I paid a good amount in 2008, but not this much. I got involved 8 months or so earlier in this election cycle, helped circulate petitions to get on the ballot. Certified signatures. And more. Got to peek behind the veil into the sausage factory. It's disgusting.
up
0 users have voted.
—
'What we are left with is an agency mandated to ensure transparency and disclosure that is actually working to keep the public in the dark' - Ann M. Ravel, former FEC member
...were doing their best to whip the crowd into a pants-pissing frenzy with all of their "Donald Trump is the Most Dangerous Man in the World!!!" and "ISIS Terrorists are Hiding Under Your Bed, Waiting to Kill Your Family!!!" talk. Shit, I closed my eyes and swore I was watching reruns from last week's RNC. But bless Joe Biden for following all of this nonsense, when he unironically stated, "We’ve had candidates before attempted to get elected to appealing to our fears, but they never succeeded, because we do not scare easily." Either he didn't get the memo that the Clinton Campaign is All Fear, All the Time, or he went off script again. And I love it when he goes off script, because that's usually when shit finally gets done (i.e. Same Sex Marriage).
So, yeah, blind obeisance to authority and MIC worship are not the exclusive province of GOPosaurs and neither are military jingoism and faux nationalism...
Didn't watch. Got email from friend, Bernie delegate, who was there. Suggested I watch EVERY time %hrillary had to "clear her throat" coughing, taking a sip of water, the Whips were "instructed" to start a chant, until she was fully ready to continue speaking.
Needless to say, my friend didn't. Only the "other side" has been noticing this thing $hrilary has of what are referred to by them as "coughing fits" - seriously, this is NOT a healthy sign. She tried to joke about it early in the primary - "talking too much" but it's not a good sign. Certainly not good health. MSM won't touch it.
On fb, the assimilated are still calling the naysayers immature and collective nouns like "ilk". United, indeed!
up
0 users have voted.
—
Hey! my dear friends or soon-to-be's, JtC could use the donations to keep this site functioning for those of us who can still see the life preserver or flotsam in the water.
We're all naive millennials and this is our first election, so we don't understand how things work. Oh, and on top of that we're all spoiled and self-centered, so we can't see that we need to vote for Hillary for the greater good. It's amazing how the establishment and the media deploys all of these debunked stereotypes to try to shame and pressure people to support their chosen candidate.
The whole "Bernie supporters are throwing a tantrum" narrative is literally coming from every media outlet and the CTR shills are spamming comment sections with that garbage.
See? We is learning. Wending our way into the filthy center, bit by bit. I have grey hair and a PhD, no immature 18 y/o living with their parent while going out to protest and coming home to clean sheets and a cooked meal.
up
0 users have voted.
—
Hey! my dear friends or soon-to-be's, JtC could use the donations to keep this site functioning for those of us who can still see the life preserver or flotsam in the water.
but only a Master of Science degree (been "practicing" hydrology for some 30 years now; I may get it right one of these days) --
Through this election cycle, going back more than one year, I have been more committed to Bernie than any candidate for any office whom I ever have supported/worked for previously. And I found that the millennials (whom Bernie truly excited) and me had quite a bit in common, and could speak the same --democratic (small "d") -- language. The kids are all right --
up
0 users have voted.
—
When Cicero had finished speaking, the people said “How well he spoke”.
When Demosthenes had finished speaking, the people said “Let us march”.
I have three millennial children. They are way more 'plugged in' than my me or my parents. They can spot bullshit a mile away because they grew up on the Internet and had to shift through tons of information. They do not engage in hero worship, because they know the darkest secrets of celebrities and politians. The are also keenly aware of the hand they have been dealt. They don't do shame.
up
0 users have voted.
—
Democrats, we tried to warn you. How is that guilt and shame working out?
Much more salt these days than pepper, tho.... and I only have a BA in Psych and several Microsoft and Novell certifications... and, while I love Bernie, what I admire most is the way he pulled us altogether into this new "Revolution." We may be scatter-shot at the moment, but we're gonna get it together and start something brand new in this country.
We Boomers tilled the soil and planted the seeds in the 60's and 70's. We nursed those seeds as best we could during those days, but the authoritarians of that era gained the upper hand. No matter what we tried after that, we couldn't throw off that yoke; too many fell the lies of deregulation and "greed is good."
It's now up to our children and grandchildren to carry the torch into this new century for us. We can help; but the days of marching and sit-ins are over for many of us... the physical body won't cooperate with the emotional and spiritual bodies.
Hopefully we tended those seeds well over the decades, and our kids can find the tools they need in today's world to finally bring in the harvest for all of us.
I only wish to live long enough to see that day come, please.
Not an American, but I just don't trust HRC to be the "leader of the 'free' [sic] world."
Mind you, I don't like Trump either, but I think there will be elements that will take his finger off the red button when the time arises. Der Drumpf is a clown. HRC is a danger to world peace.
up
0 users have voted.
—
There are known knowns; there are things we know we know. We also know there are known unknowns; that is to say we know there are some things we do not know. But there are also unknown unknowns – the ones we don't know we don't know.
Everything they say about Bernie supporters is what they themselves are doing. That's how the neocons have rolled since the '80s, and it seems to be how the neoliberals roll, too. If you need to know what's up with them, all you need to do is see what they're accusing others of doing (or thinking, or planning).
Accusations of Bernie supporters being violent? There have been numerous reports, including this week at the national convention, of Hillary delegates physically attacking Bernie delegates. (There is a video posted on FB showing an instance of an H delegate hitting a young Bernie delegate. For what it's worth, both people involved were females.)
Immaturity? A lot of Hillary supporters seem to have a hard time controlling themselves. It reminds me of two-year-olds throwing tantrums when they don't get their way about everything. It's also a common characteristic of narcissists, abusers, and the personality-disordered. We've seen for months the bullying, shaming, and sheer nastiness coming from the Hillary folks, and now that she's been formally nominated, it seems to be getting worse than better.
