Mountain West Microbrew: Chit chat and irrelevancy

[TakeFive]

With no Rockies game on and NBA Summer League games over I decided to take in some of the Republican Convention. I was admittedly a bit curious what Ted Cruz would say.

What a dufas. He started out a little labored but soon picked up a nice rhythm and had the crowd with him. Then he started to drone on as he is want to do. He sounded more like the condescending, boring old professor and to top it off, it became crystal clear he wasn't there to endorse Trump. It was as if Cruz was prepping for a 2020 candidacy. The crowd quickly became restless and disenchanted and started booing and/or chanting "We Want Trump." Having insisted on the privilege of not having his speech vetted it was a fitting and humorous result.

[bunt_q]

Originally Posted by TakeFive

Having insisted on the privilege of not having his speech vetted it was a fitting and humorous result.

This is factually inaccurate. The Trump campaign did review his speech, they admitted as much. I actually thought it was pretty good, and his follow up this morning sounded quite intelligent. I don't fault the guy for standing on his principles with respect to his family; those a some of very few principles he holds that I can actually agree with.

We're not all as prone as you and Scott seem to be to abandon our fundamental principles to jump behind an avowed racist. I am more afraid of Trump and his Civil War-era confederate-sounding values than I am of Sharia. You and I must have fundamentally different views of what it means to be "in conflict with the American tradition."

[s.p.hansen]

Originally Posted by bunt_q

This is factually inaccurate. The Trump campaign did review his speech, they admitted as much. I actually thought it was pretty good, and his follow up this morning sounded quite intelligent. I don't fault the guy for standing on his principles with respect to his family; those a some of very few principles he holds that I can actually agree with.

I agree. It totally reminded me of Reagan in 1976 when he lost the convention but gave himself the mantle of the true conservative movement. Essentially what Reagan did was to say, we're not going without conservatism and so we will lose against Carter. When Ford did lose against Carter it gave Reagan a greater leg to stand on for round two when he secured the nomination 4 years later.

I mean let's be real. There is no compatibility between Cruz and Trump and he had no future in a hypothetical Trump Presidency. So he's making a bet against Trump being president and giving himself greater distance and credibility for a 2020 run. Betting against a Trump win isn't a risky bet and especially when you have nothing to lose. And then if Trump loses, there is going to be a lot of soul searching in the Grand Old Party and people are going to be looking for those Republicans who would have done things differently.

I think it was a really shrewd move and a move that showed a lot of character given the fact that Trump just put Cruz through the wringer with personal attacks on his entire family. And saying Ted Cruz has character makes me a little sick.

[TakeFive]

[/QUOTE]

Originally Posted by bunt_q

This is factually inaccurate. The Trump campaign did review his speech, they admitted as much. I actually thought it was pretty good, and his follow up this morning sounded quite intelligent. I don't fault the guy for standing on his principles with respect to his family; those a some of very few principles he holds that I can actually agree with.

It was initially reported as I stated. Ted Cruz is acting like a petulant child; he's soo offended by the "not that big a deal tweet" about his wife yet forgets that he started the food fight. Oh, but Cruz feels entitled; he's demonstrated that often.

The biggest reason I supported Trump over Cruz in the primaries is fear of his SCOTUS appointments. Totally scary.

Originally Posted by s.p.hansen

I mean let's be real. There is no compatibility between Cruz and Trump and he had no future in a hypothetical Trump Presidency. So he's making a bet against Trump being president and giving himself greater distance and credibility for a 2020 run.

I think it was a really shrewd move and a move that showed a lot of character given the fact that Trump just put Cruz through the wringer with personal attacks on his entire family. And saying Ted Cruz has character makes me a little sick.

Breaking: Political conventions are about coming together and they're much bigger than any one person with their own agenda, especially one which is counter-productive. Guy has no class and no clue.

Gov. Kasich who didn't want to play ball did the proper thing by declining to participate. If Cruz's only motivation was to promote his own candidacy in 2020 he should have done it on his own time. That was the crowd response as well. Anecdotal responses have shown a big loss of support among his own supporters as the bigger picture for them is beating Hillary.

