…so…Bernie picked up the most delegates again
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/02/22/us/elections/results-nevada-caucus.html
…which ought to be the sort of thing that makes a person feel better about the electoral climate
…but somehow leaves yours truly increasingly uneasy, truth be told
…because it seems like the Gordian Knot that we seem to be confronted with continues to be one of tightly bound ignorance & there doesn’t seem to be an Alexander handy to cut that bitch…no disrespect to Tio Bernie
…so it’s hard not to wonder if the whole thing isn’t made up of puppet strings
…in a saner climate these folks would have all the national political significance of a couple of dozen would be sovereign citizens looking to avoid their taxes the way only the “truly” rich are apparently “entitled” to
…because I quite honestly struggle to comprehend how you can walk around this world with a functional set of eyes & ears & anything at all behind & between them that isn’t entirely atrophied from lack of use & not see how the people supporting this shit are getting played…perhaps particularly the ones that are the busiest patting themselves on the back about their masterful manipulation of their brave new world of moral cowardice
https://www.washingtonpost.com/2020/02/22/roger-stone-motion-judge/
…but here we are…with the margin for error in the electoral college having already been proven to be functionally smaller than the sum total of people with no interest in even learning the error of their ways, let alone acknowledging them
…much as I don’t think some of these assholes would even admit what it used to mean to say of a politician that they ought to “consider their position”
…because this kind of shit shows zero evidence of the sort of consideration that might reasonably be expected to be applied in any sense of the word
If you want a sense of why things are so rotten, look at the guy at the top of the heap of the DC press corps, Peter Baker, chief White House reporter for the NY Times.
In today’s NY Times, Baker has a front page story about Trump clearing out people “perceived to be disloyal.”
What does Baker doggedly refuse to acknowledge? They’re not being fired over policy, like he says over and over. They are being canned because they are loyal. Loyal to the law, loyal to the Constitution, loyal to the American system of government.
Baker ignores the simplest, most obvious, and scariest evidence because he and the NY Times refuse to admit what is going on. Trump is not purging the disloyal out of some kind of personal quirk. He is attacking the roots of the American system. And the NY Times has made an institutional decision to purposefully look the other way.
They want to make it into, “Every president has the right to choose their own appointments!” when the trend has been for decades to leave someone who is good at their job in their post, regardless of party affiliation or personal beliefs.
I’m not sure if that article is related to an incident where, apparently, a Trump official called in some heads of department and asked them to name names of people who are anti-Trump. But that’s a thing that happened.
Pretty transparently trying to keep on his good side (although obviously he hates them no matter what they do).
It’s a real toxic relationship.
And now let’s brace ourselves for the next round of complaining about the lack of trust in the press and how their industry is dying.
…funny enough, there doesn’t seem to be anything too hazey about that analysis?
…the Times, they aren’t for changing?
Self-inflicted
Don’t forget Maggie over at the NYT, too:
https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2017/10/is-trump-whisperer-maggie-haberman-changing-the-new-york-times
Deep State or Deep Hurting
https://www.axios.com/trump-memos-deep-state-white-house-ce5be95f-2418-433d-b036-2bf41c9700c3.html?fbclid=IwAR0HPDBd8JjkUOrsZ4kfMt1Tj5js–nurh_W-5hB8fSYD2zwrwEw052gd4k
…I guess I just assumed the “policy” was humpty chumpy’s standing policy of fucking up everything in sight…but you make an excellent point
And the inevitable rebound when a Democrat fires someone for legitimate reasons will be the Peter Bakers of the media talking about it being Trumpian.
Their entire grift is grinding down all facts, evidence and truth until everything is the same.
American goes for something around 200 years operating on the idea that maybe one guy shouldn’t have all the power and then we end up here, one guy taking over the whole government and half of the political system. Wheeehaw.
“how I stopped worrying & learned to love the bomb”?
Look at how much joy he has. Gotta envy that right?
well, they do say ignorance is bliss…& it sure seems like I could stand to be a bit more blissful?
But he’s also fulfilling his mission, after great adversity!
…it’s the classic hollywood ending, really
“from a certain point of view”
I’m gratified that Bernie picked up a win and is looking to collect quite a few more on Super Tuesday. This is probably a temporary happiness, though, because the summertime in this election is going to be ugly. For now, though, I’ll enjoy the fact that moderates are twisting themselves in knots because! actually! Bernie is losing because he doesn’t have the majority! Now they’re arguing over which moderate should drop out “for the sake of the party, for the sake of the country.”
George Zimmerman needs to be cleansed from the planet. He has done enough harm to his own reputation by murdering a child, but then subsequently spending his life as a free man beating his partners and filling a whole Wikipedia page of shenanigans. But Bloomberg is polling at 30% for Democratic primary, so Florida will keep being Florida.
It’s not even the moderate voters who are freaking. Sanders won the moderate demographic in Nevada to go with the rest.
