Author Topic: US Politics Thread |OT| THE DARKEST TIMELINE (Read 2812729 times)

Phoenix Dark · « **Reply #8580 on:** April 03, 2015, 12:08:15 PM »

Penn with that ether in the last minute. Much like the elves in LOTR, Christians are engaging in a long defeat. Everyone knows they're going to lose. But unlike the elves they won't just get on boats and sail to paradise (Florida?) in the end. They're going to go down kicking and screaming.

THe SC is almost certainly going to legalize gay marriage this summer. I'm not 100% convinced the Indiana law creates new discrimination rights because gay people aren't a protected class there anyway; they can be discriminated against whether or not this law exists. Perhaps it's a Hail Mary attempt to replicate the success of the Hobby Lobby case? IE after gay marriage is legalized a legal case concerning catering will inevitably reach the SC, and they're hoping for another favorable ruling. But I don't see that happening with Kennedy on the bench...

Human Snorenado · « **Reply #8581 on:** April 03, 2015, 12:22:18 PM »

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/joanne-twomey-throws-vaseline-paul-lepage

benjipwns · « **Reply #8582 on:** April 03, 2015, 12:35:02 PM »

Quote from: Phoenix Dark on April 03, 2015, 12:08:15 PM

Penn with that ether in the last minute.

Watch the woman in pink (EDIT: KRISTEN K. WAGGONER OF ALLIANCE DEFENDING FREEDOM) whenever Penn is talking or really anyone but her.

Also, that ACLU woman is like some kind of a horrible real life stereotype, what a waste of 1/4th of the screen.

Kara · « **Reply #8583 on:** April 03, 2015, 12:56:06 PM »

Quote from: Phoenix Dark on April 03, 2015, 12:08:15 PM

Penn with that ether in the last minute. Much like the elves in LOTR, Christians are engaging in a long defeat.

benjipwns · « **Reply #8584 on:** April 03, 2015, 01:52:37 PM »

Pat Buchanan thread on GAF led me back to these, they still kill me for reasons I don't understand: http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/mclaughlin-group/n9987

And I forgot the "I'm sane you're all just trying to steal my magic bag" line came from this but I use that one way too much for not remembering where it's from.

I also love how McLaughlin lifted some of these lines from the skits and uses them from time to time.

Yes, I sometimes watch McLaughlin because it's on after Off The Record.

benjipwns · « **Reply #8585 on:** April 03, 2015, 02:42:52 PM »

http://time.com/3763552/hillary-clinton-age-president/

Quote

Forget politics — she's biologically primed to be a leader

At 67, Hillary Clinton is now a “woman of a certain age.” So much emphasis and worry are put on physical aging in women that the emotional maturity and freedom that can come at this time are given short shrift. That robs everyone of a great natural resource. As women of a certain age, it is our time to lead. The new standard for aging women should be about vitality, strength, and assertiveness.

One of the largest demographics in America is women in their forties to sixties, and by 2020 there will be nearly 60 million peri- and post-menopausal women living in the United States. Because women’s average life expectancy is currently 81 years, we’re easily spending a third of our lives postmenopausal. That is a great opportunity for growth and change.

The long phase of perimenopause is marked by seismic spikes and troughs of estrogen levels, which can last for more than a decade in many women. But afterward, there is a hormonal ebbing that creates a moment of great possibility. As a psychiatrist, I will tell you the most interesting thing about menopause is what happens after. A woman emerging from the transition of perimenopause blossoms. It is a time for redefining and refining what it is she wants to accomplish in her third act. And it happens to be excellent timing for the job Clinton is likely to seek. Biologically speaking, post-menopausal women are ideal candidates for leadership. They are primed to handle stress well, and there is, of course, no more stressful job than the presidency.

Estrogen is a stress hormone that helps a woman be resilient during her fertile years. It rises and falls to help her meet her biological demands, which are often about giving to others: attracting a mate, bearing children, and nurturing our family. When estrogen levels drop after menopause, the cyclical forces that dominated the first half of our lives have been replaced with something more consistent. Our lives become less revolved around others’ and more about finally taking our turn.

...

