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You are here: Home / Open Threads / Open Thread: SOPA / PIPA

Open Thread: SOPA / PIPA

by Anne Laurie|  January 15, 20128:51 pm| 82 Comments

This post is in: Open Threads, Republican Venality, Science & Technology, Assholes

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According to The Hill, “Controversial online piracy bill shelved until ‘consensus’ is found“:

House Oversight Chairman Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) said early Saturday morning that Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) promised him the House will not vote on the controversial Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) unless there is consensus on the bill.
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“While I remain concerned about Senate action on the Protect IP Act, I am confident that flawed legislation will not be taken up by this House,” Issa said in a statement. “Majority Leader Cantor has assured me that we will continue to work to address outstanding concerns and work to build consensus prior to any anti-piracy legislation coming before the House for a vote.”…
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SOPA is designed to go after foreign websites that offer illegal copies of music, movies and TV shows with impunity. Even without the provision allowing sites to be blocked, the bill would empower the Justice Department and copyright holders to demand that search engines delete links to sites “dedicated” to copyright infringement. Ad networks and payment processors would be prohibited from doing business with the sites…

Well, not even WordPress wants to break the internet. But is it just a side effect of being old and cynical that when two of the foremost Mustelidae representatives in today’s Congress say that they’ve got this, I hear the echo of that cherished Republican mantra, Trust, but verify?

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Previous Post: « Golden Globes Open Thread
Next Post: I guess we settled that question »

Reader Interactions

82Comments

  1. 1.

    cathyx

    January 15, 2012 at 8:59 pm

    It’s a test as to which corporations gave the most money to the politicians.

  2. 2.

    Warren Terra

    January 15, 2012 at 9:02 pm

    Please kill the autoplaying video from Vimeo.

    On the bright side, Vimeo didn’t manage to kill my Flash plug-in this time; maybe they’re making progress.

    ETA you don’t note it, and your link doesn’t, but The White House either killed SOPA with a veto threat yesterday or realized it was about die and leaped to get some good press by announcing they were agin’ it, too.

  3. 3.

    oldswede

    January 15, 2012 at 9:06 pm

    A library director I know who is also an attorney told me that the ‘fair use’ part of copyright law is incredibly hard to pin down and define. This is the part that will be at the center of any dispute when the media companies start claiming violations.
    oldswede

  4. 4.

    MikeJ

    January 15, 2012 at 9:16 pm

    @oldswede: Fair use isn’t something you can just claim and everything is magically ok. The only time it matters is when you are being sued, then you can claim it in court and try to prove it. It is no defense against being sued in the first place. Which means that even if it *is* an open and shut fair use case (and god knows most people claiming it are incredibly off base), it will cost you tens of thousands of dollars to make the claim.

  5. 5.

    lamh35

    January 15, 2012 at 9:19 pm

    Breaking: Huntsman to drop out of race tomorrow, and maybe endorse Romney!

  6. 6.

    Baud

    January 15, 2012 at 9:22 pm

    @lamh35: I saw that on Twitter, but haven’t found a source yet. Where is that coming from?

  7. 7.

    MikeJ

    January 15, 2012 at 9:25 pm

    @lamh35: He just picked up the endorsement of the biggest paper in SC. Odd timing if it were true.

  8. 8.

    lamh35

    January 15, 2012 at 9:27 pm

    @Baud: from CNN reporters on twitter and others

    ETA: now confirmed by NBC news too

  9. 9.

    Baud

    January 15, 2012 at 9:27 pm

    @lamh35: @Baud:

    Found a Politico story confirming the drop out. I guess daddy decided to cut him off.

  10. 10.

    dmsilev

    January 15, 2012 at 9:28 pm

    @Baud: The NY Times has a ‘breaking news’ banner at the top of their homepage. Just ‘dropping out’, nothing about a Mittens endorsement.

  11. 11.

    lamh35

    January 15, 2012 at 9:29 pm

    guess the GOP is really trying to sew this up for Romney

  12. 12.

    MikeJ

    January 15, 2012 at 9:30 pm

    Thank god. He was the only one I thought had a chance of winning in November.

  13. 13.

    gnomedad

    January 15, 2012 at 9:32 pm

    Worse than gastritis.

  14. 14.

    Xecky Gilchrist

    January 15, 2012 at 9:32 pm

    Huntsman is dropping out? Not suspending his campaign like all the kewl kidz do?

