About That Town Hall

This is what happens when three adults discuss issues aimed at helping the average American as opposed to the clown car of Republicans pouring out to spout off absurd talking points for cheap applause.
~Allen Clifton (the rest of his assesment at this link)

Jim Wright of Stonekettle Station had an Open Forum—a space for folks to talk about what they thought of the event. Commenter Patricia Crawford had this to say and yes, I agree with her.

They all did great, this is a nice format. Hillary seems to have gotten the message that her attacks on Bernie were not widely liked. She said more nice things about him than not.

It seemed to me that she tried to up her energy level, maybe to match Bernie's strong demeanor, she seemed like she was yelling as she spoke. I noticed that but not because a woman being fiery isn't comfortable to me, that's been an issue for her all along though—for all women. When men raise their voices they are seen as 'strong', when women do it they’re called bitches. It wasn't that though, it was because it was different from how she is normally, so I noticed.

I thought she missed a few good chances to make some important points. Such as when a young man asked about his friends saying "she isn't honest" or maybe he said she wasn't 'trustworthy,' but you get the idea. She should have used that to hammer home a point she and Bernie's followers never talk about, how that impression of her is media driven (she touched on this) AND how Bernie will be on the receiving end of the lies if he wins. Nobody seems to talk about the role the media is going to have if Bernie wins the primary. It's why I think he could lose the Presidency.

We already know how Hillary handles this issue—she’s been lied about and attacked for 30 plus years. Those many, many attacks in the media are, in my opinion, why so many see her as ‘untrustworthy.'
"Surely there must be a kernel of truth if they keep saying bad things? Right? And she isn't warm and cuddly, so......."

I don't think Bernie realizes what's ahead.

Everyone keeps noting polls that show him winning against a Republican. Sure, that’s because FOX isn't talking about him yet. I don't think the middle of the country even knows who he is yet. If he wins the primary FOX is going to go full blown Benghazi!/White Water!/Emails! on him and the frothing taking heads will be bugling "TAX INCREASE!" and "SOCIALIST!" all day and all night. How Bernie polls now has zero bearing on how he would do in the actual election after half a year or more of FOX's scalding light.

The big difference between Hillary and Bernie for me is their willingness, or unwillingness, to see the reality of how our government system works. I believe they have the same goals in mind. Hillary wants what Bernie wants too. But Bernie is promising the lobster on a golden platter and Hillary, who's seen the kitchen, is saying We can achieve a nice seafood stew with some lobster in it but straight lobster isn't going to happen right away. And if we keep asking for lobster when there simply isn't any, we are going to get thrown out of the restaurant.

And over at HuffPo:

Noam Chomsky, the noted radical and MIT professor emeritus, said the Republican Party has become so extreme in its rhetoric and policies that it poses a “serious danger to human survival."

“Today, the Republican Party has drifted off the rails,” Chomsky, a frequent critic of both parties, said in an interview Monday with The Huffington Post. “It’s become what the respected conservative political analysts Thomas Mann and Norman Ornstein call ‘a radical insurgency’ that has pretty much abandoned parliamentary politics.”

That's all, just wanted to share what I've been reading

Yur welcome.