Friday Talking Points -- Doubling Down On The Stupid
The campaign to re-elect Donald Trump president has gone all-in on a remarkable strategy: they're going to double down on the stupid. Call it the greatest attempt at gaslighting ever, we suppose. The idea is to just pretend the coronavirus pandemic doesn't exist and continue to ignore any evidence to the contrary. And they actually expect this to be a big winner for them with the voters.
Here's the story which first caught our eye, which explains the new Team Trump strategy in full:
The goal is to convince Americans that they can live with the virus -- that schools should reopen, professional sports should return, a vaccine is likely to arrive by the end of the year and the economy will continue to improve.
White House officials also hope Americans will grow numb to the escalating death toll and learn to accept tens of thousands of new cases a day, according to three people familiar with the White House's thinking, who requested anonymity to reveal internal deliberations. Americans will "live with the virus being a threat," in the words of one of those people, a senior administration official.
"They're of the belief that people will get over it or if we stop highlighting it, the base will move on and the public will learn to accept 50,000 to 100,000 new cases a day," said a former administration official in touch with the campaign.
Let's just repeat that, because it is so jaw-dropping: "the public will learn to accept 50,000 to 100,000 new cases a day." What remains unsaid in that is: "and they will not assign any political blame for this disastrous turn of events to Donald Trump." When all you've got is stupid, you naturally think of doubling down on it, in other words.
Trump is also apparently convinced that suburban mothers across the land will thank him for putting his own re-election chances ahead of the health of their children. No, really:
The push to reopen schools, as openly acknowledged by Trump's campaign, is fueled at least in part by concern over his increasingly poor re-election prospects.
"The suburban mom will say 'I'm going to stick with President Trump on this one -- because he wants to make sure my kid gets back to school'," Trump campaign senior adviser Mercedes Schlapp said in an online video.
Again, left unsaid: "...no matter whether it is safe for my kid to do so or not." They really think this is a winner for them, which is stupid beyond belief, really.
So let's check in and see what those moms really think, shall we?
Exit polls in 2016 showed Trump winning white voters by 20 points (57-37), while a post-election analysis by the Pew Research Center put the number at 15 points. The recent Monmouth poll, by contrast, shows Trump winning white voters by just two points (48-46), Suffolk has him up just one (49-48), and the Marist poll has him up by six (51-45).
The main driver of this: college-educated white women. The exit polls showed Trump losing them by seven points (51-44), but today the gap is 29 points in the Marist poll and 28 points in a recent Post analysis of polls. A New York Times-Siena College poll last month even showed that deficit stretching to an astounding 39 points.
This group accounted for a larger share of the white vote than any other gender/education combination, at 20 percent of all votes cast. In other words, if Trump is actually seeing these kinds of declines, it will shave real points off his vote share.
Throughout the coronavirus pandemic, the one constant has been that President Donald Trump picks the stupidest possible position to take, and then staunchly defends it against a tidal wave of reality. For instance: over and over and over again (including as late as last week), Trump has proclaimed that the virus is just somehow going to "magically go away."
Trump staked out the position that wearing face masks was a political statement against him, so all his followers now refuse to wear masks. This has already led to a steep spike in coronavirus cases reported in Tulsa, two weeks after his pathetic rally there. How many other Trump supporters are going to get sick? How many of them will decide that maybe now's not the time to attend mass gatherings of people? We'll see, in the coming weeks.
Trump decided that reopening states as early as possible would be a show of political support for him, so a bunch of mostly-Republican-led states did so -- and are now seeing their caseloads explode.
Trump has now decided to force everyone's kids back to school with no regard for their own safety, and sends out Cruella de Vil... oh, excuse us, "Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos"... to sell America's parents on the idea. Trump then forced the Centers for Disease Control to change their scientific guidelines for school safety because they're "too harsh and too expensive." Let us state that again: Trump is overruling scientists for his own political reasons, and by doing so putting millions of children at risk. And this is supposed to win him the suburbs?
Trump, so far, has completely ignored or dismissed the recent spike in cases across the country. We are now at a point that is twice as bad as the worst of the first wave in March and April, with 60,000 new cases appearing per day. The newest projection estimates that we will see 200,000 deaths by Election Day. And Trump won't even acknowledge that the problem even exists. This is beyond dangerous, this is downright psychopathic.
Trump is still planning on holding his convention speech in Florida, even though it is now one of the hottest of multiple pandemic hotspots in the country. The only concession to reality yet has been tentative plans to maybe hold the speech outdoors somewhere. In Florida. In August. Boy, that'll be fun to attend! No wonder so many Republicans in Congress are already bailing on the whole idea (even Mitch McConnell hasn't said he's going to attend). And no wonder so many lifelong Florida Republicans are bailing on President Trump.
And the only other thing Trump seems to want to run on at this point is defending Confederate statues and the Confederate flag. Because boy, that'll win all those suburban moms back!
Trump, of course, promised very early on that he'd listen closely to the advice of "his generals." So what is the nation's top military officer now saying about renaming bases in the South? Here is Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Mark A. Milley, speaking to the House Armed Services Committee this week:
The Confederacy, the American Civil War, was fought, and it was an act of rebellion. It was an act of treason at the time against the Union, against the Stars and Stripes, against the U.S. Constitution, and those [Confederate] officers turned their back on their oath.
After noting the Army is now about 20 percent Black, he continued:
For those young soldiers that go onto a base -- a Fort Hood, a Fort Bragg or a Fort Wherever named after a Confederate general -- they can be reminded that that general fought for the institution of slavery that may have enslaved one of their ancestors.
Trump, though, doesn't seem to be listening to "his generals" much anymore. Which is a shame, because the issue of the Confederate flag, statues, and other honors isn't nearly as potent -- even in the Deep South -- as it used to be. But Trump thinks his base requires this red meat, so he continues to throw it to them.
There's really no other term for it. Team Trump has decided to double down on the stupid.
Privately, Trump does seem to be aware of the reality that he's not only losing to Joe Biden, but losing pretty badly. Heck, even his favorite pollster (Rasmussen) has him down by 10 points. Trump is also hitting new polling lows for his pandemic response (67 percent disapprove, 33 percent approve) and his handling of race relations (67 percent disapprove, 32 percent approve). So Trump, the ultimate snowflake, has taken to whining about how unfair the world is to him, apparently to anyone and everyone who walks into the Oval Office:
Callers on President Trump in recent weeks have come to expect what several allies and advisers describe as a "woe-is-me" preamble.
The president rants about the deadly coronavirus destroying "the greatest economy," one he claims to have personally built. He laments the unfair "fake news" media, which he vents never gives him any credit. And he bemoans the "sick, twisted" police officers in Minneapolis, whose killing of an unarmed black man in their custody provoked the nationwide racial justice protests that have confounded the president.
Gone, say these advisers and confidants, many speaking on the condition of anonymity to detail private conversations, are the usual pleasantries and greetings.
Instead, Trump often launches into a monologue placing himself at the center of the nation's turmoil. The president has cast himself in the starring role of the blameless victim -- of a deadly pandemic, of a stalled economy, of deep-seated racial unrest, all of which happened to him rather than the country.
Because it is always, always, always all about Trump, to Trump.
We wonder what he's thinking about the weather gods right now, because a tropical storm just forced him to cancel his next rally, which was planned for New Hampshire this weekend. Ironically, this week also saw the full and unredacted final report on Sharpiegate, which (no surprise) concluded that Trump's administration put not making the president look like an idiot for an idiotic mistake in a tweet above keeping people safe and informed by the best science possible about hurricane risks. So maybe the storm gods are getting their revenge?
Speaking of revenge (and destroying statues), it seems Melania Trump isn't as popular back home as she used to be:
A life-size sculpture of first lady Melania Trump, carved into a tree in Slovenia by a local artist using a chain saw last year, was set on fire July 4, according to its creator. It has since been removed from its position on the banks of the Sava River, near the first lady's hometown, Sevnica.
The defacement came the same day President Trump delivered a speech in the shadow of Mount Rushmore, a monument to U.S. presidents, decrying the vandalism of public sculptures by protesters seeking to confront racism.
Speaking of racism, let's check in and see how Jeff Sessions is doing in his run for his old Senate seat, shall we?
Sessions attempted to highlight his support for police in the Trump administration in the interview with The [New York] Times by alleging that former President Barack Obama was not on the side of law enforcement. He said his mantra at the Justice Department was "back to the men and women in blue."
"The police had been demoralized," he told the outlet. "There was all the Obama -- there's a riot, and he has a beer at the White House with some criminal, to listen to him. Wasn't having a beer with the police officers. So we said, 'We're on your side. We've got your back. You got our thanks.'"
OK, let's unpack the many racist lies contained in that short statement. First off, there was no "riot" of any kind. Not even close. What happened was a professor couldn't get his front door open. This professor can best be described as:
...one of the most prominent Black scholars in the nation. He is the director of the Hutchins Center for African and African-American Research at Harvard University. "He was awarded a MacArthur Foundation 'Genius Grant' in 1981, was named one of Time magazine's '25 Most Influential Americans' in 1997, has created 15 documentaries based on his scholarship and currently hosts the show Finding Your Roots on PBS," The Harvard Crimson reported.
This is the man Sessions referred to as "some criminal." The police arrived at Professor Henry Louis Gates Jr.'s house and promptly arrested him for trying to gain entry into his own house. When the news broke, President Barack Obama responded:
I don't know, not having been there and not seeing all the facts, what role race played in that. But I think it's fair to say, number one, any of us would be pretty angry; number two, that the Cambridge police acted stupidly in arresting somebody when there was already proof that they were in their own home; and, number three, what I think we know separate and apart from this incident is that there's a long history in this country of African-Americans and Latinos being stopped by law enforcement disproportionately. That's just a fact.
