Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

If senate republicans had any shame, they’d die of it.

Balloon Juice has never been a refuge for the linguistically delicate.

You don’t get to peddle hatred on saturday and offer condolences on sunday.

I’d hate to be the candidate who lost to this guy.

They traffic in fear. it is their only currency. if we are fearful, they are winning.

Being the leader of the world means to be the leader of peace.

Hot air and ill-informed banter

Come on, man.

JFC, are there no editors left at that goddamn rag?

Consistently wrong since 2002

My years-long effort to drive family and friends away has really paid off this year.

Motto for the House: Flip 5 and lose none.

Republicans do not pay their debts.

So it was an October Surprise A Day, like an Advent calendar but for crime.

Never entrust democracy to any process that requires republicans to act in good faith.

Second rate reporter says what?

You cannot shame the shameless.

Whatever happens next week, the fight doesn’t end.

I know this must be bad for Joe Biden, I just don’t know how.

A dilettante blog from the great progressive state of West Virginia.

Proof that we need a blogger ethics panel.

Conservatism: there are some people the law protects but does not bind and others who the law binds but does not protect.

Eh, that’s media spin. biden’s health is fine and he’s doing a good job.

The next time the wall wtreet journal editorial board speaks the truth will be the first.

You are here: Home / Past Elections / 2020 Elections / Elizabeth Warren’s CNN Town Hall

Elizabeth Warren’s CNN Town Hall

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Thanks to commentor ‘David Koch’. Since at least one commentor asked about embedding a link, during last night’s not-livestreamed thread…
 
And this probably deserves its own post, except news moves too fast these days (& I read too slow.) Looks like Sen. Warren’s take on reparations is aligned with at least one Balloon Juice favorite:

NYMag, “Ta-Nehisi Coates Is an Optimist Now”:

… When I say I am for reparations, I’m saying that I am for the idea that this country and its major institutions has had an extractive relationship with black people for much of our history; that this fact explains basically all of the socioeconomic gap between black and white America, and thus, the way to close that gap is to pay it back. In terms of political candidates, and how this should be talked about, and how this should be dealt with, it seems like it would be a very easy solution. It’s actually the policy recommendation that I gave in the piece, and that is to support HR 40. That’s the bill that says you form a commission. You study what damage was done from slavery, and the legacy of slavery, and then you try to figure out the best ways to remedy it. It’s pretty simple. I think that’s Nancy Pelosi’s position at this point.

… When I wrote “The Case for Reparations,” my notion wasn’t that you could actually get reparations passed, even in my lifetime. My notion was that you could get people to stop laughing. My notion was you could actually have people say, “Oh, shit. This actually isn’t a crazy idea. This actually isn’t insane.” And then, once you got them to stop laughing, you could get them to start fighting…

Reader Interactions

129Comments

  2. 2.

    jk

    Elizabeth Warren did an outstanding job last night. She clearly has the policy chops and she displayed a level of gravitas that’s head and shoulders above Beto and Joe “foot in mouth” Biden.

  3. 3.

    Ohio Mom

    Worth noting that we did pay token reparations to the Japanese-American families we incarcerated during the Second World War, and that Germany has paid (may still be paying, I need to google that) reparations to Holocaust survivors.

    Part of me is all, “Yes! About time!”, the other part of me is, “Um, Liz, that’s not going to get you elected.” Hard to reconcile those two sets of feelings.

  5. 5.

    craigie

    @Ohio Mom:
    I feel like she knows she isn’t going to get elected, and this gives her the freedom to say what needs to be said.
    Sadly, a Republican candidate can say pretty much anything, no matter how extreme, and it’s fine. Democrats are not allowed to say anything. But we knew that.

  6. 6.

    SFAW

    Oh, great. First those people bring up the idea of “reparations”; next thing you know, those people will think that one of them could be President. [If you know what I mean, and I think you do.]

    As if.

  7. 7.

    David ??Merry Christmas?? Koch

    Five days after announcing his candidacy for the 2020 presidential election, Democrat Beto O’Rourke of Texas held three condensed meet-and-greets at Penn State University on Tuesday to accommodate crowds of more than 1,000.

    An hour before O’Rourke’s single scheduled meet-and-greet at the university, his venue was changed twice to accommodate the growing line of spectators.

    His second speech – given in a standing-room-only hall of 500 – covered a wider range of topics, starting with President Trump’s border plans.

