2016 Presidential Campaign

[swake]

I'm going to leave this right here:

[joiei]

Trumps Oklahoma team  http://talkingpointsmemo.com/dc/trump-supporter-oklahoma

[Conan71]

His particular campaign is based around his perceived intelligence and honesty. He didn't stretch the truth, this is an entirely false narrative.

Apparently shoddily cobbled together by the writer for Politico:

http://money.cnn.com/2015/11/06/media/ben-carson-politico-west-point/

Seems a rather over-zealous attempt to go after a candidate the author wouldn't vote for.

[Townsend]

Apparently shoddily cobbled together by the writer for Politico:

http://money.cnn.com/2015/11/06/media/ben-carson-politico-west-point/

Seems a rather over-zealous attempt to go after a candidate the author wouldn't vote for.

Editor's note says the writer of the CNN story is a recent ex-Politico writer. 

Might not be the best source of info either.

[Townsend]

Wow...the Kaisers must be showing some monetary love to her campaign.

Clinton Plans Public Event at Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame

TULSA, Okla. (AP) — Hillary Clinton plans a public event in Tulsa as she visits the state as part of a fundraising stop.

Clinton plans to visit the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame on Friday and attend a private fundraiser at the home of Tulsa philanthropists George and Cookie Kaiser. Clinton's campaign said Tuesday that the former secretary of state will discuss her economic agenda at the public event, which is scheduled for noon Friday.

The campaign says Clinton also plans to drum up local support ahead of Oklahoma's March 1 presidential primary.

Vice President Joe Biden visited Tulsa last month for a private fundraiser for the Democratic National Committee.

Is there something changing in Oklahoma that I don't know about?

[AquaMan]

Hedging their bets.

I drove through the "heart" of America last week. Northern Oklahoma, southeast Missouri, Kansas, Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin to attend my mother-in-law's funeral. The farther north I drove the more sophisticated people became, the less judgemental and the better their driving. They are aware of turn signals and use them. They understand yielding on entrance ramps. They let you change lanes in front of them if you signal. They will talk to strangers with polite interest. They are anything but extremist in their views.

Weird considering people think they support Trump, Cruz and the other brash republican field. The press and polls of registered republicans are aiding and abetting the extremism they are spewing. The only craziness I encountered was my weird, government hating, racist brother-in-law (been that way since birth) and some farmer in Missouri who buys worn out semi-tractor trailers and uses them as bill boards along the highway saying something about blood sucking liberals.

We live in a cocoon.

[Conan71]

Wow...the Kaisers must be showing some monetary love to her campaign.

Clinton Plans Public Event at Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame

Is there something changing in Oklahoma that I don't know about?

Kaiser was a huge Obama donor and bundler so are the Adelsons.

Kaiser also supports programs popular with Democrats like Head Start.  On a national level he seems to support Democrats.  On a local level, he supports pretty much anyone willing to accept his contributions to their campaigns.  He was a big backer of Mayor Taylor in the last election but hosted the fund-raising kick-off for Mayor Bartlet (sic) this go 'round.

[heironymouspasparagus]

It was a dark and stormy night; the rain fell in torrents...

[Townsend]

There's a long line out the door at the Tulsa jazz museum...I don't think anyone's ever written that before.

[Townsend]

Ben Carson blasts RNC, threatens to leave Republican Party

http://www.politico.com/story/2015/12/ben-carson-rnc-washington-post-216674

Ben Carson on Friday blasted the Republican National Committee following a Washington Post report that nearly two-dozen establishment party figures were prepping for a potential brokered convention as Donald Trump continues to lead most polls.

RNC Chairman Reince Priebus held a dinner in Washington, D.C., on Monday, and, according to five people who spoke with the Post, the possibility of Trump heading into the Cleveland convention with a substantial number of delegates was a topic of discussion. Some attendees suggested the establishment lay the groundwork for a floor fight that could lead the party's mainstream wing to unite behind an alternative. Carson rejected this approach.

"If the leaders of the Republican Party want to destroy the party, they should continue to hold meetings like the one described in the Washington Post this morning," Carson said in a statement released by his campaign.

Carson said he prays the Post's report is incorrect and threatened to leave the GOP. "If it is correct, every voter who is standing for change must know they are being betrayed. I won't stand for it," said Carson, who added that if the plot is accurate, "I assure you Donald Trump won't be the only one leaving the party."

The retired neurosurgeon said that next summer's Cleveland convention could be the last Republican National Convention if leaders try to manipulate it.
"I am prepared to lose fair and square, as I am sure is Donald," Carson said. "But I will not sit by and watch a theft. I intend on being the nominee. If I am not, the winner will have my support. If the winner isn't our nominee then we have a massive problem."