And the post–menopausal emergence, if you will, coincides with the point at which most women will have a fair amount of experience under their belts. (Perhaps they’ve already served as a U.S. Senator and Secretary of State, for instance.) This is often the right time to make a push, to take more of a leadership position, enter a new arena, or strike out on your own. My mother was a great role model in her perimenopause, taking her symptoms in stride and referring to her hot flashes as “power surges.” She got another degree and switched careers; that appealed to me as a teenage girl. Now I see this rise in power as a way to channel new energy and even new anger. It’s a chance to make changes that should’ve been made decades ago. This may also be the time when children — adolescents, in particular — are ready to take on more responsibility, so perhaps there is a benefit for everyone in changing that family dynamic.

“I will not make age an issue of this campaign. I am not going to exploit, for political purposes, my opponent’s youth and inexperience,” said a 73-year-old Ronald Reagan of 56-year-old Walter Mondale. Hillary would begin her presidency at exactly the same age Reagan did, but her life expectancy would be longer than any other president in recent times. And she would have all the experience and self-assuranceof a post-menopausal woman, ready to take her rightful place at the table — or in the Oval Office.

Kara · « **Reply #8586 on:** April 03, 2015, 03:07:30 PM »

Oh my dark gods that's a Time piece?

ToxicAdam · « **Reply #8587 on:** April 03, 2015, 04:13:58 PM »

Joe Klein, ghostwriter

Human Snorenado · « **Reply #8588 on:** April 03, 2015, 07:02:01 PM »

AiA, EXPLAIN

Great Rumbler · « **Reply #8589 on:** April 03, 2015, 07:13:20 PM »

Why won't Obama think of the the hard-working American weapons manaufacturers?

Phoenix Dark · « **Reply #8590 on:** April 03, 2015, 08:29:27 PM »

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/ferguson-racist-emails-reagan-obama-monkey

pls vote, Ferguson

Positive Touch · « **Reply #8591 on:** April 03, 2015, 09:03:04 PM »

voting ain't gonna stop the massive fuckery in st Louis

Kara · « **Reply #8592 on:** April 03, 2015, 09:11:31 PM »

Quote from: Human Snorenado on April 03, 2015, 07:02:01 PM

AiA, EXPLAIN

(Image removed from quote.)

Existential threats to American existence are like maths, you have to follow the order of operations. Communists come before political Islam.

Great Rumbler · « **Reply #8593 on:** April 04, 2015, 10:35:54 AM »

Turns out, discriminating against the gays does pay:

http://www.gofundme.com/MemoriesPizza

brawndolicious · « **Reply #8594 on:** April 04, 2015, 09:31:20 PM »

I doubt a gay couple would think they could get away with an ironic food choice in the middle of the national gay marriage debates. The only thing everybody remembers about a wedding is the food that was served.

benjipwns · « **Reply #8595 on:** April 04, 2015, 11:24:26 PM »

I can't remember the last wedding I went to where the food was actually good instead of just your standard buffet type deal like a roast/ham carved by some dude, potatoes, random casseroles, etc.

Oh, wait, one in Frankenmuth catered by http://www.zehnders.com/dining/zehndersrestaurant.htm

But that's like one out of fifteen or something.

Kara · « **Reply #8596 on:** April 05, 2015, 02:02:06 AM »

WaPo is running a story about how Saddam Hussein is ultimately the one behind ISIS. The Pravda of neoconservatism until the end.

benjipwns · « **Reply #8597 on:** April 05, 2015, 04:21:03 AM »

http://www.wsj.com/articles/cracks-appear-in-democratic-jewish-alliance-over-iran-deal-netanyahu-1428097595

Quote

Many U.S. Jewish leaders are unnerved both by the new Iran nuclear agreement and the public falling out between President Barack Obama and his Israeli counterpart, developments that are creating a rift in the durable alliance between Jews and the Democratic Party in the run-up to the 2016 elections.

Worried that Iran might still develop a nuclear weapon despite the accord announced Thursday, the Jewish leaders say they feel torn between an Obama administration that has pressed hard for a deal and an Israeli government that has repeatedly warned that Iran is a grave threat to the Jewish state and can’t be trusted to abandon its nuclear ambitions.

A group of Jewish Democratic House members met with White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough in his office last week and cautioned that for them to help “sell a very unpopular [Iran nuclear] deal to our constituents,” Mr. Obama must “increase his popularity with our constituents,” said a Democratic congressman involved in the meeting.

