STEVE KING says the border wall must be part of the gov't funding agreement: "Take the risk" https://t.co/KUshYbyjpg
— Robert Costa (@costareports) March 30, 2017
‘Way Out of Line’: Iowa Voters Rethink Support for Steve King https://t.co/XHvseyri4B
— Trip Gabriel (@tripgabriel) March 29, 2017
Hey, (Media Villagers) progress — the NYTimes found some Trump voters who *aren’t* defensively racist morons:
ORANGE CITY, Iowa — A year ago, Evan Wielenga, 40, believed — as does his congressman, Steve King — that undocumented immigrants should all be deported. They broke the law to enter the country. They spoke little English. They strained schools and public services.
But as talk of a border wall and a Muslim ban overtook the presidential campaign, Mr. Wielenga, the agronomy manager of a farmers’ co-op here in northwestern Iowa, had a change of heart.
He heard dairy farmers say they couldn’t get their cows milked without immigrants. “You can put an ad in the paper and you won’t get two white guys to apply,” said Mr. Wielenga, who grew up on a dairy farm himself.
He heard of the ruinous damage an immigration raid had done to families. “Some of these kids were born in the U.S.,” he said. “These families had lived here 10 years, and all of a sudden, Dad’s gone, Mom’s gone. When you think of it from that perspective, what’s the lesser of two evils?”…
Sioux County, Mr. Wielenga’s home, provided the largest margin in the 39-county district, Iowa’s most conservative. And there is no shortage of voters who echo Mr. King’s contention that “culture and demographics are our destiny,” as he said earlier this month to cheers from white supremacists.
But in conversations over four days with residents who voted for Mr. King, a new chorus of earnest naysayers could also be heard in many corners of the district. Some said the congressman’s latest provocation — uttered in support of a far-right Dutch politician — was finally more than they could brook. Several said they were rethinking their support.
“I’ve always voted for him, but I think this was way out of line,” said Bill Kooi, a retired farmer, sipping coffee at a Hardees in Orange City, as the friends who shared his table — to a man, older white conservatives — all nodded.
Again and again, voters brought up how much Mr. King’s district has changed since his election 15 years ago. Though still overwhelmingly white, it has absorbed a sizable population of Hispanics who have taken hard-to-fill jobs and opened small businesses in the empty storefronts of struggling towns. As a generation of non-Hispanic white children leaves for college and seldom returns, immigrants are keeping many of those communities alive.Denison, in Crawford County, is one.
Eric Skoog, a county commissioner and owner of Cronk’s restaurant in Denison, where Mr. King, 67, sometimes stops on his way home, said the community had been successfully assimilating a steady stream of Hispanics for years. “One of our claims to fame is we don’t have a Hispanic neighborhood,” Mr. Skoog said. Rather, immigrants and their families live throughout the community…
Amazing. CNN just queried a legit white nationalist about sanctuary cities without even hinting at the fact that he's a white nationalist.
— Ned Resnikoff (@resnikoff) March 28, 2017
This was a thing for a hot second. He didn't apologize, actually doubled down and it just kind of…went away. https://t.co/fAAO8tSMf6
— Sopan Deb (@SopanDeb) March 28, 2017
Those disgusted by Steve King should donate money to @KimWeaverIA who is running against him in Iowa #tuesdaythought https://t.co/h0E4dEjqBn https://t.co/N6vSd5yAzV
— Barbara Ann (@TweetingYarnie) March 28, 2017
Baud
Not likely, but God bless Ms. Weaver for making the effort.
Woodrow/Asim
I’ve been dropping cash for Kim Weaver tip since that ratfucker made those comments.
She might not win, sure. But, if we make that asshat run an actual race, maybe he’ll get scared enough to stop stirring up racist crap.
Somedays that’s a win.
dr. bloor
This is the Homespun Heartland equivalent of McCain and Miss Lyndsey raging on the Sunday Shows. I’ll believe they have more spine than our illustrious senators when they finally call King home to resume his rightful place as a Walmart greeter.
Iowa Old Lady
No way King has gone too far. His voters love him. Christie Vilsack ran against him last time and he won easily.
Major Major Major Major
Mhm, and how did that person vote? The article doesn’t seem to say.
ET
Steve King is a bottomless pit of embarrassment. That there are some constituents that voted for him and that may be turned off by some of his shtick is not much of his surprise but unless there are more and there is a viable alternative his support still seems so strong that he isn’t going anywhere.
Zinsky
My brother-in-law lives in Iowa and is retiring soon. He will be leaving after living there for over 30 years. He says it is turned into a steaming pile of shit with people like Joni Ernst and Steve King floating on the top of the political sewer there. Governor Terry Bumstead, who may be one of the dumbest men on the planet, is the crowning turd on this shit sandwich of a state…
Roger Moore
@dr. bloor:
That’s totally unfair. Walmart greeters have to be friendly to everyone who comes in; he wouldn’t last a day.
dr. bloor
@Roger Moore: Quite right. The judges were looking for “Third shift worker at the USPS transfer facility.”
Jeffro
Apologies if this was noted in an earlier thread, but too good not to post: Trump says, “Vote? I Actually Didn’t Want A Vote on the AHCA”
As many here have said before, by the end of April, he will have always been a big fan of Obamacare and is glad he defended it against the Republicans’ assault.
Baud
@Major Major Major Major:
Probably the same as the Texas ranchers whose property is about to be seized to build Trump’s wall.
Hal
Oh gods of heaven, if reincarnation is real, please let me come back to this earth as a mediocre straight white man.
Gvg
@Jeffro: news right now is saying Trump golfed with Rand Paul and they discussed “reforming” health care again and they got closer to an agreement etc. so they are going to try again. Phone calls again forever…
Eric S.
@Woodrow/Asim: I’ll keep my fingers crossed but I doubt it. They are who we thought they were.
Debbie1
Would someone please explain what “rethinking his support” means. If someone who has ALWAYS said racist, objectionable things says something else that is just as objectionable, you can either support someone else or you can squirm uncomfortably when asked how you feel about that politician but still continue to vote for him. Knowing Republicans as I do, I’m guessing that he will develop amnesia by next election and continue voting for him.
Patricia Kayden
@Iowa Old Lady: Why would voters who supported a White Supremacist as President care about a White Supremacist as Representative? Doesn’t compute.
Jeffro
@Gvg: Yup – we can outlast these clowns, easy.
I’m dying to see the outlines of what a Trump-Paul healthcare “reform” plan would look like. That’s an awful lot of stupid to roll into one piece of legislation.
Baud
@Gvg: They were on the same page last time. They aren’t the problem.
Ladyraxterinok
I lived in cetral IA from 68 to 89. State was pretty
liberal when we moved there. Sometime in the 80s
the religious right took over the state GOP. Now former
town part of the upper right quarter that is King’size district.
Story Co was part of district that elected Harkins to the House in 74?
Eric S.
@Hal: That wad good four a belly laugh. Thank you and good luck in your quest.
low-tech cyclist
@Baud:
‘I never thought leopards would eat MY face,’ sobs woman who voted for the Leopards Eating People’s Faces Party.
-Adrian Bott
Debbie1
They always talk about putting an ad in the papers for cow milking (not an 8-hour job, I’m guessing) or some other farm/laborer positions but, for some reason, they never specify how much the salary is, or what benefits (if any) it includes. Granted, I’m no farmer but, in my experience, salary offered has a large part to do with how well the ad does.
