;)
The Commentariat -- July 9, 2015
Internal links removed.
Afternoon Update:
Ellen Nakashima of the Washington Post: "The massive hack last year of the Office of Personnel Management's system containing security clearance information affected 21.5 million people, including current and former employees, contractors and their families and friends, officials said Thursday. That is in addition to a separate hack -- also last year -- of OPM's personnel database that affected 4.2 million people."
Carol Morello of the Washington Post: "Secretary of State John F. Kerry said Thursday that the United States and its negotiating partners 'will not rush, and we will not be rushed' into finalizing a nuclear deal with Iran, but warned they will abandon talks soon if Iran doesn't make the 'tough decisions' needed for an agreement. 'This is not open-ended,' he said after walking on crutches to a podium outside the Coburg Palace hotel here where the talks are being held."
Matthew Rosenberg of the New York Times: "Russia's aggressive behavior and its nuclear arsenal make it the single greatest national security threat faced by the United States, Gen. Joseph F. Dunford Jr. said Thursday at a Senate hearing on his nomination as the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. General Dunford, the Marine commandant, appeared far more confident that the military could step in if necessary if negotiations on a nuclear deal with Tehran fail. Asked whether the military has the ability to destroy Iran's nuclear program, General Dunford was unequivocal. 'My understanding is that we do, Senator,' he said."
Human Error. Rupert Neate of the Guardian: "The more than three-and-a-half hour New York stock exchange shutdown on Wednesday was caused by engineers loading the wrong software on to the system, the NYSE admitted on Thursday. The NYSE said the shutdown, which sent some traders into panic about a possible cyber terrorist attack, was sparked by its systems being 'not loaded with the proper configuration compatible' with new a software upgrade."
Amanda Hopuch & Oliver Laughland of the Guardian: "The battle flag of the former American Confederacy will stop flying at South Carolina's statehouse on Friday..., 150 years after the south lost a civil war fought largely over slavery, and for which the flag's endurance has remained a lasting symbol of racism. Governor Nikki Haley was prepared to sign legislation on Thursday that would require the flag to be removed from government grounds within 24 hours. Her office said it would be taken down from a flagpole near the capitol at 10am the next day, after flying there for nearly 54 years."
Linda Greenhouse finds more ways of demonstrating that the Roberts Court is not a liberal court. Expect it to look more like the "Alito court" next year.
*****
Pam Belluck of the New York Times: "Medicare, the federal program that insures 55 million older and disabled Americans, announced plans on Wednesday to reimburse doctors for conversations with patients about whether and how they would want to be kept alive if they became too sick to speak for themselves. The proposal would settle a debate that raged before the passage of the Affordable Care Act, when Sarah Palin labeled a similar plan as tantamount to setting up 'death panels' that could cut off care for the sick. The new plan is expected to be approved and to take effect in January, although it will be open to public comment for 60 days." ...
... CW: When my husband was dying in 2013, doctors & other staff had a number of consultations with him and me regarding end-of-life care. I don't know how the hospital characterized these meetings in their billing reports, but Medicare paid for them. The "new rule" just seems to be formalizing what is already routinely happening.
Julian Hattem of the Hill: "Democrats and the White House are hammering Senate Republicans for failing to act on a nominee who is charged with snipping the purse strings of Islamic extremists. Adam Szubin was nominated to be the Treasury Department's undersecretary for terrorism and financial crimes nearly three months ago but has yet to receive a hearing from the Senate Banking Committee responsible for vetting him. Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) chastised Republicans for the delay, arguing that 'it is threatening our nation's ability to combat terrorism' and groups such as the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq (ISIS)."
Jordain Carney of the Hill: "The Senate approved its first circuit judge nomination of the year on Tuesday. Senators voted 95-0 on Kara Stoll's nomination to be a U.S. circuit court judge for the federal circuit, making her the first Hispanic woman to be approved for the court. Speaking ahead of the Senate's vote, Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) called Stoll 'superbly qualified.'" CW: Hey, it's only mid-July.
Josh Kraushaar of the National Journal: "For Republicans, [ObamaCare] has been the political gift that keeps on giving. Yet even though public opinion remains unfavorable towards the law, Democrats remain in denial about its political standing.... The law will likely remain a pivotal element of the GOP's argument against Hillary Clinton in 2016 -- and for Republicans in the battleground congressional contests."
Francis Wilkinson of Bloomberg: "The 2016 Republican nominee for president will almost certainly not make a fuss about deportation policy, regardless of past positions. In all likelihood, facing a difficult road with Hispanic and Asian voters, he will support legalization of long-settled undocumented immigrants. Citizenship remains an unsettled question. But the era of deportation is coming to an end." Wilkinson explains how we got here. CW: Wilkinson likely doesn't think Walker or Trump will be that nominee. ...