    He’s going to need Secret Service at some point – this is just too much (photo)

  8. 8.

    satby

    @Ohio Mom: @craigie: I think many women of a certain age just have no fucks left to give worrying about what people think of them. Warren will say what she feels is the right and best thing to do. She’ll still be a Senator if she doesn’t get the nomination, and that’s a powerful thing to be too. And as a white woman, she’s got an amount of freedom to talk about the subject that a black candidate may not have.

  9. 9.

    SiubhanDuinne

    Totally apart from the content of what she is saying, Warren has a finely-honed sense of timing and a grasp of what works dramatically. Not snark in any way; I note this with great admiration and respect. She’s learned a lot about the theatre of politics since she first went up against Scott Brown. She’s good.

  10. 10.

    sukabi

    @Ohio Mom: the thing that very well could get her elected is her deep understanding of poverty, and her ability to connect with people via her life story. She’s lived that reality, it’s not some abstract idea she’s alluding to. And she is using the language of real, regular folks instead of talking in platitudes, buzz words and political weaslease.

  11. 11.

    Plato

    @jk:

    Trashing other candidates does not do any favors to your favorite. Especially, if the other candidates are equally popular.

  12. 12.

    Lyrebird

    @SiubhanDuinne:

    She’s learned a lot about the theatre of politics since she first went up against Scott Brown. She’s good.

    Yes, and yes! and of course if Beto or even who is it – Delaney? – takes the nom, I will campaign my heart out for him, too, but daayyyyumm Warren and Harris are so so so so awesome, combining grit and heart with wonky braininess.

    My Vermont neighbor had a chance to bring even a sliver of calm discussion about reparations to the national and white-centered table back in 2016 and he turned that opportunity down. It would have been a truly revolutionary move, too, not just a slogan, to take his (BS) platform and his press attention and have a chat with Mr. Coates. Even if he’d just gone all “well I don’t know but let me hear you out, the country is not ready but surely we can meet for a beer” etc etc etc it woulda been a big step. Yes I still judge him for not taking it. So GO WARREN! Go every Dem!

  13. 13.

    satby

    So, I’m home from the event tonight. It was obviously originally planned as a book signing long before Mayor Pete formed his exploratory committee, and so was centered on his book. He read several passages from it, and answered questions from the audience.
    He didn’t declare as a candidate, he’s officially still in the exploration stage, but he’s definitely running. The book sounded good, I need to order it. And he still reminds me a lot of another smart, thoughtful young guy we used to have as President. Obama, not Kennedy as Beto is often compared to.

  15. 15.

    HinTN

    @SiubhanDuinne:

    She’s learned a lot about the theatre of politics since she first went up against Scott Brown. She’s good.

    Yes she has and yes she is.

    ETA: @Lyrebird: Best move to it. Yeah you right!

  18. 18.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @satby:

    I ordered it a couple of days ago, and am maybe 20-25% of the way through. He is a wonderful writer: compelling narrative, grave-infused style. I hope he ends up as Secretary of Something in the Harris/Warren/Whatever administration. He appears to have a long and glorious career before him.

    (Must say: I would love to see him as POTUS, with his same-sex spouse, giving a state dinner for the Irish PM and his same-sex spouse. Four dishy young guys in tuxedos, entering the State Dining Room to Marine Band accompaniment — I can hardly contain myself at the thought!)

  19. 19.

    germy

    I read somewhere that Biden is looking for a running mate. So that’s what his meeting with Stacey Abrams was all about?

  20. 20.

    plato

    The Supreme Court has given the Trump administration an immigration policy victory by ruling criminal noncitizens can be detained at any time.

    The 5-4 ruling states federal officials may detain convicted immigrants indefinitely after they finish serving prison time, even years after.

    Advocates had argued the law only allowed for detention immediately after immigrants were released from prison.

    The court’s liberal justices dissented from the conservative decision.

    These are the permanent damages that Obama, Clinton et. al. warned about.

  21. 21.

    Another Scott

    With all the resurgence of “childhood” diseases in the USA and around the world, TBogg has a story… Twitter:

    TBogg @tbogg 11 minutes ago

    I somehow managed to get the chicken pox at age 35. Since I also got them on my eyes, I was effectively blind for six days- it was like trying to look through a fog bank. I lost 20 pounds (I weigh about 160) and I developed pneumonia and was bedridden for almost 3 weeks.

