Friday Talking Points -- The GOP's Double Standards
In the past week, two of the biggest political stories have been which way the Senate parliamentarian was going to rule on an arcane rule in the chamber, and how one of President Joe Biden's nominees might be in trouble because in the past she had (gasp!) tweeted such mean things as: "vampires have more heart than Ted Cruz" (a statement that is not provably true only because vampires are mythical creatures while the heartlessness of Ted Cruz is, sadly, all too real).
Not to belabor the obvious, but this is a decided difference from the past four years. To drive the point home: last week there were zero nasty or racist or misogynistic tweets from the president, there were zero instances of the White House press secretary just flat-out lying from the briefing room podium, and zero times when the president was obviously completely and utterly ignorant about either basic facts, reality, how the Constitution works, or federal law in general. None. Zero. Nary a one.
The preceding paragraph was not (to the best of our recollection) true even once during any given week, over the past four years. Each and every week either brought a new low in terms of presidential communication and/or behavior, some insanely and laughably false statements from White House spokesmen and/or spokeswomen, or some jaw-dropping instance (or instances, most weeks) of how radically uninformed the country's leader truly was.
As a direct result, Americans everywhere are sleeping much sounder at night, secure in the knowledge that when they awaken the next morning there won't be some fresh and monumentally-embarrassing scandal that the president had tweeted out in the wee hours of the morning -- just because he was bored and there was nothing on television to amuse him. Or, to put it another way, a sane adult is now running our country once again.
There really should be some sort of term for this. It's like the opposite of schadenfreude, because it is taking pleasure in the absolute absence of pain and misery, across the land.
What was truly amusing about the past week was the Republican Party's selective amnesia and stunning hypocrisy. They are collectively clutching their pearls while suffering from badly-bunched panties, over all sorts of things that they routinely and totally ignored for four long years, when it was Donald Trump doing them all.
Take Neera Tanden, the Biden nominee, who is somehow being deemed unacceptable to lead the Office of Management and Budget because she has previously said some rather sharp things on Twitter. Seriously, even though this was a gigantic story all week long, we have yet to read one single tweet from her which is one-tenth as bad as the worst tweet from just about any random week when Trump was president. Ted Cruz is as heartless as a vampire? Seriously? That's all they've got? The only other tweet from Tanden we saw quoted was directed towards a senator who might wind up being the crucial vote to confirm Tanden, Lisa Murkowski. Tanden tweeted, in response to some Murkowski spin on the gloriousness of cutting taxes for corporations: "No offense but this sounds like you're high on your own supply. You know, we know, and everyone knows this is all garbage. Just stop." That's supposed to somehow be the equivalent of Trump venting his rage on anyone and everyone in sight, which is just flat-out ridiculous.
Those are supposed to be the worst things that should, according to Republicans (and, shamefully, one Democrat -- more on him in a moment), disqualify Tanden from serving in the Biden administration. This was during the same week when one of the Republican senators who will vote on all these confirmations called another Biden nominee (Deb Haaland): "a neo-socialist, left-of-Lenin whack job." He later apologized -- but only for the "whack job" part.
Like most things, as far as Republicans are concerned, Democrats should be held to the strictest moral and ethical standards imaginable, while Republicans are held to no standards whatsoever. Their double standard is simply breathtaking in scope. The Washington Post pointed this out in the snarkiest of fashion this week (which pays particular attention to Joe Manchin, the one Democratic senator who has indicated he'll vote against Tanden for being "too partisan"):
Can you believe that Neera Tanden called Hillary Clinton the "anti-Christ" and the "real enemy"?
Oh, wait. It was Ryan Zinke who said those things. Fifty-one Republican senators (and several Democrats, including Joe Manchin III of West Virginia) confirmed him as secretary of the interior in 2017.
And how about the times Tanden allegedly called the NAACP a "pinko organization" that "hates white people" and used racial epithets?
My bad. That was Jeff Sessions. Again, 51 Republican senators (and one Democrat, Manchin) voted to confirm him as attorney general in 2017.
Surely Tanden went beyond the pale when she "liked" a tweet calling then-Secretary of State John F. Kerry a "traitor" and "Vietnam's worst export," and when she suggested Clinton supporters leave the country.
Except Mike Pompeo was the one who did those things. He won confirmation as secretary of state in 2018 with the votes of 50 Republicans and six Democrats, including Manchin.
But, really, the most appalling thing Tanden said was that Muslims have a "deficient theology" and they "stand condemned."
Whoops. That wasn't Tanden but Russell Vought. Just last year, 51 Republicans voted to confirm him as director of the Office of Management and Budget -- the same position Tanden is up for now.
Now, all 50 Senate Republicans, assisted by Manchin, are on the cusp of sinking Tanden's nomination because they object to her harsh tweets. Many have noted the hypocrisy, particularly when compared with the treatment of Richard Grenell, an online troll who won confirmation as ambassador to Germany with 50 Republican votes -- and Manchin, natch -- despite routinely disparaging women's appearances.
Democrats must be squeaky-clean, while Republicans can get away with pretty much anything under the sun. That is the double standard at play here. But it's really the same double standard Republicans use against Democrats in all sorts of ways. Take, for instance, Republicans who are castigating Biden for "not being bipartisan enough" and somehow reneging on his promises to seek "unity." Again, as far as Republicans are concerned, the term "bipartisan" should always be defined as: "Democrats agreeing to support the Republican agenda" and never the other way around.
Don't believe this? You should. Joe Biden has called for a COVID-19 relief package of $1.9 trillion. Republicans countered with an offer that was less than one-third this size. The Federal Reserve supports Biden's plan and has specifically warned Congress that the only danger right now is not going big enough, and 150 of the largest corporations in America have also signed onto the Biden proposal. The idea -- whether taken as a whole or broken down into component parts -- polls with the public at astronomically high rates of approval (anywhere from two-thirds of the public up to in some cases 80 percent, proving how wildly popular the idea is even among Republican voters. And yet not a single Republican in Congress is expected to vote for the package. The party is doubling down on an incredibly unpopular position, and you can bet your bottom dollar that Democrats will be pointing this out on the campaign trail next year. Why are Republicans shooting themselves in the foot so spectacularly? Because they are miffed that Biden didn't endlessly negotiate the size of the relief package downwards by two-thirds. After which, the Republicans probably still would not have voted for it, as happened numerous times when Barack Obama was president.
Not a single Republican has stood up and said: "In the spirit of unity and bipartisanship, I will support this bill that an overwhelming number of my constituents want to see enacted and that the business community has fully approved, because I am putting the best interests of the country ahead of my party." Not one. And yet, to them, this is all somehow proof that Biden is the one falling down on the job of "reaching out."
Heck, most Republicans in Congress still won't even agree that Biden legitimately and fairly won the election. That should be the absolute minimum required for any sort of unity -- and yet somehow the media continues to (mostly) give them a gigantic pass on this simple affirmation of the American democratic system -- even after an attempted violent insurrection was launched with the expressed intent of killing members of Congress.
That is the real scandal, folks. Not some fainting spell over some tweet that -- compared to just about any random Trump mean tweet -- is incredibly small potatoes. This will all become even more painfully obvious and acute this Sunday, when Trump emerges from his hibernation to give his first big speech as an ex-president, to the rabid rabble-rousers of the Conservative Political Action Conference. His aides have been promising his speech will be "heavy on policy ideas," but of course, it won't. Instead it will quickly devolve into ad-libbed free-floating rage about conspiracies everywhere and how evil the Democrats truly are (as well as any Republican who has dared to cross him, too). As usual. Trump's speech will be in sharp contrast to all the pearl-clutching and panty-bunching now taking place among Republicans over slightly-snarky tweets from a Democrat, but few will bother to connect these dots (that's our guess, at any rate).
