Shakesville

Number of the Day

70%: The percentage of women in the latest Gallup poll who have an unfavorable view of Donald Trump.

Donald Trump's image among U.S. women tilts strongly negative, with 70% of women holding an unfavorable opinion and 23% a favorable opinion of the Republican front-runner in March.

...Trump's image is also more negative than positive among men. As a result, his overall image is the most negative of any of the five remaining major candidates from both parties who are running for president.

58% of men polled also have an unfavorable view of Trump.

Even breaking it down by party, his favorables are appalling. Where Trump should do best, Republican men, he only has a 61% approval rating. You can't win a presidency with that.

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"I'm Sick of It"

I've got a new piece, co-written with Peter Daou, up at Blue Nation Review, on the media coverage of Hillary Clinton's visible anger in response to Team Sanders' mendacious attacks on her, and why this may finally be the moment that Sanders can no longer get away with them:

Hillary stepped outside the perfect calibration pundits and reporters demand of her and appeared, just for a moment, the way Bernie is allowed to appear all the time without special comment: Righteously, passionately angry.

We are glad that she did, and glad that there are media outlets who are responding with credibility. It is long past time that Bernie's frontal attack on Hillary's integrity is shown for what it is.

Hillary responded the way she did for a reason. That reason matters. It's because her opponent keeps implying she's corrupt without providing an iota of evidence to support that awful claim.

If it takes Hillary responding the way any person would to finally bring Bernie's actions to light, then we welcome it.

Click through to read the whole thing.

And Hillary? I'm sick of it, too.

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Daily Dose of Cute

image of Dudley the Greyhound standing in the kitchen over his mostly-empty food dish, looking up at me with pumpkin on the end of his nose

THIS DOG LOLOLOL!
That's Dudley, standing over his breakfast with pumpkin smeared on his nose, letting me know he's done and wants his treat. (It's not really a "treat" but a tooth-cleaning chew, but he thinks it's a treat, so life is wonderful.) I pointed at his bowl and told him to "finish brekkies if you want your treat," and he quickly ducked his head back down and went to work. He is sooooo hilarious!

(Btw, if you've got a dog with a "soft serve" problem, ahem, mixing a little canned pumpkin with their dry food is helpful, since pumpkin is a great source of fiber. Just make sure it's the plain pumpkin and not the sweetened and spiced pie mix!)

As always, please feel welcome and encouraged to share pix of the fuzzy, feathered, or scaled members of your family in comments.

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In the News

Here is some stuff in the news today...

[Content Note: Police misconduct; racism] "Just weeks after reaching an agreement with leadership in Ferguson, Missouri, the Department of Justice (DOJ) is working to clean up the police department in another U.S. city. [On March 30], the DOJ announced that it has reached a settlement with the city of Newark, New Jersey, that stands to completely overhaul the way local police interact with citizens. In July 2014, the DOJ concluded an investigation into Newark Police Department (NPD) practices that found a 'pattern of constitutional violations' that disproportionately infringe on the rights of Black residents. The new consent decree, which still needs to be approved by a federal judge, aims to address those violations. 'We found a series of troubling practices—including unconstitutional stops, searches and arrests, the use of excessive force and theft by officers—in violation of the First, Fourth and 14th Amendments,' Vanita Gupta, head of the DOJ's Civil Rights Division, said in a press conference. 'We found practices that not only broke the law, but also eroded trust. We found policies that not only harmed residents, but also lacked accountability. And we found systems that not only failed the community, but also failed officers themselves.' The agreement calls for comprehensive reform in 12 areas." More details at the link.

[CN: Pranking] Have I mentioned pranks are the fucking worst? Pranks are the fucking worst. "Google disables April fool joke amid user fury after prank backfires." Fuck pranks.

Karl Rove thinks maybe voters should go spin since they're voting for people the Republican establishment doesn't like: "Donald Trump excites a lot of enthusiasm. But he also excites a lot of anger within the Republican Party and outside of the Republican Party. And a fresh face might be the thing that could give us a chance to turn this election and win in November against Hillary." Welp.

Meanwhile: "Republican pace-setter Donald Trump has held talks with party leaders as tensions grow over his loyalty and policies in his presidential bid. His meeting at the Republican National Committee (RNC) in Washington lasted 30 minutes but details were scant. ...Sources present at the RNC meeting on Thursday afternoon told CNN and Bloomberg that it focused on the summer convention ahead, and the pledge and abortion remarks were not discussed. 'The chairman and Mr. Trump had a productive conversation about the state of the race,' said RNC spokeswoman, Lindsay Walters. Mr Trump tweeted after the meeting that it was 'very nice.'"

