Lazy Saturday afternoon filler. In case you want some brief inspiration/aggravation to send your friends & families.
Jim Nelson, at GQ – “Why Obama Will Go Down as One of the Greatest Presidents of All Time”:
Something is dawning on us—it’s almost too soon for us to admit, but it’s there, a half-considered thought only now blooming in our brains. Maybe we dismiss it with one of those quick cognitive fly swats. Nah, too early to say or I hate that guy. But the truth is coming, and it sounds like this: Barack Obama will be inducted into the league of Great Presidents…
… In so many ways, Obama was better than we imagined, better than the body politic deserved, and far, far better than his enemies will ever concede, but the great thing about being great is that the verdict of enemies doesn’t matter.
In fact, and I say this as a Bill Clinton fan, I now feel certain that, in the coming decades, Obama’s star will rise higher than Clinton’s, and he’ll replace Bill in the public mind as the Greatest Democrat since FDR…
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, in the Washington Post — “In this crucial election, I’m endorsing Hillary Clinton”:
… Before I get into the reasons I support Clinton, let me first explain why this election really is so important. On Aug. 8, 1945 — two days after the bombing of Hiroshima — Albert Camus wrote an essay warning future generations about the choices before them: “This is no longer a prayer but a demand to be made by all peoples to their governments — a demand to choose definitively between hell and reason.” That is what the stakes of this election are: We are choosing between hell and reason…
I’m frustrated and angry at hearing about frustration and anger toward Washington gridlock as an excuse for embracing candidates who will only add to the problem. But that’s what is happening with Trump and Cruz supporters. These voters share a distrust of experts, preferring “the wisdom of ordinary people.” Really? I prefer the wisdom of a trained physician when I have pain in my chest. One of the problems in Washington is that some legislators ignore the experts, such as the international community of scientists who have studied and confirmed global warming, so as to bury their heads and do nothing. When did we start devaluing intelligence and knowledge?
… Clinton possesses that rare but crucial combination of idealism and pragmatism. She can both envision a better world and take the necessary steps to make that vision a reality. She embodies the principles of the Age of Reason and isn’t afraid to fight against the confederacy of dunces who would undermine the principles of inclusion and diversity that America stands for…
And finally, Paul Krugman, in the NYTimes — “Why I Haven’t Felt The Bern”:
… What you see [in the Sanders campaign]… is the casual adoption, with no visible effort to check the premises, of a story line that sounds good. It’s all about the big banks; single-payer is there for the taking if only we want it; government spending will yield huge payoffs — not the more modest payoffs conventional Keynesian analysis suggests; Republican support will vanish if we take on corporate media…
… It’s about an attitude, the sense that righteousness excuses you from the need for hard thinking and that any questioning of the righteous is treason to the cause. When you see Sanders supporters going over the top about “corporate whores” and such, you’re not seeing a mysterious intrusion of bad behavior into an idealistic movement; you’re seeing the intolerance that was always just under the surface of the movement, right from the start…
Andy
Time will tell.
I was going to go with just-“Bollocks!”.
Thor Heyerdahl
@Andy:
About the calibre of your posts? I agree.
If you want real BS for the grass roots vote Baud! He’ll spread the manure for us all.
SiubhanDuinne
I just got back from seeing one of the best Live in HD broadcast transmissions of one of the best performances of one of the best operas I’ve ever experienced (and at this point, my count is in the hundreds). The Met staged Roberto Devereux, the final opera in Donizetti’s “Tudor Queens” trilogy. Sondra Radvanovsky made history as the first soprano to sing all three queens (Anne Boleyn, Mary Queen of Scots, and Queen Elizabeth I) in one season since Beverly Sills did the cycle at New York City Opera in the 1970s (this was first time at the Met).
There are four principal roles in Devereux, all of which are vocally and emotionally demanding. The four singers in today’s performance were simply amazing. I left the theatre an hour or more ago, and I’m still reeling.
One of the things I really like about today’s opera singers is that in addition to having fine vocal chops, which you would expect, they are, almost universally, strong actors. The days of a woman in a breastplate and helmet standing still at center stage singing a 15-minute vengeance aria to a static tenor — them days, thankfully, are gone, I hope, forever.
And now I get to read, or re-read, three political articles that will make me happy. What a good Saturday it is, to be sure.
gogol's wife
Please, if you have any influence, please get rid of the autoplay Verizon Ad! It makes me want to never come here.
I’ve known Obama was our greatest president for a very long time.
SarahT
@gogol’s wife: Seconded squared.
ruemara
@SiubhanDuinne: Do you like these live performances overall? I’ve been curious to attend since I’m not likely to afford opera in SF or the local ballet troupe for a while. But I miss all that culture you got for free in NYC.
WarMunchkin
Man, I love this imagery.
I'mNotSureWhoIWantToBeYet
I think I saw my first Baltimore Oriole today while out walking Sophie. We [were] on a sidewalk near some flowering trees and I was hearing some chattering I didn’t recognize. I looked up and saw a bird with a bright orange breast flitting from branch to branch in the flowering tree, apparently chatting up a female. (Yes, I’m sure it wasn’t a Robin. ;-)
Pretty bird.
Cheers,
Scott.
karen marie
This. The biggest problem I have with Sanders is that too many of his supporters spend most of their time screaming “corporate whore, ” “liar,” etc. My expectation is that many will have thought themselves into a position that will cause them to not vote in November rather than vote for the “whore”/”liar,” or vote third party. It’s like they were born yesterday.
Comrade Jake
I’ve tried to stay out of the internecine warfare between the Sanders and Clinton supporters, because it’s pretty ugly.
Keith P.
Finally got off my ass and donated to Hillary For President. There will be more to be sure, but these are “Sick of the Bern” dollars.
SiubhanDuinne
What the fuck happened to my nice, long, thoughtful response to ruemara?
I broke my own rule for BJ commenting. Usually, if it’s of any length or care, I paste it to a clipboard just in case. Forgot to do that. Will have a glass of wine and re-respond in a moment.
JGabriel
Jim Nelson via Anne Laurie @ Top:
Seriously? Nelson is just getting around to this?
I mean, I like Bill too, but Obama has clearly been the better President by all metrics except economic satisfaction, and that’s only because Obama started from a much deeper economic hole left by his predecessor, with an equally – and if possible even more – fractious, obstructionist, recalcitrant, and revanchist* Republican opposition.
(*And by if possible I mean, they did impeach Bill after all, essentially for the crime of winning a second term.)
Keith G
I think that this is certainly possible, but there are other possibilities.
The advantages of what historians several decades from now will have include a more complete idea of how all those things that our society (president included) attended to panned out…and also how all those things that our society (president included) did not attend to also panned out. In the past seven years, a lot of good has been done. At the same time some important challenges have been left unmet. Thirty years hence, maybe only the former will be what really matters or maybe the the consequences of the latter is what will be the prominent issue.
O. Felix Culpa
@ruemara: I’m a big fan of the HD performances. Good quality shows, interesting back stage interviews, and affordable! (Plus you can leave to use the facilities and return as needed, without waiting for intermissions.)
On another note: ICYMI. I am clearly not familiar with all internet traditions/acronyms. Please to explain?
Frankensteinbeck
When the experts started saying that white Christian males weren’t the greatest people on Earth, and the government helping black people was having good results, not bad ones. Right around 1980.
KC from the DMV
To me Sanders had one chance to win the nomination. By showing that he was more electable than Clinton. He has made this argument but the way he’s shown it, is all wrong.
If he would’ve made his attacks exclusively at Republicans he could’ve stolen some institutional Democrats away from HRC. But by making this election about Clinton’s corruption Sanders has hardened support around her.
One other thing I’ll say is that one of the reasons that Sanders has such high favorablity numbers is that he’s saved nearly all his ammo for Hillary. Unless you’re a real fan of Hillary Clinton, or you’re a party line Democrat, Sanders hasn’t given you much reason to not like him.
rikyrah
it’s all fun and games until you mess with the money.
……………………………
Report: Saudis vow to sell US assets if Congress decides gov was involved in 9/11
Published April 16, 2016
Saudi Arabia has reportedly told the Obama administration and congressional leaders that it will sell billions of dollars in U.S. financial assets if Congress passes a bill to make the Saudi government legally responsible for any role in the 9/11 attacks.
The administration has tried to stop Congress from passing the legislation, a bipartisan Senate bill, since Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir last month told Washington lawmakers his country’s position, according to The New York Times.
Al-Jubeir purportedly informed the lawmakers during a trip to Washington that Saudi Arabia would be forced to sell as much as $750 billion in Treasury securities and other American financial assets on the world market, fearing the legislation could become law and U.S. courts would then freeze the assets.
