this gif was never more relevant pic.twitter.com/lXPAzNRGw2— Greg Dworkin (@DemFromCT) February 29, 2016
Monday, February 29, 2016
Today's Tweet
John Oliver
" ... written in gold Sharpie, which is so quintessentially Trump: something that gives the passing appearance of wealth, but is actually just a cheap tool."
Sunday, February 28, 2016
Chris Rock Rocks
We might be talkin' about this for a while.
And this too.
And the winner for least funny #Oscars bit goes to @FoxNews' @REALStaceyDash: https://t.co/p0FsTAtxPe pic.twitter.com/Qao1iRSKsv— Matt Wilstein (@TheMattWilstein) February 29, 2016
And Now We Know
Thinking about Trump's famous bit about "I could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody, and I wouldn't lose any voters, OK?"
Now in the last coupla days:
Now in the last coupla days:
I've been saying for a while that Trump wants out, and that all the weird shit he says is an attempt to find the exit. In that light, the decoded version of the quote sounded like this to me: "What do I have to do to get you idiots to let me go?"
But maybe I've been wrong (now there's a shocker, eh?). Being wrong is part of the game - I'll prob'ly get over it.
Anyway, if this is a real thing, then we've got a pretty simple equation: Voter = Customer. To Trump, it doesn't matter what the customer thinks or says or does, as long as that customer shows up and spends - nobody's money (ie: vote) is worth more or less than anybody else's money (ie: vote). So his ridiculously blatant pandering is just something he does because he's a good salesman who understands that his business is to grow his business.
What matters is that you make your numbers - plan your work and work your plan - the strategic goal is to achieve the strategic goals, and your tactics are of no great concern to executive management. Just get me those results.
Putting it tritely - Trump is all about the end justifying the means. At the very least, he's exploiting an opportunity to upend what's left of a process that was intended to protect us from people like Donald Trump. It's not like he doesn't know that. Why would a good Rentier pass on a golden opportunity to own a controlling interest in USAmerica Inc?
There's a lot to look at concerning Process, and Lord knows the process has been getting bent up and fucked over for quite a while, and is long overdue for some serious refit, but we're supposed to be all about The Process here in USAmerica, and an awful lot of that process has been pimp-slapped in the usual way by people with the power to ignore the consequences of the law.
So we need to get back to caring about - and caring for - the process. And here's the short-cut version of it all: In a democracy, the death of process is nothing less that the death of the democracy itself.
Stay together. Work together. Get shit done.
Saturday, February 27, 2016
Today's Bernie
Bernie really gets it sometimes. We've allowed ourselves to be suckered into thinking that a kind of selective (if not arbitrary) authoritarian crap is what our Justice System is supposed to be about.
And BTW - it's a pretty simple parlay to connect the fucked-up-edness of our legal system with the total FUBAR of the Corporate Prisons Industry.
Stay in line or they'll fuck you up - just because they can.
Be honest, @BernieSanders hated the Crime Bill. Spoke against it passionately & repeatedly.— Shaun King (@ShaunKing) February 27, 2016
Watch this.
POWERFULhttps://t.co/69F4R7IQkI
And BTW - it's a pretty simple parlay to connect the fucked-up-edness of our legal system with the total FUBAR of the Corporate Prisons Industry.
Stay in line or they'll fuck you up - just because they can.
Friday, February 26, 2016
Thursday, February 25, 2016
One Last Shot
Conventional wisdom has it that tonight's shit fight at the monkey house GOP Debate could be the last time we see what's left of that ol' gang of our'n.
And in keeping with the best of all possible traditions, Matt Taibbi has issued the following update on the rules of the game:
TAKE A SHOT:
1. The first time (and first time only) one of the candidates compares himself to St. Ronald Reagan.
2. When Ben Carson complains that nobody's calling on him.
3. At the phrases "Great state of Texas," "Don't mess with Texas," or "Everything's bigger in Texas." Double if that last one comes from Trump in a suggestive tone. Triple-shot if Trump says "Everything except Marco is bigger in Texas."
4. If Cruz mentions he's from Texas more than five times. Take an additional shot for each time after that.
5. Every time someone jokes about Jeb Bush no longer being there. Double if the essence of the joke is that it's hard to tell the difference.
6. When Kasich makes a speech or comment whose essence is, "Well, excuse me for being sane, but…" Drink also if a moderator calls Kasich a "moderate."
