The Evening Blues - 1-19-21



eb1pt12


The day's news roundup + tonight's musical feature: Crying Sam Collins

Hey! Good Evening!

This evening's music features early blues singer Crying Sam Collins. Enjoy!

Crying Sam Collins - Riverside Blues

"If you're not careful, the newspapers will have you hating the people who are being oppressed, and loving the people who are doing the oppressing."

-- Malcolm X


News and Opinion

DOJ Now Says There Was No Plot to Kill Elected Officials

The U.S. Justice Department has reversed an earlier assertion in court by prosecutors that protestors who broke into the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 had plans to “capture and assassinate elected officials.” Instead, the head of the DOJ investigation into the Capitol siege admitted that federal prosecutors filed a misleading statement before a federal judge in Arizona that was intended to prevent Jacob Chansley, aka Jake Angeli, from being released on bail.

The DOJ said that though there were calls to kill officials during the two-hour takeover of the Capitol, no evidence has been discovered yet to prove any serious effort to carry out such a plan.

“There is no direct evidence at this point of kill-capture teams and assassination,” Michael Sherwin, the Washington DC federal district attorney running the investigation of the attack, told reporters, Agence France-Presse reported. Sherwin said it may be “appropriate” to raise it at trial, but at this point it could “mislead the court.”

The original story of intentions to kill officials has entered the media discourse and is likely to remain a Democratic talking point despite the DOJ reversal. The only major media outlets that reported the new story is NBC News and The Washington Post. It has not appeared in The New York Times or on CNN’s website, for instance.

Having saturated the public with days of lurid tales of intentions to hang Vice President Mike Pence and abduct House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, it will be hard to shake such beliefs without reporting the DOJ’s reversal with the same intensity.

US troops occupy Washington DC in massive show of force

Capitol Insurrection Highlights Increasing Radicalization of Right-Wing White Police Officers

FBI vets thousands of troops amid fears of insider attack on Biden inauguration

Thousands of military personnel guarding Joe Biden’s inauguration as US president on Wednesday are being vetted by the FBI amid fears of an insider attack.

The biggest ever security operation for a presidential transition has turned swaths of Washington into a fortress, barricades, razor wire and 7ft fences erected to prevent a repeat of the deadly 6 January attack on the US Capitol by a mob incited by Donald Trump.

National guard personnel train part-time while holding civilian jobs or attending college. Some 25,000 members – more than double the number at previous inaugurations – are pouring into Washington from across the country, at short notice.

There are concerns that some of the very people assigned to protect the city could present a threat to the incoming president and other dignitaries, the Associated Press reported. Their names will be fed through an FBI database for any evidence of connections to investigations or terrorism or other red flags. ...

At least two active-duty service members or national guard members have been arrested in connection with the Capitol assault. Video footage from inside the building suggests some rioters had military training and that there was a significant level of planning and coordination.

Rep. Rashida Tlaib: I Fear Trump Will Lead More Violent Attacks; He Must Be Held to Account

Parler website partially returns with support from Russian-owned technology firm

Parler, the social network popular with Donald Trump supporters, has partially returned online with the help of a Russian-owned technology company. The network vanished from the internet after it was dropped by Amazon’s hosting arm and other partners over a lack of moderation after its users called for violence and posted videos glorifying the attack on the US Capitol on 6 January.

On Monday, Parler’s website was reachable again, though only with a message from its chief executive, John Matze, saying he was working to restore functionality.

The internet protocol (IP) address it used is owned by DDos-Guard, which is controlled by two Russian men and provides services including protection from distributed denial of service attacks, infrastructure expert Ronald Guilmette told Reuters. ...

If Parler’s “free speech” website is fully restored, users would be able to see and post comments. Most users prefer the app, however, which remains banned from the official Apple and Google stores.

Hillary, Pelosi Want 9/11 COMMISSION To See If Putin Tied To Capitol Riots

Woman who allegedly stole Pelosi's laptop wanted to sell it to Russia, ex tells FBI

Federal authorities are looking for a woman whose former romantic partner says she took a laptop from the office of the House speaker, Nancy Pelosi, during the riot at the US Capitol earlier this month. The FBI said in an arrest warrant on Sunday, however, that Riley June Williams has not been charged with theft but only with illegally entering the Capitol and with disorderly conduct.