The revelations about the Saudis’ ultimatum come several days after reports that President Obama will soon decide whether to declassify 28 pages of sealed documents suspected of showing a Saudi connection to the deadly 9/11 terror attacks.
the Conster, la Citoyenne
No administration scandals, no personal scandals, grace, charm, wit, intelligence, no cringeworthy moments, no diplomatic faux pas – yeah, greater than Clinton, greater than JFK, greater than FDR because PBO had half the time, 4x the obstruction, and no internment camps, all while presidentin’ while black. A lot of what we’re seeing now on the left and right is successful black presidentin’ side effects – it wasn’t supposed to happen, and a lot of people are trying to wrap their minds around it – at least the minds that weren’t lost in an explosion when he was re-elected, legitimately, in a landslide.
SiubhanDuinne
@ruemara:
(Trying again)
Yes, I love being able to attend opera, plays, ballets, concerts, artist bios, etc. from around the world. Mostly they are distributed by Fathom (fathomevents.com for schedules and local theatres). I’m in Atlanta and have a fairly decent choice of venues, but unless you live under a rock behind a cactus plant in the middle of the desert, there’s probably a theatre not too far from you. I could never afford NYC prices, let alone getting there, meals, accommodations, etc. Tickets are generally a bit more than they would be for a regular first-run movie, but much much less than you would pay in the house. Plus, popcorn :-)
Brachiator
@karen marie:
I don’t care that Bernie’s supporters say stuff like this.
I am not voting for them.
However, I do care that Sanders himself keeps insisting, simplistically, that politicians who accept contributions must surely be corrupt by definition. And I grew weary of his apparent belief that only small donors should be allowed to contribute to a political campaign, and that big contributions from celebrities like George Clooney should be rejected. There is purity. And then there is stupidity.
smith
@O. Felix Culpa: In Case You Missed It. I didn’t know it either, and am also sometimes baffled by acronyms all the cool kids seem to know. If you go on the google and type the acronym with “def” after it, the definition will pop right up.
JGabriel
@O. Felix Culpa: On another note: ICYMI.
In Case You Missed It …
SiubhanDuinne
@O. Felix Culpa:
In Case You Missed It.
EDIT: Or what smith and jgabriel said…
Cacti
@the Conster, la Citoyenne:
And built a new Democratic voting coalition, while laying out the blueprint for a winning national campaign in the 21st century.
the Conster, la Citoyenne
@Brachiator:
Sanders can’t shine PBO’s shoes. Of all the criticisms I have of Bernie, the fact that he criticizes PBO pisses me off the most. PBO has done more in 7.5 years than that cranky old fart has done in a lifetime.
@Cacti:
Coalition building is the most important thing of all. I believe in evolution, not revolution. It sticks.
AkaDad
@O. Felix Culpa:
ICYMI means In case you missed it.
ICYMI there is this thing called Google…:D
NR
@KC from the DMV: Sanders has gone after Trump and frankly kicked his ass.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
Does the public think this about Bill now? I’d call it highly debatable, even though I’m willing to look at the Clinton presidency in context.
No doubt about it in my mind, Obama’s got it worse on that score. Clinton had people like Jeffords, Roth, Warner and the Queens of Maine hadn’t been spooked into going along with everything the far right wanted, and in now blood-red states you had some old school Dems who helped hold back the tide. Also, he had the advantage of having the attention hungry and buffoonish Newton Leroy as the face of his opposition. Mitch McConnell and Eric Cantor were every bit as partisan, every bit as nasty, l but come across as bland dry toast on TeeVee.
(with the necessary caveat that counterfactuals is bunk, I sometimes think that if Gingrich and Delay hadn’t pushed for impeachment, Clinton might have been forced to resign)
NR
@the Conster, la Citoyenne:
Yes. Our Glorious Leader has done no wrong and is completely immune from all criticism. It is a sign of a sick, diseased, irredeemable soul that Bernie Sanders doesn’t see this.
rikyrah
hmmph
The Perception of ‘Professional Hair’ Is An Obstacle For Many Black Women
04/15/16
Natural hair may be beautiful, freeing and here to stay, but the perception of it being “unprofessional” in the workplace is a realty for far too many women of color, namely black women.
Last week, a viral tweet brought to light a Google search result for “unprofessional hairstyles for work” where the vast majority of hairstyles were of black women with natural hair. While this belief is not unheard of, this damning reality of what many black women face when job hunting or staying professional while at work is still relevant and problematic.
Not to be overlooked when a Google search for “professional” hairstyles is sought, the results are of white, straight-haired blond women. This bias makes for serious conversations for black women on how to wear their hair. Natural hair is not unprofessional but far too many industries do not agree and why we are seeing more women being sent home or let go for rocking the natural tresses they were born with.
As if just finding a job wasn’t hard enough, black women just starting out in the workforce are facing hair obstacles with the growing numbers celebrating and embracing natural hair.
Ayana Lindsey, a senior at Spelman College in Atlanta, told TakePart: “When we’re preparing for job interviews and career fairs, some professors and career-planning advisers will strongly suggest that girls who normally wear their hair natural opt for straighter hair to appeal to the most conservative of employers”.
Tiaira Muhammad, a University of Southern California sophomore shared with TakePart: “When I apply for internships when I have twists, I would worry how the interviewers would see me. I definitely wouldn’t consider wearing my natural hair. It’s really disheartening. I can count the number of black women journalists with natural hair on one hand.”
Frankensteinbeck
@NR:
As much as I would love Sanders to kick Trump’s ass, where does that happen in this article? I don’t see it. I’m open to the possibility I missed it. Trump news tends to leave me cross-eyed.
Teddy's Person
Here’s an amusing personal anecdote related to this years seemingly never ending primary season that some around these parts may enjoy. I know the primary season is the same length every year, but this year seems like it’s going on forever. Now, on to the anecdote. I was visiting my brother’s family (mostly my 15 year old nephew) last evening. My brother, SIL, nephew and I were playing the card game Flinch. For those not familiar, you win by getting rid of all the cards in your “Flinch Pile.” My brother had a good run getting rid of cards in his Flinch Pile and start mouthing off about how he is the greatest Flinch player ever. In fact, he’s the Trump of Flinch. With out missing a beat and in a deadpan tone, my nephew said, “What, are you going to build a wall around your Flinch Pile?” High fives between my nephew and I were exchanged across the table, and I was the proud aunt.
Cacti
@Brachiator:
I understand the whole “buying access” complaint, but here’s the thing. Clooney’s a movie star. He’s not some titan of industry looking to expand his reach or roll back laws or regulations.
He’s got fame, fortune, good looks, and a happy marriage (afaik). What could he get from Hill and Bill that he hasn’t already got? Guy wants to use his celebrity to get Democrats elected. Good for him.
JPL
@rikyrah: fk..em Saudi Arabia is threatening to tank our economy. They already funded the terrorists, that took down the World Trade Center and killed thousands of people. At what point do we call their bluff. The kingdom can’t exist without the money they get from the sale of oil.
Amaranthine RBG
Another day, another pro-Hillary, anti-Bernie post.
But thanks for the post about Obama. Remind me again how many months before the convention that Hillary gave up and endorsed him?
the Conster, la Citoyenne
@NR:
I wouldn’t have gone that far, but OK, if you insist.
NR
Obama has been better than Bill Clinton was, I’ll give him that. But greatest since FDR?
Obama’s legacy is a Republican party that holds more power in Congress and at the state level than they have at any point since the 1920s.
NR
@Frankensteinbeck: Trump said wages were too high, Sanders called him on it, and Trump was left spluttering and saying that he’d said all along that wages were too low.
schrodinger's cat
@rikyrah: I for one don’t see much difference between ISIS/ISIL and Saudi Arabia, how long are successive governments going to shield the kingdom?
JPL
@Amaranthine RBG: I will support the democratic nominee, but if he ever waved his fingers in front of me, I’d bite them. He lost me when he blamed Hillary for the deaths in Iraq. I might not agree with that vote, giving Bush authority, but her vote alone, did not kill anyone.
Amaranthine RBG
When I do a google image search for that term, a bunch of boxes pop up at the top of the screen for: Man, Woman, Black Woman, etc.
Then, after you click on Black Woman options pop up for Natural, Short, and Braid.
Try using Firefox.
You’re welcome.
the Conster, la Citoyenne
@Teddy’s Person:
Well played, nephew, well played.
Hugely
gotta say that KAJ endorsement is pretty cool – made my day
my neighbor played basketball with him in the 70’s but is not a Hilary fan. I’ll have to see what he says :)
I'mNotSureWhoIWantToBeYet
@rikyrah: Of course, if oil prices stay low, they may have to sell all that stuff anyway. I hope Obama and the rest realize that – supposedly they’ll be out of money in ~ 5 years at current rates.
Cheers,
Scott.
debbie
@Teddy’s Person:
Somewhat similarly:
I don’t know if anyone watches Jimmy Fallon, but last night he ran a bunch of videos of kids doing their best Trump impersonations.
