Friday Talking Points -- GOP White Supremacist Caucus Forms
Some Republicans have apparently decided that political dog whistles are just no longer even necessary. After the bombast of Donald Trump, they're now quite comfortable just openly saying exactly what they mean -- no matter how racist it might be.
We refer to the formation of a new congressional caucus: the "America First Caucus." Normally, this wouldn't be all that big a deal -- just some group of extra-Trumpy GOP members getting together to figure out what their Dear Leader would want them to do in Congress. But their founding document was leaked, and it goes a wee bit further in laying out the founding principles of the new caucus. Here are their first few paragraphs on immigration, for instance:
The America First Caucus recognizes that our country is more than a mass of consumers or a series of abstract ideas. America is a nation with a border, and a culture, strengthened by a common respect for uniquely Anglo-Saxon political traditions. History has shown that societal trust and political unity are threatened when foreign citizens are imported en-masse [sic] into a country, particularly without institutional support for assimilation and an expansive welfare state to bail them out should they fail to contribute positively to the country. While certain economic and financial interest groups benefit immensely from mass immigration, legal as well as illegal, and the aggregate output of the country increases, the reality of large segments of our society as well as the long-term existential future of America as a unique country with a unique culture and a unique identity being put at unnecessary risk is something our leaders can afford to ignore no longer.
As such, America's legal immigration system should be curtailed to those that can contribute not only economically, but have demonstrated respect for this nation's culture and rule of law. America's borders must be defended, and illegal immigration must be stopped without exception.
They call for protecting "this nation's culture," which is described as "a unique culture and a unique identity" (at least before all those undesirable immigrants tried to ruin it). These are all dog whistles, though, so in case you missed it, they further define exactly what they're talking about, in no uncertain terms: "uniquely Anglo-Saxon political traditions." White people, in other words. There's just no other possible definition of "Anglo-Saxon," really. The only surprising thing was that they didn't come right out and say "Aryan" rather than "Anglo-Saxon."
In case this wasn't evident enough, the caucus further injects their racial ideal into, of all places, architecture. No, really! Here is the first paragraph of the section on infrastructure:
The America First Caucus will work towards an infrastructure that reflects the architectural, engineering and aesthetic value that befits the progeny of European architecture, whereby public infrastructure must be utilitarian as well as stunningly, classically beautiful, befitting a world power and source of freedom. As the Romans demonstrated with aqueducts, walls and roads, function and beauty are not at odds. Federally funded infrastructure, including roads, buildings, airports, seaports, bridges, should demonstrate a pride of workmanship. A bridge is not merely something to cross from side A to side B, it is a connection among peoples.
"European architecture" is "stunningly, classically beautiful, befitting a world power and source of freedom." They'll even let the Italians into their Anglo-Saxon club, since Roman aqueducts are spoken of approvingly. Any other (non-European, one supposes) architecture must be summarily rejected, since it so obviously does not live up to their stated standards of beauty and freedom. Which is nothing more than: "White people designed and built it."
As we said, they're now just saying this stuff right out in the open. There just is no other possible way to interpret what they are saying other than it is pure White supremacy of the first order. White people get to determine the ideal culture of America, while immigrants (the document later clarifies this as only the ones who entered after 1965, which assumably lets all their own immigrant ancestors off the hook, since none of these congressmen are actual Native Americans) are the ones who need to immediately adopt all of White culture, and they certainly better not try to build an aqueduct that doesn't look as classically beautiful as those Roman ones do.
This group was the brainchild of the usual suspects, the craziest of the crazy: Representatives Marjorie Taylor Greene, Paul Gosar, and Louie Gohmert. Who are now entirely comfortable with letting the world know who they really are.
The real question is what the rest of the Republican Party will have to say about this. So far (this news broke today), we haven't heard a peep out of House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy or any other prominent GOP leader. The longer they stay silent, the more they signal their acceptance of a group of Republican elected officials just coming out and blatantly admitting that they ascribe to White supremacy. This has all been aided and abetted by the hotheads on conservative cable channels, who are also now feeling comfortable just flat-out making White supremacist arguments on the air.
This all should come as no surprise, really. Donald Trump began his political career by denouncing Mexicans as rapists and drug dealers, after all. And he had a notable amount of political success beating this very ugly drum. He certainly didn't create the racism in the Republican ranks, but he legitimized and normalized it to a degree America hasn't seen since the Civil Rights era of the 1960s. For roughly a half-century afterwards, it was not deemed acceptable to say such things in polite society. Now, though, Republicans just don't care. They've all but destroyed the very idea of "polite society" already, and they are riding high on Trump's exploitation of racism in the ranks of their own voters, so this really must have seemed like a natural next step to them.
Which, of course, doesn't make it any less horrifying or disgusting. And the rest of the Republican Party now has a very tangible choice: denounce this indefensible White supremacy within their own ranks in the strongest terms, or allow evil to triumph by good men and women doing nothing. Our guess is they'll be quite comfortable with the "do nothing" route, since most of them have been following that path ever since Trump got elected. "Tweet? What tweet? Sorry, I haven't read it," will now become: "New caucus? Haven't heard of it... sorry, gotta run...."
Meanwhile, President Joe Biden is calmly doing what he was elected to do -- make politics boring once again. Think about it -- in the past week, Biden has rolled out two major foreign policy announcements and made progress on various domestic programs, and he has barely caused a blip in the media by doing so. We already predicted this, and we are even more confident of the prediction now -- Joe Biden's presidency will be favorably compared to Dwight D. Eisenhower's. They will be seen as competent but boring executives who got a lot done while calming the frayed nerves of a nation. Which is, in a way, exactly what we all voted for. The divide between the parties is becoming starker and starker -- Democrats stand for competency and commonsense solutions, while Republicans are trying to sell you a tinfoil hat to combat the alien cosmic rays that can control your brain. This may be overstating things a bit for humor's sake -- but not by much.
Part of the reason why Biden achieved some significant things without much media attention was the fact that the Derek Chauvin trial (the cop who killed George Floyd by kneeling on his neck for 9.5 minutes) was so heavily covered, for the second week in a row. Both sides have rested their case, so sometime next week the jury will begin deliberations. This will be a pivotal verdict no matter what it turns out to be, but the whole thing did kind of suck all the media oxygen out of Washington in the meantime.
What you may have missed (in the midst of all the trial coverage) was President Biden's announcement that America will be ending its longest war and bringing all troops home from Afghanistan by 9/11. Biden, in his remarks, put it plainly -- it is now "time to end the forever war." Biden also announced new sanctions on Russia, for hacking America's computer systems (including several federal government departments) and for interfering in our elections. There's a new sheriff in town, in other words, who isn't desperate for Vladimir Putin's love and approval. A return to normalcy, in other words.