The United States Senate is one of the most prestigious, collegial and important institutions we have. In fact, Orrin Hatch would be among a number of Republican Senators that I regard highly. Cruz managed to burn bridges with everyone in that chamber including tea party compatriot Mike Lee, although Lee did relent to be I think the only Senator that was willing to endorse Cruz. That's about all I need to know. Clearly Cruz should have run for the House of Representative where he could have been but one more crazy in the animal farm.

Comparing Cruz favorably to Reagan is a joke and disrespect for Reagan's legacy.

Originally Posted by bunt_q

We're not all as prone as you and Scott seem to be to abandon our fundamental principles to jump behind an avowed racist.

All due respect but since when did you become a crazy social conservative? Cruz checks every box prayerfully and is the antithesis of equal rights and opportunity. His highest priority as President would be to appoint judges that would overturn the Same Sex Marriage decision.

I understand that Cruz is intellectually extremely smart and parses what he says very, very carefully but if you think Cruz is NOT racist and Trumps is, then you can't see the forest for the trees. I'd venture it's closer to the opposite. I understand Trump says not-politically correct things that liberals auto-jump for the racist tag but that's just politics. Lynne Patton clearly disagrees with your opinion.

[s.p.hansen]

Originally Posted by TakeFive

Comparing Cruz favorably to Reagan is a joke and disrespect for Reagan's legacy.

I really hope your adult ability to make abstractions from examples is a litte more developed than just assuming I'm comparing the Cruz legacy (if one could even jokingly call it that) to the Reagan legacy. But it's clear in your interest in history of political conventions that you totally have your fingers in your ears when it comes to 1968 and 1976. When a party is going through a soul searching process it has messy conventions. When a party is confident in its message both at its leadership level and voter level, it doesn't. Reagan used 1976 to make a point that the party was doomed on its current trajectory with Ford. He made that point up to the contested convention. Cruz is doing the exact same thing. If Trump loses big, you have a Republican Party that looks like Europe after the defeat of Napoleon. It's going to be time to rebuild and Cruz is in a good position to be a possible architect of the next version of the Grand Old Party.

Am I saying he's the architect the party needs, no, no I'm not.

[s.p.hansen]

Originally Posted by TakeFive

It was initially reported as I stated. Ted Cruz is acting like a petulant child; he's soo offended by the "not that big a deal tweet" about his wife yet forgets that he started the food fight. Oh, but Cruz feels entitled; he's demonstrated that often.

The biggest reason I supported Trump over Cruz in the primaries is fear of his SCOTUS appointments. Totally scary.

All due respect but since when did you become a crazy social conservative? Cruz checks every box prayerfully and is the antithesis of equal rights and opportunity. His highest priority as President would be to appoint judges that would overturn the Same Sex Marriage decision.

I understand that Cruz is intellectually extremely smart and parses what he says very, very carefully but if you think Cruz is NOT racist and Trumps is, then you can't see the forest for the trees. I'd venture it's closer to the opposite. I understand Trump says not-politically correct things that liberals auto-jump for the racist tag but that's just politics. Lynne Patton clearly disagrees with your opinion.

I don't see how you chalk up Trump's Republican Party Platform and Vice President choice as an improvement in tamping down social conservatives. This current GOP Platform is the most anti gay platform in the history of the party. More so than in 1992 and 2004! The difference is that it's 2016! And forget abortion judges. Trump has totally caved to social conservatives. Both Trump and Cruz would be a step backward.

[TakeFive]

Originally Posted by s.p.hansen

But it's clear in your interest in history of political conventions that you totally have your fingers in your ears when it comes to 1968 and 1976.

It's going to be time to rebuild and Cruz is in a good position to be a possible architect of the next version of the Grand Old Party.
Am I saying he's the architect the party needs, no, no I'm not.

I really don't care about 1968 or 1976. My weakness, sorry, but I really don't care much about historical flourishes. IMO, Cruz is toast.

Originally Posted by s.p.hansen

I don't see how you chalk up Trump's Republican Party Platform and Vice President choice as an improvement in tamping down social conservatives. This current GOP Platform is the most anti gay platform in the history of the party. More so than in 1992 and 2004! The difference is that it's 2016! And forget abortion judges. Trump has totally caved to social conservatives. Both Trump and Cruz would be a step backward.