JGabriel
MurdochNews via rikyrah:
Seems like kind of an empty threat. With a strong dollar right now, indirectly lowering its value with a sell-off of T-Bills might help our exports. More likely, it wouldn’t have much effect at all. Am I missing something?
JPL
@schrodinger’s cat: They are wahhabists, imo and you are right.
Frankensteinbeck
@NR:
That doesn’t exactly sound like spluttering. Trump reverses his positions on every topic every five minutes. He’s been pro AND anti Planned Parenthood within the space of a week. If Sanders scored a win here, it was pretty weak.
EDIT – And the reversal went back to Trump’s default position, the most consistent thing he’s said – American wages suck because Brown And Yellow People Are Taking Our Jobs.
srv
Real Americans aren’t fooled:
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@schrodinger’s cat: @JPL: it always amazes me how even the dimmest RWers, like the gang on the Fox News Morning Zoo Crew, always remember to specify that Iran is the biggest “state” sponsor of terrorism, so we don’t have to talk about the royal families of the KSA and the Gulf states
amk
@Frankensteinbeck:
Our Glorious Leader has done no wrong … and all that.
rikyrah
sad to hear this. 20 years….sigh
…………………………………..
AISHA TYLER’S HUSBAND FILED FOR DIVORCE
April 15, 2016 ‐ By Jazmine Denise Rogers
After twenty years of marriage, Aisha Tyler and her husband, Jeff Tietjens, have called it quits.
According to TMZ, the “Talk” host and Tietjens have been living separately since January 2015. Ultimately, it was Tietjens who pulled the trigger. He filed for divorce with the L.A. County Superior Court and cited irreconcilable differences.
Tyler’s spokesperson, Lisa Morbete, told TMZ that she and her husband will continue their friendship despite the fact that their marriage is ending.
Tyler and Tietjens, who were college sweethearts, tied the knot in 1994 when she was just 23 years old. At the time, she was sure that she didn’t want children, but as she approached her 40s, she experienced a change of heart.
“I was with someone at 19, and I was married at 23, and I didn’t want kids when I was in my 20s,” Aisha shared back in September. “I wasn’t mentally prepared to take care of them; I was focused on my career. And then when I got to be in my 40s, and I thought about having kids, I wasn’t able to have kids naturally. I don’t regret it.”
Brachiator
@the Conster, la Citoyenne:
I like Bernie in many ways. But yeah, many of his criticisms of Obama are off the mark and pointless. But Sanders tries to walk a thin line here and just as often talks about supporting Obama.
Frankensteinbeck
@amk:
Well, the article just doesn’t back up his assertion. Sanders got Trump mad, but anybody can do that. I don’t see the part where Trump changed to support a minimum wage increase. I don’t see any ‘kicked his ass’ here.
Cacti
Sounds like operation slime Julian Castro is turning into a rousing success for Bernfeelers:
Tilda Swinton's Bald Cap
@NR: It’s not his legacy you nitwit, it’s the result of white people losing their damn minds. God, you’re an insufferable dick.
Bob
Adios Balloon juice. What was once a great blog, now just a shill machine for the royal Clintons.
Baud
@Bob:
And for Baud!
Cacti
@Bob:
Bye, Felicia.
Gindy51
@karen marie: Politically they were.
Major Major Major Major
An underdog for the nomination just won huge in Wyoming. Mysteriously, this has not been plastered all over my Facebook feed.
Teddy's Person
@the Conster, la Citoyenne: Hopefully he can help my SIL and I keep my brother in line come November. During one conversation about the various potential candidates, he said that, policy wise, he was more in line with Democrats, but there is just something about Clinton. He rambled on at length about the way she speaks and “handles herself.” I just rolled my eyes at him and said, “Her lady parts aren’t that scary.” My SIL just looked at me and shook her head in the affirmative.
NR
@Tilda Swinton’s Bald Cap: Yes, of course. Obama can’t fail, he can only be failed.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
So you’re nostalgic for good Democratic governors like Orval Faubus, Strom Thurmond and Lester Maddox? Whither Richard Russell? Where have you gone, Sam Ervin?
and Obama is responsible for, off the top of my head: Rod Blagoevich, the third party vanity runs that put Christie and LePage in office, and the continuing realignment of states like Kentucky and North Carolina?
As much as I sympathize with your unhappy life, you really are quite the stupidest little troll.
raven
@Bob:AMF asshole.
gogol's wife
@the Conster, la Citoyenne:
Today while reading the NYTimes I realized that whenever I read about some horrible new development in our country (today it was House Republicans refusing to give the DC Metro any money for repairs and upkeep), I have this little thought in the back of my mind, “Obama will find a way to fix it.” Then I was horrified: Oh, no, he won’t be there any more!!!!
Brachiator
@schrodinger’s cat:
There are often no good solutions. Ironically, ISIS may go after Saudi Arabia one day. We back Turkey and suppress Kurdish independence. Turkey has increased horrible authoritarian repression of its citizens, but also hosts 2.7 million Syrian refugees.
By the way, these are the issues I would like the presidential candidates to discuss. Not how many Wall Street speeches can be fit on the head of a pin.
Major Major Major Major
@Amaranthine RBG: God, you can’t even give helpful advice without being a dick.
SiubhanDuinne
@Teddy’s Person:
Cool nephew! That’s some nice witty presence of mind at his age (any age, actually).
Cacti
@NR:
Natch.
Now regale us with a tale of how revolutionary President Bernie will succeeded in reforming the US in a way that Congressman Bernie and Senator Bernie failed to during a quarter century in office.
rikyrah
uh huh
uh huh
This is not your grandpappy’s Republican Party
BY LEONARD PITTS, JR.
This one’s for John. He’s a reader who took issue with my recent column arguing that conservatism has become an angry and incoherent mess.
John was particularly upset that I described conservatives as resistant to social change. Wrote John:
“Tell that to the right side of the aisle who signed in the civil rights voting act in 1965. Which party resisted that? … Who resisted the proclamation that freed the slaves? Southern democrat party of course and who was it’s military arm during reconstruction? The KKK. Today that organization is tied into the liberalism more than conservatism. … Your party, the liberals who now call themselves progressives, are the party of Strom thurmond, Robert Byrd, Lester Maddox, George wallace — and … Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson.”
Please note what John did there. He responded to a critique of social conservatism by mounting a defense of the Republican Party, as if the two were synonymous. Granted, they are now, but in the eras John mentions? Not so much.
………………………………
The truth, as any first year history student could tell you, is that Republicans were the more socially liberal party and Democrats the more socially conservative for at least seven decades after Lincoln. But in the years since then, they have essentially swapped ideologies.
The reason John engages in this linguistic shell game, the reason he defends the party that wasn’t attacked instead of the ideology that was, is simple: The ideology is indefensible, at least where civil rights is concerned. You must be a liar, a fool or an ignoramus of Brobdingnagian proportions to suggest social conservatives have ever supported African-American interests.
They didn’t do it a century ago when “conservative” meant Democrats. They don’t do it now.
Sadly for John, pretending otherwise requires him to twist logic like a birthday party clown making balloon animals. How addlepated must you be to see common ground between the segregationist Lester Maddox and civil-rights activist Al Sharpton? How cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs are you when you consider the Ku Klux Klan and Strom Thurmond “liberal?”
And yes, you may think this a lot of energy to lavish on one man. But it isn’t one man. I hear John’s “reasoning” literally a hundred times a year from conservative readers. Indeed, a few weeks ago on CNN, a Donald Trump apologist pimp-slapped reality by branding the Klan a “leftist” group. So John is hardly the only one.
These people must lie about history in order to exonerate conscience. Yet the truth is what the truth is. John need not take my word for what conservative means. Merriam-Webster backs me up. He need not even take my word for the history. A hundred history books back me up.
amk
@Jim, Foolish Literalist:
stupidest and whiniest. since 2006.
Major Major Major Major
@Tilda Swinton’s Bald Cap: Oh my god, your nym is amazing
JMG
As night follows day, it was inevitable that the part of the Obama coalition most prone to bitching — the leftmost part — would seek and find a 2016 candidate who offered the emotional satisfaction Obama doesn’t see as part of politics (that’s not always a good thing).
Does the Saudi royal family understand that any President who killed half of them and put the other half in chains would have a 94 percent approval rating?
ruemara
@KC from the DMV: Hah. Ok.
1. He has high favorability ratings because he has been known as a voice of liberal strength in Congress for years. I’ve listened to him on Thom Hartmann, Randi Rhodes, Maddow, etc, for nearly a decade. When your entire career is carefully chosen soundbites and venues with zero critical questions, you’re golden. Clinton has not had that.