On the home front, the weekly unemployment filings number came in lower than at any point since the pandemic began. It's still high -- 576,000 people filed jobless claims last week -- but it is also way down from the peak of the crisis. Perhaps this is part of the reason why Biden continues to receive widespread public support in the polls:
The latest Morning Consult-Politico poll, for example, has the president at 60 percent approval with only 37 percent disapproval. He's off the charts among Democrats (92 percent) and wins independents 52 percent to 40 percent. Sixty-three percent approve of his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic (compared to 24 percent approval for congressional Republicans). Despite the actions of many GOP governors, nearly 70 percent of voters think "Americans should continue to social distance for as long as is needed to curb the spread of coronavirus even if it means continued damage to the economy."
The next big issue on Biden's plate (other than his first address to Congress, which will happen on the 28th of the month) is negotiating his infrastructure plan in Congress. Yesterday, a collection of Republican moderates was supposed to release their own $600-$800 billion infrastructure plan as a counteroffer to Biden's $2.3 trillion proposal. However, after teasing this plan to the media, it has not (as of this writing, at least) appeared yet. So apparently they haven't been able to agree even among themselves what it should contain, or (more contentiously) how they're going to pay for it. The one idea we've heard that could be included is not going to be a political winner (especially for Republicans), since it would involve either a gas tax increase or a per-mileage "user fee" (tax) on everyone (which would collect money from electric vehicles who avoid paying any gasoline taxes at all). As we said, neither has ever been seen as a Republican-supported idea, which might explain why they're having problems coming to any sort of agreement.
They're in a bind because they truly want everyone to believe again in bipartisanship, but at the same time they've got to explain things like supporting raising taxes to the rest of their own party. And they're so constrained by Republican dogma that they will likely never be able to come up with anything even remotely good enough for Biden. But they'll even admit (anonymously) to reporters that Biden's already winning the media narrative, as one staffer for the "G-10" (the working group of 10 GOP senators trying to agree on a plan) put it:
Back to the nightmare. It starts with what they see as some hardwired media narratives they can't shake: that Biden is a reasonable, deal-making moderate and that Republicans talk about compromise but really just want to obstruct. It's a perception that has given the White House all the leverage.
"Biden is a horrible villain for us," said the G-10 staffer, meaning not that he was an actual villain but that he was difficult to villainize. "There are deeply entrenched narratives that have some truth but are no longer totally true. Reporters believe them despite all evidence to the contrary."
They see a White House "constantly rubbing dirt in the face of Republicans" over the party's lack of interest in bipartisanship while "passing as many partisan bills as they possibly can through reconciliation before they lose the House in 2022."
. . .
"Everything they support is defined as either COVID relief or infrastructure, and everything they oppose is like... Jim Crow voter suppression and evil," this G-10 aide said. "And you constantly just feel like you're in this gaslighting chamber of insanity. But it's working."
What is truly funny is any Republican daring to whine about a "gaslighting chamber of insanity" after the past four years of Donald Trump. But at least they do realize they're on the losing end of this argument.
Joe Biden has shown that he is open to the concept of bipartisan negotiations and legislation, but he is also not going to patiently wait forever for such a thing to materialize. If the Republicans can't honestly bargain for a reasonable deal, then Biden will indeed move forward without them and get legislation passed that is overwhelmingly popular with the American public. Republicans have the choice of either working -- quickly, with no endless stalling allowed -- to influence such legislation, or they can refuse and sit back and watch Democrats (rightfully) claim all the credit for the success. Again.
Biden has already split his domestic agenda in two. His "American Jobs Plan" was the first part, and he's got another one waiting in the wings (the "American Families Plan"). This was done to separate the things the White House knew Republicans would never support into a secondary bill that could pass using reconciliation, while allowing Republicans to have input on the infrastructure parts that they historically have supported. The Republican position right now is that the first bill must be shrunk to the bare bones and all the things they don't want to vote for should be pushed into the second bill. Biden will likely negotiate along these lines for a limited time, but if an agreement doesn't seem likely in the near future, then he may just decide to pass both bills using budget reconciliation rules in the Senate. The ball is really in the GOP's court, which is why their failure to release their own plan (after teasing it to the media) was notable. Let's see if they can even agree on anything among themselves....
In other news out of Congress, the House is about to pass (or has passed) a few notable bills. For the second time, a bill will pass to allow Washington D.C. to become a state. Also on deck is a bill which would create a commission to study the question of reparations for slavery. This is not actually a reparations bill, it's just a blue-ribbon commission, but it would be a good first step to take (just to study the idea and issue recommendations).
Senate Republicans (except for six of them) apparently realized the political optics were bad, so they decided not to filibuster a hate-crimes bill aimed at fighting anti-Asian violence across the country. Mitch McConnell voted for it, as he well should have, since he is married to an Asian-American (Elaine Chao). The final vote could come some time next week.
Democrats in both houses introduced bills to expand the Supreme Court to 13 justices, but they're not expected to move anywhere any time soon, since President Biden has formed a commission to study court reform and most Democrats (including Nancy Pelosi) will be content to wait and see what they recommend.
That's about it for the week. One last interesting note -- Cindy McCain (John's widow) is going to get a choice ambassadorship in Western Europe, which she certainly fully deserves seeing as how she may have been a critical factor in convincing Arizona voters to vote for Joe Biden.
We're going to hand out a group award this week, to all the Democrats in the Maryland legislature. They scored a big victory this week, which coincidentally happened the week of the Derek Chauvin trial. Here's the full story:
Maryland's Democrat-controlled legislature on Saturday moved to pass a sweeping police reform package that repealed the state's police bill of rights, becoming the first state in the nation to do so and overriding Republican Gov. Larry Hogan's vetoes in the process.
The state's police bill of rights covered due process for officers accused of misconduct. Advocates for repeal have called it "one of the most extreme in the nation." The new law will also give more oversight power to civilians.
Another one of the bills Hogan vetoed will require "certain" no-knock warrants to be approved by both a supervisor and the State's Attorney and be between 8 a.m. and 7 p.m., barring "exigent circumstances."
One of the new laws will also require officers to use force only if it is "necessary and proportional."
The move, a win for police reform advocates, comes amid a national reckoning with policing after the death of George Floyd, a Black man, at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer last year. Many states have considered police reform in wake of Floyd's death.
"Maryland is leading the country in transforming our broken policing system," Maryland House of Delegates Speaker Adrienne Jones, a Democrat, wrote in a tweet Saturday. "Now, for the first time in our nation's history, the rights of officers will not be held above the rights of individuals, and policing in Maryland will be transparent and citizen-centered."