I could go on, but I'm starting to drag myself down talking about it, so I'll end now.
up
0 users have voted.
—
"Don't go back to sleep ... Don't go back to sleep ... Don't go back to sleep." ~Rumi
"If you want revolution, be it." ~Caitlin Johnstone
seeing all those situations you described. But what hit it home with me were the chants of "USA! USA!" to drown out all other chants the Hill-bots didn't like. Up to now, I've only heard that kind of mob rule at Republican/Conservative meetings. I can only surmise Hillary stole Karl Rove's playbook.
From so many angles, what has happened is down-right scary. A person running for President should bring out the best in people. Think of JFK and RFK; think of Lincoln and FDR. They (as well as others) sought to lead us by appealing to our better angels. And, with a few expected groups proving to be the exceptions, the majority of the country rose to the challenge.
But how many of us were dumbfounded by the intensity of the hatred and evil coming off those we once considered "friends" and "peers" over at TOP? Sure we could follow the money, etc., but many of these were people we liked commenting and live-streaming with; with whom we had up to that point felt very comfortable to "be ourselves." It was almost like someone had pulled a window shade on day to make it night; the change seemed that abrupt to me.
Hillary doesn't bring out the best in people; she brings out the worst in people. Even more, she somehow evokes a form of mob rule that up to now we've only associated with pure out-and-out evil.
I don't know about you guys, but my head still hasn't stopped spinning!
that USA, USA, USA thing.... When my ex came home from Gulf One they put us all in a gym while we waited for them to be bussed in. They started that chant while waiting and it about made me sick. I knew that war was fought for oil, but I did not dare express that around a military post at that time - all those dependent wives wanted so badly to believe in the "rightness" of that war. I managed to stand there during the chanting but could not bring myself to say anything. I remember that vividly and that chant has always made me sick since that day.
To be expected for the Repugnants and even the military but not from supposed Liberals. I knew my head would explode if I watched the convention so I did not.
up
0 users have voted.
—
Only a fool lets someone else tell him who his enemy is. Assata Shakur
I am seeing a lot of pressure from my so-called liberal Facebook friends that voting third party is 'throwing my vote away' and 'basically, a vote for Trump'. OK, if you put a gun to my head and told me I MUST chose between Trump and Hillary - I'm not sure they would really like who I would chose in that situation.
up
0 users have voted.
—
Democrats, we tried to warn you. How is that guilt and shame working out?
Although, in that case, with a gun to your head, and supposing "Hillary" is the answer they're looking for, you tell them that, and make it convincing. But as soon as their back is turned, split their skull.
How can you stand the silence
That pervades when we all cry?
How can you watch the violence
That erupts before your eyes?
How can you tell us something
Just to keep us hangin' on?
Something that just don't mean nothing
When we see it, you are gone
Clinging to some other rainbow
While we're standing, waiting in the cold
Telling us the same old story
Knowing time is growing old
up
0 users have voted.
—
I'm tired of this back-slapping "Isn't humanity neat?" bullshit. We're a virus with shoes, okay? That's all we are. - Bill Hicks
Politics is the entertainment branch of industry. - Frank Zappa
referring to the name of the estate eponymous with the lord
up
0 users have voted.
—
There are known knowns; there are things we know we know. We also know there are known unknowns; that is to say we know there are some things we do not know. But there are also unknown unknowns – the ones we don't know we don't know.
It seemed to cater to their traditional demographics, probably on purpose since Hillary is determined to get the neocon/Never Trump vote. The whole thing was a sloppy articulation of platitudes and identity politics, never mind the obvious inconsistencies and contradictions between speakers. I guess that's what happens when you stand for nothing and throw opposing liberal and conservative positions in a pot together. It was an ugly mess, and you could see that the only people that were happy were the shills, blind partisans, sycophants, and the 1%. Even her own supporters couldn't seem to muster the energy to be all that excited about Hillary.
And even just after this, (shown in a video which I expected has been posted multiple times long since its appearance,) can any good really be expected of the Dems in this state of corruption?
"MASSIVE Election Fraud Seen In Primaries - A Full Summary"
Redacted Tonight
Published on Jul 22, 2016
Lee Camp has covered the Presidential primary election fraud with a fine-toothed comb. He's had to because the mainstream corporate media is avoiding covering it like the plague. In this segment, Lee recaps every aspect that he's uncovered. From Stanford studies, to to hacked voting machines, to superdelegate conflicts of interest, to purged voting rolls, here's everything you need to know...
And Don midwest posted this link to a must-read stats blog:
Bernie won the nomination; because even massive cheating against Obama didn't enable Hillary to win last time so they went ultra-blatant and, so far, are getting away with the theft.
And of course this report has been posted all over:
so vote! One vote per Twitter account, I have heard. Maybe no little freeping allowed, as good as our elections, perhaps? Stein and Johnson are polling as well as Clinton, Trump ahead now.
up
0 users have voted.
—
Hey! my dear friends or soon-to-be's, JtC could use the donations to keep this site functioning for those of us who can still see the life preserver or flotsam in the water.
She is gonna get creamed, her favorable numbers NEVER climb the longer the election goes on.
Yet, go talk to some of them, they are literally oblivious to the fact that they burnt the bridges, pissed on the ashes and then expect us to swim across a river of feces to join their "Side".
I would rather slam delicate parts of my anatomy in a car door than join the Cult of Clinton.
up
0 users have voted.
—
"I used to vote Republican & Democrat, I also used to shit my pants. Eventually I got smart enough to stop doing both things." -Me
...masturbate with a cheese grater. not sure which worse but i'm going to go with slamming car door on gonads. you might at least draw a short instance of pleasure with the cheese grater before you start to draw blood.
At that time, Trump was ahead, followed by Hillary. Johnson and Stein were about even, hovering over the 20% mark.
ETA:
I just checked the poll. Trump, 42%. Hillary 24%. Jill 19%. Gary 15%.