If I paid any mind to what Sen. Orrin Hatch or even better Sen. Chuck Grassley who I also regard highly, said for public consumption, especially when campaigning I wouldn't care much for either one of them. It's what they do that's important. Behind closed doors they become very different and you have to try to discern their actions and integrity.

Yeah, the nasty tail still wags the dog and Trump turned a blind eye which he had to in order to keep peace. So what. What does the Platform matter to him? Have any guesses who one of the primary drives of the Platform was? Pence is Governor of a socially conservative state especially among those that get elected. In order to get elected they do what they have to do.

I apologise in advance for being arrogant but I look beyond what they say in campaigns. That's more of a distraction to me as I try to discern what kind of leader they will be. For example you know that Lynne Patton was totally vetted. It's a short speech and I'd suggest it's maybe a truer insight into the man who would be President.

[s.p.hansen]

Originally Posted by TakeFive

I really don't care about 1968 or 1976. My weakness, sorry, but I really don't care much about historical flourishes.

Then I'm not going to take your opinion on what's appropriate at a convention seriously. Here's a fun historical flourish. Today's theme for Trump's Convention is America First. If you know your history it's very interesting that he alluded to withdrawing support from freeloader Nato nations and has hinted at pulling back from allies who shit all over us (most recently in the news, Saudi Arabia, who basically did all the heavy lifting for 9/11 as the now released omitted section of the 9/11 Report clearly shows). Before Japan bombed Pearl Harbor "America First" was the major policy Americans wanted and that FDR had to agree with in order to be elected. It was a very strong anti foreign wars policy that forbade America from repeating the same mistake as WWI; a very isolationist policy.

With the Rebuilding of Europe and the Cold War we had to adopt our current model. Now that we're looking at a future aflush with oil and capitalism it's a lot less popular for us to be the World's Police. If Trump is elected and he actually rocks the boat with our current world order, that would literally be the only upside for me. The negatives including his creepy third way fascist undertones is just way too much of a turn off. You may think we live in the Weimar Republic as far as economic mobility goes and getting shitty deals in the world, but that doesn't excuse you for jumping on the first candidate who is a threat to the status quo if he's got Hitler tendencies.

[TakeFive]

FWIW, I came into the year with the premise that it was the Republicans turn at the Presidency; it was their election to lose. I did add the caveat that Republicans have been known to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory before. To date they've done an admirable job of creating a circular firing squad and shooting themselves in the foot.

I'm not yet ready to say that it's now Hillary's election to lose; things are just getting started. With Hillary having certain demographic advantages Trump will need to start being better than bad.

I have no dog in this fight. I spent all my political capital in 2008. The nicest part if Hillary were elected would be the presumed quick confirmation of Chief Judge Merrick Garland to the Supreme Court. I would love it if his confirmation became a part of Obama's legacy. That is something I still care about. I know for a fact that Republican Senators have a higher regard and more respect for Obama than they do for Ted Cruz. This is wholly different from agreeing on policy however.

[TakeFive]

Originally Posted by s.p.hansen

If Trump is elected and he actually rocks the boat with our current world order, that would literally be the only upside for me. The negatives including his creepy third way fascist undertones is just way too much of a turn off. You may think we live in the Weimar Republic as far as economic mobility goes and getting shitty deals in the world, but that doesn't excuse you for jumping on the first candidate who is a threat to the status quo if he's got Hitler tendencies.

With all the crap that Trump has thrown out there much of it is conflicting. Who knows what he truly wants. Presidents have much more limited ability than what is always portrayed during a campaign.

According to CNN, they knew Cruz wouldn't endorse; Don't recall any other of the other candidates who spoke giving Trump an explicit or full throated endorsement unless they wanted to and had already jumped on board like Dr. Carson. But there's a way to play nice for the benefit of the party instead of being a jerk. There was no speech vetting other than they knew he wouldn't endorse. Cruz was still finalizing his speech during the day; Trump's team received a copy about 6:30 pm according to CNN.

Interesting stuff per CNN

A man Cruz has courted for years, megadonor Sheldon Adelson, embarrassed him by preventing him from entering his private suite here.

But what about Texas?