This is how meaningful police reform happens. It is not merely a slogan to vaguely support (or not), it represents tangible change in how the police are allowed to operate. Cops and police departments and the towns, cities, and counties that employ them all need to be held accountable and liable when abuses happen. The more multimillion-dollar judgments against municipalities are handed down, the more such entities will think long and hard about what they allow their officers to do.
The threat of lawsuits is a powerful one in America. In fact, if each police officer had to carry liability insurance for his or her official conduct (paid for by their employer), a lot of these problems would self-correct over time. If insurance rates went up for one particular officer because he got sued repeatedly, then eventually no police department anywhere would hire him -- it'd just be too expensive for them to do so, when they could hire a more-professional officer without paying extra in insurance premiums. This may not be a perfect scheme to fix things, but one thing for certain is that awarding all cops blanket immunity for their actions just has not worked. We've tried that, so it is now time to try something else.
Maryland Democrats, this week, led the way. Which is why we are awarding all the ones in the state legislature that made this happen -- over their Republican governor's veto -- this week's Most Impressive Democrat Of The Week award.
We're hoping other state legislators (especially in states blue enough for this to actually succeed) are taking note.
[Congratulate Maryland state Democrats individually, if you live there, to let them know you appreciate their efforts.]
Andrew Yang caused a bit of a stir this week, for not disengaging with an overbearing idiot quite fast enough. Here's the story (and the video):
In the video, someone asks the mayoral front-runner whether a man, "while he's f---ing b----es, can he keep his Timbs on?" -- a reference to Timberland boots. Yang said, "I think it's purely up to your partner."
The man continued by asking Yang whether he "choke[s] b----es," to which Yang laughed and backed away, appearing to gesture with his hand that the conversation was over.
"I think most New Yorkers know that I try to be friendly to people, and in this case someone wanted a video and I thought I'd be friendly," Yang told reporters Thursday when asked about the clip. "But then he said something that was plainly inappropriate that I didn't find funny at all and so I walked away and ended the interaction as quickly as possible. You know, obviously I don't think that's appropriate."
Yang was indeed trying to banter with the guy and be lighthearted, but he really should have realized earlier that this wasn't exactly the mayoral look he's striving for (Yang is running to be mayor of New York City). But he did finally realize it was time to bail, so we're only going to give him a (Dis-)Honorable Mention. He's still fairly new to politics, so he's still working on developing his radar to spot "stop the interview/video" opportunities quickly enough, obviously.
Instead, we are giving this week's Most Disappointing Democrat Of The Week to President Joe Biden. Biden has chosen political timidity over fulfilling an explicit campaign promise, and it's a fairly important one. Here's the story:
President Biden has decided not to lift the cap on refugees for the current fiscal year from the level set by the Trump administration, according to a senior administration official, abandoning a previous proposal to Congress to allow a more refugees to come to the United States and instantly angering human rights advocates.
Biden plans to keep the refugee cap at 15,000, according to the official. That figure is a historic low set by then-President Donald Trump last fall. Earlier this year, Biden had proposed to Congress lifting the cap to 62,500. He has pledged to raise it to 125,000 for the following fiscal year, which begins in October.
Other media outlets reported that Biden knew full well how much heat he would get from Republicans if he made this move right now -- a move he not only promised but actually proposed to Congress. They're already using the situation on the southern border to make as much political noise as possible, and this would just hand them another weapon to do so. Meaning Biden's reluctance to take a bold stand here is understandable.
But it's certainly nothing to be admired. Biden knows Trump's number is far too low. He wants to change it. But he's afraid of doing so now, because he would draw a lot of political heat. That is not a quality in a leader to be proud of (to put it mildly), which is why Joe Biden is our Most Disappointing Democrat Of The Week this week.
Biden's been around Washington long enough to have learned one very hard lesson: it is never "the perfect time" to talk about immigration policy. There's always a "crisis" happening somewhere. That's part of why the DREAM kids are still waiting for a permanent solution. So it's not a very positive sign for movement on this key issue.
[Contact President Joe Biden on the White House contact page, to let him know what you think of his actions.]
Volume 614 (4/16/21)
A mixed bag this week. Oh, it didn't really fit anywhere else, but we at least have to tip our hat to the pranksters in Albany who manipulated one of those "artfully light up windows on a skyscraper" displays last week to taunt their own governor's failings. The display, which faces the governor's office, had spelled out: "NY TOUGH," but with only minimal changes this was turned into: "NY TOUCH," a rather snarky commentary on Andrew Cuomo's handsiness. Whoever made this happen, we have to say we were pretty amused by it!
But in any case, let's get to our suggested talking points for Democrats to use this week, shall we?
K.K.K. caucus?
Hit every Republican hard, on this one.
"I see there's a new caucus in the House of Representatives. Some of the Republicans decided to form what they're calling the 'America First Caucus,' which heavily supports, and I quote from their founding document, 'uniquely Anglo-Saxon political traditions,' as well as 'the progeny of European architecture... stunningly, classically beautiful, befitting a world power, and a source of freedom.' I mean, they're not even trying to hide any of this any more. They are explicitly promoting White supremacy, right in the halls of the United States Congress. I suppose we shouldn't have expected anything different, since they also supported overthrowing a certified presidential election by violence -- a mob carrying Confederate flags, mind you. I call on every Republican who is disgusted by such naked appeals to White nationalism and White supremacy to denounce the America First Caucus and all Republicans who join it -- or, at the very least, be honest and call it the 'Aryan Caucus' or the 'K.K.K. Caucus,' or perhaps the 'Caucasian Caucus' -- that last one has a nice ring to it, right?"
Who cares?
This one is already gaining some traction.
"Republicans in Congress are complaining loudly that some of the things included in President Biden's American Jobs Plan are 'not infrastructure.' You know what my response is? It's the same response any average voter would give them -- Who cares? Who cares what you call it? Who cares what parliamentary pigeonhole you think it belongs in? Are you for the ideas, or are you against them? Tell us your objection to making home health care affordable for millions of Americans. If you're against things like that, then argue on the merits of each part of the proposal. Just saying it's not infrastructure therefore you somehow cannot vote for it in an infrastructure bill is exactly what voters hate about politicians, because it is just one more excuse for not getting anything done, ever. Joe Biden is tired of that kind of thinking. And so are a majority of the voters. You know what they want to see? Results. Not hair-splitting tantrums."
Recovery is well underway
Democrats shouldn't ever stop reminding everyone how well things are going.