Republicans went ballistic, because a Black president had dared to call a white police officer "stupid." So Obama convened what became known as the "beer summit." Which brings us to the next gigantic racist lie from Sessions. Because the summit was held with Obama, Gates, and the police office involved, contrary to what Sessions said.
Nothing like watching that Republican minority outreach in action, eh?
Which brings us to the final stupid news of the week, because Kanye West now says he's running for president. No, really. As Hunter S. Thompson would likely have said: "When the going gets stupid, the stupid turn pro."
As has become standard in election season, let's start with a rundown of recent campaign ads.
Vote Vets has a new ad out hitting Trump on the Russian bounties story and calling Trump a traitor. From the script: "No one has betrayed those in uniform like Donald Trump.... This July Fourth, Benedict Arnold can step aside, because Benedict Donald is America's number one traitor."
There are two new ads out poking fun at Trump's rally line: "You put the wrong person in office, you'll see things that you would not have believed." Both are worth watching.
MeidasTouch also has an ad out flipping the "Creepy Biden" label back on Trump (who, lest it be forgotten, once said he'd like to date his own daughter).
And the most sobering ad of them all came (once again) from the Lincoln Project. It is titled "100,000 Dead," which is pretty self-explanatory. The imagery is downright brutal.
We have to give Honorable Mentions to both the Biden campaign and Bernie Sanders, as the "unity task forces" finally released their report of their recommendations for the Democratic platform document. There are plenty of progressive items, although none of them go as far as Bernie and his followers would have liked (example: support for legalizing only medical marijuana, not recreational). But the whole thing was a triumph of party unity -- Bernie got a lot more say in this process than he did the last time around, and he's pretty happy with the outcome. Biden shows he will listen to the progressive wing of his own party, but that he's also the one in charge. All around, pretty impressive. Again, it's a lot more moderate than progressives wanted, but the voters chose the moderate candidate, so that's entirely fitting, we suppose.
Senator Tammy Duckworth (who lost both her legs in combat, fighting in the uniform of this country) also deserves an Honorable Mention this week, for having to push back against Tucker Carlson (who never served in uniform a day in his life). Carlson said some downright disgusting things about Duckworth (that she "hates America," for example), so Duckworth tweeted back from the highest of moral grounds:
Does @TuckerCarlson want to walk a mile in my legs and then tell me whether or not I love America?
Ouch.
But this week's Most Impressive Democrat Of The Week this week goes to the wife of former Representative Patrick Kennedy, former school teacher Amy Kennedy.
This week, Kennedy defeated political science professor Brigid Harrison for the nomination to run in New Jersey's second congressional district. Harrison had been heavily backed by the South Jersey Democratic machine, while Kennedy had the support of progressive groups.
In November, Kennedy will face off with Representative Jeff Van Drew, a conservative Democrat who switched to the Republican Party last year to support Donald Trump. Kennedy had a message for Van Drew after her primary victory: "We have had enough division, enough hate, enough selfishness, being abandoned, mistreated and forgotten. We've had enough of you and Donald Trump."
This will be a very closely-watched race in November, but for now Kennedy delivered a very big progressive win against the Democratic machine. For that alone, she is our Most Impressive Democrat Of The Week.
[It is out blanket policy not to link to campaign websites, so you'll have to see Amy Kennedy's contact information out yourself if you'd like to let her know you appreciate her efforts.]
We're also staying in the House for our Most Disappointing Democrat Of The Week award.
These types of things are all too common in Washington. Rather than have a big public fight, lobbyists will pay legislators to use all sorts of procedural tricks to derail legislation they don't like -- as quietly as possible, for the most part.
This time, however, the politician in question is getting some serious blowback -- which is entirely deserved, because this is such a serious issue.
The political arm of an anti-monopoly group is blasting Massachusetts Rep. Richie Neal (D) in a new TV advertisement for "killing a bill" that would have helped health care patients at the expense of a top donor's bottom line.
The 30-second spot, set to air on network television in the Springfield, Massachusetts, media market for the remainder of July, tells the story of Neal's last-minute decision to stall bipartisan legislation curbing "surprise" medical billing in December. Surprise billing refers to a practice, widely derided by consumer and patient advocates, in which certain groups of doctors not participating in a hospital's insurance agreements send insured patients eye-popping medical bills after surgery or another medical procedure.
The ad, sponsored by Fight Corporate Monopolies, a political nonprofit created by the antimonopoly American Economic Liberties Project, alleges that Neal's dependence on campaign donations from private equity titan Blackstone Group is the driving factor behind his resistance to reform.
Blackstone owns TeamHealth, which owns physician practices that profit from "surprise" billing (the ad calls the practices "hospital monopolies"). And employees of Blackstone have given $48,600 to Neal this election cycle, making the firm his largest source of contributions from a single company.
"Corporate power is corrupting democracy and Richie Neal is part of the problem," the ad concludes.
. . .
In the fall of 2019, bipartisan "surprise" billing reform appeared to be the rare systemic policy change headed for passage under a divided federal government. With President Donald Trump's apparent blessing, Senate Republicans had signed off on a proposal to prohibit surprise billing, cap insurance payments to out-of-network doctors at $750 and force them into arbitration to haggle over money above that amount.
But Neal, whose taxes-and-spending-focused committee had only nominal jurisdiction over the billing regulations, ground the process to a halt by presenting his own counter-proposal in December that would give more leeway to hospitals and doctors. A summary of the bill, which Neal introduced with his conservative Republican counterpart on the committee, Rep. Kevin Brady (R-Texas), touted its deference to the "private market dynamics between insurance plans and providers."
More than seven months later, "surprise" billing reform has not advanced in Congress.
"There's no question that Chairman Neal's movement very late in the process to assert his very, very narrow jurisdiction over this issue created uncertainty and slowed things down at the end of the last session," Frederick Isasi, executive director of the nonpartisan patient advocacy group Families USA, told HuffPost in April.
This could have been law now. And if it had been enacted, it could be providing peace of mind to uncountable numbers of people who are now getting their "surprise" COVID-19 treatment bills in the mail. Unfortunately for them (and for us all), that never happened.
For Pete's sake, the bill Neal killed actually had Senate Republican support and was going to be signed by Trump. That is incredibly rare, these days. And a lone House chairman decided his corporate donors were more important than passing it.
For shame, Representative Neal, for shame.
[Contact Representative Richie Neal on his House contact page, to let him know what you think of his actions.]
Volume 581 (7/10/20)
It's been a stupid sort of week for Donald Trump, so we've got some stupid sort of talking points this week to cover it all. Stupid is as stupid does, right?
We will protect this
Too, too funny.
"The Trump campaign sent out a plea for donations this week with a rather unusual claim. They proudly stated: 'We will protect this' over a photo of the state of Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janero, Brazil. As far as I am aware, Christ the Redeemer was never a Confederate general, so it's hard to even know what they were going for here, especially considering that the statue is on another continent and is under no threat whatsoever from anyone. Someone did point out on Twitter that: 'In fairness, Christ the Redeemer is the first result when you search Google for "Christ statue"... you shouldn't expect much more out of the Trump campaign.' Even so, that's a pretty well-known statue -- you'd think there would be someone at the Trump campaign whose job it is to not send out really stupid messages like this."
My father, who art in the Oval Office...
This one should immediately follow that last one, obviously.
"You would be wrong to think that, though. Another begging plea went out from Team Trump this week, purportedly from Vice President Mike Pence. In it, Pence uses the term 'my father' to refer to Trump. So, let's see... he calls Trump his father and his wife 'Mother,' so... [pause for laughter]. Now, to be fair, they probably just cut and pasted the same text from a begging letter from Donald Trump Jr., but even so this are some pretty amateurish mistakes coming from the Trump campaign, you've got to admit."
Um... what?
Then again, consider who they're trying to elect.
"Donald Trump proved that Trump University never had a basic math course this week, as he tweeted out a message he was exasperatingly giving, quote, 'for the 1/100th time.' Um, one-one-hundredth? Does that mean he's got to tweet it out 99 more times before it even counts as one time? Or does the 'very stable genius' just not have the basic understanding of fractions that a fifth-grader would have? Maybe someone can take a Sharpie to a weather map to fix it for him or something...."
Not-stupid wins in Oklahoma
The Republican Party has, quite stupidly, painted itself into the corner of being against more people getting health insurance for a long time now. Funny thing, though, their voters don't seem to agree, when given the chance.
"I see that the citizens of Oklahoma -- about as red a state as you can imagine -- just voted to put Medicaid expansion into their state constitution. They used this method so that the Republican politicians in the state government won't be able to sabotage it. The people have spoken, and they want Obamacare's Medicaid expansion, even after millions of dollars were spent trying to talk them out of it. Almost 40 states have now done so in one way or another. Because try as they might, Republican politicians cannot convince even red-state voters that affordable health insurance for more people is a bad idea."
Hard to keep track of them
This truly is unprecedented, at least since the era of the Dixiecrats.
"Yet another group of Republicans -- this time people who worked in the George W. Bush administration -- have formed a super PAC in order to defeat a president of their own party. Never in my lifetime have I seen such a concerted (and well-financed) effort to beat an incumbent president from your own party. The Alumni for Biden super PAC now joins all the other GOP groups working hard to defeat Donald Trump this November. The head of the new group summed up why they felt a need to act: '[The Republican Party has] morphed into a cult of personality that little resembles the Party of Lincoln and Reagan.' There are so many of these groups springing up that it's getting hard to keep track of them all, in fact."