Patricia Kayden
@Zinsky: Yet this is the state which voted for President Obama twice and it could even be argued that his primary win there in 2008 boosted his prospects to win the Presidency. Sad that it has changed so much so quickly.
Baud
@low-tech cyclist: That should be a permanent fixture on this blog for the next four years.
Ladyraxterinok
@Ladyraxterinok:
Blast typos from keyboard of new tablet!!!
Patricia Kayden
@Debbie1:
Temporarily embarrassed? That’s all I can come up with.
Batten Down the Hatches
My father is from Sioux County, and nearly all my cousins on his side still live there. It’s been bizarre the past few months to read multiple national news articles about the tiny, obscure Iowa “towns” that I spent so much time in as a child, not to mention so many descriptions of the tiny breakaway church that I grew up in (the Christian Reformed Church) thanks to Betsy DeVos’ membership in the CRC.
My cousins, aunts, and uncles do not give a shit what Steve King says. They do not give a shit what Trump says or does. They vote solely on the basis of ending all abortions, period. This is the start and end of their interest in politics. They may hate everything else about a politician but as long as said politician promises to ‘end baby killing’, my cousins will vote for them.
My branch of the family lives in Godless Seattle and are proud, open Planned Parenthood supporters. They don’t talk to us very much any more, except to occasionally tell us that we are killing babies and going to hell. *yawn*
lamh36
Le sigh…are young people so used to nothing new that they embrace these useless ass remakes.
Apparently there’s an Adam Family remake in the works…all I said was I loved Raul Julia and that I’m conflicted and a bit tired of the remakes.
And the response was “he’s dead”…smh…young twitter people, first response is always snark…le sigh.
I was like…duh…I’m aware he’s dead.
Smh…is that what it has come to…is nothing ever ICONIC to young folk anymore? It can also just be remade and repackaged and they are fine with that I guess…
I mean they are essentially remaking a remake. I don’t suspect a majority of young folks have seen the original series, and a even younger group probably never saw the 90s remake films with Raul Julia.
https://media.giphy.com/media/NxEsKrLJXPuwg/giphy.gif
Oldgold
@Zinsky:
I find your characterization of Iowa as a “shit sandwich of a state” offensive.
germy
@lamh36: And how many are even familiar with the original New Yorker cartoons?
BBA
Here in the Empire State, we’re on the verge of a government shutdown because the GOP-controlled State Senate won’t go along with raising the age of criminal responsibility (i.e., to be tried as an adult instead of in juvenile court) from 16 to 18. I give a tiny bit of credit to Hereditary Governor-for-Life Cuomo the Lesser for pressing hard on this critical issue. This is completely drowned out by the blame he gets for setting up the “Independent Democratic Conference” that breaks from the party to give the GOP permanent control of the State Senate, even when a majority of districts go Democratic. If not for the IDC we wouldn’t be in shutdown mode to begin with.
Also, the fiscal year started yesterday without any appropriations passed, but Cuomo gave the legislature a grace period. How does that even work? I guess the government is mostly closed on weekends anyway…
germy
@low-tech cyclist:
Should have voted third party. Weasels Rip My Flesh.
Adam L Silverman
@Zinsky: @Ladyraxterinok: @Patricia Kayden: This is what changed. Or, rather, was pulled from the extreme and deliberately injected into the mainstream:
lamh36
@germy: other than maybe the young comic geeks…you can bet almost NONE of them
Jeffro
Btw folks, since this is an Open Thread, time for a quick update re: Jeffro’s RWNJ dad and brother. We had a nice family gathering today – beautiful weather, good food (twice!) and everybody generally relaxed.
And yet, both Dad and Bro still couldn’t keep themselves from working bits about sanctuary cities and safe spaces into the conversation at various points. When my kids were confused at both the terms and the snark, I told them these were terms that were a Very Big Deal to Fox News viewers but not really anyone else.
Later I had an opportunity to ask my dad what he thought about the NYT O’Reilly story – that Fox News has paid out over $13M since 2002 settling suits (mostly sexual harassment suits) for BillO. He goes, “what?” Figures.
Ah well, a beautiful day is still a beautiful day, and if stressing over sanctuary cities causes a few strokes here and there amongst the wingers, who am I to recommend they refocus their energies?
Once everyone had left, I drove my daughter to meet some friends at the movie theater, and in the car she asks, “So what is a sanctuary city, anyway?” And I told her, “It’s when city governments make a statement that they won’t go looking (or at least looking too hard) for illegal immigrants to deport, unless those immigrants happen to get picked up for some other crime. Not a huge deal, unless you’re a Fox News viewer convinced that the ‘lure’ of these cities is drawing hordes of brown and tan people to America, either to do everyone’s yard work or mooch off our lavish welfare system, I can never tell which.”
So she goes, “So…Grandpa’s a racist, basically?”
I have great hopes for this next generation. =)
Eric S.
@Debbie1: To give him the benefit of doubt for a just s moment, I took the statement as reevaluating his own beliefs about immigrants. I also understood this rethinking as having occurred after the November election. (I just read the excerpts here not the whole article.) Seventeen or eighteen years ago I had my own epiphany about the death penalty. It Las me to reevaluating a lot of my political beliefs.
The proof will be in how he acts and what he does going forward.
Adam L Silverman
@lamh36: It’s not a remake. Its a biopic about my folks. There was a typo in the reporting. It’s supposed to be: “Adam’s Family”. Thank you very much.
Jeffro
@Adam L Silverman: Am I reading this correctly, that not a whole lot moved on those GOP voter traits measured in the bar graphs, but things spiked in 2012 and REALLY spiked in 2016 due to anti-African American messaging?
It’s almost like 4, then 8, years of being under Obama’s boot heel and having to suffer through an economic recovery, historic job creation, withdrawing from two wars, and continued progress on civil rights and climate change was just too much to bear for some folks…
lamh36
@Adam L Silverman: lol…would you say your are more Gomez or Fester Adam…lol
lamh36
“Lost”…yeah right
Adam L Silverman
@Jeffro: Yep. And the changes in authoritarian responses are very significant as well.
Adam L Silverman
@lamh36: Lurch.
germy
@lamh36:
I’m sure it’s right under their noses.
LurkerNoLonger
@dr. bloor: So is it like an open secret in Washington that Lyndsey Graham is gay?
Tim C.
@Adam L Silverman: Tip your waitress! Try the veal!
germy
@LurkerNoLonger:
He's just too popular with the ladies to be tied down by any one woman.Adam L Silverman
@germy: Someone also stole all the toilet seats at the station. The cops have nothing to go on.
BBA
@LurkerNoLonger: It’s possible he’s just very, very Southern.
lollipopguild
@lamh36: People in Hollywood think that if it has been at least 10 years then it’s time for a REMAKE! Very few ideas for new movies, it’s easier to do reboots or remakes instead.
japa21
@Adam L Silverman: For that you should be made to s(h)it in the corner.
Adam L Silverman
@LurkerNoLonger: And in SC too. Every so often some Tea Party type holds a press conference, waves around a sealed envelope, and threatens Senator Graham that if he doesn’t vote appropriately it will be that person’s terrible, terrible, and very sad responsibility to release the information in the envelope to the press. Last time I saw this happen was a SC Tea Party leader at a press conference back the last time he was up for reelection.
Steve in the ATL
@lamh36:
On the plus side, it’s not another superhero or comic book movie
lamh36
@Adam L Silverman: Hmmm…Lurch…technically is an Adams by default……lol
germy
@lollipopguild:
And prequels!
germy
,
SFAW
@Adam L Silverman:
I guess better him than Cousin Itt.