"I see that this week's jobless filings are lower than they have been at any point since last March, when the pandemic began. Overall unemployment continues to drop as well. We still have millions of jobs to regain, but the recovery is well on its way. With more and more Americans getting vaccinated, the speed of the recovery will only increase over the summer. We're not out of the woods yet, but boy are we headed in the right direction! The Democrats passed the American Rescue Plan to allow all this to happen, and President Biden has been doing a stellar job on vaccine delivery. We are trusting that the voters will remember who voted for this recovery, and who voted against it, next year at the ballot box."
Polls show it, too
This one is always worth pointing out.
"Republicans have, for the past few years, chosen to stand for just about nothing. Their party doesn't even have an official platform or agenda anymore. It's a personality cult, plain and simple. Meanwhile, Democrats are getting things done that the people want to see accomplished. Don't believe me? Look at the polls. Biden's job approval averages in the mid-50s, when Donald Trump never even rose above 50 percent for a single day. Some polls put Biden up to 60 percent approval. Voters agree with the Democrats that the following things do qualify as necessary infrastructure investments: schools, 70 percent agree... replacing lead pipes, 78 percent... broadband, 68 percent... manufacturing, 69 percent... housing, 69 percent. On gun safety measures, 83 percent of the public wants to see universal background checks. Other reforms such as banning assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, mandatory waiting periods, and barring people with mental illness from gun ownership all poll between 64 percent and 83 percent. President Biden is right -- there is bipartisan agreement on all kinds of issues Democrats are trying to pass. Republican politicians are falling more and more out of touch with their own voters. That's not exactly a winning strategy, folks."
Truly free speech
It's not just political donations, anymore, Mitch....
"Republicans seem horrified that the same corporations they bestowed free speech rights upon would ever have the temerity to actually use that political free speech to advocate for anything positive. It's not just all about tax cuts anymore, as more and more corporations are finding out what it truly means to be good citizens. It means standing up against naked attempts to rig elections and suppress minority votes. It means standing up for civil rights -- for everybody. Now that corporations are actually doing so, Republicans want to punish them. This week, however, a group of 100 corporate CEOs held a virtual meeting to determine what their next steps will be, politically, to show their disapproval for what Republican legislatures are doing across this country. This has to be seen as a real warning shot across the GOP's bow -- either stop trying to undermine democracy, or all those lovely campaign contributions are about to disappear entirely. We'll see whether the GOP gets this message or not."
Trump who?
As the Trump sets slowly in the Everglades...
"Last weekend, Donald Trump gave a speech to a bunch of Republican donors. And it was barely even a story. He threw out his prepared speech (because of course he did) and just ad-libbed an hour-long rant about how put upon he is and how nobody likes him anymore. He called Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell a, quote, dumb son of a bitch, unquote, and the astonishing thing was how little anybody even noticed. Trump is yesterday's news... even for most Republicans. The media has finally come out of its fugue state and realized they just don't have to pay attention to him anymore. So it's like: 'Trump gave a speech? Trump who?' -- a welcome development indeed."
Get your Fauci ouchie!
An important message.
"If it hasn't already happened where you live, within days any adult or child 16 years or older will be able to get the first of their vaccine shots. This is the final crucial push to reach herd immunity for everyone -- we're still at just under 40 percent of the population vaccinated, so we've still got a ways to go. Democrats would really encourage everyone to go out and get your 'Fauci ouchie' as soon as is possible. Especially Democratic voters -- we're going to need you next year, so we definitely want you to stay healthy and not die from COVID in the meantime. The best way to get safe is to get your shots, everyone!"
-- Chris Weigant
Follow Chris on Twitter: @ChrisWeigant
Cross-posted at: Democratic Underground
<Biden plans to keep the refugee cap at 15,000, according to the official. That figure is a historic low set by then-President Donald Trump last fall. Earlier this year, Biden had proposed to Congress lifting the cap to 62,500. He has pledged to raise it to 125,000 for the following fiscal year, which begins in October.
I'm confused. Biden keeps the cap on refugees for now because the system is in such a state that it cannot administer an increase at this time.
So, Biden will raise the number of refugees to 125,000 later this year. Campaign promise more than fulfilled!
Biden is the last political leader on the planet who will buckle into timidity, much less so under so-called pressure from the current incarnation of the GOP.
What am I missing!?
SHEEEEE-it.
Biden plans to keep the refugee cap at 15,000, according to the official. That figure is a historic low set by then-President Donald Trump last fall. Earlier this year, Biden had proposed to Congress lifting the cap to 62,500. He has pledged to raise it to 125,000 for the following fiscal year, which begins in October.
I'm confused.
Biden keeps the cap on refugees for now because the system is in such a state that it cannot administer an increase at this time.
So, Biden will raise the number of refugees to 125,000 later this year. Campaign promise more than fulfilled! Right?
Biden is the last political leader on the planet who will buckle into timidity, much less so under so-called pressure from the current incarnation of the GOP.
What am I missing!?
It's a little early in the administration to be taking on the silly Russ Feingold mantra of 'we want what we want when we want it!'
. . . or maybe not. I thought he learned the lessons of the Obama years. Give the people tangle results now.
Big Money Joe needs to do something about this gundemic right now too.
I don't like the potholes in my street either.
The insurrectionist who turned rat today is described in news reports as a founding member of both an obscure heavy hate metal band and the hate group oath keepers. Apparently, the don't take an oath to not rat out the other terrorists.
In addition to that rodent, one of the oath keeper ring leaders was a trans woman. She says she has been “treated harshly” and is at “particular risk in custody” because she is transgender. Poor her. Keep her locked up.
The terrorist who was shot dead was married and they had a live-in girlfriend, a throuple.
Republicans have become so super freaky, it's just not surprising that Dems have resorted to cannibalism. Keeping up with the Joneses is hard to do.
Interesting lead about the KKK Caucus (much better than Caucasian Caucus, by the way). Clearly their anti-immigrant screed is pure white supremacy.
But I'd draw a finer line about their odd choice to take a stand on public architecture. Everything they say is not a position AGAINST non-European and FOR European architecture, i.e. it's not about whiteness per se (something you got, a little, with your dig about the Italians suddenly being included as honorary Anglo-Saxons). It's against Modernism - which was invented by Europeans, and which dominates global architecture irrespective of whether the principals are Chinese, Mexican, or German. What the KKK Caucus wants, in line with a Trump policy issued to the shock of the architectural community a few years ago, is a return to pure Classicism as a requirement for public architecture. White? sure. But so is Modernism (Corbu, meet Eero; Ludwig, Walter, glad you could drop by). One might almost congratulate the KKK Caucus for having at least one position that is actually 'Conservative' rather than White Supremacist; that the past it insists is superior to the present is white is not the point, so much, because the present and future that it opposes is also white - but progressive.