More GOP hypocrisy on display -- Republican senators are complaining that Xavier Becerra is somehow also unqualified to lead the Department of Health and Human Services because he is not a doctor. Even though the previous H.H.S. secretary -- one Trump nominated and the Senate Republicans voted for enthusiastically -- also was not a doctor. And where do they get off demanding cabinet members have to have stellar qualifications when they confirmed Rick "Oops" Perry to the Department of Energy even though he had no clue what the department actually did and Betsy (shudder) DeVos to lead the Department of Education, with her sole impressive qualification of being the owner of many luxury yachts? One has to wonder: who are they really trying to fool?
And, to wrap this theme up, we present the biggest and ugliest example of hypocrisy, which came from Stephen Miller -- the architect of Trump's child separation border policy -- who said in an interview (as the article put it) "without an ounce of irony" the following: "What we are seeing here is the cruelty and inhumanity of Joe Biden's immigration policies." Because I guess Miller is an expert on cruel and inhumane immigration policies? Or something? Republican hypocrisy -- to say nothing of utter shamelessness -- just knows no bounds, these days.
And one final rather amusing note, even though it won't actually bear any fruit for months (there are literally millions of pages to dig through), after the Supreme Court tossed out all the remaining frivolous lawsuits Trump and his minions filed about the election, they also ruled that the district attorney from Manhattan was indeed entitled to subpoena Donald Trump's tax returns for the past eight years. By the end of the day, the paperwork had been delivered and the investigators began sifting through it all to uncover any illegalities. So there's that to look forward to, perhaps as early as this summer!
We have two Most Impressive Democrat Of The Week awards to hand out this week, one for providing a stark contrast and one for telling the plain truth when it truly needed to be told.
Before we get to them, though, we also need to hand out Honorable Mention awards to both all the Democrats in New Jersey who contributed to making the state the 14th to legalize recreational marijuana this week (legislatively, which is even more impressive than via ballot initiative), and to Nancy Pelosi for passing the landmark Equality Act through the House -- the first time this has happened since such a measure was proposed way back in the 1970s.
Our first MIDOTW award, however, goes to Representative Gerald Connolly, who did not exactly mince words during a hearing where Democrats were grilling the postmaster general for being so woefully bad at his job, for interfering in the past election with such naked partisanship, and for being an all-around schmuck. Republicans, of course, were flinging all sorts of baseless charges about Democrats, and when Connolly got his chance to speak, he let them have it right back:
His fists were pounding. His index fingers were pointing. And his arms, at least at one point, were outstretched as Rep. Gerald E. Connolly yelled, "I'm an admitted Democrat, and I'm damn proud of it!"
It was the start of Connolly's latest impassioned monologue, during a crucial hearing on postal reforms. He accused Republican colleagues of "gaslighting" after they said Democratic outrage at Postmaster General Louis DeJoy -- and attempts to remove him -- were politically motivated.
Connolly's retort: "I didn't vote to overturn an election, and I will not be lectured by people who did, about partisanship!"
Tell it like it is, congressman.
But our second MIDOTW is a more serious one, because it goes to President Joe Biden, for doing what Donald Trump should have started doing almost exactly one year ago -- showing the slightest bit of empathy or sympathy or even just basic humanity to the victims of his own ineptitude.
Biden this week held a somber ceremony to mark the fact that America has now suffered over 500,000 deaths due to the pandemic -- far more than other countries in the world, even countries with four times our population.
Biden was properly solemn and showed the nation what any competent president should have been doing all along -- helping the nation to grieve our tragic losses. Biden also marked the 50-millionth person to get vaccinated (although this may have been fudged slightly, since most data trackers show only just above 45 million, but the event was almost certainly scheduled before the winter storm slowed the distribution down for a week).
In any case, Biden showed the nation what a leader does in a crisis -- the one thing that Donald Trump was both not interested in doing, and totally incapable of doing with any degree of sincerity whatsoever.
It was good to see some humanity from the White House, after the long four-year absence, which is why we're giving Biden a Most Impressive Democrat Of The Week -- for the contrast alone. Normally -- even in the midst of a crisis -- this wouldn't be all that notable, since it is really expected of the nation's leader, but it was so good to see once again that we thought it was worth applauding.
[Congratulate Representative Gerald Connolly on his House contact page, and President Joe Biden on his White House contact page, to let them know you appreciate their efforts.]
There were only two candidates for the Most Disappointing Democrat Of The Week this week, but we chose the most disappointing of the two for the award.
Which leaves a (Dis-)Honorable Mention award for Senator Joe Manchin, who announced this week that he will be voting against Neera Tanden's confirmation to lead the Office of Management and Budget. See above, for details. This puts her confirmation in serious doubt, meaning President Biden might be forced to withdraw her nomination altogether.
But this pales in comparison to New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, if the accusation made against him this week proves to be true. Here is the whole sordid story, in case you missed it:
A former aide to New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo made detailed allegations Wednesday that the politician sexually harassed her, describing an unwanted kiss in Cuomo's office and a pattern of behavior that she says left her "nauseous" going to work.
Lindsey Boylan, who eventually resigned from the Democratic governor's team, described deep discomfort with Cuomo starting in 2016, when she says her boss told her the governor had a "crush" on her. Boylan said in an online post that Cuomo "would go out of his way to touch me on my lower back, arms and legs," and she shared images of text messages and emails that she said supported her story, an expansion on public allegations that Cuomo denied last year.
"He is a sexist pig and you should avoid being alone with him!" Boylan's mother texted her at one point about Cuomo, according to photos of the exchange.
. . .
Cuomo "has created a culture within his administration where sexual harassment and bullying is so pervasive that it is not only condoned but expected," Boylan wrote in her post on Medium. "His inappropriate behavior toward women was an affirmation that he liked you, that you must be doing something right. He used intimidation to silence his critics. And if you dared to speak up, you would face consequences."
. . .
A spokeswoman for the governor, Caitlin Girouard, reiterated Wednesday that Boylan's "claims of inappropriate behavior are quite simply false." Girouard focused on the former's aide's opening anecdote about the governor allegedly suggesting they "play strip poker" while seated close together on Cuomo's jet in October 2017.
. . .
Boylan also posted a picture of an email in which an aide for the governor told her that Cuomo suggested she look up images of another woman, saying she was that woman's "better looking sister." Cuomo started calling Boylan by that woman's name in the presence of colleagues, Boylan wrote, calling the experience "degrading."
. . .
At one point, Boylan said, while alone with the governor in his office, Cuomo showed her a cigar box that he said was from former president Bill Clinton, which she interpreted as a reference to Clinton's affair with Monica Lewinsky.
"I tried to rationalize this incident in my head. At least he didn't touch me," Boylan wrote. But later, she alleged, during a one-on-one briefing in Cuomo's New York City office, the governor stepped in front of her and kissed her as she tried to leave. She said she kept walking, stunned.
There's really little more that needs be said, obviously. This could be the final nail in Cuomo's coffin, after his other recent scandal, involving fudging the data for COVID-19 deaths in nursing homes in his state. Cuomo was looking forward to getting re-elected to a fourth term, but that plan might no longer be operative, to put it politely.
For being exactly what her mom called him, "a sexist pig," Andrew Cuomo is easily our Most Disappointing Democrat Of The Week this week.
[Contact New York Governor Andrew Cuomo on his official contact page, to let him know what you think of his actions.]
Volume 607 (2/26/21)
We haven't done this in a while, but we're devoting our entire Talking Points section to a single theme this week, because it is the time of year when self-styled "conservatives" slither out from their rocks and holes in the ground and other dank hiding places and gather in the gigantic conspiracy-fuelled hatefest known as the Conservative Political Action Conference, or "CPAC."
This year's convention theme is "America Uncancelled." They're upset about what they call "cancel culture," which (to them) is the biggest threat America now faces. And, like just about everything conservatives and Republicans love to decry, they of course are their own worst enemies, in this regard. So we decided to have some fun with their chosen theme (because it was just so easy to do so).
Speaker ironically gets cancelled, before it even starts
Do as I say, not as I do (which could really lead in just about any of this week's talking points, now that we think about it...).
