You know what will be totally great? If Trump chooses Palin as his running mate. And then they would both debate Hillary and whomever she chooses to run against. I’m sorry for Hillary because that will be degrading but the comedic factor will be priceless.
In the meantime, here is Bernie Sanders’ interview with Ezra Klein where Bernie defends the nation-state. He actually uses the word “nation-state” and makes a series of very reasonable, clam statements that deserve attention. But he’s talking from the past and trying to bring the past back which is a cute but quite a quixotic proposition. It doesn’t even occur to Bernie that there might be something a tad antiquated about “women should stay at home with babies.” Equally funny is “racism has existed from day one.” Day one of what, precisely? We’ve traveled a long way since the 1970s and have arrived at more sophisticated ways of discussing gender and race.
In terms of foreign policy, Bernie is about as well-informed as Sarah Palin. Just this one bit is priceless:
I happen to believe that when you talk about foreign policy, a the very top of the list is the need for the United States to lead the world, to work with China, work with Russia, work with India in transforming our energy system away from fossil fuels and into energy efficiency and sustainable energy.
Anybody who is marginally aware of Russia realizes that working WITH Russia to move AWAY from fossil fuels is as likely as working with me on moving away from reading books. The entire argument on China, India and Russia (whom it is absolutely ridiculous to lump together, by the way) is childish in the extreme.
In short, Sanders is obviously a decent, honest fellow who has some very important things to say but he’s not even remotely ready to be a president of such a big and complex country. He can preside over nostalgia of the past but not over an actual country of the present and the future.
Clarissa's Blog 
I happen to believe that when you talk about foreign policy, a the very top of the list is the need for the United States to lead the world, to work with China, work with Russia, work with India in transforming our energy system away from fossil fuels and into energy efficiency and sustainable energy.
Anybody who is marginally aware of Russia realizes that working WITH Russia to move AWAY from fossil fuels is as likely as working with me on moving away from reading books. The entire argument on China, India and Russia (whom it is absolutely ridiculous to lump together, by the way) is childish in the extreme.
If you mean that Russia gets a large percentage of revenues from fossil fuels than that’s right. The argument lumping together China, Russia and India only makes some sort sense if you conceive of them as “world powers who use or will use lots of fossil fuels.” All of three of them are in a cautious detente. I could see any of them going to war even though they do trade with each other. China and Russia have disputed territories as do China and India.
Interestingly enough, the Saudis are hedging their bets
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Russian oligarchs base all of their power and their opulent lifestyle of unimaginable luxury on oil and gas. The idea that they will let that go because of global warming – a concept that not even the most progressive people in Russia find relevant or convincing – is very very naive. There is no Russia without fossil fuels. The federation will disintegrate if the oil money isn’t there to keep it together.
One has to know things like that about the largest country on Earth if one wants to be in politics.
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Harper hasn’t dropped the writ for the coming fall federal election but I already got my first piece of campaign literature in the mail on Friday – a malevolent little piece of work by a Conservative Party front organization, the Centre for Bio Ethical Reform, with a photo shopped picture of Justin Trudeau looking with approval at a picture of a ten week aborted fetus.
I would never vote for him because:
1) I don’t believe in dynastic politics even though the political gurus say that elections are decided by low information voters who vote based on name recognition.
2) He voted for the reprehensible C-51 bill dubbed the anti terrorism bill which creates a new legal class of anticipatory guilt. A bit like the movie Minority Report.
3) He is the corporate world’s sock puppet in Canada.
This is electoral pabulum for illiterate LIVs and tries to reframe the conversation from policy to dead babies. The voters deserve better.
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I agree completely with everything you say about Trudeau. And this campaign flyer you received is simply disgusting. I was hoping for a greater sophistication in Canadian electoral process. This is all very sad.
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You did have a troll from Alberta so these arguments have some traction among some Canadians.
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This is just a personal question for you Clarissa. I am not trying to pry so feel free to ignore. Do you ever think you would become an American citizen so that you can vote? I don’t think I could live in a state with Rauner as governor (or potentially a country with Scott Walker as president!) and have no ability to vote. Rauner especially affects your life quite personally. Does it drive you crazy that you can’t vote? (And to give you some context: I vote on almost everything: local, state, nationwide elections. So I am a bit of a voting junkie. I might just be viewing this through my own lens.)
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This is a very good question. I wasn’t going to seek American citizenship but precisely after Rauner got elected I started doubting that decision. Rauner is such a disaster for the state, and I am getting quite desperate to be able to vote and feel like I have an impact on the situation. I still have a few years before I can apply, and it’s highly probable that Rauner will drive me crazy in that time.
The good news, though – Walker will not be president of the US.
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