They have received a little over 57,000 votes and have 9 hours left to take votes. I guess it's a 24-hour thing.
come to lead us all to the Apocalypse. Pay close attention folks, this guy is the Embodiment Of Death And Destruction itself. And Hellery carefully screened the speech so you can be sure this is the road Hellery will lead us down.
Length [8:20]
up
0 users have voted.
—
Donnie The #ShitHole Douchebag. Fake Friend to the Working Class. Real Asshole.
Nothing reminded me more of the German's masses to Hitler's speeches than what I saw in the reactions of the delegations to his words on this convention. This clip doesn't show the complete speech. It's worse than what is shown here. Watch the whole thing on C-SPAN.
hearing it for the first time, it had a worse impact on me than this morning. So I thought that wasn't all of it. I guess that's the "getting used to the smell of fascist's thoughts" effect ... Sorry for that.
but it was on the box in the other room and I happened to catch the last few minutes of the General's speech.
I was appalled. I never thought I'd hear U-S-A, U-S-A at a Democratic convention. That's Tea Party stuff.
up
0 users have voted.
—
We wanted decent healthcare, a living wage and free college.
The Democrats gave us Biden and war instead.
This video is a fantastic reply to anyone who complains about Trump's nationalism or says Hillary is the lesser evil, provided they take the 8 1/2 minutes to watch it.
Jesus Fucking Christ on a bicycle. Yeah, I can imagine the Nazi drums too.
Blocking Hillary is the secondary goal. Even if Stein is not elected if she and Johnson can each pull over 10% of the vote in key states, it should block the two crap sandwiches from getting 270 electoral votes. I would trust the House of Representatives pick more than one of these two.
Republicans who are horrified by Trump for any number of reasons will move to Hillary as opposed to the Libertarians who are both bona fide Republicans and former governors to boot. They are being given the Sanders treatment of pretending they don't exist by the media, but surely rank and file Republicans know that they do have an option?
up
0 users have voted.
—
" “Human kindness has never weakened the stamina or softened the fiber of a free people. A nation does not have to be cruel to be tough.” FDR "
that I know will NOT be voting for the Rump. Two friends will vote either Johnson or Giant Meteor, and the other two aren't sure what they'll do yet but I know they won't vote Her Heinous. I do have a few more but right now I'm not really in the mood to ask them what they'll do. But the 4 that I know of rather surprised me - not because they're out and out bigots, but because they usually do go party line. Course, that party line DOES make them covert bigots, so there is that to contend with. None of them are real close friends, but I was surprised as I figured they'd be the type to say his bigotry was just an act and no big deal. Nice to know they at least have some sense, Repukes that they are.
up
0 users have voted.
—
Only a fool lets someone else tell him who his enemy is. Assata Shakur
Which means whoever came in fourth would get left out. (In a sane world that would be Shrillary, but this is no longer a sane world....)
There's lots of shit they can pull before it comes to that, though. They can get the Supreme Court to stop recounts (Bush v. Gore 2000), they can assemble a "blue-ribbon panel" to "verify" the vote counts in selected states (Hayes v. Tilden, 1876), or they can come up with something we haven't seen yet.
The electoral college gives votes based on plurality, not majority, except for two states in which it is done on a proportional basis. In a 4-way race in any state, a third of the popular vote could win the electoral votes.
Also, in more than one internet poll [not scientifically accurate, I know] Jill is doing very well. And Johnson is not doing so badly either.
Remember that in a contingent election [decided by the House] it is the NEW congress that makes the decision.
is, of course, one of the system’s most cockamamie features.
That’s the rule mainly responsible for the gross inequality whereby votes in some states are extremely important while votes in other states can be taken for granted or are practically meaningless.
I'm not stopping Stein from winning any more than I'm killing fairies by disbelieving them. She won't get the votes, same way she didn't get the votes last election (though I expect her to do a bit better with the Bernie Bailout Bump). Trying to make this about me won't change that.
justified by the Democrats. They have slipped into a dark place that they won't be able to crawl out of.
up
0 users have voted.
—
There is nothing which I dread so much as a division of the republic into two great parties.. This...is to be dreaded as the greatest political evil under our Constitution.--John Adams
Also too (as Moosalina would say), these 'third world' countries are sitting on so many of our assets. Like oil, and rare earths, and precious metals...
/s
up
0 users have voted.
—
I'm tired of this back-slapping "Isn't humanity neat?" bullshit. We're a virus with shoes, okay? That's all we are. - Bill Hicks
Politics is the entertainment branch of industry. - Frank Zappa
Thank you for trying to inject some sanity over at TOP. I rec'd many of your comments in that blithely authoritarian diary/thread. The "USA chants to drown out protest" cover story is ridiculous. The whole evening had a contrived subtext of nationalism, complete with USA signs front and center, and the large American flags. All part of the homeland programming.
Democrats talk about Trump's insecurity and rightly celebrate President Obama calling out a braggart... but then can't see that's exactly how the world reacts to America when America insecurely proclaims itself "the greatest country in the history of the world" Over, and over, and over again.
Nothing wrong with being proud of your country and perhaps even going overboard once a year on the 4th of July, but this compulsive, incessant "we are the greatest" mantra is pathetic. After Vietnam, Iraq, Guantanamo, Torture a mature nation would start to see its self more clearly. Not us I'm afraid.
So myopic. Like you said, nothing wrong with being proud of any accomplishments or good points your country has. But pretending to be the greatest country anywhere ever just means you will never do the hard work of recognizing and fixing the problems.
There are no problems here, only annoyances. Like road construction. Or occasional "riots".
up
0 users have voted.
—
Hey! my dear friends or soon-to-be's, JtC could use the donations to keep this site functioning for those of us who can still see the life preserver or flotsam in the water.
Let’s see: trade agreements, outreach to hawks, “bipartisanship”, Wall Street. All that’s missing is a “Grand Bargain” otherwise it’s the exact same game plan as last time, and the time before that, and the time before that. Democrats seem to be endlessly beguiled by the prospect of campaign of national unity, a coming-together of all the quality people and all the affluent people and all the right-thinking, credentialed, high-achieving people. The middle class is crumbling, the country is seething with anger, and Hillary Clinton wants to chair a meeting of the executive committee of the righteous.