FBI officials said a caller claiming to be an ex of Williams said friends of hers showed him a video of her taking a laptop computer or hard drive from Pelosi’s office. The caller alleged that she intended to send the device to a friend in Russia who planned to sell it to that country’s foreign intelligence service, but that plan fell through and she either has the device or has destroyed it. ...

Pelosi’s deputy chief of staff, Drew Hammill, confirmed on 8 January that a laptop was taken from a conference room but said “it was a laptop that was only used for presentations”.

Trump to issue more than 100 pardons before Biden sworn in

Donald Trump is expected to issue more than 100 presidential pardons on Tuesday, during his final hours in the White House, but may not pardon himself or his immediate family, it was reported on Monday. White House officials say Trump has privately debated with aides whether he should take the extraordinary step of pardoning himself. Some administration insiders have reportedly warned against it, arguing that it would make Trump look guilty.

On Sunday, Trump met his son-in-law Jared Kushner, daughter Ivanka Trump and senior advisers to thrash out a lengthy list of pardon requests, the Washington Post reported. The meeting took up much of the day. The president was personally engaged with the details of every case, it said. ...

CNN reported on Monday that the final batch of clemency actions was expected to feature criminal justice reform-minded pardons as well as more controversial ones for allies and friends. Lobbyists have been pushing for months to include their clients on Trump’s valedictory list. ...

Participants in the Capitol riot have appealed directly – via television or their lawyers – for pardons from Trump. On Sunday Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, a key Trump ally, appealed to the president directly, telling him not to pardon anyone associated with the attack.

CNN FREAKS That YouTubers Have Larger Audiences, Calls For Deplatforming

Big Tech Critics Alarmed at Direction of Biden Antitrust Personnel

A last-minute campaign by a coalition of groups working to check monopoly is being launched to stave off what they worry could be a series of calamitous antitrust appointments by President-elect Joe Biden. The move follows reports on Friday from the American Prospect and The Intercept, confirmed and expanded on Sunday by Reuters, that Biden is leaning toward two attorneys with deep experience advising monopoly platforms to head the antitrust division at the Department of Justice.

Renata Hesse, a former Justice Department official under President Barack Obama, worked alongside Sen. Ted Cruz defending Google a decade ago, helped shepherd through the Amazon/Whole Foods merger, and represented several pharmaceutical companies and other clients in antitrust cases. She is the leading contender for the assistant attorney general for antitrust position, multiple sources told the Prospect and The Intercept on Friday. Sources also said that Juan Arteaga, another Obama Justice Department veteran who defended JPMorgan Chase and several other financial firms in fraud cases and represented AT&T in its merger with Time Warner, was also being considered but was more likely to be appointed deputy assistant attorney general in the antitrust division. Reuters on Sunday reported that Hesse and Arteaga were the leading candidates for AAG.

The Big Tech ties have progressives particularly exercised by the possible Hesse pick, though Arteaga’s long track record of working on behalf of consolidation is also alarming. There are active anti-monopoly cases at the antitrust division against Google and Facebook, the biggest such cases in 20 years. Hesse’s work for Google would likely force her to recuse from the former. There is bipartisan support for reining in Big Tech and a blueprint for how to do it in an exhaustive report from the House Antitrust Subcommittee. Picking a Big Tech lawyer would open up Biden to criticism from the left and right, aside from the unusual circumstance of the top attorney in the division recusing herself from the most important case under her watch.

“Bringing in anybody from Big Tech to a leadership role in antitrust is a political, policy, and managerial disaster,” said Zephyr Teachout, author of “Break ’Em Up” and a frequent Big Tech critic, referring to Hesse. “We know how the revolving door works. The ideology of big companies shapes the ideology of government.” ...

The final decision on who will take the AAG position has not been made, but the current candidates for the top job and the deputy positions include a number of additional corporate attorneys, as well as at least one with progressive backing. Jonathan Kanter, a plaintiff’s lawyer who helped design the cases against Google and Facebook, remains in the mix for the AAG job. Gene Kimmelman is being considered for a deputy position, and while he brings consumer protection experience and has some progressive support, a recent paper of his suggesting that an entirely new agency is needed to tackle digital platforms has some reformers skeptical of his commitment to aggressive antitrust enforcement. Floating his name could be a way for the Biden team to make a show of progressive inclusion without changing the actual dynamic.

Is Biden Making A HUGE Mistake In His First 100 Days?

