As expected, Rep. Martha McSally (R-AZ) will take the helm of U.S. Senator.
The loser of the U.S. Midterm election will be installed as the replacement for Sen. Jon Kyl (R-AZ) who replaced John McCain. Kyl said that he will end his term at the end of the month.
So as he resigns, McSally will then be appointed to replace him on January 1, 2019.
Mike Pence will swear in the next wave of senators. McSally, Kyrsten Sinema, Marsha Blackburn, Rick Scott, Mike Braun, Mitt Romney, Josh Hawley and Jacky Rosen will be sworn in as U.S. Senators.
Gov. Doug Ducey believes Republicans can hold the seat if McSally decides on running for reelection. She will likely be running for the full term in 2020.
Democrats signal that McSally's appointment is an example of Republicans not listening to voters.
Chad Campbell, a Democratic consultant, said the McSally appointment goes against the wishes of the voters, who decided not to elect McSally in November. He especially wondered how independent voters would take the news, given their role in helping Sinema win this year and their expected role in future elections.
He sees Ducey's choice as risky, especially for the swayable, independent voters who helped elect Sinema. McSally was already rejected once on a statewide ballot; why would voters do differently in 2020?
The appointment makes the 2020 Senate election "very, very competitive," he said.
"Democrats have already beat McSally once, so pretty sure we can do it twice," Campbell said.
Sinema took the spot after Jeff Flake, the outgoing Republican senator decided to retire setting up a competitive race.
McSally tired to taint the election with accusations of Sinema being a "closet case." The Republicans were attacking Sinema of being a crazy lady in a pink tutu. James O'Keefe tried to taint the election with his shenanigans. Sean "Softball" Hannity and even Donald J. Trump tried to attack Sinema for her past as a Green Party nominee and anti-war activist.
Sinema has moderated her views and still supports progressives on most social issues. She is openly bisexual and one of the most attractive lawmakers in Washington. She became the first Democrat in over 30 years to win the seat.
Sinema promises to help the Democrats and work on compromises with Trump (if necessary).
Black man can't cash a check. He instead gets arrested.
Cleveland man wanted to cash a check at a local bank. When he was denied the opportunity to cash a check, the bank called the law on him.
Huntington Bank had to do damage control after their clerks called the law on a Black man who wanted to cash his check.
Paul McCowns was pretty pissed when he found himself in the back of a police cruiser outside a Brooklyn, Ohio Giant Eagle supermarket.
The young man was working at a local contractor when he got his first paycheck for the week.
He tried to enter the Huntington Bank branch inside the Giant Eagle.
The paycheck was worth more than $1,000 and McCowns and tellers confirmed that he shown two forms of identification and then had a fingerprint as to the Huntington bank rules.
McCowns started to notice something. He saw the bank employee started looking into a computer screen and questioning the transaction. Then the teller got the bank branch manager's attention.
The bank manager then calls the employer to see if he can get confirmation. When that failed, he stepped away from the floor to call 911.
As the bank refused his check, McCowns starts to proceed to his car. Within a few minutes of searching for another branch, he was pulled over by the Brooklyn Police.
The 911 audio confirms that the bank manager called the law on McCowns.
"He's trying to cash a check and the check is fraudulent. It does not match our records," said the voice to the dispatcher.
The dispatcher said to the manager, did you notify the customer. The dispatcher said no.
McCowns was placed inside the back of the cruiser and was begging the cops to hear his story. The cops would enter the bank and ask for the numbers to the employer. They obligated and made the call.
Huntington Bank branch.
The employer confirmed that McCowns was employee. As he was let go, he was then free to go. He went to another branch and asked for a complaint card and then took his story to the junk food media.
He did cash his check.
When the junk food media reached out to the Huntington Bank representatives, they had a flimsy excuse to why they've overreacted.
The branch saw 11 cases of fraud in recent months and tellers were hyper-vigilant as a result. So that means, the tellers weren't doing their jobs to spot phony checks and suspicious activity within transactions. They failed at actually stopping a potential fraudster.
They formally offered a televised apology.