Yet the most meaningful consequence was on full display 12 hours later at the downtown Marriott here, where an angry and frustrated Republican base from Texas turned on him in a dramatic and emotional attempt to convince him to back his party's nominee.

... because of his defiance, it was clear that he had lost some of his political base. "I did not anticipate that," Roe told reporters after his candidate was repeatedly heckled and shouted at by Cruz fans-turned-critics. "I don't see a political advantage."

[wong21fr]

Cruz went all in on Trump being a failure. The way this pays off is either a) Trump losing the election, or a Trump presidency being a trainwreck.

And guess who will do everything he can to ensure either outcome?

[TakeFive]

After last night my appetite was whetted enough to actually watch tonight's finale. So I turned my hat inside out and pretended I was potential Republican voter. Since most people aren't like me I just wanted to listen for a sense of connection, impression and impact.

Two things you would not have seen if this was Cruz's night:
1) Paypal founder Peter Thiel was IMO the best speaker of the night (and apparently others agree). His first great line was:
"Now we are told that the great debate is about who gets to use which bathroom. This is a distraction from our real problems. Who cares?"
Lots of applause but the line that literally brought the house down immediately followed:
"Of course, every American has a unique identity. I am proud to be gay. I am proud to be a Republican. But most of all I am proud to be an American." Place went crazy.

2) During Trump's speech where he emphasized security, he made a special point to talk about the terrorist attack on the LGBTQ community and promised to protect them when he's elected. After the applause Trump calmly said "I've got to say as a Republican I'm proud to hear you cheer for what I just said" (or close) which brought more applause. If Cruz was watching and it caused his blood pressure to rise then good, let him stew in his own toxic juices.

I'm not a fan of being so negative but I understand the strategy. Knowing that speech-making is not Trump's strength I thought he did just fine.

Bottom line: Nothing that happened tonight or will happen next week can ever match THIS.

[seventwenty]

WTF is ScottK this week?

[TakeFive]

Signed, Sealed, Delivered

[s.p.hansen]

[TakeFive]

Photo credit: Smithsonian’s National Zoo

"Orangutan Born at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo"
Sep 13, 2016 - The Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute

For the first time in 25 years, primate staff at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo are celebrating the birth of a male Bornean orangutan. He was born at 8:52 p.m. Sept. 12. Both 19 years old, female Batang and male Kyle bred in January following a breeding recommendation from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ Species Survival Plan (SSP). Primate staff have confirmed the newborn is a male. Animal care staff have observed Batang nursing the infant who has been clinging closely to his mother, and they are cautiously optimistic that the newborn will thrive. The Great Ape House will remain closed to provide Batang a quiet space to bond with her infant.

[Scottk]

Shoutout to establishment democrats who supported Hillary!!!!

Not only have you given us one of the most dislakable and unpopular democratic candidates in recent history, but now the polls are indicating that the House and Senate will stay in republican control.

NYT Polling is even now projecting that republicans keep control of the Senate.



Thanks Bunt and establishment Dems for supporting the candidate who polled consistently 10% lower than Bernie Sanders. (which, btw, I brought up multiple times before).


Hope you all are ashamed.


Even if Hillary wins, it looks like the house and senate will stay Republican.





Unbelievable.

[TakeFive]

This election is like watching a couple of Keystone Cops.

"I don't want it; you take it
No, I don't want it; you can have it."

[s.p.hansen]

Colorado envies Utah’s transportation system, seeks success tips

Colorado envies Utah's transportation system and the taxes that built it — so 160 civic and business leaders, including Gov. John Hickenlooper, came to hear Beehive State officials offer some secrets for success Friday.

http://www.sltrib.com/news/4390066-1...n-system-seeks


This article and title reminds of something a newspaper in a BRIC country would write after being visited by the United States.

[wong21fr]

Originally Posted by s.p.hansen

Colorado envies Utah’s transportation system, seeks success tips

Colorado envies Utah's transportation system and the taxes that built it — so 160 civic and business leaders, including Gov. John Hickenlooper, came to hear Beehive State officials offer some secrets for success Friday.

http://www.sltrib.com/news/4390066-1...n-system-seeks


This article and title reminds of something a newspaper in a BRIC country would write after being visited by the United States.

The big secret? Don't enact TABOR.