Americans’ Unrealistic Vaccine Expectations

Many Americans appear to be experiencing cautious optimism about the role that vaccines could play in ending the pandemic. But recent public opinion research suggests that 29 percent to 37 percent of Americans plan to refuse a COVID-19 vaccine. According to some epidemiological estimates, as many as three-fourths of Americans must become immune to Covid-19 — either by recovering from the disease or by getting vaccinated — to halt the virus’s spread.

Since Pfizer and Moderna vaccines gained emergency use authorization, front-line health care workers and other vulnerable groups have started to receive the vaccine. Public opinion research, however, has documented substantial Covid-19 vaccine hesitancy. While intentions to vaccinate have rebounded in recent weeks following a substantial drop-off this past summer, some recent estimates suggest that more than a third of Americans plan to forgo vaccination. Refusal rates that high could jeopardize our ability to achieve population immunity, and thereby prolong the pandemic.

Keiser Report | No Country for Small Business

Worth a full read:

As Fed Chair, Janet Yellen Discounted Economic Desperation. The Pandemic Will Likely Force a Different Approach.

Janet Yellen will face senators tomorrow at her confirmation hearing. While the January 6 assault on the Capitol and the ensuing threat of further far-right violence has taken precedence over news from the Biden transition, the decisions that Yellen makes — how seriously she takes the economic desperation suffered by millions of Americans — could determine whether or not in 2023 Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, is the chair of the Senate Rules and Administration Committee overseeing the Capitol Police.

Yellen will face senators tomorrow at her confirmation hearing. While the January 6 assault on the Capitol and the ensuing threat of further far-right violence has taken precedence over news from the Biden transition, the decisions that Yellen makes — how seriously she takes the economic desperation suffered by millions of Americans — could determine whether or not in 2023 Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, is the chair of the Senate Rules and Administration Committee overseeing the Capitol Police.

Yellen’s tenure at the Fed, which included rate hikes that almost certainly caused higher unemployment rates from 2015 through 2017, demonstrates that Yellen has, in the past, overestimated the strength of the economy for working people. Her recent statements, however, suggest that the pandemic, along with the run of wage growth and unemployment decline after 2017 many economists thought wasn’t possible, has altered her thinking, and she now believes in aggressive action by the Fed and Treasury to continue to lift up the economy. In October, Yellen said, “While the pandemic is still seriously affecting the economy, we need to continue extraordinary fiscal support. … We need support for the economy from both monetary and fiscal policy.”

Which direction she chooses — austerity or stimulus, deficits or employment — will have enormous import for this deeply divided country.



the horse race



Biden Lied About $2000 Checks For Votes



the evening greens


Biden to cancel $9bn Keystone XL pipeline's permit, says source

Joe Biden is planning to cancel the permit for the $9bn Keystone XL pipeline project as one of his first acts as president, perhaps as soon as his first day in office, according to a source familiar with his thinking.

Donald Trump had made building the pipeline a central promise of his presidential campaign. Biden, who will be inaugurated on Wednesday, was vice-president in the Obama administration when it rejected the project as contrary to its efforts to combat the climate crisis.

The words “rescind Keystone XL pipeline permit” appear on a list of executive actions likely to be scheduled for the first day of Biden’s presidency, according to an earlier report by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.

Biden had previously vowed to scrap the oil pipeline’s presidential permit if he became president.

The project, which would move oil from the Canadian province of Alberta to Nebraska, had been slowed by legal issues in the US. It also faced opposition from environmentalists seeking to check the expansion of Canada’s oil sands by opposing new pipelines to move its crude to refineries.

Trump administration proposes 11th-hour plan to strip California desert protections

The outgoing Trump administration is proposing to strip away protections for millions of acres of California desert, threatening damage to Joshua trees, desert tortoises and landmarks. The plan would open up California’s desert areas to mining projects, eliminate up to 2.2m acres of conservation lands, as well as remove 1.8m acres designated as Areas of Critical Environmental Concern (Acecs).

Acecs are regions given special protections because of extra sensitive and culturally important features. The spires of eroded volcanic rock known as Turtle Mountain, for example, is one of the Acecs considered for the chopping block, and has an extremely dense population of endangered desert tortoise, as well as many indigenous homestead sites and historic mining camps.

