US Politics Episode 6 - Return of the Prez

[Guy Kilmore]

I think this might be the best thing I've found yet. Highly NSFW, but amazing.

It is unfortunate that the insane have cornered the rant department.

[Derfel Cadarn]

I love the bit where he claims fox news is honest and non-biased.

[Foreverlad]

Actually, partisans have a great memory for slights against the party, and Christie is guilty of many, most notably his praise of Obama's handling of the hurricane. Come 2015 you'd better believe the fever-eyed right-wingnuts will remember that...and will still be angry about it. Hell, in 2010 there were conservatives still angry at Arlen Specter over the Bork confirmation hearings, for crying out loud. And that was more than twenty years previously!

To be honest, I think Republicans would use it to their advantage in 2016. I can already hear the Fox talking heads bragging about how VP nominee Chris Christie is a proven non-partisan by the way he worked with Democrats to ensure the safety and rebirth of New Jersey after the Hurricane of 2012.

Calling it now: Jeb Bush/Chris Christie 2016. Florida/New Jersey. One's married to a hispanic and governed a major swing state, the other draws the NE liberal vote and rides the non-partisan wave of hope for better politics.

[Morpheus]

I love the bit where he claims fox news is honest and non-biased.

Being as fair and balanced as a one legged slum lord is good journalism, I guess.

[Horus Ex Machina]

To be honest, I think Republicans would use it to their advantage in 2016. I can already hear the Fox talking heads bragging about how VP nominee Chris Christie is a proven non-partisan by the way he worked with Democrats to ensure the safety and rebirth of New Jersey after the Hurricane of 2012.

Calling it now: Jeb Bush/Chris Christie 2016. Florida/New Jersey. One's married to a hispanic and governed a major swing state, the other draws the NE liberal vote and rides the non-partisan wave of hope for better politics.

The question is, will the Republican primaries be any kinder to Jeb Bush or Chris Christie when there will probably be an ideologically pure Tea Party favorite in Paul Ryan lurking about with his budget proposals and rock-hard abs.

[Guest Raidne]

I actually agree with OSC *in part* about the Benghazi thing. MAJOR news story, total failure by the Administration (blame lying with the CIA, probably), no coverage in most news sources other than the who said what when bullshit.

But it's not a conspiracy - news outlets cover news that gets viewers and readers, so they show their demographic what it wants to think about. For whatever reason, people just aren't interested in reading about Benghazi as a sophisticated terrorist attack by al Qaeda. I also think the administration probably pled state secrets and offered various exclusives to networks who shut up about it until the security breach could be cleaned up, smuggled weapons recovered, etc.

But it IS really pretty strange. I'm not sure the Bush machine could have pulled off an election victory on the eve of the failure to prevent a terrorist attack.

[Datepalm]

Calling it now: Jeb Bush/Chris Christie 2016. Florida/New Jersey. One's married to a hispanic and governed a major swing state, the other draws the NE liberal vote and rides the non-partisan wave of hope for better politics.

That's what you would do if you were a Republican. It's also why you are not a Republican.

[Sci-2]

Looking at the depressed Repub pics....was the party always this white? Or did they drive minorities away with their racebaiting this time around?

[Arthmail]

I have CNN on in the background, and just watched the stupidest fucking commerical. A chinese teacher of some sort addressing a room full of chinese students, bragging about how health care, stimulus packages, and taxing the rich, put the US in China's hands.

The Dems really need to push back against this narrative that its social spending that is the reason for the US debt. It's Bush and his policies of war and tax breaks. I'm sick of this notion that tax breaks will help grow the economy, when austerity measures are clearly failing in GB and other countries.

[Horus Ex Machina]

Looking at the depressed Repub pics....was the party always this white? Or did they drive minorities away with their racebaiting this time around?

I'm still waiting to hear the anti-politically correct excuse for why Asians don't vote for them.

Oh yeah, maybe this has something to do with it...

...bc there was just one constituency out there that a Republican hadn't insulted yet.

I have CNN on in the background, and just watched the stupidest fucking commerical. A chinese teacher of some sort addressing a room full of chinese students, bragging about how health care, stimulus packages, and taxing the rich, put the US in China's hands.

The Dems really need to push back against this narrative that its social spending that is the reason for the US debt. It's Bush and his policies of war and tax breaks. I'm sick of this notion that tax breaks will help grow the economy, when austerity measures are clearly failing in GB and other countries.

Sadly Greece just passed austerity measures in blind ignorance of it's failures in it's neighbors or it's unpopularity within it's own populace.

[Horus Ex Machina]

DBL Post

[Horza]

I have CNN on in the background, and just watched the stupidest fucking commerical. A chinese teacher of some sort addressing a room full of chinese students, bragging about how health care, stimulus packages, and taxing the rich, put the US in China's hands.

Ah, good old

. That video was made two years ago for the debt ceiling crisis, but it remains the Citizen Kane of this shitty genre. Though you don't have to work hard to surpass stuff like

.* Or this.