SiubhanDuinne
@Adam L Silverman:
Snorfle.
lollipopguild
@Adam L Silverman: Are you Uncle Fenster or Wednesday?
SFAW
@LurkerNoLonger:
Cut that shit out, right now. He’s a confirmed bachelor.
ETA: Be that as it may: I don’t know his actual preferences or “status,” but I used to be of the opinion that, if he’s closeted, that’s more of a problem (so to speak) than if he were out (if he truly is gay). But I must be getting old, because I now realize: if he’s closeted, that’s his own business, and it must be lousy to feel one has to remain closeted. Yeah, I’m slow.
Thru the Looking Glass...
Whut nationality is KOOI?
It sure as hell AIN’T White Anglo-Saxon Protestant…
I’m always amazed at people like TANCREDO or ARPAIO
complaining about immigrants…
I’m old enough to remember my father mumbling under his breath about the damned EYE-talians, back in upstate NY, or when calling someone a Pollack or a Hunyak was still considers funny…
Not to mention whops, spics, spaghetti benders, mustache petes, greasers, krauts, micks…
JPL
@Steve in the ATL: I saw that Ossoff supporters knocked on your door. I’m sure they are using a list, but it’s still pretty exciting.
LurkerNoLonger
@Adam L Silverman: He could be Asexual. Maybe inside the envelope is a drawing of a penis and a vagina with a big red Ghostbusters slash through it?
Thru the Looking Glass...
@lollipopguild: What about Uncle Defenester?
lamh36
@Steve in the ATL: @Steve in the ATL: that is true, and the cast suggestion I saw if true would actually be a good one.
Gomez Adams…
Oscar Isaac
Morticia Adams… Eva Green
Thru the Looking Glass...
@germy: Right… rest assured, they’ll blow that case wide open…
NotMax
@lamh36
Addams.
/pedant
Hell, half the older people don’t seem to know who Charles Addams was, nor anything about his prodigious, delightfully twisted output.
germy
@NotMax: I can’t imagine anyone making a movie about any of the current crop of new yorker magazine cartoons. There are a few amusing ones, but there are some that are wretchedly unfunny and not even well-drawn.
SFAW
@Adam L Silverman:
What a shitty joke.
germy
@Thru the Looking Glass…: How did he feel about black people?
SFAW
@NotMax:
That Addams guy reminds me of Ogdred Weary.
SiubhanDuinne
@NotMax:
I never met him, but my mother (who managed our family-owned bookstore) chatted with him at an American Booksellers’ Association convention and got an original Addams cartoon sketch, autographed, dated, and inscribed to her. No idea whatever happened to it after she died.
Also too, original Walt Kelly (Pogo) and Al Capp (Li’l Abner). Capp drew her a very nice Shmoo, and Kelly did a Grundoon at her request.
germy
The Addams Family were an example of multi-generations living under one roof. Granny, Uncle, Cousin.
When they dismantle medicare, medicaid and social security we’ll see a return to that fine tradition.
NotMax
@germy
Not New Yorker, but there was a parody ad urging people to buy radios in another magazine (pre-MAD) which someone needs to re-do for the internet, which ran something along the lines of:
“Now! You can have all the crap in the world right at your fingertips.”
(Think the mag was Ballyhoo, but memory is only 90% sure.)
SFAW
@lamh36:
Shoulda gotten Sean Astin to be Gomez.
West of the Rockies (been a while)
@lamh36:
That casting does look solid! Eva Green has intelligent, smoldering eyes and irresistible, smirking lips. Angelica Huston will be big shoes to fill though.
Thru the Looking Glass...
@germy: There was like ONE black family in the small town I grew up in… I recall them being treated w/ jovial condescension… I do remember my paternal grandfather, whom generally I did like, once referring to a young man sitting in a 2nd story window as a ‘black cloud’ and hoping he would fall out and break his neck… this was in a nearby town…
I grew up in a heavily white, European area… next to no Jewish or Asians… I don’t think there was a single Asian of any specific nationality in any grade of my high school, now that I try to recall…
NO Mexicans but a fair number of Puerto Ricans passing thru to harvest crops…
I remember seeing a minstrel show when I was 4 or 5… 4 guys in black face doing songs at a Christmas show in the local fire hall… town so small it only had ONE store that doubled as the post office… even back then my father, who was not the most enlightened man, said something about ‘not supposed to do that anymore’ while watching it…
ThresherK
@germy: I’m thinking more of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, where four grandparents are jammed into one six-foot wide bed in the attic.
West of the Rockies (been a while)
@germy:
I’m not fond of the artist who has stoutish figures always leaning in an odd fashion.
lamh36
@SFAW: i get it, but god no…lol. Sean can stick to Hobbits…lol
Omnes Omnibus
Addams, damn it!
Lurking Canadian
@Debbie1: Yep. “I was willing to go as high as 25 cents per hour, and I was only expecting fourteen hour days with no lunch break! Still no takers! These lazy millenials just don’t know the value of a day’s work! They leave me no choice but to hire undocumented immigrants!”
Applejinx
@SiubhanDuinne: bzdptkwlf! jes’ fine!
NotMax
@SiubhanDuinne
Coolness ++.
Have a number of original sketches by various comic books artists. Always try to make it a point to ask them to do a well known character with whom they are not associated. 8 times out of 10, they thank me for that and put extra effort into it. “It’s so draining drawing [insert character name here] over and over again for fans!”
A very detailed sketch of The Spirit which Bill Sienkiewicz drew is a particular favorite. He was so excited about doing it, like a puppy with a new chew toy.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@germy: man servant and hand servant
joel hanesF
@Oldgold:
Iowa expatriate, here. I’ve been going back from Silicon Valley to a small town in Iowa two to four times a year for thirty-five years, spending weeks with my family. I love the state, and many of its people.
But in the 2016 election, Iowa finally voted out the slim Dem majority in the Iowa Senate that has been the firewall against the worst of the Republican ideological madness, and the Rs are making up for lost time by trashing the place. Branstadt got his longed-for partial partial privatization of Medicaid (for-profit insurance companies have been contracted to administer the benefits), and the results have been predictably awful. The Regents took down the President of University of Iowa and replaced him with a businessman with no experience in education, despite a vote of no confidence from the faculty. Iowa State is slowly losing its excellence in engineering. The schools, the environment, the safety net: all under attack. Regressive law enforcement is on the upswing, and Iowa has the largest racial disparity in sentencing in the nation.
So: the state is certainly attempting to follow Wisconsin and Kansas down the tubes, and making serious strides in that direction.
If the state is not yet a shit sandwich, it’s certainly trying to become one.
Batten Down the Hatches has it right: all this comes to you courtesy of Iowa Right To Life, which I credit with nearly single-handedly producing the 10-point swing from Obama to Trump, because the stolen Supreme Court seat represents the first real opportunity to overturn Roe. And Griswold.
NotMax
@Lamh36
Plus he’s a dyed in the wool RWNJ.
Just sayin’.
lamh36
@Omnes Omnibus: Sorry…damnit
germy
@West of the Rockies (been a while): There’s one cartoon in the current issue. Something about “This soup is hearty!” And the man holds up a fork. That’s a gag? And it’s drawn so crudely, his right hand has a thumb on the left side.
Thurber was minimalist and amusing, but this current crop of cartoonists simply can’t draw. There are a few who are skilled, but most look amateur. I understand the comics editor is retiring, so maybe things will change.