    TBogg @tbogg 11 minutes ago

    It was easily the sickest I’ve ever been, and the closest I ever came to shuffling off to deadland, outside of a skiing accident that should have broken my neck. Add to that, my daughter was only 7 months old and she then got the chicken pox because it is very contagious.

    TBogg @tbogg

    My point is: get vaccinated and don’t listen to anti science anti-vaxx dumbasses. My chicken pox were discovered too late for a vaccine to be effective and I feel lucky to have been around to see my daughter grow up.

    6:26 PM – 19 Mar 2019 from San Diego, CA

    I hated, hated, hated chicken pox as a kid. Such horrible, horrible, horrible painful itching.

    Anti-vaxxers are horrible and should be shunned.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  22. 22.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @germy:

    That’s the speculation locally, but ugh. I don’t want Stacey tying herself to Joe (much as I love him, boy howdy I do not want him running for POTUS). Much better that she bide her time and then declare as challenger to David Perdue’s Senate seat.

  23. 23.

    waratah

    Elizabeth Warren is the only candidate that clould write the bill and take it to Nancy and say pass this.

  25. 25.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @Plato: Oddly enough, I was just about to reply to that comment with the same sentiment. So I will just add that I second your advice.

  27. 27.

    Jay

    @germy:

    Bidens had a couple of one to one meetings. Rather than looking for a Veep on the ticket, what little has leaked, makes it appear that he’s seeing who’s going to fight him hard for the nom, and who’s willing to fight for him. It appears he’s not getting a lot of “insider” support.

    Biden hasn’t “actually” declared.

  28. 28.

    germy

    Warren supports directly electing the United States President and ending the electoral college.

  29. 29.

    Steve in the ATL

    @SiubhanDuinne:

    Four dishy young guys in tuxedos, entering the State Dining Room to Marine Band accompaniment

    Playing Depeche Mode’s “Just Can’t Get Enough”

  31. 31.

    plato

    Three things America needs to get rid of:#1 Donald Trump#2 The Electoral College#3 Every Republican in CongressLet's Make it happen!VOTE!— Brian Krassenstein (@krassenstein) March 19, 2019

  32. 32.

    germy

    Why all the joke names of interns in the president’s Economic Report?

    Is that more white privilege, that they can goof around like that in a serious document?

    EDIT:

    Wait, did I just call his Economic Report a serious document?

  34. 34.

    Ohio Mom

    @germy: It’s a rumor. I think it is an interesting combo: Biden will appeal to fuddy-duddies and Abrams will appeal to forward-thinkers.

    I am not sure he is good enough for her but my bottom line remains
    Who can win and then not screw up too much once they are in the Whte House?

  40. 40.

    germy

    @Martin: Certainly not, but why not just leave it blank? The joke names make them all look like idiots.

    And if this happened in any Democratic administration, it’d be Breaking News on every TV show, newspaper and magazine. A major scandal.

  41. 41.

    Martin

    @Ohio Mom: Aim higher. 538 is showing that the top 4 candidate interest is Sanders, Biden, Beto, Harris. The white men may be late to the game, but they’re right back on top. If Dems want to win, a white male/white male matchup just get Trump re-elected.

  46. 46.

    Pogonip

    @Ohio Mom: How is Ohio Kid doing? Son of Pogonip continues to get more verbal, thank God. This is such an overly verbal society. Even I notice it and I’m one who loves word games and word play.

    Though virtual pets are coming up fast. I like Neko Atsume (Japanese for Kitty Collector) and Virtual Pet Cthulhu. I’d have thought somebody would have pounced on the Cthulhu copyright by now, but evidently he’s firmly in the public domain.

    Readers, should you meet an autistic person, you can usually make his life a lot easier by treating every language as a foreign language: speak clearly and avoid confusing metaphors, he’ll appreciate it. So will his relatives.

  52. 52.

    germy

    @Jay:

    “The joke names proves they are idiots.”

    I don’t know who they are, but I envision the same sort of young Republicans who were put in charge of rebuilding Iraq during the W Bush admin.

  55. 55.

    jk

    @Plato:

    Beto and Biden exemplify white male privilege in its most odious form and I’m fed up with this double standard. I don’t give a fuck if a Beto or Biden supporter has his or her feelings hurt.

  56. 56.

