US Politics Thread |OT| THE DARKEST TIMELINE

[Broseidon]

#t=289

Kinda reminds me of Wrath

[Phoenix Dark]

I fully expect PD to respond with "Of course it's an act of war, even Hawkish Politician X said it was.  If someone were to bomb us, we'd consider it an act of war, etc."

To which I would say, of course it's an act of war. But to continually refer to a limited strike as "the war" while making implicit and explicit comparisons to the Iraq invasion/occupation, joking about how there's going to be a draft, etc. is disingenuous.  It's taking advantage of a catch-all term, and eliding the difference between your subject and the connotation of your words.

Like calling Polanski's victim a "teenager" because she was 13, calling Trayvon Martin a "criminal" cause he had been caught with marijuana, or calling some old, expired stocks of ricin "WMD's" because it validates the Iraq invasion.  We don't refer to the Osirak strike as the Israel-Iraq War, or Clinton's strike against Al-Shifa as the Sudan War, or Reagan's bombing of Tripoli as the Libyan War.

Where have I done this outside of pointing out one similarity? This is a complete blindside hit and is condescending (edit: not condensing!). And if you link to me asking The Business if I could join his platoon I'm going to assume you're reaching for straws and move on.

Nor am I even going to respond to the war semantics. I know what I'm referring to, as do the other posters here when the word "war" is used. Yes, I am using it as a catch-all term, but I'm not taking advantage of it to push some agenda. Nor, I might add, am I the only person doing it here.

[AdmiralViscen]

[Howard Alan Treesong]

A compelling argument!

[Boogie]

I fully expect PD to respond with "Of course it's an act of war, even Hawkish Politician X said it was.  If someone were to bomb us, we'd consider it an act of war, etc."

To which I would say, of course it's an act of war. But to continually refer to a limited strike as "the war" while making implicit and explicit comparisons to the Iraq invasion/occupation, joking about how there's going to be a draft, etc. is disingenuous.  It's taking advantage of a catch-all term, and eliding the difference between your subject and the connotation of your words.

Like calling Polanski's victim a "teenager" because she was 13, calling Trayvon Martin a "criminal" cause he had been caught with marijuana, or calling some old, expired stocks of ricin "WMD's" because it validates the Iraq invasion.  We don't refer to the Osirak strike as the Israel-Iraq War, or Clinton's strike against Al-Shifa as the Sudan War, or Reagan's bombing of Tripoli as the Libyan War.

Where have I done this outside of pointing out one similarity? This is a complete blindside hit and is condescending (edit: not condensing!). And if you link to me asking The Business if I could join his platoon I'm going to assume you're reaching for straws and move on.

Nor am I even going to respond to the war semantics. I know what I'm referring to, as do the other posters here when the word "war" is used. Yes, I am using it as a catch-all term, but I'm not taking advantage of it to push some agenda. Nor, I might add, am I the only person doing it here.

'Twas a "preemptive strike", if you will, 'cause, c'mon PD, we all know you were prepping to run with that trolling angle. 

Hell, I'm betting you're only protesting it so much because you're bummed he called you on it before you had the chance to get going.

[Broseidon]

I didnt know Dr. Hibbert had a daughter.

[Phoenix Dark]

I don't troll here. That's what GAF is for. Although even there, I've been pretty consistent on this issue. I think it's a really, really bad idea.

[Positive Touch]

how in the fuck is that supposed to look like sasha obama

or barack obama for that matter

[Human Snorenado]

how in the fuck is that supposed to look like sasha obama

or barack obama for that matter

A good comic.

[Phoenix Dark]

Good to see Sasha went to the playground without Secret Service to save tax payers some money.

[Mandark]

If "people know what I'm talking about" were the only criteria for proper word choice, Paula Deen would still have a valued brand.  If you're not using it for extra rhetorical oomph, why not just use "strike"?  It's more precise, and you'll be saved the emotional trauma of a "blindside hit."

[Phoenix Dark]

Nah, wasn't all that. I'm good.


Looks like Weiner...has been vindicated
http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/entry/weiner-heckler-made-married-to-arab-comment-video

[huckleberry]

Nah, wasn't all that. I'm good.