...

Hillary Clinton, the presumed Democratic front-runner, has voiced guarded support for the Iran deal, casting it as “an important step toward a comprehensive agreement that would prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon.” Many Jewish leaders have said that if Mrs. Clinton, who enjoys strong ties to the Jewish community, becomes the party’s nominee, that would help salve the discontent with the White House.

The lawmakers who met with Mr. McDonough last week also urged that Mr. Obama soften his tone toward Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and avoid “getting into a daily argument with” him, one participant said.

...

U.S. Rep. Nita Lowey (D., N.Y.), who attended the meeting with Mr. McDonough, said in an interview: “I was extremely disturbed by some of the overheated rhetoric that came out of the administration following the [Israeli] election. I conveyed directly to the White House that it’s time to dial back the temperature and affirm and strengthen the U.S.-Israeli relationship.”

...

“At this moment in time, many American Jews who have consistently voted Democratic are beginning to waver in that support, because they’ve felt the bedrock relationship between Israel and this administration has been severely shaken,” said Rabbi Howard Buechler of the Dix Hills Jewish Center in New York.

...

Other Democrats worry that Jewish voters might seek reprisals against the approximately four dozen Democratic House and Senate members who skipped Mr. Netanyahu’s address to a joint session of Congress last month. Some said they boycotted the address because they saw it as a breach of protocol, with Mr. Obama not adequately consulted beforehand.

Leonard Barrack, a longtime Democratic fundraiser, said: “Many fellow Democrats of the Jewish faith were appalled” that lawmakers didn’t show Mr. Netanyahu “the respect and courtesy of being in the audience.”

ToxicAdam · « **Reply #8598 on:** April 06, 2015, 01:46:38 PM »

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/04/05/mitt-romney-ncaa-bracket_n_7007908.html?ncid=txtlnkusaolp00000592

Quote

Out of 11.57 million brackets filled out in ESPN.com’s Tournament Challenge, Romney is in 25,485th place -- good enough for the 99.98th percentile. By contrast, the famously basketball-savvy President Barack Obama sits all the way back in 6,918,578th place (the 40th percentile).

Am_I_Anonymous · « **Reply #8599 on:** April 06, 2015, 01:48:57 PM »

Quote from: Human Snorenado on April 03, 2015, 07:02:01 PM

AiA, EXPLAIN

(Image removed from quote.)

Money never funny sonny.

I'm a Puppy! · « **Reply #8600 on:** April 06, 2015, 08:46:25 PM »

"Don't invade Iraq" I said.
"It'll create a vacuum of power", I said.
But did you listen?

Mandark · « **Reply #8601 on:** April 07, 2015, 01:57:58 AM »

Quote from: Vularai on April 05, 2015, 02:02:06 AM

WaPo is running a story about how Saddam Hussein is ultimately the one behind ISIS. The Pravda of neoconservatism until the end.

The story itself is nowhere near as bad as the clickbait title.

Short version: a lot of former Iraqi officers seem to be involved in IS, as they were in the previous Sunni insurgency, as a result of Bremer's (and later Maliki's) de-Baathification policies. I don't know how accurate it is, but it's more a story of blowback than of retroactive justification.

Also, bonus punchline to the "Reagan sold Iran weapons" thing: at the time, Israel was lobbying like hell in favor of those sales.

Joe Molotov · « **Reply #8602 on:** April 07, 2015, 02:49:18 AM »

lol, just to dick with US Conservatives some more, the Pope has come out in favor of the Iran deal.

http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2015-04-05/pope-francis-lauds-iran-nuclear-deal

Human Snorenado · « **Reply #8603 on:** April 07, 2015, 10:44:14 AM »

Looks like the 2nd clown to emerge from the car is Rand Paul, officially now.

YOUR MOVE, SCOTT WALKER OR JEB.

Am_I_Anonymous · « **Reply #8604 on:** April 07, 2015, 10:54:50 AM »

Quote from: Joe Molotov on April 07, 2015, 02:49:18 AM

lol, just to dick with US Conservatives some more, the Pope has come out in favor of the Iran deal.

http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2015-04-05/pope-francis-lauds-iran-nuclear-deal

As much as I like this new pope this ain't Henry VIII England bro, stay the fuck out of shit that doesn't concern you.