As to the Talking Points, a good list and terse, as they should be. I particularly like 2, "Who Cares?"; I'm not at all convinced by 5, "Truly Free Speech". Talk is cheap, and so is speech - I'll believe that corporations are going to stop supporting the Republican Party when I see it, not when I see a feel-good petition and PR campaign or two.
John from the other C., re [7]:
Whoop! Whoop! Great point about how super freaky some of the MAGA crowd seem to be.
Pass the braised shoulder, please.
TP1-
Could easily be summed up with my own catchy phrase "want the benefits of the #herdcommunity? Participate in #herdimmunity.
But then again I am one of those liberty hating libs that believes that one should participate in something for the greater good.
T'aint it amazing how many of the right to lifers are also anti-mask and anti-vax? Life sucks when the karma wheel lands on your little wedge...
That was quick.
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/biden-maintains-trump-low-refugee-cap_n_6079bd18e4b0bc5a3a569c98
But the MDDOTW award stands, sorry.
-CW
John M from Ct -
I read it as "all govt buildings should be Greco-Roman, like all the ones in DC are." And don't forget Brutalism. Lot of anti-Brutalism going around, which is understandable seeing how pug-ugly the old FBI HQ is...
The Trump thing I had forgotten, though, but you're right he did try to weigh in on it. Wasn't that one of his "get an executive order ready for him to sign, he wants to be on teevee today" things? That's how I remember it, anyway...
-CW
Chris, I applaud your choice of MIDOW.
I know this is probably pissing in the wind, but why not dedicate one the talking points to the Maryland legislature's override of the veto by the Republican governor?
This is a perfect example of how important it is for voters to pay close attention to the "down ballot" candidates. This could also reiterate how much more the state representatives can affect the voter's day-to-day existence than the Federal government. And it would of course be an opportunity for a Democratic politician to highlight his/her support for meaningful police reform.
All without saying the word "Republican" once.
Nancy Pelosi may not be impressive enough for some, but to more than just me she has shown impressive leadership and political cunning.
The final paragraph includes terrific "facts and figures" that highlight why Speaker Pelosi has been called "an iron fist in a Gucci glove."
'“Some people come here, as Dave Obey would have said, to pose for holy pictures.” She changed her voice and mimicked a child trying to make a solemn show of piety. “See how perfect I am and how pure?”
Obey, a Wisconsin congressman, had made his share of sausage as chair of the Appropriations Committee. “Remember when David used to say that all the time?” Pelosi asked, still steaming. “‘OK, there’s the group that’s going to go pose for holy pictures. Now let’s legislate over here.’
“And that’s experience,” Pelosi declared.'
https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2021/04/15/nancy-pelosi-alexandria-ocasio-cortez-481704
@cw[11],
wow, that really is disappointing. it may be hard to undo 4 years of abuse in 100 days, but it sure seems like this oversight could be corrected a whole lot faster than is currently happening.
JL
Chris [11],
What was quick? The realization that there was initial confusion about what Biden said and what motivated him to say it?
Please. Anyone who knows anything about Joe Biden knows that media reports indicating Biden caving to pressure in keeping such a low limit on refugees that Biden has always opposed knows that those media reports were faulty - as per usual, when it comes to Biden, I hasten to add.
I think a reassessment of the MDDOTW award is in order, to be saved for those times when Biden really deserves it.
From the White House press secretary,
The President’s directive today has been the subject of some confusion. LAST WEEK, he sent to Congress his budget for the fiscal year starting in October 2021, which honors his commitment. For the past few weeks, he has been consulting with his advisors to determine what number of refugees could realistically be admitted to the United States between now and October 1. Given the decimated refugee admissions program we inherited, and burdens on the Office of Refugee Resettlement, his initial goal of 62,500 seems unlikely.
While finalizing that determination, the President was urged to take immediate action to reverse the Trump policy that banned refugees from many key regions, to enable flights from those regions to begin within days; today’s order did that. With that done, we expect the President to set a final, increased refugee cap for the remainder of this fiscal year by May 15.
I have long learned, through endlessly frustrating "news reports" throughout Biden's long career in public service, that it is never a good bet to accept media accounts of what Biden does and why he does it at face value. My radar goes up particularly when his motivation is chalked up to timidity.
I just consulted the Google dictionary for the official definition of "supremacist", and found "One who believes that a particular group is superior, and should therefore dominate society."
That raises a couple questions in my mind. First, is there any question as to whether 'whites' do or do not "dominate society"? How could anybody dispute that they, in fact, DO? And second, does that fact not constitute some degree of prima fascia evidence that they are indeed "superior"?
And if you say 'no' to that, then what could be the alternative explanation(s) of how/why they do? If not 'superior', then what? Meaner, greedier, more aggressive, or what?
Stucki-
Nice troll there but world wide Asians dominate followed by Indians. So, are you going to toss aside your conservative/libertarian views and jump on the capitalistic communism of the Chinese or convert to Hinduism?
BB [23]
It seems to me that you are equating/confusing 'domination' with 'population', are you not? That's classic non sequitur reasoning.
CW: Yesterday, a collection of Republican moderates was supposed to release their own $600-$800 billion infrastructure plan as a counteroffer to Biden's $2.3 trillion proposal. However, after teasing this plan to the media, it has not (as of this writing, at least) appeared yet.
The Party formerly known as the GOP has ceased to be able to govern. They're incapable. In order to successfully govern, a political organization must have an agenda on which they agree, and the only things on which the GQP seems to agree are:
* taxes bad
* government bad
* Democrats bad - socialism/communism - QAnon cult crazy
If you don't believe that government is inherently bad, elect the GOP and find out; they'll run it off the rails and prove it to you. They've never not proven "government bad" in my lifetime, and Democrats are elected to specifically clean up the inevitable wreckage of the bad government they promised. Every. Single. Time.
Health care plan? So easy. Really terrific. Second to none. We have two plans coming out. Repeal and replace. We haven't failed; we're negotiating. Phenomenal health care. We're signing a full and complete health care plan. Two weeks. Very soon. It's just about completed now.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4STwwbRRURI
Infrastructure plan? So easy. Really terrific. Second to none. We have two plans...
Stucki,
Meaner, greedier, more aggressive
Yep. That's how the Europeans took over the place in addition to bringing disease with them. Now, it's maintained through lying, cheating, and killing. Oddly enough, spreading deadly disease is still featured.
@crs,
the key word in your definition is "should." while it is beyond doubt that certain people of european descent HAVE achieved a superior position in society, through which they dominate, it's an entirely different question whether that position is deserved. it's yet another question whether whatever got them there qualifies as merit, much less whether the category to which they attribute their position has anything whatever to do with said merit.
JL
Republicans in Congress are complaining loudly that some of the things included in President Biden's American Jobs Plan are 'not infrastructure.