Looks like Weiner...has been vindicated
http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/entry/weiner-heckler-made-married-to-arab-comment-video

So dude wasn't pissed at Weiner showing his weiner and was pissed that he married a hot as hell Muslim? What tha fuk.

[Brehvolution]

http://www.theguardian.com/film/2013/sep/05/mission-congo-pat-robertson-aid-rwanda

[Great Rumbler]

Televangelists are the absolute worst.

I mean, all TV pitchmen are pretty bad, but at least Ron Popeil is actually going to send you something tangible in exchange for your money.

But the Virginian authorities declined to prosecute Robertson, describing his misrepresentations as a "blemish". Mission Congo notes that leading state politicians were recipients of large donations from Robertson.

[Rufus]

Robertson has consistently denied the accusation of misusing donations and claimed that the Virginia authorities' failure to prosecute effectively cleared him of wrongdoing.

You can't make this shit up. To know it is one thing, to say it out loud as a defence is another.

[Joe Molotov]

So he was funneling aid money into a diamond mine? Just when you think you can't have a lower opinion of a person. 

[Olivia Wilde Homo]

This has been known for years.  I think I read it in one of those "50 stories that never get reported" type of thing on alt news sites.

[Joe Molotov]

Graham wound up his case on Syria intervention by raising the stakes considerably. He painted a frightening picture of cascading world events that would reverberate far beyond the borders of a civil war in one Middle Eastern country.
If the United States doesn't deal with Syria, Graham promised Iran would acquire a nuclear weapon by 2014, the King of Jordan would be deposed and Israel would start preparing to protect itself.

"I believe that if we get Syria wrong, within six months -- and you can quote me on this," Graham said, pausing for dramatic effect. "There will be a war between Iran and Israel over their nuclear program."

But it wouldn't even end there, Graham surmised. Undoubtedly, he said ominously, the Iranians would share its nuclear technology with U.S. enemies.

"My fear is that it won't come to America on top of a missile, it'll come in the belly of a ship in the Charleston or New York harbor," he said.

 

[Mupepe]

Scary future guys.  I'm building my bunker.  Who wants in?

[Brehvolution]

You can't get money from people without getting them scared about something. That's conservatism 101.

[Great Rumbler]

You can't get money from people without getting them scared about something. That's conservatism 101.

Scared or angry. Preferably both.

[Eric P]

uh thanks for the suggestion Amazon, but I'm good

Nationally syndicated radio talk-show host Rush Limbaugh has long wanted to make American history come to life for the children of his listeners, so he created the character of a fearless middle-school history teacher named Rush Revere, who travels back in time and experiences American history as it happens, in adventures with exceptional Americans. In this book, he is transported back to the deck of the Mayflower.

[Joe Molotov]

[Human Snorenado]

Stiglitz shivs Larry Summers to death in this, but he (Summers) is STILL probably gonna be the next Fed chair.  Sigh.

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/09/06/why-janet-yellen-not-larry-summers-should-lead-the-fed/?_r=0

[Rufus]

UK's lowest-paid employees to be classed as 'not working enough'
One million people could be pushed to earn more – or have their benefits cut, says Department for Work and Pensions
http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2013/sep/06/uk-lowest-paid-classed-not-working-enough

You have to claim benefits to make ends meet because your shit job doesn't pay well enough? Well, why don't you just, I don't know, try working more? There's totally more jobs out there, I swear! How about a second zero-hour contract? Lord Tesco needs more desperate peasants.

[Olivia Wilde Homo]

Stiglitz shivs Larry Summers to death in this, but he (Summers) is STILL probably gonna be the next Fed chair.  Sigh.

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/09/06/why-janet-yellen-not-larry-summers-should-lead-the-fed/?_r=0

Larry Summers has photos and videos of the illuminati in compromising positions

At least that is what I tell myself because it boggles the mind how he can do so well at failing upwards.

[Oblivion]

fearless middle-school history teacher

Wha? I thought only fegs become teachers?

