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US Politics: A Mickey Mouse Operation


DMC

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8 hours ago, Triskele said:

Christ, Biden apparently called Clinton's impeachment a lynching as Trump now has back during Clinton's in 1998.

It is quite likely there is a Biden gaffe for every occasion, but as a matter of strategy someone should look at what kind of censure he got for those remarks (for instance, did the head of the NAACP condemn the remarks then). Regardless of strategy, Democrats should also have their feet held to the fire when they make racially insensitive remarks.

Still remember 2008 when Biden made quite a few of them but it didnt matter as much then. Good god, I dont look forward to 2020 if he becomes the nominee. I cant bring myself to defend him more than half-heartedly.

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Sean Hannity Breaks Out His Most Orwellian Defense Of Trump Yet
The Fox News host has a bonkers new claim about the president’s request for a “favor” from Ukraine.https://www.huffpost.com/entry/sean-hannity-trump-favor_n_5dafd60fe4b0422422cdcced
 

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Fox News host Sean Hannity tested out a new line of defense against allegations that President Donald Trump withheld aid from Ukraine in order to pressure the country into investigating Democrats: When Trump asks for a favor, he’s not really asking for a favor.  

In a now-infamous July phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Trump asked for an investigation into former Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden as well as a 2016 election conspiracy theory. Those requests occurred after Trump spoke about how “we do a lot for Ukraine” and Zelensky said he wanted to buy more U.S. javelin missiles. 
Trump replied: “I would like you to do us a favor though.”

Hannity claimed the turn of phrase didn’t mean Trump actually wanted a favor, even though it was followed by a series of specific requests. It was just how he talks.

“We all have go-to phrases,” Hannity said. “Ah, y’know, I say ‘y’know’ a lot.” 

And “do us a favor” is just Trump’s equivalent of “y’know.” 

“The president uses them all the time, a verbal aside,” Hannity said, then played clips of Trump using the word “favor.” 

 

 

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15 hours ago, Ormond said:

Tywin, where in the world where teacher's strikes are allowed do you think they have never occurred?  There will always be disputes between management and labor in every part of the economy, and the idea that there should never have to be a "need" for teachers to strike sounds hopelessly utopian to me. 

Some examples of recent teachers strikes (or threatened strikes) in other countries:

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/may/29/new-zealand-schools-hit-by-mega-strike-as-50000-teachers-walk-out

https://www.bbc.com/news/education-43604858

https://www.thelocal.fr/20181112/why-are-teachers-across-france-on-strike

https://www.politico.eu/article/teacher-strikes-causes-problems-for-polands-solidarity-labor-union/

https://newpol.org/mexican-teachers-strike-school-year-begins-despite-militarization-arrests-and-firings/?print=print

https://peoplesdispatch.org/2019/06/18/chilean-teachers-strike-will-continue-for-the-third-week/

https://carnegieendowment.org/2019/04/08/teachers-strikes-in-morocco-pub-78805

...and there are many other examples you can find if you spend a little time on search engines. 

 

 

 

I’m well aware of this. The point is this shouldn’t be a consistent problem for the wealthiest country in the world. We could easily pay for it if it was really a priority, which it isn’t.

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11 hours ago, The Great Unwashed said:

During Watergate, it was "follow the money". During Trumpgate, it'll be "follow the Fox News conspiracies".

Sad but true. And it’s funny you mention Watergate. I wonder if the better comp is Iran-Contra, except in hindsight that scandal was a lot more noble than what Trump et al. have been up to.  

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12 hours ago, Simon Steele said:

Uh...yeah? Honestly, this U.S. notion of housing and shelter not being a human right is baffling.

Agreed.  I often think its a partial result of being such a large diverse country, its more easy for people to disengage and think of those who are suffering as from some other "tribe."  While at the same time they'd walk over glass to help out their own friends and neighbors.

Much how there was outcry when the well known local illegal immigrants of small towns were arrested.  Its always the imaginary other, the evil ones they see on tv or on the rare occasion they drive through a city.. . . those are the bad ones.  Not Jose who owns that great restaraunt down the street, he's one of the "good ones."  ICE should have left him alone. . .

I hear pretty much exactly this from my rural parents.  Its very frustrating to see such a mental disconnect.  When I see immigrant children being misstreated on tv by ICE, I think about my own son and how, but for the grace of my geographic birth, that could have been him.  But they don't connect those kids with their grandson, they're just "illegal immigrants."

It all comes back to the tribalism that is driving us all apart.

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Well, They are doing it again, like they did with the Florida ballot count in the Gore-Bush election -- the Brooks Bros. riot, with guns etc., and stopped the count.

Again, thug Gaetz invaded the secure chamber where the testimonies are happening; this time he brought a gang about two dozen strong with him, armed with their iphones' video etc.

https://www.rawstory.com/2019/10/beyond-parody-matt-gaetz-and-dozens-of-his-gop-colleague-try-to-barge-into-secret-hearing-in-latest-anti-impeachment-stunt/

https://www.rawstory.com/2019/10/horde-of-clueless-angry-white-men-internet-mocks-matt-gaetz-for-leading-a-raid-on-a-secure-impeachment-hearing/

I want so much to know what happened then, as the first time he went in alone.  Who threw him out then, who throws this gang of thugs out this time?

These latest revelations have the tru believer kool-aid drinkers in such a state of desperation and fury they are more than willing to use violence to stop the process.  They've done it before.  They believe there are more than enough voters out there anxious to pull their own weapons and start shooting to get their way.