[CN: Domestic violence; death; misogynoir] This is very good news: "A Connecticut jury on Thursday found 24-year-old Cherelle Baldwin not guilty of murder in the death of her ex-boyfriend Jeffrey Brown after she had spent nearly three years behind bars." This was the second time Baldwin was tried after killing Brown during an extended attack on her, following months of harassment and abuse. The first trial, in 2015, ended in a hung jury and a mistrial was declared. This time, Baldwin again faced murder charges: "The jury could have decided to convict her of a lesser charge, such as manslaughter or negligent homicide, which would carry a lesser penalty. But, following a two-week trial, the jury acquitted her of all charges, allowing her to walk out of court a free woman." She has already spent three years in the state women's prison because her bond "was set at $1 million, an amount that her family was unable to afford." I am glad she is free again.

[CN: Video may autoplay at link] Oh, my heart is breaking for Iman, who has now lost her mother just two months after losing her husband of 24 years, David Bowie. My condolences to her and her family.

This is why Paul Feig rules (among other reasons, like his being hilarious and a snappy dresser): "Paul Feig continues to act as a much-needed champion for women in film. The Ghostbusters director and co-writer said that he would add an equity clause to his future film contracts that would require gender-balanced casting for minor roles. He told The Associated Press, 'I think we need to set these things in stone so it forces everybody to think that way.'" A+

The US Navy just approved the military's best tattoo rules: "Sailors will be allowed to have neck tattoos, sleeves, and even markings behind their ears under the new policy, the most lenient of any military service. Only their heads are off limits under the new policy, which the Navy's top sailor has called a reality check on the permanent art favored by sailors. 'We just got to the point where we realized we needed to be honest with ourselves and put something in place that was going to reflect the realities of our country and the needs of our Navy,' Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy (AW/NAC) Mike Stevens said in a March 30 interview." Smart. Naturally, tattoos that are "obscene, sexually explicit, and or advocate discrimination based on sex, race, religion, ethnicity, or national origin," as well as tattoos that "symbolize affiliation with gangs, supremacist, or extremist groups" will still be prohibited.

"Microsoft has quietly announced a few early partners that plan to bring their Windows 10 apps to the Xbox One. In a press release from its 2016 Build developers conference, Microsoft mentioned that Nickelodeon, Dailymotion, NASCAR, and Hulu will launch Xbox versions of their Universal Windows Platform (UWP) apps later this year. All four partners already offer apps in the Windows Store, and all but Nickelodeon have upgraded to universal Windows 10 apps, which is supposed to make for an easy transition to Xbox." All right then!

And finally! Remember the massive two-day ASPCA adoption event which resulted in all 524 homeless dogs and cats being adopted? The ASPCA is sharing stories from the adoptive families about their pets settling into their new homes, and it is probably the best thing I'll read all day! ♥

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He Didn't So Much "Misspeak" as "Miscalculate How Wildly Unprepared He Is for the Presidency"

[Content Note: War on agency. Vine may autoplay at link.]

This is some of the most incredible spin I have ever heard:

Trump misspoke Wednesday when he suggested women be punished for having abortions if the procedure were outlawed, a point his spokeswoman repeatedly emphasized during a heated exchange with CNN's Alisyn Camerota.

..."This was a complete misspeak during a conversation over a hypothetical concept and there was a clarification issued," spokeswoman Katrina Pierson told CNN's New Day. "Mr. Trump is pro-life with exceptions and does not support punishing women for having abortions, even if they're illegal."

...Pierson clashed with Camerota over Trump's call for banning abortions and punishing women. In the town hall interview with MSNBC's Chris Matthews, Trump explicitly said, "But you have to ban it," referring to abortions.

"He asked him, 'Would you support it.' He said yes. He did not call for a ban," Pierson argued, recalling the conversation Matthews had with Trump. "He would support it. You can support a lot of things but don't call for it. This is absurd. This was a misspeak, Alisyn."

"Katrina, you are mincing words here," Camerota shot back.

...Camerota remarked that Trump's initial comments were a window into how he felt and asked whether the real estate mogul had met with policy advisers or studied the issue before his interview.

"Well, of course he has, Alisyn, but again, when a presidential candidate says something and makes a clarification, we don't see a 24-hour fallout of headlines after the clarification has been made," Pierson said.