"CPAC, which used to be a fringe, extremist gathering right up until mainstream Republicans decided that courting whackadoodle voters was fine with them, opened this week with their stated theme 'America Uncancelled.' The whole conference is supposed to be dedicated to speaking out against anyone ever trying to 'cancel' one of their own. However, at a late date they had to... well... cancel one of their own scheduled speakers, because Media Matters uncovered anti-Semitic tweets by their intended guest speaker. The head of CPAC responded, when this hypocrisy was pointed out to him, by saying, quote, 'Cancel culture is a desire to push somebody out of polite society, destroy their ability to make a living, and take away their voice,' unquote. He also called the speaker's views 'abhorrent' enough to bar from his stage... or platform. 'If that person wants to air those views,' he said, 'I don't think they should be illegal. Just do it on someone else's dime.' Which, when you think about it, is exactly what Twitter and Facebook and all the other social media companies are telling conservatives when they spew hateful and violent rhetoric -- 'go right ahead and say those nasty things, just do it on someone else's platform.' The hypocrisy is just downright stunning."
All the way back to McCarthy
It's been part of their DNA for quite some time, actually.
"Republicans are now crying crocodile tears over 'getting cancelled,' which kind of ignores their own long and storied history doing exactly the same thing. For decades, they tried their mightiest to cancel gay people and wipe their existence away entirely from American life. They tried to cancel football players for peaceful protest. They tried to cancel artists for creating art they didn't like. They tried to cancel rock and rap bands for singing lyrics they didn't like. They tried to ban books and movies they didn't like. They tried to make flag burning illegal, because they didn't like it. Further back, they blacklisted people in Hollywood and elsewhere for espousing political views they disapproved of. It goes all the way back to Joe McCarthy, in fact, who might be called the Father of Republican Cancel Culture."
Canceller-in-Chief
And then there's the modern day, as well.
"Donald Trump was certainly the biggest canceller of all, for the past four years. Trump never met an opponent he didn't try his hardest to outright cancel. He made threats to people's careers -- whether in politics, in entertainment, in sports, or just about anywhere else -- and he tried to follow through on these threats whenever he could. He tried to cancel an American presidential election because he was too big a baby to admit he had lost. He tried to cancel coronavirus, without much noticeable effect -- other than half a million dead Americans. He tried to cancel just about anyone who set him off, in fact, and that was a lot of people indeed. Anyone looking for 'cancel culture' at CPAC need only look as far as their keynote speaker, because Donald Trump has been 'canceller-in-chief' since Day One. Just goes to prove, once again, that Republicans are fine when they are dishing it out -- cancelling people left and right -- but when it happens to them they turn into the world's most fragile snowflakes."
Ted Cruz tries suggests neighbors should be cancelled
No, really.
"Ted Cruz, after getting caught fleeing his home state in the middle of a deadly emergency so he could drink margaritas on a sunny beach with his wife frolicking in a bikini and his daughters warm and happy while back in Texas children were literally freezing to death, had the absolute gall to criticize his neighbors for blowing the whistle on all of his lies and depravity. After admitting that some of his neighbors were actually (gasp!) Democrats, Cruz expressed disappointment that they didn't self-cancel their political views so that his tender eyes wouldn't be affronted by their constitutional right to support the candidate of their choice. Cruz complained about, and I quote, 'folks on our street who put up Beto [O'Rourke] signs, which I thought was a little rude. You know, I didn't, like, hold a victory party on their front yards when we won.' Um, because that would be illegally trespassing, maybe? As opposed to exercising your constitutional right to political free speech on your own property, Ted? And I'm sure, if one of his Democratic neighbors ran for public office, that Cruz would of course refrain from putting up his own yard signs for the Republican in the race, right? Don't make me laugh."
Not even the worst thing Cruz said this week
Because of course it wasn't.
"Ted Cruz was even more incensed that some of his neighbors actually leaked the messages his wife had sent out graciously inviting all her wealthy neighbors to flee the state of Texas in the midst of the emergency that was killing dozens, and join the Cruz family for a spontaneous vacation in Mexico. Obviously, Cruz believes such heartless behavior from a public official should remain a deep secret. He castigated whomever leaked the messages to the media, saying: 'You know, here's a suggestion: Just don't be assholes. Just treat each other as human beings. Have some degree, some modicum of respect.' Once again, I point out that the messages were leaked in the first place to spotlight the utter assholishness of Ted Cruz fleeing people in dire need, when he could have stayed and done everything in his power to help them instead. You know, treated them as human beings, or with a modicum of respect. As usual, this brief foray onto the moral high road didn't last very long for Cruz, and by week's end he was, once again, proving that he was one of the biggest assholes in Washington, at the CPAC convention -- by turning the entire disaster in his home state and his utter indifference to it into a joke."
Graven image indeed
Hoo boy. You just cannot make this stuff up, folks.
"So far, the most amusing video from the CPAC conference is two workers wheeling what can only be called a giant golden statue of Donald Trump down a hallway, through the amused convention attendees. Let's see, wasn't there something about this from that book that Republicans hold nearest and dearest? Something about graven images not being allowed? I could have sworn there was some rather wrathful holy vengeance over a golden calf, at some point in that very book...."
Or maybe there's another way to put it
This one comes from a comment to a Washington Post article that is so perfect we find we cannot improve upon it one whit.
When I think of CPAC, all I can think of is the great saying of Obi Wan Kenobi when describing Mos Eisley spaceport, "You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy". What is true for Mos Eisley is the same for CPAC.
-- Chris Weigant
Follow Chris on Twitter: @ChrisWeigant
Cross-posted at: Democratic Underground
Cancel culture is an integral part of our glorious American history. During World War One, Woodrow Wilson's government did everything it could to prevent the dissemination of a reprehensible piece of music that was sure to poison the morale of our brave soldiers overseas, a scurrilous ditty called "I Wonder Who's Kissing Her Now."
Well, I've never liked Neera Tanden and I've never seen a tweet from her, either.
And, I'll probably never understand why Biden picked her for anything, let alone budget director.
Why would Biden pick a Twitter Troll for budget director!!!???
And, by the way, what, pray tell, qualifies her to be budget director!!!???
<Seriously, even though this was a gigantic story all week long, we have yet to read one single tweet from her which is one-tenth as bad as the worst tweet from just about any random week when Trump was president.
Why would Biden pick somebody for budget director who is one-tenth as bad as the worst tweet from anybody?
Seriously, even though this was a gigantic story all week long, we have yet to read one single tweet from her which is one-tenth as bad as the worst tweet from just about any random week when Trump was president.
Why would Biden pick somebody for budget director who is one-tenth as bad as the worst tweet from anybody?
Democrats must be squeaky-clean, while Republicans can get away with pretty much anything under the sun.
I think that misses the point.
Biden is president because he is better than the best of the Republicans. Ahem. At least, that is why I support Biden. Sigh.
@liz,
the trouble with nominating people to do jobs is that they're human beings, and you won't find too many of those who have never said or written anything mean about anybody else.
JL
Along with Biden's ability to show empathy and lead the nation in mourning a national tragedy, you might credit him with going to Texas to inspect the disaster areas affected by the weather and blackouts and to speak to the people who need our help. Even though - get this, it's almost impossible to believe - Texas didn't vote for Biden.
The pathetic thing is that this didn't use to be "impressive", much less "most impressive" behavior by an American president.
And Elizabeth Miller makes a good point about defending Tanden's ability to tweet a mean tweet, even if not as meanly as the ex-president tweets. One can't very well criticize ones opponent's bad behavior and at the same time claim the right to behave equally badly.
Joshua,
I am sorry but I have very high expectations for president Biden and I don't understand why he would pick Neera Tanden for anything, let alone budget director.
CW: There really should be some sort of term for this. It's like the opposite of schadenfreude, because it is taking pleasure in the absolute absence of pain and misery, across the land.
mudita
all other things said, the golden calf image had to be the most surreal of the week. in case we needed any additional reminder why not to want donald back.
apologies liz, but this one couldn't wait til sunday:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQos00X5O78
CW: They tried to cancel football players for peaceful protest.