... John Boehner's European Vacation Congressional Mission. Al Kamen of the Washington Post: "The rule is never to make news on these government-paid vacations trips, but, in a speech to the American Chamber of Commerce Ireland, Boehner" said he would overcome his party's resistance to immigration reform, something Irish Taoiseach Enda Kenny has urged him to do. The speech created went over well at Breitbart: "Boehner goes overseas, vows immigration reform, amnesty..." the headline read. Also in Ireland, a person mistook Boehner for Bill Clinton. ...
... Good luck with immigration reform, Orange Man ...
... Jake Sherman & Anna Palmer of Politico: "... [Congressional] Republicans are clashing in private -- and, at times, openly -- over their entire agenda. The broad disagreement on so many fronts lately is striking. Congress is almost certain, again, to fail to come to a timely agreement on a long-term highway bill. Republican leaders had to abruptly pull the emergency brake on a sweeping reauthorization of the Federal Aviation Administration, amid a tiff about privatizing air traffic controllers. As if all that wasn't enough, a showdown over government funding is fast approaching."
Megan Chuchmach & Brian Ross of ABC News: "Former President George W. Bush charged $100,000 to speak at a charity fundraiser for U.S. military veterans severely wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan, and former First Lady Laura Bush collected $50,000 to appear a year earlier.... The former President was also provided with a private jet to travel to Houston at a cost of $20,000.... One of the wounded vets who served on the charity's board told ABC News he was outraged that his former commander in chief would charge any fee to speak on behalf of men and women he ordered into harm's way.... A spokesperson for former President Bill Clinton said he 'has never received' a speaking fee for addressing a veterans' group. A spokesperson for ... George Herbert Walker Bush, said ... that he did not recall a fee being requested for charity events.... According to the charity's yearly reports to the IRS, it raised about $2,450,000, after expenses, from the 2012 gala where President [George W.] Bush spoke." ...
... CW: You may recall that a few weeks ago, I linked to a Wash Po story that included this graf: "'I'm comfortable in my life,' [George W.] Bush told the crowd. 'There is one thing I miss, looking in the eyes of the people who serve this country and saluting them.' And so, he said he decided to 'dedicate the rest of his life' to helping veterans." But only if he can make it pay. Words fail me.
Sarah Wheaton & Burgess Everett of Politico: "President Barack Obama pegged the chances of a nuclear agreement with Iran at 'less than 50-50,' even as he worked to reassure Senate Democrats that he won't accept a bad deal, according to a U.S. senator who attended a gathering at the White House. During something of a working cocktail party Tuesday night, the president sounded a fresh note of pessimism as the nuclear talks in Vienna missed yet another self-imposed deadline -- and as his administration has sought to refute accusations that it is desperate for a deal."
Anthony Faiola & Ylan Mui of the Washington Post: "Facing a midnight deadline from European creditors, Greece's Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras huddled with government and political leaders Thursday to finalize details of the debt-laden country's last-ditch request for a fresh bailout. The proposal filed Wednesday asked for a three-year loan package, with vague promises to 'strengthen and modernize' Greece's economy and implement reforms of its patchwork tax system and generous pensions as soon as next week. But the one-page document was short on specifics, and it was unclear how big of a bailout package Athens would need." ...
... Anthony Faiola & Michael Birnbaum of the Washington Post: "Greece asked European partners Wednesday for a new three-year bailout, pledging to make reforms but leaving blank how far it was willing to go to meet cost-cutting demands as the country flirts with bankruptcy. In a one-page letter, obtained by The Washington Post, Greece proposed to take steps on key issues such as taxes and pension payouts as early as next week. It also pledged to take unspecified 'additional actions' to 'strengthen and modernize' its economy." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
AFP: "Charges against five bloggers and journalists held in Ethiopia for more than a year have been dropped, weeks before Barack Obama's planned visit to the country. Five others also arrested in April 2014 remain in jail, accused of planning terrorist attacks and collaborating with the US-based opposition group Ginbot 7, labelled a terrorist organisation by Ethiopia."
Reuters: "Russia is the biggest threat to US national security and America must boost its military presence throughout Europe even as Nato allies face budget challenges and scale back spending, the US air force secretary, Deborah James, said on Wednesday."
American "Justice," Ctd. Dana Liebelson of the Huffington Post: "How A Teenage Girl Who Gave An 'Intimidating Look' Was Sentenced To Up To 5 Years In Prison."
Ian Shapira of the Washington Post: "The Washington Redskins lost their biggest legal and public relations battle yet in the war over their name after a federal judge in Northern Virginia on Wednesday ordered the cancellation of the NFL team's federal trademark registrations, which have been opposed for decades by many Native Americans who feel the moniker disparages their race. The cancellation doesn't go into effect until the Redskins have exhausted the appeals process in the federal court system." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Guardian: "The disgraced former Fifa executive Chuck Blazer has been handed a life ban from all football-related activity by Fifa's ethics committee for bribery and other corruption."
