Choice and Freedom are not dirty words.

Defending them is nothing to apologize for.

This thread is a perfect example of the weird thought policing that this place has devolved into.

I'm reading the book right now, and as far as I can tell it's a pretty objective look at some of the dynamics of the campaign, it covers the successes as well as some of the shortcomings- and look, I thought Al Gore should have won in 2000, you can definitely make a case for everyone from Ralph Nader to Jeb Bush fucking it up for him... but his campaign still made mistakes. Kerry should have won, but his campaign made mistakes. Fuck, Mike Dukakis-- should have won! But his campaign made mistakes.

I'm not sure why "Hillary's campaign made mistakes" is such a controversial assertion, but there you go.

Looking over this thread, though, you would think this book was 300 pages of Milo Yiannanopolis and Ann Coulter yelling about Benghazi.

Jeez. By Florida Standards, that guy is a paragon of civic virtue.

So it was what you would call a

Waka Flaka Flame Caca Flap?

...

I SAID PLEA BARGAIN NOT WEED BARGAIN

Giving back to the community

it's important to keep those forearms strong.

Suggesting that we've gotten some of our best recent leadership where people might not

have expected to find it, with life stories or characteristics that party conventional wisdom at the time deemed "unelectable", is not "the same argument". Not at all.

Rather it's a vindication, to my mind, of both the best values our party aspires to as well as actual American meritocracy in action.

But, I digress. I assure you I have no interest in punishing this young man for his last name. He doesn't get any bonus points from me for it, either, but I'd certainly give him just as much chance as I would anyone else. Hey- If he can lead, fucking AWESOME.

I admit I get a bit frustrated, around here, with this sort of magical thinking infecting some in our party that if we just could plug in the right set of variables, we could staple together the ideal Democratic Candidate, like Frankenstein's monster assembled on a slab. You know, the exact right percentages of looks and connections and geography and... whatever. Add to that the sort of almost OCD idea that having a magic last name on the ballot will translate into electoral victory.

To my mind, you don't list the requirements and then go searching for the perfect homunculous to slap up there on the stage and cash in the requisite votes. Leadership is an organic phenomenon. We need someone who can inspire, who can lead, and that may end up being a Millennial Kennedy or it may end up being the mayor of South Bend, Indiana, with the funny name. I don't know.

But I promise, if it comes up, I will give this dude a chance. While I'm not a fan of the one who is on the anti-marijuana legalization crusade, as a general point of politics I harbor no ill will towards the Kennedy family, believe me.

Dynasty wasn't even a very good television show.

It's a terrible principle by which to run Democracies.

PAH. THEM DUDES ARE RANK AMATEURS