"We sincerely apologize to Mr. McCowns for this extremely unfortunate event. We accept responsibility for contacting the police as well as our own interactions with Mr. McCowns. Anyone who walks into a Huntington branch should feel welcomed. Regrettably, that did not occur in this instance and we are very sorry."
McCowns want someone to lose their job over this. He doesn't want apology. He wants the whole company to rebrand itself to be more willing to understand their role in the community.
Racial profiling in Donald J. Trump's America is real.
Thank god he didn't get shot and killed. That turd Mike DeWine would have sided with the cops.
The former Attorney General of Ohio is now our fucking governor. He and the Republican Party continue to drive Ohioans out of the state with their stupidity.
They're planning on naming laws after dead white people. They will try to impose a "stand your ground" law for gun owners. They will force mandatory work requirements for those who can't find work or suffered extensive damage through no fault of their own.
Man, I kind of wished Ohio was more like California.
Cause the rust belt is going to crumble given that Trump and his fucked up laws are destroying the region.
Black folks need to ditch corporate banks and join credit unions. Cause we can keep our money and not have them take our money for their fees or "novelty."
Here's an example of how Huntington Bank treats its guest of color. See the person filming this shows a Black man upset at the way he's being treated.
Tucker Carlson feeling the heat after saying offensive remarks about immigrants on his white nationalist program.
Fox News promotes white extremism and it's time to hold the network accountable.
The propaganda arm of Donald J. Trump has peddled white nationalism for years. The primetime lineup featuring Tucker Carlson, Sean "Softball" Hannity and Laura Ingraham.
These three agitators have constantly divided America for a profit.
It's time.
Now, it's Tucker Carlson who is facing an advertiser boycott after he made racist remarks on Fox News last week.
"Our leaders demand that you shut up and accept this. We have a moral obligation to admit the world's poor, they tell us, even if it makes our own country poorer, and dirtier, and more divided. Immigration is a form of atonement. Previous leaders of our country committed sins -- we must pay for those sins by welcoming an endless chain of migrant caravans. That's the argument they make. ... What is more predictable is how leaders of the caravan are starting to talk. Suddenly, they sound like community college professors from Long Beach. Entitled, cut off from reality, and highly aggressive. Yesterday a group of leaders of the caravan marched into the U.S. consulate in Mexico, and demanded $50,000 to return to their own countries. Huddled masses yearning to breathe free? Nope, cynical shakedown artists who have been watching too much CNN. No surprise there. When rich liberals tell you that America owes you a comfortable life, nobody should be shocked when you believe them."
Media Matters for America, Sleeping Giants and Grab Your Wallet are pushing forth.
We are seeing the destruction of Tucker Carlson. His remarks on immigrants were considered too extreme for advertisers. Now with his potential fall, who will be the next conservative agitator to fall?
This was a long time coming.
Tucker Carlson Tonight became a fixture among white extremists. The conservative agitator would speak the language to white extremists.
Carlson's show has lost at least six advertisers since his outburst last Thursday, during which he claimed immigrants make the U.S. "poor and dirtier." Five days later on Monday, the far-right pundit doubled down, telling viewers, "The left would very much like you to stop talking and thinking about bad decisions they've made over the years." He continued, "'Shut up,' they're screaming, including to this show. Obviously, we won’t and you shouldn't either."
Reacting on Friday, the insurance company, Pacific Life, was the first to pull their ads, NY Mag reported. "Our customer base and our workforce reflect the diversity of our great nation, something we take great pride in," the company said in a statement.
On Monday, five more companies canceled ads. The job listing website Indeed announced on Twitter that it "is not currently advertising on Tucker Carlson and has no plans to advertise on this program in the future." The online marketplace Minted; SmileDirectClub; Nautilus, Inc.; and NerdWallet also pulled their ads.
On Tuesday, Just For Men said it would no longer advertise with the show, and IHOP pulled its ads, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Meanwhile, a number of advertisers, such as Mitsubishi and John Deere, are still with Carlson’s show. A Mitsubishi spokesperson told The Daily Beast that advertising "is determined based on demographics and psychographics, not politics," adding that the company would continue monitoring the situation and make adjustments where needed.