2. “Hard working people…white people” lost me in ’08. Clinton’s campaign was tone deaf, ginning up fear of the other and I was not down with that. I was also not into the idea of her being presidential just because she slept with Bill. (No offense to her fans of that time, person view) But I saw her as more credible than Obama just by that record as well as her personal record of service in the Senate. Over time, after deeply considering and listening to both, I became an Obama supporter, just in time to have friends and contacts turn PUMA and devastate personal relationships so bad that I was blown away. Plus ca change, eh? I’m still not a big fan of herself, but as I delve deeper into her actual record of service prior to marrying Bill and I see her level of comfort with people like me, plus her wonkyism (which I respect deeply), I’ve become for more inclined to support her at this time than my initial first choice, which was Sanders. Who has become so unlike the person I’ve listened to over the years. I’ve had some reservations about his oversimplifications on things, but he’s generally in line with my principles on government. This guy on the campaign trail? I don’t know who I was listening to, but – damn! Blacks think racism is over because black president, he marched with MLK, my solution to racial injustice is to give youth jobs so they aren’t standing around… yeah, plenty to dislike there. And even then, if he had a plan to take seats over in the Congress and at the state level, I’d be phonebanking for him now. Without that, I know he’d leave my ass in a ditch for the revolution and I don’t need to a sacrifice for liberal nirvana.
the Conster, la Citoyenne
@Brachiator:
His online bros dismiss him as the Establishment and an enemy of the revolution, so they’ve only internalized the criticisms. I wonder why?
A Ghost To Most
The PUMA is strong in this thread.
Frankensteinbeck
@efgoldman:
I have noticed that there is a significant contingent of the Democratic Party who define politics by enemies. They tend to favor direct confrontation, a no-rules win-at-all-cost approach, and believe loud condemnations are the most effective rhetoric. Guilt by association is big for them, since you don’t want anybody tainted by evil. Frankly, I think most of them would not find this description an insult, and you can see why Sanders would be a much more attractive leader for them than Hillary, or even Obama.
Major Major Major Major
@A Ghost To Most: It mysteriously goes away if you install the pie filter and add three nyms…
rikyrah
water is wet news
…………………………………….
Mothers say middle-class status little protection against gendered racism for African American boys
Study reveals how African American mothers parent young sons—via “bias-preparation” strategies—to navigate “Thug” image and vulnerabilities of African American masculinity
Middle-class African American mothers must parent differently than their white counterparts. African American middle-class mothers bear the added weight of preparing their children—particularly their sons—to navigate “gendered racism,” or discrimination based on both race and gender, from a very young age. This is according to a new research study published in the April 2016 issue of Gender & Society , a top-ranked journal in Gender Studies and Sociology. While there has been anecdotal evidence regarding the phenomenon, this is the first rigorous analysis of what has been colloquially referred to as “The Talk” or the “Black Man’s Code,” a set of socially circumscribed rules black boys and men feel compelled to follow to protect themselves from suspicion, criminalization as “thugs,” and harm—regardless of class status. It provides more evidence that the phenomenon is widespread, and gives deeper insights regarding the nature of the problem and the role of mothers in addressing it.
“Although the mothers in this study are middle- and upper-middle-class African Americans with more resources than lower-income mothers, this status provides their sons with little protection from gender and racial stereotyping,” says study author Dawn Marie Dow, assistant professor of sociology at the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University. “Participants believe that both race and gender trump class, and that the broader society associates poverty, crime, and undereducation with being an African American boy.”
Drawing on 60 interviews of middle- and upper-middle class African American mothers, the study, titled, “ The Deadly Challenges of Raising African American Boys: Navigating the Controlling Image of the ‘Thug’,” outlines “bias-preparation” strategies mothers use to address the challenges their sons will face in a society that often criminalizes the bodies of African American boys and men. Importantly, Dow’s study confirms that these mothers are not able to turn to middle-class safety nets in the same way as their white counterparts. While most middle-class white families are depicted as feeling some level of security in their regular interactions with teachers, police officers, and the general public, the African American mothers in Dow’s study saw teachers as potential tyrants, police officers as potential predators, and the general public as a potential threat to their sons’ safety, survival, and emotional well-being.
KC from the DMV
@NR: That’s from 5 months ago. Since then Senator Sanders has spent a lot of time talking about the corruption in our politics. The example he uses for this isn’t any of the crazy shit going on the other side. Sanders talks about Clinton’s speeches.
Really my only point was, as someone who swayed a few people to give him a chance who otherwise wouldn’t have. Tactically it would’ve been better to bring up the million dollar loans Ted Cruz got from two different investment banks as an example.
smith
@rikyrah:
I’ve often thought that the RW up-is-down-ism is a tacit admission that their “principles” are immoral. Pitts’ column is a really good explication of that.
ruemara
@Major Major Major Major: It’s not being helpful. It’s being dismissive because reading the actual research that has shown this algorithm problem, might just disrupt his/her progressive worldview that blacks are whining.
gwangung
@Frankensteinbeck: A great mirror to the Republican horde.
We’re all humans, after all….
Brachiator
@the Conster, la Citoyenne:
I am mildly curious about the ideas of reasonable Bernie supporters. As for the rest, I put them in the same category as right wing nitwits, and don’t worry or think much about them.
I'mNotSureWhoIWantToBeYet
@Amaranthine RBG: You know, there’s a remedy for that. You could address the issues brought up in the post that you don’t like. Good discussions sometimes start that way.
But, yeah, whinging about it is much easier, amirite?
:-/
Cheers,
Scott.
Teddy's Person
@SiubhanDuinne: A quick wit is a survival skill at family game night, which should be more properly called verbal thunderdome.
O. Felix Culpa
@smith: @JGabriel: @SiubhanDuinne: @AkaDad:
Thanks, all, for the lazy person’s enlightenment re: ICYMI. F*cking google, how does it work? ;)
the Conster, la Citoyenne
@Cacti:
Let’s start with the way he’s been completely dogged in reforming Vermont – smaller and whiter than Denmark – with his vision. Surely that’s a great starting data point for the power of his revolution. Oh wait, you can’t.
Ruckus
@ruemara:
Thing is, What liberal nirvana?
The one in his head?
The one he has no road map to get to?
The one that doesn’t exist anywhere and never has?
All of this sounds nice, like a hot fudge sundae and a cheesecake washed down with a bottle of wiskey for dinner. The aftermath of the attempt will not be pretty in either case.
A Ghost To Most
@Major Major Major Major:
I take my Balloon Juice whole, but sometimes I think a pie filter would be useful.
Major Major Major Major
@ruemara: That’s a very good point, as well; and Google does have a callous disregard for these sorts of concerns. Whether or not that’s OK is a thorny issue, but it’s a fact that they don’t care.
Amaranthine RBG
Best of all, if you google “professional hairstyle” 99% of the pics are of wimmin. What’s up with that? Oh, maybe try “professional haircut” instead. Nope same thing.
And although the google gives you options for Men/Women/Black Women, etc. there ain’t no button for Asians or Latino/a. Crazy stuff.
Death to the algorithm ! ! !
rikyrah
Congratulations to them all!
Eight Black Women to Make History: Receiving PhD’s Together
Apr 14, 16 by Qwest7
*This year’s graduating class at the Indiana University School of Education will be noted for making history as eight African-American women from the class are candidates to receive their PhD’s in Education together.
The women, known as “the great eight,” weighed in on the achievement in an interview with Fox 59. The station noted that the weight of the moment hit the ladies after beginning the education program when they realized that not many women of color had come before them or at least not at the same time.
“We understood very early on that we had a distinction, a commonality, a thread between all of us and so we began to meet as a group,” PhD candidate Nadrea Njoku told Fox 59.
Although they were on different paths at different times, but the women unified in cheering each other on in a field that sees less than two percent of African-American women. The group will walk across the stage in May to get their well-deserved degrees.
“We often deal with this idea that we always have to do more. And our collective black female community here we were able to tell each other you’re enough,” said PhD candidate Jasmine Haywood.
As things got tough, the great eight found themselves leaning on them each other to stay sane.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@the Conster, la Citoyenne: as NR and a few others repeatedly demonstrate, there are a good number of voters who think that Schoolhouse video about how a bill becomes a law is as abstruse and confusing as an Ingmar Bergman film without subtitles
gwangung
@Amaranthine RBG: Oh dear. You really are clueless, aren’t you?
Poor dear.
smith
@rikyrah: I had an AA friend who tried to deal with this when her son approached adolescence by sending him to boarding school in Ghana (her husband’s home country). It kept him safe, at least until he got malaria and had to come home. I guess it might also have not equipped the kid socially to deal with the same problems after he graduated and would be seen as an even greater threat by a racist culture.
ruemara
@Ruckus: I know. I can’t deny it. My faith in progressivism has been shaken to the core. This shallow shit cannot be it.