An astonishing public relations win
We have to admit, we did not like this slogan when it appeared, because we felt it took too long to explain and was too easy to falsely demonize by the other side. It appears, however, that we were wrong, so we offer this up as a mea culpa.
"A recent poll asked -- for the first time -- what the public thought the slogan 'defund the police' meant. Despite the efforts of Republicans to portray this in as negative a light as possible, only 18 percent of the people thought it meant 'get rid of police.' A whopping 77 percent correctly understood that it stands for 'change the way the police operate.' Even among conservatives, only 27 percent thought it meant 'get rid of police.' Over and over again throughout this civil rights summer, the Black Lives Matter movement has seen record levels of support for their goals. And their introduction of the 'defund the police' slogan seems to have worked precisely as they intended."
George Washington just wasn't that stupid, sorry
And finally, a conservative talking point is exposed for its stupidity in the best way possible. Some have been using the "freedom" and "liberty" argument against the wearing of masks to fight the pandemic, secure in their knowledge that the Founding Fathers would have agreed with their manly display of freedom from tyranny. However, this is incorrect. A recent Salon article provided the proof:
During the American Revolutionary War, health was at the forefront of General George Washington's priorities. One of his first requests from Congress as commander-in-chief was to establish a Medical Department for the Continental Army. After smallpox contributed to defeat at Quebec and stories circulated that the British deliberately spread the disease to weaken revolutionary soldiers and sympathizers, Washington mandated all non-immune and future Continental Army soldiers be inoculated. His decision was controversial because inoculation was still outlawed in some states. In her book Pox Americana, Elizabeth Fenn described this initiative as the "first large-scale, state-sponsored immunization campaign in American history" which historians consistently hail as one of Washington's most significant strategic victories. He saw strength in health and used government resources to intervene in health measures for the common good.
-- Chris Weigant
All-time award winners leaderboard, by rank
Follow Chris on Twitter: @ChrisWeigant
Cross-posted at: Democratic Underground
I keep asking, how did we end up as the stupid country? How are we the ones up to our ears in coronavirus?
The imbecilic ignoramus in the White House deserves the blame, but he only partly explains it. He may not be wearing a mask, but he sure as hell is social distancing. Check the video when he throws one of his death cult covid parties. He steers clear of everybody.
A staggering percentage of our population was stupid enough to be his marks and vote for him despite his very obvious idiocy and knuckle-dragging racism. Four years on, they'd rather die alone on a ventilator than admit that they made a mistake.
Stupid just might work again.
Has anyone else heard the latest in the Brionna Taylor case? Audio has been released from the killer cop "interrogation". It seems likely to inspire a few more months of protest.
Here's Forbes interview of Kanye West.
I know Mr. West is famous but I'm not familiar with his work product - "He sounds like one of those rrrap-stars, Becky!"
In the interview he sounds like some fundamentalist on magic mushrooms.
kanye's early music is pretty good. i haven't followed his work recently, but listen to 'Graduation' and just try to tell me the guy's not talented.
@cw,
i'd like to take this opportunity to double down on pie. it's not too late for you as a member of the media to report on this opportunity for voters to join in the crusty flaky goodness.
JL
Sounds like a good one for the CW Sunday Night Music Festival and Dance Party I can hardly wait!
as for the lincoln project, a monologue from 'Team America: World Police' comes to mind...
too many repetitions of words i'd rather not use in these hallowed halls, but anyone who's seen the movie probably knows what i'm talking about. it's link #5 on the wikipage
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Team_America:_World_Police
I for one am tired of the sway big cake and big pie have in our political system.
It is time for everyone to join the turnover movement. what's not to like? They can be flaky (like pie), they can be crumbly (like cake), they can be sweet or savory, they can be baked or fried ( with big cake and big pie you only get baked), they are simple to make, you can hold them in one hand whilst you rage on twitter with the other, and most importantly they are affordable to everyone (unlike big cake and big pie).
Turnovers with their flaky goodness and ability to satisfy any taste provide an option that can serve to unite all of us in a time of extreme polarization.
If enough of us join the turnover movement we can finally be free of the big cake and big pie empire. We could solve the great problems of the world. The possibilities of the turnover are endless.
It's time....
Baked up. Fried up. Get turnovers.
I think the heat has gotten to y'all ... it's the hottest July on record!
[7]
Joshua! Ah ... OH!
:0!
heh
In talking point #2, could you do a quick edit on the sentence that says "this are some pretty amateurish mistakes"?
There is no edit function around here ... don't you know that?
I have something very special planned for this week's CW Sunday Night Music Festival and Dance Party ... it harkens back almost thirty odd years ago when I was deep into the Aboriginal Peoples struggle for justice in Canada. I went head over heels for a band from the Innu First Nation in Quebec.
So, don't miss out - see everyone Sunday evening!
Here is a shocker related to TP 6:
Politico has an article out (https://www.politico.com/news/2020/07/08/biden-sanders-unity-task-force-recommendations-353225) that links to the policy recommendations document submitted to the DNC Platform Committee.
Hard to believe, but 'defund' does not appear in this document. 'Abolish' does, but only in reference to the death penalty, forced/exploitative prison labor, and life without parole for juveniles. The single reference to 'disband' is:
I know someone here was insisting that abolishing police departments was core policy. Looks like that won't even make it into the platform, much less be a priority. Huh.
goode trickle wrote:
I for one am tired of the sway big cake and big pie have in our political system.
It is time for everyone to join the turnover movement. what's not to like? They can be flaky (like pie), they can be crumbly (like cake), they can be sweet or savory, they can be baked or fried ( with big cake and big pie you only get baked), they are simple to make, you can hold them in one hand whilst you rage on twitter with the other, and most importantly they are affordable to everyone (unlike big cake and big pie).
Turnovers with their flaky goodness and ability to satisfy any taste provide an option that can serve to unite all of us in a time of extreme polarization.
If enough of us join the turnover movement we can finally be free of the big cake and big pie empire. We could solve the great problems of the world. The possibilities of the turnover are endless.
It's time....
Baked up. Fried up. Get turnovers.
As in, "pie in the sky?"
MyVoice,
If you were expecting 'abolish the police' to be anywhere near the agenda, then you haven't been paying attention.
That doesn't mean there won't be positive change, naturally.
My Voice,
Yeah, I know ... :)
It seems that Far Left Cancel Culture has poor Tucker Carlson whining again. His top writer has resigned because somebody exposed that he's been anonymously posting racist puke online forever. I have questions.
White supremacists need somebody to write their idiotic hate speech for them?
How does The Cancel Culture figure into it when he resigned before the boycott even starts?
Why did he resign when he writes the same stuff 5 days a week in his own name?
We report, you decide.
@don,
Most impressive or disappointing awards are national, not personal. If cw were to award himself mddotw as you suggest, that would be vastly overestimating his own importance. As things stand, there appears to be only one person on the planet who cw has so severely disappointed.
I meant myself of course. Cw has been horribly disappointing in his failure to give pie based voting the attention it deserves.
@liz [10-12]
I take it you made the connection? ;)
CW: Again, left unsaid: "...no matter whether it is safe for my kid to do so or not."
Absolutely, and add to that: "... no matter whether it is safe for my kid to become a coronavirus super-spreader and a threat to teachers and education workers from coast to coast and, of course, a threat to their mothers, fathers, aunts, uncles, and grandparents that they'll be bringing the SARS-CoV-2 virus home to every day... let's set that increasing viral load in motion... chop, chop, get a move on, people.
They really think this is a winner for them, which is stupid beyond belief, really.
And don't take our word for it, if you need proof, just look at the handiwork of Governor Abbott in Texas and Governor DeSantis in Florida to find out what happened in those states who were the first to volunteer and were all too eager follow Trump over the idiot cliff and just ignore the CDC recommendations promulgated by his own administration and throw open their states. Texas and Florida are the handiwork of Trump and his idea of "winning." Let's all follow that formula.
CW: Trump has now decided to force everyone's kids back to school with no regard for their own safety, and sends out Cruella de Vil... oh, excuse us, "Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos"... to sell America's parents on the idea.
Heh.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bca9d5A-Y_U
And Trump won't even acknowledge that the problem even exists.
Except for a few "tiny insignificant" instances:
(1) Roger Stone
(2) Paul Manafort
(3) Michael Flynn
Trump acknowledges caronavirus is a threat to them/him.
Can't have those guys in harms way, now can we?
This is beyond dangerous, this is downright psychopathic.
And how do we know it's sociopathic? See above.
Don, I think you have our poet pegged all wrong.
And he bemoans the "sick, twisted" police officers in Minneapolis, whose killing of an unarmed black man in their custody provoked the nationwide racial justice protests that have confounded the president.
Poor Donald; those "sick, twisted" police officers have gone and messed up his whole presidency. I mean, it's not like Donald gave a speech to police officers wherein he encouraged their manhandling of citizens... oh, wait!
https://youtu.be/SoeM23T6jTw?t=21
Oh, was Trump just joking about police brutality? I guess the "sick, twisted" police didn't get the joke. Tough break for Idiot President.
Anyone still confused about why the Orange SOB needs to be thrown out of office? Anyone at all?
Yes, yes I did, Joshua. That wasn't clear? :)
CW: Vote Vets has a new ad out hitting Trump on the Russian bounties story and calling Trump a traitor. From the script: "No one has betrayed those in uniform like Donald Trump.... This July Fourth, Benedict Arnold can step aside, because Benedict Donald is America's number one traitor."
"Benedict Donald"... really? Isn't that a bit harsh? ;)
*
I guess some people know a traitor to America when they see one.
People should listen to vets, I always say. :)
JL
7
Heh.