The guy who did the famous cartoon “On the internet, nobody knows you’re a dog” can’t get his comics published at the New Yorker anymore. They got tired of him or something.
Raoul
OT, but wow if it comes to be:
germy
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: When help was cheap.
Baud
@Raoul: The Russians are on it!
Patricia Kayden
@Jeffro: I know, right? President Obama was so dang mean to White people!! He treated them so horribly that his administration oversaw historic job growth and economic prosperity via the stock market.
Will someone think of the White people?!!
West of the Rockies (been a while)
@Raoul:
Awesome! Hopefully, his milk-white ass ends up in prison.
Ladyraxterinok
In 72 Harkins ran for House and lost. His wife was elected DÀ of Story Co. She was
the 1st female DA in IA.
Patricia Kayden
@Raoul: Go Lasso, Go!!!!
SiubhanDuinne
@Applejinx:
Mnpx gpss twzkd znp right back atcha, Jinx!
lollipopguild
@Patricia Kayden: Do you mean all of the oh so special snowflakes who need their own personalized safe space?
joel hanes
@Oldgold:
Iowa expatriate, here. I’ve been going back from Silicon Valley to a small town in Iowa two to four times a year for thirty-five years, spending weeks with my family. I love the state, and many of its people.
But in the 2016 election, Iowa finally voted out the slim Dem majority in the Iowa Senate that has been the firewall against the worst of the Republican ideological madness, and the Rs are making up for lost time by trashing the place. Branstadt got his longed-for partial partial privatization of Medicaid (for-profit insurance companies have been contracted to administer the benefits), and the results have been predictably awful. The Regents took down the President of University of Iowa and replaced him with a businessman with no experience in education, despite a vote of no confidence from the faculty. Iowa State is slowly losing its excellence in engineering. The schools, the environment, the safety net: all under attack. Regressive law enforcement is on the upswing, and Iowa has the largest racial disparity in sentencing in the nation.
So: the state is certainly attempting to follow Wisconsin and Kansas down the tubes, and making serious strides in that direction.
If the state is not yet a shit sandwich, it’s certainly trying to become one.
Batten Down the Hatches has it right: all this comes to you courtesy of Iowa Right To Life, which I credit with nearly single-handedly producing the 10-point swing from Obama to Trump, because the stolen Supreme Court seat represents the first real opportunity to overturn Roe. And Griswold.
joel hanes
help help accidentally put an extraneous letter on the end of my name
and my comment went into moderation
Central Planning
I have a friend who is a dairy farmer. He says he can’t hire Americans, he hires (illegal) immigrants from south of the border. When I ask why not pay more, he says he can’t afford to because of the government.
West of the Rockies (been a while)
@NotMax:
Are you sure? He’s a Christian but was an HRC supporter.
Baud
@Central Planning: Not enough subsidies?
Jeffro
@Patricia Kayden:
The suffering has been unbearable…competent governance, 20M more folks with health care, a steadily rising stock market, a steadily declining unemployment rate…
All kidding aside, it’s telling that the Right acts like there has been such suffering because in two ways, for them, it has been extremely difficult. One, a black guy was at the helm (and did extremely well). Two, the rich did have to pony up just a bit for Obamacare to work, financially, and it’s just. Killing. Them. to have to pay a couple percent more in taxes to ensure their fellow citizens have health coverage.
So they are suffering, but only because their own mental problems put them in that position – that a successful person of color somehow reflects upon them, and that being denied those last couple of percent in riches to benefit others hammers on their Randian worldview. It’s a match made in the psych ward.
Omnes Omnibus
@NotMax:
Source
Bess
@Batten Down the Hatches:
Is it time to reframe the anti-abortion movement as a group of people trying to impose their personal religious beliefs on the rest of us?
Doesn’t the Constitution give us protection from having a religion forced on us? We tossed out ‘blue laws’ and other religious based laws. Why are we permitting this attempt to force us to follow a religion in which we don’t believe?
Central Planning
@Baud: Exactly. Something about the government setting the price that they can sell milk, which is funny because he sells through a co-op. Of course, everyone has to sell to the local dairy co-op, so it is some sort of racket.
Steve in the ATL
@Bess:
It’s well past time. And I don’t even have a uterus!
Oldgold
@Thru the Looking Glass…:
Kooi is a common Dutch name. As for his religion, Bill Kooi is almost certainly a member of the Dutch Reformed Church.
You do not know what you are ranting about.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
He made me feel fat.
Seven almonds is barely a handful.
lamh36
@NotMax:
Is he? Hmm didn’t know that. ETA: I see others have the opposite info
Besides which for various biological reasons, his half brother MacKenzie looks more like John Astin of course. If he died his hair Black he’d be close to spitting image…almost
glaukopis
@Omnes Omnibus: He also made an appearance at a Democratic office I worked out of in Columbus shortly before the election to encourage us.
NotMax
@lamh36
More specifically, a XtianistNJ.
mai naem mobile
Not that anybody has asked my opinion but I think Lindsay Graham is asexual not gay. I don’t have any proof,just a feeling. I also think if he was gay he would have come out already. The guy doesn’t need to be a senator. He could make a killing lobbying. I don’t think John McCain would give a crap if his BFF was gay.
lamh36
Speaking of unnecesary remakes…newest trailer for Tom Cruise’s remake of The Mummy
Fuqn Cruise, the crazy bastard really does seem to be one of the few male stars in his age group to still be doing summer action movies, that at least promises some good ole fashion stunt work as opposed to mostly FX.
Anyhoo… here’s the official trailer: The Mummy
I’ll admit I do like the idea of a female Mummy, and TC is crazy so he does his own stunts mostly…so you can at least expect some good action sequences I guess…but I really do love me some Brendan Fraser and his Mummy series. So much so, if they told me he had a cameo, even a minuscule one, I’d see the movie for that cameo alone…lol
lamh36
@lamh36: wanted to add.. Warning: If you have a rat phobia, and just the site of rats bug you…towards the end…rats…and I just bet Tom Cruise crazy azz really did have real rats running over him…ugh.
Another Scott
@Bess:
FIFY. ;-)
I’ve posted this link to Jill Lepore’s piece in the NewYorker several times before:
It’s always been about politics. It’s not about the sanctity of life (e.g., Catholic doctrine is generally pretty clear about capital punishment) – it’s about coming up with wedge issues to drive strong Democratic constituencies away from the party.
How to fight it? Dunno for sure. Simply rational arguments aren’t effective when our “lizard brains” get activated. It probably will take a long effort and multi-faceted attacks involving the correct (sensible, logically and scientifically justified, humane) policies and ones that involve empathy and love and resistance to demonizing others (so our lizard brains don’t get riled up).
The main thing is, we can’t take anything they say at face value. There’s always an agenda behind their tactics, and it isn’t always what it appears to be. Sometimes they take positions that they really want to implement; sometimes they take positions that they know riles up their voters but they really don’t want to implement (like advocating a total ban on abortion. If abortion is totally outlawed, it ceases to exist as a wedge issue to divide Democrats); sometimes they take positions to satisfy Cleek’s Law – something to get Democrats talking and to suck all the air out of the room so no sensible policies can be advocated instead.
What worked with me when figuring out how to think about abortion was:
There’s nothing more personal than deciding whether or how to have children. As a general proposition, the state in the USA must not have the right to force someone to have children. As long as a fetus is not viable outside the woman, she has the ultimate right and responsibility to decide its fate. (And if someone eventually comes up with a way to make every pregnancy “viable outside the woman”, that does not mean that she should be forced to be its mother. The state should not demand that every fertilization event result in a new citizen – the cost would be exorbitant for one thing). Old white men wanting to win political power do not trump that right and responsibility.
