US politics - When the Barr's so low.

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

32 minutes ago, Fragile Bird said:

Once again, we live in a crazy world when John Bolton was the only sane person in the Executive.

 

1 hour ago, Maithanet said:

So, is it possible that John Bolton is the whistleblower?  Because nothing about this administration is ever too crazy to be true - he was at most of the meetings in question, he was getting shut of favor/influence, he hates Guiliani's meddling, and he is staunchly anti-Russia. 

IIRC, he does have a history of leaking information. John Bolton, not the hero we want or need, but the one we deserve…..

[Jace, Extat]

Just now, Tywin et al. said:

 

IIRC, he does have a history of leaking information. John Bolton, not the hero we want or need, but the one we deserve…..

I can see him watching the last sixty seconds of The Dark Night seven times in a row on his phone outside the impeachment hearing where he's scheduled to speak.

[sologdin]

Quote

 

Schiff: Please state your name for the record.

Witness: [deep bourbon voice]: I'm Boltman.

Schiff: And what was your position in the administration at the relevant time?

Witness: I'm Boltman.

Schiff: Uh...what did you see?

Witness: I'm Boltman.

 

 

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

14 minutes ago, Jace, Basilissa said:

I can see him watching the last sixty seconds of The Dark Night seven times in a row on his phone outside the impeachment hearing where he's scheduled to speak.

*The Dark Knight

 

[Jace, Extat]

Schiff: Do you swear to give accurate and truthful testimony, so help you God?

Boltman:

 

[Larry of the Lawn]

3 hours ago, Simon Steele said:

I'm a Chapo fan (and they love Jacobin), and they're painting Bernie as the only hope and Warren is no better than any other centrist running. I can't say I understand this at all. They've never given a well reasoned argument, but then again, that's not their thing. 

On the one hand, we are in a literal race against time if you're concerned about things like climate, but on the other, Warren would be a huge step away from centrism. 

Yeah this frustrates me too.  They really latch onto Warren saying she's a capitalist and ignore that on policy she's very close to Sanders and probabaly more able to get socialist policies enacted.  They really have it out for her.  

I mean I get pissed when people ask me why I'm so hard on Biden so maybe it's the same thing but who knows.

[Mexal]

3 hours ago, Maithanet said:

So, is it possible that John Bolton is the whistleblower?  Because nothing about this administration is ever too crazy to be true - he was at most of the meetings in question, he was getting shut of favor/influence, he hates Guiliani's meddling, and he is staunchly anti-Russia. 

I think he's leaking through the press, I don't think he's the whistleblower. Doesn't fit with what we know about the legal process the whistleblower went through.

[Zorral]

10 hours ago, Ser Reptitious said:

Does that also apply to Trump supporters? Because I never seem to see any articles from that side of the aisle exhorting them to listen and cultivate emphy towards Liberals/Democrats. It should go both ways, no?

Ya ... tell me you filled with wonder and hope privileged ladies, possessed of such open-minded ears, exactly what I am to listen to, sympathetically and with open mind, putting myself in their mindset and their shoes -- in this -- and mind you, ladies, this is merely one of thousands of this sort of thing -- not to mention the people with guns who drive by synagogues, put up hangman nooses where African Americans walk, and then, you know, more than infrequently, beating and killing, you know, actual, real human beings?

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/oct/14/trump-kingsman-fake-video-response-mccain

[IheartIheartTesla]

19 hours ago, felice said:

I don't see the problem? His approval has never gotten near 50%, has it? So the people supporting impeachment are presumably all people who don't approve.

Yes, that does make sense. For some reason I thought there might be a more complex relationship (or Venn diagram overlaps) between support for impeachment job approval/disapproval. A straightforward relation is a bit more boring scientifically, but it looks to be fairly predictive.

[Zorral]

3 hours ago, IheartIheartTesla said:

I don't know about you, but even if there is some non-BS aspect to this pregnancy hoopla it doesn't matter to me. You have to weigh the 1000s of lies told by Trump against one kinda-sorta maybe lie and ask oneself why you would even engage in that discussion.

To reiterate, I don't care even if she embellished the truth or reduced a complex situation to an easy to understand story. This is literally of no consequence to anyone except herself, unlike Trump's lies which have real effects on real people.