Welcome to AmeriKa.

 

 

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15 hours ago, The Anti-Targ said:

What are you trying to say here? Teachers only deserve median levels of income? In theory teachers are professionals charged with caring for and educating what many people say (whether or not they mean it is another question) are our most precious members of society, the hope and promise of our futures. Perhaps a glorified babysitter might be worth average pay rates. But teachers should never be seen as merely that.

Teachers should be among the highest paid professionals in society, not be languishing slightly above average.

Let's take it easy, General Revolution. Maybe get them to above the poverty line before we make teachers the new scribe class.

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"Let us in!" the mob howls.

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/23/us/politics/trump-impeachment.html?

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RIGHT NOW Representative Adam Schiff has called the Sergeant-at-arms to break up a protest by House Republicans who attempted to storm the secure room, delaying proceedings, where impeachment investigators were questioning a witness....

...About two dozen House Republicans, chanting “Let us in! Let us in!” tried to storm the secure room where a Defense Department official arrived Wednesday morning to testify in the impeachment inquiry, refusing to leave even after they were turned back by Representative Adam B. Schiff, Democrat of California and the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee that was leading the deposition.....

Twitter is mocking and laughing at the mob.  But this is anything but comical.  This is anything but a laughing matter.

 

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29 minutes ago, Jace, Basilissa said:

Let's take it easy, General Revolution. Maybe get them to above the poverty line before we make teachers the new scribe class.

I think teachers have been easy to push down on, because so many of them do it for the love of the job.  So they're willing to put up with a lot, even though they're not getting a good return on their education investment.  But I've seen most of the teachers I knew from college drop out of the market, and my wife (who was a teacher at a local community college), was getting paid so little we felt it was better for her to do the stay at home mom thing.  And she was relatively well paid for our area.  

And that's not even getting into the misstreatment I saw her getting from administration and students, that I would certainly not put up with at my job.  I'd laugh my bosses out of the room if they'd tried any of that on me, and probably be appyling for new jobs the next day.  Administrators sometimes seem to think teachers are little better than minimum wage baby sitters.

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4 minutes ago, Zorral said:

Twitter is mocking and laughing at the mob.  But this is anything but comical.  This is anything but a laughing matter.

I dunno, it's kind of a laughing matter.  Republicans doing ridiculously stupid stunts in the legislature is hardly anything new - clearly it demonstrates how stupid they think their constituents are.  My favorite example - Mark Sanford bringing two pigs to the State House:

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With cameras rolling and lawmakers and lobbyists gaping, Sanford stood just outside the House chambers, pigs wriggling under his arms, pig feces on his jacket and shoes, and criticized House members for burying pork-barrel projects in the budget.

House members on Wednesday angered Sanford by accepting just one of his 106 vetoes of items in the state budget. Sanford also criticized lawmakers for relying on the sale of property - and not savings - to pay down the last $16 million of a $155 million deficit.

"Pork won and taxpayers lost," Sanford said. "I find it unbelievable to think there's not one additional dollar in savings that could go to pay down that unconstitutional $16 million debt."

House leaders countered quickly, saying Sanford had taken a previously genteel argument over fiscal responsibility to a new low.

"It's beneath the dignity of the governor to bring pigs in the State House outside the chamber just to get a photo opportunity," said House Speaker David Wilkins, his jaw set, his eyes down. "This is the people's House. He defiled it."

 

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@DMC -- don't agree.  First of all, this is a deliberate strategy, devised by McConnnell.

https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/467024-mcconnell-to-republicans-defend-trump-on-process

He told his mob that They cannot defend bedbug on the charges so what They have to do is attack the process.  If forcing themselves into the secure chamber that includes REPUBLICANS on the interviewing committee, with the forbidden recording devices, forcing the process to come to a halt, refusing to leave, isn't attacking the process, what is?

Second, Sanford was at a state level -- these are national and international security matters of the gravest importance.  And now their way of attacking the process is to insist that bedbug CAN do any wrong, including -- bringing this up again, by the guy who couldn't even get nominated as AG because he's so unqualified -- that bedbug CAN shoot somebody on 5th Ave. and it is OK, even though it is a crime. The faux noose watchers eat that shyte up and believe it.

Upshot is that these thugs have ruined jokes and laughter for a very long time.

But! when it comes to helpless laughter despite everything -- just where in heck is Rudy?  Nary a sighting of him, nary a peep outta him during all this, while his boys's crimes are being revealed very fast.

 

 

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10 minutes ago, Zorral said:

He told his mob that They cannot defend bedbug on the charges so what They have to do is attack the process.

I understand the strategy, but it's still just a blatant and ineffectual stunt that is definitely ripe for mockery.  It's really not a big deal that everyone will forget about by Trump's next idiot tweet.

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37 minutes ago, Zorral said:

@DMC -- don't agree.  First of all, this is a deliberate strategy, devised by McConnnell.

https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/467024-mcconnell-to-republicans-defend-trump-on-process

He told his mob that They cannot defend bedbug on the charges so what They have to do is attack the process.  If forcing themselves into the secure chamber that includes REPUBLICANS on the interviewing committee, with the forbidden recording devices, forcing the process to come to a halt, refusing to leave, isn't attacking the process, what is?

Why wouldn't this be considered criminal? Is it alarmist/stupid to suggest this could have (or could be) an attempt at unmasking the whistleblower or would that briefing take place elsewhere for their protection?

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