is well beyond redemption. Kos blathered some more bullshit today, and I couldn't help but look. But as ridiculous as his comments were, the comments from the "community" were sickening, plain and simple. That did it for me. Won't even be dropping in to check headlines anymore. I don't associate with that kind.

because I won't go there to click on the link. I need my mental health, what remains of it, LOL.

...Hillary will take it. And avoid the substance of the criticism, which was that you can't expect real health care reform from politicians who are on the take with Big Pharma and the insurance industry.

I think my visit over there today may have cured me except maybe for the BNR, but I will have to completely stop reading the comments altogether. The level of discourse has sunk to the point of failing to qualify for the definition. It's a wall-to-wall strident, self-congratulatory echo chamber with bonus bullying of the stalwart few attempting to correct blatant lies and alternatively to unspool disingenuous rhetorical tricks and shenanigans used to slam almost anything associated with Bernie Sanders. There is literally no level of factual, sourced refutation of their lies that will convince them, exactly like many Republicans.

Most seem to have bought into the narrow definition of "Progressive" as 100% identity-based, and any mentions of economic-based policy changes are dismissed as some or other flavor of "privilege" no matter how nuanced with additional and equally-needed plans for other kinds of legislation and policy to correct past injustices.

Like many here I've also been noticing that every few days or so a new meme arises and is repeated in multiple diaries in the comments, just blatant talking points with the new ones many times building on or recycling old ones.

The current one seems to be insisting that Bernie has turned into some kind of preening egomaniac with glowing dollar signs for eyes, drunk on the adoration of his tediously teeming masses, addicted to the limelight, and, as fame addicts are wont to do, aspiring to ascend to Pope-like levels of adulation and gleefully resorting to hand-over-fist squandering of the campaign donations of his great unwashed hoard of delusional idiot sycophants in the pursuit of said glory, reflected if necessary, (That's the real reason for the trip to that symposium in Rome you know.) all of whom are deferring their own needs for food and shelter because they idolize him personally, but yet these same delusional followers will also merely go back to sleep or fall back into line as soon as he does what the True Faithful want him to which is to shut the fuck up and idolize their queen instead like good little consumers.

Regarding the latest daily #fauxoutrage, I'm a language parser from way back, but this cynical pandering and preying on the legitimate concerns of minorities and women who have been attacked and minimized by lifetimes of racist, misogynistic, othering *language and actions, all for the hypocritical benefit of true greed and power-lust, with no real intent to actually do anything to help them in any real, tangible way other than condescending head-patting and linguistic affirmation that hides just beneath the surface an unblinking steely resolve to maintain the status quo so as to do nothing that will hurt the bottom line is searingly nauseating to me.

*Regarding language, I will still call sexist, racist, etc. language out whenever I see it, but that's not what this is really about. This is a sham, and it stinks all the worse for what we language parsers like to call appropriation, which is borrowing against the actual disadvantages of individuals and groups, particularly when it's done for personal benefit. Yep, that's what this is, and it really does stink. It's also an endless game of "gotcha" that Bernie can't win, and that's all by design.

No. Not even close. If Secretary Clinton wants to be seen as tough and tested, she and especially her supporters need to stow their "poutrage" and sense of entitlement because she aint gonna get a pass from the Repubs. The Democratic primaries are cream puffs and roses compared to what she will experience in the general. Neither Bernie or any other primary challenger of hers are not the source of the public's perception of her nor are they handing the Repubs ammo. No. Her and Bill baked that cake themselves for the last 25 years. Benghazi doesn't matter, emails don't matter and the ginned up "right wing scandal machine" doesn't matter. It's THEIR character and ethics that DOES matter.

They built that.

http://www.ericaetelson.com/blog/

77 or so things Bernie as president could do without congressional approval.
Check this out. Lots of food for thought and comment.