Welcome To Our Annual Holiday Pledge Drive!
It's December once again, which means it is time once again for our annual holiday pledge drive, complete with lots and lots of kitten photos, which are designed to fill you up with holiday cheer and inspire you to open up your wallet with joy. Hey, at least we're up front with our shameless advertising techniques, right?
Oh, the weather outside is frightful
While that is undoubtedly one cool cat, it definitely looks like it is rethinking the whole "romp in the snow idea," I have to say. But our cats are here for a purpose, and that is to mesmerize you into the Christmas spirit, of course. Which, being cats, they can do from any angle.
Stare deep into my eyes...
Of course, sometimes a more direct and active approach is necessary. So let's just dive right in, shall we?
Why wait?
ChrisWeigant.com has been proud to appear ad-free for years now, which we can only do through the generosity of our readers. For the past few years, we've broken even, meaning we've gotten enough in donations to cover the basic costs of doing business -- web hosting, paying the bills, and all the other necessary things we need to do to keep the lights on.
We personally find web ads incredibly annoying (especially the video ones and the popup ones), and we certainly don't want to have to go back to running such ads here. It's going to be tough enough to get through the next few years of politics without having that to worry about, right?
For the remainder of the holiday season, we will be running our "Holiday Fund Drive" logo at the top of every article, which has a handy thermometer at the bottom to see how we're doing at meeting our fundraising goal.
If you'd like to help us get there, donating is easy! No wrapping hassles...
...to worry about at all. The easiest way to make a donation is to click the "Donate" button in the menu at the top of every page here. This will take you to our 2016 Holiday Pledge Drive page, which has full instructions on how to make donations -- via Pay Pal, with credit card, or even through snail mail. Clicking on the thermometer graphic will also take you to this page.
There is also a Donate button on the right side of every page here, which looks like this:
Clicking on this takes you directly to the PayPal donations page we have set up. Donations are accepted from either your own PayPal account, or from all major credit cards (you do not need to set up a PayPal account to donate by credit card this way, I should mention). Another technical note: you do not have to be registered as a CW.com site user to donate via PayPal in this fashion either.
PayPal is easier than getting clothes on a cat without getting scratched!
So take a moment in the midst of all your holiday shopping and preparations to show your appreciation for CW.com. Any size donation is gratefully accepted, whether large or small. How much is one month's punditry worth to you? Pick a number, then multiply by 12! It's easy! Much easier than getting the tree trimmed, in fact.
I'm helping!
And remember, Santa's watching...
All I want for Christmas is a CW.com donation...
So, once again, we heartily encourage one and all to send in your donation early, so you can get on to the more serious business of going to holiday parties with friends.
Woo hoo!
So that's our pitch. It's certainly going to be an interesting political climate next year, and we'll be here for all of it, dishing up our regular diet of reality-based political commentary, as always. We sincerely hope what we offer is valuable enough for you to send in what amounts to the price of a coffee or two each week, so that we can keep the lights on.
And we saved the cutest kitten for last, just in case you need some further subliminal stimulation...
Dreaming of cat toys under the tree...
We thank everyone in advance for your support. If your personal economics aren't good enough to donate this year, we completely understand. If you do have a little to give, though, we would certainly appreciate it. One way or another, though, we hope that all your holiday wishes come true this year and that everyone has a very happy holiday season.
-- Chris Weigant
Follow Chris on Twitter: @ChrisWeigant
And awwwaaaayyyyyyy we go!! :D
Just a reminder to those who have not... er... 'experienced' a CW.COM fundraiser.. :D
I donate to CW.COM 50 cents for every comment I make between Thanksgiving and New Years Day... The number of comments is denoted by a 'digital counter' (of sorts) at the end of every comment..
A word of warning to faint of heart... My prolific commenting is in overdrive this time of the year.. :D
Many of us have lived thru CW.COM's ad programs and, trust me, ya'all don't want to go thru that.
So dig deep, buckle up and hold on... It's gonna be a wild ride!! :D
050
So, let's get this party started.. :D
Opinions
Democrats need to focus on the gut, not the head
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/democrats-need-to-focus-on-the-gut-not-the-head/2016/12/01/dfbe7782-b803-11e6-a677-b608fbb3aaf6_story.html?utm_term=.6822fada3fbe
A previous discussion was on the head vs the gut...