I like the "pie" and the "turnover" ideas, but seriously, let's don't all play coy and pretend like everyone here doesn't know what the real problem is:
I don't think that they have enough meats on sticks.
~ Mary, There's Something About Mary
*
*
Raw meat. Stew meat. Red meat.
Meat Popsicle.
I feel this pie, turnover and cake caucus is discriminatory against Ice Cream. Lets face it Ice Cream is the backbone of those deserts. It brings them all together and in deliciousness, binds them. I feel it needs it due.
All Ice Cream is delicious! viva la revolucion!
@kick,
how dare you treat my completely serious pie idea with such contempt and derision!
https://66.media.tumblr.com/38abeb786f31e5fccc174edce9840a6a/tumblr_p9z50xTHcS1uv84v0o4_250.gifv
@bashi/gt,
copycats!
@don,
a year and a half ago perhaps i might have been gently poking fun at your modus operandi in particular, as a means of trying to explain how your shtick sounds to the rest of us, but at this point i've long since moved on and it's just plain fun. i wish you weren't still taking it personally, though.
JL
Bashi
42
All Ice Cream is delicious! viva la revolucion!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GcWPlDu0jkQ
Ice Cream!
Ice Cream!
Ice Cream!
Ice Cream!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P21GD97ljSY
Ice Cream!
Ice Cream!
Ice Cream!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P21GD97ljSY
Ice Cream!
Ice Cream!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P21GD97ljSY
Ice Cream!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P21GD97ljSY
I
Scream!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=708bR9P4CEM
PIe
Pie
piE
Pie
Piiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OF3JfiexLVA
Kanye West is running to hopefully steal black votes away from the Democrats. Trump knows he is not winning over any black voters, so he got Kanye to run in the hope that Kanye can pull enough black voters away from Biden. If you watch Trump’s reaction to being questioned about Kanye running against him for President, it is clear that this was their brilliant plan to get Trump reelected:
Trump smugly stated: “He is always going to be for us.”
Those two are truly geniuses!
Too late for Kanye to get on the ballot in Texas. The deadline has passed already.
Independent candidates have to petition each state to be included on ballots and frequently must pay a filing fee and/or collect a certain number of signatures by a certain deadline. The first deadline for the 2020 elections was already in March, but the majority of states have July and August deadlines.
Kanye has missed the deadlines for ballot access in:
Indiana
New Mexico
North Carolina
Texas (ouch, that's a big one)
Deadlines approaching within a few days:
Delaware
Florida
Michigan
Nevada
Oklahoma
South Carolina
Nearly anyone can be a write-in candidate, but a whopping 33 states require all potential write-in candidates to file some paperwork ahead of the general election or they aren't counted at all, and there are nine states that don't allow any write-ins at all.
So to recap: Too late! Womp, womp.
Trump has turned his Presidency into a multi media production company turning out product about himself that he himself likes to watch and read. Sadly, there is a substantial market for this "product." In many respects Trump's Presidency is just a reboot of his old Apprentice TV show, updated to more modern media platforms. It is a bold move, but there is a lot of evidence it is not going to give him a second term.
In response to Trump, Biden seems to be reviving the old Back Porch Campaign. Rather than talk about his worthiness, Biden lets 3rd parties do the job for him. It seems to be working.
Trumps political fate may ultimately be like what happened to the Martian's in H.G. Wells War of the Worlds - his Fighting Machine taken down by microbes he never anticipated.
^^^ EDIT [53] ^^^
Oops... forgot Maine.
Kanye has missed the deadlines for ballot access in:
Indiana
Maine
New Mexico
North Carolina
Texas (ouch, bigly)
Hey, Don! I've got a song lined up just for you and you are going to love it!
No warnings required - see ya Sunday night!
apologies to liz, i know you want sundays to be non-political, but i have such personal insight into one of today's RCP articles i feel the need to unload.
conservative columnist Matthew Continetti wrote an article called 'the winds of woke' about his view that otherwise nondescript citizens are being politically persecuted because they happen to be trump supporters. his prime example is Thomas Bosco, a cafe owner in Manhattan who lost some business when the news came out that he's a trump donor and supporter. to quote:
Neighbors denounced Bosco on Facebook. Some vowed not to patronize the café. Randi Weingarten, who as president of the American Federation of Teachers draws close to half a million dollars in salary and benefits, wrote online that it would be "hard to ever go back." No more tips for the barista from her. As for the drag queens, they are taking their glitter elsewhere.
https://freebeacon.com/columns/the-winds-of-woke/
let's put aside for a moment the question of whether the view that donald is an existential threat to our nation's health is sufficient justification for organizing a boycott of anyone and anything that might help him get re-elected. my wife and i used to be regulars at said place of business, and we still go there from time to time. heck, we used to live down the hall from one of the drag queens (incredibly nice man, by the way, but i digress). the biggest reason the cafe is losing business has zilch to do with the president.
the previous owner was beloved by most of the community, was constantly in the restaurant shmoozing with staff and patrons, paid attention to lots of the little details, and promoted a sort of family atmosphere. bosco bought the cafe a year or two ago, and immediately started to treat the place more like a typical restaurant. the food quality went down, 90% of the staff turned over, and the place changed from somewhere people frequented to somewhere they went if they had no other nearby options. that's the local context.
in other words, if bosco had been a better restauranteur he would not have been defined by the publication of his political choices.
JL
@don,
that comparison is silly. unless it's your assertion that there is something inherently insulting about the term 'pie.'
wasn't interested in clicking before, and still not interested now. if you want to say something, say it here. politely, if possible.
Fareed Zakaria referred to the way the US is handling the cv19 pandemic as Stupid.
It must be so.
Lock him up, throw away the key.
LL&P
still not clicking the link don, but if you're really fixated i'll go into some more detail.
i've explained before that my initial reference to pie was as a method of explaining to you how there are different dimensions to public opinion. whether or not a given percentage of people are in favor of something is only one of many factors used in determining whether they are sufficiently interested to spend time or money on it, or to vote for it.
in that respect, reducing the influence of money on the political process is very much like pie. of course almost everybody likes it and wants it, but basing an entire political movement on pie alone is a lot more feasible, and a lot more productive.
at some point, it became a way to comment to CW about the overall problem of one-issue politics, and ceased to be about you. sorry man, just because you happened to be first doesn't give you a monopoly on pie references. and when i got CW to respond to one of my comments, your response was to curse him out, even though his reply wasn't directed at you in any way, shape or form.
i realize it upsets you that i've hit upon something that succeeds in gaining some buzz while your own comments have failed to do so. but please understand that it is not intended as a personal attack on you, and it's not offensive to anyone else but you. so at least for now, i'm going to continue using the p-word.
https://media1.tenor.com/images/782ea479ce32aa0e1eee6bb259bb11a7/tenor.gif?itemid=4476431
no, not THAT p-word.
JL
Roger Stone...
We locked him up, threw away the key, Trump, the dog, dug it up, and set him free...
Relock him up, lock him up...Eat the fucking key.
LL&P
no need for apologies, joshua, just bring yourself and some tunes to the party tonight ... it never gets underway much before 6pm, anyways ... :)
And, remember, the songs can be as political as you see fit!
Don,
You better start lightening up - the festivities are only a few hours away! :)
Joshua, that sure was some insight into that restaurant. It's so sad to 'lose' a place like that.
Did you comment on the article?
Well, Joshua, I sincerely hope that cleared things right up for Don.
It can be so easy to take things too personally, for any of us. We just have to stop for a minute, remember who we are and where we are. And, remember that the most important thing is to have fun. :)
Hey, Don ... did you know that you can simply copy and paste a link? It's so easy!
The persecution complex deepens.
I have to admit that, due to my stroke-induced hiatus from here, I had no idea WTF this pie stuff was about until Don decided to self-pwn. It's shocking that a mob would ridicule someone in a way that almost no one would recognize as ridicule or even who is the subject of ridicule.
BTW - here's my stroke PSA.
I don't recommend having one. I have worked really hard and recovered quite a bit, but everything is difficult. The medical experts were not able to determine why I had one since I had none of the typical risk factors. I would still recommend doing what you can to minimize your chances of having one. I even saw little kids in the rehab hospital who'd had them, so it's not just for geezers.
Exercise, don't smoke, don't eat hydrogenated oils, lose wait, baby aspirin.
"We did not establish that members of the Trump campaign conspired with the Russian government in its activities," Mueller wrote. "The investigation did, however, establish that the Russian government perceived it would benefit from a Trump presidency and worked to secure that outcome. It also established that the campaign expected it would benefit electorally from information stolen and released through Russian efforts."
That's the 21st-century version of Watergate.
No doubt whatsoever.
LL&P
All GOP are traitors.
I thought you guys had a remedy for traitors.
Light em up.
LL&P
“People unfriend you!" Fox News Trump propagandist Jeanine Pirro said yesterday. “They don’t want you to be a — they don’t want to communicate with you. People I’ve had at my wedding don’t talk — my children’s weddings actually, they don’t talk to me anymore.”
They probably never did want to talk to her and now they have a socially acceptable reason to tell her to screw off.
'“People unfriend you!" Fox News Trump propagandist Jeanine Pirro said yesterday. “They don’t want you to be a — they don’t want to communicate with you. People I’ve had at my wedding don’t talk — my children’s weddings actually, they don’t talk to me anymore.”
They probably never did want to talk to her and now they have a socially acceptable reason to tell her to screw off.'
Let her eat nothing but sand and iron. She's earned her contempt.
LL&P
I'm driving at a singular point.
President Biden will have to call some people to account.
Too many needless deaths, too much kowtowing.
Jail, some light torture, but jail awaits for Trump and his band of criminals.
I insist.