It’s the idiots in the press who call themselves moderates who are freaking out.
They’ve had four years to convince themselves that Trump is normal and now they are so committed to that narrative that anyone who may push the needle back to the center is going to make them look like idiots.
There is definitely a disconnect between what the media is reporting and the actual statistics. Something like 6/10 voters in NH and Nevada support M4A which translates into Bernie being the natural choice. Last night/this morning the narrative has shifted quite a bit but the press is still pulling for Buttigieg or Biden to pull off a miracle. There has been no pushback, however, when Trump or a Trump official quips that “Bernie honeymooned in Moscow.” We all know why.
I’m more of a Warren fan, but it’s pretty damn exciting to see him do this well.
It is all in labeling. Get ready to hear more about Socialism than ever before & now that the Russians are supposedly helping Bernie, Communism will come up too. I just stayed w/ an elderly very democratic aunt that told me she didn’t like Bernie because of Socialism and Medicare for all. I asked her if she was on Medicare and she was. I told her that was Socialism and didn’t she think everyone deserved to have healthcare. She agreed but the media is doing a great job of convincing the elderly that it is all just a give away to the lazy kids of today. It seemed like most elderly Californians I came across liked Klobuchar even though they couldn’t name any policy she has they liked. All I learned was that I need to keep taking my blood pressure medicine and keep self medicating if I am going to make it through the next year of bullshit!
…there’s nothing quite like the sinking feeling of trying to explain to some folks (particularly elderly folks) that the terms they’re using don’t mean what they think & actually if they think about it what they really agree with is closer to the opposite of what they just said
…if it helps any we seem to be pretty stocked up on empathy hereabouts if you need a supplement on top of the blood pressure meds…just sayin’
“…there’s nothing quite like the sinking feeling of trying to explain to some folks (particularly elderly folks) that the terms they’re using don’t mean what they think & actually”
I just had that convo with my mom, this past week–on Bernie & “Socialism” as a matter of fact!😉😂🤣
I had to explain that “Socialism” in the current Bernie sense *isn’t* old-school communism, *or* Nazi/Facist-style “Socialism” from the 1930’s & 40’s. That it’s MUCH more like old-school Farmer-Labor Party leanings than “Socialism”-socialism https://www.mnopedia.org/minnesota-farmer-labor-party-1924-1944
I finally got through to her, when I reminded her of what Republicanism *used* to be, versus what it’s become today–that was what really helped it to sink in.
The press sees the world through incrementalist, technocratic blinders, so they cannot accept that someone pushing wholesale change might be doing it in a good faith way based on examination of the evidence in plain sight.
They default to the assumption that Sanders (or Warren) must be operating out of demogoguery exactly the same as Trump.
The trap the media (and the GOP) are setting up for themselves is that the things Sanders talks about — healthcare, education, oligarchy, the environment — are real, unlike Trump’s xenophobia-based boogiemen. If Socialism becomes associated with caring about real problems, then people are going to see the Socialist label as validating Sanders’ commitment, rather than negating it.
Maybe Trump can win by flip flopping to sell himself as the defender of the status quo. That is not in his nature, though, and I’m not sure if he can make it work. Which is why I am guessing the GOP will go nuts trying to push another wedge issue to distract from substance, something along the lines of gay marriage in 2004 or butheremail in 2016. The media, of course, will be along for the ride because the last thing they want is a debate on the substance of what Sanders is talking about.
Honestly, should Sanders win the White House, I’m less concerned about the media than I am about Congress–and not the Republicans. All those corporate Democrats who are staring down the barrel of losing their gravy train are going to sabotage his agenda every chance they get.
I sure hope we get that opportunity, AOC will shame the fuck out of them and then primary them. A bunch of the old ones would see the writing on the wall and become lobbyists while that is still a thing. I’m far more skeptical of Bernie ever winning because of other behind the scenes BS. If you haven’t seen this, everyone should watch this and share w/ your anti-MFA friends.
There is a decent chunk of Democrats in Congress who would rather have safe seats in the minority with a Republican president than face an ongoing, open debate over issues.
It’s a similar mentality to Pelosi’s mindset that it’s better to dodge serious fights with Trump and hope events take over. She would rather settle for minimal leverage over events than deal with the challenges of running things.
Freakonomics had a good podcast about the duopoly of our government. I’m not crazy about everything they do but this one is worth a listen. Basically, Dems and GOP are Coke and Pepsi. They don’t really care if they exchange market share back and forth.
They know as long as there isn’t a viable 3rd option all they have to do is hem and haw until they regain power. Rinse and repeat every 8 years and nothing ever gets done.
“They’ve had four years to convince themselves that Trump is normal and now they are so committed to that narrative that anyone who may push the needle back to the center is going to make them look like idiots.”
They’ve also had four years of TRUMPDRAMA getting them eyeballs on their stories, rather than having to do the hard work of being a *good* writer/reporter, and getting back to good governance & order would mean the public will most likely lose the fear that brings those eyeballs & subscribers…
Never forget how many in the media want drama, because it’s simply good for business.
