The Media' s negative bias against Hillary Clinton

Love this article from Vox that pretty much says it all regarding the media's negative bias against Hillary Clinton:

A new Quinnipiac University poll shows Hillary Clinton coasting to a crushing victory in a three-way race against Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden, winning 45 percent of the vote, compared with 22 for Sanders and 18 for Biden.

And the good news for Clinton doesn't stop there.

• The poll shows Clinton beating Jeb Bush head to head.
• The poll shows Clinton beating Marco Rubio head to head.
• The poll shows Clinton beating Donald Trump head to head.
• The poll shows Clinton winning in a landslide in scenarios where Trump runs as an independent.
• The poll did not test Clinton against Scott Walker or other possible nominees.

So how did the media report this poll showing that if the election were held this week Hillary Clinton would win? Well, as bad news for Hillary Clinton!

Read more:

Elephant extinction in your lifetime?

Hi Katalusis friends,

When you think of the beauty and dignity of an elephant, the email below from Defenders of Wildlife will break your heart. May each of us do what we can to prevent this crisis in our wildlife family.

FW: CRISIS: Elephant extinction in your lifetime?
1 message

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Jamie Rappaport Clark, Defenders of Wildlife	Wed, Aug 26, 2015 at 7:30 AM
Reply-To: "Jamie Rappaport Clark, Defenders of Wildlife" To: Virginia Bergman
Virginia- Elephants extinct? It’s unimaginable, but it’s also very possible. Help us stop the countdown to elephant extinction. Donate today and your gift will be matched dollar-for-dollar until August 31st, up to a total of $150,000. Elephants and other imperiled wildlife are counting on you! -Jamie Help Us Fight Dollar-for-Dollar African elephants could be extinct in just 15 years. $30 becomes $60 $50 becomes $100 $100 becomes $200 $250 becomes $500 Please make an urgent donation today – with the match, your gift will go twice as far! Dear Virginia, It simply breaks my heart to share this news with you. At current levels of poaching, the African elephant could be extinct by the year 2030. That tragic date is well within the lifetime of nearly everyone reading this email. Defenders is fighting back – but we need to raise $150,000 by August 31st to sustain our efforts for elephants and other imperiled species. From now until August 31st, your donation will be matched dollar-for-dollar, up to a total of $150,000! Countdown to Extinction Poaching has reached epidemic proportions. Tanzania, once the African elephant capital of the world, has lost two-thirds of its elephants to poachers in just four years. Across Africa, nearly 100 elephants perish every day. That's almost one every 15 minutes. Armed poachers are like invading mercenaries, wiping out entire herds at a time. They are organized, sophisticated and lethal. No elephant is safe. And poaching isn’t the only threat these magnificent animals face. Elephant habitat disappears every day because of human encroachment. What’s worse – there’s still legal elephant hunting. In other words, 2030 might be too optimistic. But There’s Still Hope To stop the extinction clock, we need to stop demand for ivory. And it starts here at home – did you know that the U.S. is the world’s second largest ivory importer? Your urgent gift will help elephants by supporting Defenders’ work to: Fight to stop the importation of imperiled big game "trophies" such as lions, elephants and rhinos; Mobilize against Congressional efforts to weaken proposed restrictions on the domestic ivory trade; Support legislation to enhance international anti-poaching efforts and impose stricter penalties for wildlife trafficking; At the grassroots level, help enact state-wide ivory bans in key consuming states; and Support protection for imperiled species at international wildlife fora such as the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). Can you imagine the end of elephants on Earth? It doesn’t have to happen, but we’re running out of time. Please help today, and remember, your gift will be matched until August 31st, up to a total of $150,000. For the wild, Jamie Rappaport Clark President, Defenders of Wildlife

Democrats consider run by gaffe-prone Joe Biden?

Dr. Jill Biden "not sold on potential Biden run?"

Well, the Huffington Post headline tells us, “Jill Not Sold On Potential Biden Run.” The reasons the article gives avoid one of Joe’s weaknesses that perhaps his wife knows better than anyone else. The article mentions the grief the family is experiencing in the aftermath of Beau Biden’s death as a major source of Jill’s resistance to Joe’s candidacy in 2016. Could be, though, the thought of her gaffe-prone husband being elected president makes her a little nervous; as well it should.