“It’s a bit baffling at the 11th hour that something like this would hit the street,” said Geary Hund, the executive director for the Mojave Desert Land Trust, a non-profit conservation group that has purchased nearly 90,000 acres of desert over 15 years in order to protect it. “It doesn’t make sense. Any changes to this plan should really be within the purview of the new administration.

“I’m not saying that there should be no renewable energy development out here,” Hund said. “But I think it needs to be thoughtful, smart and avoid impacts to important conservation lands.”

Other areas that would be affected by the rule changes include wildlife corridors near beloved desert landscapes, such as Death Valley national park, Mojave Trails national monument and Joshua Tree national park. The amendment would also change or eliminate 68 existing conservation rules. The changes would allow for greater impacts in recreation areas used by hikers, birders and off-road vehicles.


Also of Interest

Here are some articles of interest, some which defied fair-use abstraction.

Trump May Be on Trial, But You Can Bet the System That Produced Him Will Be Acquitted

How CENTCOM Chief McKenzie manufactured an Iran crisis to increase his power

Caitlin Johnstone: Psycho Pompeo Exits With Nary A Scratch Of Media Criticism On Him

White Settler Uprising at the Capitol

The Class Composition of the Capitol Rioters

Chris Hedges: Why They Hate Us

'A Jim Crow Relic That Must Be Abolished': Demand to End Filibuster Grows

Janet Yellen Is Set to Inherit a Helluva Lot of Power, Thanks to Stealthy Changes in the Law

Brexiters are waking up to the damage they've done

With No Allegation to Investigate, UMass Creepily Probes Alex Morse’s Romantic Life Instead

Sámi reindeer herders file lawsuit against Norway windfarm

ACLU Warns a Domestic War on Terror Could Unfairly Harm People of Color More Than White Supremacists

Saagar Enjeti: Is TRUMPISM After Trump Even Possible?

Krystal Ball: Americans Are More Afraid Of Each Other Than COVID

Ryan Grim: Biden Eyes Big Tech Cronies For Key Antitrust Positions

Rising: Schumer To POWER SHARE With McConnell

Rising: Trump Associates Reportedly SELLING Pardon Access In Final Desperate Grifting Scandal


A Little Night Music

Crying Sam Collins - My Road Is Rough And Rocky

Crying Sam Collins - Hesitation Blues

Crying Sam Collins - Devil In The Lion's Den

Crying Sam Collins - The Jailhouse Blues

Crying Sam Collins - New Salty Dog

Crying Sam Collins - Dark Cloudy Blues

Crying Sam Collins - Yellow Dog Blues

Crying Sam Collins - Midnight Special Blues

Crying Sam Collins - Lonesome Road Blues


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Comments

Pricknick's picture

has a very informative post out today.
The New Domestic War on Terror is Coming
https://greenwald.substack.com

We have witnessed an orgy of censorship from Silicon Valley monopolies with calls for far more aggressive speech policing, a visibly militarized Washington, D.C. featuring a non-ironically named “Green Zone,” vows from the incoming president and his key allies for a new anti-domestic terrorism bill, and frequent accusations of “sedition,” treason,” and “terrorism” against members of Congress and citizens. This is all driven by a radical expansion of the meaning of “incitement to violence.”

I've intentionally stayed out of the fray here about companies banning some. It always leads to more.
I'm sure there are many out there who would love for this site to be shut down.
Heaven forbid it should get more traffic than others.
CNN has a plan for that. Smile
Thanks as always for the news and blues joe.

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15 users have voted.

Regardless of the path in life I chose, I realize it's always forward, never straight.

joe shikspack's picture

@Pricknick

heh, cnn to congress - "our attempts to control reality in this country are being interfered with by a bunch of meddling kids with their "podcasts" and their "youtubes." you must put a stop to this before the country becomes unmanageable by the elites."

have a great evening!

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11 users have voted.
ggersh's picture

I'm sure many of the lasses here at C99 can relate Smile s/

https://chaser.com.au/entertainment/nurse-coming-off-a-double-shift-deva...

The world was hit with devastating news this week, after reality star turned model Vanessa Sierra lived through the tragic experience of washing her own hair while stuck in the hotel quarantine. The noble and brave sacrifice was reportedly made in order for her partner Bernard Tomic to be able to play in a world famous tournament of a sport he admits to not liking and only does for the millions of dollars he wins.

In response to this a protest is being organised by a nurse who just found out about the crisis after missing the news due to her having to work a double shift.