When Democrats sold out their own rank and file in the past it constituted betrayal, but at least it sometimes got them elected. Specifically, the strategy succeeded back in the 1990s when Republicans were market purists and working people truly had “nowhere else to go”. As our modern Clintonists of 2016 move instinctively to dismiss the concerns of working people, however, they should keep this in mind: those people may have finally found somewhere else to go.
Edit: Wake up brain
up
0 users have voted.
—
" In the beginning, the universe was created. This has made a lot of people very angry, and is generally considered to have been a bad move. -- Douglas Adams, The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy "
The Democratic party is one of the two alternative governing parties for a corporate commercial republic, which in the 80s bit the bullet and built and invited in membership for a corporate wing in order to continue to be allowed to compete to be the party of government.
They will go as low as they think they have to go to win office, and not go any higher than they think they have to go.
That is the basis for the inside-out strategy. Unless they are pushed from within and also challenge on the wide open left half of the political scale from without, they will push as far right as the ongoing rightward push of the Republican party gives them room to move.
Both need a lot of work, so whether people join the organizations to elect more progressive Democrats or join the Greens or other progressive third parties, there's plenty of work to be done.
The two ways that an inside-out strategy can succeed are by driving the Corporate wing out of the Democratic party and recruiting the progressive 3rd parties to form the new coalition, or by being driven out of the Democratic party by the Corporate Wing and joining with the progressive 3rd parties to form the new coalition. Either successful path seems to involve much the same mix of inside and outside organization building to me, so I don't invest much energy in worrying about which of the two is more likely to be the eventual path.
Disconcerting. I had the convention on TV in another room, white noise while I was otherwise engaged and literally had to go check that I still had the DNC convention on The TV
I figure the first night was to try and make nice to the Bernie wing... But with each successive night the convention. Got more centrist until, by the last night the DNC was more GOP then the GOP is.
This was by design... The message going forward is HEY REPUBLICANS WE WELCOME YOU WITH OPEN ARMS... hey you progressives. Get lost.. Who needs you.
the Republicans," thinking that meant he wouldn't be bullied and silenced they way Dems were so much of the time during Reagan/Bush.
As time has passed I realized that the Clintons adopted the GOP model wholesale and that they became the bullies. I was tired of Dems losing, but winning at the cost of becoming Republicans just isn't worth it. At all!
up
0 users have voted.
—
"The object of persecution is persecution. The object of torture is torture. The object of power is power. Now do you begin to understand me?" ~Orwell, "1984"
Comments
I haven't paid this level of attention previously
I paid a good amount in 2008, but not this much. I got involved 8 months or so earlier in this election cycle, helped circulate petitions to get on the ballot. Certified signatures. And more. Got to peek behind the veil into the sausage factory. It's disgusting.
'What we are left with is an agency mandated to ensure transparency and disclosure that is actually working to keep the public in the dark' - Ann M. Ravel, former FEC member
are you referring to the Hillbots drowning out "no more war"?
because that was one of the lowlights of the convention.
Most of the speakers that preceded Joe Biden...
...were doing their best to whip the crowd into a pants-pissing frenzy with all of their "Donald Trump is the Most Dangerous Man in the World!!!" and "ISIS Terrorists are Hiding Under Your Bed, Waiting to Kill Your Family!!!" talk. Shit, I closed my eyes and swore I was watching reruns from last week's RNC. But bless Joe Biden for following all of this nonsense, when he unironically stated, "We’ve had candidates before attempted to get elected to appealing to our fears, but they never succeeded, because we do not scare easily." Either he didn't get the memo that the Clinton Campaign is All Fear, All the Time, or he went off script again. And I love it when he goes off script, because that's usually when shit finally gets done (i.e. Same Sex Marriage).
So, yeah, blind obeisance to authority and MIC worship are not the exclusive province of GOPosaurs and neither are military jingoism and faux nationalism...
I want my two dollars!
Whip instructions
Didn't watch. Got email from friend, Bernie delegate, who was there. Suggested I watch EVERY time %hrillary had to "clear her throat" coughing, taking a sip of water, the Whips were "instructed" to start a chant, until she was fully ready to continue speaking.
Needless to say, my friend didn't. Only the "other side" has been noticing this thing $hrilary has of what are referred to by them as "coughing fits" - seriously, this is NOT a healthy sign. She tried to joke about it early in the primary - "talking too much" but it's not a good sign. Certainly not good health. MSM won't touch it.
Maybe she's choking on her lies.
I'm tired of this back-slapping "Isn't humanity neat?" bullshit. We're a virus with shoes, okay? That's all we are. - Bill Hicks
Politics is the entertainment branch of industry. - Frank Zappa
Well, you already knew that
Well, you already knew that lots more war could be expected if Hillary's allowed to cheat her way into the Presidency.
And I think that we ought to be scared lot of ways about what she'd do. Of course we'd not hear about most of what she did...
Psychopathy is not a political position, whether labeled 'conservatism', 'centrism' or 'left'.
A tin labeled 'coffee' may be a can of worms or pathology identified by a lack of empathy/willingness to harm others to achieve personal desires.
What were they saying out on the streets?
On fb, the assimilated are still calling the naysayers immature and collective nouns like "ilk". United, indeed!
Hey! my dear friends or soon-to-be's, JtC could use the donations to keep this site functioning for those of us who can still see the life preserver or flotsam in the water.
My favorite one is that...
We're all naive millennials and this is our first election, so we don't understand how things work. Oh, and on top of that we're all spoiled and self-centered, so we can't see that we need to vote for Hillary for the greater good. It's amazing how the establishment and the media deploys all of these debunked stereotypes to try to shame and pressure people to support their chosen candidate.
The whole "Bernie supporters are throwing a tantrum" narrative is literally coming from every media outlet and the CTR shills are spamming comment sections with that garbage.