"When it's something this inflammatory, we do, Katrina. If he had talked about it and had solidified his position, why did he say that women who seek it, he thought, should be criminalized and punished?" Camerota asked.

"Because like I said this was during a discussion with Chris Matthews and it was off the cuff, not scripted, and when he said should there be punishment, he said 'yes,'" Pierson responded. "Chris Matthews says for women? He says yes — again, not distinguishing the fact that it's the actual procedure that would be illegal. That's exactly why he issued the statement clarifying."

Asked then why Trump would say women should be punished initially, Pierson reiterated that it was a "misspeak."

She called Trump's statement that women should be punished for getting abortions a "misspeak" a total of six times during the interview. And called his complete reversal a "clarification." And suggested that it was a "misspeak" that needed "clarification" because Trump was talking "off the cuff." Which is clearly code for: We didn't prepare him for what he should say his opinions are.

The president has to speak "off the cuff" all the time. And yet, incredulously, another Trump advisor did another interview in which he argued that Trump's lack of preparation is an excuse for his "misspeak," rather than a goddamned disqualifying failure.

During an interview with MSNBC's Thomas Roberts later Thursday afternoon in which he discussed the abortion comments and others, senior adviser Barry Bennett mused that unlike the others running in the race, Trump is not a politician and has only been running for office for several months.

"So you can't expect him to just know all of these nuanced answers," Bennett said.

Um, yes I can. He is running for president. And, by the way, there is no "nuance" in the yes-or-no answer about whether people who get abortions should be punished. The answer is fucking no.

And I have been running for president exactly 0 seconds.

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Good Grief

Another day, another iteration of the ZOMBIE FRAME that will not die about Hillary Clinton supporters' supposed lack of enthusiasm, this time couched in treating one of Clinton's greatest strengths as though it's somehow a weakness: "Clinton Offers Predictability in an Erratic Political Year."

During 1960 presidential campaign, swooning teenagers who ran after John Kennedy's convertible were called "jumpers." For Hillary, the predominant mood during her lunchtime kick-off rally for the April 19 New York primary was affection rather than raucous enthusiasm.

..."I don't have to tell you -- this is a wild election year," Clinton said in a tone that acknowledged that "wild" was an understatement. "I'm not taking anything or anyone for granted. We're going to work for every vote in every part of the state just like I did when I ran for the Senate."

It is difficult to imagine a presidential candidate more out of step than Hillary with the incoherent emotionalism running through the primaries in both parties.

...Listening to Hillary's half-hour speech (and, yes, the mind can drift while she's speaking), I realized that we probably have a better advance sense of her presidency than that offered by any other candidate in the past half century. There are no major mysteries about a second Clinton White House other than the role that would be played by Bill.

...Little about this White House agenda would prompt repeated standing ovations from partisan Democrats. They probably would nod approvingly -- and admire the new president's pluck in searching for compromise with seemingly intransigent Republicans. And Americans as a whole might even feel confident about President Hillary Clinton answering a 3:00 a.m. crisis phone call.

So, in these tumultuous times, the underlying message of the Clinton campaign is: "Please be seated. Everything will be okay."

"This election is filled with reactionary buffoons! But why does Hillary gotta be so boring, tho?" *pout*

One of the primary reasons for my enthusiasm about President Obama's presidency, as I've said previously, "is how competent it has been. I implicitly trust President Obama to know what he's doing and to not be a fucking embarrassment. And even when I have disagreed with the President's agenda, sometimes vehemently, I don't think he's come to his decisions down a path of unpreparedness or incompetence or untrustworthiness."

I don't take that for granted. Not after being born during the Nixon administration, spending my childhood during the Reagan administration, and spending a significant part of my adulthood during the George W. Bush administration. I appreciate it, and I am enthusiastic about it.

I'm pretty damn enthusiastic that Clinton would be similarly dependable and steadfast. I don't want my president to entertain me. I want my president to represent me in a way that doesn't constantly make me feel anxious.

Not valuing most highly the qualities of seriousness, competency, and predictability is why our presidential elections have become circuses. If Clinton is "boring," we could use a lot more "boring" in our politics.