Phoenix Dark · « **Reply #8605 on:** April 07, 2015, 11:05:13 AM »

pretty weird seeing liberals cheer a pope and a rising stock market.

:trollbron:

Joe Molotov · « **Reply #8606 on:** April 07, 2015, 11:24:29 AM »

Quote from: Phoenix Dark on April 07, 2015, 11:05:13 AM

pretty weird seeing liberals cheer a pope and a rising stock market.

:trollbron:

We got Southern Baptists caping for the Catholic and/or Mormon Church outchea, anything goes these days.

Phoenix Dark · « **Reply #8607 on:** April 07, 2015, 12:01:05 PM »

Obama Tells Scott Walker To 'Bone Up On Foreign Policy' (VIDEO)
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/obama-walker-bone-up

when is the mixtape dropping, Obama

Kara · « **Reply #8608 on:** April 07, 2015, 12:50:02 PM »

Quote from: Mandark on April 07, 2015, 01:57:58 AM

The story itself is nowhere near as bad as the clickbait title.

Short version: a lot of former Iraqi officers seem to be involved in IS, as they were in the previous Sunni insurgency, as a result of Bremer's (and later Maliki's) de-Baathification policies. I don't know how accurate it is, but it's more a story of blowback than of retroactive justification.

I would have got away with discrediting WaPo if it hadn't been for you incredulous kids. :'(

spoiler (click to show/hide)

imo at a certain point the origins of something cease to be immediately relevant. Given the periodical's questionable past, it's hard for me to see introducing this information as purely an informative undertaking on the part of the Washington Post. It's been awhile admittedly, but I don't particularly recall the African (specifically, the white minority rule) origins of many private military companies coming up very much during the heyday of public war for private profit.

Yes, I realize this is incredibly

.

[close]

Great Rumbler · « **Reply #8609 on:** April 07, 2015, 01:09:38 PM »

Clickbait article title that are actually contradicted by the body of the article are so horrible.

I'm a Puppy! · « **Reply #8610 on:** April 07, 2015, 01:34:38 PM »

Quote from: Am_I_Anonymous on April 07, 2015, 10:54:50 AM

Quote from: Joe Molotov on April 07, 2015, 02:49:18 AM
lol, just to dick with US Conservatives some more, the Pope has come out in favor of the Iran deal.

http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2015-04-05/pope-francis-lauds-iran-nuclear-deal

As much as I like this new pope this ain't Henry VIII England bro, stay the fuck out of shit that doesn't concern you.

Come On every pope has weighed in on political stuff. I mean pope John Paul is part of the holy conservative trinity of Reagan, Thatcher and John Paul

Great Rumbler · « **Reply #8611 on:** April 07, 2015, 01:38:22 PM »

He's just commenting on it, not sending Vatican diplomats to be part of the negotiations.

Am_I_Anonymous · « **Reply #8612 on:** April 07, 2015, 01:39:47 PM »

Quote from: Great Rumbler on April 07, 2015, 01:38:22 PM

He's just commenting on it, not sending Vatican diplomats to be part of the negotiations.

See I'm that republican that refuses to accept the words of the catholic cult. Fuck em. Well I did fuck a bunch of them in college.

Human Snorenado · « **Reply #8613 on:** April 07, 2015, 02:37:37 PM »

Joe Molotov · « **Reply #8614 on:** April 07, 2015, 03:03:57 PM »

Get hype for Ron Paul: Reloaded, the gritty 2016 reboot of the greatest politician of forever.

How will the lamestream media smear Rand Paul's presidential campaign? Stay tuned, dear viewers!

brob · « **Reply #8615 on:** April 07, 2015, 04:23:09 PM »

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/wp/2015/04/07/youtubes-copyright-system-has-taken-rand-pauls-presidential-announcement-offline/

Joe Molotov · « **Reply #8616 on:** April 07, 2015, 04:32:36 PM »

The free market has spoken.

Joe Molotov · « **Reply #8617 on:** April 07, 2015, 06:04:01 PM »

please respond

I'm a Puppy! · « **Reply #8618 on:** April 07, 2015, 06:54:28 PM »

So Jimmy Carter has resigned from his religious position because he feels it is against equality.
I personally find it funny that conservatives are always yelling about they should have a true christian in the white house and they hate Carter, possibly the most christian president we've ever had.