Shaming will no longer work. BLM showed us that.
See? We is learning. Wending our way into the filthy center, bit by bit. I have grey hair and a PhD, no immature 18 y/o living with their parent while going out to protest and coming home to clean sheets and a cooked meal.
Hey! my dear friends or soon-to-be's, JtC could use the donations to keep this site functioning for those of us who can still see the life preserver or flotsam in the water.
Huhn -- I've got silver hair
but only a Master of Science degree (been "practicing" hydrology for some 30 years now; I may get it right one of these days) --
Through this election cycle, going back more than one year, I have been more committed to Bernie than any candidate for any office whom I ever have supported/worked for previously. And I found that the millennials (whom Bernie truly excited) and me had quite a bit in common, and could speak the same --democratic (small "d") -- language. The kids are all right --
When Cicero had finished speaking, the people said “How well he spoke”.
When Demosthenes had finished speaking, the people said “Let us march”.
The kids are all right...
I have three millennial children. They are way more 'plugged in' than my me or my parents. They can spot bullshit a mile away because they grew up on the Internet and had to shift through tons of information. They do not engage in hero worship, because they know the darkest secrets of celebrities and politians. The are also keenly aware of the hand they have been dealt. They don't do shame.
Democrats, we tried to warn you. How is that guilt and shame working out?
I've got salt and pepper hair...
Much more salt these days than pepper, tho.... and I only have a BA in Psych and several Microsoft and Novell certifications... and, while I love Bernie, what I admire most is the way he pulled us altogether into this new "Revolution." We may be scatter-shot at the moment, but we're gonna get it together and start something brand new in this country.
We Boomers tilled the soil and planted the seeds in the 60's and 70's. We nursed those seeds as best we could during those days, but the authoritarians of that era gained the upper hand. No matter what we tried after that, we couldn't throw off that yoke; too many fell the lies of deregulation and "greed is good."
It's now up to our children and grandchildren to carry the torch into this new century for us. We can help; but the days of marching and sit-ins are over for many of us... the physical body won't cooperate with the emotional and spiritual bodies.
Hopefully we tended those seeds well over the decades, and our kids can find the tools they need in today's world to finally bring in the harvest for all of us.
I only wish to live long enough to see that day come, please.
Aww, man — that brought tears to my eyes . . . n/t
Four degrees and a Fellowship of a learned society.
Not an American, but I just don't trust HRC to be the "leader of the 'free' [sic] world."
Mind you, I don't like Trump either, but I think there will be elements that will take his finger off the red button when the time arises. Der Drumpf is a clown. HRC is a danger to world peace.
There are known knowns; there are things we know we know. We also know there are known unknowns; that is to say we know there are some things we do not know. But there are also unknown unknowns – the ones we don't know we don't know.
Projection
Everything they say about Bernie supporters is what they themselves are doing. That's how the neocons have rolled since the '80s, and it seems to be how the neoliberals roll, too. If you need to know what's up with them, all you need to do is see what they're accusing others of doing (or thinking, or planning).
Accusations of Bernie supporters being violent? There have been numerous reports, including this week at the national convention, of Hillary delegates physically attacking Bernie delegates. (There is a video posted on FB showing an instance of an H delegate hitting a young Bernie delegate. For what it's worth, both people involved were females.)
Immaturity? A lot of Hillary supporters seem to have a hard time controlling themselves. It reminds me of two-year-olds throwing tantrums when they don't get their way about everything. It's also a common characteristic of narcissists, abusers, and the personality-disordered. We've seen for months the bullying, shaming, and sheer nastiness coming from the Hillary folks, and now that she's been formally nominated, it seems to be getting worse than better.
I could go on, but I'm starting to drag myself down talking about it, so I'll end now.
"Don't go back to sleep ... Don't go back to sleep ... Don't go back to sleep."
~Rumi
"If you want revolution, be it."
~Caitlin Johnstone
I found it quite enlightening
seeing all those situations you described. But what hit it home with me were the chants of "USA! USA!" to drown out all other chants the Hill-bots didn't like. Up to now, I've only heard that kind of mob rule at Republican/Conservative meetings. I can only surmise Hillary stole Karl Rove's playbook.
From so many angles, what has happened is down-right scary. A person running for President should bring out the best in people. Think of JFK and RFK; think of Lincoln and FDR. They (as well as others) sought to lead us by appealing to our better angels. And, with a few expected groups proving to be the exceptions, the majority of the country rose to the challenge.
But how many of us were dumbfounded by the intensity of the hatred and evil coming off those we once considered "friends" and "peers" over at TOP? Sure we could follow the money, etc., but many of these were people we liked commenting and live-streaming with; with whom we had up to that point felt very comfortable to "be ourselves." It was almost like someone had pulled a window shade on day to make it night; the change seemed that abrupt to me.
Hillary doesn't bring out the best in people; she brings out the worst in people. Even more, she somehow evokes a form of mob rule that up to now we've only associated with pure out-and-out evil.
I don't know about you guys, but my head still hasn't stopped spinning!
Stole Rove's playbook? She probably BOUGHT it
and Rove as well, to explain it to her.
There is no justice. There can be no peace.
AMEN!!!!
So glad I did not watch it
that USA, USA, USA thing.... When my ex came home from Gulf One they put us all in a gym while we waited for them to be bussed in. They started that chant while waiting and it about made me sick. I knew that war was fought for oil, but I did not dare express that around a military post at that time - all those dependent wives wanted so badly to believe in the "rightness" of that war. I managed to stand there during the chanting but could not bring myself to say anything. I remember that vividly and that chant has always made me sick since that day.
To be expected for the Repugnants and even the military but not from supposed Liberals. I knew my head would explode if I watched the convention so I did not.
Only a fool lets someone else tell him who his enemy is. Assata Shakur
That narrative will be very effective.....
in persuading Bernie voters to refuse to vote for HRC. Do they really think that insulting us will make us vote for her?
The thought did occur to me...
