This is not abstract: a black reporter was arrested while doing his job this morning, while the white police officer who killed George Floyd remains free. I am glad swift action was taken, but this, to me, says everything.
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) May 29, 2020
Every day that Donald Trump spends in the White House, he further debases the values and ideals of our nation. He is wholly unfit to be president. pic.twitter.com/Fq90hSLuLz
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) May 30, 2020
George Floyd's brother tells @TheRevAl on @MSNBC that he spoke to both @JoeBiden & @realDonaldTrump .
George's brother said, Joe listened & was very sorry & compassionate.
He said, Trump cut him off, talked over him & didn't want to hear what he had to say.
— Scotty D (@thedoggeneral1) May 30, 2020
Yep
— Scotty D (@thedoggeneral1) May 31, 2020
biden has decided since trump isn’t gonna do the job he may as well just start being president now https://t.co/KK5gO6shYm
— kilgore trout, potato thief (@KT_So_It_Goes) May 31, 2020
Biden staff donate to group that pays bail in riot-torn Minneapolis https://t.co/AhLRsc6Zgg pic.twitter.com/1fzA3o9sRF
— Reuters (@Reuters) May 31, 2020
jeffreyw
Fuck Trump
Dorothy A. Winsor
Trump has failed the nation in every conceivable way.
donnah
I believe that yesterday marked the anniversary of his son Beau’s death. He still posted messages and spoke about the current desperate situation. And still, on Twitter, he’s being slammed for “not doing more”.
Since he gives speeches and makes appearances and does promotions practically every day, and since he officially holds no position in government at this time, I’m not sure what people want him to do. Someone demanded that he address a crowd of protesters, but I wonder exactly how that could be done safely. And if haters gotta hate, how about going after everyone in the Trump administration and the Republicans who are incredibly silent at this time of crisis. No support, no offers of help from that group of useless criminals.
Biden is not my first pick and I know that many Democrats wanted more. But in the real world, this is who we have and to be honest, I’m proud of him and how he’s doing.
SiubhanDuinne
“We are a nation furious at injustice.”
Joe gets it, in his bones, in his soul. Trump never has and never will.
trnc
Have a lot of peaceful protesters been arrested? I’m trying to figure out why staff are contributing to bail.
Nora
I’m surprised that Trump made the phone call at all, even after he heard Biden had already done so. That Trump didn’t listen, that he talked over George’s brother, that he showed no sympathy — that’s not at all surprising, unfortunately.
Mary G
Joe is massively overperforming my expectations for him. I was disappointed when it became clear that he would be the nominee, but he is doing great and it will not require any broken glass to vote enthusiastically for him. What a contrast.
MattF
And Trump doesn’t bother to hide that he wants protesters to be hurt or killed. Not because it appeals to the Trumpian base, but because he’s cruel.
p.a.
The choice was clear in ’16, and now it’s beyond clear. I’m scared to see what the post-violence polls show, hoping there’s no ‘white flight’ to the party of: club ’em first, investigate never.
Given its history, I’m always cautious abt ‘outside agitators’ claims, but there does seem to be evidence of an unholy alliance (of aims if not actual cooperation) between antifa/anarchist/white supremacist groups. And don’t forget, in the 1960’s the FBI was deeply involved in propagating violence by the Panthers: feeding them weapons and spreading lies to set groups against each other to delegitimize any protest movements. Given the crowd in DoJ now, I can believe they would go to the same playbook.
Dorothy A. Winsor
I know racism is a deeply-engrained part of American culture, but I think leaders can make it better or worse. Trump is making it worse. He’s fanning it. He’s setting it loose with his stamp of approval. Authoritarianism is in there too. People say, we’re a deeply divided country. And we are. But why are those divisions showing up and being acted on more now than when Obama was president? I think it’s because Trump and his allies are stoking it.
Starfish
@trnc: Black people have a higher likelihood of being arrested, a higher likelihood of being charged, a higher likelihood of being convicted.
