How To Argue With: A Libertarian

The Omnivore got a message this morning from a friend who had a Facebook argument with a libertarian. "Have you heard about this Marxist Hegelian postmodernism gibberish?" He asked. The answer is "yes--but only kinda." In fact, unless one is happy and willing to have a philosophical debate about Marxism and Libertarianism there is no need to ever go there.

To assist those who do not want to get down into the dangerous weeds, here is The Omnivore's: How To Debate A Libertarian.

It's A Pretty Simple Decision Tree

Roughly speaking there are two basic kinds of libertarians:

1. People with emotional issues around being super smart, pretty racist, and liking weed.
2. People who want to make the world better and honestly believe that the free-market and so on will do that.

In general it's about 98% to 2%. And not in the good way.

The Two Big Libertarian Problems: "Let Him Die" and "Communism Has Never Been Tried!"

In practice, when debating (coming into verbal contact with) a Type 1 Libertarian you should quickly zero in on one of two problems. The first is exemplified by the 2012 Republican Debate where Ron Paul was asked what to do with a sick guy who can't pay:

Wolf Blitzer put a terrific question to Rep. Ron Paul at last night's CNN/Tea Party Express Republican debate in Tampa, Fla. What should happen, the moderator asked hypothetically, if a healthy 30-year-old man who can afford insurance chooses not to buy it—and then becomes catastrophically ill and needs intensive care for six months? When Dr. Paul ducked, fondly recalling the good old days before Medicare and saying that we should all take responsibility for ourselves, Blitzer pressed the point. "But, Congressman, are you saying the society should just let him die?" At that point, the rabble erupted in cheers and whoops of "Yeah!"

This is, of course the hard-core reductionist libertarian decision on humanity and it's unpalatable to almost everyone with a drop of empathy (the working answer is that "somehow it'll work itself out [for white people I care about and fuck everyone else]')--but, if you don't accept wild handwaving, you get the crowd applauding this guy's death.

That, generally, ends the debate. They either sell out libertarianism or humanity.

The second mortal wound for philosophical libertarianism is the dancing-naked guy: when you put a critical mass of libertarians together in a room and try to build a party (out of the smartest, most objectivists uber-men that humanity has available, of course) one of them will take off their clothes and dance naked on stage trying to become the party nominee.

As a rule it will not be the most attractive libertarian in the room--or even the second most. No, you get the bottom of the barrel.

The point here is not the naked guy per-se, but the libertarians in general: When Ron Paul realized that the receptive audience for his message of glorious free-market-teering was white supremacists, he allowed his newsletters to sing the song of his people.

Today we can go back and read about the race war and shit. Although disavowed, Ron Paul's account keeps "making the same mistake" of tweeting racist shit to this day.

It, you know, doesn't seem like a mistake most people just keep making. No--the problem with any organized libertarian party isn't the philosophy, per se--it's the libertarians. When you realize this, you realize that Libertarians are, humiliatingly, in the same spaces as communists: they have to argue that "true libertarianism has never been tried!"

We don't buy that for commies. Why believe that some form of "true libertarianism" won't be hijacked by naked hairy lunatics or, erm, racists? Show The Omnivore that evidence first and then we can talk about Hegel.

It is worth making a point about women libertarians. They exist. If you run into one, ask if the libertarian movement as a whole is sexist: if you get an honest answer, skip the debate and just spend the rest of the time talking about that. You may learn something.

A Final Note: Some Good Ideas

The tag for this post is 'humor'--but of course it's a pretty pointed joke. The fact is that libertarianism does have some good ideas and markets are superior at some things. Dismissing all libertarian thought because of the usual standard bearers would be a mistake. If someone isn't committed to trying to push a utopian libertarian revolution, you might as well listen. There are plenty of good ideas out there and no one is immune to tribalism or some degree of partisanship.

But if they start talking Hegelian Postmodernism philosophy, make sure you ask if they have any pot: the chances are high they have a supply of the good stuff!

Clearly I Cannot Choose The Cup In Front of Rubio!

I met my frienemy in the park. He sat across the picnic table from me with four covered cups. Before each of them was an index card with the names TRUMP, CRUZ, RUBIO, and KASICH. He eyed me, suspiciously.

Me: "We're doing this again?"

Him: "After I schooled you the last time, I wasn't sure you'd be back--but as you're a glutton for punishment . . ."

"YOU schooled ME??"

He wasn't listening: "You still think you're smart," he said. "So tell me? Who am I voting for."

I looked back at him: "It's the Princess Bride rules, right? Your candidate's cup is filled with some horrible soft drink and you claim you have liquid draino in the others? I choose, we both drink?"

He smiled, blandly. "That's correct. If you have the guts."

"I thought you were, bizarrely, a Sanders guy now?"

"I hate the banks." He shrugged. "But I'm still--and will always be--a registered Republican--so I have a GOP vote to cast in the Primary. How do I cast it?"