BillinGlendaleCA
@Major Major Major Major: And you find how much they love pie, all kinds of pie!
jl
I agree, Obama will be in top ten or fifteen presidents,. and I think his reputation will rise and Bill Clinton’s will stagnate or even fall over time. Obama will end up above the ‘Grover Cleveland Line’ which is my way of dividing presidents into those who had historically significant terms (in a good way) versus those who did not.
As the first link says, the headline stuff is enough: finally passing comprehensive and constructive health care reform, irreversible progress on a number of civil rights issues, and getting the economy through the financial panic and Great Recession and passing important financial reforms and re-regulation. Not often mentioned, but the economic downturn at the beginning of the Great Recession was, by many measures, more rapid and more severe than the at the beginning of the Great Depression and I think that will be remembered in the future, if not now. Also, extraction of US from great blunder and crime of the Iraq Invasion, and cleaning up botch W made of the Afghanistan occupation. But there will be more nuanced reasons as well.
There are minuses of course. Drones, overly friendly treatment of banks and established banking system following finanical panic (remember Obama said he was Geithner’s ‘soul mate’, and right in front of Michelle too, maybe!) , and muddled approach to Syria and Libya. But no administration is perfect.
The Sheriff Endorses Baud 2016
Sanders is fine upstanding progressive, but the problem is that all he has are applause lines. Faced with actual decisions in the big chair, well, I give you the F-35 as exhibit A. He can’t make the hard decision to cut the boondoggle now because Vermonter jobs are on the line. Well, what about American jobs in the banking and health care industry, Mr. President? I can already tell you the answer to that when his plan for taking down the big banks is ‘have someone else figure out how to do it.’
President Sanders will disappoint the purity ponies faster than you can say ‘Rick Warren.’
Major Major Major Major
@BillinGlendaleCA: I’m really thinking about reinstalling it. I was having trouble with it last version so I ditched it, and all was well in BJ-land until recently.
Inb4 ARBG makes a joke about me not being able to handle ‘diversity of opinion’
Cacti
@the Conster, la Citoyenne:
Matter of fact, the proposed cost of single payer nearly cost the Democratic governor his seat in deep blue Vermont.
amk
@The Sheriff Endorses Baud 2016:
will disappoint the purity ponies faster than you can say ‘
Rick WarrenObama.’Baud
@jl:
Not yet.
jl
Equal time for Bernie, dammit!
Dean Baker | Bernie Sanders Takes It to Wall Street With Financial Transactions Tax
http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/30964-bernie-sanders-takes-it-to-wall-street-with-financial-transactions-tax
James K Galbraith defends Sander’s economic plan from attacks (pdf)
“…under conventional assumptions, the projected impact of Senator Sanders’ proposals stems from their scale and ambition. When you dare to do big things, big results should be expected. The Sanders program is big, and when you run it through a standard model, you get a big result.
That, by the way, is the lesson of the Reagan era – like it or not. It is a lesson that, among today’s
political leaders, only Senator Sanders has learned. ”
http://big.assets.huffingtonpost.com/ResponsetoCEA.pdf
dexter
Just a short note to let you know that your loud aggravating ad really pisses me off and if it happens two more times I will take you off my favorites list. How much fucking money does John need?
Schlemazel (parmesan rancor)
@Jim, Foolish Literalist:
That does not surprise me at all – you do know how much of Fox the royal family owns, right?
Ampersand
@efgoldman:
Just speaking for myself, one of the reasons that I vote D is because we’re generally more anti-corporate than the Rs. And I’ve voted in every Presidential election since I’ve been able to. (I’ve voted in the majority of non-Presidential elections, as well, but there were two particular candidates that I couldn’t bring myself to support, because I viewed them as being too much like the conservatives.)
Am I the only one that sees class interests diverging, here? Everyone knows that the upper class has a different set of priorities than the rest of us, but is the lower class now diverging from the middle class, as well? I hear a lot of talk about how Bernie will “destabilize” things, and it’s usually coming from middle-class boomers who are at or nearing retirement. I’m a thirtysomething Gen Xer, and my economic situation is anything but stable: I’m not middle class, and most likely never will be. I feel like I’m being asked to put the middle class’ interests above my own. “We can’t have Bernie as the candidate, because he’ll raise upper-class and middle-class taxes to pay for all his programs!” Yeah, and the problem with that (other than selling it to voters) is…what, exactly? That’s what we believe in, isn’t it? Those who are better off pay more in taxes to help those of us who aren’t? I understand the strategic/marketing issues involved, obviously. And I know that Bernie’s programs aren’t as fully-developed as they should be.
The GOP is divided against itself, right now. A third party candidate could run, or they could pick an unpopular (among the rank and file) choice at the convention. It could be the D versus Cruz (with Trump’s supporters staying at home or writing him in), or the D versus Paul Ryan (with Cruz and Trump’s supporters outraged). If we’re ever going to push the Overton Window on our issues, now could be the time, because we may just need a plurality of the vote.
I’ll vote for whoever the D is. But, my god, I hate seeing us turn into an “everything is fine, don’t rock the boat” party. I don’t expect magic purity ponies, but it’d be nice to have a candidate that actually believes in most of what I believe in.
Baud
@ruemara: I kind of got off that train after 2010.
I'mNotSureWhoIWantToBeYet
@Baud: rofl. :-)
Cheers,
Scott.
jl
@Baud: The Baud! 2016! administration will be perfectly perfect in a historically unique way, at least virtually. I make that prediction with absolute certainty.
BillinGlendaleCA
@Baud: The Baud! administration will be perfect and textile free!
the Conster, la Citoyenne
@KC from the DMV:
Exactly. That’s what a Democrat would do – use the party infrastructure to focus on the real enemy, and also to work extra hard to counter the evil $hill Hillary by enlisting Obama’s winning coalition for the prime directive to defeat the medieval anti-progressive racist GOP. But then you wouldn’t be St. Bernard, the pure white wizard of the north.
Major Major Major Major
@BillinGlendaleCA: But with what shall we hang the enemies of the Baud! Revolution? Power cords?
Major Major Major Major
@mclaren:
Jesus, and here I thought you were at least sane. That’s some Free Republic caliber stupid.
smith
@Ampersand: I’m sorry, but I have read a LOT of discussion among people who have decided not to vote for Sanders as to the reasons why, and none of them have been “he will raise my taxes.” Speaking as a middle-class Boomer, I’d be happy to have Bernie raise my taxes if It thought there were a good chance he’d be able to deliver the services he’s promising in return. The hangup I have, and many here have, is not with his big plans (we like them!), it’s with not seeing a convincing description of how he will get us from point A to Point B.
aimai
@the Conster, la Citoyenne: this. I really dislike Sanders (and his supporters) horrible attitude towards President Obama. Even if you think he didn’t do enough, or didn’t make the same choices you would have (in your fucking dreams!) at least show some respect to the man who put his and his family’s life on the line to serve the country.
the Conster, la Citoyenne
@Jim, Foolish Literalist:
Every die hard Sanders supporter was absent from 4th grade that day. True story.
Cacti
@mclaren:
Could you try to maybe limit it to less than 10 paragraphs?
Brachiator
@Ampersand:
Actually, no.
Part of the reason for taxation is that this is the price of civilization. We pay taxes in part to help everyone. This is broader than the idea of taxes as a kind of class based charity program.
Also, in a way, Bernie’s plan to give free college to all would benefit the upper classes most of all, and it might end up that poor people would end up paying a tax from which they would derive no benefit.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@mclaren: said it before, I’ll say it again, the worst thing about you is your manners. Can/should someone just delete that on fair use grounds?
Good god, it’s gone Birther.
Cacti
@Major Major Major Major:
mclaren’s a birfer?
Go figure.
aimai
Dear Cleek, please forward me your pie filter to aimaiami at comcast dot net. I can’t take a minute more of mclaren’s long form wails of hysteria.
Major Major Major Major
@the Conster, la Citoyenne: That witch Hillary’s master scheme to become dictator for life goes back a long time, man. She personally poisoned all those kids so they’d be sick that day. And the reason her 2008 campaign was so poorly run is so she could lose, become an admired SoS, and run against Sanders in 2012.
the Conster, la Citoyenne
@smith:
Yet.
Major Major Major Major
@aimai: http://ok-cleek.com/blogs/?page_id=19041
Schlemazel (parmesan rancor)
@Cacti:
I’d be happy if he just limited to reality. It would be nice if we could set up a chat room for him and BiP, they deserve each other ther rest of us do not
Baud
@aimai: I don’t use a pie filter. Do you get more pies if the post is really long?
amk
@aimai:
I just now installed it. First time ever. Just for that nutjob.
eta: Thanks a bunch, cleek.
the Conster, la Citoyenne
@Cacti:
My mouse’s scroll function, as it turns out, was invented for mclaren. Thanks mclaren!
aimai
@Amaranthine RBG: It was four days after he received enough pledged delegates to have won. FOUR DAYS. And then she and President Clinton stumped the country for the Nominee, without complaint and without backbiting, demands, or attacks.
divF
@jl:
Reagan sold supply-side economics, and got away with it because it was dessert for everyone, i.e. tax cuts = decreasing deficits and economic growth. Except it wasn’t, but by the time everyone found out, it was too late to back it out. Sanders is pushing huge tax increases = long-term benefits to society. Everyone will see the “huge tax increases” term in the equation, and it will go nowhere.