[Phoenix Dark]

how the fuck haven't I seen this before today

[Joe Molotov]

how the fuck haven't I seen this before today

Cuz the Lamestream Media covered it up.

[Human Snorenado]

This is a thing that happened.  America, putting our best foot forward.

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/09/08/bachmann-gohmert-and-kings-surreal-egyptian-presser-blames-muslim-brotherhood-for-911/

[Great Rumbler]

The Three Stooges

[Joe Molotov]

[Brehvolution]

“We want to make sure that you have the Apache helicopters, the F-16s, the equipment that you have so bravely used to capture terrorists and to take care of this menace that’s on your border,” she continued.

They don't give a shit about egypt. They are mouth pieces of the war profiteers.

[Broseidon]

“We want to make sure that you have the Apache helicopters, the F-16s, the equipment that you have so bravely used to capture terrorists and to take care of this menace that’s on your border,” she continued.

Israel?

[brawndolicious]

I could see why a layperson would think that all radical Muslims are pro-bin Laden, what is surprising is that she thought that Western countries were initially supporting a political party that in some way was behind the 9/11 attacks. I mean that's just nearly too fucked up for a Monday morning .

[Great Rumbler]

I could see why a layperson would think that all radical Muslims are pro-bin Laden, what is surprising is that she thought that Western countries were initially supporting a political party that in some way was behind the 9/11 attacks. I mean that's just nearly too fucked up for a Monday morning .

That's fairly standard Bachmann rhetoric.

[Brehvolution]

She HAS to have a handler though. I refuse to believe she is bright enough to think this stuff up on her own.

It will be so much better when she is gone.

[Joe Molotov]

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/09/08/iowa-grants-gun-permits-to-the-blind/2780303/

Wethington, the Cedar County sheriff, has a legally blind daughter who plans to obtain a permit to carry when she turns 21 in about two years. He demonstrated for the Register how he would train blind people who want to carry a gun.

"If sheriffs spent more time trying to keep guns out of criminals' hands and not people with disabilities, their time would be more productive," Wethington said as he and his daughter took turns practice shooting with a semi-automatic handgun on private property in rural Cedar County.

drew, explain.

[Great Rumbler]

The initial reviews from conservatives Tuesday are in and they’re staunchly negative. The proposed House Republican plan to force the Senate to vote on defunding Obamacare — while removing the threat of a government shutdown if Democrats reject the legislation — seems to have inflamed the very people it was designed to placate.

The plan was pushed by Republican leaders at a conference meeting Tuesday morning, and may be brought up in the House this week.

“Boehner has cooked up a bait and switch to give the Senate a hall pass to fund Obamacare while pretending not to,” Dean Clancy, the vice president of health care policy at the conservative activist group FreedomWorks, told TPM. “We oppose this kind of parliamentary trickery. … This is a grand betrayal that they’re cooking up here. They think they can baffle and confuse people, but we’re going to make sure they don’t succeed.”

“They should pass a bill funding the government without Obamacare,” said Clancy. “Then they fold their arms, smile and wait.”

[Eric P]

this is my second mayoral election but the first one to which i've really paid attention and shit cray.

i mean all local politics are cray, but i think that the money in this city and force of personalities makes it just so over the top.

but this is just really weird to me.

http://gothamist.com/2013/09/11/voter_fraud_attempts.php

What appears to be an orchestrated pattern of voter fraud is being reported at a pivotal precinct in South Williamsburg. According to a Board of Elections poll worker and another poll watcher, groups of young Hasidic men attempted to enter the polling station at IS 71 and vote under the names of other citizens who have yet to vote. "They're signing signatures, but the ID they show doesn't match the signature on the forms. Yes, there's been some illegal stuff going on," BOE poll worker Antoinette Reaves said.

An NYPD officer standing outside IS 71 told us he had witnessed four men attempting to vote under the wrong name in the two hours he had been posted there.

While some of the attempts were made by men who looked to be of voting age, others struck poll workers as obviously fraudulent. "They're fourteen, fifteen years old, walking in here with a crowd of people. We stopped them and asked for ID—we know they're too young to go in there. They've been trying it all day," Reaves said. "The same faces are appearing."