But beyond all those high-minded thoughts, there are many practical aspects as well. Rich people can get around any ban by going to another state, or country, to get forbidden procedures or medications. Women have worked for thousands of years to figure out how to prevent pregnancy. That will continue whether old white men agree or not. Contraception and abortion can be made freely available to everyone who needs it, or the rich will find ways to get it safely and the poor won’t. The poor already have more than their fair share of challenges, we (as a society) shouldn’t punch down on them if they don’t want any more children (or any at all). Plus, there are valid medical reasons to prevent pregnancy and end a pregnancy (due to the risk of it killing the woman). And finally, I don’t want big brother investigating and accusing every woman who has a miscarriage or who travels outside her state or country, demanding to know about her cycle and her medical care.
It’s not about our precious tax dollars (that the GOP is more than happy to shower down on their supporters and donors), it’s not about the sanctity of life (they support the death penalty and support cutting programs for the sick, poor, disabled, hungry, and infants and children), it’s not about religious teaching (they are not their brother’s keeper and they support and rile-up people who commit murder and demonize anyone who stands in their way). It’s about getting and keeping political power and using abortion as a cudgel.
I’m hopeful that the declining religiosity of America coupled with increasing education will make wedge issues like abortion less powerful over time. But it’s a long, slow process and there are too many reactionary setbacks for us to count on progress. We have to fight them every single day.
My (too long) $0.02.
Cheers,
Scott.
West of the Rockies (been a while)
@lamh36:
My girlfriend’s son has a therapy rat, keeps it on his person during most waking hours crawling around on his skin under his shirt (and evidently relieving itself at will). Yuck.
Texasboyshaun
@Eric S.: As the Southern Barefoot Contessa, Paula Deen, once said, “I is what I is.”
lamh36
@West of the Rockies (been a while):
“…therapy rat, keeps it on his person during most waking hours crawling around on his skin under his shirt (and evidently relieving itself at will)…”
Jim, Foolish Literalist
The Senate needs five more Dems to block Grouch– 36 have announced they’ll support a filibuster, three are voting to confirm against filibuster, here are the undeclared:
I assume Leahy and Brown will come out against him, Cardin I think is fairly reliable(?), I’d be surprised if Feinstein didn’t support a filibuster, but she has a history of sin. The rest, I really don’t know. King is quirky, Menendez is a dick, Warner’s blue doggy, Bennet has pulled some dick moves (Keystone), Coons… I assume Joe Biden calls him three times a day.
Jeffro
Coons, Brown, Bennet, Cardin, Warner all sure as heck better not vote for Gorsuch.
Corner Stone
@West of the Rockies (been a while): Ummm…Get Out?
lamh36
Omnes Omnibus
@lamh36: Dear god.
skerry
@lamh36: WTF?
Miss Bianca
@lamh36: Pugsley?
StringOnAStick
@Jeffro: I’ve been after Bennet every day, but his connection to Anschutz (former boss and very rich CO wing nut) makes me think he won’t support the filibuster. Its a stupid move on his part because this state is is swinging blue, fast. I much preferred our other Senator, who lost in an off year.
GregB
@Oldgold:
Would adding a side of corn soften the blow?
SiubhanDuinne
@lamh36:
Wait WHUT??
lamh36
Hate to comment and run, but
On the one hand, I really need to get to get in my bed right now. The new job schedule is 30 min earlier than I used to start work.
On the other hand, The Switch is about to come on and I happen to love that movie…
ugh…decisions, decisions…
Welp can’t be late for new job or too tired to do the work…so I’m out at 9pm CST…
good night BJ…see ya tomorrow…
SiubhanDuinne
@lamh36:
Sleep well, lamh.
Omnes Omnibus
@lamh36: What happened to you? You used to be cool.
schrodingers_cat
@Omnes Omnibus: She started hanging out with us.
Adam L Silverman
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: @Jeffro: Schumer knows how to count. He knows who he has and he’s releasing those he doesn’t need who are in states where it could cost them next year.
West of the Rockies (been a while)
@Corner Stone:
Well, my GF is wonderful… the kid (who’s 20) not so much.
liberal
@Iowa Old Lady: my folks say she was a pretty weak candidate.
Adam L Silverman
@lamh36: @Omnes Omnibus: @skerry: @SiubhanDuinne:
http://www.cnn.com/2017/04/02/politics/jared-kushner-iraq/index.html
Omnes Omnibus
@Adam L Silverman: I think that is right. It is what a good leader does. Schumer has been good so far.
Lurking Canadian
@lamh36: I guess after Jared has solved the Israel-Palestine dispute and modernized the US government, singlehandedly, bringing down ISIS is the next logical step for him. How fortunate the US is to have such a talented and dedicated public servant! I can’t wait until they turn him loose on climate change!
liberal
@Jeffro: Cardin’s a terrible disappointment. (I lived in MD from 1999 to 2013.) He waffled a lot on TPP. Main disappointment was foreign policy.
Omnes Omnibus
@Adam L Silverman:
Shit.
liberal
@Lurking Canadian:
Jared Kushner shuts down the haters after solving Yemen crisis by selling country to Peter Thiel for use as his private blood farm.
liberal
@Adam L Silverman: I saw a tweet by Tester saying he’s coming out against Gorsuch.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯ (RandomMonster)
The closest anyone in that family has ever been to a war zone.
Lurking Canadian
@liberal: From your link, a tweet by “nain in vain”: he is the Kushner-Haderach!
I think that’s a keeper
Adam L Silverman
@Omnes Omnibus: He knows his business and how to do it. My guess is he’s releasing those he don’t need, and who he knows could have the vote used against them next year, but has them all in line in case there’s a procedural vote to nuke the filibuster as a result. I think he’s betting there will be three GOP senators that don’t want to get rid of the filibuster. And while voters may care about killing a Supreme Court nomination, we have abundant evidence that they 1) don’t understand the concept of cloture and the filibuster and 2) don’t care about it.
Chet Murthy
@Adam L Silverman: @Omnes Omnibus: I’d feel a lot better if Feinstein were onside already. Fret fret fret. Time to call tomorrow again.
Kropadope
@lamh36:
At their best, these remakes reinterpret and recontextualize stories. I very much love new stories being told for my favorite characters or different interpretations on familiar stories. Besides, the Addams Family isn’t a bad subject for that sort of thing anyway, wasn’t that IP originally a serialized comic, then a serialized television program? Why it’s practically meant for this sort of thing.
Granted, some of these remakes are blatant cash grabs.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@Adam L Silverman: I can live with the three defectors* we have, and if Tester’s against Gorusch @liberal: , I’m pleasantly surprised– same for McCaskill. Looking at the remaining undecideds, it looks to me like Brown is the only one with a sound electoral reason for supporting G, and I can’t imagine him doing it. I’d like to see the score run up as much as possible. Also protects McC and Tester from being the One Vote that stopped Gorusch.
* and I send out a message to the universe– anyone thinking about working or donating to a primary in ND, WV or IN… think of sending that energy to Nevada, maybe Arizona
SiubhanDuinne
@Adam L Silverman:
Oferfuxsake. This has gone beyond embarrassing and well into humiliating territory now.