LL&P
SDNY* is a'waiting on Trump's arse and I'd love to see him taken into custody "as a flight risk" the second that Joe assumes office. It'd be better TV if he was arrested at the Inauguration, but Trump won't attend.
*A reminder: Southern District of New York
Nikki Haley looks like the only GOP politician that survives the Trump era. Sessions didn't and Pence, Pompeii and the rest won't.
Putting it out there...
Nikki Haley for VEEP!
You have to see the chance?
LL&P
Canuck [78]
"The investigation did however establish that the Russian gov't perceived that it would benefit from a Trump presidency and worked to secure that outcome."
You lefties make that point in perpetuity, without EVER defining WHAT they did, nor HOW they (or the campaign) benefited, because if you DID do that, it would reveal the pathetic weakness of your contention.
The WHAT is simply they published private emails of the DNC and prominent Dems that showed that Hillary and her allies had stacked the Dem primaries against Sanders, and the HOW is to conclude that Sanders' supporters would be so angry, they'd vote for Trump instead of Hillary.
That argument is so prima fascia stupid as to hardly be worthy of refutation!
Question...
Did the GOP, or its minions have permission to release stolen info? For fuck sakes, Trump doesn't even like whistleblowers, how would he feel were the roles reversed... Enough of your ignorant discourse.
LL&P
JFC,
I didn't know you had a stroke - sorry to hear about that. But, I am glad you are recovering and best of luck with all of that. I have no idea what that is like.
I've got all of your recommendations covered except for the baby aspirin. Probably should take some of that.
@don,
Explaining it again doesn't change the fact that it is pure [expletive deleted] rationalization.
the term "rationalization" implies that on some level i believe it is wrong to have made light of your efforts. i don't. not one iota.
my justification is that whatever derision i may once have intended toward you, you earned a thousand times over by trolling this blog (operationally defined here as attempting to turn any and all conversations toward your own idea, no matter how minimally related, and repeatedly insulting anyone, including our host, who refused to accept your... ahem... perspective, on the matter)
You all seem to think it is wrong when I give it back to someone.
i can't speak for the thoughts of anyone else here, but i have no problem with you criticizing others (including myself) for disagreeing with you, no matter how boring or counterproductive i might think it to be. the only aspects of your conduct i find objectionable are the leveling of personal and profane insults at people who didn't mention you at all, as you did with CW.
as bashi wrote a few days ago, you've made blanket assertions about other people's motives and opinions, without requesting clarification or providing evidence. then you've taken offense at these presumed motives and opinions, and THEN responded to the perceived offense with profanity and name-calling. it's not a good look, and not justified. if you want to go throwing around terms like "rationalization" i suggest re-reading some of your own posts for reference.
JL
LizM,
I have no idea what that is like.
The stroke itself was my first symptom. I fell on the floor. I've learned that it's different for everybody. I completely lost the use of my left arm and leg. You cannot imagine just how heavy they are. Now the main issue is spasticity. The muscles are very tight and fight against me. It's difficult and very, very weird when your body parts won't do what you want them to, but I'm just too ornery to accept a wheelchair. I got rid of it and willed myself to walk w/o a cane. I do a really bang-up zombie walk.
FOR EXAMPLE
if you want to go throwing around terms like "rationalization" i suggest re-reading some of your own posts for reference.
Don's rationalization for being a troll:
*
This concludes today's walk down Memory Lane. :)
JFC,
HEH!
So, you have voice recognition, then? I have that software but I've never used it.
Well, you just sit back this evening and enjoy the show! I gotta take a quick run to the grocery store first and then I'll get things started off unless someone beats me to it ...
[87] CRS
Good to hear from you! I live in Alameda County CA, which is one of the Bay Area counties. Been thinking about you, since Idaho has about the same population although obviously Idaho is far less dense. Given your earlier skepticism, I'm curious what your current thinking is on Covid-19.
The latest stats from worldometers.info :
Idaho
Population: 1.8 million
Area: 83,642 sq. mi
Total Confirmed Cases: 10,505
Cases in the last 14 days: 5,186
Total Deaths: 102
Alameda County
Population: 1.7 million
Area: 739 sq. mi
Total Confirmed Cases: 7,725
Cases in the last 14 days: 1,765
Total Deaths: 148
Welcome everyone to the CW Sunday Night Music Festival and Dance Party! This is going to be fun.
Okay, so first from me are a couple of tunes from Kashtin, an Innu Nation duo from Quebec with songs in the Innu language and some French subtitles. They were very active around the time of the last constitutional crisis in Canada, 1992. We have them fairly regularly and this one centered on Aboriginal Rights and the Uniqueness of the province of Quebec. With Kashtin, you had both bases covered!
Enjoy, everyone!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kiIPoy5VJwM
Here is one more from Kashtin. I even wrote out the words to some of these songs, phonetically, so I could sing along when I twice saw them live.
Don, I think you might like these tunes ...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MfccVzCw4Uc
Chazzbrown [94]
I remain pretty skeptical about the whole thing, wondering if it makes sense to destroy the national economy over a minor 'plague' that is so mild that a high percentage of it's victims don't even realize they were infected. I don't know single person that got it, much less anybody who died from it.
Coincidentally, I got sick right in the middle of it, first time I'v been sick in at least 20 yrs, but I tested negative. Assumed it was some ordinary flu thing.
Here you go Liz. Get off your ass and jam.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4d1i35T5yAk
*laughs*
Not unsurprisingly, JFC, I hadn't heard that before. Heh.
And, I even moved to Good To Your Earhole. You shoulda seen me!
Now, I need a drink. What's up at the bar?
And, while I'm waiting at the bar, listened to Who Says A Funk Band Can't Play Rock ... I could get hooked on this.
That's one of my favorites from the 70's. Surely you've heard this one. It's actually the same band.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gBWH3OWfT2Y
I may have and just don't recall. I mean, I did watch Soul Train on TV a lot. :)
But, I don't think I ever saw this on Soul Train,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0eR4aQrYozY
You got that right!
. . . and now for something completely different. A summer song.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tn1P3d08GLY
Fireflies
Tornado skies
Green and still
Sirens shrill
Down in the basement
Listening to AM radio
Kick the can
Ice cream man
Mosquito fog
Barking dog
Somebody’s calling
Olly olly oxen free
Sheets hanging out
Mothers shout
Mowers drone
I’m all alone
I sit in the way back
Dad’s got the Twins on 830
I thought I would post something nice from the '80s.
*
Duettino Sull'aria Le nozze di Figaro
Mozart, 1786
A summer song ... nice.
In keeping with my Canadiana theme this evening and to pick up the pace just a little, how about some Lawrence Gowan! Proud to say he grew up right in my neck of the woods.
So, I just heard this powerful song on the radio the other day and it reminded me of this video. Here he is performing A Criminal Mind and don't miss the stellar review from Canadian Music Week, 2009!
And, he's doing a virtual concert on Thursday and tickets are on sale now. I think I'll go ...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ceiyHuW-JQ
That was beautiful, Kick and, a very nice quote there, too from Red.
I love watching this Fleetwood Mac concert. Great songs, for sure but, what's really thrilling is seeing all that is going on between Stevie and Lindsay. It's here with The Chain and especially with Landslide. Which is up next! (Remember, only one link per comment around here!)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kBYHwH1Vb-c
And, here's Landslide ...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WM7-PYtXtJM
“I’ve got to be... A friend of mine said, ‘You have to be the most perfect person.’ Isn’t that true?” — Donald J. Trump, during Hannity interview.
I have seen multiple stories on this, but they always start Trump’s quote at “A friend of mine said...” and fail to include Trump’s mumbling the, “I’ve got to be...” Why leave that out? We all know that anytime he says anything along the lines of, “people are saying”, what he truly means is “I want you to believe this about me!”
You got a song in there, somewhere, Russ?
So, let's get back to Canada for a double blast from the past. First up it's the Guess Who and American Woman from 1970.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sk3y3QxvuGg
Burton Cummings - THE Voice. And, can you see Randy Bachman?
And, ten years later, we have American Music by Prism, a happy note for me to end on and a very nice flip side to American Woman.
Leave it two find Canadian rock bands to tell the story of America, eh!?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0hgkFjisCqM
"Whenever I'm feeling down, there's only one thing pulling me through; a 12-bar shuffle and a mega watt stereo!"
that would be two very fine Canadian rock bands :)
Russ, you're up ... make it count!
EM
112
Video unavailable
This video contains content from SME, who has blocked it in your country on copyright grounds.
I absolutely hate when that happens!
How about this one ...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_3yeQeBOAI
Well, aside from a glitch or two, this was fun! Don't you dare miss the next one! :)
looks like i missed most of it, but here's a song for you, first song i ever sang to my wife, on our first date. at the time i didn't even know it was about 9/11. she'd been to a concert and heard it introduced as such. but damned if it ain't just a great song. sang it to my older son tonight at bedtime, on the same guitar i'd had with me eight years ago.
https://youtu.be/TkMClGJdAdg
@kick, i LOVE both the shawshank redemption AND le nozze di figaro. great choice double!
Oh, Joshua, what a lovely spot to end on ... :)
I'm so glad you came ...
[87]
"The investigation did however establish that the Russian gov't perceived that it would benefit from a Trump presidency and worked to secure that outcome."
You lefties make that point in perpetuity, without EVER defining WHAT they did, nor HOW they (or the campaign) benefited, because if you DID do that, it would reveal the pathetic weakness of your contention.
Stucki made an interesting edit there, ditching the words Mueller wrote. Now, maybe he thinks that the Mueller investigation was less illuminating than it could have been, but that's not what he said. Defending Fat Donny's treachery is tough, but Mueller is a lefty?
[123}
It's Big Money's fault.