  15. 15.

    dmsilev

    January 15, 2012 at 9:32 pm

    Story on Huntsman: http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/01/15/huntsman-says-hes-quitting-g-o-p-race/
    Anonymous sources are cited as saying he will endorse Romney. Can’t see this making much difference except cutting down on the GOP’s debate bill at rent-a-podium.

  16. 16.

    Baud

    January 15, 2012 at 9:36 pm

    It’ll be fun to watch Huntsman endorse Romney. Huntsman was more brutal to him than just about any Democrat would have been.

  17. 17.

    Amir Khalid

    January 15, 2012 at 9:36 pm

    There’s a post about Huntsman dropping out of the race on NYT’s political blog The Caucus. No mention of him endorsing Romney or anyone else.

  18. 18.

    JGabriel

    January 15, 2012 at 9:37 pm

    OT Breaking: Huntsman’s OUT! (non-Times subscriber safe link)

    Jon M. Huntsman Jr. informed his advisers on Sunday that he intends to drop out of the Republican presidential race, ending his candidacy a week before he had hoped to revive his campaign in the South Carolina primary.

    Edited To Add: And, of course, everyone else got there first ‘cuz o’ my slow typing skills. Sorry for the repetition.

    .

  19. 19.

    lamh35

    January 15, 2012 at 9:37 pm

    NBC news on twitter is reporting that Huntsman will endorse Romney this week

  20. 20.

    dmsilev

    January 15, 2012 at 9:41 pm

    @Amir Khalid: Funny, a few minutes ago that story did have a mention of endorsement, but it’s gone now. Guess the anonymous sources recanted, or we’re trumped by other anonymous sources, or something.

  21. 21.

    a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q)

    January 15, 2012 at 9:41 pm

    @lamh35: In other words, we now have a single Mormon primary.

  22. 22.

    Linda Featheringill

    January 15, 2012 at 9:44 pm

    Well, since the Republicans haven’t listened to anything else that Huntsman had to say, they probably won’t be influenced by his endorsement.

    No hits, no runs, no errors.

  23. 23.

    General Stuck

    January 15, 2012 at 9:44 pm

    Huntsman ran out of cash, pure and simple. I just got through reading The State, and its editorial endorsing Huntsman. And it struck me what could have been, if the GOP weren’t run by Limbaugh and Hannity, Huntsman has a highly impressive resume, way more rounded and politically stable than any of the morons left in the race. But he is not moderate on domestic spending issues and the safety net. He is as big a wingnut as there is, up to his chin in trickle down nonsense, not to mention privatizing the New Deal. He could have been a contender against Obama. So now he is going to endorse Romney? That’s like Dr Henry Jekyll endorsing Mr. Eddy Hyde.

  24. 24.

    lamh35

    January 15, 2012 at 9:45 pm

    so if the field is cleared early anyone think there will be backlash?

  25. 25.

    Judas Escargot

    January 15, 2012 at 9:46 pm

    Other election news: Scott Brown and Elizabeth Warren to meet about an “Enforceable Agreement” to limit/curtail outside spending.

    Don’t fall for it, Dr. Warren.

  26. 26.

    JGabriel

    January 15, 2012 at 9:47 pm

    @Xecky Gilchrist:

    Huntsman is dropping out? Not suspending his campaign like all the kewl kidz do?

    The official announcement will probably be a suspension, but I wouldn’t be too surprised if Huntsman flat drops out.

    The primary reason for suspending is so a campaign can continue fundraising to pay off its debts, or continue grifting its donors with that excuse. Since Huntsman is personally rich, and his dad is rich as fuck, he might want to pay off the leftover campaign debt himself rather than deal with fundraising for it. He probably has better things to do with his time.

    .

  27. 27.

    Baud

    January 15, 2012 at 9:47 pm

    @General Stuck: It’s a bit of a Catch-22, Stuck. If the GOP were as sane as Huntsman, Obama could have accomplished about 3x as much, and may have been difficult for the GOP to beat for that reason.

    Live by the crazy, die by the crazy.

  28. 28.

    Baud

    January 15, 2012 at 9:48 pm

    @Judas Escargot: I thought it was Warren’s idea?

  29. 29.

    Amir Khalid

    January 15, 2012 at 9:49 pm

    Cain is out, Bachmann is out, Huntsman is out. So who’s left? Mitt, Noot, Ron Paul, Santorum … is Perry still in or out?

  30. 30.

    JGabriel

    January 15, 2012 at 9:49 pm

    @General Stuck:

    That’s like Dr Henry Jekyll endorsing Mr. Eddy Hyde.

