Maybe you should go back and read the article. Seriously. This is a case of “mostly true” meaning “literally true, but…”. This was a diplomatic trip between sister cities, Bernie was part of a delegation, and it only ended up being a honeymoon because the timing happened to coincide with his marriage. It was at the beginning of perestroika and, as you mention, Gorbachev was in power.
I believe the Red Scare has been dead for some time. I don’t think anyone gives a rat’s ass about a trip to the USSR ages ago.
Mike Huckabee’s bizarre tweet during the debate:
Yeah, Mike. We know you’re still alive. Now crawl back under that rock with the other vermin.
Wow. Huck isn’t on my radar, really, except as “the über-Christian guy.” Is he usually openly racist, or is this new for him?
This is the most national exposure any of the other candidates besides HRC have received.
Heading into the debate, Clinton had a RCP average of 43.3% and Bernie 25.1%. Everyone else was under 1% (unannounced Biden 17%).
I have to assume that although the ratings and media coverage will be lower than the GOP debates, Democrats will start to dismiss Biden, so he will lose some points, which may be Bernie’s gain. Although this is HRC’s election, I have to imagine some older liberals liked Bernie’s Noam Chomsky imitation, and the young ones liked his angst. There is a reason why Bernie is an internet phenomenon- his sentences could have easily come from parts of this very message board.
Webb is on the wrong side…Chaffey seems like a lame standard politician…O’Malley was boring…HRC performed well considering she had Anderson Cooper’s support.
I agree. I’m not sure most Americans even know what the USSR was or that vacationing in Russia used to be a taboo thing. 
Anyway, Bernie is open about his socialist views, so it shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone watching him what he visited there, diplomatic trip or vacation. It’s a non-issue in 2015. Conservatives won’t vote for him regardless.
Yeah, he gets permanent karma points for that exchange.
From the little I’ve had time to watch and the tons of highlights I’ve seen, I think Hilary did a very good job. I would still rather have Bernie, but Hilary would do fine, I’m sure.
Bernie did not do as good as I’d hoped. He’s still my first choice, but he didn’t get his message across as clearly as I’d have liked.
I knew nothing about Webb before this debate. He might be a great guy, but he came across as angry and bitter.
Chafee flubbed badly. He should have just owned the vote and explained that times were different, he’s evolved, or some other acceptable reason for a change of mind. He seemed very nervous.
O’Malley. I don’t know. He says the right things usually, but his record isn’t that great. I thought he was going to cry when he was talking about mass shootings, but he just doesn’t seem sincere to me.
One more thought about Webb: his Vietnam service was genuinely courageous, but I think it’s unrealistic to draw a connection between one’s actions under fire in a war that ended in January 1973, and one’s fitness for the Presidency in January 2017.
The debate addressed issues and, for the most part, avoided set piece speeches.
Interesting to contrast the Dem and Rep players:
Clinton v Trump
Sanders v Carson
Webb v Fiorina
The Dems really looked good.
Crane
This was a good showing for Hillary. Her goal was to avoid land mines and she did that. The rest of the field seemed content to let her go about her business. And really, what are those 3 other guys doing on the stage? They wouldn’t even be at the kids’ table on the GOP side with their numbers.
Feel the Chafe!
He is usually openly racist.
I’m sure Chafee is a really sweet guy.
Webb observed the Republican party had moved away from him, so he’s running Democrat. This is too bad because he would have been the diamond in the cesspool at the Republican food fights. I can’t believe 50% of this country (those loyal to the Republican party) enjoy the prospect of having a broad selection of buffoons to choose from–Webb strikes me as having the strength, honor, and integrity to slam some reality back into the party. Of course, he hasn’t. And he walked away from that battle.
O’Malley didn’t fuck it up. He hasn’t got “it” so I don’t see him beating Hillary or Bernie, but what he didn’t do was give cause to strike his name from the ballot.
Sanders: Pretty sure he never sleeps. Pretty sure he’s an Aspie. He strikes me as someone who gets headaches thinking down to the level of normal people, but he does it anyway because he feels he should. Angry professor. If he gets the presidency, he will truly transform this country for the better, but we’ll never really be comfortable with him. Good president, not ‘presidential’. Which totally works for me–I hate affectation.
Clinton: The safe bet. She will not change anything, but she won’t make things worse. Funny thing: my kids (15 & 17) were watching. They liked Sanders and felt he was nuts, but honest. They thought Hillary looked like she had already been president (because of her polish), but they also were scared of her. Clever, manipulative, and effective like Saruman, only not quite as outwardly creepy/evil.
How in the name of common sense do you get “racist” out of that quote?
I think it’s pretty clever. Everybody knows how poorly-fed the North Koreans are; and if you take Saunders at his word about how much new spending he wants to do, your tax dollars are in as much danger from him as a dog would be in a semi-starving society.
The implications that Koreans eat dogs is a common racist (anti-Korean, or anti-Asian in general) trope.
It’s racist in that it reinforces the stereotype that Asians eat dogs.
“Your” tax dollars are already being spent, Sanders would just reprioritize the spending as well as collect more from our deadbeat welfare queen millionaires and corporations.
It’s an especially poor choice of analogy, given Huckabee’s history with his own son and dogs.
Clinton is a very good debater. She has had tons of practice at it as well (she had a few 8 years ago ;)) and definitely puts in the work in debate prep. It helps that she really enjoys the wonky aspects, so it seems like she has fun up there (far more fun than just delivering a stump speech).
Dumb jock? Are you kidding me? I can see not liking the guy, thinking he comes across as too stiff, disagreeing with him on his positions, but I can’t see anyone thinking he came across as dumb.