Seriously, exactly what qualifications does Jared Fucking Kushner bring to diplomatic relations between the United States of America and the People’s Republic of China in these fraught times? (Or, really, in any times, fraught or not.)
liberal
@Raoul: Yeah. It’s not like there’s anything at stake for Ecuadorians other than the fate of Julian Assange.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@Chet Murthy: the one issue she seems to be trustworthy on is choice, so I’d be shocked if she doesn’t take a stand against him
Doug R
@lamh36: A lot of iconic pictures we love today were remakes
Another Scott
@Omnes Omnibus: I hate reporting with sentences like that. “Expected” – by whom? “A major role” – doing what? This sounds like another of the “Donnie’s kids are great and they’re saving him from doing anything stupid, aren’t they wonderful? We’re so lucky that they’re so great!” leaks we’ve been treated to over the last few months. Seemingly placed by Jared’s people….
Trying to keep Donnie from turning the meeting into a discussion about, say, why Donnie was prevented from putting a casino on the Great Wall or putting a Trump Tower in the Forbidden City, would be a “major role”, and probably one well suited to Jared.
:-/
I expect Xi to have all the cards during the meeting with Donnie. I expect Donnie will make all kinds of demands (maybe presenting him with an Invoice for protecting SK or something), and at, the photo-op, sitting with a grimace on his face while he taps is short fingers together while pretending that they had a productive meeting and Donnie got something “really great” out of it. Xi will smile and shake his head inside about how quickly the US has fallen.
Maybe a reporter will ask him about Russia or Flynn and he’ll storm out again.
(sigh)
Cheers,
Scott.
efgoldman
@Hal:
I dunno’. I’ve been one for almost 72 years….
Another Scott
Drats. Use “casino” without the HTML trickery and got thrown in the dungeon again. Help?
Thanks.
Cheers,
Scott.
Adam L Silverman
@Lurking Canadian: In this case it’s more likely that he’s there to get eyes on for the President. Good, bad, or otherwise he’s the closest advisor to the President. This is far preferable to having Gorka or Bannon or Miller going with Gen. Dunford and reporting back.
Here’s what happened this week. He arrived, got greeted by the CJTF Command Group, and, depending on what was going in, the Combined Joint Force Land Component Commander (C/JFLCC). He was also probably greeted by the Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force (CJSOTF) Commander. He got briefings from the CJTF staff – so several of my former students were extra busy. He got a CJTF OIR Challenge Coin and, perhaps an XVIII ABN Corps (XVIII ABN Corps is currently the CJTF OIR) challenge coin. He also probably got a ball cap and a jacket. He may have been given some additional background materials to read and, if unclassified, carry back with him. He was probably introduced to the senior officers from the Coalition partners that are in country and also met with the Chief of Mission, who is Acting Ambassador, Embassy Baghdad. Depending on what was going on he may have sat in on meetings with Gen. Dunford’s Iraqi counterpart – the Minister of Defense. If there was time they may have taken him up to the FOB nearest to Mosul and another of my students who is the O6 (colonel) commander there was also extra busy giving him a briefing.
This is the standard type of trip for a VIP like this. Since he was traveling with Gen. Dunford he may have been in whichever meetings and engagements the CJCS was in.
Adam L Silverman
@SiubhanDuinne: He has the only qualification he needs: he’s married to the boss’s favorite daughter and favorite child.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@Doug R: I had to google to double check, but the Maltese Falcon we all know and love (like waving a red flag at the contrarians) was not the second but the third version of Hammett’s book, including a comic version starring Bette Davis– I had no idea.
The only comedy I know Bette Davis having been in was the Man Who Came To Dinner, and I don’t remember her being funny
Adam L Silverman
@Another Scott: You’re free.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@Adam L Silverman: You think Tiffany and Ron Reagan will someday have a show on MSNBC, for at least a couple of weeks? With special correspondent Barbara Bush The Younger?
joel hanes
@liberal:
Christy Vilsack
All the Iowa Dem activists I know thing she’s a great person, but not an effective candidate.
Jeffro
.
Another Scott
@Adam L Silverman: Thanks muchly.
Cheers,
Scott.
Adam L Silverman
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: I have no idea.
Chet Murthy
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jenna_Bush_Hager#NBC_News_correspondent
efgoldman
@Eric S.:
FUCK no. Racists are racist. They may as well put on their sheets and hoods when they get out of bed in the morning. There is no secret what the asshole is, and the other fuckheads who vote for him give either active or tacit support.
Fuckem
efgoldman
@LurkerNoLonger:
What earthly difference does it make?
Omnes Omnibus
@efgoldman: Cole rethought things and became leftier than most of us who grew up on the left. Nothing like a convert.
Kropadope
@efgoldman: Because it’s fun to speculate.
Omnes Omnibus
@efgoldman: Seconded.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@Omnes Omnibus: Arianna Huffington went from a Gingrich acolyte who campaigned for Phil Gramm in ”96 to supporting Nader in 2000 cause Al Gore wasn’t pure enough. Now she seems to tell people to sleep more.
Another Scott
@Jim, Foolish Literalist:
He is indeed. He loved grabbing the spotlight as a “moderate” in the Gang of N that was trying to come up with several “min-grand bargains” on various issues.
But he was also a dependable vote for Obamacare, and he’s part of those leading the charge in the Senate to investigate the Russian interference in the election. He also proposed, with Schiff, setting up an independent body to investigate. And he got scared by how close his last election victory was. I think he realizes how important it is to stick together and not let “comity” get in the way of what’s right for the country, and how important it is to his electoral future to support the party and not be “moderate” for its own sake (especially when so few Republicans are willing to vote for a Democrat any more).
I’ll be surprised if he votes for Gorsuch – especially given his expressed concern about his evasive answers, but we’ll see.
Cheers,
Scott.
Doug R
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: Ben Hur, The Ten Commandments and Wizard of Oz are all remakes.
Steve in the ATL
@Adam L Silverman:
You know he normally charges $0.02
efgoldman
@NotMax:
What? Addams and Gahen Wilson were two of the funniest (and strangest) people who ever lived.
Before the TV show and the movie, the Addams family were anything but the cute and cuddly characters they became.
seaboogie
Taking a brief break from my new healthy habit of “screenless Sunday” to enjoy the familiar voices on the thread and to share that this new habit feels like a really healthy and wise one.
Made myself a delicious spring brunch of roasted asparagus with a poached egg and wee knob of leftover poached salmon, strawberries and green tea.
I’ve spent the rest of the day reading “Crossing To Safety” by Wallace Stegner.
Pretty soon I’ll take a shower and make a dinner of farro with shiitake mushrooms, fresh corn kernels and Italian parsley.
The weather in NorCal is beautimous, and I’m feeling very kindly disposed towards my fellow woman, man and child. Landlord in his garage was beaming – not for me, nor because his restored MG is roadworthy – but because he was receiving his adorable 4-y-o grandson in the Sunday hand-off….parents are split and both live with their own parents – the grands – who provide loving support, patience and stability on alternate weeks. I already have a little box of Easter candies for the child.
Birds are singing before their slumber as then sun has set….
Mike J
@lamh36: Can we move the entire country before he gets back?