I am seeing a lot of pressure from my so-called liberal Facebook friends that voting third party is 'throwing my vote away' and 'basically, a vote for Trump'. OK, if you put a gun to my head and told me I MUST chose between Trump and Hillary - I'm not sure they would really like who I would chose in that situation.
Democrats, we tried to warn you. How is that guilt and shame working out?
Sometimes, "fuck you" is the
Sometimes, "fuck you" is the correct answer.
Although, in that case, with a gun to your head, and supposing "Hillary" is the answer they're looking for, you tell them that, and make it convincing. But as soon as their back is turned, split their skull.
It's been half a century since I was young and naive.
But I was correct then, too.
Life is strong. I'm weak, but Life is strong.
I LOVED your post. It describes so many of us. Kudos!!!!
How can you stand the silence
That pervades when we all cry?
How can you watch the violence
That erupts before your eyes?
How can you tell us something
Just to keep us hangin' on?
Something that just don't mean nothing
When we see it, you are gone
Clinging to some other rainbow
While we're standing, waiting in the cold
Telling us the same old story
Knowing time is growing old
I'm tired of this back-slapping "Isn't humanity neat?" bullshit. We're a virus with shoes, okay? That's all we are. - Bill Hicks
Politics is the entertainment branch of industry. - Frank Zappa
"Ilk" is a fine Scottish word
referring to the name of the estate eponymous with the lord
There are known knowns; there are things we know we know. We also know there are known unknowns; that is to say we know there are some things we do not know. But there are also unknown unknowns – the ones we don't know we don't know.
Half the time it looked like it could have been the RNC.
It seemed to cater to their traditional demographics, probably on purpose since Hillary is determined to get the neocon/Never Trump vote. The whole thing was a sloppy articulation of platitudes and identity politics, never mind the obvious inconsistencies and contradictions between speakers. I guess that's what happens when you stand for nothing and throw opposing liberal and conservative positions in a pot together. It was an ugly mess, and you could see that the only people that were happy were the shills, blind partisans, sycophants, and the 1%. Even her own supporters couldn't seem to muster the energy to be all that excited about Hillary.
At least the stage looked better than Trump's.
The stage setting for Donald's acceptance was designed by Albert Speer.
Life is strong. I'm weak, but Life is strong.
And even just after this,
And even just after this, (shown in a video which I expected has been posted multiple times long since its appearance,) can any good really be expected of the Dems in this state of corruption?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GfN2-uV-ZuI
"MASSIVE Election Fraud Seen In Primaries - A Full Summary"
And Don midwest posted this link to a must-read stats blog:
https://richardcharnin.wordpress.com/
Bernie won the nomination; because even massive cheating against Obama didn't enable Hillary to win last time so they went ultra-blatant and, so far, are getting away with the theft.
And of course this report has been posted all over:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6J1ecILnk3UUy1KZ2FUT29iQ1E/view?pref=2...
Psychopathy is not a political position, whether labeled 'conservatism', 'centrism' or 'left'.
A tin labeled 'coffee' may be a can of worms or pathology identified by a lack of empathy/willingness to harm others to achieve personal desires.
Needs to be nominated for “most censored stories of 2016”
http://projectcensored.org/
If you are on Twitter, Wikileaks is polling for POTUS choice
so vote! One vote per Twitter account, I have heard. Maybe no little freeping allowed, as good as our elections, perhaps? Stein and Johnson are polling as well as Clinton, Trump ahead now.
Hey! my dear friends or soon-to-be's, JtC could use the donations to keep this site functioning for those of us who can still see the life preserver or flotsam in the water.
Wow, right now Trump is Cleaning her clock and Jill is only
a couple points behind in that twitter poll.
She is gonna get creamed, her favorable numbers NEVER climb the longer the election goes on.
Yet, go talk to some of them, they are literally oblivious to the fact that they burnt the bridges, pissed on the ashes and then expect us to swim across a river of feces to join their "Side".
I would rather slam delicate parts of my anatomy in a car door than join the Cult of Clinton.
"I used to vote Republican & Democrat, I also used to shit my pants. Eventually I got smart enough to stop doing both things." -Me
i thought that the alternative for you was to...
...masturbate with a cheese grater. not sure which worse but i'm going to go with slamming car door on gonads. you might at least draw a short instance of pleasure with the cheese grater before you start to draw blood.
I frequently resort to both when faced with something I just
won't do to give a visual illustration to the likelihood of it occurring. (I have also been known to bring a Salad Shooter into the mix as well.
)
Plus, I have always been a fan of "Cringe" humor.
"I used to vote Republican & Democrat, I also used to shit my pants. Eventually I got smart enough to stop doing both things." -Me
If it comes to that, please join the Clinton Cult. We'll figure
something else out later, after your delicates are protected. You're no good to us if all you can do is sob hysterically.
Please check out Pet Vet Help, consider joining us to help pets, and follow me @ElenaCarlena on Twitter! Thank you.
I voted last night.
At that time, Trump was ahead, followed by Hillary. Johnson and Stein were about even, hovering over the 20% mark.
ETA:
I just checked the poll. Trump, 42%. Hillary 24%. Jill 19%. Gary 15%.
They have received a little over 57,000 votes and have 9 hours left to take votes. I guess it's a 24-hour thing.
Life is strong. I'm weak, but Life is strong.
Reminds me of one of the greatest...
Ideas I ever Had for a "Mash-Up" Video.
Take Toby Keith's "Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue" and Mash it together with "I'm Afraid of Americans" by David Bowie...
Would be an awesome indictment of Jingoism, IMHO.
I do not pretend I know what I do not know.
General John Allen - He Was the Grim Reaper
come to lead us all to the Apocalypse. Pay close attention folks, this guy is the Embodiment Of Death And Destruction itself. And Hellery carefully screened the speech so you can be sure this is the road Hellery will lead us down.
Length [8:20]
Donnie The #ShitHole Douchebag. Fake Friend to the Working Class. Real Asshole.
the scariest thing to me is that there was no critical reaction
to his words so far.
