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You are here: Home / Organizing & Resistance / Fables Of The Reconstruction / Late Night Open Thread: Random Sparks

Late Night Open Thread: Random Sparks

by Anne Laurie|  August 18, 20172:57 am| 36 Comments

This post is in: Fables Of The Reconstruction, Open Threads, Republicans in Disarray!, All we want is life beyond the thunderdome, Riveted By The Sociological Significance Of It All

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#UPDATE: Jefferson Davis Memorial Highway monument tarred and feathered near Gold Canyon. https://t.co/PNKk5A4VoR pic.twitter.com/crG8IzezUZ

— FOX 10 Phoenix (@FOX10Phoenix) August 17, 2017


.

For auld lang syne — #EvenTheLibertarianJaneGalt (note date):

Working on an article today, so just started watching Trump press conference. He's making very sensible points about infrastructure delays

— (((Megan McArdle))) (@asymmetricinfo) August 15, 2017

And … whoa. Just. Whoa.

— (((Megan McArdle))) (@asymmetricinfo) August 15, 2017



One more reason I’m glad that I’m a rootless (actually,rooted-in-Manhattan) cosmopolitan, thank you…

What's made push to take down Confederate monuments possible? The new Dem/progressive domination of the urban South. https://t.co/MJF2wcjHJu

— Dave Wasserman (@Redistrict) August 16, 2017

This phenomenon of Carpetbagger Neo-Confederates, like Long Island's Donald Trump, remind us this is and was about hate not heritage.

— Tom Perriello (@tomperriello) August 17, 2017

Trump is from Queens & Manhattan. Please don't put that jerk on Long Island. We're still dusting ourselves off from the Mooch

— Alexander Tucciarone (@TucciTellsIt) August 17, 2017

Trump's from NY, Spencer's from Boston, the terrorist is from Ohio. But Heather Heyer lived in CVille. https://t.co/4R9DclQ3Wi

— Local Milk Steak (@ZeddRebel) August 17, 2017

Breaking: McConnell 'upset' at Trump pic.twitter.com/g81SCjgREY

— Jacob Kornbluh (@jacobkornbluh) August 16, 2017

??We're moving from "quietly concerned" to "deeply troubled"?? https://t.co/SYXCebpA2N

— Dave Weigel (@daveweigel) August 16, 2017

Some context for @SenateMajLdr's recent condemnation of #WhiteSupremacy. pic.twitter.com/D919Db2MOK

— Miranda Yaver (@mirandayaver) August 16, 2017

Most Rs aren't publicly breaking from Trump, but they're slowly backing into the bushes Homer Simpson/Sean Spicer-style https://t.co/1ZcyqlXeIT

— Brendan Nyhan (@BrendanNyhan) August 16, 2017

Lindsey Graham's statement that "many Republicans" oppose white supremacists was unintentionally funny and sad. https://t.co/bxV4ZrJZNo

— Josh Barro (@jbarro) August 16, 2017

If Republicans decide to be against white supremacists, what will they be for? This is not a trick question. https://t.co/bxV4Zs1BbY

— Josh Barro (@jbarro) August 16, 2017

Trump needs to distract from his domestic problems. He should schedule a foreign trip. Maybe to Bitburg.

— Dana Houle (@DanaHoule) August 16, 2017

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Next Post: Friday Morning Open Thread: First Trumps Second »

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36Comments

  1. 1.

    NorthLeft12

    August 18, 2017 at 3:09 am

    I believe Mr. Graham let the cat out of the bag with that comment. You would think he could have easily said ALL Republicans oppose white supremacy and let those that don’t state so publicly.

    Is that an example of pandering to your base?

  2. 2.

    NorthLeft12

    August 18, 2017 at 3:16 am

    If Republicans decide to be against white supremacists, what will they be for?

    I respect Mr. Barro as a journalist, but jumpin’ jehoshaphats! What have they always been for? And what do they always go to when the chips are down? TAX CUTS. They are TAX CUT supremacists for as long as I can remember. There is no problem in the universe that cannot be solved by a solid, across the board tax cut.