    Or the Beaver endorsing Eddie Haskell?

    .

  31. 31.

    dmsilev

    January 15, 2012 at 9:50 pm

    @Judas Escargot: How is that supposed to be enforceable? The whole point of those slush-fund SuperPACs is that they’re at least nominally not controllable by the candidates.

  32. 32.

    Cat Lady

    January 15, 2012 at 9:51 pm

    What was the point of Huntsman’s run anyway? Everyone but him and some Villagers knew he wasn’t going to go anywhere in the teatard party. If he was really running for 2016 he would’ve started running in 2013, and with another rich Mormon ex-governor in the race, what did he think he was offering that was different? The guy just has bad judgment and is an ingrate to boot.

  33. 33.

    JGabriel

    January 15, 2012 at 9:53 pm

    @General Stuck:

    Huntsman ran out of cash, pure and simple.

    Between Huntsman’s personal wealth and his father’s, I’m not sure that’s actually possible, whatever the campaign’s financial records might say. If Huntsman wanted to stay in, he could find the money easily enough.

    .

  34. 34.

    dmsilev

    January 15, 2012 at 9:53 pm

    @Amir Khalid: Perry’s still in, though he’s in single digits in the polling. I’m going to guesss that he drops out after the South Carolina primary in a week or so.

  35. 35.

    lamh35

    January 15, 2012 at 9:55 pm

    Story on ABC news saying Huntsman going to endorse Romney at a press conference at 11am tomorrow

    http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2012/01/huntsman-to-drop-out-of-gop-race/

  36. 36.

    JGabriel

    January 15, 2012 at 9:55 pm

    @Amir Khalid:

    Mitt, Noot, Ron Paul, Santorum … is Perry still in or out?

    Perry is still in, but expect him to drop out after SC or FL — unless he wins SC’s 3rd CD (reportedly the most conservative), in which case he might stick around a little longer

    .

  37. 37.

    Judas Escargot

    January 15, 2012 at 9:59 pm

    @Baud:

    From the TPM article:

    Sen. Scott Brown (R-Mass.) sent Democrat Elizabeth Warren a letter on Friday challenging her to join him in denouncing outside groups, who have already spent millions on attack ads in the race. Rather than ignore the challenge, Warren called Brown on his cell phone — and sent him a letter proposing a meeting between the two campaigns to reach an “enforceable agreement” to rein in the outside groups.

    First I heard of Scott Brown’s letter was on WBZ (the local AM news station). Which is odd, since the only out-of-state ads I’ve seen have all been pro-Brown. Warren was the one who upped the ante and introduced the ‘enforceable’ language, which is apparently what they are supposed to meet about.

    As dmislev points out, there’s really no way to enforce such an agreement, since a SuperPAC can essentially do as it pleases with or without the candidate’s permission. Witness how Romney stayed clean in Iowa, despite the attack ads against Gingrich, since there was no real accountability.

    L’Escargot smells a bullshit trap.

  38. 38.

    gaz

    January 15, 2012 at 9:59 pm

    @Baud: Hehehe. That’s an interesting perspective, and I’m inclined to agree with you =)

  39. 39.

    gaz

    January 15, 2012 at 10:01 pm

    @Amir Khalid: Or we can skip all the pretense of a “contest” and just say it’s Romney. heh. =)

  40. 40.

    magurakurin

    January 15, 2012 at 10:02 pm

    @lamh35: One would assume Huntsman is now running for VP…but two Mormons on the ticket? Hell, the WWE wouldn’t even let them be a tag-team like that. Bye bye Huntsman, ya shoulda ran in 2016, but now you will be forever branded as a world class loser.

    Paul, he’ll never give up, I reckon. Santorum can probably be bought off at some point. Newt is a wild card/loose cannon. I suppose he has his price, but he might go until the bitter end. Here’s hoping the fun last until the convention.

  41. 41.

    gaz

    January 15, 2012 at 10:03 pm

    @Judas Escargot: I agree. It smells like campaign posturing. Still, I’m glad at least that such an issue is part of the political discourse. Even if it’s only lip service, I’ll take any good news I can get at this point.

  42. 42.

    Amir Khalid

    January 15, 2012 at 10:04 pm

    i could see Huntsman having decided to run largely on donated cash rather than daddybucks to gauge the true extent of his support. But if he has to drop out this early for want of that support, this doesn’t do a hell of a lot for his “it’s my turn” claim to the 2016 nomination, does it?

