Michelle Obama Wanted Democrats to ‘Go High.’ Now They Aren’t So Sure.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/12/us/politics/trump-democrats-insults.html

Mrs. Clinton, before her 2016 turn as a stateswoman and grandmother, staked her 2008 bid on evincing a toughness that could match any man’s.

First, WHAT IS THIS GARBAGE??? Grandmother? They're challenging her toughness and describing her as a grandmother. No wonder women have a hard time in politics. They are undermined at every turn my everyone. 

Have you ever heard a man in politics referred to in print or on stage as grandfather in the first two words, in place of professional qualifications? Is Trump ever just described as an avid golfer or grandfather or x kids in articles? Avid gofer Trump will try to strike a racist enough tone to woo conservative voters today in his rally. . .

And then we have to watch Avenatti do a Trump style trial run at politics. If that's what people want, I have no hope left for this shithole country. I can say that. The President said it. We need to get the bottom feeders out, not just elect a liberal-ish version. What even are his positions? Attacking Trump? That's all I've heard. That's not a platform.

And Clinton wants to restore civility when Democrats win. That's a disappointing angle too. Republicans vote as a solid bloc, there is no civility. They really came together as a racist bloc against Obama, but it's always been there. Civility and bipartisanship is a joke. Democrats restore "order" and play by some odd set of overly decorous standards by maybe rolling back the nuclear option and thereby denying themselves some appointments and committing to bipartisan legislation. So Democrats get bills promoting peace, healthcare, education, anti-discrimination and other things citizens need watered down severely. Republicans come into power as they did during Obama's presidency and currently and shove unqualified sexual abusers through to SCOTUS, defund women's healthcare, defund domestic violence programs, reduce education funding for poverty stricken nations, put immigrant kids in cages and every racist humanitarian nightmare imaginable. All without an ounce of shame - even sometimes yelling about how the powerful, rich white man shouldn't be silenced while doing it. They support rapists and pedophiles and call it family values because they picket abortion clinics and torment women coming for cancer screenings. Civility and compromise with these hateful vile policies is the death of civility. Tolerance of intolerance will not bring tolerance but the opposite.

And Biden is trying again. He was great in the Obama sidekick memes, but really he should hang it up. I appreciate that he thinks about the working class and stands up to Trump, albeit with those odd behind the gym images. He's a gaffe machine and lacks real vision to move us forward and lift everyone up together. I have no doubt he'll be good for rich white guys, but so are Republicans.

 He lacks what Ayanna Pressley in Massachusetts and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in New York have.

A platform the people need.

What is Democratic Socialism?

Abolish ICE

Elizabeth Warren has been great on social media with her primers on economics, wealth gap and the tax bills that have come through Congress. Maybe better, though, would be Kamala Harris, if people can't get over the Democratic Socialist label. Or if we still can't feel comfortable with a woman, maybe Cory Booker could get the men's vote out. I still think men would sooner vote for a black man than a woman of any color. And we're back to that description of Hillary Clinton as a grandmother rather than a Secretary of State. We've broken some barriers, but we've got a long way to go.