  3. 3.

    Villago Delenda Est

    August 18, 2017 at 3:24 am

    The GOP is the party of white supremacy. Has been for at least 50 years. Party of Jefferson Davis, not Abraham Lincoln.

    The GOP as it currently exists needs to go the way of the NSDAP and the CPSU.

    Oblivion.

  4. 4.

    Barbara

    August 18, 2017 at 3:31 am

    I don’t know whether I picked the right week or the wrong week to leave the country but I am finding it hard to choose words and phrases to express meaning over these events. Here are some quotes from a short, surely first, stab by a Jewish magazine:

    The Jew is then a symbol of a different America, a tolerant and educated America, an America that still dreams of better lives for all. . . . There has been a backlash against Donald Trump’s support of Nazi groups. But in all the talk I have hardly heard the word Jew. And it is important that we say it aloud. It is African Americans they despise. It is Jews they fear. We all know where this talk can lead. We saw it in Germany 1940-1945. We saw it the lynchings and the grim faces of those who tried to prevent small black children from attending decent schools.

    http://www.tabletmag.com/scroll/243457/the-nazis-this-time

    It’s even more horrible than we thought it would be.

  5. 5.

    Joyce Harmon

    August 18, 2017 at 3:35 am

    Does anyone else think we’re letting ourselves get distracted by all this talk about Confederate monuments? Personally, I think that’s the direction that Trump wants this conversation to go, because it’s better for him than the reality of the situation, which is this was really about NAZIS.

    If you make it about the monuments, there are always the folks in the small Southern towns that always liked that anonymous soldier statue in the town square and never bothered to think about or learn about when the statue was put up and why. And they can start to feel picked on and resentful at all these big poobahs in New York City studios talking about why that statue ought to come down.

    But if it’s about NAZIS, and it is, that makes it a lot harder for that person to say that Trump is on the right side of this. Look at the flyer they put out for this gathering – did it say “Save the Statue”? No, it said “Unite The Right”, with enough Nazi imagery to make it obvious where this was going. Did any of these organizers get up and make a speech about how we have to save the statue of dear old Marsh Robert? Nope. They lit their tikis and went off in their Nazi regalia, chanting Nazi slogans, and reenacting, not Bull Run or Chickamauga, but something straight out of 1930s Nuremberg.

    So yeah, the monuments discussion is a good discussion to have. But right now, I think we really ought to be having a discussion about the fact that it’s 2017, and we have American Nazis running around feeling confident that the American president is on their side.

  6. 6.

    dr. luba

    August 18, 2017 at 3:42 am

    I give up. What was the “Whoa” about? I’m out of the country and apparently missing out on nuances.

    BTW, for those who are interested, in Ukraine Trump is considered a buffoon at best. They compare him to Yanukovich, and not favorably. He is considered Putin’s useful idiot, with an emphasis on idiot.

  7. 7.

    dr. luba

    August 18, 2017 at 3:45 am

    Nevermind, that was the “I love Nazis” speech, right?

    Sigh.

    At least Schwarzenegger has it right.

  8. 8.

    eclare

    August 18, 2017 at 3:52 am

    @dr. luba: Yes, that was when the POS spoke up and defended the good Nazis.

  9. 9.

    Barbara

    August 18, 2017 at 3:57 am

    @Joyce Harmon: The Nazis chose preservation of Confederate monuments as their symbol. White supremacy is what they have in common. You might say the Neo-Nazis made the discussion easier, the way Dylann Roof made discussing the flag easier.

  10. 10.

    eclare

    August 18, 2017 at 4:11 am

    @Barbara: Agree. Pisses me off that my state legislature passed a law that removal of the statues here in Memphis (overwhelmingly Democratic) has to be approved by a state agency. Been turned down once, supposedly we’re going to try again in the fall.

  11. 11.