  43. 43.

    Mark S.

    January 15, 2012 at 10:06 pm

    Really, who else would Huntsman endorse besides Romney? Ron Paul? Rick Santorum?

  44. 44.

    srv

    January 15, 2012 at 10:06 pm

    Yeah, two shitheads “got this” and Obama found his talking points after they did.

  45. 45.

    gaz

    January 15, 2012 at 10:06 pm

    @Amir Khalid: I’m guessing if he had less scruples he would have run as a democrat, and threatened Obama with a primary challenge. HIGHLY UNLIKELY, but he probably would have done better for himself than he did with the GOP =)

  46. 46.

    General Stuck

    January 15, 2012 at 10:07 pm

    @Cat Lady:

    The GOP are a funny bunch. They exist as several distinct and often competing factions that are not conducive to pulling together in a pragmatic way/ Dems diffs are much more superficial and shallow by comparison. Mostly quarreling about the color of the drapes.

    But one thing usually brings them together, and that is their hunger for power. They weren’t hungry enough with Clinton’s reelection, and it looks the same with Obama. Plus, they need a competent and wingnut grade (but not nuts) charismatic candidate. And a candidate that is at least anchored in basic conservative policy.

    They picked Dole, not to win, but because it was his turn. They picked GWB because it wasn’t his turn, but they wanted to win. And it looks like Romney will get picked by a lot of weird circumstance of the field, and it’s his turn.

    There are any number of other wingers that would have been better candidates, than this bunch of clowns, with the exception of Huntsman, but they were smart enough to realize the still volatile nature of their party, and it’s current insatiable appetite for right wing red meat. Plus the tea tards have organized some, also pushing the party further right.

    It will likely be different in 2016, after 8 years out of the WH, and the level of wingnuttery settled down enough to be subjugated to a more clear headed state, to win.

    There are other factors as well, but this is my take on the main ones. And the biggest factor is I think we are entering a political era that at least has not existed in our lifetimes, and maybe never has existed, and is brand new ground.

  47. 47.

    Admiral Ackbar

    January 15, 2012 at 10:09 pm

    @Judas Escargot:

    Other election news: Scott Brown and Elizabeth Warren to meet about an “Enforceable Agreement” to limit/curtail outside spending.

    It’s a trap!

  48. 48.

    lamh35

    January 15, 2012 at 10:11 pm

    Whatever ya think of Obama and 11 dimensional chess, but the appointment of Jon Huntsman may have been the most ingenious thing Obama admin had ever done.

  49. 49.

    Baud

    January 15, 2012 at 10:11 pm

    In honor of Huntsman, the Democrats should put together a video montage of Huntsman’s best attack ads against Romney.

  50. 50.

    gaz

    January 15, 2012 at 10:13 pm

    @lamh35: I think so too. Even though I denounce 11th dimensional chess in general. Sometimes it works. Also, I think that Huntsman was probably pretty good at his job. So there was no downside in appointing him to it. =)

  51. 51.

    General Stuck

    January 15, 2012 at 10:14 pm

    @JGabriel:

    I heard that his father wanted him to ask him for financial help with the campaign, but John declined. I don’t know for sure if he ran out of money, and that being the reason. But it usually is, especially when things are at least looking up with some important endorsements.

  52. 52.

    Baud

    January 15, 2012 at 10:14 pm

    @Judas Escargot: I’m not gonna worry. Warren seems to have a good head on her shoulders. She should do one of those “STFU, I got this” memes.

  53. 53.

    Hill Dweller

    January 15, 2012 at 10:15 pm

    @General Stuck: I wonder if the Teahadists have realized they were manipulated by the big money.

    If we’re lucky they’ll stay home in protest.

  54. 54.

    gaz

    January 15, 2012 at 10:16 pm

    @Mark S.:

    Really, who else would Huntsman endorse besides Romney? Ron Paul? Rick Santorum?

    Barack Obama?

  55. 55.

    Ben Cisco

    January 15, 2012 at 10:16 pm

    @gnomedad: If gastritis can break a calculator, what the hell does THAT break?

  56. 56.

    dmsilev

    January 15, 2012 at 10:17 pm

    @lamh35: You’ve got to wonder what Huntsman was thinking. If he was going to make a serious run in the primary, he should have said ‘thanks but no thanks’ when Obama offered him a job.

  57. 57.

    Judas Escargot

    January 15, 2012 at 10:18 pm

    @gaz:

    Still, I’m glad at least that such an issue is part of the political discourse. Even if it’s only lip service, I’ll take any good news I can get at this point.