Presidential Race
Brent Budowsky of the Hill: "The surge in support for Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) in 2016 is the latest evidence of a progressive populist wave growing across America that has the potential to create a new political majority in the tradition of Presidents Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin Roosevelt and John Kennedy.... The miracle of Occupy Wall Street is that this movement of idealists and patriots that was reviled by the right and ridiculed by insider pundits was victorious in the first great battle of ideas of the 21st century on behalf of the 99 percent.... The prospect of this new era of new thinking from a new populism of a new left, following the Gilded Age corruptions of the last financial crash and the revolving door corruptions of Washington, is driving the surprise surge for Sanders and posing the dramatic test for Clinton." ..
... Nate Silver: "Sanders could win Iowa. He's up to 30 percent of the vote there, according to Huffington Post Pollster's estimate. What's more, Sanders could also win New Hampshire, where he's at 32 percent of the vote. Nationally, by contrast, Sanders has just 15 percent of the vote and has been gaining ground on Clinton only slowly.... Democratic caucus-goers in Iowa and Democratic primary voters in New Hampshire are really liberal and really white, and that's the core of Sanders's support.... Sanders has so far made very little traction with non-white Democrats.... It just so happens that the idiosyncrasies of the first two states match Sanders's strengths and Clinton's relative weaknesses.... Just as was the case throughout the 2008 campaign, the media will misconstrue voting patterns that occur because of demographics and attribute them to 'momentum' instead." ...
... NEW. Patrick Healy & Maggie Haberman of the New York Times: "Nearly 20 years after President Bill Clinton declared that 'the era of big government is over,' Hillary Rodham Clinton is proposing muscular federal policies that would require hundreds of billions of dollars in new spending and markedly expand Washington's influence in a host of areas, from universal prekindergarten to Alzheimer's disease research."
... CW: I watched only the clip I posted yesterday, but according to Steve M., the consensus is that Hillary Clinton's CNN interview was a dud. In the clip, she seemed fine to me. (Of course, that might be because Hillary speaks almost exactly as I do, to a point that kind of creeps me out.) I think Hillary's real speaking problem -- and nobody talks about this -- is that she doesn't have a man's voice. I know it's 2015 & we should all be so over the males-only rule, but Americans still think a man's voice conveys authority & a woman's does not. Ask yourself this: who is the greatest female orator you can think of? Ah, you probably can't think of anyone. If you're old enough, you might pick the late Barbara Jordan, who had a very deep, nearly masculine voice. She spoke with authority. ...
... Charles Pierce: "We now have an entire generation of political reporters whose formative experience in American politics was the Great Penis Chase of the 1990s. This is something that the HRC is going to have to live with, but it's something all of us can safely dismiss. There are reasons not to vote for Hillary Rodham Clinton; for me, so far, her blithe dismissal of the populist energy within her party is reason enough to give her a pass in the primaries."
Candace Smith of ABC News: "During an interview that was live-streamed on the app Periscope, [Jeb] Bush told New Hampshire's The Union Leader that to grow the economy, 'people should work longer hours.'... In a statement, a Bush aide clarified that he was referring to the underemployed and part-time workers.... US workers work more hours than workers in any other large, industrialized country, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development." CW: Jeb! may be able to string together words better than the Dumber Brother, but he is just as gaffe-prone. ...
... Greg Sargent: Whatever Jeb! meant to say, "what's really important here is Bush's apparent overall economic diagnosis: the grand answer is lowering taxes -- including at the top -- which will trigger runaway growth that will solve those problems, including the gap between productivity and wages."
Dana Milbank: "It has been amusing to watch the brands ... flee Donald Trump after his xenophobic remarks. But there is one entity that can't dump Trump, no matter how hard it tries: the GOP. The Republican Party can't dump Trump because Trump is the Republican Party.... His views show that, far from being an outlier, he is hitting all the erogenous zones of the GOP electorate.... Anti-immigrant? Against Common Core education standards? For repealing Obamacare? Against same-sex marriage? Antiabortion? Anti-tax? Anti-China? Virulent in questioning President Obama's legitimacy? Check, check, check, check, check, check, check and check." ...
Not So Fast, Milbank, Comes Now Reince Priebus to the Rescue. Karen Tumulty, et al., of the Washington Post: Reince Priebus, "The head of the Republican National Committee, responding to demands from increasingly worried party leaders, spent nearly an hour Wednesday on the phone with Donald Trump, urging the presidential candidate to tone down his inflammatory comments about immigration that have infuriated a key election constituency.... Priebus told Trump that making inroads with Hispanics is one of his central missions as chairman. He told Trump that tone matters greatly and that Trump's comments are more offensive than he might imagine with that bloc." ...
