The Politics Thread

[Khan]

Whether he's there for four years or four hundred, I pray that Americans remain as safe as possible.

Edited January 23, 2017 by Khan

[MissLlanviewPA]

 

Josh Kushner? Yes, he supported Hillary. He's also the boyfriend of model/Taylor Swift's alleged secret lesbian lover, Karlie Kloss.

 

Anyway, sorry I've taken so long--I had a lot of things I wanted to say, but I couldn't quite figure out how to organize my thoughts at first--but here are my thoughts on the march:

 

I was at the march yesterday in DC. Like a few of the others, it got so big that the march itself was held much MUCH later--I came with a large group of men and women from Maryland that included of total of five buses, and we had a set time for when we had to meet up and leave DC, which meant that we didn't have as much time to march as we would have hoped. There were many people later on who got upset when the speeches kept going, and the march itself was further delayed (not to mention the RIDICULOUS bathroom situation--there were several port-a-potties, but it got to the point where it seemed there was one available for every few miles, which drove us crazy), which led many people there (myself included later on, I'll admit) to yell "Let us march!"--people were leaving, and our feet were killing us for standing still for so many hours. 

 

*ahem*

 

But, that said:

 

I am forever grateful that I got to go. There were some wonderful speakers there, including Gloria Steinem and Van Jones, but my two favorites were Ashley Judd's and Janelle Monae's--very, very powerful. And I have to confess that I cheered on Madonna's speech yesterday, in part because I didn't know she was going to be there, but also because she started to speak shortly after we FINALLY got the chance to move and start marching after God knows how many hours we had to stand still, so I felt a bit revived at that point (and by then, we were FINALLY in eyesight of a Jumbotron!). However, the f bombs were a bit too much, and while I understand what she meant by her White House comments, she still should've thought twice about what she said there too.

 

Lastly, I want to mention the signs. What amazing creative signs there were yesterday. I didn't have one myself, but my group more than made up for that. 

 

(And for the record, I was/am a Hillary supporter. From 2008 to today, and always. I have no idea what any of the Bernie or Busters were trying to do, but I sure as hell had no part of any of that.)

Edited January 23, 2017 by MissLlanviewPA

[GMac]

Thanks for sharing your experience, @MissLlanviewPA.  I would have loved to be there and heard the speakers.  How was Van Jones?  I really admire him.

 

BTW, lived in S MD for several years when I was stationed in Pax River.  You near there?  I really liked that area, esp around St Mary's College...my old stomping grounds lol

 

 

[MissLlanviewPA]

I don't always agree with George Will, but my respect for him has increased tenfold since he left the Republican Party and refused to vote for Trump:

 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-partisan/wp/2017/01/20/a-most-dreadful-inaugural-address/?utm_term=.467ad690344e

 

Van Jones was awesome. This was when we were still out of seeing distance of a Jumbotron, so I may have to pull up his speech on YT and watch it again, but from what I remember he was great. 

 

I grew up 5 minutes from St. Mary's College.

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Oh, I forgot to mention!

 

At one point a bunch of BLM activists walked right across the middle of the area my group and I were in during the rally--including Jesse Jackson! He went right by me. Pretty cool.

[GMac]

It's a beautiful spot up there 😎

 

Sounds like a great experience!

 

 

[NothinButAttitude]

@Wales2004, ignore the troll. It just wants a reaction by posting that bogus Michael Moore story.

Edited January 23, 2017 by Nothin'ButAttitude

[GMac]

Why doesn't this surprise me.  Fake news scion Dan Scavino has the POTUS twitter...

 

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/donald-trump-twitter-potus-account-fake-news-dan-scavino-white-house-a7540266.html

[JaneAusten]

Was he on Maddow about 3 weeks ago? If that was him, young black man - went to Harvard - joked about still having tons of student debt himself, LOVED him. He did talk about running but me being I have not heard much since. Probably because he hasn't been front and center. He talked about the work he was doing in SC and the types of things that you do to gain trust at the grass roots level in your and other communities, soliciting for donations for food pantry's, getting people to donate school supplies and distributing to the needy throughout the school year, getting people bus passes, transportation for the elderly, etc.. Definitely impressive. I kind of wish they could do co-chairs but know that likely wouldn't work.