    Kay

    August 18, 2017 at 5:21 am

    Matthew Dowd‏Verified account
    @matthewjdowd
    Not a single member of Trump’s Evangelical Council has resigned. We have learned corporate America has a greater moral compass. So so sad.

    I don’t know if corporate America has a “greater moral compass” or if corporate America is just making a sensible business decision ( I would say the latter) but white evangelicals- the rank and file- really do have to start answering for why they are consistently on the wrong side of civil rights. It’s bad enough they don’t lead on promoting or protecting civil rights but they’re now going backwards- they’re getting worse. Evangelicals, as a political group, are markedly worse on civil rights than they were even 15 years ago.

  12. 12.

    Sab

    August 18, 2017 at 5:32 am

    @NorthLeft12: The GOP leadership is for tax cuts, but that is not what motivates their base. White supremacy is what motivates their base. Without the white supremacy they wouldn’t get elected to anything.

  13. 13.

    Kay

    August 18, 2017 at 5:40 am

    @Joyce Harmon:

    I think the activists have done a good job. Issue aside, I’m impressed with the tactics. This, for example, is brilliant, IMO:

    On Monday, protesters in Durham, North Carolina, pulled down a Confederate statue — without any official permission. In the following days, police arrested several people for the act on riot and property destruction charges.
    But on Thursday, a crowd of residents in Durham showed solidarity with the arrested: Dozens lined up to turn themselves in for the “crime” of tearing down a Confederate statue — in an attempt to get all the charges dropped for those arrested.

    They were barred from entering the building so the supporters who wanted to “turn themselves in” couldn’t do so- but smart! And hard. It’s difficult to get 100 people to do anything as “follow up”, let alone voluntarily show up at a police station and risk some kind of charges, because they can always find something to charge with.

  14. 14.

    Spaniel

    August 18, 2017 at 6:18 am

    I am so confused on so many levels. 1) What is Megan McArdle talking about? 2) Is Megan being used as the voice of reason? Is this Bizzaro World?

  15. 15.

    Gator90

    August 18, 2017 at 6:27 am

    @Joyce Harmon: Confederate monuments are loved by Nazis for the same reason swastikas are. They stand for the same thing. Neither should be accepted in society that aspires to decency.

  16. 16.

    Quinerly

    August 18, 2017 at 6:38 am

    @Barbara:
    Thanks for posting this. It’s an excellent site that I forget to read unless reminded.

  17. 17.

    Quinerly

    August 18, 2017 at 6:39 am

    @Joyce Harmon:
    Well said.

  18. 18.

    satby

    August 18, 2017 at 6:57 am

    @Kay: evangelical groups were always bad on civil rights, they’re just staying true to their history.

  19. 19.

    Fester Addams

    August 18, 2017 at 7:26 am

    If the Republicans didn’t have the racists they’d be down to rich people, and fighting over the misogynists with a newly viable American National Front (because the racists had to go somewhere).

  20. 20.

    debit

    August 18, 2017 at 7:30 am

    @Spaniel: I know. I find myself reading and agreeing with Jennifer Rubin. It’s like my world has turned upside down.

  21. 21.

    MJS

    August 18, 2017 at 7:46 am

    @Joyce Harmon: I thought we were doing both. In fact, I think this is an excellent example of the “Overton Window” not working, i.e., Nazi’s and the KKK marched, and instead of simply saying, “Hey, this is America, we shouldn’t be doing that shit here, but I guess the monuments can stay”, a lot of people, including politicians are saying, “Hey, this is America, we shouldn’t be doing that shit here, and by the way, those monuments those guys worship are racist as fuck, so while we’re on the topic, let’s take them down.” In other words, instead of being a distraction, the Nazis and KKK shined (shone?) a light on the monuments, and not in a good way.

  22. 22.

    Butch

    August 18, 2017 at 7:46 am

    @Spaniel: I’m going to contact her employer with an offer to write the same absolute nonsense for half her price.