JFC [123]
That's a helluva stretch you're making there,
there was zero hidden agenda on my part in omitting Mueller's name, certainly not to imply that he's a lefty.
Address the point I DID make!
chasssz 94 and crs 97
Small isolated populations can blow up with COVID pretty quickly. I witnessed such at Bass Island Lake Erie during the lead up to the 4th of July. Crossed over from the on the Ferry from the safety of a sealed pickup cab on a ferry with about 500 unmasked college kids standing/sitting shoulder to shoulder - or closer. The ferry makes 6 crossings per day.
As we drove through town we encountered crowds of unmasked party goers on the waterfront, heading to the bars, or in the bars. No masks among the revelers. The manager of the local liquor store was in a panic and couldn't believe that those in charge of public safety had not thought shut the island down. Unlike other establishments, he was taking the longer view of profitability. We stayed isolated on the boat, and caught enough bass to eat well (the walleye were napping). Not the best trip, but far from the worst. Home for the 4th, some sunburn, insect bites, but no coughs no fevers. Probably should have stayed home, but we had reservations, tradition - and we did take recommended precautions.
Put-In_Bay has not fared so well. The Island's Summer Work Force are showing the array of COVID symptoms. The Coast Guard is testing the "hospitality industry" of the island.
https://fox8.com/news/national-guard-health-officials-begin-testing-all-put-in-bay-employees-for-covid-19-after-outbreak/
The college students and their viruses have dispersed to the mainland. I have witnessed what appears to be a "super spreader event."
Stucki [125],
Address the point I DID make!
I absolutely did address your "point".
You took a statement made by Mueller and then you said that lefties need to explain his conclusions for you because that "would reveal the pathetic weakness of your contention".
In addition, I have not made any assertions about how stolen documents did or did not benefit the Orange One, much less why "the campaign expected it would benefit electorally from information stolen and released through Russian efforts", but the fact that Fat Donny publicly colluded by asking the Russians to release stolen documents was good enough for me to conclude that he believed he'd benefit.
My personal opinion is that Comey's (another Republican) assistance was a whole lot more beneficial to Big Orange than the Russians'. Of course, Donald thanked him by shitting on him and now the entire GOP is about to get a big Trump dump on their heads.
So, Michale, I guess you're not feeling well since we missed you at the festivities Sunday evening ... feel better soon!
My personal opinion is that Comey's (another Republican) assistance was a whole lot more beneficial to Big Orange than the Russians'.
Well, for the record then, that opinion should be informed by the matter of fact that Bill Clinton's help was at least one magnitude of order more beneficial to the Russians' in that he and he alone paved the way to Comey's involvement to the extent that it helped the Russians in the first place - honourable as Comey's involvement was, it should be stated.
Okay, in the comment above, go ahead and replace 'Russians'' with the "Big Orange".
I guess this is what passes for an edit function around here. :(
[97] C. R. Stucki wrote:
"I remain pretty skeptical about the whole thing, wondering if it makes sense to destroy the national economy over a minor 'plague' that is so mild that a high percentage of it's victims don't even realize they were infected. I don't know single person that got it, much less anybody who died from it."
Come to Miami Florida, or Houston Texas, or Phoenix Arizona and ask all the people who have lost a loved one in the ICU who died alone in a gruesome way if it is just a "minor" illness. Or look at all the newly installed refrigerated trucks to hold all the bodies overflowing from the morgue.
By the way, they are finding that even those who had such a mild case they didn't even know they had it, if you now x-ray their lungs, their lungs show scar tissue and diminished capacity. Like if you get even very mild pneumonia but recover, you can still end up with chronic asthma, or COPD, etc. years later. No one knows yet what the long term effects will be even for those who had only a mild case, since it can lead to inflammation of your other organs as well that you may not even detect or notice at the time, especially your heart, liver and kidneys.
[131]
I don't have anything good to say about either one of them.
Thanks for the Funkadelic/Parliament links last night! :)
I hope y'all were able to watch the video of Gowan's A Criminal Mind... tickets are on sale for his virtual concert on Thursday!
JL
120
It's one of my favorite movie scenes and favorite operas also. My father was such a fan of Mozart, this is what we grew up listening and playing. He also loved Sinatra and the Beatles and British pop/rock so it's not all boring.
I was going by memory when I quoted that -- and under the influence of rum and Coca-Cola -- so naturally I goobed up the quote:
EDIT 105
I love all kinds of music, you name it, but especially love music with awesome chord changes and music that mixes the theatrical with pop/rock... what they called "progressive rock"... Queen (Freddie Mercury, genius), Elton John (genius), Genesis, Phil Collins solo, Peter Gabriel solo, lots and lots from Britain, the aforementioned Beatles... Electric Light Orchestra, Stevie Wonder (genius), Brian Wilson (genius) and too numerous to list from America.
Don't even get me started on the classics; I love too many of them, especially Mozart (genius), Beethoven (genius), Rachmaninoff... okay, they're all geniuses... John Williams, Lin-Manuel Miranda... the list is endless.
continued...
... continued
Everybody's submissions were really good, I thought. If I get a chance to come to another Sunday, there is simply no telling the stuff I'll post due to love of chord changes -- even stuff other people would consider "silly" -- because of the genius behind the music/chord combinations/changes:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w0ZHlp6atUQ
Kick, you can always preview your selections and I can re-post them on Sundays. :)
C. R. Stucki
87
The WHAT is simply they published private emails of the DNC and prominent Dems that showed that Hillary and her allies had stacked the Dem primaries against Sanders, and the HOW is to conclude that Sanders' supporters would be so angry, they'd vote for Trump instead of Hillary.
That argument is so prima fascia stupid as to hardly be worthy of refutation!
It's your argument, and it definitely fits your description. Congratulations on pinpointing your problem.
chaszzzbrown
Charles Brown, Esq.! Good to "see" you.
Stay safe. :)
Russ
110
I have seen multiple stories on this, but they always start Trump’s quote at “A friend of mine said...” and fail to include Trump’s mumbling the, “I’ve got to be...” Why leave that out?
I know, right!?
We all know that anytime he says anything along the lines of, “people are saying”, what he truly means is “I want you to believe this about me!”
Trump wants everyone to believe he's the perfect person when he doesn't even believe that himself. If he believed he was perfect, he wouldn't wear lifts in his shoes, smear his fat face with orange bronzer, and wear a tie that reached halfway to the ground in order to cover his girth... am I right!?
This ain't rocket science. :)
I don't say "defund". I say #AbolishPolice.
We need to have first-responders for general-purpose emergency assistance. When you call "911 or your local emergency access number", as the phone-answering computers always say, with something that doesn't need either a fire truck or an ambulance, and the dispatcher decides it needs to have a human being sent to deal with it, there has to be some department, some category of municipal employees, that they refer the call to.
We need to have criminal investigations. When there's probable cause to believe that a crime has been committed, that is likely warrant prosecution, there has to be some department, some category of municipal employees, that gathers evidence.
And we need a last-resort option, people who are authorized, equipped, and trained to use force when necessary.
When all three of those things go together in one department, that's police.
Having police makes as much sense as designing one tool to be both a hammer and a desktop computer, when you know that most of the time it will actually be used as a life jacket. We need hammers. We need computers. And we need life jackets. But we don't need hammer-computers stockpiled on ships, ready to be handed out if the ship sinks. Abolish police.
In the short run, I think it will cost more. Transitions always bring SNAFUs, and there are sunk costs involved in doing it the old way. So I don't want to frame it as though it were an immediate savings, even though I think that, in the long run, doing it more efficiently will save money.
EM
111
You got a song in there, somewhere, Russ?
The song that represents Russ's post:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rwfmbXJEBtY
^^^^^ JUST TO BE CLEAR ^^^^^
Represents Donald Trump, which was who Russ's post was about. :)
Dan,
And we need a last-resort option, people who are authorized, equipped, and trained to use force when necessary.
That doesn't sound too practical ...
Are you familiar with the model in Camden, NJ where they disbanded, reimagined and reworked the police department?
[144],
Very nice! :)
Next time, tell him to post the damn link!
Don Harris
122
Again, as long as you are making the issue about HOW I comment you don't have to address the points I make in my comments.
Wrong, wrong, wrong. He doesn't have to address the points you're making at all; in fact, no one does. No one needs a reason not to address them either; however, that's not to say that you don't provide multiple reasons.
Deflection and rationalization with the rationalization based on what you want to believe instead of reality.
It's a fairly common trait of people that they will indeed believe what they want to believe. Don't knock it until you've tried it... oh, wait!
TS
126
Dang, TS. Stay safe! :)
EM
131
Well, for the record then, that opinion should be informed by the matter of fact that Bill Clinton's help was at least one magnitude of order more beneficial to the Russians' in that he and he alone paved the way to Comey's involvement to the extent that it helped the Russians in the first place - honourable as Comey's involvement was, it should be stated.
"He and he alone." *shakes head*
No, no, no, no, no. Trust me on this already, please. Bill Clinton "alone" did not pave the way to Comey's involvement. :)
John M
133
Dead on accurate, John M.
By the way, they are finding that even those who had such a mild case they didn't even know they had it, if you now x-ray their lungs, their lungs show scar tissue and diminished capacity. Like if you get even very mild pneumonia but recover, you can still end up with chronic asthma, or COPD, etc. years later. No one knows yet what the long term effects will be even for those who had only a mild case, since it can lead to inflammation of your other organs as well that you may not even detect or notice at the time, especially your heart, liver and kidneys.
There can be serious effects on the brain too and blood clotting throughout the body.