Over the last year, Carlson has peddled white nationalist talking points to his viewers, including the "white genocide" conspiracy theory. Additionally, he has published posts by white nationalists on his website the Daily Caller, including from Jason Kessler, who planned the deadly 2017 "Unite the Right" rally in Charlottesville. The post has since been removed. Carlson also has received praise from white nationalists David Duke, a former Ku Klux Klan grand wizard, and alt-right head Richard Spencer.
In a statement on Tuesday afternoon, a Fox News spokesperson said, "We cannot and will not allow voices like Tucker Carlson to be censored by agenda-driven intimidation efforts from the likes of Moveon.org, Media Matters and Sleeping Giants."
The Fox News spokesperson added, "While we do not advocate boycotts, these same groups never target other broadcasters and operate under a grossly hypocritical double standard given their intolerance to all opposing points of view."
The Fox News spokesperson said that all of the advertisers were moving their commercials to other shows on the network and that as a result no revenue had been lost.
In the past, such boycotts haven't endured. Sean "Softball" Hannity lost advertisers like Dollar Shave Club last year after defending the alleged child molester Roy Moore, but the company went right back to running ads following Moore's election loss.
Famed actress, movie director and activist Penny Marshall passed away.
Penny was best known for her role as Laverne in the 1970-80s series Laverne & Shirley. She and her late brother Garry Marshall were big in Hollywood.
As the daughter of Tony and Marjorie Marshall, Penny grew up in the entertainment industry as a comedy writer and entertainer.
Born Carole Penny Marshall, she directed big movies like Jumpin' Jack Flash (Whoopi Goldberg), Big (Tom Hanks), A League of Their Own (Hanks, Madonna and Rosie O'Donnell), Renaissance Man (Danny DeVito, Ed Begley, Jr., Mark Wahlberg, Stacey Dash and Gregory Hines) and The Preacher's Wife (Whitney Houston, Denzel Washington and Courtney B. Vance).
The younger sister of the late writer-director-producer Garry Marshall and the first wife of actor-director Rob Reiner, Marshall died in her Hollywood Hills home on Monday night from complications from diabetes, her publicist Michelle Bega told The Hollywood Reporter. She was diagnosed with brain and lung cancer in 2009.
Marshall earned fame — but, incredibly not even one Emmy nomination — for playing the wisecracking Laverne DeFazio on the Happy Days spinoff created by her brother. Laverne & Shirley, which aired for eight seasons from 1976 to '83, centered on the escapades of two romantically challenged Milwaukee brewery workers, with Cindy Williams co-starring as Marshall’s idealistic roommate, Shirley Feeney.
I loved Penny. I grew up with her. She was born with a great gift. She was born with a funnybone and the instinct of how to use it. I was very lucky to have lived with her and her funnybone. I will miss her.
Her second marriage was to actor and director Rob Reiner, who grew up across the street from her in New York City.
"It was a very wide street," Marshall once joked to CNN.
She had a daughter, Tracy, from her first marriage, whom Reiner later adopted.
On Tuesday, following news of Marshall's death, Reiner wrote in a statement posted to social media: "I loved Penny. I grew up with her. She was born with a great gift. She was born with a funnybone and the instinct of how to use it. I was very lucky to have lived with her and her funnybone. I will miss her."
A celebration of Marshall's life will be held at a later date to be announced, the family said.
Marshall is survived by her older sister, Ronny; daughter, actress Tracy Reiner; and three grandchildren.
"We hope her life continues to inspire others to spend time with family, work hard and make all of their dreams come true," Bega said.
Entertainer Alfonso Riberio is suing a video game company after they used a famous dance as a part of their product. Riberio who is an actor, director, dancer, television personality and comedian.
He is also the father of three with one on the way.
Riberio who is best known for his iconic role on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air is suing Epic over Fortnite's replication of his trademark dance move. He is suing the basketball game NBA 2K for doign the same thing in its basketball series.