In regards to the plan's proposal to replace 100% of America's lead pipes and service lines, I've heard some of them whining that pipes are not infrastructure.
You know what my response is?
The Keystone Cops are still butthurt about their XL pipeline having its permit revoked by President Biden on Day 1 in office. Pipes are only infrastructure to Republicans when there's oil running through them.
Stucki-
It seems to me that you are equating/confusing 'domination' with 'population', are you not? That's classic non sequitur reasoning.
Possibly, but no more than you have in your initial post. What is "white" society? The religion is middle eastern, the governmental system is Greek. Popular culture is mix from all over the world. Hell, even capitalism requires some narrowing of it's historical development to purely assign as a western European (not American) invention.
So, what do you mean?
JFC
Spreading infectious diseases was a by-product of 'colonization' (or whatever you choose to call it). The white folks suffered from the same diseases they spread, and it was never planned nor intentional, plus, the natives responded in kind, (Think syphilis)
@crs,
the more likely answer is that european geography made it much more difficult than most other continents on earth for any of the hundreds of independent city-states to conquer and control its neighbors. over time, those geographic limitations produced cultures that were stronger, meaner and more aggressive. and i mean "cultures" both in the sociological sense and the epidemiological sense.
JL
C. R. Stucki
21
I just consulted the Google dictionary for the official definition of "supremacist", and found "One who believes that a particular group is superior, and should therefore dominate society."
Nope! *blows whistle* I respectfully call comma foul. You've inserted a comma before the word "and"... bad form. Comma foul!
You've eliminated the qualifier that the person believes their group is superior and should therefore dominate society.
That raises a couple questions in my mind. First, is there any question as to whether 'whites' do or do not "dominate society"?
Your query is superfluous to the definition of "supremacist" because the definition isn't whether or not the group actually is superior but that they believe they are superior and should therefore dominate. Big difference.
The Google definition of "supremacist" is:
*
It doesn't say anything about "White," Stucki. That handiwork was all yours.
How could anybody dispute that they, in fact, DO?
Easy. Just put your lips together and blow... like whistling except words come out.
And second, does that fact not constitute some degree of prima fascia evidence that they are indeed "superior"?
No... and it's "prima facie evidence." Hmmmm... I wonder why you're spelling it like "fascist"?
And if you say 'no' to that, then what could be the alternative explanation(s) of how/why they do? If not 'superior', then what? Meaner, greedier, more aggressive, or what?
I'm not quite sure, but I think it's more like pure unadulterated inbred ignorance.
Stucki,
it was never planned nor intentional
Not that I said that it was, but it wouldn't be surprising if it was. There are plenty of Republicans intentionally doing it right now and they know that people of color are disproportionately affected.
Regardless, when the "natives" died off from imported diseases, it helped the "white" immigrants get the upper hand.
BashiBazouk
29
Possibly, but no more than you have in your initial post. What is "white" society? The religion is middle eastern, the governmental system is Greek. Popular culture is mix from all over the world. Hell, even capitalism requires some narrowing of it's historical development to purely assign as a western European (not American) invention.
That's what I'm talking about, Bashi. Good form. Your post reminded me of this group of right wingnuts that me and some of my crew had the pleasure (displeasure) to run into. I've mentioned on this blog before how I once came to inadvertently encounter a meeting of the KKK. I had never in my life... up until that point, of course... run into such a large group of imbeciles assembled in one location. While we were being detained at gunpoint by these cretins, there was this large creepy sounding moron going on and on about Black people (not the actual word he used) and Brown people (not the actual word he used), and Jewish people (not the actual word he used). When the oversized bald guy was finished squealing out insults like a stuck pig (I declare, he likely had to have used two king-sized bedsheets to cover the circumference of his girth) he asked them to all bow their heads and pray.
He cleared his throat: "Lord, Jesus..."
I started laughing and could not get control of myself... this was at gunpoint while being asked what I found so funny. When I was finally able to attain my composure, the king-sized bedsheets guy said: "In Jesus' name we pray, amen," and I lost it again.
When we finally got out of there, one of my crew said: "Why in tarnation couldn't you stop laughing? Did you just want to get us injured? What was so dang funny?"
I couldn't help myself. Porky Pig in white sheets and a pointy pillowcase had spent 30 minutes waddling back and forth and going on and on about white superiority to Black people, Brown people, Jewish people (again, not the words he used), and then they all hit their knees and prayed to a Jewish man, invoking his (anglicized) name repeatedly. Amen.
The United States is a nation full of an inordinate amount of people who are too ignorant to understand their butt-ugly ignorance, and I mean that in the nicest way possible... if that's possible. :)
C. R. Stucki
30
Spreading infectious diseases was a by-product of 'colonization' (or whatever you choose to call it). The white folks suffered from the same diseases they spread, and it was never planned nor intentional, plus, the natives responded in kind, (Think syphilis)
Not that JFC said that it was, but you are incorrect about it "never" being "planned nor intentional."
Kick [35}
Sorry, that old Native-American myth about smallpox being intentionally spread among their ancestors by means of infected blankets is pure nonsense/bullshit.
Consider that one on par with the more modern fiction that the word 'squaw' was coined to mean something equivalent to 'vagina' as an insult to N-A women. Totally bogus.
C. R. Stucki
36
Sorry, that old Native-American myth about smallpox being intentionally spread among their ancestors by means of infected blankets is pure nonsense/bullshit.
I never referred to it as a myth or as being spread among anyone's ancestors.
Consider that one on par with the more modern fiction that the word 'squaw' was coined to mean something equivalent to 'vagina' as an insult to N-A women. Totally bogus.
Seriously? This squaw stuff again, Stucki? Regardless, your attempt at a straw man argument doesn't change historically documented letters wherein the British approved and used the tactic. There are links to the actual letters wherein the tactic was discussed and approved below.
I also supply a link below to "Colonial Williamsburg" where extensive research is provided regarding the British and their use of this tactic. They too discuss the Fort Pitt historical documents, among other things, including the use of the tactic by the British against the American Revolutionaries. George Washington also documented it in his letters.
*
I have little doubt you'll discount the historical proof from hundreds of years ago that the British employed these tactics against not only the Native Americans but the British Traitors to the Crown and Continental Army... because that's generally what righties do these days... ignore historically documented facts -- up to and including hours and hours of evidence documented on film circa 2021, January 6 to be exact -- in favor of the fabricated propaganda that fits their worldview.
Wow, CRS, look what you've done!
Death Harris,
LOL. You are easily amazed. Let me help. Some things are important, relevant and interesting and some things are useless, repetitive and boring. You and your grifting and trolling fall into the second category.
