Just received an email from President Obama asking me to watch the GOP debate. My response:

[Kber]

Dear Sir,


You can ask a lot, but this is a bridge too far.


I don't have enough booze in the house to get me through a solid hour of GOP talking points. I'm afraid I must leave this work to those with stronger stomachs or better stocked liqueur cabinets.

Respectfully,

[think]

1. Why is all the Democratic leadership encouraging us to watch the GOP instead of our own?

[Kber]

5. It's not an either / or thing

The email wanted Democrats to listen so we were familiar first hand with the talking points and would be prepared to counter the next day around the water cooler, etc.

Kind of a "forewarned is forearmed" tactic.

Even so, I've got plans. Or will make sure I have something better to do.

[homegirl]

19. Plans for Thursday

Comedy Central is featuring an all day marathon of The Daily Show. Perfect timing.

[rhett o rick]

13. Maybe if we "look over there" at the GOP, we won't notice that the Democratic Leadership

is trying to get Clinton nominated without any debates.

[George II]

20. There's always one in the crowd.

The DEMOCRATIC Leadership has and always will determine their schedule for the DEMOCRATIC debates.

If anyone isn't happy, he/she is perfectly able to go somewhere else for his/her candidacy.

Remember, they'll be the DEMOCRATIC PARTY debates.

[daybranch]

25. Democratic Leadership might overstate their value

especially as progressives remove their third way, DLC mentality from our Democratic Party.
Your elitist comment certainly does not seem to include the big tent view, All Democrats should be anxious to hear Hillary debate O'Malley and Sanders. If you are afraid your candidate will get hung out to dry supporting the oligarchy, you have a valid concern. Her support of the TPP is an attack on our National Sovereignty. Her non support of the Iran Treaty seems to be a betrayal of their right to National Soverignty. Her failure to support reinstatement of Glass-Steagall appears to be siding with the oligarchy over the people. Her views I am sure will change as her pollsters continue to tell her people sure like Bernie. But I suspect her me too words better start soon or she will continue to bleed supporters.

[PBass]

29. Stop spreading disinformation about Hillary Clinton.

Hillary is for banking reform, and considers Glass-Steagall to be imperfect. That doesn't mean she is anti-reform:

"We have a too-big-to-fail problem still and we have to figure out the best way to address it, and I will be talking more about that. But I am not going to be pointing at any one change and saying, you know, ‘that’ll solve all our problems.’ Because I just don’t think that is an accurate assessment."

http://thehill.com/policy/finance/249050-clinton-dodges-on-glass-steagall

She has not come out publicly in favor of the TPP, and has specific reservations:

The Democratic front-runner in the 2016 presidential race said she wants to see rules included in the Trans-Pacific Partnership that would penalize countries for driving down the value of their currencies in order to give their exports a price advantage in the U.S. market.

And she said she's concerned about a provision that would give "corporations more power to overturn health and environmental and labor rules than consumers have."

http://www.cnn.com/2015/05/19/politics/hillary-clinton-trade-issues-iowa-trip/

On Iran:

"Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton on Tuesday night clarified that she supports the agreement that President Obama's administration and its world partners have reached with Iran to freeze its nuclear program."

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/hillary-clinton-comes-out-in-favor-of-obamas-iran-deal/

[rhett o rick]

34. The first two are pure political rhetoric. "We have a problem and we have to figure out ......."

On banking reform, she says she wants to "figure out" the best way to address it but won't say what that might look like. It could be anything. She didn't commit to tighter regulations because she might not think that's the best way.

About the TPP, "she wants to see rules...." Yes so what. What if you never get those rules? Tell us you would be against it without the rules. And "she is concerned about a provision...." How concerned? Enough to stop supporting it?

On Iran she actually makes a statement. "she supports the agreement". That's what we need. Statements not rhetoric.

How about fracking? I think she supports it but she hasn't made it very clear.

How about the XL Pipeline? Not clear where she stands.

How about domestic spying, indefinite detention, the Patriot Act, Drone killing, torture, closing Gitmo, etc. There are a lot of issues she hasn't made very clear.

[rhett o rick]

30. Ah yes, if one doesn't like the Democratic Leadership's conservative bias one can sit down and shut

up. But that's really not very democratic or Democratic is it?

The Party Leadership is clearly biased for Clinton and seem to want to eliminate all the debates. She is the front runner and can glide into the nomination just like Goldman-Sachs and the billionaires want. When the progressives call for debates, the conservatives of the party try to shout them down.

Senator Sanders is bring out new voters that have been previously discouraged with the status quo of corporate run candidates. Whether you like it or not the people will not continue to tolerate the yoke of the Oligarchy.

[rock]

36. Let me jump in right there

"The Party Leadership is clearly biased for Clinton..." This is an easy mistake to make and many have made it before you, so I have to correct you as it is very annoying to my ears. It's not the Democratic Party Leadership that is biased for Clinton; it's the real world.