The argument was that people elected Trump just because he made them feel good..
And that is EXACTLY right... Oh sure, there were facts to point to, statistics galore but if THAT was all the Trump Campaign had, then we would have to call it the Clinton Campaign...
Camp Clinton under-estimated the "feel good" vote...
051
Here's my contribution to the christmas spirit :D
http://www.esmondrott.com/deerwoodlpups/3wk1.jpg
054
The article assumes (as so many have these last few weeks) that Clinton lost the election because she, or the Democratic Party, was somehow flawed. I think her current lead in the popular vote belies that assumption.
And it ignores a host of possible reasons for why the vote skewed in Trump's favor where it did: voter suppression, Russian interference, Bernie diehards, bad machines. All of the states involved in the current recount had Republican Governors and Republican Secretaries of State who manipulated voter rolls, the placement of and number of voting machines, the hours of operation in each county. In Ohio, for instance, this meant that the polling place for one precinct was placed as far away from the black community as was possible and the number of voting machines near colleges were reduced in number. A Republican city clerk in Green Bay refused to put a voting machine near UWGB because doing so 'would favor the democrats'. A Federal Judge ruled that the (Republican designed) voting scheme in Wisconsin had targeted Democratic-leaning areas of the state with 'surgical precision'.
And don't get me started on the fact that touch screen voting machines are so frighteningly easy to hack that California banned them altogether.
The article assumes (as so many have these last few weeks) that Clinton lost the election because she, or the Democratic Party, was somehow flawed. I think her current lead in the popular vote belies that assumption.
The popular vote doesn't mean anything because the candidate didn't CAMPAIGN for the popular vote...
So, it's your contention that Clinton didn't do anything wrong and that the Democratic Party shouldn't change a thing and keep on with exactly what they have been doing..
OK.. I'll agree with that...
Mainly because I want to see the Democratic Party be the minority Party for the next 200 years.. :D
But if I WERE to argue the point, I would ask you to explain the losses that the Democrats have suffered since 2009...
Was it also "voter suppression, Russian interference, Bernie diehards, bad machines"??
The facts clearly show that Americans are sick and tired of the Democratic Party's message of identity politics and divisive rhetoric that pits American against American...
Democrats simply CAN'T win without the tens of millions of voters they called "irredeemably deplorable"...
It's that simple...
The popular vote is nothing more than a Participation Trophy and means just as much... It means that Clinton showed up and that's all it means...
058
I am also constrained to point out that it was Obama himself who certified this election as "free of interference"....
059
http://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/the-propaganda-about-russian-propaganda
There's your "russian interference".... :^/
060
Note:
When I looked at my PayPal account, I found a few folks have already donated -- some of them months ago! I don't usually check this account all that often, but I will update the thermometer later today, promise...
And it looks like I've got some belated thank-you notes to write, too!
:-)
-CW
I see Trump re-elected in 2020 with 70% of the popular vote and the biggest landslide since Reagan.... :D
Give him a chance to fail, he isn't even President yet ;)
Give him a chance to fail, he isn't even President yet ;)
heh
Look at things this way...
In 2010, there was the Great Shellacking....
Democrats said, It's not our message... We just have to change our messaging!!!
In 2014, there was the Great Nuclear Shellacking...
Democrats said, It's not our message... We just have to change our messaging!!!</B
In 2016, there was the Great YUUUGGEE Nuclear Shellacking...
Democrats said, It's not our message... We just have to change our messaging!!!</B
Now, as I have said.. I am just a knuckle-dragging ground pounder who doesn't know hoity toity hi Political Theory from a hole in the ground...
But it seems to me that getting an ass-kicking EVERY TIME by sticking with the same messaging is the height of stoopidity...
I'm just sayin'....
062
Grrrrrrr
063
But it seems to me that getting an ass-kicking EVERY TIME by sticking with the same messaging is the height of stoopidity...
That should read SAME MESSAGE.. double grrrrrr
064
The popular vote doesn't mean anything because the candidate didn't CAMPAIGN for the popular vote...
So Trump didn't run to be the President of Americans, he ran to be President of the Electoral College.