The various “Freedom Fund”s existed before the current protests and were designed to help provide bail for poor people.
Elisabeth Epps runs the Colorado Freedom Fund. She will bail people out if they have bails in the $0-$500 range. This morning she was tweeting that she is prioritizing people who might be in danger in jail. Women, Black and Brown folks, LGBTQ folks, and disabled folks.
The other week, she bailed someone out for $5.
Though her upper limit is typically $500, she heard about a 16-year-old girl who had a bail higher than that, and she was on it.
For Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, these funds will bail out parents who are in jail.
The Bronx has a dollar bail brigade. People get held for $1 and are not allowed to pay their own bail.
O. Felix Culpa
Anecdata, but I think enthusiasm for Joe is growing among Dems in my corner of the world. He has responded effectively to the pandemic and the murder of George Floyd and ensuing events. He and his team are also actively engaged NOW in building a grassroots organization for the election. We had a great virtual statewide organizing meeting yesterday with Biden staff. This level of organizing is starting much earlier than normal in my experience, maybe because we already have a presumptive nominee. In any case, getting started NOW is fantastic.
As a side note, it’s also interesting that virtual organizing allowed many more people throughout the state to participate than would have been possible in a face-to-face meeting.
ThresherK
CBS Sunday Morning hedpiece on the week in protests: Unwatchable. Not worth the videotape it’s printed on.
Nothing on NeoNazis, other white shit-stirrers, militarized cops war zoning this week v. cop welcoming parties for gun nuts previous, black protestors policing and protecting all sorts of people and places, cops on video attacking journos in several cities.
Just one amorphous mass of “protestors”.
The thing is, I really set them a low bar, and they tunneled under it.
debbie
I know Joe has the heart, which is no little thing. But conveying this in writing or withs scripts is far easier than off-the-cuff comments. I hope he can maintain this level when he’s face to face with Trump.
debbie
@trnc:
The police pepper sprayed a U.S. Representative while she was trying to de-escalate one small confrontation. So, yeah.
debbie
@MattF:
Plus, it’s one less vote against him in November.
Amir Khalid
@Dorothy A. Winsor:
And in some inconceivable ways, too. I can’t think of a national leader who has failed as comprehensively as Trump.
Dorothy A. Winsor
@debbie:
The police sense of immunity from consequences is just incredible. They know they’re being filmed and they use pepper spray or shoot rubber bullets anyway.
They also know this is a volatile situation and that their actions and the publicity about their actions will make it worse. They apparently don’t care.
It’s akin to the general shamelessness of the Trumpists.
debbie
@Amir Khalid:
Wait, only some? Where is it he has actually succeeded at anything? Ever, in his entire life?
debbie
@Dorothy A. Winsor:
The look on that cop’s face as his knee was crushing Floyd’s neck. “You gonna stop me? You even gonna try?”
Amir Khalid
@debbie:
You are right, and I lounge in bed corrected. Trump’s list of failures is not merely comprehensive, but actually exhaustive.
cmorenc
The grassroots part of political activism is…usually mostly tedious and boring, essential though it is for maximizing voter turnout. To be involved effectively, you have to pick the tasks you are best inclined to do effectively. For example, I’ve realized that I absolutely *hate* phone banking, and am really not good at cold-calling folks out of the blue, so I contribute by writing postcards, which is also tedious to do in numbers, but OTOH my heart’s into it and I can craft two to four concise sentences that stay within the parameters of the desired candidate/party message, yet don’t seem quite so “canned” to the reader.
Ditto the virtual attendance at precinct, county, or state party conventions – frankly, most of what happens is routine procedural stuff, and the one benefit is you get to hear and see folks who are (or desiring to be) representing you at higher rungs on the participation ladder (e.g. national convention delegate candidates, and actual presidential electors if the Ds win the state). But without taking the time and trouble to connect into these low-level events, the party has no grassroots infrastructure to supplement the media campaign, and this is a critical kind of support that can’t be bought if people don’t volunteer on their own time. (See, e.g. Bloomberg, Michael).