“Wow, we all have had to make sacrifices but obviously this has hit some people harder than others. I mean, I can’t even imagine what it would be like to be in a position where you have to choose between cheering on your multi-millionaire boyfriend or having your hair professionally washed twice a week. I mean she is basically living like a peasant at this point. We have to do something about it.”

Although not everyone has been as inspired by the tragic tale of a rich influencer going two weeks without having her hair professionally done, some in the media have even mocked the poor victim. An example was on breakfast tv earlier today.

“Wow imagine being so rich and spoiled you get your hair professionally done twice a week.” said the millionaire host who gets their hair done 5 days a week for the show, “It was like I was telling my driver, stylist, and the hair and makeup ladies, this influencer is so disconnected from the rest of the world she needs to have everything done for her. I find it disgusting. Now we’ll just take a quick break so I can have my makeup touched up.”

Thanks for the news n the blues Joe! Still hardly any snow or real cold here in Chitown, but I hear that all might change next week.

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9 users have voted.

I never knew that the term "Never Again" only pertained to
those born Jewish

"Antisemite used to be someone who didn't like Jews
now it's someone who Jews don't like"

Heard from Margaret Kimberley

joe shikspack's picture

@ggersh

heh. pretty good. sadly, that piece sounds entirely plausible in our current celebrity culture.

have a great evening!

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4 users have voted.
enhydra lutris's picture

Krystal and Saagar, as usual, are right on. Looks like Biden is gearing up to stumble and meanwhile the security state is ramping up ever more and more for an uber-McCarthyism while the dimmest dems ramp up for Russiagate II. So where does that leave climate and universal health care? Right where they are now, i would guess.

be well and have a good one

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12 users have voted.

That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --

joe shikspack's picture

@enhydra lutris

priorities man! who cares about climate change when putin lurks behind every woodpile?

perhaps humanity will disappear before it can do any serious damage in the universe.

have a great evening!

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11 users have voted.
Azazello's picture

From Caitlin's piece:

The State Department was meant to be the counterpart to the War Department, focusing on diplomacy and peace. What ended up happening as the US government morphed into a globe-spanning empire dependent on endless violence and aggression is that the State Department wound up focusing more and more on manufacturing interventionist narratives on the world stage to gin up international support for starvation sanctions, proxy wars and war coalitions.

Sure enough, Pompeo accuses China of genocide. Just what is needed for an R2P intervention and regime-change in China. Pompeo was never really a Trump loyalist. He works for NatSecCom, that's why the media went easy on him. I'm surprised that Biden isn't keeping him on at State. I'm sure he and Vicky get along great.
Rashida Tlaib on DemocracyNow!: "...enough, enough with the conspiracy theories ..."
Why would anyone listen to you after you've spent the last four years pushing a bullshit conspiracy theory yourself ?

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14 users have voted.

We wanted decent healthcare, a living wage and free college.
The Democrats gave us Biden and war instead.

joe shikspack's picture

@Azazello

yep, democrats controlling the legislative and executive branches may not do much for the people, but it brings the madness of hillary clinton closer to full resuscitation. flying spaghetti monster help us all.

have a great evening!

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7 users have voted.
Pricknick's picture

@Azazello
speak ill of the "Squad".

Rashida Tlaib on DemocracyNow!

You are now and forever banned from speaking ill of those who represent you.
How do you like that shit you....you....oh never mind.

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6 users have voted.

Regardless of the path in life I chose, I realize it's always forward, never straight.

Democratic Bill Barr who has the cajones to declare that Russiagate is completely false. Doubt we'll see that because I'm sure that Democratic poobahs have also convinced themselves that Russiagate is exactly what caused Trump's loss (despite polling indicating that a majority of voters didn't care about it) and it was great for fundraising from those that bought into the nonsense.

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7 users have voted.
joe shikspack's picture

@Marie

yah, i wouldn't hold my breath waiting for a democrat to stand up on hir hind legs and speak the truth about russia, russia, russia.

have a great evening!

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9 users have voted.
edg's picture

@joe shikspack

It's a money-maker. Until every last ruble is wrung out, there's no reason for Democrats to give up on a winning marketing gimmick.

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2 users have voted.
edg's picture

@Marie

Russia! Russia! Russia! is the Democrat's counterweight to the Republican cries of Commie! Socialist! Commie!