Well that clears that up.
But it seems to me that getting an ass-kicking EVERY TIME by sticking with the same messaging is the height of stoopidity...
Let me get this straight, you want us to give Trump a chance, but you get to gloat about "ass-kicking".
Nope. You don't get to gloat then tell us to be good little losers.
Like Trump, your true colors are showing - you are a whiny winner.
Also, you seem to have forgotten that most people voted for Hillary - so American's want Hillary. They also voted for Obama in 2012. And Republicans lost senate seats. And a lot of house seats.
So:
1. More Americans voted for Hillary then Trump.
2. Fewer Americans voter for Trump than voted for Romney.
3. Trump is the first candidate in history to get fewer than 50% of the primary AND the general election vote.
4. The Republicans lost senators.
5. The Republicans lost house seats.
6. The election swung on less than 80,000 votes.
7. You think this is an "ass kicking".
Sounds more like squeaky bum time myself.
Nope. You don't get to gloat then tell us to be good little losers.
I don't??
Shirley, ya'all would have done the same had Hillary won.. :D
Like Trump, your true colors are showing - you are a whiny winner.
Hay, I am trying to HELP the Democratic Party... :D
. And Republicans lost senate seats. And a lot of house seats.
and it all means absolutely NOTHING in the here and now... The GOP is enjoying the largest State and Federal majorities since the 1920s...
What does that tell you???
Sounds more like squeaky bum time myself.
Sounds like sour grapes to me.. :D
But hay.... That's fine.. If the Democratic Party wants to continue to win the Vanity Vote while losing the election.. Fine by me.. :D
Good news on higher minimum wages from Seattle. It turns out if you pay consumers enough so they can spend, a consumer driven economy benefits - who'd'a thought?
http://ritholtz.com/2016/12/seattle-min-wage-update/
Sounds like sour grapes to me.. :D
You are the one running around gloating - but you can't take a little dose of reality without cry bullying?
Poor baby. Maybe Mommy Trump will kiss it all better for you.
I mean, if you want to throw up stuff that is absolutely meaningless, like the Vanity Vote....
http://int.nyt.com/chartmaker/2016/10/18/20160909-fipsmarginbugbugbugbugbu/5/artboard-1050px.png
Look at all the Red Areas that far far FAR exceed the Blue Areas....
Looking at THAT map, Trump won by a landslide and has a HUGE Mandate!!
I mean, since we're talking about meaningless things... :D
So people are meaningless things? True colors coming out. A President for all acres, every county, each individual Electoral College voter. You must be so proud.
You are the one running around gloating - but you can't take a little dose of reality without cry bullying?
Did I cry "bullying"?? No, I simply pointed out what yer protestations sound like. :D
Like I said.. If you want your Democratic Party to continue to win the Vanity Vote at the expense of losing elections, more power to ya... :D
So people are meaningless things? True colors coming out. A President for all acres, every county, each individual Electoral College voter. You must be so proud.
Yep, I am..
Considering how often I was told how wrong I was about everything...... :D I am VERY proud that the facts and reality won out..
067
Especially when you consider how close my electoral map prediction was to the outcome..
Yep.. Damn proud.. :D
But I understand where you are coming from.. I would be as depressed as you are if Hillary had won. I would be lashing out, just as you are...
So I feel with ya...
068
Nice try Michale. When you get caught being childish you try to bring everybody down to your level. Not working.
Nice try Michale. When you get caught being childish you try to bring everybody down to your level. Not working.
You call it childish..
I call it victory lap..
If Hillary had won, I would have called it childish...
You would have called it a victory lap.. :D
Don't worry.. We have 8 years to figure it out.. :D
070
But if it bothers you, I'll make a sincere effort to reign it in...
071
Trump has put together the richest cabinet in history. Care to let me know how you feel about that Michale. Are you still claiming he is "draining the swamp"?
Nope. You don't get to gloat then tell us to be good little losers.
The Triumphalism of the Trumpettes, led by the Great Orange One himself last night, has been grating.
It spilled over, finally, at the Harvard Institute of Politics' quadrennial Campaign Manager's Forum yesterday.