The song is a play on Tom Jones and Riberio used the moves during the run.
He even reprised the song during his run with Dancing with The Stars.
The routine became one of the most defining moments in the history of the sitcom.
Fortnite's "Fresh" is a straight up rip-off and nothing was credited to the entertainer.
TMZ reports that the move comes as Ribeiro is trying to copyright "The Carlton."
"It is widely recognized that Mr. Riberio's likeness and intellectual property have been misappropriated by Epic Games in the most popular video game currently in the world, Fortnite," said a lawyer for Riberio.
Backpack kid is also going to court over his dance move being used in a video game.
"Epic has earned record profits off of downloadable content in the game, including emotes like 'Fresh.' Yet Epic has failed to compensate or even ask permission from Mr. Ribeiro for use of his likeness and iconic intellectual property."
Riberio was also known for his role on Sliver Spoons. He played Alfonso Spears in the NBC/syndicated sitcom opposite of Ricky Schroder.
He is currently the host of AFV (America's Funniest Videos).
Also the young sensation who became known as the Backpack Kid Russell Horning of Atlanta, Georgia became a iconic dancer himself.
His dance was went viral and he is often regarded iconic as well.
Backpack Kid's mom filed the latest lawsuit on behalf of her 16-year-old kid, who blew up back in 2016 when he posted videos of himself on Instagram doing a dance, which he called The Floss.
Flynn knows he's going to the iron college. He's delaying the inevitable.
Disgraced army general and former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn was going to be served.
The federal sandwich was taken off the table. Flynn asked for a postponement of his sentencing. He wanted to continue his assistance in the Robert Mueller probe. The judge was not happy about Flynn's delay.
After almost two dramatic hours in a courtroom discussing his crimes, he asked to postpone his sentencing for several months so he can have more of an opportunity to cooperate in federal investigations and attempt to mitigate the judge's disgust with his actions.
"I want to be frank with you, this crime is very serious," federal Judge Emmet Sullivan said in the courtroom Tuesday. "Not only did you lie to the FBI, you lied to senior officials in the incoming administration."
U.S. federal judge Emmet Sullivan ruled earlier Monday that the material is "relevant" to Flynn's sentencing and had ordered the government to publish the interview, known as a "302," and make it publicly available.
According to the memo, FBI agents who spoke to Flynn. The former FBI agent who handles matters involving Russia was Peter Strzok who was fired out the cannon this year.
Flynn was questioned about conversations with Sergey Kislyak about the United Nations vote surrounding Israeli settlements. Flynn responded quickly saying, "Yes, good reminder" and told the FBI agents a number of countries he met with, including "maybe Russia/Kislyak."
Strzok worked on the Mueller Russia probe until it was discovered he ha exchanged text messages critical of Trump and his presidential campaign.
Flynn, who pleaded guilty last year to lying to FBI agents in a January 24, 2017, interview in the West Wing of the White House, told the judge on Tuesday "I was aware" that lying to the FBI was a crime. He said he accepted responsibility for his actions.
Prosecutors from special counsel Robert Mueller's office had asked the judge to give Flynn little to no jail time because he had cooperated extensively with them and in at least one other investigation, a case in Virginia against Flynn's former business associates in which they are accused of illegally lobbying for Turkey. Prosecutors said Tuesday that Flynn had already given the "vast majority of cooperation" the judge should consider for his sentence but it was possible he could still help in other prosecutorial actions.
At one point, Sullivan wrongly suggested Flynn had acted as an illegal agent of a foreign government while serving as national security adviser. "That undermines everything this flag over here stands for. Arguably, you sold your country out," Sullivan said. Later, the judge walked that comment back, acknowledging that Flynn's unregistered lobbying for the Turkish government ended in November 2016, while Flynn worked on the Trump campaign and transition and before they took the White House.
As much of the hearing unfolded and the tension in the room grew, there was little obvious reaction from members of the Flynn family, some of whom have embraced and amplified unfounded claims of FBI misconduct on their social media accounts. Many of them sat in the front row of the courtroom, and when the judge rhetorically asked if his "treason" implication was incorrect, some of Flynn's supporters loudly said, "Yes."