Steve Contra · « **Reply #8619 on:** April 07, 2015, 07:09:51 PM »

Quote from: Joe Molotov on April 07, 2015, 06:04:01 PM

(Image removed from quote.)

please respond

Wait, is this fucking real?

Joe Molotov · « **Reply #8620 on:** April 07, 2015, 07:12:40 PM »

Quote from: Steve Contra on April 07, 2015, 07:09:51 PM

Quote from: Joe Molotov on April 07, 2015, 06:04:01 PM
(Image removed from quote.)

please respond
Wait, is this fucking real?

Yes.

http://library.rumsfeld.com/doclib/sp/1686/2003-04-07%20to%20Doug%20Feith%20re%20Issues%20with%20Various%20Countries.pdf

Phoenix Dark · « **Reply #8621 on:** April 07, 2015, 07:19:41 PM »

And these people have the audacity to shit on Obama.

Fuck a post presidency book. Obama needs to drop an album full of speeches/disses, recited over the best hip hop production money can buy (Just Blaze, Alchemist, etc). Shit talking Boehner, Bush officials, Romney, the Clintons and their grand baby...everyone.

Steve Contra · « **Reply #8622 on:** April 07, 2015, 07:23:32 PM »

Quote from: Joe Molotov on April 07, 2015, 07:12:40 PM

Quote from: Steve Contra on April 07, 2015, 07:09:51 PM
Quote from: Joe Molotov on April 07, 2015, 06:04:01 PM
(Image removed from quote.)

please respond
Wait, is this fucking real?

Yes.

http://library.rumsfeld.com/doclib/sp/1686/2003-04-07%20to%20Doug%20Feith%20re%20Issues%20with%20Various%20Countries.pdf

God I'd seen that before but I figured it was fake.

Great Rumbler · « **Reply #8623 on:** April 07, 2015, 07:28:40 PM »

Quote from: I'm a Puppy! on April 07, 2015, 06:54:28 PM

So Jimmy Carter has resigned from his religious position because he feels it is against equality.
I personally find it funny that conservatives are always yelling about they should have a true christian in the white house and they hate Carter, possibly the most christian president we've ever had.

Jimmy Carter would be an American hero if he hadn't botched his response to a bad economy and let the Iran hostage situation get handed to Reagan on a silver platter.

Kara · « **Reply #8624 on:** April 07, 2015, 07:54:13 PM »

Quote from: I'm a Puppy! on April 07, 2015, 06:54:28 PM

So Jimmy Carter has resigned from his religious position because he feels it is against equality.
I personally find it funny that conservatives are always yelling about they should have a true christian in the white house and they hate Carter, possibly the most christian president we've ever had.

Excluding modern day Sadducees, I think a lot of the remaining rancor towards him is just Pavlovian response. He's the "sit back and have a beer with" archetype without pretense (Clinton) or baffling idiocy (George II).

Just don't talk about ~~the war~~ Palestine, Fawlty.

Phoenix Dark · « **Reply #8625 on:** April 07, 2015, 10:11:11 PM »

My favorite anti-Carter screed is that the Community Reinvestment Act single handily caused the 2008 financial meltdown.

Kara · « **Reply #8626 on:** April 07, 2015, 11:40:56 PM »

Just saw my first Rand Paul ad on YouTube.

benjipwns · « **Reply #8627 on:** April 08, 2015, 10:05:51 AM »

Quote from: Phoenix Dark on April 07, 2015, 10:11:11 PM

My favorite anti-Carter screed is that the Community Reinvestment Act single handily caused the 2008 financial meltdown.

It was the Clinton-era adjustments and enforcement of that dummy. You'll never get into Republican-GAF like this.

benjipwns · « **Reply #8628 on:** April 08, 2015, 12:28:42 PM »

Democrats Have an Identity-Politics Problem

Quote

No, the main reason why Clinton is a near-lock for the nomination is that Democrats have become the party of identity. They're now dependent on a coalition that relies on exciting less-reliable voters with nontraditional candidates. President Obama proved he could turn out African-American, Hispanic, and young voters to his side in 2012 even as they faced particularly rough economic hardships during a weak recovery. As the first female major-party nominee for president, Clinton hopes to win decisive margins with women voters and is planning to run on that historic message—in sharp contrast to her campaign's argument playing down that uniqueness in 2008.