*fun fact: the morons making this video used Traditional Chinese characters instead of Simplified, so it looks like the US is welcoming its Taiwanese overlords.

[Sci-2]

MAJOR news story, total failure by the Administration (blame lying with the CIA, probably), no coverage in most news sources other than the who said what when bullshit.

I didn't see anything that suggested there was much of a story beyond what was initially reported. An unfortunate casualty in the War on Terror.

Wasn't it the Bush admin that said you can't stop every attack?

[Seli]

...

But it IS really pretty strange. I'm not sure the Bush machine could have pulled off an election victory on the eve of the failure to prevent a terrorist attack.

How many elections have been lost on all the US deaths in Iraq and Afghanistan?

[TerraPrime]

Re: Card and GOP over Benghazi

They're off their collective rockers.

Last time terrorists attack Americans, the entire nation united behind the sitting President and propelled him to 3 years of smooth sailing, culminating in an effortless re-election. If they think more media attention to the Benghazi would have helped their candidate more than it would have helped Obama, they're more deluded than I give them credit for. They should thank the lucky stars that the mainstream narrative isn't as fear-inducing as what followed 9/11/01.

[The Anti-Targ]

Looking at the depressed Repub pics....was the party always this white? Or did they drive minorities away with their racebaiting this time around?

In 1992 Bill Clinton only got about 35% of the Asian vote. In 2012 Obama got about 70% of the Asian vote. Hispanics and blacks were always majority Democratic.

In Reagan's America 80% of American's self identified as white. In Obama's America ~65% self identify as white.

Not sure if Arab and Persian ethnicities are captured in the general "Asian" category or if they are counted as a separate middle-east category. I think lots of the Arab and Persian Americans went for Bush in 2000 and 2004. So I think the only non-white category of voters to possibly still vote majority republican is Arab and Persian.

[Horus Ex Machina]

Re: Card and GOP over Benghazi

They're off their collective rockers.

Last time terrorists attack Americans, the entire nation united behind the sitting President and propelled him to 3 years of smooth sailing, culminating in an effortless re-election. If they think more media attention to the Benghazi would have helped their candidate more than it would have helped Obama, they're more deluded than I give them credit for. They should thank the lucky stars that the mainstream narrative isn't as fear-inducing as what followed 9/11/01.

There were over 1500 articles written on the Benghazi attacks between Oct 23rd and the 26th. And this was in the midst of the never-ending Romney-mentum narrative. They tried to make it a story and there was no serious interest in it. Even Fox wasn't able to make a real story out of it. Americans in general are used to, and understand that tragedies can and will happen in American embassies, ships or installations in dangerous foreign territories. They understand that it's not something that can always be coordinated quickly or easily.

[Seli]

...

Not sure if Arab and Persian ethnicities are captured in the general "Asian" category or if they are counted as a separate middle-east category. I think lots of the Arab and Persian Americans went for Bush in 2000 and 2004. So I think the only non-white category of voters to possibly still vote majority republican is Arab and Persian.

Apparently the Muslim vote for the GOP is down to single digits as well, at least that is the message in this really long piece. Perhaps it is different from the non-muslim arabs and iranians.

[IheartTesla]

If the white vote is 72% and Romney got 60% of that, that gives...hmm, let see....it's arithmetic...43.2% of the electorate? That cant be right, can it? All you need is 7% to go over the edge. 9% to be sure of an EC victory.

That the GoP cant even get that speaks volumes.

As for Benghazi, I won't get into what the Administration knew or didn't know. I can believe intelligence failures from the CIA because we have a long history of that. I don't know if the Admin actively hid something from the public about a sophisticated al qaeda attack, because I personally believe there were a mishmash of reasons for it including the video).

But the reason why people didnt care for it is clear. Just like they dont bat an eyelid at casualties in Afghanistan anymore, the fact that it is far away is reason enough for people not to care. If there was a terrorist attack on US soil the resonance with the public would be much larger. Out of sight, out of mind.

[Horus Ex Machina]

In 1992 Bill Clinton only got about 35% of the Asian vote. In 2012 Obama got about 70% of the Asian vote. Hispanics and blacks were always majority Democratic.

In Reagan's America 80% of American's self identified as white. In Obama's America ~65% self identify as white.

Not sure if Arab and Persian ethnicities are captured in the general "Asian" category or if they are counted as a separate middle-east category. I think lots of the Arab and Persian Americans went for Bush in 2000 and 2004. So I think the only non-white category of voters to possibly still vote majority republican is Arab and Persian.

I think that part of this is also the fact that the Asian population has diversified. Indians and Pakistanis are included in that category afaik and they have always been the most Democratic-leaning of that voting bloc. But you also have more Southeast Asian immigration and from what I know from talking to the Vietnamese, Laotian or Cambodian ppl that I know, they also are more Democratic-leaning than say Chinese, Japanese, or Koreans historically have been. But even those constituencies are starting to lean more Democratic in recent years than they used to. I could not actually point to a single issue that explains that movement.