Simon, a 24-year-old Hasid with a baby girl, expressed an even stronger bond with his community. "I don't know the meaning of democracy, I just vote what they tell me to do, because maybe they've made deals with the politicians," he told us. "If people voted more than once or voted for other people, I don't know if that happened, but it doesn't matter to me, because I know they're voting for the right people."

[Human Snorenado]

Haha, religion is just fucking AWESOME

[Eric P]

It's more tribalism. I mean there's a lot of special interest bloc voters here in NYC (the Unions probably the most famous one) but the depths of this fraud stuff is just kind of crazy to me.

[Human Snorenado]

I understand issue based tribalism, though- like unions totally make sense to me

Voting however you're told and not having any thoughts about the rationale behind your vote (or possible fraud) because HEY RELIGION is what freaks me the fuck out

[Joe Molotov]

[Steve Contra]

No one puts it down like grumpy old people.

spoiler (click to show/hide)

Except 

[close]

[Phoenix Dark]

that's my congressman

[Steve Contra]

that's my congressman

Yeah, but we know who your governor is

[Great Rumbler]

PD's governor accepted Obamacare, at least, unlike my governor. 

[Human Snorenado]

PD's governor accepted Obamacare, at least, unlike my governor. 

That's cool, at least my governor is openly trying to turn our state into a libertopian hellhole of insanity. 

[Mandark]

My governor is Tommy Carcetti.

[Human Snorenado]

Poll: 78% of Americans don't know what the fuck the debt ceiling is

http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/entry/poll-44-percent-of-americans-oppose-raising-debt?ref=fpb

[huckleberry]

PD's governor accepted Obamacare, at least, unlike my governor. 

Our governor is fully embracing O'care - of course we have some many poor people it makes sense. Hell, he even overruled the legislature on science standards implementation when all the crispies and hillbillies cried foul. Shame he didn't put himself up to challenge McConnell (even though he would probably lose).

[Joe Molotov]

Conservatives' buttlust for Putin knows no bounds

http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/entry/gop-rep-arm-wrestled-putin-he-put-me

"So we got down to these arm-wrestling matches and I ended up being paired off with Putin!" he continued. "And he's a little guy but boy I tell ya -- he put me down in a millisecond. He is tough! He just - muscles were just unbelievable."

no homo, obvs 

[Great Rumbler]

"Daddy!"

[Oblivion]

how the fuck haven't I seen this before today

Was doing pretty good until the end, when they fucked up the guitar chords. 

Original is way superior:

Conservatives' buttlust for Putin knows no bounds

http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/entry/gop-rep-arm-wrestled-putin-he-put-me

"So we got down to these arm-wrestling matches and I ended up being paired off with Putin!" he continued. "And he's a little guy but boy I tell ya -- he put me down in a millisecond. He is tough! He just - muscles were just unbelievable."

no homo, obvs 

I can't find it, but a few years ago, Erick Erickson plastered several pics of a shirtless Putin on his site and talked about how "manly" he was. 


Btw, my governor seems to be the best right now. He's about to sign a bill that increases our minimum wage to 10$/hr. 

[Human Snorenado]

Summers withdraws from Fed consideration

http://politicalwire.com/archives/2013/09/15/summers_withdraws_name_for_fed_chairmanship.html

[Oblivion]

Only to be replaced by Rob Rubin or Geithner. 

[Phoenix Dark]

Sounds like liberals blew up the nomination, republicans didn't have much of a say. Good.

[Phoenix Dark]

Boehner also has assured Wall Street and K Street that he will not allow the U.S. government to default on its debt — effectively removing some of his leverage in the battle.

There, I saved everyone a Politico click.

They'll hold out as long as possible in anticipation of an Obama cave, but if it doesn't come they'll fold (again). I don't think Obama will negotiate on either the CR or the debt ceiling.

2013, completely wasted. Seems like Obama's presidency is pretty much over, outside of debt ceiling battles every 10 months. Couple more years of high unemployment and he might be Bush status in many people's eyes, which IMO is what republicans have been trying to do. No sympathy, tbh.