... Emily Heil of the Washington Post: "Jose Andres, the D.C.-based super-chef with a growing national brand, is backing out of a deal to open the flagship restaurant in Donald Trump's forthcoming Washington hotel -- the latest on a growing list of high-profile partners to sever ties with the presidential candidate over his anti-immigrant comments. ...
... CW Aside: Don't you worry, Donnie Boy. I'm sure Paula Deen will be happy to cook up some of her famous fried mac & cheese for your upscale clientele. ...
... Katie Rogers of the New York Times: "Paula Deen, the Southern celebrity chef who faced a public scandal in 2013 after she admitted using racist language, is facing new criticism after an image was posted to her Twitter account that showed her son in skin-darkening makeup. The image, which was from a 2011 Halloween-themed episode of one of Ms. Deen's cooking shows, was posted on Tuesday. Ms. Deen is dressed as Lucille Ball from 'I Love Lucy,' and her son Bobby is dressed as Ms. Ball's TV husband, Ricky Ricardo, who was played by the Cuban-born actor Desi Arnaz. The image was quickly removed...." Deen fired her social media manager for posting the picture. ...
... CW: By coincidence, Trump himself will appear next week on Deen's show. In the pre-taped episode -- titled "Hail to the Chief" -- both Trump & Deen wear brown makeup & stereotypical Native American buckskin. Trump sports a full eaglefeather war bonnet while Deen teaches him to make Tomahawk-Chop Tomato Salsa & Deep-Fried Redskin Potatoes. As they banter, Trump reminds viewers that Indian casinos do not pay taxes. He says that even though they compete unfairly with his own businesses, "I have a great relationship with the Indians." Deen has not decided whom to fire for this episode, but she plans to get Trump's advice on this. ...
... CW: So after making up that stuff, I read this actual news story. Antonio Olivo of the Washington Post: "In an interview with NBC News, Trump ... cited a hotel construction site in Washington featured recently in The Washington Post as an example of how he has 'a great relationship with the Mexican people.'... 'And I'll tell you something, if I get the nomination, I'll win the Latino vote,' Trump added." CW: The man is impossible to parody. If only he'd worn a sombrero for the interview. ...
... This too is real. Tom Jensen of Public Policy Polling: "PPP's newest North Carolina poll finds that Donald Trump's momentum just keeps on building. He's the top choice of Republican primary voters in the state, getting 16% to 12% for Jeb Bush and Scott Walker...." Via Greg Sargent.
Trump Trap. Ed Kilgore: Although Trump insists his "sole focus" is to run as a Republican, he won't rule out running as a third-party candidate should he lose the GOP nomination. "... Trump has the four ingredients necessary for converting an unsuccessful primary campaign into an indie general election bid: (1) a huge ego; (2) a gigantic personal fortune; (3) total disdain for his GOP presidential rivals; and (4) a rationale for candidacy: namely, the fact that he holds views outside the mainstream of the ... two-party system.... The possibility that he might will force Republicans to be a lot nicer to the man than would normally be the case, and that, too, could be damaging to the 'brand.'" ...
... CW: If Trump makes it a three-way, Democrats could win with a Nadir-Chomsky ticket. Whoever.
Sahil Kapur of Bloomberg: "Republican presidential candidate Marco Rubio said Wednesday he would oppose a constitutional amendment allowing states to ban same-sex marriage after the Supreme legalized it nationwide, even though he disagrees with the landmark 5-4 decision. 'I don't support a constitutional amendment. I don't believe the federal government should be in the marriage regulation business,' the Florida senator told reporters after a speech the Cedar Rapids Country Club in Iowa."
Beyond the Beltway
Alan Blinder & Richard Fausset of the New York Times: "The Confederate battle flag that has flown at the South Carolina State House for more than 50 years will soon be gone after lawmakers capped a tension-filled session early on Thursday and voted to remove it from the grounds of the State Capitol.The final vote in the State House of Representatives, 94 to 20...." ...
... Michael Miller of the Washington Post: The pivotal moment in the House debate came when Jenny Horne (R), a descendant of Confederate President Jefferson Davis, spoke:
... Jeffrey Collins of the AP: "The South Carolina House opened debate over the future of the Confederate flag Wednesday, deliberating a proposal that could remove the banner from the Capitol grounds, possibly before the end of the week." (Yesterday afternoon.)
Yvonne Wenger of the Baltimore Sun: Baltimore "Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake said Wednesday that she has replaced Police Commissioner Anthony W. Batts, citing 'utmost urgency' to stop a recent surge in violence.... Rawlings-Blake named Deputy Police Commissioner Kevin Davis interim commissioner, effective immediately. Rawlings-Blake's decision came hours after she lashed out at the city's police union for its highly critical report of the Police Department leadership during last month's rioting. She did not respond to a call for Batts' resignation from faith coalition Baltimoreans United in Leadership Development. She said the Fraternal Order of Police report did not play a role in her decision...."
"Chaos in Maine." Tierney Sneed of TPM: "The office of Maine Gov. Paul LePage (R) and the clerk in the Maine House are in disagreement over the fate of 19 bills that the governor apparently did not veto in time to prevent them from becoming law. One of the bills grants welfare benefits to some immigrants, which LePage vehemently campaigned against in 2014.... LePage appeared to be attempting to use the parliamentary procedure known as the pocket veto.... But the pocket veto only works if the legislature has adjourned after the end of the second regular session.... The clerk of the Maine House told TPM Wednesday morning that the legislature, which is nearing the end of the first regular session, has not adjourned. By not vetoing the bills within the required 10-day period, LePage allowed the bills he opposed -- some ferociously -- to become law."
Go Down, Moses. Nullification, Oklahoma-Style. Jack Jenkins of Think Progress: Despite a 7-2 decision by the state's supreme court ordering that a Ten Commandments statue be removed from statehouse grounds the because its presence violated the Oklahoma constitution, Gov. Mary Fallin (R) refuses to have the religious monument removed. Because the court is wrong. ...
... CW: So now what? As constitutional scholar Tom DeLay has pointed out (never mind that he thinks the U.S. Supreme Court has ten justices), courts don't have armies to enforce their decisions. They rely on, um, the executive branch to do that where action is required. Maybe the state supremes could hold Fallin in contempt & throw her in jail. I have no idea.
Amanda Covarrubias & Matt Hamilton of the Los Angeles Times: The Calleguas, California Municipal Water District filed a complaint against actor Tom Selleck for stealing "huge amounts of water from a public hydrant" & having the water "delivered to his sprawling Hidden Valley ranch, according to court documents.... The ... complaint ... [charged] that on more than a dozen occasions since 2013, a white truck filled up at a Thousand Oaks hydrant and hauled the water to Selleck's 60-acre ranch in Westlake Village."
Kevin Maillard of the Atlantic: A young father fights for his paternal rights after his partner gives up their newborn for adoption. A compelling story. Moral: (1) Know your rights. (1) Keep evidence. ...
... Amanda Marcotte comments in Slate.
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Reader Comments (19)
..." the consensus is that Hillary Clinton's CNN interview was a dud. In the clip, she seemed fine to me. (Of course, that might be because Hillary speaks almost exactly as I do, to a point that kind of creeps me out.)"
First of all, Marie, I cannot imagine that you speak like Hillary! You may have a similar intonation and/or accent; however, there the similarity ends, because you are wry, irreverent and witty. Perhaps it is just her temperament, but Hillary talks defensively (to the press) and without passion (to everyone). Her humor is unfunny and canned--at least in all the clips I have seen. I think what bothers me even more is her seeming lack of self-irony, which you, Marie, have in spades! That is what first drew me to Obama as a person, (besides his intelligence). And I was charmed by Elizabeth Warren when I saw her, because she openly shows her passion and seems spontaneous--although I think she has given the same speech hundreds of times.
You wonder whether there is an excellent female orator any of us can think of. Elizabeth Warren is definitely good (for reasons above) and does not have a low voice. I think excellent actresses have the gift of oration, which is more in their presence than their voices. A woman with an English accent always sounds more commanding to me--no, I am not talking about Margaret Thatcher! I am actually thinking of Cate Blanchett. Of course, actresses are playing roles, but so are politicians. With a little more wit and humor, I think Hillary would be fine. In any event, I will vote for her.
Remember the Supremes!
Ah yes, that construction site in Washington DC. Interesting place.
It's a beautiful building with an atrium and a tower. Not exactly a practical space, the way business works these days. It was turned into a public space with a food court in the early '80s, and the National Park Service started operating a dedicated elevator to the observation tower.
Change ringing bells, a bicentennial gift from the Ditchley Foundation to Congress, now hang in the tower and have been rung weekly and on holidays until the recent construction started. For what it's worth, the bells aren't all that loud in the main building, nor out on the street. Most of the sound is cooped up in the bell and clock chamber. The ringers are one floor down, with ropes passing through holes in the floor. The sound level is comfortable there.
There have been previous attempts to turn the building into a fancy hotel. A fellow by the name of Jack Abramoff worked on it for a while, but got swept up into other things.
I will be interested to see how this Trump thing all works out. Letting ordinary people tromp through his "classy" place to go to the observation tower (best view of DC!) doesn't seem like his style. And I'm sure that the bell thing will cause some difficulty at some point. We'll see.
Ah, not all bills go unsigned by the Governor: "A bill allowing state residents to carry concealed weapons without a permit was signed into law by Gov. Paul LePage on Wednesday, making Maine the seventh state without such a requirement."
According to the bill's sponsor, 'All this does is allow open carry gun owners to put a jacket on.'
Why sign this and leave 19 bills unsigned. MonsieurLePage does have his priorities!
@CW: Do you laugh like Hillary, too? Do you have the wide open-mouth-Gosh!-that's-the-most-hilarious-thing-I've-ever-heard guffaw! (Listen when she responds to the question about the $10 bill during the interview).
Otherwise, I find her (your???) voice sounding quite fine!
On voices: I immediately thought of Barbara Jordan whose voice commanded attention with a cadence that was deliberate and soothing at the same time. I think of Eleanor Roosevelt whose voice could cause cats to scurry, but she managed to move mountains. I have always been partial to Hillary's laugh–-it's a good hearty one and I've read that people who know her talk of her really great sense of humor. So––MAG and I want to know, Marie––does ya'll laugh like Hillary?
Listened to the whole Trump/Katy Tur/ interview last night. There is nothing that the Donald couldn't solve––he's the best, the brightest, and the only one who can save this country from itself. People love him., especially all those undocumented immigrants, many who are working on his new building but who, in Donald's eyes do not exist. He's still worked up about China who, he says, are out to destroy us, yet the Donald's ties and other garments are MADE IN CHINA. He repeats himself––his vocabulary suffers from a lack of language acumen, hence, he presents as the bully in the schoolyard. But, not to worry, he knows exactly how to deal with foreign leaders––Putin would be under his thumb––-he'd have him eating out of his hand. He's confident he'd make a great President!
One wishes this was presented on stage like a vaudeville act where the audience could throw rotten tomatoes and that large theatrical hook would capture him at the end and drag him off stage. Thunderous applause!!! would follow.
A coalition of U.S. Muslim groups are fundraising to rebuild burned black churches:
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/07/07/1400172/-A-coalition-of-U-S-Muslim-groups-are-fundraising-to-rebuild-burned-black-churches?detail=email
All the talk yesterday about Stephen Foster music and the Civil War brought back some bittersweet memories of my youth (no, I'm not that old to have been alive at that time.)
While I don't remember singing any of Foster's songs in grade school I do remember this album, by the Boys' Club Choir, that my folks used to have. As kids we would sing along but certainly without the beautiful harmonies the choir could produce.
Also, my dad was an amateur musician and Civil War buff. He belonged to a band that played music of the period and also collected original sheet music and brass instruments. The band was the Wisconsin 1st Brigade Band, a recreation of the one that had a noted history during the Civil War. They would dress up in period costumes to march in parades and perform small concerts. The interesting thing was that many of the horns pointed backwards over the shoulder because the band was at the front of the parade with the troops following behind. After fifty years it still exits. Imagine, though, growing up having to listen to them practice in your basement.
For anyone that thinks the Civil War was a glorious time, I would suggest looking at the photos taken by Mathew Brady to see what the battlefield was really like. It's not something I would've liked to experience.
@PDPepe, the Trump interview was ...what can I add,
Today over on HuffPost the headline reads: "Donald Trump Acts Like Total Jerk During Interview"
Since I've never noticed there to be "a limited time only" situation with The Donald, the more appropriate headline might have stated the obvious:
"Total Jerk, Donald Trump, is Interviewed"
And speaking of a lack of ability with language...
Trump, like most bullying blowhards, doesn't exactly pin the needle on the Wit Scale. He recently got into a Twitter war with someone who uses his wits and writing ability for a living, Danny Zuker, who writes for the show "Modern Family" which, I'm sure Trump adores, portraying as it does, a gay couple as part of the titular family.
Anyway, Trump is reduced to "You're stupid, stupid, stupid...and....and...you're a loser too....yeah." while Zucker runs laps around him verbally smacking him like a combed-over piñata.
Good idea Donald. Get into a Twitter battle with a guy who wakes up every day thinking of newer and funnier jokes.
Ahh...if water was the Elixir of the Witless, Trump would have oceans named after him.
And speaking of the witless...
It's just too bad that Maine's governor, LePage, didn't listen to his high school teacher's advice.
Maybe after he's impeached, he could qualify for witless protection.
@Unwashed: Like you, I found the conversation yesterday about" all things Southern" most interesting and now you have added another bit about that Wisconsin 1st Brigade Band. Both my Great Grandfathers–-the Irish and the German who settled in Wisconsin––fought in the Civil War: My Irish G.G. was killed, leaving his family of a wife and five children. My German G.G. survived and prospered.
As children we sang the Stephen Foster songs, read "Little Black Sambo," heard the term "nigger toe" referring to the filbert nut, and remained ignorant of the ways of that other world. You would have thought there would have been discussions by my parents about the Civil War, but I only learned about my G.G.'s participation when I reached adulthood. I obtained actual photographs of both in their uniforms.
Looking over this evening's TV listings, I see that TCM is showing the Sci-Fi classic 'It Came From Outer Space'.
The IMDB plot summary reads:
"A spaceship from another world crashes in the Arizona desert, and only an amateur stargazer and a schoolteacher suspect alien influence when the local townsfolk begin to act strange. (sic)"
Arizona townsfolk acting strangely? Compared to what?
But wait -- Aliens, OMG, do they speak Spanish?
I'll have to watch. This could explain a great deal.
Tsunami of Stupid
One effect of the constant bleating by Trumpy the Trumpet has been the diminishment of bleatings by others riding in the back of the GOP Clown Van.
Have you heard much from Lindsey Graham or Carly Fiorina lately? Those who are trying to be heard have, in response to Trump, had to amp up the stupid. Li'l Randy kowtows to a traitor, others are scrambling to demonstrate that they can be even stupider than Trump. Jeb Bush wants to show that he knows how to work the 'conomy: force people to work longer hours. Tell that to your lazy-ass brother, Juanito.
It's not like I'm complaining, but it's like watching morons in a poker game. "I'll see your stupid and raise you"; "Oh...yeah? Well I'll bump you right back with a double round of absurdity."
By the time the game is over, the winner will have a stack of stupid in front of him (sorry Carly...it will be a him, but I surely would have enjoyed watching you try to run the country like you ran HP).
By the time the general rolls around, whoever has won the Stupid Sweepstakes will have a hell of a time walking back all the idiocy. By that time he'll have been forced to admit that the world is 5,000 years old, 'merica is in the worst shape it's ever been because of the black fella, blah people are to blame for most of our problems and are pro'bly all mooslims, Iran already has the bomb and is in cahoots with Putin to blow us all up, global warming is the worst hoax since the moon landing, ending taxation will bring in a mountain of money, and stopping spending on anything not directly related to the Kochs will put us on the road to prosperity, same sex marriage has ruined civilization, healthcare is making people sick, and there was no such thing as slavery but if there were, it wasn't all that bad which Rick Perry will prove by inviting everyone to his lodge at Niggerhead.
Think Reince Priebus convinced Trump to shut his yap?
I certainly hope not.
On two occasions in the past five years I have sat at the hospital bedside of a dying relative, holding their hand as they breathed their last. On each occasion, I am certain that the final dose of "palliative care", administered minutes before by a staff professional, nudged them over the edge.
A close friend has been a hospice worker for decades and has held many dying hands. She concurs that this is very often the case.
As a society, we just don't have the nerve to talk about it.
Details withheld to protect the compassionate and merciful.
I don't even know where to begin when faced with the eye popping greed and outrageous lack of sensitivity of The Decider asking for money--a shitload of money--to speak at a fund raiser designed to help veterans whose lives have been shattered because of his hubris.
But it gets better, or worse, as the case may be. Trying to play down such jaw dropping hypocrisy and insensitivity, a woman connected to the event said that it was "great" because Bush and his wife didn't actually charge them full price:
"'It was great because he reduced his normal fee of $250,000 down to $100,000,' said Meredith Iler, the former chairman of the charity.
However,
a recent report by Politico said the former President’s fees typically ranged between $100,000 and $175,000 during those years."
So, liar or just an asshole? My vote is for both. And his wife too. I haven't typically had much to say about her because she doesn't seem anywhere near as bad as The Decider, but she has to know not only how bad this looks, but how bad it actually IS. Her husband lies to start a war, gets these guys to go fight in his made up war, they get killed or seriously wounded, then he takes money out of their pockets to say a few stupid things at a fundraiser. That's exactly what they were doing. And getting a private jet to fly him there for that purpose.
And thanks to ABC who, right in the middle of this story on their website, takes a pause to remind readers that "Both Sides Do It". Prominent links interrupt the story of Bush's outrageous behavior to shout that "Bill Made Money When Hillary Became Secretary of State!! Hey, over here....click on this....read about Bill and Hill. They do it too!!"
Well, no. They don't. So far as I know, neither Hillary nor Bill Clinton have taken money away from wounded veterans to line their own pockets. And they most certainly have not taken money away from veterans with wounds for which they were personally responsible!
But thanks, ABC, for helping to make the Bushes look a little better.
Anytime the wingers need help, the MSM is always right there.
I ask again, "What liberal press?"
And anyone who thinks that this guy is not the worst president in history, needs to reconsider their own humanity.
@Akhilleus: In fairness to the ABC reporters, the story itself noted that both Clinton & Bush I say they never received compensation for speaking to veterans, much less ones severely wounded in their own trumped-up wars.
For Bush & the Missus to collect $170K+ from a charity designed to help veterans is beyond appalling. I understand why the charity swallowed the huge lump of coal -- they profited from it -- but Mr. & Mrs. Dubya should never have handed them the coal. And then to have Bush say later that he likes saluting soldiers so he's going to devote his life to helping veterans??? Outrageous.