Nothing reminded me more of the German's masses to Hitler's speeches than what I saw in the reactions of the delegations to his words on this convention. This clip doesn't show the complete speech. It's worse than what is shown here. Watch the whole thing on C-SPAN.
https://www.euronews.com/live
If you have the cspan link, pls add it
The only cspan link I could find is the same length so I assume it's the same video.
But yeah, I could almost hear a backdrop of Nazi drums pounding behind Allen.
Donnie The #ShitHole Douchebag. Fake Friend to the Working Class. Real Asshole.
you are right, I apologize, I don't know, but yesterday
hearing it for the first time, it had a worse impact on me than this morning. So I thought that wasn't all of it. I guess that's the "getting used to the smell of fascist's thoughts" effect ... Sorry for that.
https://www.euronews.com/live
Ha! I got to the first USA and had to turn it off. 1 min 25 sec
Gave me chills. Ook.
Please check out Pet Vet Help, consider joining us to help pets, and follow me @ElenaCarlena on Twitter! Thank you.
RaRa More War! Heroes, Military Power!
They hate us fer our feedumbs and not the bloody mess we leave behind every time.
I didn't watch the convention much last night,
but it was on the box in the other room and I happened to catch the last few minutes of the General's speech.
I was appalled. I never thought I'd hear U-S-A, U-S-A at a Democratic convention. That's Tea Party stuff.
We wanted decent healthcare, a living wage and free college.
The Democrats gave us Biden and war instead.
I know...
It was smattered throughout Obama's 2008 acceptance speech. I was there.
Democrats, we tried to warn you. How is that guilt and shame working out?
Especially when
Especially when the "USA! USA!" chant was done to drown out protestors calling for peace.
"Don't go back to sleep ... Don't go back to sleep ... Don't go back to sleep."
~Rumi
"If you want revolution, be it."
~Caitlin Johnstone
The speach was better...
When Ronald Reagan made it 30 years ago...
Democrats, we tried to warn you. How is that guilt and shame working out?
This video is a fantastic
This video is a fantastic reply to anyone who complains about Trump's nationalism or says Hillary is the lesser evil, provided they take the 8 1/2 minutes to watch it.
Jesus Fucking Christ on a bicycle. Yeah, I can imagine the Nazi drums too.
Or as Molly Ivins would have said,
it probably sounded better in the original German.
You're thinking, again, td.
You've got to cut that out. It gets you into all kinds of trouble.
"The “jumpers” reminded us that one day we will all face only one choice and that is how we will die, not how we will live." Chris Hedges on 9/11
Electing Stein is our primary goal.
Blocking Hillary is the secondary goal. Even if Stein is not elected if she and Johnson can each pull over 10% of the vote in key states, it should block the two crap sandwiches from getting 270 electoral votes. I would trust the House of Representatives pick more than one of these two.
These two parties need to go away.
But stein or johnson
Would have to win a state for that to happen, correct?
and stein or Johnson would have to forge an alliance with trump or Hillary for us to ever get a winner.
And is it after the first ballot that they switch to 1 vote per state? Which favors trump as republicans win more states than democrats do.
I'm curious why so many people are opining that
Republicans who are horrified by Trump for any number of reasons will move to Hillary as opposed to the Libertarians who are both bona fide Republicans and former governors to boot. They are being given the Sanders treatment of pretending they don't exist by the media, but surely rank and file Republicans know that they do have an option?
" “Human kindness has never weakened the stamina or softened the fiber of a free people. A nation does not have to be cruel to be tough.” FDR "
I know, and at least 4 Republicans
that I know will NOT be voting for the Rump. Two friends will vote either Johnson or Giant Meteor, and the other two aren't sure what they'll do yet but I know they won't vote Her Heinous. I do have a few more but right now I'm not really in the mood to ask them what they'll do. But the 4 that I know of rather surprised me - not because they're out and out bigots, but because they usually do go party line. Course, that party line DOES make them covert bigots, so there is that to contend with. None of them are real close friends, but I was surprised as I figured they'd be the type to say his bigotry was just an act and no big deal. Nice to know they at least have some sense, Repukes that they are.
Only a fool lets someone else tell him who his enemy is. Assata Shakur
No...
If nobody gets 270 votes - it goes to the House of Representatives where every state gets exactly one vote.
Democrats, we tried to warn you. How is that guilt and shame working out?
And they (are supposed to) only pick from the top three
Which means whoever came in fourth would get left out. (In a sane world that would be Shrillary, but this is no longer a sane world....)
There's lots of shit they can pull before it comes to that, though. They can get the Supreme Court to stop recounts (Bush v. Gore 2000), they can assemble a "blue-ribbon panel" to "verify" the vote counts in selected states (Hayes v. Tilden, 1876), or they can come up with something we haven't seen yet.
There is no justice. There can be no peace.
Take a deep breath and relax. Winning states is possible.
The electoral college gives votes based on plurality, not majority, except for two states in which it is done on a proportional basis. In a 4-way race in any state, a third of the popular vote could win the electoral votes.
Also, in more than one internet poll [not scientifically accurate, I know] Jill is doing very well. And Johnson is not doing so badly either.
Remember that in a contingent election [decided by the House] it is the NEW congress that makes the decision.
Life is strong. I'm weak, but Life is strong.
That most electoral votes are awarded on a winner-take-all basis
is, of course, one of the system’s most cockamamie features.
That’s the rule mainly responsible for the gross inequality whereby votes in some states are extremely important while votes in other states can be taken for granted or are practically meaningless.
Stein's not going to win. You
Stein's not going to win. You might want to reconsider your priorities; starting with the impossible one is a bad plan.
What if everyone that said,
"Stein is not going to win" voted for her, instead?
"I’m a human being, first and foremost, and as such I’m for whoever and whatever benefits humanity as a whole.” —Malcolm X
Well, then, you would be
Well, then, you would be living in a fantasy world, because that's not going to happen either.
At least I'm not trying to keep it from happening.