Jamie Galbraith is a smart guy, but he has a tin ear about politics.
Major Major Major Major
@amk: I just learned how much Amaranthine RGB likes pie, personally.
Turns out it’s a lot.
smith
@the Conster, la Citoyenne: Yet? You really think we’re holding back? If keeping taxes low were a high priority among this group, we’d all be Republicans.
HinTN
@I’mNotSureWhoIWantToBeYet: Saudi Arabia has already decided that they have to get beyond oil. They’re creating a sovereign wealth fund for their future wealth management.
the Conster, la Citoyenne
@Major Major Major Major:
The real genius is that she made Bernie adopt her losing strategy by leading him into making the same mistakes. Thanks Obama!
Baud
@divF: Reagan sold white privilege.
jl
@divF: Maybe so. But, this is what I believe: I am just providing equal time for Bernie to, in my view(!) rectify a certain bias in this blog’s stance in the Democratic primary. I’ve moved from being a Sanders donor and supporter to neutral, or maybe going all in for Baud! 2016!
I have to go now, so won’t be around to witness the food fight that any positive word for Sanders sometimes provokes here. But my last two attempts have been miserable failures so maybe I won’t miss much. But, then someone more entertaining has come along, so I definitely won’t miss much.
Cacti
@the Conster, la Citoyenne:
No kidding.
For all of the plaintive wails of the Bernfeelers about what a big old meanie Hillary has been, she’s hardly laid a glove on most of the low hanging fruit that a GOPer would go after with gusto, like…
-His middle and working class tax hikes
-The failure of single payer in his home state
-His sketchy personal history prior to age 40
-His fulsome praise of communist dictators
-His honeymoon trip to the USSR
The GOP is aching to have Bernie as their opponent in the general.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@Baud: and Chesterfields
@HinTN: this is what I was wondering, from the link
Is that a threat to the US, or cutting off their nose to spite their face?
the Conster, la Citoyenne
@smith:
Not us liberals, them – the rest of idiot America – if Sander’s the nominee. Half the country thinks unemployment is higher, the economy is worse, and that the reason is Muslims, Mexicans, and lazy blacks. There are actually parts of America that would rather be more like a third world country – turning paved roads into dirt roads, eg., because raising local taxes might benefit “those people”. It’s one of those pesky realities that gets hand waved away by Bernfeelers.
divF
@jl: Point taken. My intent was to push back on Galbraith, not you.
Tilda Swinton's Bald Cap
@mclaren: Projecting Teabagger says what ?
Amaranthine RBG
@aimai: And on what day did Clinton receive enough pledged delegates to win in this election?
Cacti
@Amaranthine RBG:
Is Bernie back from stalking the Pope?
jl
@the Conster, la Citoyenne:
‘ Half the country thinks unemployment is higher, the economy is worse, and that the reason is Muslims, Mexicans, and lazy blacks. There are actually parts of America that would rather be more like a third world country – turning paved roads into dirt roads, eg., because raising local taxes might benefit “those people”. ‘
That will be a big problem no matter who the Democratic nominee is. I heard Cruz dish out some sad crack that went something like ‘One of the Democratic nominees is a socialist who will totally transform America from something we know and love into a collectivist dystopia, and the other is named Bernie Sanders.’
If HRC is the nominee the attack will just shift on some BS based on tax hikes and Sweden to HRC’s support among racial and ethnic minority communities.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
Lawrence McDonald @ Convertbond
Is this fair? Is that Sanders estimate based on just the one year’s return?
jl
@divF: I think many of both HRC’s and Sander’s domestic policy proposals are good. They usually come from different philosophies and different assumptions about what is politically feasible. I don’t want the discussion of substance of their proposals to be totally mixed up with the issues of whether they are politically feasible, either Dem is electable, or a total jerk, or similar issues.
smith
@the Conster, la Citoyenne: OK, I get it, and agree. I was originally responding to this
Which I think was aimed pretty clearly at Dem primary voters. But it’s absolutely true that in the GE a Sanders candidacy would be creamed on taxes. I’m old enough to remember what happened to Mondale.
Mnemosyne
@Jim, Foolish Literalist:
I’m always astounded by how many people in the 21st century have never, ever heard of a stepchild using their stepfather’s last name, especially when they have half-siblings with that last name. I can think of two instances just in my immediate family, but apparently other people are so sheltered that they’ve never heard of such a thing.
Next up, the news that some women don’t change their last names after getting married. Prepare the fainting couch.
raven
@mclaren: You’re a fucking moron.
the Conster, la Citoyenne
@smith:
I’ve been saying that Sanders would lose 45 states, but the more I think about it, it might be 48. He’d probably win Vermont and Massachusetts – leaving McGovern as the biggest loser of all time.
Major Major Major Major
@raven: I don’t know, I rather feel the same way about pie.
I'mNotSureWhoIWantToBeYet
@dexter: As I understand it, most WordPress sites have little control over the ads that appear. The best thing to do, if ads annoy you, is to install an ad blocker (e.g. Privacy Badger or Adblock Plus or similar) in your web browser. And send B-J a little money every year, also too.
HTH a little.
Cheers,
Scott.
mclaren
@Cacti:
Didn’t Bernie Sanders murder the Pope?
If not, he at least tried to, surely. There can’t be any doubt, can there? After all, he’s one of those people. One of those…non-rich types, filled with envy and hatred of the magnificent billionaires who make America the Greatest Country on Earth®.
Mnemosyne
@efgoldman:
FDR also made a few ginormous mistakes that are far worse than anything Obama has done, like internment. Gotta balance the bad with the good when you make the calculations.
Though, in general, I agree that we won’t be able to get a true assessment for at least 20-30 years. Obama’s top 5 for me right now, though.
Cacti
@mclaren:
Meds, dear. Meds.
Miss West
@Major Major Major Major: Thank you for that link!
aimai
@Amaranthine RBG: What does that have to do with any of the discussions here? No one is asking Bernie to stop running. People are only asking him to stop running as though his main opponent is HRC instead of the Republicans. They are only asking him to stop trying to destroy someone who is, in fact, 99 percent likely to be the actual nominee based on Pledged Delegates alone, let alone superdelegates. But you know that. I know you know that. You are just pretending to be stupid, right?
ruemara
@Jim, Foolish Literalist:Sanders’ tax rate was about 13%. I pay more in taxes. But if you provide me with an American National Health Service, guaranteed income and all the yummy socialism of the Netherlands, ok, here’s my 50% in taxes. But show me how this get’s approval in Congress, the USSC & Gubernatorial & State leg buy-in, first.
@Bob In Portland: Yes. Hill’s been selling Bill Clinton’s ass for bling. Everyone knows it. See how tight his pants are and the heels she forces him to wear? She’s evil.
amk
@Major Major Major Major: looks like cleek’s pie needs an update. I am still seeing that racist & sexist pos’s name.
mclaren
@raven:
Well, of course — what else would you expect from someone so stupid and so ignorant that I can only find work as a late-night security guard in between part-time jobs as a janitor? I’m one of those people…one of those non-rich types. Genetically inferior, obviously. And doubtless mentally ill. Only someone off his meds would fail to recognize that Obama cannot fail, he can only be failed by subhuman specimens like myself.
Villago Delenda Est
@rikyrah: We invaded the wrong fucking country in 2003.
the Conster, la Citoyenne
@Villago Delenda Est:
Yes, but to understand why we didn’t – well, that way lies madness.
Major Major Major Major
@amk: Working for me on Chrome with Tampermonkey, but yeah, sometimes it just… stops for me.
smith
@the Conster, la Citoyenne: Hah! I voted for McGovern when I lived in MA. Always felt it was a rather dubious badge of distinction.
Villago Delenda Est
@mclaren: You are so easy to hate.
gogol's wife
Get rid of that autoplay ad!!!
raven
@mclaren: Don’t preach that fucking bullshit to me.
Amaranthine RBG
@Cacti: It was nice that they got to meet.
Emma
@mclaren: No offense but step away from whatever substance you’re using. That was the most…not insane, it’s quite logical… if you lived in another Universe.
gwangung
@efgoldman: Well, you shouldn’t act surprised if you get kickback when you do that…..
mclaren
@efgoldman:
Absolutely. Any ungrateful cur who fails to recognize the marvelous benefits of having their job offshored or automated out of existence by a corporatist DINO Democrat in the White House is merely displaying lamentable ignorance. And arrogance, of course. Nothing says “arrogance” like a Bernie Sanders supporter who gets a stern lecture from you with the admonition
The Sanders supporters on the receiving end of your vituperation are arrogant, all right. They need some humility. They need to bow their heads when billionaires walk by, and genuflect more often.