It was never meant to be taken seriously, nor was the Republican bleating. Sadly, I think some of the leftie commentariat has forgotten that.

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2 users have voted.
Azazello's picture

@edg
Seems to me, a lot of people took it very seriously, and still do.
Do you not remember all the investigations and Congressional hearings ?
It was more than name-calling, I assure you.

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5 users have voted.

We wanted decent healthcare, a living wage and free college.
The Democrats gave us Biden and war instead.

snoopydawg's picture

@Azazello

That’s what you get for constantly calling COVID-19 the “China Virus”, not to mention incessant, pathetic attempts to blame China for crimes being perpetrated by Russia./blockquote>

I am sending the link to Caitlyn. She loves talking about this.

They are asking how to deprogram the people who follow the Q cult. I'm wondering if there is anything to be done for the Russia Gate cult?

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5 users have voted.

Which AIPAC/MIC/pharma/bank bought politician are you going to vote for? Don’t be surprised when nothing changes.

edg's picture

@Azazello

Congressional hearings? Are they more sincere than impeaching Clinton for a blow job or impeaching Trump for covertly threatening Ukraine while Biden had overtly threatened Ukraine?

Perhaps you're referring to the Benghazi hearings that were held because Hillary Clinton said some people were claiming the embassy attack was prompted by a video. Benghazigate!!!

Or maybe the Congressional hearing about Barack Obama's botched rollout of the ACA website in Oregon.

Your comment surprised me. I haven't considered you a partisan, and I assumed you knew that both parties use Congressional hearings primarily as cudgels against the opposite party.

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1 user has voted.
Azazello's picture

@edg
That's what you said.
I disagree.
They did mean for it to be taken seriously and still do.

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2 users have voted.

We wanted decent healthcare, a living wage and free college.
The Democrats gave us Biden and war instead.

edg's picture

@Azazello

My comment would have more accurately reflected my belief if I had written "It was never taken seriously by the people pushing it." I suspect they were very surprised at how well it worked and how many of their followers believe it.

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2 users have voted.

@edg
it was political rhetoric to discredit Trump in the 2016 election and gained political traction after the election to rationalize Clinton's loss. Later becoming a full blown CT that Congressional Democrats took to the next level. Acting as if it were fact instead of a cleverly crafted fiction.

Oh, and Democrats have long done the "commie, russia, commie" thing. That's why we were in Vietnam in the first place.

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4 users have voted.
edg's picture

@Marie

I didn't say it was the "origin". I said it was the "counterweight".

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1 user has voted.
Shahryar's picture

https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/19/opinions/democrats-agenda-joe-biden-admin...

a good read. Higher "stimulus" checks, better unemployment benefits, M4A, etc.

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9 users have voted.

@Shahryar
but impotent.

The job of Congress now is to listen to the American people, move our country boldly forward on a path to economic success and show voters that Democrats are prepared to do everything possible to improve their lives.
This is an unprecedented moment in American history. We must act in an unprecedented way.

It would indeed be unprecedented for the Democratic Party to heed his advice. I wouldn’t hold my breath that it might happen at this point.

He might be much more effective as an Independent caucusing with The Peoples Party, boldly acknowledging that the Democratic Party no longer does “everything possible to improve their [American People’s] lives.”

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12 users have voted.

Capitalism is the extraordinary belief that the nastiest of men for the nastiest of motives will somehow work for the benefit of all."
- John Maynard Keynes

TheOtherMaven's picture

@ovals49

Bernie's counting down the time until he can ease into a comfortable retirement, and he's not going to rock the boat.

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8 users have voted.

There is no justice. There can be no peace.

joe shikspack's picture

@Shahryar

thanks for the link!

i hope that one of these days, bernie's better ideas will get some traction, but i don't see it happening any time soon. i hope i'm wrong.

have a great evening!

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5 users have voted.
Raggedy Ann's picture

Get ready to rumble!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The Biden administration is coming on to save us all!

I see why they killed Malcolm X. It's dangerous to be a truth teller.

Enjoy the evening! *pleasantry&

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8 users have voted.

"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

Shahryar's picture

@Raggedy Ann

I think I gave up on Obama in early February 2009. It took about 3 weeks before I realized he wasn't going to do anything.

Today I saw that the nominee for Secy. of State, Antony Blinken, agrees China is a huge threat and that, of course, we'll keep our embassy in Jerusalem. I'm not surprised. There won't be any "he's not going to do good things?" moment.