There is NO non-bs to this pregnancy BS, so there is NO point or reason to keep talking about it, other than a desire of those who keep bringing it up to bring down Warren.  Talking about it only plays into their game book.

~~~~~~~~~~~

From what I understand, Bolton is going to be testifying to the committees.  Is that right?

In any case, considering the treatment meted out to so many by this regime, firing and firing and firing, and refusing to adhere to the rules and regs, did bedbug really think so many angry personnel removed from office, and done with such malice, as to do it days before retirement, so loss of pension, would not blow up in his o so ugly face?

 

[Paladin of Ice]

26 minutes ago, Zorral said:

There is NO non-bs to this pregnancy BS, so there is NO point or reason to keep talking about it, other than a desire of those who keep bringing it up to bring down Warren.  Talking about it only plays into their game book.

My counter would be that it's often better to know the BS that is circulating and how to retort to it if need be. It's unlikely you'll change the mind of the person who passed along the BS, but you might do it for others who are listening/reading online/whatever.

It's always much to know how to respond if you know the talking point than if you get blindsided with it.

Quote

From what I understand, Bolton is going to be testifying to the committees.  Is that right?

In any case, considering the treatment meted out to so many by this regime, firing and firing and firing, and refusing to adhere to the rules and regs, did bedbug really think so many angry personnel removed from office, and done with such malice, as to do it days before retirement, so loss of pension, would not blow up in his o so ugly face?

I doubt he's capable of thinking that far ahead. Probably has a hard time thinking of or carin about the feelings thoughts, or drives of other people too.

[Zorral]

Quote

 

The coup de grâce for Trump’s impeachment polling debacle, however, came on Tuesday morning when the man who at one time was the president’s favorite pollster found support for impeachment hitting new highs.

Rasmussen Reports founder Scott Rasmussen revealed that a new poll that he has conducted with HarrisX shows that 50 percent of Americans now support impeachment, while just 38 percent say they’re opposed.

 

https://www.rawstory.com/2019/10/trumps-attempt-to-unskew-impeachment-polls-just-hilariously-backfired/

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Billionaires now officially concerned about Warren's surge:

Quote

"Bloomberg Reportedly Still Itching to Run for President Now That Warren Is Surging"

https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2019/10/bloomberg-reportedly-still-considering-running-for-president.html

Quote

 

Michael Bloomberg is reportedly rethinking his decision to stay out of the 2020 presidential contest. The former mayor of New York City has told associates that former vice president Joe Biden’s seeming struggle to stay on top of the Democratic pack amid a surging Sen. Elizabeth Warren is making him seriously consider whether he should be warming up to join the race, according to CNBC. These associates say Bloomberg would join the Democratic contest only if Biden were to drop out in the early stages of the primaries. Bloomberg could then tap into his personal fortune, estimated at $51 billion, to bill himself as the moderate in the race.

“I think it’s something he wants. He has not been shy about that,” a Bloomberg ally told CNBC. “Nothing can happen unless Biden drops out, and that’s not happening anytime soon.” A “New York billionaire with ties to Bloomberg” also confirmed that whatever the former vice president decides to do will be key. “Bloomberg is in if Biden is out,” the executive said.

 

 

[A Horse Named Stranger]

54 minutes ago, Zorral said:

https://www.rawstory.com/2019/10/trumps-attempt-to-unskew-impeachment-polls-just-hilariously-backfired/

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Billionaires now officially concerned about Warren's surge:

https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2019/10/bloomberg-reportedly-still-considering-running-for-president.html

 

Just when I thought there wouldn't be a more stale alternative to Biden on the Horizon.

Vote Bloomberg, when Biden's too exciting.

[Zorral]

4 minutes ago, A Horse Named Stranger said:

Just when I thought there wouldn't be a more stale alternative to Biden on the Horizon.

Vote Bloomberg, when Biden's too exciting.

NPR's All Things Considered just informed us that Warren's not electable.  They are pushing Buttigieg now, who has gone after Warren for her small change campaign funds donated by private small donors.   SHE is too far left and unpopular with billionaires and 'medical' insurance companies don't say it too loud but loud enough that the billionaires can hear.  

 

[A Horse Named Stranger]

Didn't really help Clinton in the primaries during the last cycle, won't help Biden either. Question is where will the Bernie and Harris votes go. Yes, I think the two of them will drop sooner or later.

Harris'es campaign desperately needs a shot in the arm, as the last polling I saw had her crawling around the 5% mark, with no real movement. Sanders won't stick around that long this time either. There's a credible alternative on the left lane, so no point in blocking the traffic this year to get progressives policy concessions out of a political rival, and his health will surely factor in.

[Zorral]

5 minutes ago, A Horse Named Stranger said:

Didn't really help Clinton in the primaries during the last cycle, won't help Biden either. Question is where will the Bernie and Harris votes go. Yes, I think the two of them will drop sooner or later.