7. When anyone calls anyone else a "liar."
8. Whenever any of the non-Trump candidates calls him a "closet Democrat" or "not a conservative."
9. Whenever anyone mentions Cruz's "dirty tricks."
10. When Carson recites lines from the Bible or the Constitution.
11. When any candidate mentions being the son/grandson of a hardworking bartender/mail carrier/housecleaner/etc. and therefore is not just a believer in the American Dream, but a product of it.
12. Whenever Trump mocks someone's poll numbers.
BONUS DRINK:
Players may want to make side-bets as to what happens more often: Cruz reminding the audience that he's Texan, or Trump reminding them that Cruz is from Canada. We can have a bonus shot if Cruz mentions his Texan-ness only to have Trump immediately call him a Canadian Texan.
Lastly, I propose we create a toast in honor of the recently fallen. Instead of saying "Cheers" or "Prost," we might say, before drinking, "Chris Christie was a federal prosecutor."
(Read more: Rolling Stone)
And in keeping with the best of all possible traditions, Matt Taibbi has issued the following update on the rules of the game:
TAKE A SHOT:
1. The first time (and first time only) one of the candidates compares himself to St. Ronald Reagan.
2. When Ben Carson complains that nobody's calling on him.
3. At the phrases "Great state of Texas," "Don't mess with Texas," or "Everything's bigger in Texas." Double if that last one comes from Trump in a suggestive tone. Triple-shot if Trump says "Everything except Marco is bigger in Texas."
4. If Cruz mentions he's from Texas more than five times. Take an additional shot for each time after that.
5. Every time someone jokes about Jeb Bush no longer being there. Double if the essence of the joke is that it's hard to tell the difference.
6. When Kasich makes a speech or comment whose essence is, "Well, excuse me for being sane, but…" Drink also if a moderator calls Kasich a "moderate."
7. When anyone calls anyone else a "liar."
8. Whenever any of the non-Trump candidates calls him a "closet Democrat" or "not a conservative."
9. Whenever anyone mentions Cruz's "dirty tricks."
10. When Carson recites lines from the Bible or the Constitution.
11. When any candidate mentions being the son/grandson of a hardworking bartender/mail carrier/housecleaner/etc. and therefore is not just a believer in the American Dream, but a product of it.
12. Whenever Trump mocks someone's poll numbers.
BONUS DRINK:
Players may want to make side-bets as to what happens more often: Cruz reminding the audience that he's Texan, or Trump reminding them that Cruz is from Canada. We can have a bonus shot if Cruz mentions his Texan-ness only to have Trump immediately call him a Canadian Texan.
Lastly, I propose we create a toast in honor of the recently fallen. Instead of saying "Cheers" or "Prost," we might say, before drinking, "Chris Christie was a federal prosecutor."
(Read more: Rolling Stone)
Take It, Charlie
The inestimable national treasure that is Charles Pierce:
This is the essence of what he's about. He, Trump will tame the beast of government. He, Trump personally will bring back jobs. He, Trump personally will solve the immigration problem by building a wall and making other people pay for it. He, Trump personally will intimidate China and outmaneuver Russia into accepting American leadership in the world. And all we have to do to gain these little bits of paradise is to bestir our stumps in November, vote for He, Trump, and then sit back and watch the show. Jesus H. Christ on a white grand piano, and people say Bernie Sanders is offering "free stuff."
Wednesday, February 24, 2016
Oh Those Obamas
I'm running dangerously close to the edge of a warm fuzzy feeling for POTUS and FLOTUS.
.@POTUS nominates the first woman and first African-American to be Librarian of Congress: https://t.co/5zQhYVj74jhttps://t.co/vkWq9IfqcU— The White House (@WhiteHouse) February 24, 2016
Today marks the launch of @OpenEBks, bringing access to free books for students across the country. #ReachHigherhttps://t.co/1fRsZ9tFXv— The First Lady (@FLOTUS) February 24, 2016
Book-learnin', bitches. Git some.
Today's Quote
Courage is an inner resolution to go forward despite obstacles. Cowardice is submissive surrender to circumstances. Courage breeds creativity; Cowardice represses fear and is mastered by it. Cowardice asks the question, is it safe? Expediency ask the question, is it politic? Vanity asks the question, is it popular?
But, conscience asks the question, is it right? And there comes a time when we must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular, but one must take it because it is right.” -- Dr Martin Luther King Jr
Today's Tweet
The last GOP "debate" was almost universally characterized as a train wreck, so I guess Las Vegas just couldn't stand to be outdone in the Nevada Caucus thingie so...yeah.
EXCLUSIVE: This is the scene of the Nevada GOP caucus. pic.twitter.com/ZNwB8Ns8im— Sweet Meteor O'Death (@smod2016) February 24, 2016
Tuesday, February 23, 2016
Pay It Heed, Dummy
And remember that while the Dems have been pretty much too quiet and too absent for too fucking long, the GOP is nothing but Guns-Everywhere-Kill-'Em-All-Let-God-Sort-It-Out.
You don't like it? Get up on your hind legs and do something about it.
Looking Forward
With the latest crap coming out of the Oddly-Tinted Pile Of Psychotic Symptoms (aka: The Great Trumpkin Himself), here's the one question I really want the Press Poodles to ask every candidate, but especially every GOP candidate, and especially especially Lil Donny:
"What behavior will you expect from your loyalest supporters if you lose the primary; and/or you go on to lose the general election?"
And just to be sure - please look straight into the camera and tell your voters you want them to be civilized Americans who understand that politics in this country is about argument, voting and then abiding by the results of that voting without violent protests.
Take it to the streets, and do a sit-down thing, and go on strike, and do whatever you think will get your grievances heard and addressed, but this is not where the mob rules.
Well, OK - except for that "Recent Unpleasantness" back when the Yankees invaded our homeland.
But yeah - Exceptionalism, motherfucker. Do you get it?
"What behavior will you expect from your loyalest supporters if you lose the primary; and/or you go on to lose the general election?"
And just to be sure - please look straight into the camera and tell your voters you want them to be civilized Americans who understand that politics in this country is about argument, voting and then abiding by the results of that voting without violent protests.
Take it to the streets, and do a sit-down thing, and go on strike, and do whatever you think will get your grievances heard and addressed, but this is not where the mob rules.
Well, OK - except for that "Recent Unpleasantness" back when the Yankees invaded our homeland.
But yeah - Exceptionalism, motherfucker. Do you get it?
Sunday, February 21, 2016
Today's Tweet
I am seriously considering making this my avatar on every site across the entire web. It's just that fucking awesome.
— perfectly frank (@AmOhSoFrank) February 21, 2016
And There It Is
MoJo:
Now they can round it all out with that little extra self-delusion of Post-Racial Bigotry dressed up to look like the same old "return to American values", which btw has been re-rebranded as "Making America Great Again".
Really gotta wonder how the rubes just go along with it - until you stop and consider they've been going along with it for 400 years now - and that's just on this continent.
Trump didn't win in spite of being a boor, a bigot, and an analog internet troll; he won because he was proudly all those things. For all the diversions (who picks a fight with the pope, anyway?), he articulated a remarkably clear theory of politics: Other people are screwing you over, and I'm going to stop it.In the 80s and through the 90s, it was Repubs making big strides by embracing the criticism of them for being Cold Greedy Self-Centered Assholes - saying straight up, "Why yes - yes I am. And proud of it too."
Now they can round it all out with that little extra self-delusion of Post-Racial Bigotry dressed up to look like the same old "return to American values", which btw has been re-rebranded as "Making America Great Again".
Really gotta wonder how the rubes just go along with it - until you stop and consider they've been going along with it for 400 years now - and that's just on this continent.
Down To Five
And Governor Dumpster Fire bites the dust, proving once again that as a political prognosticator, I make a pretty good floor wax.
With that in mind, I might as well let my freak flag fly:
Maybe I'm just die-hard and stubborn, but I can't stop thinking this isn't the end of it. With very small (and fading fast) hopes that Trump won't get the nomination, and knowing pretty well what a monumental cluster fuck is brewing if he does, the GOP has to be scrambling behind the scenes to bring in a ringer.
And there seems to be way too many giddy Dems wandering around thinking the dissolution of the GOP isn't at least potentially a catastrophic systems-level failure. With so many Repubs in charge of state and local governments, a thorough fracturing and break up of an entire political party could easily spell even bigger trouble for our little experiment in self-government. We ain't seen nothin' yet, kids.
Saturday, February 20, 2016
Today's Quote
Here's a golden oldie.
Powell gave up his credibility when Bush/Cheney/Rumsfeld played him for a sucker and talked him into doing that extraordinarily stoopid dog-n-pony show at the UN as we were being pimped into the Iraq war.
