The Politics Thread

[ReddFoxx]

Are we going to have fun with this here are SON or what?

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[DramatistDreamer]

After all this time of trying to blame Pres. Obama

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[rhinohide]

I was certainly not poor. Although wealth status is a subjective thing.  

 

I take a very very broad definition of white privilege. Most people don't have much awareness of systemic segregation and the lasting harmful effects.  Not just the personal prejudices of individuals. But Government policies. Richard Rothstein just wrote a book about the housing policies following the depression openly discriminated against African Americans, and how that impacted their long term wealth. I know that the war on drugs was another means whereby white men in power kept their heels on the throats of black people. I know mass incarceration and police brutality and the entire justice system has been part of a long standing conspiracy to deny black people equality. 

 

[marceline]

My beloved senator, Sherrod Brown did an op-ed in USA today on what real populism is.

 

"A true populist looks out for people like her, because populism values work and it respects the people who do it — every last one of them. Our society doesn’t value work the way we once did; Americans work harder and have less to show for it.

 

If you want to call yourself a populist, you better be ready to stick up for the little guy — whether she punches a time clock or earns tips. Whether she works in a call center or a hospital or on a factory floor. Whether he is a contract worker or a temp.

 

And you better be willing to be straight with the people you serve. A true populist tells the truth, because she respects people’s intelligence."

 

https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2017/05/08/true-populism-unites-not-divides-sherrod-brown-column/101407506/

 

Sigh. I love him.

[JaneAusten]

So Macron won 66% of the vote and Le Pen 33%. That is 33% - 8% more than pre election polling showed

 

Also remember Merkels' party also won convincingly in a regional election on Sunday also

Edited May 9, 2017 by JaneAusten

[Khan]

Yeah, I think y'all were right: the rest of the world took one look at the [!@#$%^&*] going down here and said, "Nah, we're good."

[DramatistDreamer]

Speaking of the mess going down here, Sally Yates got asked many basic, sometimes irrelevant and misleading questions and handled them all well.

 

[Roman]

Never thought I would say this.....Condi Rice just read Joe Scarborough for filth a few minutes ago....and it was a thing of beauty (her answer to his state,ment that problems in Afghanistan may be cultural). 

[DramatistDreamer]

This article is very interesting as it illuminated a few things for me.

 

1) So much for "moderate Republicans". Tom MacArthur, a "moderate" congressman from NJ was the one who negotiated with the Freedom Caucus (that refused to support the last version of the AHCA because it didn't take away enough benefits) to get them to approve the 2nd AHCA version by stripping insurance protections for people with pre-existing conditions from the bill.  

Moderate huh?

 

2) This effort to punish House GOPers for their votes seems as if it just might be a sustained effort. There are grassroots groups that appear very organized. They are not only showing up to hound their Congressmen but they are training people in canvassing and targeting people who have lower participation rates to get them to the polls in '18. They also seem to be making a sustained effort to appeal to people who might be considering a run against the Republican incumbents.

 

This seems real.

 

They Voted to Repeal Obamacare. Now They Are a Target.

[marceline]

There's no such thing as a moderate Republican anymore. They got drummed out of the party years ago.

 

[JaneAusten]

A pretty decent article from The Atlantic on why people really voted how they did. Something every person here has known and seen all through the horrid election season. The author calls it "Cultural Anxiety"(I guess parroting Economic Anxiety). I know what I call it.

 

https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/05/white-working-class-trump-cultural-anxiety/525771/.

[DramatistDreamer]

 

Exactly! "Cultural Anxiety" is a euphemism and a clumsy one, at that.

 

Speaking of elections,

 

Everybody knows that Comey's statement about Huma Abedin passing classified information to her husband via computer is False, right?  Curious as to what Nate Silver thinks of this since he has been so assiduously trying to make the case that Comey had no role in Clinton's electoral loss?

 

Comey’s Testimony on Huma Abedin Forwarding Emails Was Inaccurate

 

 

 

[rhinohide]

Raises hand. 

[marceline]

 

Let me clarify: I mean the ones in Congress.

[JaneAusten]

http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/332529-obama-you-get-the-politicians-you-deserve-if-you-dont-vote

 

You know I love POB and I agree with this when it comes to those who can freely vote without having their identity questioned and have to show their papers to vote.(like those idiots who sat at home or voted for Stein). But why is everyone including Obama refusing to talk or mention the biggest hindrance to voting. Democrats should be fighting voter suppression all over the country and talking about it as an issue. Why do democrats continue to allow the GOP to control the narrative on yet another issue that helps diminish democratic support and voting ability?