It's part of why freshman Sen. Elizabeth Warren inspires excitement from the party's grassroots, but former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley, whose progressive record in office set liberal benchmarks, isn't even polling at 1 percent nationally. It's why Sherrod Brown, a populist white male senator from a must-win battleground state is an afterthought in the presidential sweepstakes. It's why Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine, a runner-up to be Obama's running mate in 2008, quickly jumped on the Clinton bandwagon instead of pursuing any national ambitions. On Bernstein's list of 16 possible challengers, 15 are white and nine are white males. That makes many of them untenable standard-bearers in the modern Democratic Party.

Just look at the party's (few) competitive Senate primaries of recent vintage for an illustration of this dynamic. New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker, whose tenure as Newark mayor drew considerable scrutiny and occasional mockery, coasted to victory in a 2013 special election primary against Rep. Frank Pallone, a respected 25-year veteran of the House who had been angling for a promotion for many years. With Democrats lacking a single African-American senator at the time, Booker's election to the Senate was fait accompli.

The 2014 Hawaii primary between appointed Sen. Brian Schatz and then-Rep. Colleen Hanabusa hinged on issues of ethnic identity, pitting a white candidate against one who is Japanese-American (and was backed by the widow of the late longtime Sen. Daniel Inouye). Schatz, despite holding an advantage as the incumbent, only eked out a victory by 1,782 votes despite a lockstep liberal record and support from national liberal groups. (Asian-Americans comprise a 38 percent plurality of Hawaii residents; whites make up 27 percent.)

This year, the Democratic primary royale will be taking place in Maryland, where Rep. Chris Van Hollen, who is white, is pitted against Rep. Donna Edwards, who is African-American. Both are reliable progressives, but Van Hollen has held more prominent leadership positions. She has been playing up their differences on several issues—entitlement reform, most significantly—but the real contrast for voters will be on race. In a state where nearly half of the Democratic primary electorate is African-American, Edwards is betting she'll have a strong floor of support, regardless of what happens in the campaign.

In the not-too-distant past, Van Hollen's credentials as a former Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee chairman, ranking Democrat on the Budget Committee, and on the fast-track within House leadership would make him a solid favorite for the nomination. But Edwards, who was just elected in 2008 and defeated a Democratic incumbent to do so, is betting on the power of identity to overcome her lack of experience. Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid's early endorsement of Van Hollen will mean little compared with the support Edwards could rack up in African-American communities from Baltimore to Prince George's County. That, combined with support from the Democratic powerhouse EMILY's List, which backs and funds female Democratic candidates, make her a formidable challenger.

Meanwhile, in Nevada, Reid has been working to clear the Democratic field for a Hispanic up-and-comer, former Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto, as his chosen successor. The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee is reportedly already rallying behind her campaign, even though Rep. Dina Titus has indicated she's very interested in running as well. It's a no-brainer of a move, given how important the state's growing Hispanic vote has become. But it also underscores how important it is to run a familiar face to help turn out and rally Hispanic voters to the polls next November.

...

One of the paradoxes of today's Democratic Party is that, despite the increasing importance of a diversified voting coalition, the party is drastically underrepresented by talented nonwhite politicians in its congressional, gubernatorial, and statewide ranks. The great irony of Obama's presidency is that by playing to his progressive base so much, Obama oversaw the collapse of his party at the local level—and it's depriving Democrats of compelling, viable presidential recruits who reflect the changed nature of the party for 2016 and beyond.

Into that void enters Hillary Clinton. By running against Obama in 2008, she knows firsthand how powerful the appeal of personal identity is. As dramatic as the nomination fight was, the results strongly correlated with the demographic makeup of the individual states. This time, she's planning to take a page from his playbook in emphasizing her historic position as the first female major-party nominee, if she wins the Democratic nomination. That alone is enough to dissuade other qualified challengers from taking her on.