Immanentize
@O. Felix Culpa: I’m glad to hear your experience is matching my own. I’m done saying anything about my primary preferences. OK, I did not get my choice, I mourned, now it is time to move on to the real deal — namely the actual presidential election.
In the premiere fight, Biden is my first choice. By far! No questions or doubts. Frankly, Biden is my first and last choice. Without any qualifications whatsoever. My head has moved to this place, I am hoping others’ can as well.
As Shel Silverstein wrote:
I’m all in for “did.” And “do” after this horrible week.
Immanentize
@debbie:
what has he succeeded at? Bringing other people down into the gutter with him, where he reigns supreme. I really think that this will be Biden’s greatest challenge — not to try to meet Trump down in the gutter.
Chris Johnson
I think you mean ‘police/3%ers/white supremacist groups’. An undercover cop in a gas mask methodically smashing shop windows DOES NOT COUNT as ‘antifa’. He is ‘fa’, full stop. If there was ‘antifa’ present they’d have physically attacked him and been right to do so, but there were only community members around and what you may see as ‘anarchists’, as you pretty much already know, are cops: ‘fa’, fascists, physically attacking the communities they want to subjugate/exterminate, and doing it brazenly in the belief they can do anything they want and blame it on ‘leftists’.
It is that much more obvious now, but as you said, this isn’t new. It’s just more brazen: these people think they will ALWAYS be able to hide literally everything behind the cloak of ‘leftists’.
zhena gogolia
@debbie:
I’m not worried about that. His “gaffes” are not a matter of substance. He has the substance.
“This is a BFD” was a statement that came out of his heart and his vast experience. That was off-the-cuff too, and it has entered the language.
different-church-lady
@SiubhanDuinne: Trump is gleeful at injustice.
cmorenc
Here’s hoping Biden picks Kamala Harris as VP
MattF
@Immanentize: Biden has avoided that. It’s a trap set by Trump and the (mostly RW or RW fellow traveler) media. One possible path forward is to go ahead and name a VP, then name a shadow cabinet and staff. Make the contrast explicit.
debbie
@zhena gogolia:
As long as he stays disciplined in his responses, doesn’t take Trump’s bait, and avoids what he has called his “cavalier”ness, he’ll be fine.
O. Felix Culpa
@Immanentize: The Silverstein poem fits perfectly. And we must indeed “do.” If we needed any prompting, the events of the past week make it imperative. I’m all in on Team Joe.
By the way, if folks want to get involved, I suggest downloading the Team Joe app. It will inform you of events in your area and actions you can take. I know many people hate phone banking, but we’ve been doing text banking for our June 2nd primary and it’s way less painful and so far much more effective. And of course there are other ways to participate. So check it out!
debbie
@Immanentize:
I speak from experience as to how hard it is not to toss off a smart aleck-y remark.
Immanentize
@cmorenc:
I think Harris might well be the best choice for VP, but I worry the top statement is unproven as Biden was fully capable of bringing the black vote together in the primaries with a little help from his friends. And the Obamas will NOT be on the sidelines.
What about the critical Lantinx vote? And once one says this, is it really just identity tokenism we seek in the VP?
O. Felix Culpa
@debbie:
Heh. You and
mostall of the jackaltariat.Immanentize
@debbie: You and me both, Sister! In fact, I rather like doing it.
Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes
How’d we get this no-name stammering fool as a National Security Advisor? He’s going on and on about the violence coming from “radical left” ANTIFA, and hasn’t seen any reports about militant white supremacy doing some instigation.
Makes me yearn for the calm, quiet leadership of Richard Nixon.
Frankensteinbeck
@Chris Johnson:
Anarchists who infiltrate peaceful protests to turn them violent are real. I knew one, and he definitely did not act alone. Protests like the WTO riots were not turned bad by police racism. Black Bloc is a known thing. If the anarchist I knew was an example, their beliefs lean left, but mostly they like chaos. It is well established now that cops are doing agent provocateur shit, as are white supremacists, but yes there are leftist anarchists in the mix.
I know nothing about ‘Antifa’ and hold no opinions on if they’re involved. One way or the other, if the cops weren’t eager to be violent, this would not be happening.
Nicole
I was so disappointed that we ended up with another old white guy, but Biden is, overall, a pretty decent human being, and he’ll do fine. He’s the best choice of the available options for my country, and I still labor under the delusion that our country is capable of being better, so I owe it to my nation to see the best available option get the office. Plus, he works well with others, and that is definitely something I want in a Chief Executive. Seeing as how one by one my primary monthly contributions ceased (Gillibrand, Harris, and Warren), I’ll start a monthly contribution to Biden’s campaign tomorrow.
And then prepare, as a citizen, to keep leaning as hard as I can on my elected representatives to not let the Trump administration’s corruption and crimes fade into the rear view mirror.
EmbraceYourInnerCrone
@debbie: they are also apparently pepper spraying people on their own porches for videoing them.
jayjaybear
@Frankensteinbeck:
“Antifa” as some sort of cartoon villain organization doesn’t exist. It’s all made up from whole cloth by right-wing media and trickled down into mainstream media.
Antifascist is what we need to be. It’s what we were in the 1940s. The fascist/authoritarian attempt to smear the label, like they did to “liberal”, is working and needs to be stopped cold.
Immanentize
I just read this article about police/National Guard violence in different cities.
Police Erupt in Violence
Communities can’t recover from that type of police behavior. For decades this will be with these cities.
That’s enough for me, today. I’m going to go do something productive in the yard. Like angrily pulling weeds unto exhaustion.
sdhays
It seems that the MAGAt call that went out yesterday fizzled – I’m not seeing any top headlines about confrontations in front of the (Very) White House. I guess Baby Dump kept the White House laundry staff busy cleaning in soiled linens for another night in a row.
debbie
@EmbraceYourInnerCrone:
Where?
germy
Photographer who lost an eye after being shot by police rubber bullets:
danielx
I am becoming more impressed by Biden, to the extent I can be impressed by any pol. I’m past the point where I expect perfection from any candidate, but he is sincere and empathetic. Those qualities alone set him far above…It.
EmbraceYourInnerCrone
@EmbraceYourInnerCrone: I got part of that wrong apparently they shot paint canisters at people standing around n their own porch. FYI as far as I know the curfew specifically does not apply to people on their own porch.
germy
gwangung
@Frankensteinbeck: Wouldn’t be surprised if there were foreign elements, involved, too. Low cost, potential high impact type of operation.
Here’s something I saw on Facebook:
CantTurnRight
@EmbraceYourInnerCrone:
I have made a montage including that incident, set to Trump’s inflammatory words.
twitter.com/TurnCant/status/1267097688304017408
CantTurnRight
@germy: I posted a video, set to Trump’s hateful words, that shows that incident, among others.
twitter.com/TurnCant/status/1267097688304017408
MattF
SpaceX Dragon capsule has docked with the Space Station.
germy
@EmbraceYourInnerCrone:
footage:
zhena gogolia
@danielx:
He is standing between us and the destruction of our country. His imperfections are like flea shit in the scale of things.
PPCLI
No doubt Trump and his advisors realized that it would look bad if Biden called George Floyd’s family and Trump didn’t. But the advisors also were fully aware that if Trump actually engaged in a conversation, it was a disaster begging to happen. Within 30 seconds Trump would have been bragging about the fierce dogs he had waiting for protesters, or blaming Obama for George Floyd’s death, or worse. So they handed him a card with a specific set of lines he was supposed to read verbatim, and then get off the line.
FelonyGovt
I am talking Biden up to other Democrats I know who supported different people in the primaries, and who haven’t been following his recent statements and actions. Trying to instill in others the enthusiasm for him that I’m now feeling.
Jinchi
I don’t believe Biden will ever be face-to-face with Trump this campaign and I’m fine with that. There is absolutely no reason for them to debate. Everyone knows who Trump is and what he will do if he gets another four years as president. And while I’d be thrilled to know what Joe’s agenda is going forward, it simply doesn’t matter in terms of which of these guys I’ll be voting for.
WereBear
Joe Biden IS my President now.
rikyrah
@Dorothy A. Winsor:
Yes, he is making it worse.
germy
@Jinchi:
The choice is clear.
And when I’m feeling low, I visit Biden’s website and read his vision for America
rikyrah
@PPCLI:
You are right about them handing him a card. No way, they put him on the phone unscripted.?
CantTurnRight
Help, I think my comment is in moderation for having a Twitter link.
debbie
@germy:
I will say it again. There is something more going on here. All this overreaction to any sort of dissent. Some sort of secret coordinated action by police forces and paramilitary groups (alleged “looters”).
I just listened to an interview with Joyce Beatty, my U.S. Rep, who got pepper sprayed yesterday when she was trying to deescalate a small confrontation (about staying on or stepping off a sidewalk). Some FOP rep is accusing this 70+ year old woman of of actual physical assault upon an officer. All the woman had was her red smartphone.
germy
Kathleen Parker, at the Washington Post.
A play in two acts:
danielx
@Jinchi:
The last thing in the world Trump’s handlers want is for him to be on stage with someone more coherent than him, which would be just about anybody. He wouldn’t get through a half hour without melting down and blurting out a threat to have Biden arrested, or worse.
The Moar You Know
Biden was always my first choice.
I hope we can do this. I think we can. It’ll be hard but we can. 2016 was the “can’t lose this one or we’re completely fucked” election, and we did lose that one, but this one is almost as important, as although the house is on fire, we might be able to salvage something out of this country if we can win this one.
I’d rather fix a burned house than have no house at all.
Frankensteinbeck
@sdhays:
Well, my ‘white supremacists are too cowardly to show up when they’ll be outnumbered’ and ‘Trump is too dedicated to racism to follow the Tisk Tisk What A Shame narrative the GOP is trying for’ predictions are flying 100%. Again. Note that the white supremacists showing up at the protests are going “Let’s you and him fight” and that’s about as fucking cowardly as it gets.
EDIT –
@debbie:
No coordination necessary. All it takes is knowing that the job of reining in police violence belongs to the federal government, and the president wants them to hit harder.
Elizabelle
@The Moar You Know: I do not agree that we “lost.” I think the 2016 election was stolen. Period.
Ramalama
@cmorenc: Oh – I love that, writing postcards. I, too, am terrible cold calling anyone. Warm calling also.
laura
@Nora: Shiny nickel wager that trump informed the Floyd family that black unemployment was lowest under his administration.
Ramalama
@The Moar You Know Is it too obvious or unhelpful to add this:
3. Trump so feared Biden getting the D nomination that he did all kinds of things that got himself impeached?
senyordave
@debbie: I know Joe has the heart, which is no little thing. But conveying this in writing or withs scripts is far easier than off-the-cuff comments. I hope he can maintain this level when he’s face to face with Trump.
I agree, and he can’t get into pissing matches with Trump because Trump lives for that. I want something like this:
Biden saying that because he so much respects the office of the president he is all the more disgusted by the actions of Trump. Remind people that he has used that office to enrich himself, bully people, and shield himself and friends from legitimate investigations of abusing the power of the presidency. IMO Biden has to constantly remind people just how unpresidential Trump is. A sense of calm outrage, and let people know that when he is president, Joe Biden will be presidential.
Oh, and I want Trump’s “I take no responsibility at all” to be front and center. I can see in a debate Biden bringing up that line, and highlight the fact that during Trump’s first major crisis he basically threw up his hands and turned tail, trying to shift blame to anyone but him.
db11
Delurking to amplify this inspiring, affecting story about an amazingly strong, brilliant and resilient woman: Chika Stacy Oriuwa was voted valedictorian of her graduating medical class at University of Toronto — the only black graduate of a class of 259.
thestar.com/opinion/contributors/2020/05/28/the-only-black-medical-student-in-a-u-of-t-class-of-259-…
Her Twitter page: (for those who have the time and interest, the pinned tweet of a 2018 keynote video is well worth the watch)
twitter.com/chikastacypoet/status/1251865711556939776
Ramalama
Some friends of mine (I’m white and was talking a few white friends) were wondering what we can do now, other than voting and other political activities, and I found this link with a really comprehensive list of stuff. Some of youse all might like to join in as well. Pardon me if this is a repeat from another thread:
75 Things White People Can Do for Racial Justice
medium.com/equality-includes-you/what-white-people-can-do-for-racial-justice-f2d18b0e0234
debbie
@senyordave:
Joe should go a step further and say that Trump has never taken responsibility for anything ever in his life.
Trump cares for the AA community more than anyone ever in the history of this country? Demonstrate it now and apologize to the Central Park Five.
danielx
@germy:
I am too old and have too much invested in dental work to go into the streets at this point, but bigod if that was my street and my house I’d sure be tempted. Fuck tha police, indeed.
germy
Worthwhile thread:
The writer of this thread met with most Democratic presidential candidates, including Joe Biden.
japa21
@The Moar You Know: Same here.
laura
@Nora: Shiny nickel wager that trump informed the Floyd family that black unemployment was lowest under his administration.
@Immanentize: Like angrily pulling weeds unto exhaustion.
Hate-weeding is what I call it. Will join you from across the nation hate-weeding today.
WaterGirl
@CantTurnRight:
The first comment with a new screen name (nym) or a new email address with a current nym always goes into moderation, and it takes a person to manually fish it out of moderation.
After the first comment is approved, all the rest post without moderation. But if you do additional comments before the first one is approved, they all hang out in moderation until they are released.
germy
Kay
@The Moar You Know:
You did support him early so you called that. I’m encouraged that Obamagate was such a flop. That was all hands on deck- they coordinated perfectly up to and including having Trump’s low quality hires conspire to smear Biden while in the administration, using state power, and STILL it flopped.
They can’t even conduct a coordinated, government-run smear. Our corrupt AG has all the levers of state power at his disposal and he’s incompetent at even subverting state power and turning it to political ends. Not only can’t he do his real job, he can’t even run a competent smear campaign out of the DOJ.
Omnes Omnibus
I said it last night, and I will say it again. It looks like Biden may just be right person for this particular time.
The Moar You Know
@Elizabelle: Does the method matter? Last I checked, President Clinton wasn’t on the Wikipedia list of current US Presidents. We fucking lost.
And frankly, we have known since 2000 that if it’s close, the GOP is going to go to the mat for the win. Dems still aren’t doing that, nor taking steps to put these races out of reach for the GOP. It’s been twenty years. We, as a party, are fucking slow on the uptake.
If the GOP is stealing elections, we should too. And if they’re not, if they’re just being smarter about messaging, strategic deployment of resources and people, well, we doubly have no excuse.
The Moar You Know
@Kay: This has been this administration’s only saving grace; their utter incompetence. If any of these people had been good at their jobs, we’d either be wearing our White American Citizen Overseer armbands or toiling in the slave pits.
Miss Bianca
@Starfish: The Colorado Freedom Fund, eh? Thanks for letting us know about that. I don’t have a lot of $ to contribute these days, but I will keep this group in mind for sure.
Omnes Omnibus
@debbie: Joe is doing fine right now. I’m going to trust him and his team on how to go forward.
Kay
Not to take away from Biden, but I wonder if the smears haven’t stuck because Trump and the Trump Administration have lied and lie so much that they simply are no longer credible to most people.
I know that didn’t happen soon enough for us, and it isn’t universal, which is horrifying, given the absolute overwhelming evidence that they lie about everything, but maybe, just maybe, credibility matters enough to enough people that they simply ignore the fake scandals as coming from liars.
