Hence Nathan Bedford Forrest, WAY more offensive than Robert E Lee. At least, I hope that was a joke.

Just keep Tad Devine and/or Joe Trippi far, far away from any kind of role in the campaign. Those two guys are the living embodiment of “snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.” They are Democratic kryptonite.

I initially thought Castro was a lock, but that was back when I also expected Rubio to be the nominee. Now I think Perez is the better choice by far, because he could help placate Bernie supporters and drive up voting amongst Latinos. Perez is not quite as young and photogenic as Castro, but he also doesn’t have any…

The whole “guaranteed win” thing is one reason I hope Sanders doesn’t get the nomination. His campaign team could easily take a “guaranteed win” and turn it into a Republican landslide. Tad Devine has a history of taking good (or at least highly electable) candidates and making them into losers. He started with Jimmy…

Voting along the lines of who can actually win an election is important for me, too. On the “ideals,” I agree so completely with the original post - BOTH candidates have strengths and weaknesses. I agree with Bernie on a lot of points, and I agree with Hillary on a lot of points. I disagree strongly with both on a few…

Anyone afraid that Hillary might be “on the rag” clearly doesn’t understand female anatomy AT ALL. Post-menopausal women are the sanest people on the planet. Unfortunately for me, I’ve got a decade or two before I reach that zen state.

This is one of the reasons I think Hillary Clinton will mop the floor with him. Trump cannot stand being challenged by a woman. Any woman, but especially one who might actually be smarter than him (so, you know, most women). He’ll try his insult routine on Hillary and he’s not going to be able to resist calling her…

I believe you mean Big Cookie.

Interestingly enough, many schools and preschools hold mock elections as a way of educating kids about democracy. As a side benefit, they are unusually good predictors of the general election results.

I am hopeful that the generation coming up is getting more of this. My son is in an incredible civics class as a sophomore - he’s always quoting Supreme Court decisions to me to explain why he does/n’t think some political argument makes sense.

Just as an anecdotal counterpoint, I voted in KY’s primary when I was 17. I grew up surrounded by bigots and racists who are undoubtedly Trump supporters now. My parental figures (bio and step-) were all Republicans then. I did my research, read policy positions from all the candidates, went to rallies, etc., and I…

I’m in favor of automatic registration and a national holiday. As a North Carolina voter, though, I can assure you that voter suppression is less an “establishment” thing than a Republican thing. We had an amazingly inclusive voting culture here, but when the Republicans took over state government for the first time…

It’s also not fair that it’s a state-by-state decision, although the whole primary/caucus process is such a mess in that regard. I turned 18 two weeks before the general election in ‘92, and I was allowed to vote in the KY primary. I can’t believe Ohio is just now coming around to this. Seriously, any area where…

Yes. I remember the first time I read a story about brain development and intellectual “adulthood” at 25. I was skeptical, and then I realized that I got knocked up at 24. So, yep.

Not anymore! When I was 16, it was legal to by cigarettes in my state. There was even a student smoking patio at my school, Freaks and Geeks-style. The year I turned 18, they changed the purchase age to 18. We used to joke that you could legally have sex at 16, but you’d have to wait two years to smoke a cigarette…

Also a Hillary supporter, and also VERY much in favor of this. I cast my first vote in a primary when I was 17, for Bill Clinton. I turned 18 two weeks before the general election, and had been looking forward to voting since middle school. I may have been young and exuberant, but I was more informed about the…

I have not insulted you once, despite the fact that you've been demonstrably wrong on multiple points of fact. You are clearly an angry and conspiracy-minded person. I will waste no more rationality on you.

Scooter Libby was prosecuted for obstruction of justice, because it was impossible to *prove* that he outed Plame in willful violation of the Espionage Act. He was sentenced to 30 months, but Bush commuted his sentence.

There has been no indication that a grand jury has been convened. Usually, that would require the cooperation of a US Attorney. I’m not saying it hasn’t happened, but I suspect some one would have leaked it by now. Pagliano was granted immunity for the FBI/Justice Dept inquiry because he had previously pled the 5th…

It’s pretty standard to give immunity as a way to compel a witness to testify. It doesn’t mean you think they did something wrong. It means you want to hear them speak as freely as possible.