    I suppose it could lead to some new Massachusetts law to try and reign in out-of-state spending in our campaigns. But, not being an attorney, I don’t even know if the Mass General Court has the power to do that (Citizens United was a Federal decision). A State law might just get overturned again by SCOTUS.

  58. 58.

    Mitt the Ripper

    January 15, 2012 at 10:22 pm

    I killed a company today, just to watch it die.

  59. 59.

    Hill Dweller

    January 15, 2012 at 10:22 pm

    Huntsman is endorsing a guy he called ‘unelectable’ last week.

  60. 60.

    Baud

    January 15, 2012 at 10:22 pm

    Text of Huntsman’s speech leaked:

    “I will always put my country first. It seems that Governor Romney believes in putting politics first. Governor Romney enjoys firing people. I enjoy creating jobs.

    And that’s why I’m endorsing Governor Romney for the Republican nomination for President of the United States.”

  61. 61.

    gaz

    January 15, 2012 at 10:25 pm

    @Judas Escargot: Well yeah.

    I really wish Wiener had kept his mini me pictures to himself until the ethics investigation against Clarence Thomas was under way. That guy had an opportunity to undo some real evil (maybe – but a fair shot at least!) in this country. And he blew it by being a tool. or displaying his tool – whatever.

    ARG. I wish Thomas would just get caught knocking over a liquor store or something – would make the situation more straightforward at least.

  62. 62.

    amk

    January 15, 2012 at 10:25 pm

    so, huntsman is shunted out. Love it. Poor msm and his PL pals must be choking with all those feathers. The guy was never and will never be presidential material.

  63. 63.

    Amir Khalid

    January 15, 2012 at 10:29 pm

    @gnomedad:
    I watched the clip. This is not a good earworm to have. I blame you.

  64. 64.

    jenn

    January 15, 2012 at 10:33 pm

    @dmsilev: Actually, I remember that pretty clearly – right before his decision (within a week or two, I think) to take the position as Ambassador, he had some well-publicized disses; the one I particularly remember was some event that disinvited him from speaking, because he was “too moderate.” I think that, combined with the fact that I do actually believe him to be a patriot and a good guy (albeit with some horrible policy choices), rather than a seditious asshole, meant that when President Obama asked him to serve, he did.

  65. 65.

    gaz

    January 15, 2012 at 10:36 pm

    @jenn: i agree with you about Huntsman.

  66. 66.

    piratedan

    January 15, 2012 at 10:42 pm

    If anyone in the Phx metro area is looking for a cat, please drop me a line, I have a line on a male orange tabby (he’s been “altered”) and he’s looking for a warm, loving environment (ahh that’s total bs, he may actually be a life on the razor’s edge kinda kitty for all I know) to call a home. Stepbrother is in an apartment and rescued the poor fella but really can’t make him a permanent family member.

  67. 67.

    JGabriel

    January 15, 2012 at 10:43 pm

    @Baud: Win!

    .

  68. 68.

    gaz

    January 15, 2012 at 10:43 pm

    @Hill Dweller:

    Huntsman is endorsing a guy he called ‘unelectable’ last week.

    Politics is fun. What’s awesome now, is that we archive all of this stuff. ;) 400 years from now (assuming we haven’t turned ourselves to glass) this stuff is gonna be hilarious.

  69. 69.

    Villago Delenda Est

    January 15, 2012 at 10:48 pm

    @MikeJ:

    Which means that even if it is an open and shut fair use case (and god knows most people claiming it are incredibly off base), it will cost you tens of thousands of dollars to make the claim.

    Here’s how you stop this shit, but it will never happen: If you make a claim and lose, you pay legal fees for the defendant and also triple damages you sought to the defendant as a punitive measure for wasting the time of the legal system.

  70. 70.

    gaz

    January 15, 2012 at 10:51 pm

    @Villago Delenda Est: Something like this. Although try to get this through a legislative body that for all intents and purposes allows the industry to basically write legislation for them.

  71. 71.

    MikeJ

    January 15, 2012 at 11:03 pm

    @Villago Delenda Est: Yes, make the justice system even more transparently only for rich people. In a loser pays sytem nobody gets to sue exxon or walmart.

    MY point above was most people on the internet not only have no idea what “fair use” means but also what venues that defense can be used in.

  72. 72.