 

I'll admit I'm hesitant about Elison because I don't think the dems can afford to lose a house seat. He's much more needed where he is now IMO.

 

OT:

WTF Julian Assange unreal.

 

"WikiLeaks offers to publish Trumps tax returns"

 

It enforces what I always thought. Assange is an egomaniac who just wants to create disruption in the US. And is he doing this at the instruction of the Russians. Because I honestly don't believe Putin gives a crap other than to continue to weaken and divide the US.

 

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/wikileaks-send-us-trumps-tax-returns-so-we-can-release-them/ar-AAm7rH8?li=BBmkt5R&ocid=spartanntp

Edited January 23, 2017 by JaneAusten

[DRW50]

 

It's possible to acknowledge that people like Madonna, Michael Moore, etc. don't really help their cause due to their need to make it about themselves (I respect her music but not her political involvement - she did this same thing during the Iraq invasion and that too overshadowed serious protests and criticisms) while also acknowledging the march itself. Media coverage by and large is useless tabloid trash, or scared of its own shadow (or Trump's shadow). Most people ignore it and form easy conclusions. And Madonna talking about blowing up the White House is an easy conclusion, and yes, it gets coverage.

 

The people who see any protests of this kind as elitism or as an attack are going to no matter what, but I don't know why some are so happy to make it easier for them.

 

If we're being practical, then we can say that talking about the futility of celebrity vanity projects being a lead in anti-Trump movements when that same concept is one of the things that helped him win the election in the first place doesn't mean we're "compromising" the march or its effect. The media doesn't care. Trump only cares enough to spin it to make himself look like a martyr or some warrior. So it's left to use these events to bring energy for causes and help people in red and purple states try to turn the tide, and so on. And I do believe the march has already accomplished this. But I also believe giving a microphone to narcissistic dim bulbs or contemplating returning to the idea that if pop culture loves us, then we must be in the right and everything will go our way, is a very self-defeating concept. I still remember how many people were sure this meant W had to lose in 2004 and how blindsided they were that Eminem going on SNL and telling people to vote, etc. etc. didn't get Kerry elected. I think people have opened their eyes since then about the double-edged sword of clinging to showbiz, but then when they didn't last year I started to reassess my view. Of course most of the focus wasn't on that from the people who went there, and of course it's not going to cause huge opinion changes as everyone is already pretty polarized as it is, but if you don't think it overshadows any of the message, then we're just going to have to agree to disagree. 

[Roman]

Don't feed the trolls brother. He and the other one just post things to derail the thread. 

[Roman]

The two most depressed people in DC on Friday. she looks like she would rather been in the hills with mountain people than sitting next to him as FL. she never wanted this.

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[GMac]

 

ROFL  That is very telling.

[NothinButAttitude]

 

Damn. He ain't been in office a good 24 hours and he's already aged ten years. 

 

It's gradually coming to me that Trump really isn't gonna last long in this position and won't be b/c he'll be impeached. I think it'll be his health and sanity that do him in. The hatred from majority of America is gonna weigh heavily on him, and I think his health and gonna suffer at the hands of it. This man strives to be beloved and he's more hated than ever. Doesn't help that his own voters are waking up to his sh*t and are turning on him now too. These first 100 days are gonna drive him mad. He might present the evidence Russia on him his damn self to get out of office. 

[DRW50]

He feeds on people hating him. He sees them as jealous. It's likely being bored that will get to him more than anything else. And having to make difficult decisions. I just wish I had any trust in the people who will be making the decisions for him.

 

 

[Khan]

 

Donald always looks like someone stole his woobie.

 

Melania, OTOH, looks as if it's all she can do not to blow chunks.