I sat back. I surveyed the cups.

"Oh--and it's just Coke Zero in all of them--but . . . I've done something to all but one."

Now his smile was real--as real as Ted Cruz's lizard-smile, anyway. I felt my blood go cold.

"Done something??"

He nodded. Once. "Chicken?"

Fuck.

I watched him. Hmm.

"Okay," I decided. "I'll play." I couldn't have him thinking I was chicken.

"Make your choice, Marty McFly," he said. "Then . . . we drink."

I glowered. Was he reading my mind?

"I know your Primary Vote," I said. "It's easy. You're transparent."

"I am?" Now he was smug.

"I can see right through your oversized head." I told him.

"You can?" he waggled his eyebrows.

"I can." I asserted. More confident than I felt.

"You're stalling," he said. He was right.

"Okay--sure. You find Trump to be a buffoon and not-a-conservative who will probably lose your beloved Republican party for a generation if he is nominated by proving every negative stereotype true--so clearly I cannot choose the cup in front of Trump."

His faint nod was acknowledgement: he gave nothing away.

"If your primary goal is to stop Trump," I said, "your best bet is to vote Cruz since he is (a) the closest in delegate count to Trump and (b) the only other guy who could maybe appeal to Trump voters as he's an 'outsider.' Most analysis says that this is a two-man race: Cruz vs. Trump. If you want to stop Trump, a lot of people say Cruz is the only way to do it."

Now he grinned--just a little? A feint.

I eyed him.

"Drink?" he asked, smirking. Damn.

"Not even close," I countered. "You also know that Ted Cruz is so conservative that despite having a few good states he's hardly a favorite with even moderate GOP voters who may just sit the primary out--and he's hated by, well, everyone who knows him personally. You also know that Cruz's best chance to stop Trump is by actually winning Florida and there's no poll on earth that shows that as possible right now. If Trump does win Florida, he's going to be really hard to stop--maybe impossible. So Cruz, despite his promise, is a losing game."

I looked flatly at him: "Obviously I cannot choose the cup in front of Cruz."

Did he flinch? Was it a bluff?

He went back to stony face. "Alright then? What?"

"Not what--who. See I know in your heart that you want to believe you're a Reagan, adult-in-the-room style Republican. Old School. You like governors. If you have to sleep at night, the guy you'd like is Kasich. All things being equal. You liked Jeb, for God's sake--before he crashed like a lead balloon."

He shrugged. "Iraq did have weapons of mass destruction. It's just a cover-up by the liberal media. They moved them to Syria."

"Uh-huh." I nodded--watching him. Was he unraveling? "But you also know that if you vote your heart, it's a throwaway vote. Kasich might win Ohio and hold Trump back--but if you vote for Kasich in Florida that's a waste of a waste."

He shrugged uncomfortably. "It's an . . .  embarrassing election season. What can I say?"

"You said that in 2012," I reminded him. "Clearly I cannot choose the cup in front of Kasich."

He . . . was okay with that. Crud. "So--Rubio then?" The eyebrow waggle again.

"Voting Rubio in Florida is a Trump-blocking move that might actually pay off. Polling shows that Rubio may well have banked a huge margin in early-voting and his crash last Tuesday might be improved by his strong debate last night."

"You called that a strong debate?" he asked.

"I thought Rubio was pretty sharp," I said.

"You're biased," he told me. "For obvious reasons."

"I try not to let on," I said airly.

"On the other hand, you know that tactical voting aside, Rubio is the guy who is most likely to beat your preferred candidate Sanders. He's the guy who, if he somehow won the nomination, could maybe unify the party--bring in moderates who hate Cruz. He's got a likability-factor. If you want Sanders, you want the guy who will run weakest against him. That's not Rubio. It's . . . Trump."

His eyes widened. A hit!

"Clearly," I said, "I cannot choose the cup in front of Rubio."

He sputtered. "That's -- that's all of them--so who?"

"WHAT DID YOU DO TO THE OTHER CUPS!?" I demanded. I thought I knew--but it was unspeakable.

"What you think," he said, darkly smug.

"If it's your own bodily fluid you're drinking," I said. "It doesn't count against you. The only fair way to do this is I choose Trump--and I get to, erm, violate two of the three remaining."

"That's not the deal," he said.

"I make," I told him, "only the best deals. The classiest deals. I'm an expert negotiator. You wouldn't believe the deals I make."

In the end, it was all just nasty Coke-Zero.

At least I think so.

The Anderson-Cost Continuum

Every theory you have about the state of the GOP nomination race is underdetermined. If it makes you feel better, my theories are, too.

— Jay Cost (@JayCostTWS) January 24, 2016

A hard black rain beat down on war-line outside of Hamtrack Michigan. The war-line was 'manned' by semi-autonomous surveillance drones and hard-point networked automated gun-stations. The rain was black from the residue of the 100-acres of AmeriGreat Manufacturing all done in an EPA "Progress Zone" with no limitations on how they operated.