This event, held after every Presidential election, is usually a quiet, often jovial, look back at the recent campaign peppered with quotes like "when you guys got a million people to show up for Obama in Berlin, our jaws dropped" (not an actual quote, but you get the idea).
Not so this time. The Trump folks clearly came to gloat, and in the final forum, the conversation devolved into what some have described as a 'shouting match', with the Trump folks denying, for instance, that Bannon has any relationship with the alt-right.
Meanwhile, over on NPR, Trump surrogate Scottie Nell Hughes was on the Diane Rehm show denying that there is such a thing as a fact, saying, "One thing that’s been interesting this entire campaign season to watch is that people that say facts are facts. They’re not really facts....It’s kind of like looking at ratings or looking at a glass of half-full water. Everybody has a way of interpreting them to be the truth or not true. There’s no such thing, unfortunately, anymore as facts.” Which left her fellow panelists flabbergasted.
“First, I've got to pick my jaw up off the floor here,” said Politico’s Glenn Thrush immediately afterward.
This isn't desultory Orwellian doublespeak - this is blatant disregard for the very concept of truth. Perhaps Michale's favorite quote, "you can't handle the truth" applies to the Trump crowd more than they'd like to admit.
And it isn't, apparently, confined to the Trump campaign: check out the derision that CNN's Jeff Zucker was met with at the IOP's panel on Media when he tried to defend the hours and hours of free airtime granted to Trump's empty podium.
Balthasar [29]
The problem is "facts have a left wing bias".
When the facts don't work for you, and you can't handle them, then you run a post-factual election.
And don't think this is a Democratic thing. Do you remember Ted Cruz when we went face to face with Trump supporters and started talking to them. As he knocked down their arguments one after the other with reality, they eventually just started chanting "Lyin' Ted".
This has worked out to be an unexpected victory for the Republicans that even they didn't expect. They are capitalizing on it, and good luck to them, I'd expect any party to do the same. But can they turn America into a post-factual society? Do they even want to? Surely some of them must have some integrity and willingness to grasp reality.
Trump has put together the richest cabinet in history. Care to let me know how you feel about that Michale. Are you still claiming he is "draining the swamp"?
We'll see if they actually drain the swamp or not..
I don't hold it against people just because they are rich and successful.. What do you think I am?? A Liberal!?? :D
072
I don't hold it against people just because they are rich and successful.. What do you think I am?? A Liberal!?? :D
So the elites are Republican since Liberals (who are Liberals, by the way?) are against them.
Good to know.
Is "draining the swamp" important to you? Do you think it is important to the people who voted for Trump?
The Triumphalism of the Trumpettes, led by the Great Orange One himself last night, has been grating.
I bet... Perhaps if the Left had been a little less arrogant, crowing about "50 State Sweeps" and "Biggest blowout in history" and "irredeemable deplorables" etc etc, the Trump supporters might have been a bit more gracious..
But the Left has reaped what it has sown....
In other words, if one is going to brag about how awesome the win is going to be, I would think it would behoove said braggarts to actually... yunno... WIN....
Not so this time. The Trump folks clearly came to gloat, and in the final forum, the conversation devolved into what some have described as a 'shouting match', with the Trump folks denying, for instance, that Bannon has any relationship with the alt-right.
And the Clinton folks clearly came to attack and whine and cry..
This is EXACTLY my point... To the Left, EVERYTHING is the fault of anyone and everyone but themselves...
They simply can't admit that they did ANYTHING wrong.. It's all the deplorable racist's fault... :^/
Until and unless the Left as a whole can look in the mirror and say, "Ya know.. Maybe the problem is with us...."... they will continue to lose elections...
It's really that simple...
073
The problem is "facts have a left wing bias".
No...
The problem is, you actually BELIEVE that... :D
074
Is "draining the swamp" important to you? Do you think it is important to the people who voted for Trump?
If draining the swamp is what it takes to have an EFFECTIVE government, then I am all for draining the swamp..
If Trump can have an effective government and make America great again, as he is well on his way to doing, without draining the swamp, then I am fine with that as well..
RESULTS count....
075
This is EXACTLY my point... To the Left, EVERYTHING is the fault of anyone and everyone but themselves...
My middle kid, when he was about 3 years old, talked in absolutes. "Always", "Everybody", "Everything", "Never". He grew out of it by the time he was 5.