SiubhanDuinne
@jl:
I would add a negative, if that’s even possible: Obama’s entire administration has been essentially scandal-free (which is not to say that adversaries, the media, etc., have not attempted to gin up scandals). The First Lady has had as much if not more shit thrown at her as has the President, and has emerged as wildly popular and influential. And Malia and Sasha (the “WeeMichelles,” in lamh’s artful and charming description) seem to be as normal and well-adjusted as any bright teenagers anywhere. That all by itself is a huge accomplishment.
Amaranthine RBG
@aimai: Was Clinton “trying to destroy” Obama when she campaigned against him?
Do you even remember the shit that Clinton threw at Obama during the campaign?
You like Obama, right?
Davebo
@JPL: The kingdom existed before oil was discovered in 1938 and it will exist after the Saudi reserves are depleted.
Now without the oil they wouldn’t have 747’s with hot tubs in them but they’d still be around.
Bob In Portland
@mclaren: I’m just trying to plumb the mindset here that is wondering how long the big folks in the permanent government will continue protecting the House of Saud when the headchoppers seem to have lots of friends in high places.
Ruckus
@ruemara:
It’s not your faith in progressivism that’s the problem. It’s that this type of faith does not accept a deity, it requires work, thought, compromise, understanding and respect for others. It does not allow “ME”, it only accepts everyone, regardless of gender, race, abilities.
SiubhanDuinne
@mclaren:
Do you even know what “nee” means?
By the way, if you’re going to try to impress people by using French, it should be né for a male, née for a female. Fail on the gender, fail on the accent.
Cacti
@mclaren:
You were living there long before you found your latest guru, cupcake.
Chyron HR
@Amaranthine RBG:
Nice try. If only Sanders had thought of this three months ago instead of literally hiring Al Gore’s campaign manager.
satby
@Major Major Major Major: shit, he’s awake.
Major Major Major Major
@efgoldman: Fourteen, silly.
redshirt
@mclaren: It’s interesting how composed you are some nights and unhinged on others. Do you know why that is?
And calling Obama “Sotero” is unhinged, among many other things you’ve said in this thread.
SiubhanDuinne
@SiubhanDuinne:
FYWP for not letting me edit my own godsdamned comment.
To mclaren, I just want to add, in case it wasn’t abundantly clear, FAIL on the factual. Because Barack Obama was not né, née, or nee “Sotero.” Which is misspelled, in case you give a rat’s ass.
Cacti
@redshirt:
Bipolar mania.
Amaranthine RBG
I don’t know about “woven bamboo” pillows, but these are fantastic: http://www.amazon.com/Adjustable-CozyCloud-Shredded-Support-Heights/dp/B01BO8A290/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1460850984&sr=8-1-spons&keywords=bamboo+pillow&psc=1
ruemara
@Ruckus: Well, that’s correct. Plus, the angry brogressives are so lacking in real humour. And delicious pastries.
Emma
@mclaren: First, his name is not Barry Sotero. Calling him so makes you sound like a racist redneck and completely detracts from any argument you are trying to make. Second, everyone who disagrees with you is not automatically a member of a deep anti-liberal conspiracy. Every time, every freaking time, I think you could actually be making sense, you start sounding crazier than those old men who walk around with “Repent! The World is Ending!” signs hanging from their necks.
I’m done. Engaging with you is buying into whatever Universe you’re building and reality is hard enough for me.
Bob In Portland
@mclaren: I have to agree with “Bob”. The political stalinism of this site is appalling. I wonder what happened. It’s really weird.
I think it’s partly because of the hometown edge here for H. Clinton it’s impossible for the villagers to not attack anyone who is not marching in step. The sad fact is that Obama and Clinton (along with Reagan and the Bushes) have watched over the biggest income disparity in American history. Anyone who thinks that H. Clinton will address income disparity is pretty much a fool.
But apparently, the villagers here at BJ World don’t really worry too much about income disparity. The best you get for your troubles here is “raven” using the f-word. Sad, really.
I’m guessing that the average person here is among the professional class, the target of Frank’s latest book. No wonder why even mentioning it was so offensive for the villagers.
It’s really sad.
satby
Damn, so much pie in this thread that now I’m starving.
See everyone in the morning, the evenings get a bit too cray-cray for me.
redshirt
I very much want to like Purity Ponies because their hearts are in the right place. I try to be patient because sometimes naivete is a virtue. But when you see the same symptoms again and again and again – political myopia. It’s tiring.
amk
@efgoldman:
he should start with counting the delegates first.
Bob In Portland
@Cacti: Better than fellating AIPAC.
Denali
But the opera was a good one.
Ruckus
@ruemara:
I would have been gone long ago from here without the pie filter. Of course don’t have it on the mobile device known as a phone so I have to either read a lot of crap, not read BJ at all, or scroll constantly. My fingers get tired. But not as tired as the idea we are all equal. Some are less equal than others. And that inequality isn’t gender or age, or color of skin, or primary language or even god forbid, religion. It’s lack of humanity.
PsiFighter37
@mclaren: Man you need to get back on the sedatives.
SiubhanDuinne
@Amaranthine RBG:
I have no earthly idea what that’s even supposed to mean. And I’m glad of it.
SiubhanDuinne
@Denali:
Fuckin’ A.
mclaren
@efgoldman:
Bernie Sanders isn’t a Democrat. And his supporters aren’t Democrats. And that greated unwashed mass of “idiots” and “children” and people who are as “ignorant as they are arrogant” aren’t Democrats either.
How many Democrats does that leave?
…A party of one: efgoldman.
Good work on the voter outreach, there, buckaroo. You’re doing a great job of creating a big tent for all the Democrats in November.
Mnemosyne
@SiubhanDuinne:
He’s afraid that you would be able to beat him up in real life. And I’m pretty sure he’s right.
the Conster, la Citoyenne
@redshirt:
Fix/t
Villago Delenda Est
@Bob In Portland: You’re projecting again, Putin blowjob expert.
schrodinger's cat
@Brachiator: Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown. Ask mummy, how easy things were for her when she ruled the waves.
hellslittlestangel
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for VP!
“Clinton/Abdul-Jabbar 2016” is a bit of a mouthful though.
Weaselone
@Bob In Portland:
Wasn’t aware you had been relocated from the warehouse in Moscow to a prison camp in Siberia. Tough break.
By the way, I expect that you’re telling the truth about the gift of jewels to Clinton, but the deliberate obtuseness makes me think it probably took place when she was first lady. That means the jewels are probably in the Smithsonian or on loan to the Clinton library for display as such gifts above a certain threshhold become US government property.
Roger Moore
@JPL:
They might be threatening, but I don’t think their threat is worth much. Selling off their American assets would probably hurt them more than us.
redshirt
@mclaren: I haven’t lashed out, I asked you a question. Which you responded to with insults.
I’ve been paying close attention to your posts for a while, and I see a general but unpredictable pattern to them. I was hoping you could help me understand why they seem to go from constructive to unhinged in such a manner. Your continuous use of “Barry Sotero” in this thread is unhinged, unless you can explain to me how it’s not.
Applejinx
@mclaren:
Maybe you’ll take this from me, where you wouldn’t from the posters you rail against:
Given that this is at least somewhat accurate, you do realize that you can simply and politely go away, like a civilized person?
I’m not calling you a liar (at least not about everything). I just find that your way of handling this blog’s demographic didn’t turn out to suit me. I don’t feel I’m on speaking terms with the folks you rail against (or their candidate, half the time) but do feel I’ve sympathized with you rather a lot.
I don’t know when so many of them got this way (surely it was always like this) but there comes a point when you recognize it and do the grown-up thing, much as one might back away from Red State.
I’m going to suggest politely (breaking my silence: and I’m also staying away more, not just refusing to post) that you might be happier, and just as ‘effective’, by doing likewise and leaving this odd, bustling, once-colorful place to its memory-foam-loving denizens.
(heh. I sleep on two memory foam mattress toppers, though they’re in some disrepair. I certainly would not knock memory foam. Rock on with your sleeping selves, say I)
ruemara
@SiubhanDuinne: You’ve convinced me. I will take advantage of this then. Thanks, guys!
SiubhanDuinne
@Mnemosyne:
:-)
Thanks!
Davebo
@Weaselone: The jewels were handed over to the General Services Agency like almost all gifts given to politicians.
She could have kept them, but she would have had to cough up half a million dollars.
SiubhanDuinne
@mclaren:
If you can’t even get the little stuff right, why should I (or anyone) pay any attention to the rest of your slobber?
Linnaeus
@Brachiator:
True enough, although I think Ampersand has a point. We’re all going to have to pay up if we want the things we say we want.
redshirt
@mclaren: EFGoldman is a crack addict? Is that unhinged?