Nathan Crash, ex-Ranger sniper, ex-SOG interrogator, and tested at 170 IQ wondered what the fuck he was doing up here. The war-line(s) that now crisscrossed North America were all staffed by overweight high-school drop-outs with top scores in Call of Drone and a "clean" voting record for the American Triumph Party (taking selfies with their ballots marked to defeat the secret process and gain "levels" in AmeriGreat's corporate holdings). There was no need for someone like him out here.

All the people like him, after all, had given up--or were fighting against a coming Malthusian tidal-wave in Taiwan that was going to snuff them all out any day now. All things considered, Crash thought, maybe it was better to be here in the I.C.E. zone fighting the deportation wars--as grim as that was.

He wasn't prepared for the bunker.

It was an old Minuteman Missile silo--now decorated with the gold embossed 'T' of the American Triumph Party--but, he noted, not staffed with ATP operatives. No--as soon as they badged him in and gave him a professional weapons-check, he knew this was something  . . . something else.

On the long, cold ride down to the command capsule, deep underground and suspended in dark space with green shock absorbers, he wondered who was really running this base so close to the "front." He got his answer when the elevator door opened.

"Major Conwell--" Crash said, shocked.
"Mr. Crash," said the older man--still fit--with close cropped white hair and a tense smile that did betray glimmers of warmth. "Yes . . . my execution was, as they say, somewhat exaggerated."

"So is this--I mean--" Nathan was rarely off balance--but he was in a secure facility and now apparently committing treason just for having arrived. The gold-plated guillotines were still standing in the Washington DC Incorporated Zone. They were huge, classy, and maintained to be fully operational. He'd seen Conwell die.

"It's amazing what can be done with actual patriots and the right make-up," said Conwell. "And it's abominable that it was necessary. Don't worry, son--we're not going to see you twitch. This operation is still five-by-five. On the other hand, we don't have hardly any time at all. So let's get you briefed."

"What IS the mission?" Crash asked. He was so far off the operational scope now that he had no idea what was coming.

"Well," drawled Conwell. "You're going to maybe have to kill Rince Pribus."

"Who?"

The Briefing Chamber

The silo that had once housed a missile was empty of its munition--but filled with what looked like a vertical particle accelerator with carefully managed cords of wires, magnetic rails, and choke points up and down the multi-story length. On the video monitors Crash could see a platform for a person to sit--a padded seat with thick foam-covered crash-bars. Around it were things that looked like the Tesla Coils he'd been shown as a child.

A woman--also a Warrant Officer--but with no name-tag spoke quickly and crisply--Nathan was being briefed.

"In 2013 Anderson and Cost proposed a nominating methodology to the Republican National Committee that would have used a national delegate system to propose five presidential candidates who would then compete against each other in the 2016 presidential primary."

Crash looked over at Conwell, raising an eyebrow--Major Conwell gave him a little nod: stick with it.

"The proposal was designed to improve efficiency and inclusiveness--using a proposal process to pick 10 finalists and then a weighted vote to select five final candidates. This, given the method of delegate apportionment process would have limited the influence of grass-roots extremists while giving a more proportional voice to a broader swath of Republican voters.

"And most importantly, it would have kept the Media out of the process altogether."

Crash set back. He returned a look to Conwell--What Is This?

Conwell, for his part, just nodded again.

The woman continued.

"In 2016 the Republican base was not so much fractured as completely broken. The grass-roots anger at not having enough congressional power to override a presidential veto and their elected representative's refusal to shut down the government and default on the national debt, had left them infuriated with the status quo.

"Added to the mix were numerous thought-leaders on Talk Radio and Cable Television--not to mention the Internet--who were promoting total opposition, not just to liberalism, but to government itself. It was in this morass of toxic politics that Donald Trump and the American TriUMPh Party"--she used the Capital Letters when she pronounced it properly--"rose to power."

Conwell: "After Hillary went down in October 2016 as the emails of her trying to hire Sidney Bloomenthal to whack Obama came out, Trump got installed."

"And that was that," Crash said.

"And that, as they say, was that," Conwell agreed.

"So?"

"That silo over there is the biggest, classiest Heisenberg Engine ever created. In fact, it's the only one," said Conwell, rising. "From theory paper to operational prototype in three years--American know-how at its finest. The Manhattan boys would be proud of this after they shit their pants at the implications."

"What are the implications?" Crash was now staring at the screen. And what does it have to do with that TV Meth dealer, he thought.

"Well, the science boys have the full story--but think of the world as a dial--" Conwell stood next to Nathan to look out at the machine.

"You can turn it this way or that and wherever it stops, that's what the world is like--what it has always been like."

Crash shook his head.