Adam L Silverman
@Steve in the ATL: Front pager discount.
liberal
@Ladyraxterinok: Heh. I grew up in Ames, and my mom worked on Harkin’s first campaign.
seaboogie
@Steve in the ATL:
One more reason I cherish this snarl of jackals…
Actual mockingbird is done with his repertoire of imitations as of a moment ago….
evodevo
@Debbie1: Well, let me tell you about how it used to be here in Ky when I moved to the state in the ’50’s … There were a LOT of family farms, that raised tobacco and cattle, mostly. Tobacco is a labor-intensive crop that demands a lot of care – corn you just plant and forget it till harvest….tobacco requires tending by hand several times during the growing process, and cutting and “housing” (hanging it in a barn to cure) requires a LOT of hazardous physical labor at the hottest time of the year here. You either had 10 kids to help out, or you had a poor tenant farmer, living in a ratty house with usually no running water and an outhouse, who had the 10 kids. They lived a physically hard, poorly paid life and most of them died at 55 from heart attacks from eating lard-fried diets plus smoking. By the ’80’s, such labor had almost disappeared, and farmers had to contract out to get crews of Mexicans to do the work. Then Mitch the Turtle got the tobacco support program repealed, and virtually everyone I know got out of the business. Only a few of the locals still raise tobacco on contract to the tobacco companies. Their labor force is still crews of Mexicans, with a few white teenagers here and there making summer money housing tobacco. There are still issues with how these crews are housed, and how much of their pay the contractor gets, but the farmers aren’t going to pay anymore than they can get away with.
efgoldman
@Bess:
Shit, it was time 40+ years ago.
Let’s start by no longer allowing the term “pro-life.”
Call them what the fuck they are: “Anti-choice.” Make them own it.
Bad enough we let the Village go with that framing; we don’t have to be assholes about it, too.
And we should be going after the media on this the same way the mouth breathing knuckle draggers do, hard and often. Let’s see how they like it when people who can actually read and think start complaining.
Fuckem
danielx
@Hal:
Trust me, it’s overrated.
?BillinGlendaleCA
Damn Boomer, we just need to wait until they all croak.
efgoldman
@lamh36:
Maybe someone will fire a loud weapon a few feet from his ear, and he’ll drop dead of a heart attack. Solves several problems.
Lizzy L
@efgoldman: Yep.
efgoldman
@Adam L Silverman:
Yup, same as Yertle McTurtle let Suzy Q Collins cast a couple of meaningless “no” votes on confirmations.
Steve in the ATL
@seaboogie:
I am here to serve
cthulhu
@lamh36:
Actually John’s younger brother Sandy looks quite a bit like him. He’s a professor emeritus in the School of Education at UCLA and my ex- used to work with him quite a bit. It was always a little weird at social events because it was hard not to notice the “Gomez” in him.
Yarrow
@efgoldman:
That doesn’t work. They don’t care if people have any choice in their own life. You should do what Jesus told you to do, even if it’s not in the Bible but only exists in their own minds.
I prefer “forced birth.” It’s more accurate. They’re forcing women to have babies, no matter how the woman feels about it or what her doctor’s recommendations are or what the health of the fetus is.
danielx
@Lurking Canadian:
Next step: promotion to Ming the Merciless.
efgoldman
@Adam L Silverman:
Is the general out if his goddamned mind?
SiubhanDuinne
@seaboogie:
THAT.
SOUNDS.
SO.
GOOD.
SiubhanDuinne
@Adam L Silverman:
Jesus, the perks just never stop, do they?
oldgold
@GregB:
You do realize you can’t eat the corn Iowa’s known for growing? Probably not.
patroclus
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: Leahy doesn’t want to filibuster – he’s said that he’s not inclined to do it. If he’s the 41st vote, I think he’d do it, but he clearly does not want to. King doesn’t want to either – he wants to be able to vote for Gorsuch to show his “independence.” Brown’s a probable yes to a filibuster, but he might like to get some cred with Republicans in Ohio in his next re-election campaign, so he’s waiting too. Feinstein’s a probable yes to a filibuster, but in normal times, she wouldn’t be Warner, too, would like to seem “moderate” but he could join the filibuster as well. Basically, all the ones you mention would rather not filibuster for their various reasons, but might do so if needed. They are all playing “chicken” right now and would all rather be let off from having to decide because there are 41 other votes. (Like Schumer himself did on the Iran deal). None are solid. The general expectation in the Senate is that McConnell will go nuclear and Gorsuch will be confirmed regardless. The best we may be able to hope for is that it gets delayed until after the end of June.
Chet Murthy
@efgoldman: s/Anti-choice/Woman-hater/
or
s/Anti-choice/Misogynist/
efgoldman
@Omnes Omnibus:
I don’t think Cole was ever a stone racist or voted for candidates who were.
There was a time when you could be a “conservative” or a “Republican” in this country and not be a racist or a white supremacist. Those days are gone. It happened so quickly that it’s hard for some people to process, but it’s true.
Redshift
@Another Scott: I agree, I think it’s not so much that Warner is blue doggy as that he has a bipartisanship fetish. The lesson he needs to learn from his brush with political death is that just working across the aisle gains you no support if you have nothing to show for it.
Anyway, I’m calling his office nearly every day to push him to support the filibuster, because it’s a stolen seat and an illegitimate administration, and my local Indivisible group shows up in person every Tuesday.
Kropadope
@efgoldman:
That difficulty processing has allowed some to continue to be in denial of this fact. I’m beginning to wonder whether it’s a good idea to try to prove it to these folks. How would they respond? I’m far too worried the answer is “embrace it.”
efgoldman
@Doug R:
He is; I think it’s taken him a while to catch up with his electorate, which is increasingly dominated by blue NoVa. But he’s getting there.
Redshift
@efgoldman:
The TV show, yes. The movie Addamses are much closer to the originals, Christina Ricci’s Wednesday especially.
danielx
@Omnes Omnibus:
It does happen occasionally, with the Little Green Footballs guy being another case in point. That would be Charles Johnson as opposed to Charles C. Johnson, well known douchebag and asshole at large.
Adam L Silverman
@efgoldman: He won’t have been anywhere near where the fighting is.
Suzanne
I’m getting some really great kitty purrs right now. This is nice. I need this right now.
I saw the news about Jared Kushner is in Iraq….WTF? Why? What could he possibly be doing?
If ISIS isn’t defeated by morning, I will just have to conclude that Trump doesn’t know what he’s talking about.
Another Scott
@Redshift: Thank you!
Cheers,
Scott.
Adam L Silverman
@efgoldman: No. Gen. Dunford, like all general officers/flag officers are political creatures. It is quite clear who is the closest advisor to the President: Kushner. Whether it was suggested to the CJCS that he take Kushner with him or he made the decision himself, this is his way of getting his message and the message of the senior commanders in Iraq directly to the President’s most trusted agent: his son in law.
Adam L Silverman
@SiubhanDuinne: Considering that thanks to the disclosure dumps on the WH staff’s financials, we know a 24 year old made over $120K last year blogging at Breitbart, the .02 cent discount on Scott’s posts is literally the least anyone could do for me around here. ?
danielx
@Adam L Silverman:
As opposed to Bannon, who appears to view himself as Iago?
ETA: Granted, Trump doesn’t appear to really trust anybody outside his immediate family, and with good reason. He is not a person who inspires trust or loyalty through word, deed, or example
Another Scott
@Adam L Silverman: rofl.
‘Night all.
Cheers,
Scott.
Felixmoronia
@oldgold: Does it really matter? I grew up in NW Iowa about 30 miles(as the crow flies) from Orange City and these people are bigots to their bones and hypocrites on top of that. The kind of people who go to S.D. or SW Mn. to buy liquor so as not to run into any of their fellow churchmen. The kind of people whose religion frowned upon watching TV so they put the TV antenna in the attic, not the rooftop like normal folks. As a wise lady from the area once said “you are born Dutch but choose to be a Hollander!” Even my own white Irish/English/German family was looked on with contempt because we were Catholic.