But while nominating a diverse slate of candidates is a laudable goal, there's great risk when a party becomes obsessed with identity over issues. It fuels racial polarization, where one's party label or positions on issues becomes synonymous with race or ethnicity. There's less coherent connection among their constituents' interests—beyond gender or the color of one's skin. If Clinton runs a biography-focused campaign, it will require her to be more open and authentic—traits she has never demonstrated in her long career in public life.

For all the GOP's recent internal struggles, the dividing lines within the party have primarily been over policy: tea-partiers against the establishment, Chamber of Commerce rank-and-file versus social conservatives, hawks against Paulites. Among Democrats, the dividing lines are much more personal. If Clinton wins a third straight Democratic presidential term, it will reaffirm the power of identity in American politics. But if she loses, Democrats will find themselves in a messy identity crisis, without many leaders left to turn to.

IS HILLARY CLINTON ANY GOOD AT RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT?

Quote

Standing in front of a tapestry replica of Picasso’s Guernica, she was testy, brittle, and, above all, unpersuasive — failing to demonstrate the most elementary political skills, much less those learned at Toastmasters or Dale Carnegie. “She read her prepared remarks like a high-school student,” marvels Frank Luntz, the Republican pollster who’s been a close observer of Clinton for more than two decades. “She looked down at her notes, then she looked up to the left, down at her notes, then up to the right. Almost the entire time, she avoided making eye contact with anyone.” A prominent Democratic operative is still horrified by the spectacle. “She came off as defensive and artificially put-off,” he says. Another Democratic operative says, “I’m a huge Hillary Clinton fan. I hope desperately she’s the next president of the United States, because I think she’d be a great president. But after that press conference, I do have major concerns about her ability as a campaigner and to get elected.”

The performance made a host of other recent Clinton missteps — seemingly minor at the time — suddenly loom larger in the minds of anxious Democrats. There was her strangely vapid Foggy Bottom memoir, Hard Choices, which racked up middling sales, and her obvious rust in the interviews she did to promote it. There was her continued buck-raking on the paid-speaking circuit, which seemed tone-deaf, if not downright greedy, for someone about to embark on a presidential campaign. And there was her hard-to-figure delay in assembling a staff for the campaign, so that, when news of the hidden emails broke, she had no infrastructure to defend her and instead had to rely on a hodgepodge of veteran freelancers like James Carville and Lanny Davis, whose reappearance made the latest Clinton scandal feel exhaustingly familiar. Democrats may be constitutionally prone to hysteria, but even so, the whiplash of these few weeks has been notable. Now, days before Clinton’s official announcement that she is, once again, in it to win it, some in her party are on edge.

Pat Buchanan, the venerable Republican operative who advised Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan, likes to assess politicians as “political athletes.” Putting aside ideologies, policy preferences, even personalities, how do they perform on the political playing field? “It’s charisma, charm, savvy,” he says. “Being a political athlete is having an extra dimension — it’s not learned; you’re born with it.” In Buchanan’s long career, the greatest political athletes he’s encountered have been John F. Kennedy, Reagan, Bill Clinton, and Barack Obama. “They’re naturals: Roy Hobbs or Mickey Mantle,” he says. Hillary, in Buchanan’s view, is the furthest thing from a natural: “She’s like Pete Rose, who has to grind out every hit.”

The grind can be obvious watching Clinton on the campaign trail. In her two successful Senate races and her unsuccessful presidential run in 2008, she often struggled to exhibit the basic qualities required of politicians. “Let’s remember who she’s beaten in her career: Rick Lazio and John Spencer,” says a Democratic consultant who has worked for and against Hillary. “The only time she’s run against anyone decent, she’s lost.” Where most pols project warmth, she often runs cold. Her speeches can be leaden and forced. She tightens up in unscripted moments.

Above all, she bristles at what the public and the press now want most from politicians: authenticity. As she said in a press-conference soliloquy during her 2000 Senate campaign, “ ‘Who are you?’ and all of that. I don’t know if that is the right question. Even people you think you know extremely well, do you know their entire personality? Do they, at every point you’re with them, reveal totally who they are? Of course not. We now expect people in the public arena to somehow do that. I don’t understand the need behind that.”

“She’s a schemer and a planner and a plodder,” says the GOP consultant Rick Wilson, who worked for Rudy Giuliani during his aborted 2000 Senate campaign against Clinton. “You need people like that in politics, but most of the time they end up as campaign strategists, not candidates.” Buchanan is more blunt: “She reminds me of Nixon.”