Before the hearing, about a dozen family members and friends present had appeared to be in a good mood, with Flynn even telling his supporters as he entered the courtroom, "You made it."
Trump himself had wished Flynn "good luck" in a Tuesday morning tweet, adding that it "will be interesting to see what he has to say."
Over the past year, Flynn has given Mueller a key witness on some of the most scrutinized moments during the Trump campaign, transition and first month in the White House -- while also turning the former Army lieutenant general into a political cause backed by conservatives wary of Mueller's approach. "Nothing has been held back" during the cooperation sessions, Flynn's defense lawyer told the court on Tuesday.
Oh, I forgot CNN reported that Donald J. Trump did offer some support to Flynn as he awaited sentencing.
Biggest outrage yet in the long, winding and highly conflicted Mueller Witch Hunt is the fact that 19,000 demanded Text messages between Peter Strzok and his FBI lover, Lisa Page, were purposely & illegally deleted. Would have explained whole Hoax, which is now under protest!
Good luck today in court to General Michael Flynn. Will be interesting to see what he has to say, despite tremendous pressure being put on him, about Russian Collusion in our great and, obviously, highly successful political campaign. There was no Collusion!
Russia Dossier reporter now doubts dopey Christopher Steele’s claims! “When you get into the details of the Steele Dossier, the specific allegations, we have not seen the evidence to support them. There’s good grounds to think that some of the more sensational allegations.....
....WILL NEVER BE PROVEN AND ARE LIKELY FALSE.” Thank you to Michael Isikoff, Yahoo, for honesty. What this means is that the FISA WARRANTS and the whole Russian Witch Hunt is a Fraud and a Hoax which should be ended immediately. Also, it was paid for by Crooked Hillary & DNC!
Michael Isikoff was the first to report Dossier allegations and now seriously doubts the Dossier claims. The whole Russian Collusion thing was a HOAX, but who is going to restore the good name of so many people whose reputations have been destroyed?
The CBS corporation has formally fired Leslie Moonves out the cannon. They also cancelled his golden parachute of $120 million.
Moonves, the former CEO of CBS used the company as his sexual playground.
The New Yorker's Ronan Farrow wrote a bombshell story about how Moonves sexually harassed and blackballed women.
Variety reports that the board concluded their investigation and determined that Moonves' behavior were cause enough for his firing. "We have determined that there are grounds to terminate for cause, including his willful and material misfeasance, violation of Company policies and breach of his employment contract, as well as his willful failure to cooperate fully with the Company's investigation. Mr. Moonves will not receive any severance payment from the Company," the board said in a statement.
Moonves deliberately lied to the CBS board and investigators. He had evidence wiped from his iPad. He tried to be slick and handed off his young son's iPad to throw them off.
When Moonves was forced out of CBS in September, there was $20 million set aside for grants and the remaining $120 million set up in a trust.
Ronan Farrow detailed allegations by six women spanning from the 1980s to the 2000s. These fresh accounts of sexual misconduct include claims that Moonves forced women to perform oral sex on him and that he exposed himself to them without their consent.
The women's accusations were similar to those made by six other women, who claimed they were subjected Moonves' to unwelcome sexual advances and suffered professional retaliation when they rebuffed the now-disgraced television executive.
CBS board of directors said the investigators concluded that harassment and retaliation are not pervasive at the media company. However, investigators did find instances of "improper and unprofessional conduct" that were inconsistent with CBS' stated policies on creating a harassment-free environment.
The two law firms conducting the investigation, Debevoise & Plimpton and Covington & Burling, also found that the company's human resources department was lacking, noting it "did not hold high performers accountable" for their conduct or protect employees from retaliation.
The newly constituted CBS board and its acting CEO, Joe Ianniello, already have started making changes, including appointing a new chief people officer, Laurie Rosenfield.
Moonves could appeal the decision but it's highly unlikely he'll get much of his contributions back.
Moonves who is currently married to Julie Chen.