    Violet

    January 15, 2012 at 11:10 pm

    @Villago Delenda Est:
    How is the average person going to be able to risk bringing a lawsuit if that’s how it works? They hire a lawyer who isn’t as good as the expensive lawyers the deep-pocketed rich person/corporation hires and they lose. Everyone will know that if you can’t risk losing you don’t bring a suit. So only rich people and corporations will be able to risk engaging with the court system.

    The courts are unfair to poor people now, but a law like that would really make courts off limits to most people.

  73. 73.

    gaz

    January 15, 2012 at 11:27 pm

    @Violet: I expected VDE was considering the situation where RIAA or the MPAA or something sues somebody. They have to make their case or pay all fees.

    OTOH, each of the responses including yours, make a good point, I think. If the shoe is on the other foot, a company is effectively shielded from lawsuits itself.

  74. 74.

    Omnes Omnibus

    January 15, 2012 at 11:40 pm

    @Villago Delenda Est: Bad idea. Loser pays is only justifiable if the suit is truly frivolous.

  75. 75.

    Villago Delenda Est

    January 16, 2012 at 12:41 am

    @Omnes Omnibus:

    If the RIAA or the MPAA make the claim, and it’s frivolous, then it’s corporate death penalty time for these parasite assholes.

  76. 76.

    oldswede

    January 16, 2012 at 12:56 am

    @MikeJ:
    I said in my post, “the ‘fair use’ part of copyright law is incredibly hard to pin down and define”. Please explain how that is different from your view of it.
    oldswede

  77. 77.

    piratedan

    January 16, 2012 at 1:22 am

    just another observation…..

    http://failbook.failblog.org/2012/01/14/funny-facebook-fails-hence-sopa/

  78. 78.

    Karmakin

    January 16, 2012 at 1:28 am

    The problem is, if they were truly concerned about copyright law, then it should some sort of relatively even-handed agreement. Meaning at the very least fair use and right of first sale and such need to be codified and actively protected into law.

    The fact that there’s absolutely no upside here for citizens in terms of cultural goods, quite frankly makes it a non-starter.

  79. 79.

    AA+ Bonds

    January 16, 2012 at 5:12 pm

    “we need consensus” = Website A handed over just as much cash in just as nice a briefcase as Content Provider B

    Seriously, I couldn’t see how this would pass, it’s one of those kill-hip-companies-to-save-unhip-companies bills, and Congressmen nowadays are basically venture capitalists and board members in training; they’d never pick the old guard over the new in the market

    Big ass shift from the 1960s and 1970s there, probably one of the most important developments in American governance of the last century (or British, see Curtis’s The Mayfair Set)

  80. 80.

    AA+ Bonds

    January 16, 2012 at 5:21 pm

    @Judas Escargot:

    As dmislev points out, there’s really no way to enforce such an agreement, since a SuperPAC can essentially do as it pleases with or without the candidate’s permission. Witness how Romney stayed clean in Iowa, despite the attack ads against Gingrich, since there was no real accountability.
    __
    L’Escargot smells a bullshit trap.

    You’re right on – it’s fast and furious. Brown offers a trap so he can blame Warren for what other groups do (including any ratfuckers his own campaign can get to run attack ads against him) and Warren raises by offering to negotiate an agreement that can’t possibly happen, giving her the power to say either

    1) “I offered to reach an agreement when he asked, but he wouldn’t come to the table”, or
    2) “I invited him to reach an agreement when he asked, but he walked away from the table”

    Warren is smarter than Brown, and Warren’s people are smarter than Brown’s – they’re operating on two completely different levels, and in Mass., Warren’s level just might work

  81. 81.

    joes527

    January 16, 2012 at 5:33 pm

    @JGabriel:

    He probably has better things to do with his time.

    Well … if his bucket list includes “be ambassador to China again.” he is pretty much out of luck.

  82. 82.

    FUCK SOPA-PIPA AND THE GOVT

    January 18, 2012 at 9:31 am

    This is a load of shit, we’re supposed to be “free” but the government controls every fucking aspect of your life. Drive too fast, ticket. No seat-belt, ticket. Walk home drunk, ticket. Download a movie because you don’t wanna pay $40 for something you’ll watch once, jail time. It’s retarded and now they wanna control what goes on while you surf the web?! Instead of fucking around trying to block websites and make sure people aren’t talking on a cell phone while driving, or smoking a joint.. they should focus on crimes that actually hurt people, you know like someone calling in and reporting a stabbing, assault, robbing, etc. crimes that actually matter.. fuck this shit I’m pissed.

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