🤨
I saw an extremely stupid article about David Axelrod looking for deep political meaning inside a cactus he met.
So ya know, things are getting pretty stupid I guess.
“…because I quite honestly struggle to comprehend how you can walk around this world with a functional set of eyes & ears & anything at all behind & between them that isn’t entirely atrophied from lack of use & not see how the people supporting this shit are getting played…perhaps particularly the ones that are the busiest patting themselves on the back about their masterful manipulation of their brave new world of moral cowardice”
Brother Ali called it out, waaaaay back before 2012,
From “Work Everyday” verse 3:
“People stressing here’s the question
How they get people drinking tea in a recession
It’s deception how absurd is this
How are so many poor people conservative
A pro artist I put it in the good music
A con artist job’s to make you look stupid
Lookie here I’ll teach you how to look trough it
First thing you need to know every con got a hook to it
They seduce you with a little wealth
Say you could have some of these crumbs for yourself
If the government doesn’t make us help anyone else
You stuck a red sign on your foreclosed house
Make you think you’re taking back your nation
Then they turn it over to a major corporation
Those companies took the jobs overseas
And you handed them the wallet out your pocket for free
You’re staring in the sky with dollar signs for eyes
The blind right wing of a bird that can’t fly
Just a peacock with a poked out gut
Who’s too fat to fly so his ass just strut but”
I swear, this shit really got rolling, what with Cheney’s “color-coded” alert system, which allowed the Bush Administration to keep folks on a constant level of worry & alarm (remember how we’d have a couple weeks of “green” before there would be “new intel” which would suddenly ramp us back up to the Orange zone, any time anyone in the Bush Admin was caught doing something untoward?🤔🤨)
That set the American public up perfectly, for fears to be weaponized–which is *exactly* what the Kochs tried with mild success, shortly before Agent Orange came in with the former Nixonites & perfected the scam with the help of FOX/FAUX News.
Hell, you could see the propaganda/agitation game on FAUX, back in 2015-16, simply by seeing it without the sound on (it occasionally got left on, sans sound, at one of the bars where I sold pulltabs). The ENTIRE screen moves, from the backgrounds which cross at 90-ish degree angles to each other (but, importantly, *not* 90° angles to the edges of the screen!🤔). To the “News Alert!” Ticker, in red & yellow at the bottom of the screen, moving MUCH faster from right to left. Then there’s the “window” panel/panels in the middle of the screen, where the speakers will be animated & occasionally have a moving/changing background. And then there’s occasionally the header image/scroll, which will often be moving in the *opposite* direction of the bottom ticker/scroll.
All those cross-movements set one’s brain up for agitation, because we’re hard-wired to be on the lookout for movement ‘cuz that kept our ancient ancestors safe from predators.
But FOX has managed to weaponize people’s own brains against them, by setting them up with those CONSTANT agitating emotions, and then camouflaging any ability to *realize* they’re being constantly agitated, by throwing in the sounds of talking & yelling–which keeps the visual overstimulation & agitation at a subconscious level, because folks’ brains are too busy decoding the words being said/yelled.
Before seeing it at the bar, I’d ALWAYS loathed FOX, not just for the content, but also because it simply agitated me SOOOOO much. But it wasn’t until those quiet mornings in the bar, when I could really *look* at the screen, analyze it, and managed to coult as many as *NINE*(!!!) different directions that red, black, or yellow things moved across that screen *simultaneously,* that I realized exactly *why* FAUX news was SO supremely irritating to me.
Because your eyes *never* have a single moment, when *something* is not clamoring desperately for attention, saying “Look HERE!! No!!! Look HEEEERE!!!” And one’s subconscious brain simply can’t process it all quickly enough, so you get extremely anxious & agitated from trying to keep up.🤔🤔🤔
…the faux news breakdown is certainly valid…& the fact that it goes unremarked despite being remarkably fucked up from the ground up is not a small thing
…but I’d really like to call attention to the inspired use of the brother ali thing
…that man certainly has a way with words
“…that man certainly has a way with words”
He really DOES, doesn’t he?
I got Mourning in America & Dreaming in Color back around 2013 or so, and i don’t think it’s left the CD changer in my car since.
It’s a great whole album, but *that* song in particular, is excellent.
Emmer this was in spam for some reason and I pulled it out for you. If that happens, you can PM me or just sit tight and one of us will pull it out when we see it.
Thanks!
Is it maybe because I edited for a typo?
I had a word that autocorrected and wasn’t *quite* what I’d meant to type, so I popped back in to re-type what i’d originally meant, and that seems to have popped it there–the other times it’s borked my comments are also times I’ve hit the edit button…
Yes that seems to be one of the glitches in the matrix – editing.
Just know that all is not lost and someone will be along shortly to pull the comment out of spam.
…good to know…thanks