[rhett o rick]

38. Yes it is the real world, where the billionaires rule. Where they can buy the Democratic Leadership.

Well you might relish the company of the Wall Street Gangsters, and gloat at the power they have, but I think that reality is that the people are sick and tired of your Plutocratic Oligarchs and their enablers.

There are two sides to this class war and Sen Sanders and Clinton are on opposite sides. I am guessing you feel more comfortable on the side of the Wall Street Oligarchs.

[daybranch]

21. yep again!

We must keep our eyes on the prize and work more and more for Bernie. He depends on our legs and our phones to get out his message. We depend on him to help create the revolution we so badly need.
Lets recommit to working hard and ignoring the distractions main stream media wants to present. Go Bernie!

[hughee99]

22. Because it makes it easier for them later on to make the case to you that you NEED to vote

for what you see as the lesser of two evils. You may not like the candidate we end up with, you'll hate whichever of these assholes they end up with.

Think of it as a "GOTV initiative".

[PeaceNikki]

27. OMG, I love your avatar!!

I am so thrilled with Bloom County's return I could cry. It's like 'going home' seeing new strips.

[former9thward]

28. "our own"?

There are no Democratic debates scheduled.

[Fawke Em]

33. I think that was the point. eom

[onecaliberal]

2. I'm with you. I can't do it either.

My husband says he's going to try.

[Kber]

8. Keep an emergency first aid kit handy

and wish him good luck!

[onecaliberal]

10. Good idea.

I just don't see how it's possible to tolerate the crap.

[MoonRiver]

3. I'm watching every minute of it!

Those debates promise to be comedy central!

[Kber]

7. Good!

I'm happy for you to watch so I don't have to!

My sister used to listen regularly to Rush Limbaugh so she could hear first hand what was being spewed.

She stopped a few years ago because she didn't feel he ever said anything substantially new. Plus her antacid expenses were getting a bit high.

[MoonRiver]

32. It's watching these clowns field off T-rump's attacks that will be a hoot!

Of course if I get too disgusted I will just turn it off.

[still_one]

14. You have a point, but I will get get by feed from those on DU who choose to watch it

[brooklynite]

4. Well the President IS a big supporter of infrastructure spending...

[Kber]

6. LOL - true

[cilla4progress]

9. I will!

Funny thing...it's Jon Stewart's last show! Too bad he didn't have just 1 more in him -- after the "debate"!

I'll DVR Stewart and watch the debate. Should be HI-LARious!!

[stage left]

11. LOL

How much liquor would be enough to make it bearable, do you think? A barrel full, a boatload?

[potone]

12. More than exists on this planet.

[Kber]

18. Enough to be more than comfortably numb

[olddots]

15. I run out of hate

which is one thing people seem to have an infinite supply of .Voting seems like our biggest ego trip we are allowed now .I want to live in a socialistic democracy spelled in small letters because nothing is perfect ,thats why we have imaginations

[Stellar]

16. It's on USA Today.

President Obama is urging Democratic Party members — and donors — to watch Thursday’s debate among the Republican presidential candidates, and to take good notes.

“Listen carefully to what the Republican candidates for president say, and then hold them accountable for trying to undo all of the hard work we’ve done to move this country forward,” Obama said in a email to fellow Democrats on Tuesday. “I can’t overstate what an important difference you can make by doing this.”

Republicans are counting on Democrats to ignore their 2016 nomination battle, Obama said. But party members need to know what their GOP rivals are saying in order to counter their arguments.

In his email, Obama also offered a preview of Thursday’s Republican debate in Cleveland.

“I’m gonna bet that they’ll all promise to repeal the Affordable Care Act. They’ll all tell us that even though they aren’t scientists, we shouldn’t believe in the science behind climate change. They’ll all want to reverse course on immigration reform and marriage equality. They’re going to deny all of the progress we’ve made together over these past six years.”

http://onpolitics.usatoday.com/2015/08/04/obama-to-democrats-watch-the-gop-debate/

[daleanime]

17. No way....

I can't afford to replace my TV.

[hobbit709]

23. I'd rather have a root canal without anesthesia than watch a clown debate.

[herding cats]

24. My liver can't take the whole event I suspect.

I don't know how much I can watch of it, but I will have it on and be listening to some of it. That's the best I can honestly say I'm going to do.

Does it count if I follow the top moments on DU? I can handle that much without putting my liver in danger.

[Kber]

26. Yes I think that counts!

There are enough brave souls, even just in this thread, who will be actually watching, that I'm sure we can get away with their reports from the front lines.

[spinbaby]

31. I beg to differ

There IS enough booze. What we need now is a good drinking game.

[Johonny]

35. Why would I want to give FOX news ratings?

I don't allow hate speech on my TV. I've had that channel blacked out for years.

[IDemo]

37. Here's just a short example of what you'll miss: