"A black sheriff?!": The Official Topic of Obama and New Era American Politics

[Phoenix Dark]

How is he being a dick lol

He was prepared this time. He's had some interviews where equally crazy people have rolled right over him

[Stoney Mason]

UK PM debate.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/04/22/uk-election-debate-twitte_n_548197.html

[pollo]

I just laugh at that NJ student protest.

As a denizen of Rockland County, county directly north of Bergen, a lot of the time I'm doing work inside one of the Northern Bergen libraries. A lot of these kids think they're going to have BC, Duke, NYU as their safeties -- a lot of them are going to be smacked in the fucking face when they realize the reality that not all of them are going to be clearing 750k a year easy, no matter how hard they work.

Too many people in this damn library are constantly focused on taking as many APs as they can, accruing enough volunteer work so it shines on their college transcript, and generally doing a whole load of bullshit that's not going to amount a damn once they get into college.

True story this was a convo i heard here the other day:

Girl(maybe sophmore): So..where you plan on going?
Guy: I dunno, maybe Princeton.
Girl: Gosh, that's so hard..
Guy: Yea I know, hopefully I can make it, problem is I don't work hard enough, might have to settle for Rutgers
Girl: Ewww, is that even like, a real college.
Guy: Haha just kidding, might as well go to Bergen Community

Granted these kids have no life experience being sophmores and juniors in highschool, but seriously some of them are just fucking delusional and are going to get a swift kick in the ass from life.

There's this 10 or 11 year old kid in here every day learning trig and geometry.

Not to say I'm for the budget cuts, but a lot of these people complaining are parents who are afraid Billy and Sally overachiever is going to have to settle for BC or Duke instead of Harvard or Princeton.

/end rant

[Phoenix Dark]

Crist press conference soon
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/36849400#36849400

[Phoenix Dark]

You know you're fucked when you have to get a spokesman to start "Charlie Crist" chants that then die out slowly before being started up again.

[Mr. Gundam]

Hey Ichi:

I know that Puerto Rico has been up for statehood a couple of times before, but this time is slightly different. The House just passed HR 2499, which is an act that calls for a referendum asking Puerto Ricans if they want to do one of three things:

    1. “Independence: Puerto Rico should become fully independent from the United States;”

    2. “Sovereignty in Association with the United States: Puerto Rico and the United States should form a political association between sovereign nations that will not be subject to the Territorial Clause of the United States Constitution;”

    3. “Statehood: Puerto Rico should be admitted as a State of the Union.”

Conservative blogs are up in arms about this, and with good reason: Republicans aren't too popular with Hispanics right now. Now the bill will go to the Senate. Read more about it at Huffington Post.

[Olivia Wilde Homo]

lol socialism lol

http://www.cnn.com/2010/BUSINESS/04/29/greece.aid.deal/index.html?eref=igoogle_cnn

[brawndolicious]

Apparently PR has opposed HR 2499 three times since 1970.  The question is do Puerto Ricans really care about their representation in Congress?

[Mr. Gundam]

Apparently PR has opposed HR 2499 three times since 1970.  The question is do Puerto Ricans really care about their representation in Congress?

The other question is, do they want to start paying federal income tax?

[Ichirou]

Option 1 will never win.  Option 2 seems like a far weaker version of the current system.  Option 3 usually gets around 47% of the vote whenever there's a referendum, with the other votes going to the current system and 3% going to independence.

Just because the statehood option wins doesn't mean it's going to happen though. I can't see Republicans ever admitting an island that's A) Hispanic and B) Spanish-speaking, into the union.

[Oblivion]

I'm curious, is there any tangible difference between say, hiring a dirty messican for some factory work at $3/hr in California, compared to outsourcing the same job at the same rate to somewhere in China/Honduras/Bangladesh? I ask cause it seems that the same people (or at the very least, many I've spoken to) that complain that they hate illegals cause they "steal their jerbs!" seem to have little issue with the latter. I'm sure I might be missing something here, but I don't see it. Is it one of those "if I can't see it in front of me, it's not actually happening!" cases?

Really? Companies who outsource much of their labor have been criticized for some time, whereas companies who don't (or claim they don't) are proud to point it out: Made in America, by Americans.

It was mumbling and grumbling rather than a furor but criticism nonetheless.

Yup. I was surprised, since I thought that they'd be pissed since the results are pretty much the same. For whatever reason, most of the repubs I spoke to looooove outsourcing.


Unrelated...

You know, I was thinking about what Bill Maher said the other day about who's actually a moderate republican, and then pointing to Obama. And turns out, there may be some truth to it afterall.


Teddy Roosevelt:
-Trust buster
-Wanted universal health care
-Big time treehugger

Dwight D. Eisenhower:
-Advocated tax rates over 90% for the wealthy
-Wanted universal health care
-Was against excessive military spending

Richard Nixon:
-Created SSI
-Surprisingly big on regulation
-Surprisingly liberal on environmental policy
-Was willing to initiate Universal health care (his plan, ironically, more liberal than Obamacare in some ways)

Ronald Reagan:
-Raised taxes 11 times, and had the highest tax rate at 50% (even though he lowered it later).
-Granted amnesty to 20 million illegal immigrants.
-Supported the Montreal Protocol
-Wanted to get rid of nukes

Thinking about it, in many ways, Obama might just be the LEAST liberal of the bunch here.

Seriously, if these guys showed up at a teabagger rally (and the teabaggers actually had any idea of what they did) they'd lynch them on the same tree branch as Obama.

[Ichirou]

No, they wouldn't.  They're not black.

[brawndolicious]

Just because the statehood option wins doesn't mean it's going to happen though. I can't see Republicans ever admitting an island that's A) Hispanic and B) Spanish-speaking, into the union.

Well it passed the House with a pretty even 223-169 vote and I think you need a 2/3 majority to admit a new state?  It'll definitely be interesting catalyst for culture warring.

[Ichirou]

It'll be fun to see the Republicans trying to justify not letting PR into the union...

[Mr. Gundam]

Do you want PR to become a state? What's the feeling back home?

[Ichirou]

The feeling back home is that they like getting aid and not having to pay federal income tax, and they don't like the idea that if they become a state, they'll have to stop speaking Spanish which is a huge part of Puerto Rican culture.

Actually, if I remember my history right, after the Spanish-American War the US made a lot of initiatives to make Puerto Ricans switch from Spanish to English and none of them took, so it's a point of pride for Puerto Ricans that Spanish is the primary language (and whenever there's an anti-US administration in charge, they immediately push through a "Spanish is the official language of PR" law which is then immediately repealed when a pro-US administration takes over ).

I have no clue what would happen if it came down to a vote where "Either you join the US or you become independent."  I imagine at that point PRicans would look at the shitty quality of life in other islands in the Caribbean and vote for statehood.  Just my theory, though - I'm personally pro-statehood.

[ToxicAdam]

(Image removed from quote.)

Why the fuck is Doug Benson on there? He's a liberal.

[Stoney Mason]

Probably because of the red eye canada incident although there are a lot more things to dislike about Fox rather than a comedian making some jokes at the expense of Canada.

[Boogie]

A case like this, where the bulk of the cops -- who have been given terribly vague guidelines of what constitutes "reasonable suspicion" -- will be from a different ethnic community from the bulk of the offenders is only going to encourage harassment on a racial basis and exacerbate social division and mistrust.  Driving a community away from cooperation with the police (let alone other types of civic involvement) is a Very Bad Thing and should be treated like a serious concern.

Yes, that last sentence especially.  It's a difficulty here in Canada, both in terms of recruiting diverse officers, and in dealing with the community.  In cases of the major cities, where we have immigrants from all over the world, it can be difficult establishing good relations with populations which are used to more oppressive police systems and therefore inherently skeptical of police.  I can only imagine that problem is an order of magnitude more difficult in the US with its history of racial issues.

Being on "the inside", I can see how difficult it is to avoid profiling in some instances.  Not just as a cop on the street, but even in major investigations.  For example, organized crime still predominantly exists along ethnic lines.  So if you're on a stakeout for an Asian OC ring, and an Asian pulls up to a business, you're going to be suspicious.  Or you're investigating Eastern European drug smugglers, and you pull over a truck driver, run his Driver's licence, and the name comes up "Sergei Russianovich", it's going to pique your suspicion.

So given that, it's far better for lawmakers not to interfere and make laws that implicitly invite profiling.  There are enough avenues to establish reasonable belief that someone is an illegal immigrant as it is.

Every time in the last week that I've turned on CNN and seen that douchebag Arizona sheriff embarrass himself trying to justify the law, I just want to reach through the TV and punch him in the face.

I wonder where you might have read that!

 

Oh my.  That just goes to show how fucked up I was that night, that I wasn't able to realize that I was just regurgitating something you had said ten hours earlier, 13 posts above mine, and on the same damn page..       

[Dickie Dee]

Have you ever had to police a Native reserve Boogie?

[Boogie]

Have you ever had to police a Native reserve Boogie?

No.  I was "fortunate" enough to be posted right to a Federal unit in the Greater Toronto Area, and all of my service has been there, notwithstanding trips to Quebec City for the Francophone Summit in 2008, and to B.C. for the Olympics in February.

Probably over half of RCMP members have policed in or near Native reserves though, and I've talked with many of those who have about their experiences.

[brawndolicious]

I thought they had their own police forces?

[Boogie]

I thought they had their own police forces?

You thought wrong.

(A few do.  The biggest native reserves in Ontario, a couple in Quebec, and a few in Alberta.  But the RCMP has the responsibility for policing the majority of native communities in Canada.)

[Phoenix Dark]

[youtube=560,345]5vdqUPIq9Nk[/youtube]
wtf

I hope Lincoln loses badly in the primary. Regardless of whether Halter would win in November, she needs to go asap

[Dickie Dee]

The reason I ask is both wondering about anything cross-cultural issues you might have, and also I once met a former RCMP officer at a wedding once and he reached his breaking point at a reserve. Picture coming into an empty shed and seeing two guys passed out snoring, a naked, bloody, shivering girl wimpering in the corner and an overturned bucket with some crumpled cheesecloth.

spoiler (click to show/hide)

They had spent they past few days beating and raping the girl and drinking until they passed out. When they'd puke, they'd use the cheesecloth to strain it into the bucket then drink it again  

[close]

He said fuck it and got into computers.

[Boogie]

The reason I ask is both wondering about anything cross-cultural issues you might have, and also I once met a former RCMP officer at a wedding once and he reached his breaking point at a reserve. Picture coming into an empty shed and seeing two guys passed out snoring, a naked, bloody, shivering girl wimpering in the corner and an overturned bucket with some crumpled cheesecloth.

spoiler (click to show/hide)

They had spent they past few days beating and raping the girl and drinking until they passed out. When they'd puke, they'd use the cheesecloth to strain it into the bucket then drink it again  

[close]

He said fuck it and got into computers.

Oh, no question, that doesn't surprise me a bit.  The historical and social problems facing the native communities in Canada are absolutely tragic.  It is my opinion that policing an isolated northern native reserve in Canada in the RCMP is quite likely the most challenging, difficult, stressful policing situation on earth.

Native communties are stricken with shameful levels of poverty, alcohol and other substance abuse, suicide rates over 3 times the national average, mental health issues, high gun ownership, and to have the responsibility and stress of policing in this environment with minimal backup is ridiculous.

You have communities like this of two to five thousand people being policed by two to five officers.  Backup doesn't exist.  Time off doesn't exist.  You're always on duty or on call.  The RCMP has even at times tried to place Native police officers in these communities, but the atmosphere is such that the communities see these officers as "traitors" to their race.  They are sometimes called "applies."  ie. Red on the skin, but white on the inside.  Plus, it is the unfortunate fact that some of these officers have the same problems of the the communities that they police.

My very good friend and troopmate was posted to Nunavut out of training for the past two years.  He's getting out in July.  And the stories he tells me, it's just a totally different type of policing there.

Apart from the side of me that longs for a challenge, I'd sooner be a police officer in the Bronx or Compton, or Jane and Finch in Toronto, than to police in an isolated native reserve in northern Manitoba, or Nunavut.

[HyperZoneWasAwesome]

I had a teacher at college who was a counselor in interior Alaska, and yes, the most fucked up stuff imaginable does happen and it does so with a stunning regularity.  I've known people who came from there that were well adjusted, funny, terrific human beings, and I've known people who are now dead because of some sort of substance abuse/suicide/abuse.

There's no inbetween, its either the people who come from there are fine or ruined for life.

[Dickie Dee]

[Donono]

I thought they had their own police forces?

You thought wrong.

(A few do.  The biggest native reserves in Ontario, a couple in Quebec, and a few in Alberta.  But the RCMP has the responsibility for policing the majority of native communities in Canada.)

The reservation near my parent's house used to have its own police force, but in recent years I think they disbanded and just pay surrounding police forces to police the place because I haven't seen them in years.  But this is the US, so probably a lot different.

Are the native lands up in Canada somewhat autonomous?

Out of curiosity.

[Stoney Mason]

"Michelle Obama has made child obesity one of her causes...She has started a more intense program. It's called 'Leave No Child With A Bigger Behind.'"

 :lenowned

[youtube=560,345][/youtube]

[Human Snorenado]

Leno was godawful.

[CajoleJuice]

Holy shit the Leno jabs.

[Dickie Dee]

at the Michael Steele bit

"mah Brotha"

[Stoney Mason]

"There's talk now that this oil slick could end up being bigger than that huge disaster they had up in Alaska. Really? Bigger than Sarah Palin?"

 :lenowned

[Stoney Mason]

Crist would have probably done better if he had just switched parties years ago. He's one of the few Republicans that I can remember that blacks don't detest on sight.

New poll: Charlie’s lead about to go poof.
Uncategorized — posted by mike thomas on April, 30 2010 9:57 AM
Discuss This: Comments(43) | Add to del.icio.us | Digg it
Charlie Crist is up by four points in a poll taken April 24-25 for the Associated Industries of Florida. But it’s all downhill from here, says pollster Jim McLaughlin.

In the poll of 600 likely voters, conducted by McLaughlin & Associates, Crist was favored by 33 percent of respondents. Marco Rubio was favored by 29 percent and Democrat Kendrick Meek by 15 percent.

The poll shows Crist taking more votes from Meek than Rubio. Crist actually does better with Democrats than Meek, with 41 percent of them saying they would vote for him compared to 31 percent for Meek.

Crist pulls in 22 percent of Republicans, compared to 56 percent for Rubio.

While Crist projects himself as a conservative/moderate, he gets more support from people who consider themselves liberals than Meek – 43 percent to 33 percent.

Crist pulls in 36 percent support from blacks, compared to 45 percent for Meek.

McLaughlin says the numbers are not good for Crist. He notes that Hillary Clinton initially had a lot of black support, but it evaporated as President Obama’s campaign gained steam.

“He’ll be lucky to get 10 percent of the African-American vote on election day,’’ says McLaughlin.

McLaughlin also says as the election goes on, Democrats and Republicans will start heading back to their own candidates. As Crist’s poll numbers drop, that dynamic only will increase.

“I would make a pretty good bet he not only will not win, he will run an embarrassing third,’’ says McLaughlin. “I think he’s done politically.’’

http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/news_columnist_mikethomas/2010/04/new-poll-charlies-lead-about-to-go-poof.html

[Sman]

Oops! Thanks! 

[Stoney Mason]

wrong thread. You want the outside link thread.

[Phoenix Dark]

Someone sent this to me on facebook
http://video.foxnews.com/v/4175805/penchant-for-personal-attacks?playlist_id=86858

Seriously?

[huckleberry]

It's called calling the bitches out for what they are. 

[Mr. Gundam]

I thought they had their own police forces?

You thought wrong.

(A few do.  The biggest native reserves in Ontario, a couple in Quebec, and a few in Alberta.  But the RCMP has the responsibility for policing the majority of native communities in Canada.)

The reservation near my parent's house used to have its own police force, but in recent years I think they disbanded and just pay surrounding police forces to police the place because I haven't seen them in years.  But this is the US, so probably a lot different.

Are the native lands up in Canada somewhat autonomous?

Out of curiosity.

You're drozmight, right? If so, I used to work on that reservation. I don't anymore, but I still work with a lot of the kids from the reservation at my two schools. The Tribal Police disbanded years ago and are now policed by the town's police department and state patrol.

[The Fake Shemp]

Someone sent this to me on facebook
http://video.foxnews.com/v/4175805/penchant-for-personal-attacks?playlist_id=86858

Seriously?

Obama is a dick!

That Charlie Crist joke bombed so bad.

[Phoenix Dark]

I only watched it because the Huffington Post said it was teh funny. But wow, Obama can't tell a joke, and his fake laugh is kinda alarming.