Chen would resign from The Talk after Moonves was forced out. She is currently the host of Big Brother and may eventually resign from CBS entirely in defense of her husband.
Republican trickster and kookspiracy nut Roger Stone admits he makes shit up. Now will that play a role in the Robert Mueller probe?
The former Donald J. Trump campaign adviser admitted, as part of a settlement in a defamation suit, that he used the right-wing conspiracy-theory website InfoWars to spread lies and misinformation.
Stone continues to deny ever contacting Russian operatives and Wikileaks
Deadline reported that Stone agreed to buy newspaper ads and publish a statement on his Facebook and Instagram accounts apologizing to Chinese businessman Guo Wengui for falsely claiming he had been convicted of financial crimes and violated U.S. election law by making political donations to presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. This issue was settled out of court.
"All of these statements are not true," Stone acknowledges as part of the settlement first reported by the Wall Street Journal.
Stone acknowledged that he should have done his own research, and instead he relied on information from former Trump campaign adviser Sam Nunberg.
In an interview with the Journal, Guo claimed Stone had been paid to make false claims about him on Alex Jones’ InfoWars, identifying Chinese-American media tycoon Bruno Wu as the source. Stone’s statement on Monday identifies Wu as the “apparent source” of the false information that was conveyed by Nunberg.
Wu, who some had called the "CEO of China" — as in chief entertainment officer — is the founder of Sun Seven Stars Media Group, which at one point had 60 film production companies in its portfolio. The billionaire has backed a pair of major film funds over the years: Harvest Seven Stars Media Private Equity, a $800 million entertainment M&A fund founded in 2012, and a $1.6 billion global content fund launched in 2015 in partnership with Yucheng Group’s Muse Era.
Stone’s use of social media to spread misinformation comes as a pair of new reports prepared for the Senate Intelligence Committee document how Russian operatives made extensive use of these platforms to spread propaganda and suppress the vote.
I seen this posting before. This was driven by a Russian troll farm.
Unveiled documents show that Russian troll farms were micro-targeting Black voters in Ohio, Florida, Texas, Indiana, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Alabama and Illinois.
Robert Mueller's investigation uncovers a deliberate plot to interfere in the U.S. elections. They even went after Mueller as soon as the investigation into Michael Flynn picked up.
They were running with the campaign to paint Hillary Clinton as the villain and Donald J. Trump as the "savior of Black culture."
They used platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, Vine, Gab, Meetup, Vkontakete, Live Journal to spread discourse. The Russian troll farm encouraged folks to support Bernie Sanders, Jill Stein and Trump.
Posing as fed-up Amerians, the Internet Research Agency (IRA) would engage in the hot topics.
The IRA's goal was to deepen divisions in U.S. society and convince Democrat-favoring liberals — including Latinos, youths and the LGBTQ community — not to vote, the report said.
But the most extensive analysis yet of thousands of IRA ads and posts across social media platforms in 2015-2017 showed a special emphasis on provoking the anger of black Americans so that they would stay home on election day.
The IRA-created account "Blacktivist" sent out messages on the Democratic candidate such as: "No lives matter to Hillary Clinton. Only votes matter to Hillary Clinton."
Another IRA account, "Black Matters," posted on Facebook: "Cops kill black kids. Are you sure that your son won't be the next?"
The four story complex in St. Petersburg was the Russian government espionage and internet hacking center.
"It is evident that the campaigns sought to demobilize African Americans, LGBT, and liberal voters," said the report by the Computational Propaganda Project at Oxford University and social media specialists Graphika.
"These campaigns pushed a message that the best way to advance the cause of the African American community was to boycott the election and focus on other issues instead."
Separately, a portion of the 3,841 IRA accounts on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube studied by the researchers sought to provoke Republican-leaning white Americans to get out and vote.
While the study did not draw any lines between the IRA propaganda and the election results — Republican Donald Trump stunned Clinton to take the White House — post-election data suggest some impact.
According to the Pew Research Center, white voter turnout surged in 2016 while black turnout sank by 5 percentage points, to 59.6 percent, from four years earlier.