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NOPE

I've got a new piece up at Blue Nation Review on Hillary's strident pushback (I know when most people use "strident" to describe a woman, they mean it as a criticism, but I wholly intend it as a compliment!) against the accusation that she takes campaign contributions from the fossil fuel industry, part of a larger pattern of attacks insinuating she accepts donations from nefarious corporations:

Bernie, his staff, his surrogates, and his supporters routinely accuse Hillary of accepting money from fossil fuel companies, along with every other industry they find objectionable. But what they are alleging isn't even legal. Accepting direct contributions from corporations is a violation of campaign law.

The contributions to which Bernie et al are referring are primarily individual contributions made by employees of fossil fuel companies, financial firms, etc.

...Sanders swore that he would not run a negative campaign, but this is not only negative; it's trading on ignorance about the very system he says is broken. On the one hand, he decries the corruption and brokenness of our political system; on the other hand, he leverages its corruption and brokenness in order to make untruthful attacks on his opponent.

Click through to read the whole thing. And please feel welcome to picture flames crawling up the sides of my face as you read it!

My colleague Peter Daou has a follow-up here.

UPDATE: In breathtaking temerity, the Sanders campaign has demanded an apology from Clinton. Wow. WOW.

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On April Fools' Day

I have mentioned once or twice or fully one million times that I hate pranks. Pranks are the fucking worst. And April Fools' Day can go straight to hell.

Anyway. I don't have anything to say about pranking that I haven't said a dozen times before (PRANKING IS TERRIBLE), so here's a thread to talk about pranks you see played today, previous April Fools' pranks you hated, or whatever.

In conclusion: Fuck pranks.

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Open Thread

image of the movie poster for the movie Quinceanera

Hosted by Quinceañera.

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Question of the Day

Suggested by Shaker iwillbedamned: "Do you have a favorite memory or story that always makes you smile?"

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Two-Minute Nostalgia Sublime

Gloria Estefan & Miami Sound Machine: "Anything for You"

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But...

So, one of the criticisms I've had of Bernie Sanders is his refusal to fundraise for down-ballot Democratic races. I object to it because, bluntly, I feel like it's shitty for any person running for the Democratic presidential nomination to refuse to use the uniquely massive fundraising capability conferred by that level of visibility to not help Democratic candidates in tough red state battles. But that's a personal opinion, and a highly subjective one.

The other criticism I have is more practical. And that is: How does a Democratic president enact her or his agenda without a Democratic Congress?

Naturally, in the era of intractable gerrymandering, a Democratic House is probably a dream, but a Democratic Senate is still well within reach. It behooves any Democratic presidential nominee to help fund down-ballot races as much as possible. Even if Democrats can't take back the House, the bluer the better. And a Democratic majority in the Senate is a huge asset to a Democratic president.

Hillary Clinton has been doing significant down-ballot fundraising. Trevor LaFauci reported earlier this month:

While Hillary Clinton's Victory Fund has raised at least $26 million for the national Democratic Party and its state groups, Sanders has a raised a total of $1,000 and that amount was provided by the Democratic National Committee for him to open a joint fundraising account. However he has yet to add to this account and has yet to do any fundraising for anyone not named Bernie Sanders.

Last night, Rachel Maddow asked Bernie Sanders about whether he will start doing fundraising for down-ballot races at any point:

MADDOW: I have to ask, though, if you have thought about whether or not you will, at some point, turn your fundraising ability toward helping the Democratic Party more broadly, to helping their campaign committees for the House and the Senate and for other – for other elections?

SANDERS: Well, right now, Rachel, as you are more than aware, our job is to – what I'm trying to do is to win the Democratic nomination. […]

MADDOW: Well, obviously your priority is the nomination, but I mean you raised Secretary Clinton there. She has been fundraising both for the nomination and for the Democratic Party. At some point, do you think – do you foresee a time during this campaign when you'll start doing that?

SANDERS: Well, we'll see. And, I mean right now, again, our focus is on winning the nomination.

Okay. There's nothing wrong with having your focus on winning the nomination. Presumably, Hillary Clinton is pretty focused on winning the nomination, too. That is her immediate priority.

But she's clearly also looking forward to when she might get the nomination, and might thereafter get the presidency, and investing in building as strong a Democratic caucus as possible, which will be key to her executive success, if elected.

I understand Sanders' contempt for the Democratic establishment, and I'm sure that's part (if not all) of what's underwriting his resistance to down-ballot funding. But, that said, given how the US government works, and our current two-party system, I am struggling to see how he imagines he's going to get anything accomplished if he doesn't make nice with the Democratic establishment at some point.

Because the Republicans sure aren't going to help him.

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