    Ohio Mom

    @Martin: Aim higher? I am not surprised to see those three white men at the top of the list, the usual disclaimer, I will work to get any of them elected, yada, yada, but I remain unconvinced any of those three would do a good enough job to get re-elected. And that is an important part of my calculus.

    Now if Biden would do one term with a great VP and then retire…that would leave open more possibilities.

    Oops, was I too negative about someone we aren’t supposed to say negative things about?

  58. 58.

    Brickley Paiste

    @Jay:

    Yes, and this is troubling because it get harder and harder to recognize when an election has been stolen when there isn’t a reliable baseline of public expectation.

  59. 59.

    Martin

    @Ohio Mom: No, just that I think if our goal is electability, the men need to be substantially better than the women this cycle. Women turn out the vote for Dems. I think Abrams needs to be leading that ticket.

  60. 60.

    Jay

    @germy:

    70% less competent, 99% more Nazi, and dumb enough to intern in Needy Amin’s administration,

    “ I notice there’s a 4 year gap in your resume, can you explain that?”

    “ I was in a medically induced coma.”

    “ That doesn’t match up with your references, moron!”

  61. 61.

    Another Scott

    @germy: I’m of about eight minds on things like this. (I haven’t read the story.)

    On the one hand, it feeds memes that Beto is craven and has no center and will say anything to get elected (whether he actually is or not).

    On the other hand, it shows that he understands how to appeal to voters in his district and a willingness to do what it takes to get elected. “He’s a fighter!”

    On the third hand, it feeds memes that he is too young and hasn’t really decided what he believes yet.

    On the 4th hand, it shows that the press will go after Democrats to try to tear them down if they appear too popular.

    On the 5th hand, it shows the danger of investing too much in a relatively unknown national candidate before they’ve been tested.

    On the 6th hand, it’s politics, and seemingly just about anything is fair in a campaign these days. Candidates have to be able to explain past positions.

    On the 7th hand, people are human and we want people to be able to learn and change their minds.

    On the 8th hand, if we’re not willing to vote for someone who might have had a position that we now disagree with, then we’re going to make the system put up only relative unknowns with no voting history and no campaign history. Do we really want to buy a pig in a poke to sit in our national government?

    So, at the moment I don’t think it’s a big deal. But we’ll have to see how he explains it and how he does going forward. (And similarly with all the other candidates.)

    My $0.02.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  63. 63.

    piratedan

    @Martin: my guess is that this poll is most likely skewed to white folks. Based on our history of choices as a collective, white people don’t know dick and way too many of us answer polls and don’t bother to vote.

    I’m gonna listen to what the candidates say, then take a peek at how they have voted and then look at what they’ve offered as a set of solutions and I’m heartily inclined to not worry about any dudes until there’s one confirmed as the Dem nominee, but will listen to Mr. Castro, O’Rourke and Buttegieg offer but the old white guys can have a seat and serve drinks.

  65. 65.

    Ohio Mom

    @germy: I brought this up in a previous thread. I asked What is the statue of limitations on dumb things candidates once said or supported?

    Six years isn’t that long ago. Is it long enough?

    ETA: What Scott said

  66. 66.

    waratah

    @germy: he is seeing what the needs of the different parts of the country are.
    Last year a reporter asked him about his progressive positions. He answered that everything he says are what the people in Texas have said they want.
    Then he looks to see how to pass that in Congress. He has so many people telling how badly they need affordable insurance right now and that is why he is looking at the medical bill the two woman in congress have because he thinks it can be done quicker than Medicare for all

  68. 68.

    tobie

    @jk: Yawn. You’ve posted some variation of the same for the past ten days. We get it. Beto and Biden suck in your book. No need to repeat it. We tend to be older on this blog but we haven’t lost our marbles entirely yet.

  69. 69.

    Brickley Paiste

    @Plato:
    Your post and his/her reply: ” I don’t care for … [reasons]” were perfect together.

    You offering a completely rational explanation of Politics 101 in an effort to get a democrat elected president and the pushback that my fee-fees are more important that that. Here we have every rabid moderate hillary girl and bernie boy distilled to their essence.

    Politics is just a stage for my displays of performative wokeness. wokenicity. wokedness. wokenupedness. woke-a-woka. Take your pick.

  74. 74.

    Brickley Paiste

    @germy:

    And he claims not to remember his 2K time. C’mon people, what are you waiting for? The goddamn titanium creature to spring its little head out of its bigger head that just exploded from his chest? Isn’t it clear that the Beto thing is a alien droid sent to cause our doom?