"In our 2013 the RNC told those guys to go pound sand. We got 'American Triumph and gold-plated guillotines. What if they hadn't?"

"What if they hadn't?"

"Well, if they hadn't then we might not be in this God-Awful mess. That machine? It un-sticks the dial. A person can go through that, and, well, give that 'dial' a little push."

"A little push."

"Well, maybe a big push--I don't know--but we'll just get one shot so I'm counting on you to push as hard as humanly possible." Now he looked grim. "We're going to send you into what counts as a version of the past and you're going to make sure the RNC and that bastard Priebus knows what's going to happen.

"Do anything you have to--kidnap Congressmen. Assassinate Senators--whatever it takes son--because you've got a limited window and the whole fate of everything rides on this."

Crash looked at the machine.

"Make them . . . take the plan? Adopt the nominating procedure? Couldn't I just kill Trump?"

"Well, we examined that. You also have to kill Cruz. Then Rick Santourm. After that, Bachmann." He wiped his brow. "Then there are some white nationalists you've never heard of. After that--"

Crash swallowed. "I get the idea."

"Trust me," Conwell said, "this is the only thing that'll work."

Epilogue

Headline, November 2017. Clinton Beats Romney - Three Time Loser

@OmnivoreBlog That is frickin' great! Love the epilogue ;-)

— Jay Cost (@JayCostTWS) January 26, 2016

THE BUNDY BOYS ARE BACK!

In Oregon, an armed militia led by three of Cliven Bundy's sons has taken over a federal building. They're doing this to return the lands to the people--and to free two ranchers who were charged with setting fires (and maybe poaching--and maybe setting fires to cover the poaching). Is this the collapse of society?

No.

The Omnivore smells ratings gold.

BEHOLD

[ LEAKED PILOT: THE BUNDYS OF HARNEY COUNTY -- PARTIAL SCRIPT ]

EXT. HARNEY POLICE DEPARTMENT - DAY

SHERIFF and ATTORNEY GENERAL LORETTA LYNCH is looking at brand new POLICE INTERCEPTOR VEHICLES: SUPER-CHARGED PRIUSES with DEPUTY WEST.

SHERIFF LORETTA LYNCH

These babies will let us catch them Bundy Boys with their souped up Humvee!

DEPUTY WEST

Sure will, ma'am. They just came down from Homeland Security. We're also getting an MRAP and a Reaper Drone loaded with nerve gas.

VOICE FROM OFF SCREEN

OTHER DEPUTY

Sheriff Loretta! Sheriff Loretta! Them Bundy Boys have taken over the National Wild Life Building! They've got them FREEDOM FIGHTER Outlaws with them.

LORETTA LYNCH

Saddle up boys. We're goin' to get us some Bundy. Too bad that drone with the poison gas ain't here yet.

CUT TO: THE NATIONAL WILD LIFE BUILDING - INT. - DAY

RYAN and AMMON BUNDY are in the COMMAND CENTER. Heavily Armed REAL AMERICANS stand guard. A large map shows the wild-life refuge with encampments marked in RED.

AMMON BUNDY

Keep the perimeter manned--two man rule in effect at all times. Thirty minute check-in intervals. Check is 'Eagle.' Counter-Call is 'Freedom isn't Free.' Look alive people: Loretta's commin'

RYAN BUNDY

I don't like this, Ammon--it was easy. Too easy. It's like they just left the door open and we done walked right in.

AMMON BUNDY

Patience, little brother: We're gonna return this land to its original rightful owners.

MILITIA STAFFER

The Native Americans?

Everyone gives STAFFER a dirty look. He retreats to the coffee nook.

RADIO OPERATOR

I've got Loretta on the horn!

AMMON BUNDY (Nods sagely)

Hand it over.

CUT TO: EXT. WOODLAND CHECKPOINT - DAY

Loretta stands outside her armored Prius, behind her are three other Priuses--the group is surrounded by militia men with AR-15's. DEPUTY WEST hands her the radio.

LORETTA LYNCH

Bundy? We're coming for you. You surrender now and we'll give you a chance to defend yourself in court!

DEPUTIES

:: Snicker ::

SPLIT SCREEN: BUNDY in the Command Center, Loretta out in the woods.

AMMON BUNDY

 You may have the government--but I've 150 patriots with the 2nd Amendment. What do you have?

LORETTA LYNCH

I'll have you know, Bundy, I didn't come out here unprepared. I've already called Washington--spoken to President Obama himself.

In the Command Center, RYAN BUNDY suddenly looks worried. Talks quickly (no voice over) with a scared looking FREEDOM FIGHTER.

AMMOND BUNDY

Well, Loretta, I can't say I didn't expect that. What's our dictatorial tyrant going to do about Armed citizens exercising their OPEN CARRY RIGHTS?