The problem is "facts have a left wing bias".
The Left saying that is absolutely no different than some religious fanatic saying, "God is on our side!!!"
076
My middle kid, when he was about 3 years old, talked in absolutes. "Always", "Everybody", "Everything", "Never". He grew out of it by the time he was 5.
Apparently the Democratic Party hasn't grown out of it..
RESULTS count....
But you have already said that results aren't important because you aren't going to judge Trump on his performance, but how you feel.
Which is it, and if it is results, exactly what results (in addition to a Federal law making the death penalty mandatory for cop predators) are you expecting?
Apparently the Democratic Party hasn't grown out of it..
So you won't be making absolutist statements any longer. Well that will be a relief.
So you won't be making absolutist statements any longer.
Only when they apply.. :D
077
But you have already said that results aren't important because you aren't going to judge Trump on his performance, but how you feel.
How I feel about the results...
Which is it, and if it is results, exactly what results (in addition to a Federal law making the death penalty mandatory for cop predators) are you expecting?
Carrier.... :D
The problem is "facts have a left wing bias".
The Left saying that is absolutely no different than some religious fanatic saying, "God is on our side!!!"
Lighten up Michale - why do you think I put it in quotes and not a statement.
Also, why do you think I recounted the Ted Cruz story? I'll never forget the look on the face of the Trump supporter - it was the exact same look the "Jew-S-A" guy had.
I think you are too scared to list out what you expect Trump to do because you fear he won't deliver. I don't blame you, because, as you know, I think he is just a cheap con man who has no idea how to deliver on his promises.
He promised to make Mexico pay for the wall. He promised to repeal Obamacare on day 1 and replace it with something better. He promised to give the "dumb generals" a plan to defeat ISIS in 100 days (oddly enough he is hiring those generals at a faster rate than any politician before him). He promised to bring back all the manufacturing jobs from China. He has promised to renegotiate the Iran deal.
He has even promised that he is going to make us all say "Merry Christmas" again. Happy Holidays, by the way ;)
Don't let your fear get to the point where you can't tell us all the great things Trump is going to do for us Michale, we'd really miss that.
Lighten up Michale - why do you think I put it in quotes and not a statement.
My bust.. I responded as I did because I have actually read that in opinion pieces from Left Wingers...
I think you are too scared to list out what you expect Trump to do because you fear he won't deliver. I don't blame you, because, as you know, I think he is just a cheap con man who has no idea how to deliver on his promises.
No, I just can't list things in black and white because it's more of a gut thing than anything else..
http://www.chrisweigant.com/2016/12/01/welcome-to-our-annual-holiday-pledge-drive/#comment-89636
Plus I don't have the economic chops to articulate exactly what is desirable..
But I CAN point to results like Carrier and say, "That's good.."...
I can point to results like the JCPOA and say "That's bad.."...
He promised to make Mexico pay for the wall.
That's poetic justice that I would like to see, but it won't invalidate my faith if Mexico weasels out of it.. The Mexican government is so corrupt, they excel at weaseling..
He promised to repeal Obamacare on day 1 and replace it with something better.
That's not going to happen exactly like that because government and legislation doesn't work that way... Trump supporters know this...
The problem is you want to nit pick and be literal because it serves the partisan agenda...
Due to the Carrier deal, Americans are feeling good about America again...
THAT is what I call "results"...
079
It's going to be the Reagan years all over again...
Pride in America will be fashionable again...
THAT's what I call "results"....
080
I am glad that it appears we all can agree that Trump did a good thing in choosing General Mattis as SecDef...
That goes a long way in restoring my faith that ya'all can give credit when/where credit is due... :D
081
The average age of the senior Democratic leadership is 72. The average age of the Republican leadership is 49.
Gee... I wonder why the Democratic Party has trouble attracting young people.... :D
082
That's poetic justice that I would like to see, but it won't invalidate my faith if Mexico weasels out of it.. The Mexican government is so corrupt, they excel at weaseling..
Um ... the Mexican government never agreed to pay for anything - or is this a post-factual situation where not agreeing is a firm commitment?
So Trump made you feel good, so you voted for him. Well at least that is honest, if mindbogglingly asinine ;)
Pride in America will be fashionable again...
