Democrat Debate February 11, 2016 - Observations of a Conservative Catholic Post-Abortive Baby-Boomer Woman

Whoever heard of pre-debate warmup?

A local University gospel choir sang a hand-clapping song; "Because I'm Happy!" was its repeating chorus. Wow, really? Are most of the American public that happy? "Clap along if you feel like a room without a roof? Like happiness is the truth?"

Did any of the GOP debates start with such feel-good, room-warm-up entertainment? And a male singer then exhorts the crowd, shouting out ARE YOU ALL FEELING GOOD TONIGHT? before they launch into Song 2, "Tonight's Gonna Be A Good Night." And in between verses, he shouts "Put your hands together!!"

Wow. And this was after Debbie Wasserman Schultz got up and spent 5 minutes trashing the Republican Party and all its candidates in typical extremist, DWS over-the-top histrionics.

Wow, is all I can say. Did Reince Preibus do the same kind of schtick before the GOP debates? Before any of them? I really want to know.

And in the pre-debate warmup camera shots from behind and above the audience, I did see at least three or four empty seats in what appeared to be a rather small auditorium. Couldn't tell if there was a balcony section, never mind if it was filled with people.

9:00pm, and no sound or picture. No debate started yet.

PBS is hosting this debate. The audience is welcoming the moderators, now center-stage, Gwen Ifill and Judy Woodruff, as though they themselves are candidates.

Clinton says Sanders' plans would increase the size of the federal government by 40%? Is that true? Yikes.

I pretty much could guarantee there will be no questions about the emails and server, or about Benghazi and the denial Clinton just made about telling the families of those killed there that she was "going to get the videographer who was responsible for their deaths."

Ahh, the Madeline Albright "special place in hell" question. Aaand... Hillary doesn't answer it.

Bernie expects a speculation tax on Wall Street firms to pay the $100 billion needed to give everyone free college education and all his freebies? Is that for one year? Or for all time?

Bernie said there was a brilliant idea a hundred years ago, and that was "free education, for grades 1 through 12."

Free? Really? What do you think our state and local taxes are for?

That's what Democrats mean by their "free" stuff: taxes will go up on all of us, and on our grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren, to pay for the trillions of dollars of new free stuff they want to give you.

And Bernie hasn't proven how each family is going to save $5,000 from his plans, even while being taxed an additional $500. How exactly is that going to happen?

Especially when TIME recently wrote:

"In an analysis released [January 28, 2016], the Tax Foundation, an independent tax policy research organization, found that Sanders’ plan would lead to 10.56% lower after-tax income for all taxpayers, and a 17.91% lower after-tax income for the wealthiest Americans. When accounting for reduced GDP, taxpayers would see their after-tax incomes fall by 12.84% on average, the report said."

Let's see. If you're a family breadwinner and you're making, say, $40,000 now and after all your taxes, you currently net $36,000, then under Bernie's plan, you'll net $3,800 to $4,600 LESS each year due to the increase in taxes you'll pay to fund all Bernie's free college, free everything. So how can he say you're going to have an added $5,000 in your pocket when in fact, he's going to take $3,800 to $4,600 away from you in higher federal taxes?

Republicans don't want to cut Social Security, Bernie. That's a flat out, bold-faced lie. You prove you're a demagogue, by insisting on this. As bad as Wasserman-Schultz.

A George-Soros-is-one-of-your-biggest-donors question to Hillary. Interesting. She got her dander up over this one, her voice is rising and getting strident, then didn't really answer it. Want to know who George Soros is? He's the Democrats' Koch Brothers. Go DYOR on it. Don't take my word for it.

Now the two of them are finally slinging mud at each other dropping the loaded phrases like "the gun lobby" and "don't insult the American people, they're not stupid." And Hillary sounds like she's shouting now. She sounds angry, she sounds desperate.

And they're both so busy defending Dodd-Frank, Bernie even saying he wanted it to "do more." Really?

[written in May 2012] Many conservatives correctly identify Barney Frank and Chris Dodd for their part in the mortgage crisis. Unfortunately, many conservatives also erroneously place the majority of blame for the crisis on the Community Reinvestment Act. I feel that it's my duty to set the record straight.

While Frank and Dodd's tinkering with the CRA forced lending institutions to make a quota of bad loans that certainly contributed to the mortgage crisis, the primary cause of crisis was Frank and Dodd's push to reduce mortgage buying standards at Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, who provide liquidity to mortgagees by buying the loans they (the mortgagees) make to the public. Before Frank and Dodd were able to pass legislation weakening Fannie and Freddie's buying standards, all mortgages purchased off the primary market by these two Government Sponsored Enterprises adhered to Federal Housing Administration standards, i.e. they were "prime" loans. But Frank, Dodd, and their cohorts "rolled the dice" in regards to subprime lending, and, in effect, drowned Fannie and Freddie with junk mortgage paper. In turn, Fannie and Freddie sold the junk loans to institutional investors, who happily bought them with cheap capital provided by the Fed. Attaching trillions of dollars of derivatives to the junk they bought, these investors (particularly the Big Banks) created a bona fide financial crisis.

Frank and Dodd, who are responsible for much of the economic misery we've been experiencing in this country over the past four years, are still unscathed by the disaster they caused. Dodd is CEO of the Motion Picture Association of America, and Frank is set to retire.

The one thing I do agree with Sanders on is that Glass-Steagall should never have been eradicated. It's what kept the financial industries separate and distinct, and kept them at least more honest than they've become since they were all allowed to be every financial business to everyone. I don't know how, exactly, you reinstate Glass-Steagall, but if it was do-able, I'd say go for it.

Regarding terrorist activities, "We need to do a better job of coordinating federal, state and local forces...we have to support the fighters on the ground..." according to Hillary. Why didn't that apply to our Americans in Benghazi in 2012?

And she just accused Trump of insulting Islam. Seriously, Hillary, you've been fact-checked on this before yet you still trot this out? He didn't do anything that uber-liberal Bill Maher hasn't also done and said.

Fifteen minutes left and no mention of the FBI/State email server investigation or of Benghazi. Somehow, I just don't think they're going to squeeze that in at the end. Why am I not surprised.

This is an interesting experience, watching this debate. The lies are amazing, especially about the Republicans, and it's pretty pathetic how people buy this B.S.

Yes, they're on the final question. Not. one. peep. about the emails/server or Benghazi. Contrary to what Democrats may think you know, neither of those issues are past issues "At this point."

And Hillary is doubling down on her flag-waving for Obama. Wonder what she hopes to gain from this allegiance for the current President. Maybe she hopes to exchange this teeth-gritting alliance with him for winning over his cohort of voter blocs. That's about the only thing she really wants from Obama at this point.

The Night of the Softballs is done. What pablum.