Genghis
Oh please, more threads about how horrible Bernie Sanders is. They are all so convincing, hearts and minds being won, etc.
Time to elevate a Bernie supporter to front pager please.
Best…H
SiubhanDuinne
@mclaren:
You have a point, but personally, I prefer a nice meringue topping.
Major Major Major Major
@Genghis: I nominate ARBG.
Mnemosyne
@Amaranthine RBG:
And then I pointed out, with links, that open carry actually is a disaster out in those mostly white rural areas, and that white people are shooting each other at far higher rates than they are in diverse urban areas. And yet somehow you keep avoiding that topic. Funny, that.
MomSense
@raven:
Yes!! I really do like you.
aimai
@Amaranthine RBG: rural/low density is not, actually, code for “white” nor is urban/high density code for black. Many rural areas in the far west are largely populated by hispanics and native americans. While some highly dense urban areas are quite white, like SF (for example). The issue is, of course, the danger of bullets flying through shared walls and windows vs large, empty, spaces.
the Conster, la Citoyenne
@hellslittlestangel:
Clinton/Gom Jabbar
Omnes Omnibus
@SiubhanDuinne: The Van Halen M&M theory.
aimai
@Amaranthine RBG: You are moving the goalposts with extreme rapidity. Your original point was that HRC didn’t concede fast enough before the nominating convention. I pointed out that she did, in fact, concede four days after Obama received enough Pledged Delegates. I said nothing about the period before that because HRC’s behavior was really poor. However–she was at all times closer to winning outright than Bernie has ever been during this race. She was deluded, presumably as much by her teamas Bernie is by his team, about whether she could win given the delegate situation. But she had more reason to believe she could and would beat Obama than Bernie has. And, to reiterate, your original assertion, to which I was replying, related to how fast and how hard she turned from opposing Obama to supporting him. Bernie needs to learn from HRc’s mistakes. I’m surprised by how eager his fans are to brag about his repeating her mistakes.
BillinGlendaleCA
@Mnemosyne:
You mean like Bill Clinton?
Andy
@mclaren: What’s really disillusioning… this IS the Democratic Party.
redshirt
@mclaren: “Sotero” conveys your meaning more plainly, maybe?
Amaranthine RBG
@aimai: Well, you’re a bit wrong about my premise here. It isn’t that I think that Hillary didn’t concede fast enough. It is that I think that it is a great thing to have a liberal (Sanders) running against a moderate (Clinton) and that politics is about highlighting differences and that all of the people who are upset at Sanders for not conceding or not “playing nice” might want to acquaint themselves with ancient history of the campaign of 2008.
Gex
@aimai: This is why the question has been rephrased from other days. In a thread yesterday a Bernfeeler was asking how long after Obama reached that point did it take Clinton to suspend her campaign. The 4 days answer came out. Which is why the question asked today is about how long before the convention did Clinton suspend her campaign. See, this way the answer sounds bad, even though she was reasonably prompt about withdrawing.
Hugely
@rikyrah:
i have to commend you for being persistent with what you paste/post here (AA concerns mainly) – any parent should be scared shit-less about the ‘The Talk’. I would hate to give my kids that talk – anyone that doesn’t empathize is a f*cking sociopath
anyway to socialize these AA cultural perspectives to POLC (L = limited) is good thing. Someone should do a movie version of “The Talk” with real parents
anyway thanks and carry on :)
redshirt
@mclaren: It’s not my task to correct a crowd once they’ve latched onto a theory. However, that doesn’t mean you need to use what you perceive as the same tactics. And it’s chicken and egg, isn’t it? You calling someone a crackhead means they are unlikely to treat you civilly, which you then take as an affront again, and the cycle goes on.
There was a period last week where your posts were getting well received. The aspect they all shared was they were not slanderous of other posters, nor were they unhinged. And until you explain your use of “Sotero” to me, I’m classifying most of your content in this thread as unhinged.
John Cole
Ok, McLaren is getting a time out for a couple days and a strong suggestion to seek help.
the Conster, la Citoyenne
@Major Major Major Major:
LOL.
Hugely
@efgoldman: Attleboro? New Behfuh?
Adam L Silverman
@Applejinx: Did you get my email a while back? Explaining you hadn’t been banned? If not, glad you’re back regardless. The BLUF was I checked with Cole, he hadn’t banned you, so whatever happened wasn’t intentional.
redshirt
@John Cole: Boo! I was working here!
SiubhanDuinne
@John Cole:
Thanks. Good call. Things were getting a tad out of control.
different-church-lady
And I’ll say it again, but in a different way: the politics of resentment are matches. Play with them and you get burned. (no pun)
different-church-lady
Did you somehow make it so that the mention of the newly suspended party results in moderation?
hellslittlestangel
@John Cole: Thanks. That should dial down the BJ comment threads from “totally fucking crazy” to just “fucking crazy.”
Will this primary never end?
the Conster, la Citoyenne
@redshirt:
Booo, I was **AAAACKKK*
redshirt
@the Conster, la Citoyenne: Oh well, he’ll respawn.
different-church-lady
@Bob In Portland:
I know. And such small portions.
Mnemosyne
@different-church-lady:
That’s usually what happens, and why there’s a certain Roman philosopher (and namesake of a libertarian thinktank) whose name can’t be used.
Bob In Portland
Was I banned again?
divF
@Bob In Portland: No, just ignored.
Major Major Major Major
@Bob In Portland: Yes, dearie.
Anne Laurie
@John Cole: Thank you. I was gonna email, but that trick never works!
different-church-lady
@Bob In Portland: Apparently not. But keep trying, you’ll get there eventually!
different-church-lady
@Anne Laurie: Now fess up here: what was the nature of the infraction? I have a feeling it got deleted before I saw it, because what I did see was just par for that course.
J R in WV
@schrodinger’s cat:
I agree. They funded and managed the attackers that crashed those planes on 9/11.
I will never forget my boss stepping into my office and saying “An airplane flew into the World Trade Center!” And I asked him, “You mean like a Cessna, or an airliner?” Duh.
Then we watched the second airliner.
Then Bush ordered that all the Saudis related to Osama bin Ladin be allowed to fly out of the country, even though the rest of the airline business was shut down tight. Say what?
My Pet Goat?
redshirt
@different-church-lady: All his posts in this thread have been deleted and his name is now a killing word.
I’m not sure what crossed the line specifically, but he viciously slandered quite a few individuals in that way he has.
different-church-lady
@redshirt: A shame — Mc to the Laren was becoming my favorite fish in the barrel.
redshirt
MC laren’s an interesting person. Mostly insulting and condescending, but still interesting.
J R in WV
@Keith P.:
Me too, this morning. Second donation to Hillary, only two this cycle. I’ll be doing congressional candidates soon too. Tammy Duckworth!
J R in WV
@dexter:
Dude, have you never heard of ad-block software? You can install it on almost any browser, and then tell it which ads to block, or just tell it to cut all them out.
But I’ve not seen your nym before IIRC, so maybe you are new to the innertubes. There are tools out there, just ask google for help.
J R in WV
@Bob In Portland:
Fuq you and your little dog too, idiot….
sinnedbackwards
See what y’all get when you feed the trolls?
Matt
I almost feel like writing a comment about Bernie…but as a dog typing on a keyboard, I’m not sure my opinion is anymore valid than anyone elses…especially when people find out Paul Krugman is really just a smart Beagle
wufnik
Well, maybe. There have been some significant accomplishments, yes. Especially in the face of considerable congressional and public hostility. OTOH, the Democrats had majorities in both houses of Congress in 2008, and they’re not there now–the 2010 loss of the House created a significant problem with Republican gerrymandering that won’t be fixable for another four years, if even then. Yes, the Republicans did it, but Obama presided over those elections. We can’t pretend that he had no role in that. Additionally, a substantial segment of the Democratic party seems to be doing its best to turn themselves in Republicans, and the Democratic party seems as riven as the Republicans over the future of the party–given the the current party apparatus seems particularly ineffective, it’s hard to see where any improvement will come from. Moreover, Obama hasn’t really changed the trajectory of anything. The trends in place when he took office–climate, banks, multinational globalization, increasing economic inequality, the whole lot–are still in place, and in most cases not obviously better. In this regard, at least, Johnson was a greater president. As much as I like Obama personally, and think he’s been a pretty good president, this is not a positive legacy. Oh, and quoting Paul Krugman? Really? That’s not likely to bolster your argument,
Epicurus
“…a demand to choose definitively between hell and reason.”
Camus really was a prescient man, was he not? And what the heck is up with all the Krugman hate?? Oh, he doesn’t think The Anointed One will win the Presidency in November and that makes him a “shill for Hillary”? Please. I think the Professor is correct. Let’s not fight about it. The real enemy is the GOP.