I'd rather hang out with Dubya

[The Fake Shemp]

Black people pwned

[Dickie Dee]

Holy shit PD, you can't be fucking serious, he killed. Watch Leno's bit afterward if you wanna see someone bomb.

SMH

on Michael Steele "mah Brotha"

[huckleberry]

Obama was funny as hell...you are crazy PD.

[Phoenix Dark]

[youtube=560,345]w8EKhl4-bCA[/youtube]

So when the government wants to address illegal immigration, the right throws a fit and creates a poisonous political climate, making any progress impossible. Then they turn around and pass laws like this one, and complain about the feds not addressing the issue. And now that Obama is like "fine dudes, lets address immigration" they claim he's playing politics and isn't focusing on the economy.

[Stoney Mason]

Reason #1564656564546 our media sucks.

MSNBC President Phil Griffin said in an interview with the Chicago Tribune's Phil Rosenthal that he hopes MSNBC can grow to be more like Fox News, but that he won't be putting any "hard-right shows" on his network.

Griffin praised Fox News chief Roger Ailes for the television phenomenon he's created.

"He's changed media," Griffin said of Ailes. "Everybody does news differently because Roger's changed the world. Roger early on figured it out and was brilliant."

To Griffin, developing a successful cable news network means creating a place for "like-minded" viewers to come for the network's hosts' takes on the news.

"We're talking about the actions and passions of today, which tend to be political," he said.

"I don't think we have quite the passionate support that Fox does," he said. "Some shows do, but as a network we don't. Our prime time is getting there. But that's what we want to get."

But despite the desire to emulate Fox, Griffin insists he would not put on a hardcore conservative news show

"Could we put on a hard-right show? No. It wouldn't fit," he said. "I want flow

[Phoenix Dark]

wow

Don't hear anything about "we want to be a premier news network with top notch journalism." Instead: "we need some entertaining ideologues to appeal to dumb people on both sides"

[Brehvolution]

Has anyone seen these right wing opinion articles(conservative news orgs.)that cast these Arizona law protesters as liberal, left wing, and violent crowd?

http://redblueamerica.com/blog/2010-04-23/liberal-demonstraters-turn-violent-arizona-6666

http://apcheck.blogspot.com/2010/04/liberals-violently-protest-against.html

I've even seen blurbs of this shit on the AP.  MrAngryFace

All hispanics are liberals now. Didn't you know?

[Phoenix Dark]

I wonder what will happen if they start protesting with guns. How will the tea partiers feel about that

[Mandark]

I wonder what will happen if they start protesting with guns. How will the tea partiers feel about that

I don't think Republicans would just abandon their principles and sell out the Second Amendment just because a bunch of brown people were carrying.  That's just cynical.

[huckleberry]

I wonder what will happen if they start protesting with guns. How will the tea partiers feel about that

I don't think Republicans would just abandon their principles and sell out the Second Amendment just because a bunch of brown people were carrying.  That's just cynical.

  Good 'ole Republicans....some things they are very consistent on.

[Stoney Mason]

John McCain taking on the tough issues and being a Maverick!

http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/95799-whats-in-a-name-just-ask-this-former-navy-pilot-hero

[Skidmark]

I wish I could see in the pictures and the video clips, it would have made it a lot more fun to watch the white house correspondents dinner.

[Phoenix Dark]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/05/04/faisal-shahzad-arrest-bec_n_562467.html

Holy shit, Glen Beck as a voice of reason. I dunno if the other guy is playing devil's advocate or is simply a fuck tard. Constitution lovers who hate Miranda rights lol.

"sometime's people still talk after Miranda rights"

Yea, no fucking shit

[CajoleJuice]

I'm glad Glenn Beck is defending my rights.

[Phoenix Dark]

Guess he doesn't know you're a Mets fan

[CajoleJuice]

Maybe he's a Mets fan too and knows I was trying to kill Omar Minaya.

[Phoenix Dark]

McCain Wants to Execute Terrorism Suspect, Make It Impossible to Secure Conviction
http://yglesias.thinkprogress.org/archives/2010/05/mccain-wants-to-executive-terror-suspect-make-it-impossible-to-secure-conviction-against-terror-suspect.php

[Mandark]

David Brooks is a terrible person.

I could easily churn out an angry tl;dr rant about every single one of his columns lately, if I let myself get started.  He's just awful.