As President Obama hinted in his introductory remarks in March 2010 at Northern Virginia Community College in Alexandria, Virginia, Vice President Biden could be a problem now and then:  Introduced by Dr. Jill Biden, the vice president's wife, Obama said, "Thank you Dr. Biden for that outstanding introduction, and for putting up with Joe"

You have to wonder how many heads of state would be as gracious as Jill in putting up with Joe Biden’s unfortunate gaffes.

But then anti-Hillary Democrats are becoming increasingly desperate in their search for a candidate to oppose Hillary Clinton in the 2016 primary. The politically inexperienced Elizabeth Warren has enough common sense to refuse to run; Socialist maverick Bernie Sanders would have to lunge even farther to the center than Obama did in order to get elected; and Joe Biden, most well known for his gaffes, would likely embarrass the Dems or more accurately, the Dims, even before his nomination.

It’s time for the Democratic Party to get its act together and throw its full support behind its most experienced, politically savvy, and authentic candidate  – what you see is what you get with Hillary.

The déjà vu flavor of the love affair of Democratic Party lefties with Bernie Sanders

 (Credit: Reuters/Brian Snyder/Dominick Reuter/Photo montage by Salon) (Credit: Reuters/Brian Snyder/Dominick Reuter/Photo montage by Salon)

The current infatuation with Bernie Sanders by the ultra left wing of the Democratic Party has a déjà vu flavor to it. Back in August 2008, I noted here at Katalusis:

Barack Obama gained the rabid support of the Democratic Party’s left wing by promising among other things to first unify the nation and then ride forth to bring peace and harmony to the entire world. He assured his followers that no experience was required to perform this miracle; he would accomplish the feat solely by virtue of his singular personality. As Oprah so eloquently introduced Obama at a rally in South Carolina during the Democratic primary, “He’s the one we’ve been waiting for.”
So far the presumptive nominee, also known as “the one,” has not been able to unify his own party ahead of its national convention this August in Denver – even though his coronation is slated to occur before 75,000 onlookers seated in the Mile High Stadium at Invesco Field.

There are, of course, obvious differences between 2008 presidential candidate Barack Obama and 2016 candidate Bernie Sanders, a registered independent and self-described socialist, currently seeking the Democratic Party nomination. Age and political experience, for one thing – in those respects, Sanders far outweighs the One in his 2008 heyday. But it must be said that Sanders may even surpass Obama in the promises the Vermont senator makes to score big on major Democratic Party issues on foreign policy, environment, same sex marriage, health care, and the economy.

Adding to the déjà vu experience, Sanders, like his predecessor, is taking aim at frontrunner Hillary Clinton. In an attempt to bring giddy left wing Democrats back to earth, a reminder is in order: as soon as Obama secured the Democratic Party nomination, the candidate who presented himself as above politics, suddenly lunged to the center. Obama’s supporters explained their idol’s about face was necessary in order for him to defeat John McCain in the general election.

Does anyone reading this now care that soon after he took office, President Obama, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize for his good intentions, ordered drone invasions of other nations. Keep in mind that our president has seemed unconcerned that innocents, who were not on his secret “kill list,” often died at his behest; they just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

All of the above is to suggest that if he succeeds in winning the Democratic Party’s nomination, Socialist Bernie Sanders may have to do as Obama did in the summer of ’08. Can’t you just see it? Sanders planting his feet firmly on centrist ground and disavowing his long history as a Socialist. “Well,"  his supporters will justifiably ask, “How else can Bernie win the general election?”

Let me suggest here that the Democratic Party might well stick with Hillary Clinton this time around. With Hillary, what you see is what you get, and no about faces will be required in order for her to win the GE. See, folks? What Hillary has got in full measure is authenticity and unlike Obama and Sanders, she doesn’t claim to be above politics.

Darn those stubborn facts about Hillary Clinton's emails!

Hi Katalusis friends,

Thought you'd also like to get the facts about Hillary Clinton's emails: 

virginia --

You might hear some news over the next few days about Hillary Clinton's emails. Because you are an important part of this team, we wanted to take a few minutes to talk through the facts -- we need your help to make sure they get out there.

There's a lot of misinformation, so bear with us; the truth matters on this.

Here are the basics: Like other Secretaries of State who served before her, Hillary used a personal email address, and the rules of the State Department permitted it. She's already acknowledged that, in hindsight, it would have been better just to use separate work and personal email accounts. No one disputes that.

The State Department's request: Last year, as part of a review of its records, the State Department asked the last four former Secretaries of State to provide any work-related emails they had. Hillary was the only former Secretary of State to provide any materials -- more than 30,000 emails. In fact, she handed over too many -- the Department said it will be returning over 1,200 messages to her because, in their and the National Archives' judgment, these messages were completely personal in nature.

