The Politics Thread

[quartermainefan]

I don't know how old you are, but as someone who remembers the Koch administration, that is not how I remember it all. Jesse Jackson would show up in NY on a semi regular basis to protest, seek political gain and try to cause trouble for the city he called "Hymietown". He refused even on camera to shake Koch's hand, and he was open about using the death of a african american boy to gain city hall for David Dinkins. Now he was no Al Sharpton, the con artist who still does not apologize for the Tawana Brawley scam, I'll give him that.

Edited February 2, 2013 by quartermainefan

[Money]

I was always under the assumption that all one simply had to do was marry someone who was a citizen to get legalized, now there are so many cases of individuals still being deported or denied a green card even when their spouse is a US citizen. I was watching The Ed show a few days ago and he played recordings of people who were in legal immigration hell. This man called in to say he married his Filipino wife, they've been married for years and they filed legal papers to adjust her status. While her case was pending her father died and she left the US and returned to the Philippines to attend his funeral and was denied access back into the country. This man and his wife have been separated ever since. I feel just awful for them.

And the GOP have got to stop clinging to this belief that the majority of illegal immigration stems from breaching the border. Many people came here legally and overstayed on their visas. The Mexican and Canadian borders have never been more secure than they are right now and statistics prove that.

[Wales2004]

Maybe not because he's more of a shake down artist. One day I listened to him turn what was supposed to be a discussion about the violence among children in Chicago into some bizarre proclamation that made it seem as if the government was practicing violence against poor people by beating them with some special poverty weapon. I'm convinced that people don't actually listen that much to what he's saying because he hardly ever makes much sense and/or he doesn't say anything of substance. Or maybe I just keep hearing him on his really off days.

I'm not sure that I'd buy the statistics on the Mexican border. Maybe it depends on the bordering state.

I happened to see that segment of Ed which you referenced above. It was a sad story and when Ed pours on his extra drama and outrage then it makes it even doubly so. My main reason for tuning in to that show is to see him pour it all on because I find it all mildly entertaining. Some of the sad stories he presents are kind of ridiculous and not so properly researched. I guess it's not intended for viewers to think but merely react and get all emotional and then angry at the government and the Republicans.

That couple couldn't have checked with anyone knowledgeable before they left the country. Why would a person think that it was okay to leave before the process was completed? At the very least, she should have sought permission if she did not have a current visitor's visa. Maybe she could have gotten a temporary one because once you leave then it's harder to get back.

The marriage way in is not as easy as it apparently once was because they're more cautious of people with fraudulent marriages. I remember a guy telling me once that he was offered $1500 to marry a woman who wanted a green card and he wanted me to tell him if he should do it.

One of our local immigration offices has a bunch of employees from a specific nation who do all they can to help anyone form their birthplace. If there are only so many slots available in a quarter then a percentage goes to that one group--all because they decided to get a foothold in the immigration office and some other government agencies as well. One of my co-workers told us how his "people" come over and help each other out and how they seek government jobs and hospital jobs. I needed a form for a relative and the line was such that it would be more than a four hour wait. I asked the same co-worker and he got it for me with no hassle.

So there's that connection thing. Outside of that some of the procedures for people who enter the country legally and seek to stay are nonsensical. I don't know if this one's change but a person was required to go to the American Embassy in his/her birth country for an interview before obtaining temporary permanent residence.

[juppiter]

I was a kid at the time but I don't think of it as troublemaking when trouble needs to be made. NYC was ground zero for the crack epidemic and the AIDS epidemic.

[DRW50]

The controversies over Koch and the AIDS crisis are something that the liberal media didn't go into (shocker), but anyway:

http://www.thenation.com/blog/172620/ed-koch-and-cost-closet#

[alphanguy74]

This doesn't surprise me:

http://www.mediaite.com/online/former-sc-gop-exec-director-fires-off-racially-charged-tweets-during-the-super-bowl/

[DRW50]

What a week. Sarah P, James Carville, Mary Matalin, *and* Dick Morris - goodbye bottom feeders!

http://www.deadline.com/2013/02/dick-morris-dropped-by-fox-news/

Edited February 6, 2013 by CarlD2

[juppiter]

The thing is I kinda like Sarah Palin. I believe she is a brilliant career woman who knew exactly what she wanted, exactly what she was getting herself into, and believed nary a word she ever said. She is an entertainer, and she has entertained. She never had plans to run for president in 2012 and has no plans to run in 2016, but she will milk it for the money it's worth and I can't hate her for it. She never has had any clue what she's talking about, and she knows that, but that's beside the point, and she knows that as well.

Edited February 10, 2013 by juppiter

[juppiter]

I love this. Ed Koch was an awful person. Just like Benjamin Netanyahu and the entire Israeli government are.

[DRW50]

Gay hate in Indiana, with a school authority basically saying that gays have no purpose in life, and have a disability. I saw a little of CNN and some of them were agreeing with her. This is why I hate CNN.

It still frightens me how many people out there share this view, and how much some in the media will nod along. The next time someone tells you that gays have everything and don't need any protection, show them this.

http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/02/11/16930207-gay-free-prom-idea-backfires-on-supporters-in-indiana-town?lite

More of AP moving further toward downgrading homosexuality and same-sex relationships to as much of an "other" if they can. The days of their being a news organization to respect seem long gone.

http://americablog.com/2013/02/ap-bans-use-of-words-husband-wife-for-legally-wed-gay-couples.html

Edited February 12, 2013 by CarlD2

[quartermainefan]

I guess he was nervous

[DRW50]

HE LOVES TUPAC! HE LOVES TUPAC!1!1!1!

[Ann_SS]

Wait, did Rubio grab the water on the air? Live? Hilarious.

[DRW50]

More press fawning for media darling Marco.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/wp/2013/02/14/how-marco-rubio-is-trying-to-turn-his-sip-slip-into-a-political-win/

I think the one I liked most was the article at The Fix which said that he was far to the right but that doesn't matter, because Obama was a liberal. Only the 'liberal' media would try to spin positive vibes from someone voting against the Violence Against Women Act. If the media is hot over an extremist, they go all in.

[AdelaideCate007]

I have no idea who he is, but he has enormous ears.