So you had no pride in America before?
Which countries did you like more than America? Mexico has a growing manufacturing job base - did you have more pride in them? Uganda doesn't have Obamacare, did that swell your chest with pride?
Russia have a crazy loon who manipulated the press, and lies to his people - did you check your background to see if you qualified for citizenship?
Pressing questions that demand answers.
I've been proud of this country all along. Still am.
So Trump made you feel good, so you voted for him. Well at least that is honest, if mindbogglingly asinine ;)
And yet......
Democrats need to focus on the gut, not the head
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/democrats-need-to-focus-on-the-gut-not-the-head/2016/12/01/dfbe7782-b803-11e6-a677-b608fbb3aaf6_story.html?utm_term=.6822fada3fbe
If Democrats had focused on the feel good part, we might have President-Elect Clinton...
bbbbbrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr scary...
So you had no pride in America before?
I didn't say that.. Of course I had pride in America... Although Obama and the Democrats made it quite difficult..
But the point is, is that showing pride in America isn't "fashionable" under the Obama administration...
It's positively discouraged by the Left Wingery as epitomized by Cooperdick of the 49'ers...
I've been proud of this country all along. Still am.
And yet, you let people like Kapernutz disrespect the country without comment..
Seems to me you are fearful of showing that pride... Fearful of being ostracized by the Democratic Party...
When was the last time you publicly defended the country against such disrespect??
Forgive me if that was out of line..
It just seems to me that pride in America and Liberal are counter-intuitive....
Michelle Obama didn't have pride in America until we elected her husband as POTUS..
Obama himself had a problem with American exceptionalism..
That's kinda what I meant when I said pride in America will be in fashion again...
If Democrats had focused on the feel good part, we might have President-Elect Clinton...
I agree. There is a lot of 'entertainer' to the role of President. Obama is good at that for his audience. Trump, I suppose, for his (I don't get why somebody who imitates disabled people is entertaining, but each to his or her own).
On the plus side, most of Hollywood is Democratic, so if the Democrats can start electing more entertainers they should have a lock for decades.
Currently, even when they do, e.g. Al Franken, they go out of their way to show that they are serious people - the good news is that they don't need to bother from now on.
Ellen? Sean Penn? Michale Moore? Alec Baldwin?
Bill Maher 2020!
Balthasar,
The article assumes (as so many have these last few weeks) that Clinton lost the election because she, or the Democratic Party, was somehow flawed. I think her current lead in the popular vote belies that assumption.
In this case the assumption is correct and, in fact, doesn't go far enough.
Clinton was such an extremely flawed candidate and her message so negative and uninspiring as to be the wrong candidate with a decidedly inept campaign.
Why she won the popular vote can be attributed to the flawed nature of her opponent's campaign. As a very wise analyst has said from the get-go, if Trump hadn't repeatedly sabotaged his own campaign he might have won the popular vote and, more electoral votes, to boot!
Hey... guys... this is the pledge drive page, OK? Let's leave the other extraneous stuff on other articles...
Hmmph.
With that bit of grumpiness and humbug out of the way, I have some great news!
Check out (may have to reload page in your browser) that graphic at the top!
This has got to be the best kickoff to a pledge drive ever, as not only did I find when checking my PayPal account (for the first time in many moons) that donations had been trickling in already, but the first two days of pledge drive has also seen a rather impressive amount flowing in as well.
So we start with rougly a third of our goal already met. Woo hoo! Keep those cards and letters (and PayPals) coming in, folks! Maybe we'll reach our goal in record time this year.
:-)
I'll be watching PayPal a lot closer from now on, I can promise you that...
Thanks to all who have already given, and I promise the thank-you emails will get attended to this weekend.
:-)
-CW
No problem, grumpy ...
Hey... guys... this is the pledge drive page, OK? Let's leave the other extraneous stuff on other articles...
Hmmph.
Soooweeeeee...
[56] Elizabeth
No problem, grumpy ...
Chuckle...
And even more good news... just got a very nice check in my snail mail today, which has pushed us almost to the halfway point already!
Woo hoo!
:-)
-CW
Over halfway, when the weekend was added in. Woo hoo!
-CW