BTW - you can leave me out of your boring and repetitive talking points about "dodges to avoid addressing my claims and questions" because I already have more than enough info about One Stupid Demand and you only make two claims:
1. Big Money is The Problem.
2. One Stupid Demand is The Answer.
Both are assertions supported by nothing more than other unsupported assertions.
As usual, your political analysis is warped and infantile. Keeping Howie Hawkins off the ballot in some states is not on par with genocide and Howie was not "eliminated".
Liz
I Googled 'Incongruous', and it was defined as "Debating the merits of smallpox transmission conspiracy theories in the midst of the Covid19 pandemic".
After all, wasn't smallpox among the N-As a 'done deal" from the time the first infected European sneezed on the first uninfected N-A?
Don,
It is amazing ...
Yeah, that is what I meant by my 'wow' ... notice I placed no emphasis on it. Heh.
CRS,
I Googled 'Incongruous', and it was defined as ...
Are you talkin' to me? I'm not part of that discussion.
Hey, everyone! Tonight at the CW Sunday Night Music Festival and Dance Party our theme will be 'little known gems from the eighties' so, I hope you'll all join Caddy and me and have a little fun to end off the week.
It doesn't have to be exclusively eighties, if you'd rather not, but it looks like it will be a focus. It certainly works for me, though for a long while I purposely stayed away from the eighties. Since that time I have discovered it may be my favourite decade, second only to the seventies.
See you later tonite!
I think a reassessment of the MDDOTW award is in order, to be saved for those times when Biden really deserves it.
Which should be next to never.
:-)
Chris[11],
So-o-o-o-o serious.
Next time you comment on something, put a little more fun into it, okay!? Heh.
Anglo-Saxons....why are the Jutes left out of your club? Perfectly Germanic tribe who barged into Britain. How do Roman buildings and aqueducts fit into the AS narrative. The Romans were Italian....yet Italians aren’t in the Country Club...the US Census didn’t even classify Italians White until well into the 20th Century. Should I mention the Jesus problem ....why not?
Liz My [42]
Oops, sorry, meant to direct that one to Kick. At my age, those things happen.
Oh, I completely understand that! Heh.
By the way, Stucki, I hope we'll see you at the big Sunday Night shindig - you must have some eighties favourites, right? :)
CRS-21
The answer to your hypothetical question is “arriving to the USA as human property that can be bred by their owner to produce more human property.” Brute force subjugation upheld by law.
@ts[53],
that's the method more than the cause. for the time being i stand by my geography hypothesis. and obviously, whoever made the first pie was bound to conquer the world.
JL
Stig Your [53] Re my [21]
Sorry, I don't follow. Which question?
@ts[48],
yep, that's always been a bit of an issue.
real jesus, fake jesus
@crs[55],
it's a response to your question of how (other than natural superiority) anglo-saxons came to dominate the north american colonies.
JL
CRS-55 see comment 57.
Stig
Sorry, still don't follow. Sounds like you're describing the black immigrants, not the anglo-saxons? No anglo-saxons arrived as 'human property', did they? I've heard of 'indentured' anglos, but not enslaved ones.
Don Harris
40
Push the button so the commenters here can feel "superior" by being on the historically correct side of events from the past while ignoring the Deathocrats, Republikillers and big money interests employing today's version of eliminating the opposition.
Thank you for that glimpse into your ailing psyche. Not to defend Stucki, or anything of the sort [just kidding, Stucki], but discussing history is something that he floats in on occasion and we inevitably end up doing. I would wager it surprises no one else here in the least that the resident board troll would spout off and attempt to define him as "pushing the button," and it sure as hell doesn't surprise me that you would disparage the responses in a ridiculous declaration of how somebody "feels," followed by another grievance bitchfest that the content of the responses didn't focus on your repetitive obsession.
Read carefully and allow it to permeate: Everything isn't about you, Don, and every utterance on this blog is not required to discuss your obsession, particularly, especially, and least of all the author's posts.
It is amazing the amount of research that some of the same commenters can do when their buttons are pushed that can't even seem to find my comments that previously answered their recycled claims/questions they are again using as dodges to avoid addressing my claims and questions in the current thread.
If that word salad I've quoted above was directed toward me, I agree that I am amazing. Yes, kidding. Of course, I am amazing in many and multiple ways [I believe we all are... with the exception of the obvious crazies, of course], but it doesn't take much "research" to find someone else's research replete with links to physical proof and then blockquote it and supply two links. Obviously, I am infinitely amazing because I did post two links in one comment box, but I owe all that to MtnCaddy... the true mountain man because he lives at higher elevation than the original mountain man... no offense, Stucki, but he does physically reside in thinner air, which goes a long way to explaining that time that me and EM wondered if he was inebriated, but I digress.
But back to Dopey Donald Harris, I mean Death Harris, if you believe I can't find your comments, then you haven't been paying attention... that whole head in your ass problem that you frequently display. Meanwhile, Stucki doesn't appear to suffer your affliction and seems aware that commenters here enjoy discussions of history/social studies. Lastly, if you believe those said discussions on the "current thread" are "dodges to avoid" yourself and your obsession, then you are negatively touched and far beyond any professional help.
So to recap: Methinks we got us a classic case of troll jealousy and delusions of grandeur. Stucki got a "wow" in response to history, while everyone else said "not today," and Death was ignored!
John From Censornati
41
LOL. You are easily amazed. Let me help. Some things are important, relevant and interesting and some things are useless, repetitive and boring. You and your grifting and trolling fall into the second category.
Exactly this!
BTW - you can leave me out of your boring and repetitive talking points about "dodges to avoid addressing my claims and questions" because I already have more than enough info about One Stupid Demand and you only make two claims:
1. Big Money is The Problem.
2. One Stupid Demand is The Answer.
Exactly this!
I like this "One Stupid Demand" term of JFCs. We could even alternate it with the similar "One Crazy Demand" so we could refer to Don's obsessive compulsive disorder as OCD.
C. R. Stucki
42
Pretty sure you meant this for me.
I Googled 'Incongruous', and it was defined as "Debating the merits of smallpox transmission conspiracy theories in the midst of the Covid19 pandemic".
So you're saying you're "incongruous"?
After all, wasn't smallpox among the N-As a 'done deal" from the time the first infected European sneezed on the first uninfected N-A?
That was an awfully nice attempt at moving the goalposts, Stucki, but I'm not playing football today. Batter up. :)
TheStig
48
Anglo-Saxons....why are the Jutes left out of your club? Perfectly Germanic tribe who barged into Britain.
I know, right!? No love for the Vandals and Visigoths either.
How do Roman buildings and aqueducts fit into the AS narrative.
They sat stonefaced and idly by while being conquered.