LORETTA LYNCH (Smiles evilly)

Oh, Bundy, he's already taken steps. He got out his phone and his pen and has issued an EXECUTIVE ORDER banning all guns. (Laughs triumphantly). You're boxed in, Bundy--and your weapons are useless now!

RYAN BUNDY

We've Got To GO NOW, AMMON! To The JEFFERSON DAVIS!

Both Bundys flee the Command Center. Chaos ensues as the FREEDOM FIGHTERS left behind panic.

CUT TO: EXT. CEMENT WALL - DAY

SPFX: The wall explodes and a black, armored Humvee with the CONFEDERATE FLAG on top and the GADSDEN FLAG on a RAM PLATE in the front crashes through it. The Bundy Brothers are driving.

RYAN BUNDY, Yelling to Abandoned FREEDOM FIGHTERS

Don't despair! We'll be back--even if we have to live underground like a new, modern-day, Robbin hood!

AMMON BUNDY

Roll Coal, Brother!

RYAN BUNDY

Throws switch on the dashboard and the Dixie Tune plays while black smoke FILLS THE SCREEN

CUT.

The Second The Groundwork

The Omnivore has always been interested in data-mining / data driven enterprise. When he heard that a shadowy company called The Groundwork, backed by Google (now Alphabet) billionaire Eric Schmidt, was working, solely in the political spectrum, for Clinton, The Omnivore rapidly clicked over to check it out.

Go ahead. Try it--The Omnivore will wait.

That's it. That's all there is.

Or is it?

This shadowy force of black-logic behind Hillary shares its name with another entity that also means, slightly translated, "The Groundwork"

Arabic: القاعدة‎ al-qāʿidah, Arabic: [ælqɑːʕɪdɐ], translation: "The Base", "The Foundation" or "The Fundament" and alternatively spelled al-Qaida, al-Qæda and sometimes al-Qa'ida) is a global militant Islamistorganization founded by Osama bin Laden, Abdullah Azzam,[24] and several others . . .

How deep does the rabbit hole go? Well, my friends, The Omnivore is here to check things out. You see, there is an older reference to these organizations that will rise from the ashes of their fallen enemies--and every data-scientist has a fictional hero they cleave to--Hari Seldon,

These people think they are  . . . The Foundation. Just look at that Icon.

So The Omnivore considered: if there is a The-Groundwork . . . there must be a second The-Groundwork. Now, in Second Foundation, the other "groundwork" was sort of "opposite" the first one--deceptively hidden in plain sight. So The Omnivore figured--if there is a Second Groundwork, it too, must be hidden . . . in plain sight.

The Omnivore checked out "TheGroundwork.net."

10/19/2015

Interesting--but then life caught up to The Omnivore--if you go back today?

Let's go See The Site

TheGroundwork.net is "live" and it's here!

If you click to log in, it takes you to a front door with password-protected security. There is no indication of what it might become or, indeed, who owns it--but if this is the home of the shadowy organization that will rise from the ashes of the 2016 campaign, we should learn about this guy they're trying to hide from us!

It Isn't The Crime: It's The Cover-Up

The organization behind this "Rowan Simonsen" is clearly covering it's tracks--trying to prevent the discovery of the Second The Groundwork! Let's see what we can learn before the whole trail goes cold!

Paydirt.

It . . .  looks pretty 2nd The Groundworky, doesn't it? Looking into it, the person who runs TheGroundwork.net--this guy and his corhort are all about sustainability. His book is Prototyping Our Future. It . . . certainly seems, would you say, 2nd The Groundwork-like?

Of course this guy Simonsen, according to his resume, also runs Upstream Consulting. Some of their clients?

Revision Military: Next Gen Warfare

Not so cuddly now, is it?

Conclusions

The Omnivore is pretty sure he has blown the doors off a conspiracy that goes from Hillary Clinton, through Al Queada, to a consulting sustainability (9/12!, Agenda 21!) based think-tank with next-gen military and government clients! The cover-up is starting now. Spread the message--boost the signal.

Of course, there's . . . one other possibility:

If You Rotate It . . .

WHAT IF IT'S A CARROT!???

The Strength of the GOP Field

Vladimir Putin Is Strong

The Omnivore kept hearing about how the 2016 field was strong--deep--especially compared to the Democrats who had Hillary--then Biden--then nothing. The Omnivore will admit there was something to this. The 2016 field included (includes):

• Six former or present governors--many successful.
• Two pretty well regarded senators (at least by Republican voters)
• Two very well respected and intelligent "outsiders."
• A slate of young, charismatic rising-stars.

This isn't even including Santorum (who won Iowa last cycle) or late entries like Kaisch. This was supposed to be the election that stood in contravention to the 'clown-car' of last cycle (remember 'Crazy-Eyes' Bachmann leading the pack?? Or how about Donald Trump--"Birther-In-Chief"? That was Cray).