To quote efgoldman: fuckem!
joel hanes
@oldgold: @seaboogie:
I’ve spent the rest of the day reading “Crossing To Safety” by Wallace Stegner.
Now there’s a day well spent.
And the rest of your day — it really reads much like Shirley Jackson’s “One Ordinary Day With Peanuts”.
danielx
Clearly there’s more money in swill distribution than I ever imagined.
Kropadope
@danielx:
There’s practically unlimited demand for racist disinformation and the only startup capital you need to put up is your eternal soul.
Adam L Silverman
Shiny, clean, new open thread is up for your commenting convenience.
Adam L Silverman
@Kropadope: Ask me some time about turning down opportunities at two different neo-Conservative, anti-Islam think tanks. Or don’t.
KS in MA
@Bess: Yes, high time.
Villago Delenda Est
@danielx:
It’s been a thing ever since the Whitewater boom of the 90’s. An easy way to make money as long as you have no scruples at all…either about slandering the object or taking money from those who love the slander.
Adam L Silverman
@danielx: yep
Kropadope
@Adam L Silverman:
Are you kidding? I love story time!!! Plus I’m already sitting cross-legged in sweatpants so let’s hear it, if you would be so kind. :-)
Adam L Silverman
@Kropadope: I’ll give you the short story on the second one: I was approached, via email, while deployed in Iraq by an executive headhunter. Indicated he’d gotten my name and contact info from the department I did my undergrad degree at Emory. He then found my CV on line. He wanted to know if I wanted to be considered for the Deputy Executive Director position at a think tank focusing on the Middle East. I said yes, however I was deployed, explained what I was doing, and asked if we could put the rest off for 90 days until my deployment was over. He indicated yes – partially because of the work I was doing at that time. When I got home I emailed him to get things started back up. At that point he sent me a questionnaire to complete and told me the name of the research institute. It was Daniel Pipes. He indicated the plan was I’d serve as the number 2 for several years and then, if Pipes was pleased, he’d turn it over to me. Once I found out who’s think tank it was, I broke contact. I never got back to him. Pipes is both brilliant and nuts. And a major conspiracist. He’s also the reason we have Steven Emerson and Evan Kohlman. I’m not independently wealthy. I’m not running a think tank. I’m not on cable news all the time or getting paid to do op-eds in conservative media, but I can look at myself in the mirror.
burnspbesq
@Raoul:
Weird shit happening. Moreno has been declared the winner, 51-49. Lasso says he will challenge the results in all 24 provinces.
Kropadope
@Adam L Silverman:
Knowing how the story ends, it sounds pretty much deliberately vague.
Ah, the good old days when some on the right at least pretended to care about credentials.
The cracked 4×4″ mirror. Well, even though we don’t have much to offer financially, we’re glad to have you.
Oldgold
@Felixmoronia:
So, I take it you won’t be attending the tulip festival?
efgoldman
@Felixmoronia:
I am going to start charging royalties. Seriously.
Adam L Silverman
@Kropadope: I do okay, that wasn’t the point. Those kind of gigs, however, come with a bunch of built in money making extras in addition to salary and benefits. In house press and/or connections to a press that will publish one’s books and monographs. And a distribution system to market and sell them. An arrangement with a speakers bureau to book talks, as well as paid contributor gigs in print and/or online publications and to get paid contributor gigs on the cable news shows.
Kropadope
@Adam L Silverman:
I appreciate that, I’m just not one to let the truth get in the way of a wiseass remark. Provided, of course, the truth can still be adequately and conclusively highlighted in the end.
ruemara
Forgive my cynicism but as the person most like to be called a slur by these fine salt of the earth ‘mericans who vote for bigotry on the reg, I’ll believe it when I see it. Good on the small few who never liked King before, but these slow pate motherfuckers sure took their time being offended. Somehow, I believe the lack of actual harvesting help that’s affecting their bottom line is more the cause of this effect.
Bitter Scribe
@ruemara: Exactly. And of course the fine salt of the earth motherfuckers wouldn’t think of raising wages to attract U.S. citizens.
Jacel
@germy: Shannon Wheeler is a current New Yorker cartoonist who known elsewhere for his long running “Too Much Coffee Man” comic. He collaborated with a composer on a rather effective opera involving three characters from his comic. See it if you have a chance.
I would have liked to see a sitcom involving the pool of people and pets in George Booth’s New Yorker cartoons.
Uncle Cosmo
@Adam L Silverman:
THE FUCK THEY ARE. Those reported indices barely moved in the last 16 years. There is nothing significant there. Period.
(C’mon, Adam, you can’t really look at those graphs & claim that, can you? You’re not that blindered of an ideologue,,,I hope…)
noncarborundum
@germy: FWIW the guy with the hearty soup is holding a hammer, not a fork. I think that makes it funnier. It’s still execrably drawn, though.
catclub
@Debbie1: Kevin Drum noted the same thing with the ‘shortage’ of construction workers. Small employers do not believe higher wages, under any circumstances, can create more workers.
Adam L Silverman
@Uncle Cosmo: Let me be more specific: they’re significant over the time period from just after 9-11 when the country lost its collective mind to the present. Happy now?
TenguPhule
@Uncle Cosmo:
So the GOP have always been dedicated Fascist Scum out to kill the rest of us from the beginning.
cain
@lollipopguild:
some remakes are pretty good like “One Day at a Time” on Netflix.
Ian
@SFAW:
I do not think you meant it this was, but it is pretty fucking offensive to suggest that because someone is in the closet that they are not a ‘true gay’.
Gvg
@Adam L Silverman: actually no. I looked at those graphs and could not see any significant changes even after 911. Can you explain what you see?
J R in WV
@evodevo:
I live in the Southwestern lowlands of WV, and every little scrap of flat ground was planted in tobacco when we moved out here in 1978. It was a cash crop, sold at auction in warehouses in winter. We never grew it, as it was killing my mom who finally died of COPD in 1997. We both hated being around second hand smoke way back.
But the neighbors next to us up the hollow were elderly bachelor farmers who lived on what their tobacco crop brought in, and grew nearly everything they ate. So, as they taught me how to farm by the signs (When the Moon is in Capricorn, plant your potatas!, etc) I also helped with the more physical parts of raising tobacco. Like housing in the barns. I worked the upper tiers, 30 or 40 feet up hanging the top rows of tobacco to cure out.
You wore gloves, the sap of the plants was like latex as it dried, and irritated skin just lots, as it was full of poison, nicotine. But a few weeks later, as the tobacco turned a golden color, the barn smelled just wonderful. Hard to describe, but a rich good smell, nothing like what smoke of burning tobacco smells like.
Then in December or January we would load their bales of tobacco up in our truck, the Lawson boys didn’t have a truck, that was too expensive for a couple of elderly farmers living on about $2,000 a year, and take their crop to the tobacco auction in Huntington. Some years they would go to another auction house, if they thought they might get 3 or 4 cents more a pound.
That’s all gone now, a whole life style passed away forever.
J R in WV
Also, housing their tobacco in their barns, the chickens roosted up in the tier poles, which at the horizontal poles which hold the tobacco sticks. So all night, every night the tobacco cures for 2 or 3 months at least, the chickens are shitting on the tobacco. I was startled to see many lots of tobacco at auction where you couldn’t see the color of the tobacco leaves for the white chicken shit on it.
Then I realized those guys were getting paid $1.37/pound for chicken shit, which is a pretty good deal for the poor farmers!
Think about that when you take a big ole pinch of ‘baccy and tuck it into your toothless mouth!!