  75. 75.

    satby

    @zhena gogolia:jealous! We never even got into the main room. @David ??Merry Christmas?? Koch: couldn’t, we weren’t in the main hall, we were in the second overflow room. They had triple the turnout they anticipated for the originally planned book signing.
    I will just have to bottonhole him at the market. Speaking of… I recognized his husband, he’s shopped at my booth.

  78. 78.

    Ohio Mom

    @Jay: Time passes ten times as quickly in Texas?

    There is an apocryphal story about Mark Twain saying of my adopted hometown, If the world is ending, I’m moving to Cincinnati because they are always ten years behind.

  79. 79.

    sukabi

    @Jay: polls started their slide into uselessness almost 2 decades ago… Polarization and partisanship have ramped that up. Don’t think there’s a polling outfit that isn’t gaming their own results.

  80. 80.

    eemom

    @Ohio Mom:

    Oops, was I too negative about someone we aren’t supposed to say negative things about?

    Gonna be interesting to see how long this “thou shalt speak politely and adoringly of all candidates except Bernie and Tulsi” commandment holds up.

    btw, I move for a continuing stipulation that YES WE WILL ALL FUCKING VOTE FOR WHOEVER THE DEM CANDIDATE IS.

    Will no one think of the pixels?

  82. 82.

    gwangung

    @Jay: I DESPISE the term “electability.” You can only determine it in hindsight. Trying to use it for foresight enables endless rounds of second guessing yourself.

  84. 84.

    Plato

    @Another Scott:

    What an octavian response.

    Blogs, despite their ‘popularity’ and their own ‘conventional wisdom’, will do jacksquat in getting the dem presidents elected. Obama and his team understood this very well both times and hence put their efforts where it mattered, on gotv.

  85. 85.

    Jay

    @Ohio Mom:

    Texas 2019 is a lot more “woke” than Texas 2012.

    I live near a little “redneck” city in Canada and we are still a lot more woke than Texas.

  87. 87.

    Sab

    @Pogonip: My five year old autistic granddaughter came over last night. We had bought one of those plush dogtoy fake hollow logs filled with toy squirrels. We bought it for the cocker spaniel. The dogs and cats are utterly bored by it. Granddaughter adored it. She pulled out every squirrel, lined them all up on the coffee table, and counted them. One through nine. I didn’t even know she could count.

  89. 89.

    Ohio Mom

    @Jay: Okay, I am glad to hear this little ray of hope. If Texas can woke, maybe lots of other places will too.

  90. 90.

    Jay

    @gwangung:

    It’s an MSM “trope” that allows election coverage where the “mean girls” get to write about politics with out ever having to discuss anything substantive. Election coverage a la le Batchelor.

  91. 91.

    J R in WV

    @sukabi:

    … Don’t think there’s a polling outfit that isn’t gaming their own results.

    Actually, many of them are honestly trying to do the best they can. The problems though are vast. Land lines are now a historic thing for urban people. We have one due to the geography of our area, cell signals are line-of-sight, and we’re in a cove on a mountain side… we will likely never have cell service.

    Also, cell phones set not to ring if the caller isn’t already known to the phone, people lying about their voting history and intentions, the issues are nearly endless, and most all of them make getting a valid sense of an electorate from traditional polling techniques very much more difficult.

    It may be that eventually the statisticians will figure out how to cope with most of the issues to get better results. But I’m not planning to hold my breath waiting for that to happen.

  92. 92.

    David ??Merry Christmas?? Koch

    @Another Scott: notice who the gop is planting oppo against and who they’re giving a free pass.

    reminds me of Nixon planting and smearing 1972 opponents he felt would be hard to beat

    “They were frightened of Muskie and look who got destroyed–they wanted to run against McGovern, and look who they’re running against. They bugged, they followed people, false press leaks, fake letters, they canceled Democratic campaign rallies, they investigated Democratic private lives, they planted spies, stole documents, on and on.”

    ~ Mark Felt

  94. 94.

    Brickley Paiste

    @Jay:

    That was fantastic. One of the very best parodies in a category that is overrun with contenders. Absolutely top shelf.

  96. 96.

    Brickley Paiste

    @Jay:

    Now it that and abbreviation for competitive dive swimming? Where you have to jump off the 30 meter tower to start the swimming part of the sport, then I getcha.