For some patients, their immune systems fight off COVID-19 and do a great job of expelling the virus... so much so that they go into "overdrive" and their own immune response begins attacking them (happening in children too). It's called a "cytokine storm" and not unique to COVID-19.
https://www.idse.net/Covid-19/Article/03-20/COVID-19-Brings-Cytokine-Storm/58061
}}And we need a last-resort option, people who are authorized, equipped, and trained to use force when necessary.(quoting me)
That doesn't sound too practical ...
We already have that last-resort force. It's just that the last-resort option is also the first resort.
Are you familiar with the model in Camden, NJ
Not Particularly. Here's what WaPo has to say:
In reality, Camden’s police restructuring was deeply undemocratic and involved a doubling-down on “broken windows” policing strategies that increased excessive-force complaints. It was only tireless efforts from local activists and watchdogs that eventually pressured the new police force to adopt a new force policy requiring officers to avoid escalation, training them to do so and requiring them to intercede if another officer was incorrectly using force. It is this local activism — not disbanding the police force — that is the key to understanding the gains made in Camden.
EM
148
Next time, tell him to post the damn link!
Okay, but if I do it like that, I'll get busted for my potty mouth. ;)
LizM,
I hope y'all were able to watch the video of Gowan's A Criminal Mind.
I listened to them all. In regard to your Canadian theme, are you a hockey fan?
I used to be. I was an ardent Philadelphia Flyers fan who could never get enough of Bobby Clarke, captain extraordinaire.
Then, one day, after a game at Maple Leaf Gardens I got his autograph and many other of the Flyers. They had just lost to Toronto and none of them were very happy or in anywhere close to good moods - but they all took the time to sign their autographs!
Clarke retired soon after and I lost interest, as I usually do. Mostly because, ironically enough being a Broad Street bullies fan, the fighting got to be ridiculous, especially the inordinate amount of cheering for it coming from the stands.
Well, Dan, the report I read about it, I think it was in the NYTimes, had a somewhat more positive spin. Ahem.
OK. Well, Martin Zellar (Summer Song) wrote I Wanna Drive The Zamboni.
Kick,
No, no, no, no, no. Trust me on this already, please. Bill Clinton "alone" did not pave the way to Comey's involvement. :)
I said that opinion should be informed by the matter of fact that Bill Clinton's help was at least one magnitude of order more beneficial to Trump in that he and he alone paved the way to Comey's involvement to the extent that it helped Trump in the first place - honourable as Comey's involvement was, it should be stated.
In other words, without the inordinately stupid actions of Bill Clinton, there is no Comey press conference on July 5 with regard to the Clinton emails and server and little or no public involvement by Comey after that. It would have been AG Lynch who would have been called to testify before Congress and she, I might add, would have had quite a lot of explaining to do!
Hey JFC, a song for Sunday night!
The reality TV clown in the White House tweeted this morning that Biden's Neilsen ratings are weak and do we really want low ratings prez?
Looks like even Big Money can't buy you love.
And, no one knows that better than Senator Biden!
Kick
Thanks for making the music suggestion in my absence....great choice!
-R
But, you weren't absent, Russ, you were right in the middle of it! :)
dsws [143]
Based on this post, I feel confident that you have absolutely no idea how public safety agencies work! I am not saying this to insult you, I am stating this just as I would any other factual statement: “It is 74 degrees outside right now and you have no idea how public safety agencies work.”
As an E911 call receiver, I had a notebook filled with different agencies that I would direct callers to in order to provide them with the assistance they needed. Yes, I worked at one of the premier call centers in the country, but what you were describing is something public safety agencies have been doing for years.
Have you ever done a ride along with your local police to see for yourself what their jobs are like and what all it is that they do? I’m gonna go out on a limb and guess that you haven’t. Do you know which calls are the most dangerous for police? The ones that seem the least likely to result in danger and therefore the officer lets their guard down.
Traffic stops are especially dangerous. The officer pulls a person over for a minor violation, not knowing that the driver just killed his family. The driver believes that the officer must be stopping him for the murders and has his gun ready to fire the moment the officer reaches his window. See, many shootings start when officers are called to “loud music” or similar complaints that are not normally violent. That is why all officers need to be armed and wearing protective gear when responding to all types of calls!
My ex-supervisor’s husband was a detective who was on his way home when he volunteered to take a noise complaint call because the department had calls backing up. Normally, detectives do not respond to service calls like this, but he was being helpful. He knocked on the door, radioed in that there was no answer but he could hear the TV blaring...and then it sounded like an explosion and his radio went silent. He was shot through the door and he bled out before medics could get to him. Every potential E911 call receiver listens to that call and other similarly heartbreaking and tragic calls as part of their training class. I have seen people walk out of the room and never come back after listening to these types of calls. There are no calls that cannot turn into a shitstorm in the blink of an eye!
What you are suggesting would probably triple the number of people needed on every shift at a time when most departments are understaffed. I know this will surprise you to learn, but federal intelligence agencies are probably the only employers who do back ground checks on applicants that are as thorough as those done by police departments. That is why departments have such a hard time filling empty positions, there are not enough qualified applicants.
Your plan will have 3x the number of full time staff that sit around for hours waiting for their type of call to come in. Cost efficient? NO WAY! Not when one officer can currently handle the calls you describe and even they will sometimes sit for hours doing nothing on slow nights.
Liz,
I was gone when you asked me for a song suggestion. I literally posted and got a phone call the moment I hit the “Submit Comment” button.
Heh. Well, next time, be there!
Liz,
So when the President is under investigation by federal agencies, they should not have any contact with the Attorney General or Directors of the FBI, CIA, or any of the other intelligence agencies, is that it?
Really?
I personally think that it was the AG’s fault for removing herself from the process simply because she had an unrelated personal contact with Bill! If Bill wanted to ask a favor, he has her cell and home phone numbers in his Rolodex, I am quite certain! He isn’t gonna do it in public! Yes, it is great that she did not want there to be anything that people could point to and say that the outcome was tainted... but it’s the GOP we are talking about! They are gonna lie and cry like bitches no matter what!
Russ,
So when the President is under investigation by federal agencies, they should not have any contact with the Attorney General or Directors of the FBI, CIA, or any of the other intelligence agencies, is that it?
Of course, not! Not sure who the 'they' are that you're referring to, though.
AG Loretta Lynch would have been quite right to recuse herself but, that isn't actually what she did. She merely committed to deferring to the FBI Director on whether charges should result from the Clinton email investigation - an investigation, not coincidentally, she wanted Comey to call a "matter".
And, it wasn't just that Bill boarded her plane on a tarmac in Phoenix for 30 minutes but, that he did so just days before his wife was to be interviewed by the FBI. This changed everything.
It shouldn't come as a surprise that, given the deeply polarized political landscape that exists in your country and given the context of a highly corrosive presidential election campaign, this meeting became an issue that forced the AG to concede in public that she would defer to the FBI recommendation on whether Hillary should be charged.
Who knows what Bill was thinking when he boarded that plane days before Hillary's FBI interview but, it doesn't matter. This is a classic case of appearances taking over. Besides, if Bill's intent was nefarious then he didn't have to come right out and converse with the AG about his wife and her FBI interview to get a message across to the AG. I don't actually believe that happened but, appearances trump reality. And, Bill should have known better.
I'm pretty sure Comey knows which Clinton to blame for getting him involved in this mess and it wasn't the presidential candidate and her email server.
well it certainly wasn't george clinton!
https://youtu.be/3HU-KdHmYeA
well it certainly wasn't george clinton!
But just think about how much funkier it would have been if it had been him?!?!
I got a contact high just typing about him!
Ha! Yes, I can certainly understand why. :)
You'll have to bring more of that or, how do you say, bring da funk? on Sunday ...
I gotta say, you really missed out this past Sunday!
Oh, Hi Joshua!
Liz,
Comey chose to give that damn press conference where he chose to criticize Clinton’s actions AFTER he said they did not rise to the level where charges were recommended — breaking with how the FBI conducts press conferences announcements. His “opinion” was not appropriate nor welcomed under DOJ guidelines regarding interfering with current presidential elections. Yet, Hillary still received over 3 million more votes than Trump. So I guess unless we can find swing state voters who only decided to vote for Trump AFTER & BECAUSE OF Comey’s press conference, it’s really a moot point.
You're not following along, Russ.
There is no Comey press conference if Bill doesn't board the AG's plane.
It doesn't get any simpler than that.
[141] Kick
I'm ever lurking! Stay safe as well...
And, what do you think would have been the reaction if Comey had just said that there would be no charges in the Clinton case without any further explanation?
These were unprecedented times and I believe Comey made the best of a very bad situation.
Comey cares deeply about the reputation of the FBI and he argues that reputation could very well have been severely damaged by acting other than the way he did. A classic case of damned if you do it one way, damned for sure if you do it another way.
Comey is a decent and honourable public servant thrust into political chaos with no good options.
So I guess unless we can find swing state voters who only decided to vote for Trump AFTER & BECAUSE OF Comey’s press conference, it’s really a moot point.
I think Hillary lost because she didn't campaign well. In the final analysis, she has only herself to blame.
[126] TheStig
Glad you were able to distance from the cray-cray and still enjoy a bit of fishing. Rural or urban, we've all got to keep our eyes on the ball to stay safe.
Hmmm ... it's getting kind of late on a Monday night. I hope everything is okay with Chris and family ... and his vehicle.
And, what do you think would have been the reaction if Comey had just said that there would be no charges in the Clinton case without any further explanation?
Honestly, no worse than their reaction was with his explanation! It is not the explanation that was the problem. Her offense did not rise to the level that it warranted charges being fired. That’s all he needed to say to explain his decision. It was after that when he started going off on everything he thought she should have done differently that was not his place to hold a fucking news conference so he could share his personal opinion with the world!!! The moment that he stopped speaking on behalf of the FBI and began sharing his personal opinions is where I had a problem.