Let's view some recent headlines:

• National Review Online: The Field that Failed. "Even if [Trump] fades, though, someone else will have to fill the screen. To this point, No one else has been big or vivid enough to do it."
• The American Conservative: Donald Trump Leads a Failed Field. "What [Trump's] popularity blip reveals is just how weak the right has become."
• Brietbart: Donald Trump's Third-Party Tease Exposes the Failed Republican Brand. "In 1992, a billionaire called the pary's bluff and consigned it to defeat. If it happens again next year, it will again be the fault of the part, not another eccentric billionaire."

Today we see this: Still Pining for Mitt: Some GOP Donors Hoping Romney Will Jump in the Race

Though this election cycle was supposed to feature the most impressive field of Republican presidential candidates in decades, a handful of the party’s major donors and bundlers remain underwhelmed by their options. They are longing for the bad old days, and Mitt Romney is still their man. These holdouts continue to hope that the former Massachusetts governor, who said in January he would not run for a third time, will change his mind. They believe he could dispel the chaos that has reigned over the Republican field for months. Though they gave plenty of money to Romney’s presidential campaigns, this year they’re keeping their wallets shut, waiting for him to reenter the fray.

Well, what about it, Mitt?

The Omnivore has no idea what Romney will do--but it's worth taking a look at the slate of GOP candidates and asking, using an objective True Science(TM) method to determine: Is Our Candidate Strong? Let's check!

Candidate	Potential Strength	Current Polling	Are They Strong?	Well? Strong??
Jeb Bush	Successful Florida (crucial swing-state) governor. Great Latino support (speaks Espanol!). Politics in blood!	7.7%	“Donald Trump ‘emasculating’ Jeb Bush.”	NO
Scott Walker	Fights--and WINS! Totally pisses off liberals just by breathing. Regular guy with cheap shirts!	4.5%	“Scott Walker says building Canada border wall is a ‘legitimate issue’”	No
Marco Rubio	Young! Latio!! Charismatic!!! Won statewide election in crucial swing-state!!!!	6.0%	Marco Rubio: “I’m the fastest person running for president” (he means land-speed--literally)	Maybe
Ted Cruz	Tea Party Hero. Has his own coloring book. Called Boehner a liar. Boehner called Cruz a jackass. Comic-hero is Rorschach. Shut down government with his own two hands	5.5%	Ted Cruz instructs thousands of pastors to violate federal law by reading Sunday sermon he wrote	yes?
Rick Perry	Successful governor of Texas! Tea Party AND Mainstream appeal!! New glasses make him look smert!!! Back for battle with full gaffe recovery	1.7%	Rick Perry loses both of his co-chairs in Iowa	Nope
Carly Fiorina	A WOMAN! Successful CEO!! OF HEWLETT PACKARD!!! RAN FOR ELECTION (lost). DEMON SHEEP!!! SMART. Polished!! Female! A gal!	5.6%	Fiorina surges in polls but it May Be Tool Late for the Debate	We’ll Never Know Now, Will We?
Ben Carson	Black Brilliant Brain-Surgeon. Really Religious! Soft-Spoken. Charismatic.	11.2%	Ben Carson Rising: Is Nice Making a Comeback?	Yes
Rand Paul	Dad was kinda popular. Man of principle. Gave 14 hour speech about doomsday drones. Petulant.	3.2%	Chris Christie, Rand Paul scraping the bottom in new PPP poll	Uh-Uh
Chris Christie	Popular Blue-State governor! Charismatic!! Lost weight!!! Outsized personality!!!	2.7%	Chris Christie: The USA should track immigrants like FedEx packages	NO!!
Bobby Jindal	Popular governor. Smart!! Some kind of immigrant (?). Seems pretty religious. Funny--likable!!! SKINNY!	0.6%	Bobby Jindal: Sanctuary city mayors should ‘absolutely’ be arrested	Did not manage to get through the tiny sliver of space on Trump's right. Nice try, though.
Mike Huckabee	Strong 2008 contender! Former governor. Won some states in 2008. Lost weight. Likable guy.	5.7%	Mike Huckabee to Iowa: Vote for Me or “for God’s Sakes Stay Home”	Nooooot Lookin’ Like It
Donald Trump	Rich. Really Rich. Really, really, totally rich. Not a ‘cuckservative!’ Good body-language. Steely glare.	31.3%	How Donald Trump Uses Instagram to Troll Jeb Bush	YES. Oh, God, Holy Fuck, YES!!

#BLM And The Clinton Conspiracy: ROUND 2--FIGHT!

The Omnivore's #BlackLivesMatter post didn't satisfy some people (you people are never happy). Doesn't the Risk-To-Benefit analysis mean Christie would never have done Bridgegate? They asked (the point being that The Omnivore thinks Hillary has no reason to go after Sanders since, in the national, she is 30pts ahead and being caught doing this would be fatal--in the same way that Christie, having won the election had no reason to attack the George Washington bridge).

