
hire temporary foreign workers at low wages. He says he wants to deport
11 million undocumented people, but he seems to have no problem in
hiring them. What'd I miss here?!
Truth be told, the richest thing about Donald Trump is his hypocrisy. He
wants you to believe that we can solve our biggest problems by deporting
Mexicans and shutting out Muslims. He wants you to believe that erecting
trade barriers will bring back good jobs. He's wrong on both counts.
We can only solve our biggest problems if we come together and embrace
the freedoms that our Founding Fathers established right here in
Philadelphia, which permitted our ancestors to create the great American
exceptionalism that all of us now enjoy. Donald Trump doesn't understand
that. Hillary Clinton does. And we can only create good jobs if we make
smarter investments in infrastructure and do more to support small
businesses. Not stiff them. Donald Trump doesn't understand that.
Hillary Clinton does.
I understand the appeal of a businessman president. But Trump's business
plan is a disaster in the making. He would make it harder for small
businesses to compete, do great damage to our economy, threaten the
retirement savings of millions of Americans, lead to greater debt and
more unemployment, erode our influence in the world, and make our
communities less safe.
The bottom line is: Trump is a risky, reckless, and radical choice. And
we can't afford to make that choice.
Now, I know Hillary Clinton is not flawless; no candidate is. But she is
the right choice- and the responsible choice- in this election. No
matter what you may think about her politics or her record, Hillary
Clinton understands that this is not reality television; this is
reality. She understands the job of president. It involves finding
solutions, not pointing fingers, and offering hope, not stoking fear.
Over the course of our country's proud history, we have faced our share
of grave challenges, but we have never retreated in fear. Never. Not
here in Philadelphia in 1776, not at Gettysburg in 1863, not through two
World Wars and a Great Depression, not at Selma or Stonewall, and not
after 9/11- and we must not start now.
America is the greatest country on Earth- and when people vote with
their feet, they come here. The presidency of the United States is the
most powerful office in the world, and so I say to my fellow
independents: Your vote matters now. Your vote will determine the future
of your job, your business, and our future together as a country.
To me, this election is not a choice between a Democrat and a
Republican. It's a choice about who is better to lead our country right
now: better for our economy, better for our security, better for our
freedom, and better for our future.
There is no doubt in my mind that Hillary Clinton is the right choice
this November. So tonight, as an independent, I am asking you to join
with me- not out of party loyalty but out of love of country. And
together, let's elect Hillary Clinton as the next president of the
greatest country in the world, the United States of America.
"With Hillary Clinton, worst case scenario, you have a bad President
for four years, right? And America's had bad presidents before, you'll
get through it. But America, you have never had a Donald Trump before.
A man, who claiming to be the leader of law and order and make America
safe candidate, that man who invites foreign hackers to steal files
that he himself said contain American national security data? Yhat
man? That's a leader you've never had. A man who publically admires
and now very possibly colludes with Vladimir Putin? A man who's
lovingly endorsed by Kim Jong-un? A man who praises and doubles down
on praising Saddam Hussein? These are his role models. And these
people, what you have to understand is, once they're in power, they
don't go away. You don't get a chance to vote them out in four years.
Their rule ends when the country ends. So to all the people out there,
considering voting for Trump, I hope you enjoy your vote. Because on
days like this you realize, this could be the very last vote you will
ever get."
My son noted, "Lectroid involvement would explain a lot about the Trump
campaign."
Laugh while you can, monkey boys...
-----
Pixie, our small, insane, alien dog-like creature who resembes a Shih
Tzu, behaved quite well for Dr. Joanna Rubin and her staff at
Bridgeville Animal Hospital for her pre-spay exam. The thought of her
reproducing is too terrifying to consider. (Pixie, not Joanna.)
-----
"Every word that comes out of Mike Pence's mouth reminds me that somewhere
in rural Indiana, probably near Elkhart, a Quizno's is missing its
assistant manager." -Ed. Gin & Tacos (on Facebook)
-----
Today is Get to Know Your Customer Day, Invite an Alien to Live with You
Day, Legal Drinking Age Day, National Junk Food Day, National Tug-
Of-War Tournament Day, and Take a Monkey to Lunch Day.
-----
Watching the Republican National Convention, I keep expecting them to
break out into "Springtime for Hitler."
-----
ACA out of detent. Mode control, both auto. Descent engine command
override, off. -Buzz Aldrin (The actual first words
spoken by a human from the surface of the Moon, July 20, 1969.)
-----
On The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore, Braddock mayor John
Fetterman observed that since outrageous claims, lies and statements
seem to have no effect on Trump and his ilk, we are now living in a
"post=factual" age.
-----
According to a story in The
New York Times Magazine, this past May Donald Trump's son,
Donald Jr.,contacted a senior adviser to Ohio governer and failed
Republican Presidential candidate John Kasich, and asked him if the
governor had any interest in being the most powerful vice president in
history. Here's where it gets weird:
When Kasich's adviser asked how this would be the case, Donald Jr.
explained that his father's vice president would be in charge of
domestic and foreign policy.
Then what, the adviser asked, would Trump be in charge of?
“Making America great again” was the casual reply.
I've maintained since he entered the race that while Trump wants to win
the Presidency, he really doesn't want to be President. Too much work,
too much discipline and- let's face it- The White House is a step down
from the decor of his multiple, gilded homes which appear to have been
furnished by Saddam Hussein's interior designer.
He has the nomination. The question is now, how can he get out of it if
he wins the election? Medical? Personal problems? (Hey, he's on wife
number three). Stay tuned.
-----
I don't know if it's an accomplishment or not, but thanks to the
Republicans in general and Trump in particular, I have now blocked more
people on Facebook than I have as friends. Every once in a while I
encounter one of them in real life, where I'm tempted to grab them by
the shoulders and shake them, while screaming "Are you insane? We grew
up together in the sixties! What the hell happened to you?"
-----
So, at least we now have the answer to the question "How could the
German people allow Hitler to rise to power?"
-----
Someon stole my Bernie Sanders yard sign the other week. It was after he
had suspended his campaign, but stil... I wanted to save it, to show
there were some same people about in 2016.
You may have noticed on the right sidebar that I've replaced the Sanders
plug with one for Hillary Clinton. At least she's not Trump...
Published Tuesday, September 18, 2012 @ 6:53 AM EDT
Sep182012
"Mitt Romney is a political contortionist. He can shoot himself in the
foot while it's still in his mouth while his head is up his ass. The
exit wound is spectacular. Then for an encore, he gets the other foot." -David
Gerrold
It's why Al Gore invented the Internet:
Bill
O'Reilly and Jon Stewart debate!
Fact: Of the ten states with the highest percentage of people who pay no
income tax, nine are red states.
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