Comey cares deeply about the reputation of the FBI and he argues that reputation could very well have been severely damaged by acting other than the way he did.
Liz, if you think Comey did what was needed to be done and that it made a real difference, then maybe you can explain why Republicans still scream “Lock her up!”??? Trump has severely damaged the DOJ and FBI in this country in ways that Comey’s inaction could have never done!
Liz, if you think Comey did what was needed to be done and that it made a real difference
Made a real difference in what? Her defeat? I'm already on record saying that the only person who could have made a difference is Hillary, herself.
EM
159
I said that opinion should be informed by the matter of fact that Bill Clinton's help was at least one magnitude of order more beneficial to Trump in that he and he alone paved the way to Comey's involvement to the extent that it helped Trump in the first place - honourable as Comey's involvement was, it should be stated.
I know... and I said "no, no, no, no, no." I'm only taking issue with you keep saying him "alone."
In other words, without the inordinately stupid actions of Bill Clinton, there is no Comey press conference on July 5 with regard to the Clinton emails and server and little or no public involvement by Comey after that.
It's more complicated than that. There were other factors guiding Comey's decision. I have no reason to lie about this.
It would have been AG Lynch who would have been called to testify before Congress and she, I might add, would have had quite a lot of explaining to do!
Comey made a choice; he could have chosen otherwise regardless of Clinton's actions and Lynch's actions. I think Comey would have been called also. I would wager they might both be called again. Hope so. :)
JFC
161
Looks like even Big Money can't buy you love.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TBSpmoA8V78
Kick,
I would wager they might both be called again. Hope so. :)
Oh, you and me, both!
Kick,
Do you think Hillary should campaign for Biden, following all Pandemic I rules and protocols, of course?
You won't be surprised to hear that I think she should just leave well enough alone.
Russ
163
Thanks for making the music suggestion in my absence....great choice!
:)
Sad thing is, it fits Trump to a "T".
Russ
165
“It is 74 degrees outside right now and you have no idea how public safety agencies work.”
74... I want some of that.
Ah, new column up!
EM
169
You seem "married" to your beliefs, but you're wrong about this one... for multiple reasons.
And, it wasn't just that Bill boarded her plane on a tarmac in Phoenix for 30 minutes but, that he did so just days before his wife was to be interviewed by the FBI. This changed everything.
No, it likely didn't... because Bill Clinton wasn't the only driver of events at the time. If you can't get to your destination because the highway is shut down, you simply take a different road.
Who knows what Bill was thinking when he boarded that plane days before Hillary's FBI interview but, it doesn't matter.
Bill Clinton knows. Who knows what Lynch was thinking when she allowed it? Lynch. She could have come up with a million reasons not to open the plane door, but she allowed it.
And, Bill should have known better.
You think he didn't know better? Why would someone that did know better take an action anyway? Other factors.
Glad we could clear that up. :)
No, it likely didn't... because Bill Clinton wasn't the only driver of events at the time. If you can't get to your destination because the highway is shut down, you simply take a different road.
Well, Comey said it did and, I'm with Comey.
Bill Clinton knows. Who knows what Lynch was thinking when she allowed it? Lynch. She could have come up with a million reasons not to open the plane door, but she allowed it.
She sure shootin' could have.
EM
170
I'm pretty sure Comey knows which Clinton to blame for getting him involved in this mess and it wasn't the presidential candidate and her email server.
He was the Director of the FBI, for _____ sake; he was already involved!
Have you heard Bill speak, lately?
He was the Director of the FBI, for _____ sake; he was already involved!
But, absent Bill Clinton, he wouldn't have been so PUBLICALLY involved. And, that's the whole point.
Now, that right there would have been a perfect time for an expletive, you know. :)
JL
171
well it certainly wasn't george clinton!
Roger* Heh.
___________________
* Not to be confused with "Roger" Clinton.
It's all about timing and context, Kick, as I know you know.
George Clinton is, how shall I say, kickin'!
You know, Kick, there really is a new column up ... and, if I may say, it was well worth the wait.
EM
177
You're not following along, Russ.
He appears to be following along quite nicely and not making the mistake of "assuming" facts not in evidence and excluding a myriad of other facts and factors.
There is no Comey press conference if Bill doesn't board the AG's plane.
Oh, I quite disagree. Lynch could have been shamed into that decision in any number of other ways, and Comey and other actors at the FBI weren't just chess pieces sitting around waiting to be moved. Quite the contrary.
It doesn't get any simpler than that.
I don't think Russ would disagree that your explanation is simple; that's the major flaw in it... (just saying like it's 88 degrees). Comey wasn't some wallflower sitting there uninvolved in the events of the day who just got coaxed into speaking because of one decision made by Clinton to visit Lynch on a tarmac and another decision made by Lynch to allow the visit. Comey was the Director of the FBI. Directors have this job of directing things; it's in the title. :)
chaszzzbrown
178
I'm ever lurking! Stay safe as well...
:)
Kick,
It will be infinitely instructive for you to review Comey's testimony before Congress on this matter.
Sorry, well not sorry, that I don't have a link for you but, it is easily found.
Have you seen the new column, yet?
EM
179
And, what do you think would have been the reaction if Comey had just said that there would be no charges in the Clinton case without any further explanation?
You're making our point.
Comey cares deeply about the reputation of the FBI and he argues that reputation could very well have been severely damaged by acting other than the way he did. A classic case of damned if you do it one way, damned for sure if you do it another way.
That's obviously part of the "directing" job. So why wouldn't you err on the side of following longstanding rules? Did Comey divulge that Trump was being investigated simultaneously? No, he did not? Why not?
Comey is a decent and honourable public servant thrust into political chaos with no good options.
Partly factual. He had a great option of following longstanding protocol.
Please take a look at his testimony on this issue. And, take a look at the new column, a comprehensive analysis of the presidential election of 2020 ... things are looking good!
Longstanding protocol did not apply.
Did Comey divulge that Trump was being investigated simultaneously? No, he did not? Why
Too obvious to repeat here.
You really need to review Comey's congressional testimony on this issue.
EM
180
I think Hillary lost because she didn't campaign well. In the final analysis, she has only herself to blame.
In normal "final analysis"... just saying... people don't insist that things happen for only one reason:
* Bill Clinton "alone" is to blame for Comey's actions *shakes head*
* Hillary Clinton has "only herself to blame." Wouldn't that preclude blaming Bill Clinton as you are wont to do?
Oh, how can I get my point across? *thinks*
Okay, got it. You know how Don Harris blames "Big Money" for every damn thing? Right. Don't fall into that rut. I wouldn't take the time to explain it to you except that I think you're worth it. :)
Sheeeeeeee...it!
Did Comey divulge that Trump was being investigated simultaneously? No, he did not? Why?
Too obvious to repeat here.
You really need to review Comey's congressional testimony on this issue.
I am so done with you on this issue, Kick.
Except to say that I wouldn't be surprised if Comey ends up as AG in a Biden administration because, Biden will be looking for the best!
I wouldn't take the time to explain it to you except that I think you're worth it. :)
I love you, too, Kick.
Kick,
The bottom line is that I am so done with the Clintons, all of them who aren't into bringing da funk.
EM
188
Do you think Hillary should campaign for Biden, following all Pandemic I rules and protocols, of course?
She's been doing it for multiple months now, and I know he calls her for advice. There's more than one way to campaign for a candidate.
You won't be surprised to hear that I think she should just leave well enough alone.
Too late for that. She's already involved and has been involved for a long time. Al Gore made a huge mistake when he shunned Bill Clinton during his campaign. Biden would be equally stupid to do likewise. If you see her coming out to campaign publicly for Biden beyond the normal convention "goings on," it'll be out of necessity and won't be a good sign.
Early voting begins in some states in less than 60 days. People keep talking about campaigning as if it's going to be starting any day now... when, in fact, it's been well underway for months now... campaigning pandemic style but still going on. I think the pandemic has changed forever the way lots of things are going to be done in the future. :)
Al Gore made a huge mistake when he shunned Bill Clinton during his campaign.
I agree.
But, given what happened in 2016 and how polarizing a figure Hillary is, I think it best that she not be too publically involved this time around.
EM
I don't have to see Comey's testimony. I don't need links fed to me, and I haven't seen the new column yet.
Longstanding protocol should always apply. If it is determined that it shouldn't be, there's likely a reason for taking that direction, and it's likely not just one person driving that determination. :)
I think the pandemic has changed forever the way lots of things are going to be done in the future. :)
I think you are quite right about that.
I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree on Comey. I think he is one of the best public servants your country has ever produced.
EM
214
Except to say that I wouldn't be surprised if Comey ends up as AG in a Biden administration because, Biden will be looking for the best!
No way in Hell will that happen. Too many conflicts of interest.
Yeah, I know it won't happen ... at least not before Biden is good and elected! :)
Kick-150, Chaszzz-181
Rolling onto the ferry and seeing the unprotected, unfazed crowd, I couldn't help but think of "lemmings." More so when we approached the dock at Put-In-Bay and the crowds got bigger and drunker.
Once we cleared the town and got out on the water we were probably safer than at home. Biggest risk was sunburn. At least until we had to get on the ferry and had to roll down the window to present our ticket for the trip home.
Normally I would have been upset about the Mayflies...which were pretty thick this year. I think we were one day past peak.
TS
224
I hear they had 66 positive tests out of ~1,000.
https://www.13abc.com/2020/07/14/dozens-test-positive-for-covid-on-put-in-bay/
Keep yourself safe. :)