Jill Stein is under federal watch. The former Green Party presidential nominee has ties to Russian oligarchs.
The IRA was set up by Yevgeny Prigozhin, a businessmen close to Russian President Vladimir Putin, as a domestic social media propaganda operation.
The study showed the IRA U.S. campaign began in 2015, aiming to mobilize conservative voters, with no specific backing for Trump at the time.
But as the then-candidate gained support, and especially when he drove his anti-immigrant message, the IRA posts turned in his favor.
The IRA had "coherent teams," formed around specific ideologies such as gun rights and LGBTQ issues, that directed posts using user profile data provided by advertising arms of the social media companies.
South Bend mayor Pete Buttigieg is considering a run for the president.
The Rust Belt went to Donald J. Trump. Now Democrats from the Rust Belt are hoping that voters realize that his impact hasn't really changed the narrative. In states like Ohio, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Missouri, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Iowa, you have not seen much improvement.
Matter of fact, Michigan and Ohio were dealt blows. GM is closing three manufacturing plants.
Now it's time to call upon Mayor Pete. The mayor of the Midwestern town announced he wasn't running for a third term. He said that he's quietly talking to friends and family about his prospects.
South Bend is a town with 84,000 residents. The town is known for University of Norte Dame Fighting Irish and recreational vehicles and trailers.
Pete Buttigieg is another contender willing to take on this Goliath known as Trump.
While I believe Trump has a 70% chance of winning reelection, the Democrats are hoping he slips up. These next two years of Trump's term could be interesting.
Buttigieg could be the youngest active member running for President of the United States.
Buttigieg was born in South Bend, Indiana, to Joseph Buttigieg and Jennifer Ann (née Montgomery). He is of Maltese and Scottish descent. He is a Rhodes scholar and military veteran having serve the U.S. war in Afghanistan.
Buttigieg graduated from St. Joseph High School in 2000, where he was president and valedictorian of his senior class. In his senior year at St. Joseph's High School, he was honored by Caroline Kennedy and other members of President Kennedy's family during a May 22, 2000, ceremony at the John F. Kennedy Library for his prize-winning essay for the JFK Profiles in Courage Essay Contest.
Buttigieg;s winning essay centered on the integrity and political courage demonstrated by U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, one of his nation's only Independent members of Congress.
He was also selected as one of two Indiana delegates to the United States Senate Youth Program.
Buttigieg is married to his husband Chasten Glezman. His announcement to run for president could be a first. If he does run and succeed in winning the nomination, he could be first openly gay Democratic nominee running for the President of The United States.
Do you believe Peter Buttigieg could a serious contender for President of the United States?
An article on the Washington Post's website, headlined "South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg moves toward Democratic presidential primary run," said his decision to not seek another mayoral term could "presage his attempt to vault from local to presidential politics.
The Post story said a run for the White House would offer Buttigieg "a chance to shape the debate over the party's direction and, potentially, expand his future options beyond his Republican-dominated state."
CNN posted a story on its website Monday morning about Buttigieg's decision "clearing the way for a potential 2020 presidential bid." And the Washington Times said the decision cleared "the decks for a possible bid for the Democratic presidential nomination."
For his part, Buttigieg would not comment on a presidential run. But he is scheduled to head to Des Moines later this week to speak at the Progress Iowa annual holiday party, the latest in a series of political speeches he has given across the country. He has a political action committee to help other progressive candidates. He is working with seasoned Democratic operatives. And his autobiography, "Shortest Way Home: One Mayor's Challenge and a Model for America's Future," is scheduled to be released in February, followed by a book tour.
No one doubts the mayor of a small town who has never run a sustained campaign for national office would face steep odds in a presidential race. But can Buttigieg attract attention, or make a dent in the debate, with a positive message about working to revitalize a struggling Midwest city?
Some key Democratic leaders think so, including Barack Obama's former political guru, David Axelrod. He told The Tribune in an interview last year, "As we look to the new generation of leaders, he's a natural person to be at the top of that list. The things he's done with his life, the things he's done in South Bend, his ability to reach people across the political divide. All those things are enormous assets."