"I’m a human being, first and foremost, and as such I’m for whoever and whatever benefits humanity as a whole.” —Malcolm X
I'm not stopping Stein from
I'm not stopping Stein from winning any more than I'm killing fairies by disbelieving them. She won't get the votes, same way she didn't get the votes last election (though I expect her to do a bit better with the Bernie Bailout Bump). Trying to make this about me won't change that.
IIRC, the House has to pick from the top 3 vote getters. So
it'd be Trump anyway. Unless you think they'll pick Johnson.
Don't vote for Jill as a spoiler. Vote and work for Jill for the win!
Please check out Pet Vet Help, consider joining us to help pets, and follow me @ElenaCarlena on Twitter! Thank you.
I'm frightened too. Any military action by Hillary will be
justified by the Democrats. They have slipped into a dark place that they won't be able to crawl out of.
There is nothing which I dread so much as a division of the republic into two great parties.. This...is to be dreaded as the greatest political evil under our Constitution.--John Adams
And they are already ramping up the
Two Minutes Hate against Russia.
"I’m a human being, first and foremost, and as such I’m for whoever and whatever benefits humanity as a whole.” —Malcolm X
That's what happens when so many of a candidate's supporters
PROFIT off war and eternal chaos.
Also too (as Moosalina would say), these 'third world' countries are sitting on so many of our assets. Like oil, and rare earths, and precious metals...
/s
I'm tired of this back-slapping "Isn't humanity neat?" bullshit. We're a virus with shoes, okay? That's all we are. - Bill Hicks
Politics is the entertainment branch of industry. - Frank Zappa
A cold, calculated moment of nationalism
Thank you for trying to inject some sanity over at TOP. I rec'd many of your comments in that blithely authoritarian diary/thread. The "USA chants to drown out protest" cover story is ridiculous. The whole evening had a contrived subtext of nationalism, complete with USA signs front and center, and the large American flags. All part of the homeland programming.
Democrats talk about Trump's insecurity and rightly celebrate President Obama calling out a braggart... but then can't see that's exactly how the world reacts to America when America insecurely proclaims itself "the greatest country in the history of the world" Over, and over, and over again.
Nothing wrong with being proud of your country and perhaps even going overboard once a year on the 4th of July, but this compulsive, incessant "we are the greatest" mantra is pathetic. After Vietnam, Iraq, Guantanamo, Torture a mature nation would start to see its self more clearly. Not us I'm afraid.
It really gives me the creeps everytime someone says that
So myopic. Like you said, nothing wrong with being proud of any accomplishments or good points your country has. But pretending to be the greatest country anywhere ever just means you will never do the hard work of recognizing and fixing the problems.
Mr MacGoo levels of myopia
There are no problems here, only annoyances. Like road construction. Or occasional "riots".
Hey! my dear friends or soon-to-be's, JtC could use the donations to keep this site functioning for those of us who can still see the life preserver or flotsam in the water.
Hillary is luckiest woman alive: a cartoon summarizes now
Hillary Clinton, the luckiest woman alive: Whatever her many many many faults, compared to Trump she is an avenging angel driving a truck full of hot waffles
That hits the nail on the head
Thomas Frank in The Guardian
Hillary Clinton needs to wake up. Trump is stealing the voters she takes for granted
Edit: Wake up brain
" In the beginning, the universe was created. This has made a lot of people very angry, and is generally considered to have been a bad move. -- Douglas Adams, The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy "
You mean Thomas Frank
in The Guardian.
"The “jumpers” reminded us that one day we will all face only one choice and that is how we will die, not how we will live." Chris Hedges on 9/11
its the same fucking regurgitated crap they
peddle every 4 years, including the scary others.
Scary when the center and right are screaming off
the same hymn sheets, let's scare everyone!
damn clicked twice deleted
Why think that an establishment party is better than anything?
The Democratic party is one of the two alternative governing parties for a corporate commercial republic, which in the 80s bit the bullet and built and invited in membership for a corporate wing in order to continue to be allowed to compete to be the party of government.
They will go as low as they think they have to go to win office, and not go any higher than they think they have to go.
That is the basis for the inside-out strategy. Unless they are pushed from within and also challenge on the wide open left half of the political scale from without, they will push as far right as the ongoing rightward push of the Republican party gives them room to move.
Both need a lot of work, so whether people join the organizations to elect more progressive Democrats or join the Greens or other progressive third parties, there's plenty of work to be done.
The two ways that an inside-out strategy can succeed are by driving the Corporate wing out of the Democratic party and recruiting the progressive 3rd parties to form the new coalition, or by being driven out of the Democratic party by the Corporate Wing and joining with the progressive 3rd parties to form the new coalition. Either successful path seems to involve much the same mix of inside and outside organization building to me, so I don't invest much energy in worrying about which of the two is more likely to be the eventual path.
-- Virtually, etc. B)
"The greatest country on earth"
sounded Republican to me. The USA is the greatest gun country on earth and that disqualifies it from being the greatest country.
To thine own self be true.
Have to agree... all that USA USA USA chanting was quite
Disconcerting. I had the convention on TV in another room, white noise while I was otherwise engaged and literally had to go check that I still had the DNC convention on The TV
I figure the first night was to try and make nice to the Bernie wing... But with each successive night the convention. Got more centrist until, by the last night the DNC was more GOP then the GOP is.
This was by design... The message going forward is HEY REPUBLICANS WE WELCOME YOU WITH OPEN ARMS... hey you progressives. Get lost.. Who needs you.
Orwell was an optimist
When Bill Clinton won in '92 I said that he "out Republicaned
the Republicans," thinking that meant he wouldn't be bullied and silenced they way Dems were so much of the time during Reagan/Bush.
As time has passed I realized that the Clintons adopted the GOP model wholesale and that they became the bullies. I was tired of Dems losing, but winning at the cost of becoming Republicans just isn't worth it. At all!
"The object of persecution is persecution. The object of torture is torture. The object of power is power. Now do you begin to understand me?" ~Orwell, "1984"