The Romans were Italian....yet Italians aren’t in the Country Club...the US Census didn’t even classify Italians White until well into the 20th Century. Should I mention the Jesus problem ....why not?
I like the way you think. Check out the nice Italian work at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre... practically commedia dell'arte. :)
Elizabeth Miller
52
By the way, Stucki, I hope we'll see you at the big Sunday Night shindig - you must have some eighties favourites, right? :)
Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture, circa 1880... the one with the loud cannons.
https://youtu.be/VbxgYlcNxE8?t=725
Well, I guess that qualifies. :)
C. R. Stucki
59
No anglo-saxons arrived as 'human property', did they?
Wow. So you're saying that you're unaware that the Anglo-Saxons made slaves of the Britons they conquered?
I've heard of 'indentured' anglos, but not enslaved ones.
So you're completely unaware that the Anglo-Saxon word for "Briton" is used interchangeably for "slave."
Well, allow me to clear that up for you, then. I've grown quite used to cleaning up your misconceptions. You're welcome. :)
Heavy Metal Böyz
Splendid Isolation
Wake Up (It’s 1984)
Kick [61],
One Crackpot Demand. I like it.
John From Censornati
70
One Crackpot Demand. I like it.
OCD! Yes, sir.
Do we have a song for that!? Yes... yes, we do, and the video on this one is to die for.
_________________
***********************
This one is dedicated to OCD and Death Harris:
Dead Man's Party
All dressed up with nowhere to go...
Okay! It looks like the CW Sunday Night Music Festival and Dance Party is well underway. Time to put our political commentary aside for a few hours and let the power of music take us away! Of course, the tunes may be as political as we wish.
I'd like to get started with a favourite PRiSM tune from 1980 ... try sitting still to this one!
American Music
American Music
Just a little glitch to start off the evening. Hreh. :)
Here's Lee Aaron with a tune from 1989, kinda turning the tables on women as sex objects putting the man in the spotlight ... you go girl!
Whatcha Do To My Body
You want some head banging at its best ... you want the Headpins, one of my favourite Vancouver bands ...
Just One More Time
More Headpins!
Featuring the late great Brian "Too Loud" Macleod and Darby Mills...
Turn It Loud
My favourite Headpins tune ...
Don't It Make Ya Feel
The soaring vocals of Ron Tabak gave PRiSM its distinctive sound. Sadly, he was out of the band by the end of 1980, replaced by Henry Small in 1981.
Here's the track off their 1980 album Young and Restless ... title inspired by, you guessed it, the popular soap!
Young and Restless
This is a PRiSM tribute to Dorothy Stratten, Playboy playmate of the year for 1980. She was discovered by her soon to be husband in a Vancouver area Dairy Queen. Eighteen months later the 20-year-old cover girl was found murdered by her husband. He shot her in the face before turning the shotgun on himself. Dorothy presented PRiSM with their framed platinum albums just a few months prior ...
Cover Girl
Off of April Wine's 1980 album, Harder...Faster,
I Like To Rock
Off April Wine's 1981 Album, Nature of the Beast,
Sign of the Gypsy Queen
"Lightning smokes on the hill rise
Brought the man with the warning light
Shoutin' out, you had better fly
While the darkness can help you hide
Trouble's comin' without control
No one's stayin' that's got a hope
Hurricane at the very least
In the words of the gypsy queen"
Off April Wine's 1982 album, Power Play,
Enough is Enough
Off of April Wine's 1984 album, Animal Grace,
This Could Be The right One
Off of April Wine's 1988 album, Walking Through Fire,
I Rock Myself To Sleep
Okay, so this is from 1979 but it's such a great cover of a Rolling Stones tune by a great Canadian band out of Regina and then Winnipeg ...
Streetheart - Under My Thumb
One of my favourite Neil Young songs,
Keep On Rockin' In The Free World
Another one!
Hey Hey My My (into the black) - Neil Young at FarmAid, 1985
If you ever get a chance to see Colin James live, do it! He just did a fun virtual concert from his home in Vancouver the other night in support of the Sunshine Foundation which makes dreams come true for kids with disabilites and illnesses.
Here he is with a tune off his debut album in 1988,
Five Long Years
More Colin James from his 1988 debut album ...
Voodoo Thing
My all-time favourite Colin James tune, from 1990, though...
Keep On Lovin' Me, Baby
Sorry, I couldn't find the sexy version, ahem.
I have to take a little break. Where is everyone?
Time for some Bryan Adams ... here are three of my favourites from the eighties co-written by Adams and his prolific songwriting partner, Jim Vallance, original drummer and songwriter for another Vancouver rock band, PRiSM!
Kids Wanna Rock
Cuts Like A Knife
Summer of '69
Look at that! Three links in one comment. Woo Hoo!
Hey Caddy! Where the heck are you!?
This is such a fun tune off the 1980 Young and Restless album and the picture here is of the classic and definitive PRiSM line-up: Rocket Norton - drums, Lindsay Mitchell - guitar, Ron Tabak - amazing vocals, Al Harlow - bass (new solo material to be released soon!) and John Hall - keyboards (his cousin is current keyboardist for PRiSM!)
The Visitor
A quadruple shot of Gowan, but you can call him Larry. Heh. All from the eighties ... the video for A Criminal Mind is from 2009, the very best version of this song!
A Criminal Mind
Cosmetics
Strange Animal
Moonlight Desires
Lawrence Gowan has been with Styx since 1999 but still does a number of solo concerts every year. Don't ever miss the chance to see him live - he's a performer extraordinaire. Even his virtual concerts during the pandemic have been productions that are second to none!
All The Lovers In The World is from 1990.
So far, I've just scratched the surface of my favourite Canadian bands ... so much music, so little time.
Still an hour or so left, everyone! Don't be shy - chime in with your favourites from the eighties ...
Honeymoon Suite from Niagara Falls, Canada - where else would they be from? :)
Burning In Love
Love Changes Everything
Wave Babies
And, I'll end my part of the program with Deception
Good night, everyone - take care and stay safe!
Duh-Oh! Missed another Anglo-centric Sunday Night Dance Party.
Yeah that's YOU I'm talking about, Canada, Australia & Great Britain!
And here I'd have to say that I thought renouncing Satan and All His Works would free up my Sunday social calendar a bit. But those Jezebels and Delilahs are still chasing after me.
I was listening, EM, but you wore me out with all those multiple links! This is on you, MtnCaddy. ;)
@caddy,
jezebels and delilahs are the best kind!
JL
Kick,
Always happy to have you listening in!
Caddy,
Duh-Oh! Missed another Anglo-centric Sunday Night Dance Party.
Well, that hit me like a tonne of bricks.
Yes, my selections this week were ... white, white, very white.
Thanks for the knock upside the head!