Because nobody should kneel to a United States flag; a real patriot gropes it and hunches it in the manner he treats his grown daughter.
They tried to make flag burning illegal, because they didn't like it.
Because nobody should burn a United States flag; a real patriot fondles it and/or uses it as a device with which to beat up law enforcement officers.
It goes all the way back to Joe McCarthy, in fact, who might be called the Father of Republican Cancel Culture.
And McCarthyism's chief architect, Roy Cohn... Donald Trump's mentor. You'd think these Republican morons could learn something/anything from decades of history, but that would require the ability to connect the dots and not pick up the same old obvious playbook and run with that worn out stupidity... but here we are again. #SSDD
When I think of CPAC, all I can think of is the great saying of Obi Wan Kenobi when describing Mos Eisley spaceport, "You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy". What is true for Mos Eisley is the same for CPAC.
Lead by a slug-like insatiable gluttonous criminal gangster.
https://www.starwars.com/databank/jabba-the-hutt
This checks out. :)
Elizabeth Miller
2|3
Well, I've never liked Neera Tanden and I've never seen a tweet from her, either.
Never? So your dislike of her is based on... what?
And, I'll probably never understand why Biden picked her for anything, let alone budget director.
Anything? So your dislike of her is based on... what?
And, by the way, what, pray tell, qualifies her to be budget director!!!???
You don't know? So your dislike of her is based on... what?
Another week of obsession with Republicans.
Skip!
For anyone interested in what the party in power has been doing, here are some of the highlights.
Any of these would make great 'talking points' if only there was a credible forum somewhere...
In the House of Representatives, under the firm hand of Nancy Pelosi, passed the 'Equality Act'.
'The bill passed by a vote of 224 to 206, with three Republicans joining Democrats in voting "yes."
"Every American deserves to be treated with respect and dignity. With today's vote, the House has again affirmed that LGBTQ people should enjoy the same rights and responsibilities as all other Americans," said Democratic Representative David Cicilline of Rhode Island, who led the push for the bill.
The bill first passed the House in 2019, but was not considered by the then-Republican controlled Senate and faced opposition from the Trump administration.'
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/house-passes-equality-act-lgbtq-american-rights/
Staying in the House, the Democrats forwarded to the Senate the centerpiece of Biden's promise for his first 100 days:
'The vote was along partisan lines. Two Democrats joined Republicans - who see it as too expensive - in opposing it.
The bill must now go to the evenly-divided Senate, which has already blocked a key element - doubling the US minimum wage to $15 an hour.
The package seeks to boost vaccinations and testing, and stabilise the economy.
...
The vote comes in the same week the US passed 500,000 coronavirus-related deaths - the largest figure of any nation in the world.'
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-56221371
Moving to the U S Senate, Chuck Shumer is having early successes with the confirmation this week of several Biden appointees, including Jennifer Granholm as Secretary of Energy and Linda Thomas-Greenfield as UN Secretary.
Any of these people deserve at least an Honorable Mention. Retroactive nominations go to Pete Buttigieg, the first openly-gay member of a Presidential cabinet and Alejandro Mayorkas as the first Latino and immigrant to lead DHS (double dose of giving the finger to Trumpsters)
Rep Al Green of Texas most assuredly deserves a nomination for effectively highlighting the parallels between 'sincerely held beliefs' to justify discrimination against LGBT+ and Black Americans. And he handed Democrats a righteous 'talking point' to boot!
'In his remarks, Green fought back against the notion that God and religion are adequate reasons to deny people their civil rights.
“And still I rise, Mr. Speaker,” Green said, quoting Maya Angelou.
He continued, “You used God to enslave my foreparents. You used God to segregate me in schools. You used God to put me in the back of the bus. Have you no shame? God created every person in this room. Are you saying that God made a mistake? This is not about God, it’s about men who choose to discriminate against other people because they have the power to do so. My record will not show that I voted against Mr. Cicilline having his rights. My record will show that when I had the opportunity to deliver liberty and justice for all, I voted for rights for all.”'
https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/al-green-delivers-impassioned-speech-equality-act-1133600/
Another nomination is always warranted when a Democrat demonstrates the courage of his convictions.
'Two Senate war powers critics — Democrats Tim Kaine of Virginia and Chris Murphy of Connecticut — argued Friday that lawmakers need to know why President Joe Biden ordered the attack without first consulting them.
"The American people deserve to hear the Administration’s rationale for these strikes and its legal justification for acting without coming to Congress," said Kaine, who sits on the Armed Services and Foreign Relations Committees.'
https://www.politico.com/news/2021/02/26/tim-kaine-biden-syria-airstrike-471740
She's a famous comedian, but Kathy Griffin is also a fearless advocate for Democratic causes. This week, she scored an important legal victory with broad implications for the entire country. Doesn't that deserve a nomination?
'U.S. District Judge William Bertelsman had granted a request from Griffin to dismiss the case but the students appealed that decision to the 6th Circuit.
Bertelsman also dismissed the students’ defamation and harassment lawsuits against CNN, the Washington Post and NBC.
A three-judge panel at the 6th Circuit upheld Bertelsman’s ruling saying the ‘Kentucky longarm statute’ being cited in the cases had no jurisdiction regarding Griffin since she hadn’t “committed any act ‘in [the] Commonwealth’ of Kentucky.”
Circuit Judge Julia Gibbons wrote in the decision, “To satisfy that provision of the longarm statute, the ’cause of action must arise from defendant’s activities’ in Kentucky.”
Additionally, the panel found, “there is no evidence that the defendants posted the tweets hoping to reach Kentucky specifically as opposed to their Twitter followers generally.”'
https://therandyreport.com/lawsuit-against-kathy-griffin-by-covington-catholic-students-dismissed/
And I'll finish with a story that has limited impact but warms my bleeding-liberal heart:
'The county's courthouse flags remained at full staff, ignoring Gov. Ron DeSantis' Tuesday afternoon order directing its U.S. and Florida flags to be flown at half-staff. He also ordered the Town of Palm Beach and the State Capitol in Tallahassee to fly their flags at half-staff from sunrise to sunset on Wednesday. Those flags were lowered.
Palm Beach County would only say it followed “normal protocols" on Wednesday, but Commissioner Melissa McKinlay posted a statement on Twitter saying, “The lowering of flags should be a unifying gesture during solemn occasions, such as in remembrance of the young lives lost during the Parkland High School massacre or first responder line of duty deaths." She was referring to the 2018 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas in nearby Parkland that left 17 dead.
McKinlay continued: “Although Rush Limbaugh was a significant public figure, he was also an incredibly divisive one who hurt many people with his words and actions."'
https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/controversy-swirls-lowering-flags-rush-limbaugh-76083754
italyrusty
15|16|17|18|19|20|21|22|23
Another week of obsession with Republicans.
Skip!
Another blowhard back yet again to whine to the blog's author what he should be covering in his own blog.
If you don't like it, Skippy, shove off. I would wager without hesitation that nobody comes here to read your regurgitated shit. :)
so... al green had some advice for americans? did it sound something like...
https://youtu.be/MVzYxqG9N1c
what, not the same al green?
Kick,
Just because I've never seen one of her tweets doesn't mean that I have never heard her speak. Twitter is not a source of information for me. Her twitter attitude came through loud and clear, however, during any number of public appearances which have always rubbed me the wrong way.
Picking a Twitter troll for the very critical position of budget director doesn't make a lot of sense on the face of it. On top of that, her qualifications for the role are not evident. Prove me wrong.
Biden's picks have been quite good in the overall while this one baffles me.
Joshua, here's hoping I won't be alone Sunday night!
italyrusty
15|16|17|18|19|20|21|22|23
Contrarily to [24], I enjoyed your extensive list / critique of the Talking Points' focus on the opposition.
