Um...

Hillary Clinton blames FBI Director Comey for Election Loss

Okay,  it certainly didn't help,  and I think he had no legitimate reason to time it that way, but I think that Clinton has no one but herself to blame for the loss.  One,  the email fiasco was absolutely a stupid thing to do,  regardless of whether it was criminal or not.  Two,  she didn't really campaign well,  often just letting Trump run his mouth (and let's face it,  his worst opponent was not Clinton, but himself, but you couldn't count on that to win), and she allowed a very negative view of her stand in the mind of voters.  Calling Trump voters 'deplorables'  just galvanised them.  She underperformed with the people whom President Obama won over, including groups in traditionally Democrat strongholds.  A lot of people either voted for Trump, a third party, or stayed home,  because they openly disliked her. It's unfortunate that,  at the end of the day,  this election wasn't really based on issues so much as it was an unpopularity contest.  While I disliked Trump far more,  I did not like Clinton,  and resented feeling like I had to vote for her to vote against Trump,  especially given things like how the DNC favoured her over my candidate,  Bernie Sanders,  and the media's role was terrible, too.

Hopefully we'll have better candidates,  next time. To be honest,  I think the bar was pretty damn low in the general election.  But any new candidates should take this year as a cautionary tale and learn what not to do. 

In fact, this is the first candidate who really gels well with my beliefs

Say what you will about Bernie Sanders, he is incredibly consistent, as opposed to his opponent, a woman, yes, but one I don't trust at all. I really believe that Sanders will do everything in his power to improve the lives of the average American and make this a better world for our progeny.

A progressive voice I can vote for

What Bernie Sanders thinks about the issues: a comprehensive primer

Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, now a presidential candidate, is the only socialist in Congress. But "he's a 'small S' socialist," professor Garrison Nelson of the University of Vermont told me last year. "He's not, 'Let's totally revamp the government, break up the corporations, create five-year plans.' He doesn't get out too far on an ideological limb."

Sanders resembles many in the Democratic Party by criticizing the excessive influence of the wealthy. But he takes things much further, both rhetorically and substantively — he thinks checking the power of billionaires and corporations is the defining issue in US politics today. He's most interested in economic issues, from inequality to trade, and as a result he's won a devoted following among liberals who think their party too frequently carries water for the rich.

But while Sanders wants a single-payer health care system, a carbon tax, and much more government spending on infrastructure and benefits, he isn't an uber-liberal on everything. On social issues like abortion, gun rights, and gay rights, he is squarely within the mainstream of the Democratic Party — not to its left. And while he's suspicious of foreign wars, he voices sympathy with Israel's security concerns and warns of the dangers of ISIS. Here's a guide to his views.

Keeping up with the election results online

PS A someone without cable TV and questionable broadcast reception, thank you MSNBC for broadcasting live via the Internet. :)

Tomorrow is our primary

I'm voting for Obama, of course; I'm almost always in the minority when it comes to Kentucky's voters. I have a guide published in the paper Sunday for some of the other races that I need to look over. Interesting enough, John McCain never even answered any of the questions. I guess he figures he has the Republican nomination, why bother dealing with a local newspaper of a decent-sized but by no means major metropolitan area? The main non-presidential race is that of the Democratic nominee who will go against the juggernaut Mitch McConnell, who has a lot of influence in Washington and is currently the highest ranking Republican in Congress, as he is the minority leader of the Senate. He's been in office since first running for Senate in 1984.

Woo-hoo

1. I finally got enough reward points on my debit card/bank account to get a $100 gift certificate to Amazon.com. My plan is to get the digital voice recorder I wanted to get for the winter holidays. It's a voice recorder, flash drive, and music player all-in-one, and it's $75 on their site. With the remainder I'll probably get some rechargeable batteries and Big Country's The Seer, my favourite of their albums and something that has been rattling around on my wish list for some time.
   
2. I avoided being beaten with a phone Monday when I accidentally pulled out the first pair of sandals I could find for work (I refuse to wear flip flops like some of the girls do), got there, and suddenly realised I was wearing white shoes before Memorial Day. Granted, growing up in the South I was taught it was okay after Easter, but I also know that's really not true. Anyway, hopefully the gods of etiquette will forgive my faux pas.
   
3. I got my Lamictal today after not having it since a half-dose Saturday. I hadn't realised how flat my affect was without it. That may also be why I just wanted to sleep all the time and couldn't bring myself to do much. Just goes to show you how quickly your brain chemistry can break down. At least I didn't have a meltdown or anything. Being bipolar is a challenge, but at least it's manageable.
   
4. I have some groceries thanks to my boss at the gas station. She's giving me extra hours this week (one of the regular full-timers is on vacation), so that will help. Considering gas is now $3.75 and I'm paying about $200 a month just to keep my car running, it's been difficult. I've been eating peanut butter sandwiches (no spreadable fruit, even) for a week or more now. I got some potatoes, macaroni and cheese, tortillas, cheese, beans, chili, bread, peas, and spinach. Unfortunately I couldn't work in fish or fruit, but at least I have more variety. I've lost another two pounds in the last week and a half, bringing my total net loss since the fall to 17 lbs, none of which has been from actual dieting. Imagine what I could do if I actually watched what I ate and exercised. :)
   

Well, that's it for now. Good night.

PS Dear Hillary Clinton. Please drop out from the race so Barack Obama can start running against the real threat--John McCain. You've poured $11 million of your own money into a lagging campaign without momentum. Seriously, give it up, before you become pathetic. Try again next time; thank you for playing.

Two gems from YKWIA

Chute Find Rekindles D.B. Cooper Legend

For some reason I thought the money came from a bank robbery, but it was ransom for the passengers he'd taken hostage in the hijacking. This parachute that they're looking at may have been one given to the man who identified himself as Dan Cooper (not DB as it has come down in the legend).

Obama Related to Pitt, Clinton to Jolie

My theory is that if you go back far enough, you're related to someone famous. I'm related to Ty Cobb, for instance. But it's funny when you've got Obama related to both Bush AND Cheney. :)