Harris'es campaign desperately needs a shot in the arm, as the last polling I saw had her crawling around the 5% mark, with no real movement. Sanders won't stick around that long this time either. There's a credible alternative on the left lane, so no point in blocking the traffic this year to get progressives policy concessions out of a political rival, and his health will surely factor in.

You -- anybody else? -- gonna watch the debate tonight?

Hmmm it occurs to mind that Bolton couldn't get rid of Maduro, but he may well manage to take the scalp of bedbug ....

 

[DMC]

6 hours ago, DanteGabriel said:

I agree with your assessment of the racial awareness of Libertarians. It's telling that almost every self-professed Libertarian I know of is some upper middle class white guy (big overlap with the neckbeard techbro demographic).

However, the racism is part of the standard Republican feature set.

Remember also that "libertarians" - and namely both the Pauls - have had a historically close relationship to the John Birch Society, which virulently opposed the Civil Rights Movements and is generally was one of the top racist ultra-right groups even before it was cool.  Plus there's the Pauls' documented opposition to the CRA.

5 hours ago, DanteGabriel said:

I guess it depends how much you trust the NY Times reporting on the whistleblower. They said he was a CIA officer detailed to the National Security Council. Probably someone that was around Bolton a lot, at any rate.

Yeah if it's Bolton then virtually all the reporting on the whistleblower has been inaccurate - including his "ties" to Biden (just sounds like he was a NSC staffer during the Obama administration, but still).

1 hour ago, A Horse Named Stranger said:

Didn't really help Clinton in the primaries during the last cycle, won't help Biden either. Question is where will the Bernie and Harris votes go. Yes, I think the two of them will drop sooner or later.

Harris'es campaign desperately needs a shot in the arm, as the last polling I saw had her crawling around the 5% mark, with no real movement. Sanders won't stick around that long this time either. There's a credible alternative on the left lane, so no point in blocking the traffic this year to get progressives policy concessions out of a political rival, and his health will surely factor in.

Well, considering Harris' polling is so low as you point out, it doesn't really matter where her supporters go unless one candidate gets, like, almost all of them (which is unlikely).  Warren has the second-choice lead among Harris voters, but obviously she's already ate into that.  As for Bernie, it's pretty evenly split between Biden and Warren.  All the two of them dropping out would do, in all likelihood, is further solidify Biden and Warren as the top two candidates.

On Bernie supporters going after Warren, this is from yesterday, but it seems some of them are ready to take the gloves off on Medicare for All as well:

Quote

Warren, a front-runner in the 2020 presidential primary, is known today as one of the most vocal champions for Medicare for All in the Democratic Party. But during her first Senate campaign in 2012, she and her aides were pressed on single-payer and dodged the question again and again, according to an analysis of newspaper reports, TV, and interviews with health care reform activists at the time.

“It was frustrating,” Ture Turnbull, former executive director of Mass-Care, a single-payer advocacy group in Warren’s home state of Massachusetts, said of her comments in the 2012 race. "There were multiple times where we would approach her, and that was the standard response.” [...]

“She’s an Elizabeth-come-lately,” said Peter Knowlton, general president of the United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America, which is backing the Vermont senator.

It does not appear as if Bernie nor even his campaign is involved in this, but it's yet another reason for him to drop out if his supporters are gonna start in the gotcha stuff.

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

1 hour ago, A Horse Named Stranger said:

Harris'es campaign desperately needs a shot in the arm, as the last polling I saw had her crawling around the 5% mark, with no real movement. 

I was an early supporter of Harris, but face it, she's all but done. She had a moment, which is hard to achieve, however she failed to capitalize on it and since then she's made more errors than not. She's still a top tier VP pick though. 

[Jace, Extat]

2 minutes ago, Tywin et al. said:

I was an early supporter of Harris, but face it, she's all but done. She had a moment, which is hard to achieve, however she failed to capitalize on it and since then she's made more errors than not. She's still a top tier VP pick though. 

I agree with this sentiment. She failed to stand for anything other than taking shots, not ideal in a nominee. Great attribute in a VP, though. Let her tear into that soggy piece of toast that is Mike Pence. Should get enough soundbites for a week, which translates to one five-minute segment in Trump time.

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

16 minutes ago, Jace, Basilissa said:

I agree with this sentiment. She failed to stand for anything other than taking shots, not ideal in a nominee. Great attribute in a VP, though. Let her tear into that soggy piece of toast that is Mike Pence. Should get enough soundbites for a week, which translates to one five-minute segment in Trump time.

The other person this reminds me of is Casstro, though he never had a moment that stuck (and in fact, his "best" one could also be his worst). If I was a gambling man, I'd bet either he or Harris is the running mate if Biden isn't the nominee (no way he picks either of them).