I imagine old habits are hard to break. Another political blog I follow has promised its readers that it will, hopefully soon, actually produce a column that does not mention T---p at all - even as it admitted that it couldn't quite do so, yet.
Elizabeth Miller
26
Just because I've never seen one of her tweets doesn't mean that I have never heard her speak. Twitter is not a source of information for me. Her twitter attitude came through loud and clear, however, during any number of public appearances which have always rubbed me the wrong way.
Her "twitter attitude" displayed in public appearances has has rubbed you the wrong way. Thanks for answering. I was just curious.
Picking a Twitter troll for the very critical position of budget director doesn't make a lot of sense on the face of it.
And you've apparently fallen for the right-wing drivel and spew (again).
On top of that, her qualifications for the role are not evident. Prove me wrong.
You seem to already not know much of anything about her qualifications except the right-wing talking points... so I quite literally have nothing to prove you wrong about. :)
Shocking. Positively shocking ...
John M from Ct.
28
Contrarily to [24], I enjoyed your extensive list / critique of the Talking Points' focus on the opposition.
So "contrarily," you actually do come here to read italyrusty? How does one perform a detailed analysis and assessment of a blog they've repetitively claimed not to read? You know... "critique"?
If y'all are trying to be funny, you've succeeded. :)
I had to look up Neera Tanden, thanks to Elizabeth and Kick's debate about her qualifications for director of OMB. I find she's a long-time top-level Democratic Party strategist and operative. So she knows politics and Washington inside out - not a bad qualification for designing the federal budget.
But no business or inside-government bureaucratic experience. Is that OK? Looking at earlier OMB nominations by incoming presidents, I see that they tend to be politically-interested businessmen. Very occasionally (Obama) I see someone with actual previous experience with the federal budget process.
So I have to conclude that OMB director is primarily a political, not fiduciary or technical post - kind of like most cabinet-level positions, I think. Competence in supervising the relevant experts, and in sniffing the local waters to avoid entrapping the administration in some specialized problem, seems to be the first qualification to be in the federal cabinet.
Since Tanden was specifically tasked with being one of the Democratic Party's voices in opposition to the Trump regime, I can also see now why her tweets are particularly nasty-ish. For better or worse, she was trying to fight fire with fire; or, perhaps given the wish not to jump into the septic pool where the president lived and tweeted from, she was choosing to fight a forest fire with a Zippo lighter.
Elizabeth Miller
30
Shocking. Positively shocking ...
Nope... not shocking at all. You continue to not know Joe as much as you keep claiming. This is neither a new nor "shocking" development on this blog. You also seem to not know the qualifications of the person you're criticizing while repeating right-wing rhetoric and/or talking point... also not new. :)
nypoet22
25
what, not the same al green?
Heh.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xbVNIWR9UA
Rev. Al Green... Rep. Al Green. Totally the same person, and I can prove it: You ever seen those two in the same room together? :)
Nice work, italyrusty! You cranked out a quality "shadow column" recapping action on the Democratic side to match CW's focus on the Repugs.
Kick, I think you overreacted to his Another week of obsession with Republicans.
Skip!
...For anyone interested in what the party in power has been doing, here are some of the highlights.
Any of these would make great 'talking points' if only there was a credible forum somewhere...
I don't think the above was any kind of criticism of this FTP, but rather was a segue into his own impressive work product here in Weigantia (aka the Comments section.)
I do, however, find myself in 100% agreement with your spanking of Elizabeth Miller in re Neera Tanden. Ya gotta remember that EM is a Canuck Moderate with, apparently, a longtime Joecrush. She at times gets overly defensive of both Joe and Moderates. FOR THE RECORD I'm in the "Moderates = DINOs" camp, myself.
But...I'm in 100% disagreement with your [31] So "contrarily," you actually do come here to read italyrusty? How does one perform a detailed analysis and assessment of a blog they've repetitively claimed not to read? You know... "critique"? I come here to read everybody's comments (except for the former troll known as Michale, perhaps.)
Mudit? the pleasure that comes from delighting in other people's well-being, is an excellent word!
Mudit?...damn you, auto correct!
Mudit?
I guess the "?" doesn't translate from preview to post.
MtnCaddy [35-38], is this the word?
Mudita is altruistic joy, appreciative joy: the desire to see others rejoicing in their happiness, the ability to share the happiness and success of others. This attitude is the complement of karuna: while karuna shares the sorrow of others, mudita shares their joy. Mudita is the direct antidote to envy. Envy arises over the good fortune of others: it resents those who achieve position, prestige, power, and success. But one who practices mudita will not only be happy when others do well, but will try to promote their progress and welfare. Hence this attitude is of vital importance for achieving social concord and peace.
Source: Buddhist Information: A Simple Guide to Life, as listed on wisdomlib.org
Yep, that's the word! I Googled it and the "a" is supposed to have a horizontal slash over it. But while that displays when I Preview Comment it posts as a "?"
Perhaps it's because I'm doing my comments on a smartphone?
MtnCaddy
35
Kick, I think you overreacted to his Another week of obsession with Republicans.
Oh, I don't think so. The clue imbedded in the comment that was posted is "another," and overreacting is not something I generally engage in.
It is not a prerequisite for "Skip" nor anyone else to repetitively criticize the author on a recurring basis regarding their personal problems with the content of another man's blog and serving up links for the author's readers as if they somehow needed the help and were incapable without Skip. Repeat: That was neither Skippy's first complaint nor Skip's first attempt at "helping" the author's readers to locate content nobody requested be provided. I am (was) almost certain that commenters aren't visiting CW's blog for Skip's recurring thoughts and links and regular attempts at schooling his readers regarding acceptable content preferable to little old Skip:
http://www.chrisweigant.com/2021/02/05/friday-talking-points-republicans-in-disarray-2/#comment-174835
I don't think the above was any kind of criticism of this FTP, but rather was a segue into his own impressive work product here in Weigantia (aka the Comments section.)
Then you should maybe pay better attention since this ain't Skip's first whine and cheese pity party. Skip is unhappy and put a date on it. Pfffffffffffft. *laughs*
I know this because I am cursed with memory issues in that I don't suffer in any way with having them. :)
I do, however, find myself in 100% agreement with your spanking of Elizabeth Miller in re Neera Tanden. Ya gotta remember that EM is a Canuck Moderate with, apparently, a longtime Joecrush. She at times gets overly defensive of both Joe and Moderates. FOR THE RECORD I'm in the "Moderates = DINOs" camp, myself.
Well, you "gotta" remember that EM is one of my favorite commenters on this blog. I don't spank her; I simply try to get her to question why she sometimes (actually not all too often) repeats the right-wing talking points and thereby falls victim to their ridiculous drivel and spew, and I believe she is too smart for that.
I know exactly who Neera Tanden is and why Joe Biden picked her, and so do the righties. And it has nothing whatsoever to do with her tweets or her language and everything to do with what she knows and who she knows.
Neera knows the righties. :)
Chris, I certainly agree that Republican objections to qualified Biden appointments like Deb Haaland and Xavier Becerra are laughable, but defending the execrable Neera Tanden seems an odd hill to plant your flag on!
Tanden lacks any experience for the office she's been named to. You're right that a lack of any tangible experience didn't keep Betsy DeVos from being confirmed to a job she was ill-suited to. Just because Donald Trump nominated a rogue's gallery of incompetent boobs doesn't suggest that the Democrats should follow suit.
Tanden helmed the Center for American Progress, a corporate and foreign government-funded think tank that routinely attacked progressive agenda items. The CAP has received $33 million from private sector donations. Tanden even promoted cutting Social Security. And she has been accused of union-busting activities against journalists.
I have no problem with her attacking Republicans online. But as a Progressive, I'm disgusted by her legacy of hurling some of the most vicious vitriol against Bernie Sanders and those of us who supported him.
Besides a number of Neo-liberal hawks to run our foreign policy, President Biden's pick of Tanden to be the head of the OMB is one of the most disappointing he's made. The administration official who would be the main liaison between the Administration and Bernie Sanders' Senate Budget Committee shouldn't be someone who has exhibited such toxic and vindictive behavior toward Bernie for quite a few years now!