In 1998, when Clinton was first thinking about running for the Senate, she sought the advice of her and her husband’s longtime adviser Harold Ickes. According to Jeff Gerth and Don Van Natta Jr.’s Her Way, the pair were deep into their meeting — having pored over a map of New York and discussed the myriad local issues she would have to grasp — when a thought suddenly occurred to Ickes. “I don’t even know if you’d be a good candidate, Hillary,” he told her. Nearly two decades later, we still don’t know.

Top 5 Pointless Congressional Hearings on Baseball

Am_I_Anonymous · « **Reply #8629 on:** April 08, 2015, 12:31:37 PM »

benjipwns · « **Reply #8630 on:** April 08, 2015, 12:39:57 PM »

benjipwns · « **Reply #8631 on:** April 08, 2015, 02:08:49 PM »

My friend is a fascist!

Quote

Help! My friend today told me he was a "National Socialist", I think he has spent too much time on /pol/ on 4chan (not even a little joking). What can I do to convince him otherwise? By the way last month he was an "Individualist Anarchist". He told me the holocaust was exaggerated and that killing jews was a misstep.

Quote

In consideration of what it actually means to be a friend, what personal predispositions allow for someone to identify as such, and what does it say about yourself if these are characteristics you're willing to excuse?

It's not a matter of political correctness. One cannot possibly befriend one who festers in darkness and filth without degrading their ethical, political and ideological standards. So the advice is simple: how important is this all to you? The apolitical, even the bourgeois liberals (including conservatives) can be excused. But the reaction, the degenerate soldiers of what is most rotten to the core of life, the insistence upon THE insistence... This cannot be wavered.
__________________
[FONT="Courier New"] “We stand for organized terror - this should be frankly admitted. Terror is an absolute necessity during times of revolution. Our aim is to fight against the enemies of the Revolution and of the new order of life. ”
― Felix Dzerzhinsky [/FONT]

لا شيء يمكن وقف محاكم التفتيش للثورة

Quote

I can't imagine fascism being something people would still be talking about a few thousand years from now - maybe at most as a footnote in history. Seems even people like Alexander the Great just end up being footnotes, and you'd actually have to explicitly research him to learn anything. Are religious figures the only ones that still play a significant role in people's lives long after they're gone? A few thousand years from now, what would they say of our contemporaries? I suspect we'll all be considered a bunch of nobodies ...just like most centuries just produce a bunch of nobodies

Kara · « **Reply #8632 on:** April 08, 2015, 02:15:45 PM »

Yessss benji is reading RevLeft.

benjipwns · « **Reply #8633 on:** April 08, 2015, 02:28:10 PM »

Apparently they're all fakers and this is real Marxism.

https://www.youtube.com/user/MaoistRebelNews2
http://maoistrebelnews.com/

spoiler (click to show/hide)

[close]

Kara · « **Reply #8634 on:** April 08, 2015, 02:31:11 PM »

MaoistRebelNews

Was he the one that did the Marxist analysis of Dragon Ball Z awhile back?

benjipwns · « **Reply #8635 on:** April 08, 2015, 02:32:05 PM »

He's also got a bunch of Marxist Analysis of Fallout: New Vegas videos.

Am_I_Anonymous · « **Reply #8636 on:** April 08, 2015, 02:34:47 PM »

I hate to break this combo of Stalin fellating but

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2015/04/07/white-millennials-are-just-about-as-racist-as-their-parents/

Joe Molotov · « **Reply #8637 on:** April 08, 2015, 02:47:18 PM »

The real Marxism starts now!

benjipwns · « **Reply #8638 on:** April 08, 2015, 02:51:25 PM »

The guy has like fifty videos "debunking propaganda" about North Korea, he basically claims every dissident is a Western fake and pokes holes in their stories by citing North Korean claims or attaching them to some nefarious capitalist by proxy.

benjipwns · « **Reply #8639 on:** April 08, 2015, 02:54:04 PM »

Holy shit, he actually wrote a book on the Economics of Fallout:

News:

Author Topic: US Politics Thread |OT| THE DARKEST TIMELINE (Read 2812729 times)