But he did the right thing afterwards and just faded away, which restores at least a bit of his honor in my opinion. And I think part of that restoration shows in his willingness to stand up and call out the bullshit in the GOP when he sees it.
Powell gave up his credibility when Bush/Cheney/Rumsfeld played him for a sucker and talked him into doing that extraordinarily stoopid dog-n-pony show at the UN as we were being pimped into the Iraq war.
But he did the right thing afterwards and just faded away, which restores at least a bit of his honor in my opinion. And I think part of that restoration shows in his willingness to stand up and call out the bullshit in the GOP when he sees it.
Thursday, February 18, 2016
Donito Trumpelini Speaks
Today's Shitty-Trump-Thing is basically about the standard Trump tactic of listening for somebody to say almost anything even the tiniest bit critical of him, and using it as justification for a massive counterattack - not to answer the criticism, but to pump up his own image as a strong leader. If this isn't the behavior of a despot (aka: school bus bully turned "politician"), please tell me what is.
And just in case you missed it, at about the 1:45 mark, when Trump is blathering on about how tough he'll be on ISIS, he actually slags the US military as it is now. I understand that he means it to be a charge of incompetence against Obama, but he says basically that all of our current military leaders are crap: "... if we had a General MacArthur; if we had a General George Patton - I mean, they'd be gone before they had time to go over and check it out. OK? It's a ridiculous situation." If I'm a general officer in any branch of uniformed service, I'd be voting for just about anybody but this guy.
But wait - Generals and Colonels are more than egotistical enough to think that if they put this guy in power, they could manipulate him so they could run the joint from their own desks. Which is almost exactly what happened with GW Bush, and why the GOP wants another Empty Vessel POTUS - like Rubio or Jeb.
I really hope they're not thinking Trump isn't smart enough, and unscrupulous enough, to turn the federal government into one big bloody knife fight.
In the end though, I still think this is the next step in Trump trying to find his exit. He's finally gotten around to taking a big runny shit on the US Military's head - let's see if anybody actually notices, but then let's take a long look at anybody who steps up to say, "Thanks for the hat, Mr Trump."
And just in case you missed it, at about the 1:45 mark, when Trump is blathering on about how tough he'll be on ISIS, he actually slags the US military as it is now. I understand that he means it to be a charge of incompetence against Obama, but he says basically that all of our current military leaders are crap: "... if we had a General MacArthur; if we had a General George Patton - I mean, they'd be gone before they had time to go over and check it out. OK? It's a ridiculous situation." If I'm a general officer in any branch of uniformed service, I'd be voting for just about anybody but this guy.
But wait - Generals and Colonels are more than egotistical enough to think that if they put this guy in power, they could manipulate him so they could run the joint from their own desks. Which is almost exactly what happened with GW Bush, and why the GOP wants another Empty Vessel POTUS - like Rubio or Jeb.
I really hope they're not thinking Trump isn't smart enough, and unscrupulous enough, to turn the federal government into one big bloody knife fight.
In the end though, I still think this is the next step in Trump trying to find his exit. He's finally gotten around to taking a big runny shit on the US Military's head - let's see if anybody actually notices, but then let's take a long look at anybody who steps up to say, "Thanks for the hat, Mr Trump."
Deep Thought
Try not to over-think it once you notice that the word "studying" seems like a mashup of "student" and "dying".
Today's Tweet
Not the most current, but hits it on the head where Ms Fiorina is concerned, and so it should be noted.
— miles reed (@milesjreed) February 18, 2016
Tuesday, February 16, 2016
That Rubio Spot
Senator Big Gulp is trying so hard.
(This is the one that features a skyline shot of a Canadian city - oops)
(This is the one that features a skyline shot of a Canadian city - oops)
Look, Marco, only one guy's allowed to be Ronald Reagan and that guy's been dead for a dozen years; almost a quarter of your life. You gotta hitch up your short little pants, buckaroo. Walking around in Daddy's shoes was pretty darn cute for a while, but it's time to stop pretending and start doing for yourself.
I guess I'd just like to give you a knowing smile and send you out into the big beautiful world with a pat on the head - but I'm afraid your hair would break and I'd get slivers in my hand and it'd be a big mess and - well, just go on ahead, little man.
But seriously, stop pimpin' Reagan's corpse like that; it's just kinda gross.
Monday, February 15, 2016
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