And witnessing the Administration's full-court press to get her confirmed, leaves me bemused, because they should be putting all that passion and energy into getting the $15 minimum wage into the budget reconciliation bill instead of surrendering on that fight!
taztunes,
Besides a number of Neo-liberal hawks to run our foreign policy, President Biden's pick of Tanden to be the head of the OMB is one of the most disappointing he's made.
Well, Biden is the head of his own foreign policy team and your term, "Neo-liberal hawks" is an old one that doesn't have a lot of real meaning anymore.
I quite like the team Biden has put together - from Secretary of State to CIA director (a state department man, through and through!) and Sec Def.
It's going to be a very interesting time watching this team deal with the challenges and opportunities and Biden, well, Biden is in seventh heaven!
I have to agree with you Re. the Tanden pick - haven't figured that one out yet.
Oh, and as your username might suggest, tomorrow night we music lovers leave our political comments aside for a few hours as we enjoy our favourite tunes and discover new ones at the CW Sunday Night Music Festival and Dance Party. Of course, the tunes may be as political as we wish. Heh.
Hope to see you here tomorrow night and bring your favourite tunes and fun music videos!
John M from Ct. [28] and MtnCaddy [35], thank you.
I agree that "old habits die hard" is part of the reason. But one thing that Trump was right about: every outrageous tweet or off-the-cuff remark or Faux News call-in 'interview' boosted Nielsen ratings and Internet clicks.
How many 'Will Trump run again in 2024?' articles have we already seen? Even the BBC can't resist, today's website profiling a "coffee shop" in Florida that worships Trump.
'The media' hasn't learned a single thing about the rise of Trump. Every article featuring the latest from Rep Marjorie Green, Sen Cruz' Cancun fiasco, etc. is one less article about what Biden and the Democratically-controlled Congress are accomplishing.
Democrats will win re-election for getting things done, not for reacting to the Civil War within the Republican Party.
I discovered Chris' FTP columns a few years ago and was impressed with his proud advocacy of liberal issues and how the Democrats could develop a convincing message - to convince open-minded voters, of course, not Republicans, and certainly not Trumpsters.
Ever the optimist, I return each week to the FTP, hoping that Chris will rediscover the magic.
If we must talk about Trump and the Republicans, it should be to highlight the real dangers they present to Americans.
For example:
'An internal document seen by the Guardian shows that at least 14% of Uline’s corporate workforce has tested positive for Covid-19 since last April, compared to 8.7% of the population in Kenosha county, where the company’s corporate office is located.
Nearly 19% of the company’s Illinois workplace has tested positive, 23% of its California-based workforce, and nearly 27% of its workforce in Texas.
One complaint filed to federal worker safety regulators, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, which was received in July 2020, described workplace hazards including: social distancing guidance not being enforced; lax mask-wearing inside the office; symptomatic employees being allowed to continue to work without face coverings; and employees being forced to return to work in close contact with others even when they could feasibly work from home.'
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/feb/28/uline-dick-liz-uihlein-workers-covid-safety
The VA legislature did this on Saturday, too late for this week's FTP.
It's another great example of "Democrats getting things done" and the Republicans handing a 'talking point' to them on a silver platter.
'The House passed the measure in a 48-43 vote, and the Senate approved it in a 20-19 vote. Not a single Republican voted for the bill in either chamber.
"This, to me, is a justice bill," Del. Charniele Herring, a sponsor of the legalization bill and the Democratic majority leader, said on the floor. '
https://www.politico.com/news/2021/02/27/virginia-legalizes-marijuana-471840
I think, by my count, the MIDOTW award this week marks the third time that Biden has received the honours since being elected president. That is quite something! I hope someone let him know ...
taztunes
43
Tanden lacks any experience for the office she's been named to.
Patently false. Do you even know the experience required for the office? It doesn't seem like it... so here you go:
https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/sites/default/files/omb/assets/omb/recruitment/careers_with.pdf
When both the righties and the far lefties are misrepresenting your resume, you must be governing from the center that they're not too fond of.
You're right that a lack of any tangible experience didn't keep Betsy DeVos from being confirmed to a job she was ill-suited to. Just because Donald Trump nominated a rogue's gallery of incompetent boobs doesn't suggest that the Democrats should follow suit.
I think you meant "rogues' gallery," but the suggestion that any of Biden's choices are criminals or "incompetent boobs" and the comparison to the Trump lot is over-the-top ridiculous. Perhaps your disdain for the one choice is simply all-consuming.
Tanden helmed the Center for American Progress, a corporate and foreign government-funded think tank that routinely attacked progressive agenda items.
More far-leftie talking points designed to scare people. In 2019, CAP received more than 97 percent of its charitable contributions from individuals and foundations. Corporate funding was less than 3 percent and foreign government funding less than 1 percent.
Also, you're volunteering to provide proof that undercuts that ridiculous argument of yours that Tanden "lacks any experience for the office." If's she's served as the President and the Chief Executive Officer of CAP for years and worked therein in multiple different capacities since their founding in 2003, it wouldn't exactly land her in that DeVos "incompetent boobs" category of yours. Add to that her years of work as advisor in multiple capacities in the Clinton administration and her work in the Obama administration as a senior adviser to Secretary Kathleen Sebelius at HHS and her work negotiating with Congress regarding multiple provisions of the Affordable Care Act/Obamacare. Who do y'all think finally managed to birth that baby over 100 years in the making? It was Joe Biden and several others like Neera Tanden, and it was definitely and still remains a BFD despite the fact the far lefties never tire of bitching about how it wasn't enough to suit them... when nothing ever is.
Tanden even promoted cutting Social Security. And she has been accused of union-busting activities against journalists.
"She has been accused"? Biden has been accused of rape. Politics is a dirty business, but you can generally spot the bullshiters coming at you from a mile away. "Promoted cutting Social Security"? Incorrect. In her capacity as a member of the Obama-Biden administration, she stated their position at that time that entitlement reform was on the table... a far cry from promoting the cutting of entitlements. Indeed, Bernie Sanders has accused Joe Biden of the exact same thing saying that Biden "can't hide 40 years of working with Republicans to cut Social Security." Utter nonsense from the far lefties. Obama, Biden, nor Tanden have "promoted" cutting Social Security. That is a far-leftie talking point that borders on lying every single time it is driveled and spewed.
I have no problem with her attacking Republicans online. But as a Progressive, I'm disgusted by her legacy of hurling some of the most vicious vitriol against Bernie Sanders and those of us who supported him.
So it's a personal thing, is it? I would be lying if I said I didn't recognize it right at the jump. They don't call them Berners for nothing, you know. It's like a burning seething-type thing... not all of them, of course. Pay no attention to the "vicious vitriol" coming from them and the Bern himself, but any response in kind simply will not be tolerated by those who claim to value freedom of speech.
Besides a number of Neo-liberal hawks to run our foreign policy, President Biden's pick of Tanden to be the head of the OMB is one of the most disappointing he's made.
"Our" foreign policy? "Neo-liberal hawks"? Well, isn't that cute in a totally transparent yet tired kind of way. Cry more.
The administration official who would be the main liaison between the Administration and Bernie Sanders' Senate Budget Committee shouldn't be someone who has exhibited such toxic and vindictive behavior toward Bernie for quite a few years now!
Poor Bern. Say, hasn't Bernie taken corporate donations? But I digress. Is Bernie simply too frail to take it? He never seemed to mind dishing it out over the decades. Is the Bern a sore loser incapable of putting those multiple losing campaigns behind him? Does the Bern or his supporters feel that defeating the Tanden would constitute at least some kind of "win"? It won't.
And witnessing the Administration's full-court press to get her confirmed, leaves me bemused, because they should be putting all that passion and energy into getting the $15 minimum wage into the budget reconciliation bill instead of surrendering on that fight!