Carson told ABC News on Friday he had no plans to run as an independent. "But I certainly don't want to be a part of corruption," said Carson, who stopped short of saying he would drop out of the race if he left the Republican Party.
"I'll leave that up to you to speculate," he added with a smile.

Just days earlier, Carson had suggested that a third-party bid by Trump could be unnecessary. "I believe that the party has pledged to be fair to him and to be fair to everybody," he told CNN. "So I don't see where that would be necessary quite frankly. Obviously, if the people choose him, we have an obligation to respect the will of the people."

Sean Spicer, chief strategist for the Republican National Committee, downplayed the significance of Monday's dinner. "This was a discussion about the delegation selection process," he said, likening it to past sessions held for the media. "A question was asked on whether we are ready. We are always ready."

"The takeaway was that he (Priebus) was asked a question and he answered it," added Spicer, who was not at the dinner but said he was briefed on it. "The chairman acknowledged that if we got to that point we would be prepared. Our job is to prepare for a successful nomination process."

The conversation about what to do if a brokered convention occurs took up just four minutes of the two-hour session, according to a person familiar with the meeting.
Spicer, speaking to CNN Friday, said the flap over Monday's dinner was "silly" and that he was "confident" Carson and Trump would remain in the race as Republicans. "We'll have great convention," he said. "It'll all work out."

Trump, when asked about the possibility of a brokered convention last week, said he didn't think it would happen. "But if it is, I'd certainly go all the way — and I think I'd have a certain disadvantage," he told The Post. "I'll be disadvantaged. My disadvantage is that I'd be going up against guys who grew up with other, know each other intimately, and I don't know who they are, OK? That's a big disadvantage."

Trump in recent days has also entertained the idea of a third-party run, despite having pledged not to do so in September. While an independent run is "highly unlikely," he said, the pledge is a "two-way street."

"If they don't treat me with a certain amount of decorum and respect, if they don't treat me as by far the front-runner, if the playing field is not level, then certainly all options are open," Trump told CNN's Don Lemon.

RNC officials met with Trump's campaign in New York on Wednesday, according to an NBC News report. One official confirmed the meeting, which was attended by several high-ranking RNC members and Trump's campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski. The official said that for RNC officials to meet with campaigns is "standard and common," noting that they are meeting with every campaign and will continue to do so throughout the primary.

Carson's clash with the RNC isn't his first. He and Trump both threatened to boycott a CNBC debate in November without changes to the format, and they were critical of the RNC's handling of the matter. At that time, Trump and Carson were dueling for front-runner status. But now the two are on sharply different trajectories in the race: Carson has plunged in national and early-state polls following questions about his personal narrative and his readiness to handle foreign policy issues, while Trump has seen his poll numbers rise.

The news of the Priebus dinner follows the leak last week of a National Republican Senatorial Committee memo sent out by Executive Director Ward Baker that urged its members "prepare for 2016, by understanding the environment and recognizing the Trump phenomenon." Baker outlined 11 "recommendations" to consider should Trump become the nominee. Suggestions ranged from facing the fact that "Trump is a Misguided Missile" to understanding that "Trump Can Hit the Right Chord."

The business magnate told CBS News' John Dickerson this week that the memo is "dishonest" but also a compliment. "They are actually saying that I will be the nominee, but they're saying, 'Study Trump, because he's doing things that nobody's ever done before and it really works,'" he said. "And obviously, you can leave some of the insults out, but you should learn from Trump."

[swake]

Ben Carson blasts RNC, threatens to leave Republican Party

http://www.politico.com/story/2015/12/ben-carson-rnc-washington-post-216674

Is this finally it? Is this going to be the fissure that breaks apart the racists, idiots, evangelicals and conservatives into different parties?

I propose:
The New Republican Party
A revival of the classic Know-Nothing Party
and The All American White People's Party

[AquaMan]

What a hoot! This one is the best of my lifetime. A middle aged woman long a focus of controversy, an old white guy who speaks truth to power, a black brain surgeon with veracity problems, a wealthy lunatic tycoon whose world exists in his head, a Cuban-American whose never had a job, a Canadian/Cuban/Texan (enough said) and a host of wannabe's. A brand new pseudo-war, increasing disharmony among the populace, a deteriorating climate, killer cops, and an outgoing African American president to blame it all on.

Its either the basis of a stand-up comedy routine, a biblical prophecy or a grade B nineties movie.

But really. Carson should relate this to a medical dilemma. The choice for the republican party is to execute a flawless surgery that kills the patient or utilize some long known homegrown, holistic medicine in hopes of saving the patient without surgery.

[Ed W]

So which one will Pauly Shore play in the upcoming movie?

[Townsend]

So which one will Pauly Shore play in the upcoming movie?

He's the eagle that attacks Trump.

[swake]

So which one will Pauly Shore play in the upcoming movie?

Ben Carson in Blackface. Duh.

And of course Larry David as grumpy uncle Bernie: