Friday Talking Points [352] -- Always Twirling For Freedom!
It's officially a holiday since tomorrow's the nation's birthday and all, but since this column took a vacation last week, we thought we'd better get a new column out today. After all, it's been an eventful two weeks!
Right after we published our last column, the Confederate battle flag debate erupted in a major way. Leading the charge against the flag on the Republican side was none other than Mitt Romney, whose opinion gave a lot of other Republicans cover to do the right thing. First up to the plate was South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, who called on her legislature to toss out the law which mandates flying the flag on the statehouse grounds. Next up was the governor of Alabama, who (since his state didn't have such an absurd law) was able to just take the Confederate flags down from his statehouse by executive order. Mississippi hasn't budged yet, and (as I wrote earlier) is the worst of the lot since it's the only state left that still incorporates the battle flag into their official state flag, but maybe eventually they'll get on this bandwagon too.
Of course, through the whole debate, Democrats were pretty much all against the flag. While Republicans struggle with the South's past, Democrats moved on decades ago, for the most part. Personally, though, we're amazed the debate happened and are amazed at this symbol of racism finally being retired from official use -- only about 150 years after it should have been. At the end of the week, President Obama gave a moving eulogy for one of those killed by the racist domestic terrorist in Charleston, which was notable for his stirring rendition of "Amazing Grace."
Obama (and the country) got two very big pieces of good news from the Supreme Court last week, which upheld the plain intent of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (a.k.a. "Obamacare") and declared marriage equality throughout the whole of this great land. What was notable in both cases were the bitter, bitter dissents from the conservative justices. These dissents will provide lots of heaping doses of schadenfreude for progressives for years to come, that's our guess. Especially head-scratching was Justice Scalia opining on the difference between free love and marriage, which concluded with: "Ask the nearest hippie." We're not entirely sure, but this may have been the first time the highest court in the land has deferred judgment on legal matters to hippies, so that's an odd sort of milestone.
The conservatives on the court weren't the only ones being very sad about the two major opinions, of course. The conservative universe pretty much freaked out over both of them, in a frenzy of who could denounce the court in the whiniest terms possible.
There were a few other Supreme Court decisions of note, one dealing with citizens' movements to end gerrymandering (gerrymandering lost, the people won), and one on a Spider-Man toy where Elena Kagen had her own fun writing the opinion. Again, a historic precedent may have been set, since Kagen actually quoted a comic book ("[I]n this world, with great power there must also come -- great responsibility"). She also cracked a joke or two elsewhere in the text: "The parties set no end date for royalties, apparently contemplating that they would continue for as long as kids want to imitate Spider-Man (by doing whatever a spider can)." Points for style, Justice Kagan!
It's not just on the court, even Senator Al Franken is confident enough to actually make a joke or two once again to a national audience. Franken has been fighting to not appear as "just a comedian" ever since he ran for his office, so it's good to see him comfortable enough with the level of support from his constituents to occasionally return to his comedic roots. We certainly would encourage him to do more of this, as he's one of the sharpest wits ever to trod the halls of the Capitol.
Over in the freakshow that is the Republican presidential race, Bobby Jindal threw his hat in the ring with a bizarre video made with a camera hidden in a tree which shows his own children not exactly enthused with the idea of Dad running. Team Jindal (or a super PAC supporting him) then decided it'd be a good idea to get Twitter to "AskBobby" about stuff. This, predictably, led to all kinds of fun. Our favorite response: "@BobbyJindal #AskBobby I'm gay, an atheist & an immigrant. How would you work to punish me, while ignoring separation of church and state?" Heh.
Chris Christie joined the ranks of the Republican wannabes, because somebody apparently told him he's actually got a chance of becoming president. Over on the Democratic side, Jim Webb apparently got the same advice.
Ted Cruz annoyed a lot of people when he couldn't accurately remember quotes from his favorite episodes of The Simpsons, but then he atoned for this sin by cutting a hilarious video where he "auditions" for the show. His Ned Flanders was arguably the closest to sounding right, but his "Kang and Kodos" quip stole the show (which we're saving for the talking points section).
Rand Paul has been touted as somehow "reaching out" to minorities -- which is notable indeed for any Republican candidate -- but every so often he shows how truly tone-deaf he is on issues of race. This week, Paul felt it was a valuable use of his time to hold an hour-long meeting with Cliven Bundy, the gun-loving (and lawbreaking) rancher who was a rising star on Fox News right up to the point where he uttered a whole bunch of the most vile racist garbage imaginable (his basic position: blacks had it better under slavery). Way to reach out to minorities, Rand!
But when it comes down to the freakiest of the freaky in the whole Republican field, Donald Trump is very hard to top. Trump not only is running for president, he's apparently on a mission to singlehandedly destroy his own Trump brand, forevermore. So far, he's been doing a bang-up job! Now, Trump is no shrinking violet when it comes to stating his racist opinions, as the Washington Post helpfully documented. It's not like he suddenly woke up last week and decided that he didn't like Mexicans or anything. But because of his new prominence as a presidential candidate, people (and corporations) were now forced to notice Trump's ravings. His beauty contest got dumped from Univision, then NBC told The Donald "You're fired!" from his own The Apprentice shows, and by week's end stores were dumping Trump menswear and mattresses as fast as they possibly could. Trump mattresses? Really? Dang, some people will buy anything with a famous person's name on it, won't they?
All this attention created a mini-surge for Trump, who is now polling second among Republican candidates not only in Iowa and New Hampshire, but also nationwide. The other Republican candidates are, understandably, horrified by this development, because it means they're not going to be able to get away with just ignoring the ignorance coming out of Trump's mouth. Democrats, also understandably, are delighted to paint the entire Republican Party as marching in lockstep with Trump (since so many Republican candidates are so scared of refuting Trump, fearing a voter backlash).
And it's only July! We've got a whole lot more track for this crazy train to run down before we're done, folks....
Let's see, what else has been happening in the world of politics? Recreational marijuana is now legal in Oregon (although they've still got to get their regulatory act together to create a full legal marketplace for weed). This just in: the sky did not fall. In fact, the sky is also still intact over Washington, Colorado, Alaska, and the District of Columbia. Chicken Little was wrong again!
And finally, does your state have a monument to the Ten Commandments on the grounds of your statehouse? Well, maybe you can get a statue of Baphomet placed beside it! The Oklahoma Supreme Court ruled this week that their state's Ten Commandments monument had to go, as it is clearly a governmental endorsement of religion. This stopped the secondary effort by the Satanic Temple to erect their own statue. As a spokesman put it:
The entire point of our effort was to offer a monument that would complement and contrast the Ten Commandments, reaffirming that we live in a nation that respects plurality, a nation that refuses to allow a single viewpoint to co-opt the power and authority of government institutions. Given the Court's ruling, [The Satanic Temple] no longer has any interest in pursuing placement of the Baphomet monument on Oklahoma's Capitol grounds.
The statue, naturally, has a "public-friendly design," which might become "an object of play for young children." But they went ahead and cast the statue and all, so now they're looking for another suitable place to put it. You know, right next to a Ten Commandments monument in some other state. As the spokesman put it: "Arkansas is looking rather appealing." If you'd like to see it grace your statehouse instead, now is the time to act! After all, if one religious monument is allowed, then constitutionally all religious monuments should be allowed.
We have two awards to hand out in the Most Impressive Democrat Of The Week category. We feel justified in handing the award out twice, because it has been two weeks since our last column.
The first goes to President Barack Obama, since he (and his legacy) have had an amazing couple of weeks. There was his eulogy (and singing) at the funeral last week. There were the two big Supreme Court victories. There was the whole Confederate flag debate. And Obama won a big victory on trade from Congress.
All that should have been enough to qualify for a MIDOTW award right there. But that list still isn't complete. Obama also personally announced (in a Huffington Post column) a long-awaited decision on overtime pay, which will better the lives of an estimated five million workers. Obama will raise the bar for mandatory overtime pay from the low $20,000s to over $50,000. Anyone making less than this will now automatically be entitled to overtime pay for more than 40 hours of work a week -- whether they're called a "manager" or not. Either they'll get more free time or more money in their paycheck for the hard work they put in.
The White House has been teasing this change since January, it bears noting. In fact, just a little over a month ago, we gave him a Most Disappointing Democrat Of The Week award for stalling the announcement for so long (back in FTP [348]). Now, politically, maybe they were holding this rule change back for a moment when it would do Obama the most good -- like, perhaps, just after he's annoyed the Labor folks with a free-trade congressional victory? But whatever the timing and however long the wait, the change will be a monumental one for a whole lot of workers, and -- crucially -- Obama doesn't need to get it through Congress, which means it'll actually happen next year.
This week also saw the normalization of diplomatic relations with Cuba and a promise by America and Cuba to exchange ambassadors and set up embassies. This is an enormous political achievement for Obama, and will be a big part of his legacy, even if it was kind of overwhelmed with all the other news Obama was making these last few weeks.
There were even minor news items to cheer about as well. The Department of the Interior announced it will not be taking any bid from the Washington [Racist Football Team Name] to redo Robert F. Kennedy stadium, until they change their name. Bully for them!
And in news which will have far-reaching impacts, the Obama administration announced they're scrapping a special review that all scientific marijuana research has had to go through before being approved. No other drug -- not even LSD or heroin or cocaine or crystal meth -- had to get a "Public Health Service" stamp of approval, but cannabis did. The only reason for this review was political -- essentially, to deny all studies of marijuana that didn't begin and end with the preconceived notion: "marijuana is bad... 'mmmkay?"
The White House released a downright stunning statement (compared to the entire history of the federal government and marijuana research):
Drug czar spokesman Mario Moreno Zepeda said, "The Obama Administration has actively supported scientific research on whether marijuana or its components can be safe and effective medicine. Eliminating the Public Health Service review should help facilitate additional research to advance our understanding of both the adverse effects and potential therapeutic uses for marijuana or its components."
Common sense seems to be breaking out all over the place!
In any case, add up all the events of the past two weeks and it's easy to see why President Obama deserves a Most Impressive Democrat Of The Week this week. Not surprisingly, his poll numbers are up as well. In the Real Clear Politics daily average, his job approval rating hit 46.5 percent -- the highest it has been in over two years.
But we've also got another MIDOTW award to hand out, because Democratic presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders is out there burning up the hustings. Now, some of this was kind of inevitable. The die-hard Elizabeth Warren supporters were eventually going to have to give up hope and attach themselves to another (actual) candidate. Plus, the longer Joe Biden goes without announcing, the smaller the chances he'll actually make a run for it. Even so, though, Bernie is rising noticeably in the polls. He hasn't polled better than Hillary Clinton yet, but he's coming within reach in New Hampshire and he's not too far out of reach in Iowa. None of the other Democrats running has even managed to break out of the single digits, so the race at this point is shaping up as a "Clinton v. Sanders" bout.
How long will it be, we wonder, before Hillary takes notice? Bernie has been drawing record crowds -- including the biggest campaign rally yet of any presidential candidate from either party, when Sanders got a capacity crowd of 10,000 in Madison, Wisconsin.
Sooner or later, the media is going to have to quit their snarky attitude towards Sanders and start taking his policy agenda items seriously. So is Hillary Clinton, for that matter. Because it's pretty obvious more and more voters are doing just that. The overwhelming consensus from all of them: "Bernie's the real deal."
For his Madison rally alone Bernie deserves his own Most Impressive Democrat Of The Week award. Looks like the Sanders campaign will soon be scouting out bigger and bigger arenas for him to speak in!
[Congratulate President Barack Obama on the White House contact page, and Senator Bernie Sanders on his Senate contact page, to let them know you appreciate their efforts.]
It's hard to get too excited about any of the disappointing Democrats this week. We've got (Dis-)Honorable Mention awards for both New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, for engaging in a public spat that basically boiled down to: "You can't get anything done in Albany!" "No, you can't get anything done in Albany!" Sigh.
But we also have two Most Disappointing Democrat Of The Week awards to hand out. The first goes to an old story in California, one which we recounted way back in FTP [297]. State senator Leland Yee just pled guilty this week to gun-running, extortion, and accepting bribes while in office. Back then, we gave the MDDOTW award to the California state senate Democrats, who were dragging their feet on kicking out not just Lee but two other senators charged with serious crimes. But we went back and looked, and we hadn't actually given Yee himself an award, so we're kind of retroactively awarding it this week.
The second award is more timely, since it goes to newly-announced presidential candidate Jim Webb. Now, Webb used to be the senator from Virginia. And he had a long career in the military. Even so, when he jumped into the Confederate battle flag debate, the result was the wishy-washiest statement from any candidate to date -- and we include the Republicans in that. Here is what Webb had to say, on his Facebook page:
This is an emotional time and we all need to think through these issues with a care that recognizes the need for change but also respects the complicated history of the Civil War. The Confederate Battle Flag has wrongly been used for racist and other purposes in recent decades. It should not be used in any way as a political symbol that divides us.
But we should also remember that honorable Americans fought on both sides in the Civil War, including slave holders in the Union Army from states such as Missouri, Kentucky, Maryland and Delaware, and that many non-slave holders fought for the South. It was in recognition of the character of soldiers on both sides that the federal government authorized the construction of the Confederate Memorial 100 years ago, on the grounds of Arlington National Cemetery.
This is a time for us to come together, and to recognize once more that our complex multicultural society is founded on the principle of mutual respect.
Is Webb for official governmental recognition of the Confederate battle flag? It's impossible to tell, at least from this statement. Is he for it flying over statehouses? Hard to say, really. Does he personally approve of the flag or not? Who knows... maybe, and then again maybe not.
Running for president means showing leadership. Webb's flag response shows none. At best, it's a ham-handed "can't we all just get along," but at worst Webb is supporting those who are supporting the flag's continued use by state governments. This is nothing more than a politician talking out of both sides of his mouth, folks. He obviously wants to have it both ways, which at this point is pretty indefensible (or should be, for a Democratic presidential candidate).
Webb has no excuse, really. He won his Senate race against George "Macaca" Allen (remember him?), a man who wore a Confederate flag pin for his high school senior photo and also had Confederate flag plates on his car in high school -- in California, for Pete's sake (not exactly the Deep South). Allen's first statewide race (for Virginia governor) featured a television ad with the flag prominently displayed. He opposed a state holiday for Martin Luther King Jr., unless it was merged with a holiday to honor Confederate generals Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson. While serving in the Senate himself (before Webb ran against him), Allen played the role of a Confederate officer in a movie. So it's not like Jim Webb is any stranger to the Confederate battle flag being smack dab in the middle of a political race.
For his mealy-mouthed response to the issue, and for showing not a scintilla of leadership, Jim Webb has more than earned his Most Disappointing Democrat Of The Week award.
[Leland Yee is now a private citizen, and it is our policy not to provide contact information for anyone out of public office. While Jim Webb is a candidate running for president, he is also currently a private citizen, and our editorial policy also forbids linking to campaign websites, sorry.]
Volume 352 (7/3/15)
OK, since it's a holiday weekend already (meaning few people will likely read this far), we're going to get silly with the last four talking points. Normally we save one silly item for the last, but today we're just overwhelmed with silliness. The first three are serious and important issues for Democrats to speak out about, but from number four onwards, it's just a holiday lark.
Have a happy Fourth of July everyone, and don't burn your fingers on the grill (or, later, lighting fireworks). Happy birthday, America!
Five million paychecks
This is a big deal, despite getting kind of buried in all the other news that's been happening. So point it out!
"Next year, when the new rule goes into effect, an estimated five million middle-class workers will get a break. Instead of their employers demanding they essentially work many hours for free -- what has been called 'wage theft' -- everyone making up to $50,000 will be eligible for mandatory time-and-a-half overtime pay if they work more than 40 hours a week. There's a reason the Labor movement got the 40-hour workweek standard enacted, and that reason is to leave workers enough free time to spend with their own families. If they are required to work more, they should be justly compensated for giving up that free time. When the old standard was set, back in the 1970s, it covered over half of America's workers. But because the limit had not been changed in so long, it only now covers a tiny fraction of workers -- those making about $11 an hour or less. President Obama's new standard will cover at least 40 percent of all workers. This is good news for America, and great news for those five million families. If an employer wants a worker to put in a 60-hour workweek, then they should have to pay overtime. It's really that simple."
Civil rights don't end at the altar
What with the good news on the marriage equality front, many are assuming the battle is over. It's not.
"I call on all Democratic candidates for president -- indeed, I call on all Democrats -- to boldly stand up for adding the words 'sexual orientation' to federal civil rights laws. Any federal laws which have a list of 'race, religion, national origin, ethnicity, gender' should be changed to also include 'sexual orientation.' In far too many states, civil rights for gay people -- beyond the right to marriage -- simply do not exist. You can be fired in half of America's states for being gay. You can legally be discriminated against for housing. It's perfectly legal to do so, by state law. Now that we have achieved marriage equality, it is time to provide iron-clad civil rights guarantees to all gay Americans in every state. The best and fastest way to do so is to add 'sexual orientation' to all federal civil rights laws. It is the right thing to do, and I want to hear each and every presidential candidate make a firm promise to put this item near the top of their agenda. While celebrating the Supreme Court victory, it is important to remember that civil rights do not end at the altar."
Bernie's actually pretty mainstream
The press are finally being forced to notice Bernie. But they've got a long way to go, obviously.
"You know, I have to laugh whenever I see media stories about Bernie Sanders out on the campaign trail. And no, that doesn't mean I'm laughing at the lame jokes lazy journalists make about his hair or his rumpled suits. I'm laughing instead at the idiocy of the inside-the-Beltway attitude that Bernie is somehow 'extreme.' When you go down the list of policies Bernie's running on, you find that almost all his issues poll overwhelmingly well with the public at large. Mandatory vacation time for workers? Mandatory sick leave? Taking on Wall Street? Free college tuition? A $15 minimum wage? All poll with big majorities -- sometimes in the 60-to-80 percent range. How can issues that are popular with 60 or 70 percent of the public be seen as 'extreme' in any way? There's a word for such issues, and it's not 'extreme' it is in fact 'mainstream.' Bernie's pulling in the biggest crowds of anyone -- that's anyone, Democrat or Republican -- running for president. There are several reasons why this is the case, and the inside-the-Beltway journalists need to wake up and discover Bernie's mainstream agenda for what it truly is."
A divine sense of humor
Just to remind everyone, this is where the silliness begins. The following was a reaction from Paul Begala (Clinton consultant from way back) on the news that Donald Trump is doing so well. Best Trump reaction we've seen yet!
I am a person of faith -- and The Donald's entry into this race can only be attributed to the fact that the good Lord is a Democrat with a sense of humor.
Twirling, always twirling
Ted Cruz, as noted earlier, put out a funny video this week. It would be an act of downright political malpractice if no Republican running against him ever uses this in an attack ad. Context: Cruz is actually quoting Kodos and Kang, the aliens from The Simpsons, from the "Treehouse of Horror" episode where they throw the Clinton/Dole presidential election. Even so, the funniest part (and the reason other Republicans should really use the clip) is that Cruz actually does perform a twirl, while reciting the quote:
"Forwards, not backwards! Upwards not downwards! And always twirling, twirling for freedom!"
Kumbaya moment, with dip
This one is too funny.
"I see that President Obama and Jeb Bush actually strongly agree on one thing. Yes, it is comforting to know that even political rivals from across the aisle can join together in standing up for all that is good and right in the world. While Democrats and Republicans, and Bush and Obama in particular, can disagree about practically everything under the sun, it's good to know that both Jeb and Barack draw the line at the bizarre notion of putting peas in guacamole."
Won't you please come to Chicago
And, finally, this one is personal.
"Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, in his dissent in the marriage equality case, told us all to, quote, 'ask the nearest hippie' what they think about marriage. Well, I can think of no better weekend for Scalia to do just that, and I invite him to travel to Chicago and mingle with the crowds at the final Grateful Dead shows ever. There will be roughly 60,000 hippies in one place, so Scalia shouldn't have any problem finding the 'nearest' one. From a relevant song (from another band of the era), I quote: 'Somehow people must be free/I hope the day comes soon/Won't you please come to Chicago/Show your face.' C'mon, Antonin -- if you want to talk to some hippies, this is your best chance!"
-- Chris Weigant
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Follow Chris on Twitter: @ChrisWeigant
Cross-posted at: Democratic Underground
Cross-posted at: The Huffington Post
My wife is a research technician: salaried and not managerial. Rather than hearing people call that "wage theft", I'd prefer to hear them calling for funding the NIH so that she could actually be paid more.
Personally, though, we're amazed the debate happened and are amazed at this symbol of racism finally being retired from official use
Who says it's a symbol of racism??
One could be more accurate and say it's a symbol of the Democrat Party...
I think one of our newest commenters said it best a week or so ago..
A racist scumbag kills nine innocent people and the Demcorat Party response is to whine and complain about a heritage battle flag from 100 years ago??
That's Democrat logic for ya... :^/
Michale
This week, Paul felt it was a valuable use of his time to hold an hour-long meeting with Cliven Bundy, the gun-loving (and lawbreaking) rancher
We don't hear much from the Left about "lawbreaking" when it's Left Wingers destroying shops and stores, causing massive property damage and ignoring other people's rights by protesting and rioting, etc etc etc..
How come???
How much property damage was caused by the Bundy protesters??
NONE... ZERO.... ZILCH.... NADA....
How much violence and assaults and injuries were caused by the Bundy protesters???
NONE... ZERO.... ZILCH.... NADA....
As I am wont to do..
If the Left wants to complain about "lawbreaking" might I respectfully suggest that they get their own house in order first??
I am just sayin'...
Michale
I'm somewhat surprised CW didn't use this phraseology, but Trump trumped himself last week. Both in the sense of self oneupmanship, but also in the cruder sense of, to put it delicately, self-violating one's own brand. "Gotta go now" say his sponsors as they rush the exits. Some businessman that Donald! He torched his own warehouse. No insurance to collect! The only honorable thing left to do is fire himself.
Trump's last laugh and epitaph will be the same. Too big an ass to fail.
Loving the Simpson's isn't enough to voice the Shearer characters....you need a deep voice with a plenty of higher harmonics.. Same thing with Kermit The Frog or Bulliwinkle Moose.
Shearer will probably critique Cruz as voice talent on this Sunday's broadcast of Le Show.
The Trump envy is strong... :D
Michale
But I guess ya'all have to castigate the GOP candidates..
Take emphasis away from the fact that the Obama Administration is **STILL** wire-tapping allies...
WikiLeaks: U.S. wiretapped Brazilian presidents
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2015/07/04/wikileaks-us-wiretapped-brazilian-presidents/29694565/
Funny how we don't hear any outrage from the Left, eh??
Michale
Weekend At Bernie's!!!!
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-politics/wp/2015/07/03/sanders-draws-more-than-2500-to-iowa-stop-tops-for-this-presidential-cycle-so-far/
:D
Michale
Bernie Sanders is the Left's answer to Donald Trump.... :D
Michale
Personally, though, we're amazed the debate happened and are amazed at this symbol of racism finally being retired from official use
A sign of racism???
https://img.washingtonpost.com/wp-apps/imrs.php?src=https://img.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp-content/uploads/sites/21/2015/06/flag11.png&w=1484
I don't think so....
Michale
http://twitter.com/JimMerrillNH/status/617091885711163392/photo/1
Say what you want...
But a vote for Marco Rubio is a vote for THE hottest First Lady in history... :D
Michale
Michale [3] -
Except for, you know...
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/06/09/las-vegas-shooting-cliven-bundy_n_5473662.html
-CW
Michale [3] -
The big difference between riots and Bundy is that the Left did denounce all the violence and rioting. The Right celebrated guys pointing guns at law enforcement officers, in support of a lawbreaker. How many times was Bundy on Fox News as some sort of hero before he started talking about black folks? And what would Fox have said if the Bundy people had had different colored skin? Hmmm? Pretty much what they say now about Black Panthers, that's my guess.
-CW
Michale [12] -
Au contraire. Mrs. Kucinich would have been the hottest First Lady ever. Heh.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/compost/post/goodbye-to-mrs-kucinich--and-to-her-husband-dennis/2012/03/07/gIQAGZU9wR_blog.html
:-)
-CW
CW,
The big difference between riots and Bundy is that the Left did denounce all the violence and rioting.
Oh bull....
In Baltimore, the Leftist city government fell all over themselves back-pedaling on "thug" comments made by a few city officials..
Then, of course, there is the famous order from the mayor, telling police to "stand down" and "give the protesters room to destroy"..
This is documented fact..
The Bundy protests were peaceful...
But regardless of all the facts my point is still valid..
The Leftist platform is BASED on "law breaking".. Civil disobedience.. etc etc... Getting arrested is a badge of honor for many Lefties...
Am I wrong??
The only difference between Lefty protests and Righty ones is the level of violence, property damage and arrests.
Au contraire. Mrs. Kucinich would have been the hottest First Lady ever. Heh.
Touche.... But I have a thing for red heads, so it's no contest... :D
Michale
Except for, you know...
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/06/09/las-vegas-shooting-cliven-bundy_n_5473662.html
If you want to tie that to Bundy, then you MUST tie the cop-killings to the Ferguson and Staten Island protests...
Goose, gander...
Michale
Hillary Lassos Press!!
http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/press-roped-down-aides-hillary-event_984950.html
Yea... THAT's the way to endear one's candidate to the press...
Tie them up...
What's next?? Chains?
Michale
Bernie Sanders is the Left's answer to Donald Trump.... :D
Michale
No righteous indignant denials?? :D
I guess that means the point is conceded.. :D
I mean, look at the facts..
Both candidates have a snowball's chance in hell of getting the nomination..
Both candidates are routinely ridiculed by the press...
And both candidates are where they are, solely by throwing red meat to extremist fringe elements of their respective Partys...
Trump and Sanders are two sides of the same coin...
Michale
In other news...
Health Insurance Companies Seek Big Rate Increases for 2016
Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans — market leaders in many states — are seeking rate increases that average 23 percent in Illinois, 25 percent in North Carolina, 31 percent in Oklahoma, 36 percent in Tennessee and 54 percent in Minnesota, according to documents posted online by the federal government and state insurance commissioners and interviews with insurance executives.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/04/us/health-insurance-companies-seek-big-rate-increases-for-2016.html?_r=0
When does the "AFFORDABLE" part of TrainWreckCare kick in???
On this basis alone, the "AFFORDABLE" Care Act is a dismal, dismal failure...
Michale
GREEKS REJECT DEMANDS FOR MORE AUSTERITY IN KEY REFERENDUM
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_GREECE_BAILOUT?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2015-07-05-16-04-15
And another Left Wing government bites the dust...
Michale
And another Left Wing government bites the dust...
Since the people of Greece have voted in agreement with their new government, I'm not sure what you mean by this assertion ... ?
Chris,
Plus, the longer Joe Biden goes without announcing, the smaller the chances he'll actually make a run for it.
Really?
I have a news flash for you! If Biden had announced three years ago that he would be running to continue the Obama/Biden administration, in a manner of speaking - in an effort to, you know, clear the field - then his campaign still would have gone nowhere and he wouldn't have cleared the field. Got that!?
Now, do you want to talk about why that is?
Since the people of Greece have voted in agreement with their new government, I'm not sure what you mean by this assertion ... ?
Greece is another Detroit...
That's what I meant..
Michale
To further elaborate, it's what happens when you run out of other people's money...
When you constantly penalize the rich for being successful to take care of deadbeats who don't want to work..
The rich have no incentive to be successful anymore.. So they either stop being productive and become middle class or they move to a place where THEY can enjoy the fruits of their success...
In other words, taxing the rich exclusively doesn't work...
It's why Bernie will NEVER be elected POTUS. Because Americans don't want to become another Greece or another Puerto Rico..
Michale
For those Americans who hoped the culture wars would finally end, the month of June reminded us they’re just getting started.
Within hours of the Supreme Court’s resolution of the battle over same-sex marriage—the triumph of a generation of gay-rights activists—some were already calling for further steps to take tax exemptions away from churches, use anti-discrimination laws to target religious non-profits, and crack down on religious schools’ access to voucher programs. We learned media entities would no longer publish the views of those opposed to gay marriage or treat it as an issue with two sides, and the American Civil Liberties Union announced it would no longer support bipartisan religious-freedom measures it once backed wholeheartedly. A reality TV star pushed the transgender rights movement into the center of the national dialogue even as Barack Obama’s administration used its interpretation of Title IX to push its genderless bathroom policies into public schools. And we learned that pulling Confederate merchandise off the shelves isn’t enough to mitigate the racism of the past—we must bring down statues and street signs, too, destroying reminders of history now deemed inconvenient and unsafe.
On college campuses and in the workplace, across mass media and social media, for American celebrities and private citizens, every comment, act, or joke can make you the next target for a ritual of daily attack by outraged Twitter mobs. It is now an unavoidable fact of life that giving money to the wrong cause, making a “clumsy attempt at humor,” or taking the wrong side on a celebrity, religious debate, or magazine cover can lead to threats of violent death, end your career in an instant, or make you the most hated person in America for 15 minutes—longer if you bungle the apology.
Whether you care about the culture war or not, it cares about you.
http://thefederalist.com/2015/07/06/welcome-to-culture-war-4-0-the-coming-overreach/
Congrats, Lefties...
You have your politically correct country...
A country where a century old battle-flag is pulled from sales shelfs, but Nazi, Stalinist & Jihadist Terrorism memorabilia are freely available..
Enjoy it while you can..
Because the backlash is coming and it won't be pretty...
Michale
AND we come to learn that no area is safe from the Leftist Conformity War....
Even the sacred HUGO Awards for Science Fiction authors has succumbed to political correctness, blacklisting authors SOLELY on the basis of their Political Ideology...
The Hugo Awards: How to Fight Back in the Culture War
1. I said a chunk of the Hugo voters are biased toward the left, and put the author’s politics far ahead of the quality of the work. Those openly on the right are sabotaged. This was denied.
2. So I got some right wingers on the ballot.
3. The biased voters immediately got all outraged and mobilized to do exactly what I said they’d do.
4. Point made.
http://thefederalist.com/2015/04/08/the-hugo-awards-culture-wars/
It's a sad day when even Science Fiction falls prey to those who political correctness is a god, the ONLY god, to be worshipped. :(
Michale
M - 24,25
Be that as it may, the ECB delivered their ultimatum, and Greece threw the bank ambassadors down a well. The next move goes to the ECB. A few hundred highly motivated Greeks in a tight spot have been known cause plenty of trouble to those tasked with enforcement.
Be that as it may, the ECB delivered their ultimatum, and Greece threw the bank ambassadors down a well. The next move goes to the ECB. A few hundred highly motivated Greeks in a tight spot have been known cause plenty of trouble to those tasked with enforcement.
No argument there...
The Greeks don't want to be part of the euro..
Fine..
The EU should chuck their asses to the curb...
Let the Minister Tsipras save the Greeks now...
He made the bed and is now whining and crying that he has to lie in it..
Michale
M-Nazi, Stalinist, Jihadist paraphenalia at Walmart? Never seen it, unless you count model airplane kits and toy soldiers. The decision to stop selling the C. Flag at big box retailers is a marketing decision, nothing more. They are judged, by business executives, to be toxic to the big box bottom line. You can still buy a flag online without much trouble. Times change and markets change. I thought you liked free enterprise?
The pushback is coming all right, and the first wave is fear mongering about what you can fly from your doublewide.
Write a sternly worded letter to Walmart!
M-Nazi, Stalinist, Jihadist paraphenalia at Walmart? Never seen it, unless you count model airplane kits and toy soldiers. The decision to stop selling the C. Flag at big box retailers is a marketing decision, nothing more. They are judged, by business executives, to be toxic to the big box bottom line. You can still buy a flag online without much trouble. Times change and markets change. I thought you liked free enterprise?
The pushback is coming all right, and the first wave is fear mongering about what you can fly from your doublewide.
Write a sternly worded letter to Walmart!
M-Nazi, Stalinist, Jihadist paraphenalia at Walmart? Never seen it, unless you count model airplane kits and toy soldiers.
Try Amazon...
But even Walmart has discontinued selling models of the General Lee and anything else with a the battle flag on it..
But you can still by models with Nazi or Stalin era markings..
Progressive logic... :^/
The pushback is coming all right, and the first wave is fear mongering about what you can fly from your doublewide.
yea, that's what progressives always claim. That those who predict the backlash are "fear mongering"...
And yet, the so called mongering always seems to come to pass..
Well, except for the fear mongering that the LEFT uses.. :D
Michale
I mean, honestly...
When a sacred and coveted Sci-Fi award like the HUGO succumbs to progressive political correctness, you KNOW that something is very VERY whacked...
Michale
dsws [1] - Distribute it right to begin with!!!!
CW - Ask the nearest hippie ... love it! I think we'd all be a little better off if perhaps more people actually took Scalia's advice. I think, by and large, hippie predictions are more accurate and hippie values more valuable than our current pundit class.
I am right now enjoying a picture in my head of Scalia smoking up at a 'Dead show. I think it would do him a world of good :)
I think, by and large, hippie predictions are more accurate and hippie values more valuable than our current pundit class.
I actually agree with you..
Hippies are true liberals who strictly abide by the mantra, "I don't agree with what you say but I will defend your right to say it."
Hippies would NEVER try to condemn or curtail someone's freedom of speech...
Hippies would NEVER impose their beliefs and their values on anyone else by force...
Hippies truly epitomized the LIVE AND LET LIVE way of life..
Yer right..
We ALL could use a lot more hippies around... :D
Too bad they are an extinct species...
Political Correctness killed them off...
Michale
because it means they're not going to be able to get away with just ignoring the ignorance coming out of Trump's mouth.
Let's ask Kathleen Steinle how "ignorant" Donald Trump is..
Oh wait.. We can't..
Michale
I am right now enjoying a picture in my head of Scalia smoking up at a 'Dead show. I think it would do him a world of good :)
At least somebody around here is enjoying SOMETHING!
The comments section at CW.com has become ... I'm trying to think of word that doesn't sound quite as bad as depressing ... did y'all have NOTHING to celebrate this Independence Day?
And, Michale, DON'T ANSWER THAT!
Au contraire. Mrs. Kucinich would have been the hottest First Lady ever. Heh.
VP Biden would beg to differ. And, he would make a very good point.
The comments section at CW.com has become ... I'm trying to think of word that doesn't sound quite as bad as depressing ... did y'all have NOTHING to celebrate this Independence Day?
And, Michale, DON'T ANSWER THAT!
Kill joy.. :D
Seriously, I had to work.. Just another day at the office...
Michale
Well, keeps you out of trouble, at least ...
Well, keeps you out of trouble, at least ...
One would think so...
Yet.. here we are... :D
"Mr Simpson! You can't put a price on your family's safety!!"
"I wouldn't have thought so... yet... here we are..."
-The Simpsons
:D
Michale
Indeed.
Another sad result of the SCOTUS ruling on gay marriage..
http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2015/07/06/state-silences-bakers-who-refused-to-bake-cake-for-lesbians.html
Not only are the gay facists violating people's freedom of religion...
NOW they are taking away a religious person's OTHER first amendment right of freedom of speech...
I am not loving the gay facists idea of "tolerance"..
"Believe as we believe or just shut up!"
Yea.... Tolerance.... :^/
Michale
Another example of Left Wing "tolerance" from none other than Hikaru Sulu..
“{Justice Clarence Thomas} is a clown in blackface sitting on the Supreme Court. He gets me that angry. He doesn’t belong there. This man does not belong on the Supreme Court. He is an embarrassment. He is a disgrace to America. I’ll say it on camera.”
No, Hikaru.. Say it isn't so... :(
This is a man who epitomized the tolerance of STAR TREK...
But scratch a Leftist/Progressive and you will see that they are as vindictive, as hurtful and as intolerant as they accuse others of being..
If this can happen to a man of George Takei's stature??
What's next?? We find out Captain Kirk is xenophobic??
It's a sad, sad day for Trekkers everywhere..
Michale
I'm somewhat surprised CW didn't use this phraseology, but Trump trumped himself last week. Both in the sense of self oneupmanship, but also in the cruder sense of, to put it delicately, self-violating one's own brand. "Gotta go now" say his sponsors as they rush the exits. Some businessman that Donald! He torched his own warehouse. No insurance to collect! The only honorable thing left to do is fire himself.
So, you applaud businesses who run their business according to their beliefs..
Yet, ya'all castigate and demonize OTHER businesses who run their businesses according to THEIR beliefs..
From these facts, the ONLY logical conclusion is that ya'all don't really have a problem with businesses who run things according to their beliefs, AS LONG AS YA'ALL AGREE WITH THE BELIEFS...
Does that about sum things up?? :D
Michale
Pivoting to Iran...
Looks like the Obama Administration has missed THREE DEADLINES just in the last couple weeks...
Now, Congress will have 60 days to review the Iranian deal, if there is one...
Does anyone honestly think that the deal will survive that??
Michale
Looks like the Iran deal is going down in flames...
Congress now has 60 days to approve or reject the deal...
Obama royally scrooed the pooch on this one...
Michale
I hope you like crow, Michale.
Oh wait, you must have acquired quite a taste for it by now ... :)
Michale,
Here is something just for you ...
Whatever seeing aid is the opposite of rose-coloured glasses, you seem to be wearing them. If you take them off, you will be happier and have more fun.
You can trust me on this ...
I hope you like crow, Michale.
I have had my fair share, to be sure..
But I have also heaped a whole heapin' helpin' on ya'all as well.. :D
Sometimes I get the bear... Sometimes the bear gets me.. :D
Michale
Whatever seeing aid is the opposite of rose-coloured glasses, you seem to be wearing them. If you take them off, you will be happier and have more fun.
But the "seeing aid" you describe allows me to see the world as it really is, rather than the world as I may want it to be..
"It's better to live in reality as your own man rather than live as a fool in someone else's dream."
-Commander John Koenig, SPACE 1999
If I DID wear rose-colored glasses, I would want to be the kid from HEROES who can touch any device and repair it instantly.. :D
Michale
Well, I have to admit, I am really relieved!!
A scumbag racist kills 9 innocent people and, as a result, the Confederate Battle Flag no longer flies on the State Capitol grounds..
*THAT* is going to make everyone so much safer.. :^/
Gods, I detest morons....
Michale
Gods, I detest morons...
Make that, "Gods, I detest politically correct morons..."
Run o' the mill morons are easier to take... :^/
Michale
Welp, that's it....
Congress now has 60 days to review Obama's Iran deal...
If anyone thinks that the deal can make it out of Congress with that long of a review....
Well, I have some swampland down here in FL I would love ta sell ya... :D
Michale