  99. 99.

    Ohio Mom

    @Pogonip: How is Ohio Son? In trouble at work because he isn’t following the rules. He has his own ideas. File this under “Not understanding the Hidden Curriculum.” It’s not clear that his state voc rehab coach knows how to address this, either. What she doesn’t know about autism could fill that proverbial encyclopedia.

    @Sab: There’s a term I don’t remember for counting when you show you know what the number means (rather than just rote reciting the numbers) — good for Granddaughter for grasping this concept. Now for the next skill, imaginative play with the squirrels. You might have to show her how.

  100. 100.

    Brickley Paiste

    @Jay:

    No, nah, no, dude – that is what makes it genius. I mean it started with the creation of that site. What was it Tyee or Tyheee? And some magnificently obtuse motto like “Information for Truth” or “Light for Discovery” or Truth for Discovery” and populating it with all of that absurd content.

    That just put the “Somewhat believable enough to get a contract for a hard 8 from Netflix with a pass/buy in set at conclusion of 5th episode because if they don’t option we are shoppin’ this here motherfucker all over the West Side” meter on 11.

    Brilliant.

  102. 102.

    Pogonip

    @Ohio Mom: Oh dear. I hope things improve or he gwts a better job ASAP.

    Mine LOVES rules. Took me years to get him to allow me to exceed the speed limit by 5-10 mph. He still doesn’t like it, but he’s learned to live with it.

  104. 104.

    smintheus

    @Jay: Beto is a libertarian…who also thinks limited government means cutting deals for his rich father in law’s real estate interests. I don’t get why so many people are so wrapped up in the candidate-as-savior thing that they can’t allow themselves to see Beto for who he is. Yes he’s glib, but it’s all about him.

  106. 106.

    jc

    I eagerly look forward to the day that Trump is forced to try to compete fairly in an open debate with any of what Warren is addressing. Please America, just put the two of them on a stage, with no way for Trump to cheat or bluff his way through, and it will quickly become obvious which of the two is presidential and which is a fraud.

  108. 108.

    Ohio Mom

    @Pogonip: Can I ask what your long-term plan is for when you are too old and frail to run a group home for one? That is what I call this stage of life, I am running a group home for one.

    I need models of what other people are imagining doing. If you are not comfortable saying, it’s okay.

  109. 109.

    Jay

    @Brickley Paiste:

    In Demenjeuck vs. Regina, 1902, the Demenjeuck Elders testified that the salmon fed the forests right up to the high alpine, as part of their land claim and rights claim.

    In 1982 the Demenjeuck People won their 100 year long court case.

    In 1986, their land claim and rights claim was confimed by Treaty.

    In 2009 a radionucleid study of Coastal BC nitrogen sources, discovered that 98% of all nitrogen sources in BC Coastal valleys, from the riverbanks to the high Alpine was derived from migrating salmon.

  111. 111.

    Brickley Paiste

    @Jay:

    Fantastic stuff.

    Wish I had the cite but remember a study where guy was wading in creeks and moving dead salmon to plotted locations to track how quickly the nutrients spread on decomp. Very interesting.

  112. 112.

    plato

    @David ??Merry Christmas?? Koch:

    nixon. raygun. shrub. dumb shrub. totus thug – They all had much much better dem opposition candidates and still won. Makes one wonder how gullible and fickle the dem base is when compared to the rethug base.

  113. 113.

    Jay

    @smintheus:

    Sadly, in much of the Western world, politics includes grift. It’s one of the few jobs that pays poorly, but “allows” one to accumulate millions of dollars.

    In BC, we had Flying Phil Galardi. “Flying” for his habit of driving 30 miles an hour over the speed limit. He’s still venerated. Sure, he made himself millions, but 90% of the infrastructure in this Province, he built in 12 years. He and WAC Bennett built most of this Province, on budget, on time. The 14 Governments since then have built a tiny fraction of what they built, combined.

    I don’t get to vote in your elections, and Beto wouldn’t be my choice.

    Just doing a little light pushback against the TMZ trolling.

  114. 114.

    Sab

    @Ohio Mom: By some absolutely weird serendipity that never happens in my life, one of my stepsons has been seriously dating a wonderful woman for years who is some sort of teacher or therapist or whatever. We didn’t know exactly what she did but it seemed to be very admirable.

