Chet Ruminski Wrote:

Says:

"We will have to dig deeper on the issues to see how well he has thought through his stands on the issues."

O'Rourke is not worth the time it took to write this to consider him for President.

google.com/amp/s/pbs.org/newshour/amp/p...

Thanks for sharing the link Chet. On those 8 issues I am with him. Still need to dig deeper.

He seems to be getting lots of media time on MSNBC at least. No complaints there.

Too early to endorse him though.

There's always Steve Bullock waiting when we have ruled out everyone else. Check him out.

On paper he may beat several of the others if he decides to run. I don't know how "charismatic" he is, not that that matters to me, but it does to much of the populace.

Remember his name as the campaigns move ahead. The cream rises to the top, sometimes slowly when there has been a lot of churn.

It is difficult to understand how some of these killers can hate so deeply. These are not crimes of opportunity triggered by some event. Like all mass murders, the killers have taken a long time planning how they would carry it out to maximum effect.

We've discussed mass killings in other threads and evidence points towards a combination of genetic traits as the primary cause...maybe extreme sociopaths. I would suggest that the genes that control empathy for one must be screwed up in the person's head to be able to murder with such callousness.

I remember that movie. It gave me the creeps. It was one of my least favorite movies.

All of these episodes of murder and genocide that go back to the beginning of human habitation point towards our genes.

BBC: Two genes linked with violent crime

"The two genes associated with violent repeat offenders were the MAOA gene and a variant of cadherin 13 (CDH13)."

Quoting Prof Tiihonen, "There are many things which can contribute to a person's mental capacity. The only thing that matters is the mental capacity of the individual to understand the consequences of what he or she is doing and whether or not the individual can control his or her own behaviour."

"Christopher Ferguson of Stetson University in the US state of Florida agreed. He said it must be remembered that there was not "one or even two genes that by themselves code for violence or crime". "To some extent we're all products of genetics and the environment but I don't think that robs us of free will or understanding right and wrong."

I suppose what they are saying as some people have more control over their natural inclinations than others. We have a free will to understand right and wrong, but sometimes, like drug offenders, the mental strength is not enough. There is also the herd mentality when some of these genetic impulses are only really triggered with unruly crowd behavior.

Carlitos -- Yes, I expect that there will be more revelations about Beto O'Rourke. I'm not sure if high school baggage is enough to disqualify him, but it does raise questions of character. We are what we are genetically, and we use our sense of right and wrong to temper what may be our natural "animal" instincts. It's why it is important to see how candidates operate under stress and when tired. That's when we need clear thinkers...that 3:00 am phone call.

I won't dismiss Beto O'Rourke entirely, but I'll keep my eye on him. I hate to be one engaging in purity tests, but at the same time we cannot be dismissive. I believe Bernie Sanders has baggage as well, but none that would be a character flaw.

I've been watching Kamala Harris along with all the other declared candidates. However, I have to say I am becoming less enthusiastic about her as she repeatedly seems to stumble on the campaign trail not being able to answer questions that she absolutely should be able to answer as one of the first candidates out the door. The Washington Post in this article has highlighted what I have observed.

Chelsea Janes, Washington Post, March 16, 2019: Despite verbal miscues, presidential hopeful Harris draws little criticism from voters

A question related to what she thought about a guaranteed basic income of $1,000 a month for every American aged 18-64. Harris answered "I haven't analyzed that policy". It's an honest answer saying you don't know enough, but the topic is something that as a candidate for president she should have analyzed and had a good answer.

CNN's John King asked her a valid question about why previous Obama voters flipped to Donald Trump. She ducked, "I'll leave that to the pundits".

On Medicare for All she equivocated on single payer seemingly not understanding that people would lose their employer based health insurance.

These might seem like petty things to knock her on, but to me she hasn't done her homework or thought in depth about many of the issues of the day relying instead on her personality to carry the day. I guess people judge their favored candidates on likeability, and the issues don't matter to them. I will still support Harris, but if she's our candidate, then I hope she is better prepared for the general election debates.

Well we had a "Blue Wave" of young, energetic and diverse members elected to Congress, many of them women. We take pride in that diversity and call the Republicans the "party of old white men".

So who are the two top candidates polling on the Democratic ticket?

76 year old Joe Biden

77 year old Bernie Sanders

Maybe we'll have a rerun of 2016 except in the place of Hillary we'll substitute Biden.

Conor Friedersdorf, The Atlantic, March 16, 2019: The Unlearned Lesson of My Lai

Friedersdorf's article caught my eye because I was 21 years old when it happened, and was worried that upon graduation I would be drafted into this fucking mess. The date is March 16, 1968, one day before St Patrick's Day. It is a day of infamy for the United States. I share it lest we forget how brutal Americans can be against fellow human beings. I recall reading a similar account of a massacre in Colorado that occurred November 1864 -- The Sand Creek Massacre. It must be in our genes.

A clip for the Atlantic article:

"When U.S. Army soldiers ended their massacre of elderly men, women, and children in a South Vietnamese hamlet 50 years ago—on March 16, 1968—perhaps 500 civilians lay dead.

"The green troops expected to meet Vietcong forces, but instead found unarmed families. “During the next few hours, the civilians were murdered,” Seymour Hersh later wrote. “Many were rounded up in small groups and shot, others were flung into a drainage ditch at one edge of the hamlet and shot, and many more were shot at random in or near their homes. Some of the younger women and girls were raped and then murdered. After the shootings, the G.I.s systematically burned each home, destroyed the livestock and food, and fouled the area’s drinking supplies.”

You should read the entire article at the above link...

Well he has a lot of passion and can be very animated in front of a crowd, certainly more so than the other Democrats. He seems to be able to draw big crowds and raise money.

New York Times: Where Beto O’Rourke Stands on the Issues

On the issues, I don't see much that would separate him from the rest of the pack. He supports universal health care but doesn't seem to be on board with BernieCare. We will have to dig deeper on the issues to see how well he has thought through his stands on the issues.