Hillary didn't send any classified materials over email: Hillary only used her personal account for unclassified email. No information in her emails was marked classified at the time she sent or received them. She viewed classified materials in hard copy in her office or via other secure means while traveling, not on email.

What makes it complicated: It's common for information previously considered unclassified to be upgraded to classified before being publicly released. Some emails that weren't secret at the time she sent or received them might be secret now. And sometimes government agencies disagree about what should be classified, so it isn't surprising that another agency might want to conduct its own review, even though the State Department has repeatedly confirmed that Hillary's emails contained no classified information at the time she sent or received them.

To be clear, there is absolutely no criminal inquiry into Hillary's email or email server. Any and all reports to that effect have been widely debunked. Hillary directed her team to provide her email server and a thumb drive in order to cooperate with the review process and to ensure these materials were stored in a safe and secure manner.

What about the Benghazi committee? While you may hear from the Republican-led Benghazi committee about Hillary's emails, it is important to remember that the committee was formed to focus on learning lessons from Benghazi to help prevent future tragedies at our embassies and consulates around the globe. Instead, the committee, led by Republican Representative Trey Gowdy, is spending nearly $6 million in taxpayer money to conduct a partisan witch-hunt designed to do political damage to Hillary in the run-up to the election.

Hillary has remained absolutely committed to cooperating. That's why, just as she gave her email server to the government, she's also testifying before the Benghazi committee in October and is actively working with the Justice Department to make sure they have what they need. She hopes that her emails will continue to be released in a timely fashion.

It's worth noting: Many of the Republican candidates for president have done the same things for which they're now criticizing Hillary. As governor, Jeb Bush owned his own private server and his staff decided which emails he turned over as work-related from his private account. Bobby Jindal went a step further, using private email to communicate with his immediate staff but refusing to release his work-related emails. Scott Walker and Rick Perry had email issues themselves.

The bottom line: Look, virginia, this kind of nonsense comes with the territory of running for president. We know it, Hillary knows it, and we expect it to continue from now until Election Day.

It's okay. We'll be ready. We have the facts, our principles, and you on our side. And it's vital that you read and absorb the real story so that you know what to say the next time you hear about this around the dinner table or the water cooler.

Take a look at more details here, including a complete Q&A, and pass them along:

https://www.hillaryclinton.com/email-facts/

Thanks,

Jennifer

Jennifer Palmieri
Communications Director
Hillary for America

The obsolete preactice of trying to resolve international disputes through violence

Thanks to my friend Jan Mundo for posting the message below from the Dalai Lama:

Dalai Lama The 20th century saw the destructive power of technology reach unthinkable levels, including the actual use of nuclear weapons. In Hiroshima I met survivors who told me of their terrible experiences. Trying to solve disputes through violence is completely out of date. We have to work to abolish nuclear weapons, but we must also build trust and friendship between nations, which requires we engage in dialogue.

I hope those who are opposing the Iran treaty listen to the Dalai Lama and appreciate the necessity for engaging in dialogue with other nations to build trust and friendship.

What does it cost to make the corporate world behave?

Photo credit: USGS

 

 

 

 

Fun Fact: Walrus, at home in the Arctic Ocean, use their tusks to break through ice and climb out of water onto the ice. They also use their tusks to defend themselves from larger predators and to determine social hierarchies.
 
Dear Katalusis readers, are you as shocked as I am by the time, effort, and money required to stop corporations like Shell Oil from despoiling America's natural resources?

Read this email message that just hit my inbox this afternoon and share the disgust I feel with corporate America's focus on profits at whatever the cost to our environment:

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Dear Virginia, Our fight to protect the Arctic Ocean has been incredibly intense in the last month. What started out as a plan to rally citizens in five cities became a nationwide Day of Action against Shell on July 18 that spanned the country from Washington, DC to Juneau, Alaska. Thanks everyone who participated or submitted a photo of your own protest! See a collection of photos here. While we’re incredibly frustrated that Shell has begun drilling their first well, we’re hearing ShellNo from celebrities and elected officials like Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR). Our Twitterstorm lit up the Internet with ShellNo protests last week while Shell’s team repaired a hull gash in the icebreaker it needs to drill for oil. And, thank you for your generosity! We met our emergency $5,000 matching grant and the $1,500 extension, which we’ll put to work right away to keep up our fight. Wildly yours, Hilary Stamper (That's me, left!) New Media Director
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