"Full-court press"? *laughs* Like an administration not pulling a nomination constitutes a "full-court press" and the administration must be physically spent from that and wholly incapable of handling any other issues. Comedy gold; I can't stop laughing.
Well, the righties and far lefties can take heart... your joint crusades to deny Tanden the position could succeed, but as Chris rightly points out, the hypocrisy and double standards are most definitely on full-blown display. It's awfully hard to credit the progressive left's whining about Neera Tanden for her exercise of freedom of speech while they've perfected the art of routine personal destruction in mining the past of what people have said all the way back to their childhood. "Hypocrisy" doesn't begin to cover that, but if that's how y'all want to roll, the self-described Marxist young Saint Bernard is a fun subject to dissect. Whole lot of "crazy" going on there, without doubt.
Your Berner butthurt leaves me bemused. :)
italyrusty
45
Democrats will win re-election for getting things done, not for reacting to the Civil War within the Republican Party.
Democrats will win reelection by doing both, Skip!
How many times must I inform Democrats that politics isn't a zero-sum game? Republicans already know this; thank heaven for The Lincoln Project, but what must we do to convince the Democrats?
Ever the optimist, I return each week to the FTP, hoping that Chris will rediscover the magic.
He's fine, and thank you for not denying your disdain for his recent efforts.
Okay! It's finally that time that I long for all week.
Welcome everybody to the CW Sunday Night Music Festival and Dance Party where we put aside the political commentary and focus strictly on the tunes. Which, of course, may be as political as we wish.
I'm in a 'Summer of Love' kind of mood of late and, so, that will be my focus this evening. Specifically, I'd like to highlight the, ah, splendiferous music scene that was Vancouver in the sixties through eighties - the Summer of Love lasted a bit longer up here in the Great White North. And, I could be stuck in this era for a while. Ahem.
To start my controversy ... er, contribution of the evening, please enjoy a favourite song of mine, Crazy on You by Heart - for all of our intents and purposes this evening, Heart is a 'Canadian' band. Well, they had their first success in Vancouver after having moved up from Seattle to ostensibly avoid the draft. So, ... :)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZjEC4WhCvg
Here's a delicate ballad to start off our Sunday Night Dance Party Fake Woke by Tom MacDonald (4:04)
Elizabeth, I gotta walk my dogs a coupla miles and THENCE I'll rejoin the Par-Tay!
Let's Raise A Little Hell with one of my favourite Vancouver bands, TROOPER ...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pG_brDZoLAs
See ya later MtnCaddy - I'll be here for the duration, left coast time!!! :)
Hey, Caddy - Fake Woke by Tom MacDonald - I think I like this guy!
Love Alive Heart (4:19)
When I get back I expect, Elizabeth, that you will have gone to the end of the "Commenting Tips" and taught yourself to post your tunes the way I do. It's not at all hard! I promise, if you just do EVERY song in this way JUST tonight you'll know it well enough that it'll pass to your children in your DNA. THIS HELPS US KNOW WHAT THE HELL WE'RE CLICKING ON -- user-friendly and stuff.
You have your Homework Assignment, Elizabeth...see you in an hour or so!
See you in a bit, Kiddo!
Alright!
I hate homework ... what d'ya say I promise to do the links up right for next week? I'm having too much fun tonight to worry about proper links. :)
Okay, fine. Be that way!
Here's a great band formed in Vancouver - it's Sweeny Todd with Nick Gilder - Roxy Roller!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=di3rPBH4Ep0
Here is Nick Gilder on his own with Hot Child in the City - love, love, love singing along with this tune ...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ERqwe_D7anI
A certain Vancouver musician and songwriter actually sang with Sweeny Todd when he was just fifteen. He hung out with PRiSM, too (more about THAT, later!) ... and the rest of Bryan Adams' story is history, as they say ... enjoy Cuts Like A Knife ...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VZhSkREYBc
Speaking of Bryan Adams and the Vancouver music scene, the Summer of '69 ... still, the Summer of Love. Heh.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HtipPCt317Y
My all-time favourite Bryan Adams song is Lonely Night ...
"I just can't take another lonely night. So come on over and save me! Save me from another lonely night."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nwXsh7bYN_c
With plenty of connections to my all-time favourite Vancouver band or band of any town, anytime, PRiSM, here is Jerry Doucette and Mama Let Him Play (some rock 'n roll!) ...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UwsqoTugSK8
I think I just lost a couple of pounds and we're just getting started!
Haha!
I didn't know we're all 'sposed to get off our fannies and dance! Do we gotta do it the whole time? I'm 62, Girl!
(thinking)
I dunno, Elizabeth. I just happened across a roach and it's been some days...
Hey -- good job on labeling your songs! I wanna be able to go back and relisten to some of our Sunday Night tunes.
Ooooo...I like this guy Tom MacDonald! Check out his Cancelled (5:34)
And here's Lil' Troy's
Wanna be a Baller (5:55)
It would seem I'm in a Hip-hop mood....
Oh...okay! Harrumph.
From the Summer of Love I give you Ball of Confusion, Temptations (4:01)
I can get into hip hop. Yes I can!
And...
I Just Want to Celebrate, Rare Earth (3:37)
But, I do want to take a little step away from Vancouver for a moment, though I think John Kay still resides there, for some of the time, anyway ...
Love, love, love Steppenwolf's Magic Carpet Ride - a great Canadian band!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPE9a_epmWw&list=RDHPE9a_epmWw&start_radio=1&t=118
And, just try and sit still for Steppenwolf's Born to be Wild ...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mLhpXUtxS1c&list=RDHPE9a_epmWw&index=2
Reeeaaally, Dear Elizabeth? Hip-hop?
Here's the first Hip-hop song I ever heard, and it's "white rap" to boot!
One Night in Bangkok Murray Head (3:56)
Oh yeah? That's an all-time classic, hands down. But this is my fave Steppenwolf song Magic Carpet Ride (4:31)
I'm gonna throw in my fave Tupac song, It's All about U (4:36)
I really love Magic Carpet Ride ...
But, to get back to Vancouver, where it all started to happen for Loverboy. And, of course, there are a couple or three PRiSM connections ... here's my fave, Turn Me Loose!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TnHm4ro_l8s
Haha we got a little overlap on the Magic Carpet Ride, cuz I didn't read thoroughly enough.
[63]
I really liked the music video that went with "Roxy Roller." More, please.
Everybody's working for the weekend ... or, in my case, working ON the (whole) weekend ... with Loverboy!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dsgBpsNPQ50
More Nick Gilder? Coming right up!
Couldn't find anothe video like Roxy Roller but here he is doing Hot Child in the City - did I play that already? Oh, well ... love singing and dancing to this one!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSXXCF-lTio
Hey -- good job on labeling your songs! I wanna be able to go back and relisten to some of our Sunday Night tunes.
Hey, that reminds me ... we need a CW Sunday Night Music Festival and Dance Party PLAYLIST!
Here's one just for you, Caddy!
It's Hot Girls In Love by Loverboy ...
Dance around the living room!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KW22JDVEejk
Hmmmm. A playlist would be nice. Chris is redoing his website -- maybe we could ask him to code in a feature that lists each days posted links. "Handy for both songlists and political links," is how I'd sell it.
Well, at least put all of the songs posted on Sunday Nights. Like you, I'd like to go back and listen to them ...
Speaking of Tupac, did you ever see the movie Strange Days with Ralph Fiennes and Angela Bassett - one of my all time favourite movies - love the ending! :)
Not sure if I can last until 12am left coast time ... but, I'm gonna try!
No, um, I've never heard if it. I've been a Hillbilly for 35 years and the selection of movie theaters up here in the sticks ain't much. So I've missed a zillion good movies over the years.
Here's some 'Murican rock from Ram Jam, namely Black Betty (2:24)
No worries if you cain't hang until midnight, my Dear. You have me plenty of songs to go through tonight (and tomorrow with morning coffee.)