    Turns out she does speech and occupational therapy for pre-school autistic kids, she is very, very good at it and committed to it, and she is the grandkid’s therapist.

    We had no idea until he dragged her to a family gathering, and she and the grand-daughter, and the grand-daughter’s mother, and the grand-daughter’s half-sister recognized each other.

  115. 115.

    sukabi

    @plato: you can blame “dumb dems”, but drumpf & dumb shrub lost the popular vote.

    The electoral college played a huge part…as has the implementation of electronic voting / vote counting and the failure to demand an impartial audit of those machines and a checking of their code.

  116. 116.

    Jay

    @Brickley Paiste:

    In Canada, Indiginous “stories” have legal standing in the Courts. Over a hundred years of archeology, geology, biology etc, have proven them true, going as far back as 26,000 years.

    The Indigenous people say Bookquis is real.

    Ego, Bookquis is real.

  117. 117.

    Citizen Alan

    @tobie:

    I will hate forever all the pampered white “progressives” who literally mocked the idea that the composition of the Supreme Court should play any role in their electoral choices. I literally want to break down and cry when I thin about how close we were to a new golden age of liberal jurisprudence, and we just pissed it away.

  118. 118.

    Sab

    @Ohio Mom: I hope you keep this going in the comments. There are a lot of us out here like you and we really don’t know what to do. One day at a time works well for years but not forever.

  119. 119.

    smintheus

    @Jay: Ummm…what if anything has Beto ever done for anybody else?

    I’ll admit I know virtually nothing about him apart from his thin, centristy record in Congress. Plus I can read body language in the photos I’ve seen of him, like this one, which doesn’t exactly impress. He’s sitting with his family in a crowd of other school parents, and he seems aloof from everyone.

    https://img.blick.ch/incoming/8808517-v17-gettyimages-643749330.jpg?imwidth=1000&ratio=FREE&x=0&y=0&width=4200&height=2800

  120. 120.

    Jay

    @smintheus:

    He seems to generate a level of “exciteness”,

    Which is what some here want in some measure.

    Like I said, I’m just pushing back against the TMZ trolling like “lap times”.

    Given the current state of US Politics, I doubt that all flash and no progressive policy is a winning platform.

    And it’s a bit early to be committing given how long the road is to the final primaries.

  122. 122.

    David ??Merry Christmas?? Koch

    @satby:

    They had triple the turnout they anticipated for the originally planned book signing.

    That’s impressive. I’m gonna have to find some picture and post them tomorrow.

  123. 123.

    Ohio Mom

    @Sab: That’s an amazing coincidence. It’s fun to picture the moment everyone figures out why the person they know from one place is now in front of them in this other place.

    You need to get suggestions from that lovely interventionalist. I think she would be thrilled to have someone reinforcing at home what she is teaching in school.

  124. 124.

    Susan Ba

    @Ohio Mom: @Ohio Mom: Kid’s mother is all on this. I need to learn more, because my current life is being the previous owner of a willful german shepherd who was
    trying not to freak out my five cats (three of whom were feral.)

    Not useful for dealing with autistic kids. Who are more like cats than dogs. Off in their own world. Somewhat receptive but not very because they are busy in their own world. Will remember forever if you scare them, also because they don’t understand where you are coming from.

    My grand-daughter in a previous comment was poking a totally not feral very domestic cat. Who likes all people who are not children. So no harm done.

  125. 125.

    karen marie

    @Jay: The last time he ran for the prez nom he was ridiculed (and rightly so, imo) because it was such a ridiculous idea. I find it curious that it’s not being instantly dismissed. Are the so-called pundits so afraid of women they’re pretending it’s a good idea?

    Biden is certainly personable but that’s all he’s got going for him. I thought his comment about David Brooks was a clear indication of exactly who he is, well meaning but not terribly bright.

  128. 128.

    Chris Johnson

    @germy:

    along with possibly changing Social Security to address the United States’ “extravagant government” and “out of control” debt.

    Oh for fuck’s sake. You know if you want a Republican Trump is RIGHT THERE.

  129. 129.

    Searcher

    I’m not sad to see reparations brought up seriously, but hope that something else is added alongside them: ending modern forms of slavery that still exist in America and its sphere of influence.

    (By which I mean, things like prison labor, particularly when part of a feeder system motivated by racism and greed and off-shoring using defacto slave labor outside the US, not taxes FFS.)

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