Recall that most people didn’t know Trump and the low quality hires were consistent, compulsive liars in 2016. They do now, and polling seems to show most people don’t believe what they say anymore. Maybe that’s enough, that 20% who gave them the benefit of the doubt in 2016 but now know they lie all the time.
J R in WV
@Frankensteinbeck:
I agree with much that you post here~!~ Especially with regard to cops and white supremacists.
But I don’t think anarchists are leftist in any way. They hate left-wing government as much as they hate right-wing or middle-of-the-road government. They hate all government, because they are whiney-ass tittie-babies who do not want to be told you can’t get drunk and puke everywhere every night and all day.
Not left at all.
Anarchy is not left, it’s off the political spectrum on it’s own little criminal spectrum along with child abuse, human trafficking, and drug production for money.
Kay
I mean, you hope it’s true. That there’s SOME sanction for lying all the time. That it doesn’t continue to be rewarded with money and power. Maybe that’s the accountability for it- they have lied so much and so consistently that there’s a politically, numerically meaningful group of people who believed them in 2016 and no longer do. It doesn’t have to be all of them. It just has to be enough.
He won by a fucking whisker. It just takes 5% and it tips.
Kay
I’m also encouraged that there are still people in the White House who genuinely believe that Trump is capable of giving A SPEECH to “unite the country”. They think that will fix it. If they trot him out.
It isn’t in him. He’s a mean-spirited, petty, vicious asshole because that’s all he’s got. That there are people around him who are deluding themselves into believing that “leading” is easy and simply a matter of setting a stage and giving him words to mumble? WTF. It isn’t that he “won’t”. It’s that he CAN’T. He does not possess these skills.
Matt McIrvin
@Dorothy A. Winsor: Obama’s DoJ had a functioning civil-rights division and actively tried to reduce police violence. Trump’s… doesn’t. That’s a big difference.
Omnes Omnibus
@J R in WV: You aren’t a political theorist, are you? While not universal of the left, there are definitely leftist anarchists. If you want an historical example, look at the anarchists in the Spanish Civil War.
J R in WV
@Omnes Omnibus:
SO NOT a political theorist, a political activist and 60 year observer of American politics. OUR anarchists are mostly criminals, with no political identity whatsoever.
Our politics are a continent/ocean and 80 years away from the Spanish Civil War, so the possibility that there were leftist anarchists in that conflict seems totally irrelevant to current events in America!
ETA: To add, and somewhat off topic… Constant rage appear to be bad for one’s health and ability to sleep well. Poor pitiful me… he cries.
Whimper.
Trying to be calm, way easier said than done!
randy
@J R in WV: I saw many from UU youth groups graduate to food not bombs, and though my young friends remain leftist, they acknowledge 47 flavors including criminal street gang and warlord tendencies in the anarchist movement.
Feathers
@J R in WV: They are not of the right and are therefore leftist. Conservatism (the laws protect some without binding them; the rest are bound by them but not protected) is the only coherent and enacted political philosophy at present. Everything else is ad hoc and reactive.
worn
@Frankensteinbeck: I wish I could bold this for it is absolutely 100% true. I was at the WTO protests in Seattle. We matched from an area over by the Space Needle and through the downtown core, where I spent the latter portion of the afternoon near the World Trade Center and the phalanx of police blocking the far side of the intersection. It was a rowdy, but peaceful affair,until at least until late in the day when the black bloc folks showed up and started up with their typical, wanton property destruction.
The fucking frustrating thing to me was that the entire problem could have been solved with 50 or so pairs of handcuffs in the hands of the protesters. At the time as I was watching it go down all I could think about was how satisfying it would be to see those assholes manacled to light poles by regular citizens (“Sorry Jack, but we are taking you out of circulation for the duration of play.”)
As someone once said, same as it ever was.
greenergood
@debbie: My take on this cop’s action was that he was really enjoying himself – His consistence in kneeling on Floyd’s neck was of someone knowing exactly what he was doing, and enjoying every minute. Even his facial expression was one of satisfaction – probably the same expression of a lyncher in earlier days …