I hope some reporter asks Jeb! how much he would charge to help the veterans of his phony wars.
It isn't just callousness that drives these bastards. It's their sense of entitlement. I'm sure Dubya thought he & Laura were entitled to a little compensation for their arduous speechifying & glad-handing (those veterans who still had their hands). Meanwhile, the rest of us should just work longer hours & be more responsible. Get off your asses, people, & one day you, too, can make $120K for a hard day's work.
Marie
In answer to those questions about my speaking like Hillary --
I have several laughs, but not that one. My laugh response to that kind of question is more of a "Hah!"
However, in terms of Hillary's modulation, her pace, her accent, her hand gestures, & the tone of her responses in the clip, she sounds just like me.
During 2008 & at other times, her critics complained that she changed her accent depending upon where she was. I do, too. Like Hillary, I've lived in various parts of the country, so these different accents aren't "foreign" to me (nor to her). I won't say that I knock myself out to approximate a Southern drawl, but I definitely drop the "g"s in gerunds when I'm in the South, say "wanna" instead of "want to," etc. I probably say "ya'll" everywhere. It's a good word.
In fact, I change the way I speak depending upon who the listener is, & I don't mean my accent: I use a different vocabulary when I'm speaking to the plumber than I do when I'm speaking to, say, a nun, than I do when I'm speaking to, say, a professor, than when I'm speaking to someone who struggles with English. This isn't "talking down" to the non-native English speaker nor is it "showing off" to the professor; it's just using the most polite & effective way to communicate to that particular person.
To most people, I speak pretty much as a write on Reality Chex, although since most Reality Chex readers seem to be extra-smart & well-read, I probably use a somewhat more extensive vocabulary than I would if I didn't know much about the listener.
I don't, BTW, make any particular effort to do this; it comes naturally, though I am occasionally conscious that I'm switching modes to accommodate a particular listener.
Marie
Marie,
You're right. The ABC reporters did work in that Bush 41 and Clinton (42?) did not gouge wounded veterans for the privilege of spitting out a few words. My issue is with the editor of the ABC website who decided it was necessary to put links trumpeting "the Clintons make money off speeches too!" right in the middle of the story. Often people will click on links and never return to finish the story.
I'm not suggesting that ABC should hide the fact that Bill Clinton makes money off speeches, but it's as if, right in the middle of story I'm telling about some asshole neighbor, I remind my listener that, hey, you know, your cousin does the same sort of thing...but now, where was I? It causes a momentary pause in the processing of the information that lessens and disperses the impact of the story. I also realize that websites live and die off clicks, but they could just as easily put the links at the end of the article. I guess that would be too "journalistic" or something.
I've just become so enraged by all the forced false equivalencies the MSM tries to foist on readers so that wingers won't be pissed at them. (Don't they realize that wingers will hate them no matter what they say short of going full Confederate?) But as I've said before, trying to make the case that a jay walker's actions are the moral equivalent of those committing armed robbery is worse than simple mendacity. It's a cynical and fearful attempt to appear balanced by falsifying or trumping up evidence in a way that will appease the bank robbers and their fans, because who cares if the jay walker is unhappy with being compared to hardened criminals?
And not to mention that the "Both Sides Do It" virus is seriously weakening the body politic, camouflaging the most damaging illnesses by imputing the significance of heart disease to a hangnail. It's a strategy that willfully distracts the public from really important stuff that needs to be attended to immediately in favor of cosmetic improvements. "Oh, don't worry about that heart murmur, but you'd better get your nails trimmed, pronto. I read online that a hangnail can lead to terrible things!"
Speaking of women orators, wouldn't you love to see the Grand Duchess, Lady Grantham, debating Bill O'Reilly on proper behavior?
O'Reilly (after getting his ass kicked for ten minutes): "Well, Lady Grantham, I think that's about all the time we have to chat..."
Grand Duchess: "Do you promise?"
Days of Future Past or How Scott Walker, Jeb! Bush and the GOP Prove That the Past is Our Future.
Jeb! wants us all to work longer so that he and his family can have more days off.
Scott Walker wants to banish days off completely including weekends for all working people, except, of course, for himself. He, after all, doesn't actually do any work. Besides, his masters, the Kochs, don't believe in weekends or days off.
Days of Sloth for the riff-raff do not contribute a dime to Koch bank accounts and do not promote the development of a thrifty working class populated by inferiors who will happily work as long as they are told for wages that wouldn't buy the Kochs a hard boiled egg.
I found a short clip that will demonstrate the future--or should I say past--of Wisconsin, and by extension, the rest of the country once Walker/Bush/GOP/Kochs get through with us.
"Turning back the clock" is Republican for "progress".