  23. 23.

    sherparick

    August 18, 2017 at 7:46 am

    @Villago Delenda Est: For the takeover of the Republican Party by the Conservative Movement, the original sin started in 1964 when Goldwater came out against the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Nixon implemented his Southern Strategy in 1968. For the next 20 years anti-Communism, anti-taxes, anti-unions, anti-hippies, and anti-Black united Republicans with the South that had once ruled the Democratic party. The fall of Communism created a moment of existential crisis, but Mexican immigrants, abortion and LBGTs, and Islam have been substituted for the universal “Hate” along with “liberals” and “the blahs.”

  24. 24.

    different-church-lady

    August 18, 2017 at 8:02 am

    @Kay:

    Dozens lined up to turn themselves in for the “crime” of tearing down a Confederate statue — in an attempt to get all the charges dropped for those arrested.

    “I’m Sparticus!”

  25. 25.

    different-church-lady

    August 18, 2017 at 8:09 am

    @Joyce Harmon: The White Supremicist Cosplay basket contains Nazis, neo-Klansmen, militias, and good ole boys-turned-bad, and this weird new dumpy polo shirt youth . They themselves can’t figure out what its all about — it’s a big casserole of hatred. So really, there’s no one point of focus. Might as well throw statues in the mix.

  26. 26.

    different-church-lady

    August 18, 2017 at 8:13 am

    @MJS: Municipalities 2016: “We really ought to take down these statues, but who wants to deal with the fallout?”

    Municipalities 2017: “Nazis and Klansmen, huh? OK, it’s time to get off our asses.”

  27. 27.

    kindness

    August 18, 2017 at 8:20 am

    Trumps should go to Moscow.

    And stay there.

  28. 28.

    Ares Akritas

    August 18, 2017 at 8:25 am

    What to do with Traitor statues:

    1. Get a white hood (a pillowcase or flour sack will do)
    2. Cut out 2 eye-holes
    3. Go to the statue
    4. Take a rod with you if the head can’t be reached (a fishing rod or anything else so that you can lower the hood on the statue’s head)
    5. Apply strong glue liberally on the inside of the hood
    6. Place on statue head

    The KKK hood will make the proper historical connection that’s now missing from Traitor statues. It won’t be easily removed and may encourage Nazi supporters to remove the whole thing.

  29. 29.

    A Ghost To Most

    August 18, 2017 at 8:28 am

    The tar and feathering of the Traitor Davis monument is genius. That needs to be done to all the remaining statues.

  30. 30.

    A Ghost To Most

    August 18, 2017 at 8:29 am

    @kindness: And take his nazi friends with him.

  31. 31.

    ChicagoPat

    August 18, 2017 at 8:55 am

    @NorthLeft12: But Tax Cuts were always just another mechanism for sticking it to the browns. Hard to extricate the two.

  32. 32.

    Van Buren

    August 18, 2017 at 8:59 am

    Why is there a Jefferson Davis memorial in Arizona?

  33. 33.

    Wapiti

    August 18, 2017 at 9:23 am

    @Van Buren: In the 1910s, the Daughters of the Confederacy pushed for naming a collections of highways after the traitor. The roads extended from Alexandria, Virginia, thru the southern states, then west to Arizona (and up to Oregon and Washington, for some reason, likely racist). It predates the interstate systems.

  34. 34.

    chopper

    August 18, 2017 at 9:54 am

    @Van Buren:

    because white people.

  35. 35.

    The Moar You Know

    August 18, 2017 at 10:27 am

    Why is there a Jefferson Davis memorial in Arizona?

    @Van Buren: They’re everywhere. The DOC managed to get a Jeff Davis plaque installed in a shopping center here in San Diego back in 2006. It was removed yesterday.

    I hope we keep the Pete Wilson statue, though. It’s in an alley somewhere downtown, and he’s staring at the ground, as though full of shame, and contemplating the disaster that he inflicted on his racist party.

  36. 36.

    The Moar You Know

    August 18, 2017 at 10:29 am

    The tar and feathering of the Traitor Davis monument is genius.

    @A Ghost To Most: I agree wholeheartedly. That took some planning. And it’s note-perfect.

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