And the Republican Party is at least paying attention — and sharpening its knives. In a statement released Monday, the regional spokesman for the Republican National Committee took some early shots at Buttigieg.
"Given all of the failures and gaffes as Mayor of South Bend and the lack of excitement around his candidacy, Buttigieg seems like the perfect candidate for a flailing Democratic party that doesn't stand a chance at defeating President Trump in 2020," the statement said.
He's going in. Julian Castro is considering a run for president.
Remember this name rung a bell back in 2012. Now this young generation of Democratic leaders feels ready to take on a Goliath known as Donald J. Trump.
Julian Castro, the former Housing and Urban Development Secretary and former mayor of San Antonio, Texas is considering a run in 2020. One of the first serious candidates who might be a viable candidate.
Although, I give Trump a 70% chance of winning reelection, Americans are fickle and could tip the scale in favor of Democrats if the final two years of his term go badly.
Anyway, here's a poll. This poll will require a unique code. This will eliminate troll and I will track the troll's movements.
You think Julian Castro could be a serious contender for President of the United States?
He was born in San Antonio, the son of Maria "Rosie" Castro and Jessie Guzman. He is Mexican-American generational and a proud progressive leader.
Castro has taken his first steps. He has went to New Hampshire and delivered a commencement speech at New England College which some said that was a test for the raw deal.
He announced on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert that he is considering a run. He already is planning on a formation of an exploratory committee.
Castro, has a twin brother named Joaquin. He is currently the U.S. Representative from Texas.
Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-TX) is supportive of his brother and potential candidate outgoing lawmaker Beto O'Rourke.
Julian Castro is married to his lovely wife Erica Lira Castro. They have two children from their marriage. He has daughter Carina and son Christian Julian Castro.
Another senator is retiring in 2020 setting up another competitive race in ruby red Tennessee. Republican senator Lamar Alexander is retiring and it will be another interesting attempt for Democrats to line up a candidate.
Alexander is getting old and he is probably getting fed up with the way things are in Washington.
Alexander was the 45th governor of Tennessee, a former fixture of George H.W. Bush's cabinet as a Secretary of Education. He was elected as senator in 2002 and served three terms. “I will not be a candidate for re-election to the United State Senate in 2020,” Alexander said in a statement announcing his decision.
He thanked the people of Tennessee, calling them generous.
"I am deeply grateful, but now it is time for someone else to have that privilege," said Alexander, who has served in roles ranging from governor and U.S. senator to leading the U.S. Department of Education and the University of Tennessee.
Alexander's decision means that for the second time in two years, Tennessee will have an open U.S. Senate race.
Like Republican Sen. Bob Corker, who last year declined to run for a third term, Alexander’s announcement will send shockwaves throughout Tennessee’s political landscape.
He replaced Fred Thompson who left Washington to join Hollywood and one time for president.
Alexander became the second senator in the Republican majority to announce a retirement or resignation.
Democratic former governor Phil Bredesen lost support when he openly bashed Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer and Hillary Clinton. Bredesen said that he will support Brett Kavanaugh if he was a senator. Progressives abandoned him, Joe Manchin, Claire McCaskill and Joe Donnelly after they said they support Donald J. Trump on the controversial issues.
Now they have Marsha Blackburn, an avowed white extremist as the senator.
She was a do nothing U.S. Representative. She had little legislative accomplishments. Blackburn made more appearances on Fox News to talk shit and never once had an idea on fixing it. Blackburn is often rushing to the cameras and bashing Muslims and those in the LGBTQ community.
Outgoing lawmaker Diane Black is likely going to run for the seat. I wouldn't be surprised but if Glenn Thomas Jacobs ran for the seat. The mayor of Knox County was then a famous WWE wrestler.
Ever heard of Kane?
Anyway, Democrats be warned. Don't fall into the trap of trying to win over Trump supporters. Stay focus on the Democrats and younger voters. Quit appealing to a base of morons.