Well, yes--even if you don't acknowledge that Bridgegate was revenge--and therefore has a different motivational profile than hamstringing Bearnaise in the early days of the primary. But enough of that--let's look at this from the conspiracy point of view.

Straight Outta INFOWARS

Here is Infowars on The Sanders Threat

The Sanders Threat
The establishment considers Bernie Sanders a threat to the campaign of one of their preferred candidates: Hillary Clinton. 

“Sanders — a self-described democratic socialist — has seen his crowds swell and is gaining ground in the polls on the formidable Democratic front-runner, Hillary Rodham Clinton. In New Hampshire, where Sanders was on yet another weekend swing, one survey last week showed him within 8 percentage points of Clinton,” The Washington Post reported in June.
The fear is Sanders will win the crucial Iowa and New Hampshire primaries and trounce the establishment’s carefully groomed candidate. 

“If Sanders continues to build his momentum and cut into Clinton’s lead, and she gets sidetracked by controversy (typically a given when a Clinton is on the ballot), it is not inconceivable that Sanders could win one or both of the two first states,” Bloomberg notes. 

In order to prevent this possibility the establishment is likely engaged in underhanded tactics to derail the Sanders campaign, including using DHS, the FBI and their corporate partners to sow chaos into the campaign. 

Black Lives Matters would do well to associate itself with the Sanders campaign and glean political advantage for its socialist agenda. Instead, it is doing the opposite by interrupting Sanders’ campaign events and portraying itself as a disruptive and threatening political force.

Okay, so it isn't Clinton--here--but note that the various links (the 'dots') do, in fact, connect to form an ominous picture. Here the dots are: (a) Sanders is within "striking distance" of winning in New Hampshire and Iowa, (b) Apparently BLM activists are being watched by DHS, (c) Hillary was inevitable in 2008 until Obama won Iowa. Cognito Ergo Exxon Hocus Pocus: the establishment (probably the central banks) are wielding #BlackLivesMatter against Sanders to prevent him from disrupting the coronation of Hillary (the GOP is the necessary distraction).

The Soros Scenario

If you don't like the powers-that-be as the man behind the #BlackLivesMatter curtain, how about all-purpose boogie-woogie man George Soros?

Imagine if the Koch brothers had financed a group that was regularly disrupting and shutting down events of candidates that they opposed. Does anybody doubt that the Koch connection would come up in the first paragraph, if not the first sentence, of most news stories about such disruptions? Yet somehow, complete silence from the MSM on the connection of George Soros to #BlackLivesMatter even though he is the providing most of the finances to that organization. Also mysterious is how the MSM also fails to note that Hillary Clinton, whom Soros supports, has not had her events disrupted by #SorosMoneyMatters (also known as #BlackLivesMatter).

Two who were targeted by #SorosMoneyMatters were Hillary opponents Martin O'Malley and Bernie Sanders. The latter had the misfortune of having not only his large Seattle speech on Saturday, with an estimated 12,000 in the audience, disrupted but also completely shut down.

In this case, the dots are: (a) George Soros is pretty rich (about half a single Koch brother), (b) Soros supports Clinton, more or less, (c) Soros donated a ton of money (33MM) to a foundation that supported Furgeson activism (as well as a lot of other things). Ipsum Lorem Valedictorian: Soros wants Hillary to win and has given millions to Black Lives Matter so they will send several young women to disrupt Sanders.

The Only Thing We Have To Clinton--Is Clinton HERSELF!!

For our final scenario, let's go straight to the Daily Kos to see someone who broke the code and thinks it's very possible Clinton is orchestrating the #BLM attacks. No need for middlemen (or women)--just straight from the Clinton's mouth:

The clearly orchestrated BLM attacks at Bernie events are despicable. Are you involved in anyway? Maybe yes, maybe no. Just the fact that many believe that you could possibly be involved should be your canary in the coal mine. 

There needs to be a quick and thorough investigation into who is really behind this and what motivated them. Let's start by looking into the background of these individuals who grabbed the mic to see who exactly they are tied to. One thing for sure it is not organic nor, real. Why would a minority group go after the single person, Republican or Democrat that actually is fighting for them. 

As the famous Woodward and Bernstein comment goes, "follow the money" and look at who would benefit. 

So Hillary this is the view of one progressive (but it very well might be many) and yes, you should be worried.

Uh-huh. In this case the dots, such as they are, are: (a) Sanders is fighting FOR BLACK PEOPLE, (b) The EVENTS ARE STAGED (??), and (c) HILLARY BENEFITS. Alohamora Ridiculous Veni Vidi Vinci: Hillary must be directing this!

Totes Legit

On The Other Hand

The problem with connect-the-dots arguments is that they start from the ending (people disrupting Bernie Sanders--WHY, GOD, WHY??) and work backwards. Let's run the scenario forward (note: the excellent Cracked Podcast does this with horror movies--and presents us with the villain's plan from Friday the 13th which involves the super-psycho-killer riding his bike to his victim's house since the house is a long way away and Jason never learned to drive).