Here is rare audio of an unreleased version of It's Over, written by Jim Vallance, the original drummer/songwriter for PRiSM, my favourite rock band from Vancouver or anywhere ...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGLy-6B9h7Y&fbclid=IwAR3ZTAXl3hHYuWS0G8lhge3qcJdTUvndaMKLudbFlkzCsz00ywRXP-SNPM0&app=desktop
And, here is the version that was actually released on PRiSM's phenomenal debut and self-titled album from 1977 - one of my very favourite Prism tunes ...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8g1231eTbpM
I love Ram Jam's Black Betty! Was thinking of playing it but then I went with a Vancouver theme ... :)
I just grabbed some of the 150 45 RPM records (aka Singles) I bought back in my teens and I just might put a little something together for next Sunday.
Meanwhile, how about a little Radar Love? Golden Earring (5:04)
Actually, Prism's debut album was so good that I'll have to play a few more before the night is through ... Freewill, written by Tom Lavin, an original member of my favourite band and who went on to form the Legendary Powder Blues Band, is one I'll just have to play tonight!
Oh, here it is!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LSAa5K3uL2M
Okay, I love Golden Earring and Radar Love! Nice pick!
Lucky you! I wish I still had my 45s - have no idea where they ended up. Ditto for my Prism LPs ... just have the cds now.
I bought my first single in 1967 and that's where a lot of my allowance went growing up.
Both my folks were really into Classical music, and my Dad who was a semi-pro Tenor (aka "God's gift to humanity.")
I remember Saturday nights when I was a kid, my Daddy banging out the accompanying piano as he rehearsed for a couple of church gigs the next morning.
Oddly enough, although my Ma was one of those Classical music snobs my Dad tured me and my brothers on to Simon & Garfunkel, Chicago, Frank Zappa, Yes and ELP.
I don't have much left over from back in the day. But I got my singles, my 150 albums that I bought when I was in college, and my three axes, er, guitars.
PRiSM was actually a kind of studio project. But, they ended up sounding so good, especially with the addition of the phenomenal lead vocalist, Ron Tabak, that they just had to get out of the studio and perform live.
The roots of PRiSM go back to Stanley Screamer, the great Vancouver band, Seeds of Time and, most importantly, a Vancouver band called Sunshyne. More about all of that another time.
But, here's another track off that wonderful debut album from 1977 - it's the first climate apocalypse tune, Take Me To The Kaptin ... a band well ahead of their time!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sv24gN27kRM
Hey, Elizabeth! I think we have the Comments Section all to ourselves.
Um, what are you wearing? (wink)
Caddy, what a wonderful upbringing you had with all of that music being instilled at an early age!
I have ELP's debut ... on a cd, though ... just bought it recently, during the first lockdown of the Pandemic.
I'm wearing a sexy little dress, floral print with a ruffle around the hemline and pretty low cut front neckline - it's great for dancing, sleeping or, just about anything. Heh.
But seriously, I didn't know it was PRiSM that did some of these songs that you've reintroduced me to. You know, a "like the song -- don't know who did it" situation.
I know what you mean. That's what's so fun about these Sunday nights!
Heh heh heh.
You keep that up, Girlfriend, and I might have to excuse myself to go, er, handle something.
Ha!
Yeah, this is cool.
I live and breathe politics and it's not easy to let it go come Sunday nights. As you know, ahem.
But this is not only fun. It's not only a trip down memory lane. It's therapeutic for me. I'm sure that somewhere along the line I've said how I feel that Weigantia is kind of a family to me, especially because Covid. So I'm having a good time with Miss Canadia -- woot!
BTW I'm going to find out from my computer genius BFF just how hard it would be to construct our automatic Sunday Night Mixtape, including the links.
And as addicted to politics/world history/religions etc this reminds me that I need to step away from it. Clear my head and just be chillin like a villain.
Yeah, all us brothers started piano at 6, as my Grandmother was the first woman in Detroit who scandalously went to people's homes to give piano lessons. So, the piano wasn't optional, if you get my drift. I picked up the violin at 8 years old and was pretty good at it. Flash forward to my typically rebellious teens and I would get in fights with my parents over having to play the violin (when all I wanted to be was to be the next Paul Simon.) Seems my violin teacher convinced my folks to make me practice because "I'd be in an orchestra someday."
I think we need another PRiSM tune ... this one was written about a year or so before the first Star Wars movie came out ... it's probably one of the most well known PRiSM tunes and, of course, it's one of my favourites ... I don't have handy a great live version of it but here is Spaceship Superstaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaar ...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sSyYqD9v_wo
We really do need a break from politics ... and, I'm hoping to entice a few new people here who may not necessarily share our politcal views but who really do love music as much as we do ... here's hoping...
Alrighty, Dearheart. I'm going to be the weenie here and bail for the evening. I still haven't showered from my walk plus I have to give one of my dogs a bath. And 0620 is a coming fast!
Thanks for a delightful evening, Elizabeth. "I hope it was good for you, too," said the guy.
Speaking of guysville, here's a G'Nite song from Liz Phair's album Exile in Guysville, a sensitive ballad of unrequited love called, um, Fuck and Run (3:08)
I mentioned Jim Vallence a little earlier this evening.
He was PRiSM's original drummer, before Rocket Norton, and the other half of the phenomenal songwriting duo with Bryan Adams. Jim has also written or co-written many other songs that everyone would recognize like Aerosmith's Rag Doll, Bryan Adams' Kids Wanna Rock among many, many others. Which I will highlight along the way, on future Sunday nights.
He wrote Spaceship Superstar, It's Over, Take Me To The Kaptin and this one, a favourite PRiSM tune, Vladivostok ... you must turn this one up very, very loud!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87g5Rckyruk
It was great for me! Let's do it again ... next Sunday night!
BTW I'm going to find out from my computer genius BFF just how hard it would be to construct our automatic Sunday Night Mixtape, including the links.
That would be great! Better than a time-limited edit function, even ... you know, for those of us who don't use the preview function enough. :)
I'm sure Chris will love adding it to his 'to do' list. Heh. G'night ...
Y'all weren't by yourself. Just because I wasn't saying anything doesn't mean I wasn't playing along and listening. :)
I knew you were here, Kick. :)
One Sunday Night we'll have to focus on the sounds of Texas ...
But, for now, you gotta fight for your right to ... PARTY!
Enjoy the Beastie Boys ...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBShN8qT4lk
Or, maybe you just Wanna Be Sedated ...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bm51ihfi1p4
Here's another favourite Vancouver band - Chilliwack doing My Girl ...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yahBtp_1jWE
Whatcha Gonna Do (When I'm Gone) is another Chilliwack favourite ...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2DVt8K8d4ac
And, I'll bet that some of you will know this Chilliwack tune ... Fly By Night ...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2Y4isl9dyg&list=RD2DVt8K8d4ac&index=24
Oops ... I mean Fly AT Night ... a very easy mistake for a Canadian girl to make. :)
This one goes out to MtnCaddy ... it's the Romantics, from Detroit, performing What I Like About You!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rqnw5IfbZOU&list=RD2DVt8K8d4ac&index=26
Oh, I got that one in just in time!
Just one more, for Kick ... it's the Romantics peforming my favourite, Talking In Your Sleep, live in San Antonio in 1984 ...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5V3IezcuJ-
And, I'm officially done for the night. Until next Sunday, stay safe, everyone!
And, finally, this one is for MtnCaddy, to go along with the morning coffee ... One In A Million by the Romantics
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGAV8wvYdVI
Over and out.
Well, not quite - I have to end with this fun Loverboy tune and video ... Workin' For The Weekend
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zL8G5pBZ5CI
Elizabeth Miller
120
I knew you were here, Kick. :)
We can sense each other, am I right? :)
I was listening contentedly while remaining silent... recovering from second COVID vaccine.
Presented to ER with every side effect they warn you about plus a few I hadn't heard. Diagnosis: Hell of an immune response.
I am Teflon now. ;)
I wouldn't be so sure of that. Being Teflon, I mean. So, take good care and don't do anything I wouldn't do. :)