In this case, someone--let's say Clinton--has a plan. It looks like this . . .

INT. A SECURE BOARD-ROOM. 

Clinton is visible at the head of the table, an info-graphic of a globe is projected behind her on a big screen. Other figures sit in SHADOWS.

CLINTON

Sanders is gaining ground. I've seen this movie before, gentlemen--and I DON'T like it. What can we do to take him out?

SHADOW MAN 1

Our data shows that Sanders is the most civil-rights oriented candidate out there. He marched with King. He promotes black education and job-growth. He's strong there. Maybe we can hit his haircut?

CLINTON

The haircut won't do it. We need something ... Something ... tough. :: Curls hand into fist ::

SHADOW MAN 2

We hit him on race. We hit him with Black Lives Matter.

CLINTON

I thought you just said this was his strong suit?

SHADOW MAN 2

Exactly--we hit him on his strengths. It's called Swift-Boating. There's no working defense.

SHADOW MAN 3 Looks visibly startled.

SHADOW MAN 3

He's ... he's right. This never fails.

SHADOW MAN 3 stands up and is revealed to be SECRETARY OF STATE JOHN KERRY.

JOHN KERRY

So here's what we do: we send in some Black Lives Matter guys to hit Sanders at Netroots--they'll just heckle him and--

SHADOW MAN 2

No. Too obvious. Have them hit O'Malley first. That way it won't look orchestrated. After O'Malley fumbles the attack, Sanders will come out and get hammered.

SHADOW MAN 2 stands and moves to the screen--is revealed as DAVID AXELROD.

CLINTON

But what if O'Malley doesn't screw up? What if he handles the heckling?

AXELROD

He'd have to know to say 'Black Lives Matter' instead of 'All Lives Matter.' There's no way he could know that.

JOHN KERRY

Unless he has been on Twitter or anywhere near a TV for the past two months.

AXELROD

Right. Air-tight. He'll screw up. So we hit him with the BLM and--

CLINTON

The Bureau of Land Management?

AXELROD

That was the Bundy False Flag--no, this is Black Lives Matter.

CLINTON

Ohh . . . Right . . . 

AXELROD

Then Sanders comes on stage--and he'll REALLY screw it up.

CLINTON

How do you know he'll REALLY screw it up. What will he say? White Lives Matter?

EVERYONE gasps in horror.

AXELROD

No, he'll just want to talk about his platform first--before giving in to the protesters.

CLINTON

How is that worse?

AXELROD

Because it'll upset them. There'll be blood in the water.

CLINTON

But ... but ... what if he has an answer prepared? Or just doesn't screw up?

EVERYBODY laughs.

SHADOW MAN 1

The real genius will be when we hit Sanders NEXT. We'll have three girls take away his MICROPHONE.

CLINTON

I like it! But ... But ... What if he doesn't just hand it over. The man is running for President of the United States, after all. What if he has--I don't know--security?

SHADOW MAN 1 stands and is revealed to be DONALD TRUMP.

DONALD TRUMP

Nah. Can't fail. He'll hand it right over. He won't have security or anything. He'll just give it to them. They'll be women. ... And black. How can he say no?

CLINTON

True.

AXELROD

So this is the perfect plan: we give him fair warning--then a soft-ball heckling at Netroots. Then we follow up with the knock-out punch of a female-minority blitzkrieg--and his white male supporters will be goaded into MANSPLAINING on the INTERNET until no black person anywhere will ever vote for Bernie Sanders ever!

DOOR OPENS: Obviously drunk CHIEF JUSTICE JOHN ROBERTS has FORMER GOVERNOR MITT ROMNEY in an INTIMATE EMBRACE

CHIEF JUSTICE JOHN ROBERTS

Hey, guys? What'd we miss?

Conclusions

The point of the above is that the battle-plan of using #BLM to go after Sanders either worked far, far better than ANYONE could have predicted or it was never much of a plan anyway. Sander's complete collapse could not have been predicted and he didn't even make the critical mistake that O'Malley (and, earlier, Hillary) did (saying All Lives Matter). 

Furthermore, we, uhm, know who was behind the second stage rush. It's this nutjob. Sure, she might be a campaign plant--or manipulated--but Occam's Razor says she's just an idiot. 

This article is quite on-target with the notes that:

1. People are targeting Sanders "because he almost gets it" (more than anyone else). He's willing to listen and evolve--which means he's a target. If they tried it with Chris Christie . . . he'd slaughter them (Trump has already offered to fist-fight any BLM activist who tries to take his microphone).
2. They aren't targeting Hillary because the former Sec of State has Secret Service security. They can't get to her.
3. They aren't going after Republicans because Republicans don't care.