Starting tomorrow at 9 am Pacific time I'll be looking at what I can do for 2024 and it won't be within the Democratic Party. Why then and not tonight? Because, honestly, I don't trust that Trump to really be gone. I don't trust him to not pull any insane stunt.

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12 users have voted.

@Shahryar
as he began naming his cabinet and WH staff.

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7 users have voted.

@Marie Even though I was still at TOP and other good Democrat blogs, it was a case of "watch what they do, not what they say." I remember a lot of biting my tongue back then.

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6 users have voted.

Idolizing a politician is like believing the stripper really likes you.

@Marie @Marie
He's ALWAYS been a waterboy for the banks.

EDIT: Oh, you shifted to Obama. I was speaking of Biden.
Re: Obama back during the Dean campaign (2004?) I attended a Howard dean rally at Navy pier in Chicago. Obama was a State senator and running for US Senator. I met a black lady, maybe 40, starting to gray and with her ~20 year old daughter. We struck up a conversation and I despaired at being at the back of the crowd. She said "You want to meet him? Follow me!" She began pushing and shoving her way forward, shouting "Out of the way! Coming through here!" with me and her daughter in her wake. We made it up to the front row and I got to shake Dean's hand and tell him "Give 'em Hell Mr. President!" (I figured they all like hearing "Mr. President") He grinned and said "I just tell the truth and they think it's Hell!" Very Trumanesque. Anyway, to the point, there were several people also waving Obama signs. I asked her what she thought about Obama. She said that Obama was her State senator and she couldn't see where he ever did anything for the people in his district and she was very disappointed in him. I was quite surprised. Apparently he was a waterboy for the Machine and was renowned for for making urbane deals with republicans. Empty suit indeed. As my father once told me as a boy, "Don't ever trust someone just because he is Italian. No one will screw you worse than your fellow dago." Now I see that that sums up what's Identity Politics.

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3 users have voted.

I've seen lots of changes. What doesn't change is people. Same old hairless apes.

@The Voice In the Wilderness
record as of 2007-08 that it was difficult to make that call one way or the other. Then his election was funded 50/50 by little people and banksters/corporatists. It was his administration nominations/appointments that told us and the world that he was throwing the little people 50% under the bus but unlike the banksters/corporatists, little people are very slow to recognize when they've been tossed over and when they do, are powerless to object.

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5 users have voted.

@Marie

Take care out there. Hope the fires are over. Heavy snow here today, but it's been a pretty mild Winter so far. A couple of years ago it was -20F with -40F wind chill (really blasted my peach trees, didn't faze the Russian Plum or the dwarf Russian apple). This summer August was mostly high nineties with no rain, killed my blueberry in a pot plus some other plants. If you don't like Illinois weather just wait. it will change. Variability caused by by winds shifting. Two big patterns. One out of Mexico, across Texas -- hot. The other from Canada across Minnesota and Wisconsin. Damn cold.

I always smile at tales of Alabama's Snowageddon. Half an inch. To be fair, the state and county don't have even one plow. I remember the great snow of 1965. Mayor daley sent four snow plows to Birmingham AL because that big city did not have even one piece of snow removal equipment. (Shrug) I guess Miami doesn't either.

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3 users have voted.

I've seen lots of changes. What doesn't change is people. Same old hairless apes.

@The Voice In the Wilderness
not to invest in snow removal equipment when the snow only comes for a day or two and then not every year. Declare a 'snow day' when it happens and shut down everything.

Part of what made my brief time in PA horrible was the inadequate investment in snow removal. Four hours stuck on a what was barely a hill. When I and others were finally able to go back down and take back roads, the thick slush made it a slog. Surprisingly by the time I got home (6:30ish), my street had been plowed but there was two feet of it on the driveway. And I had yet to learn that residents had to clear their sidewalks within a few hours.

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3 users have voted.

@Marie
Jimmy Carter was President. Monday was the federal holiday. jimmy said if your job wasn't vital (a defined list list cops and firemen), stay home Tuesday with an extra holiday day. By Wednesday it had all melted.

Of course, Alabama was Democrat when Daley sent the plows (after they had cleaned Chicago's streets).

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1 user has voted.

I've seen lots of changes. What doesn't change is people. Same old hairless apes.

@The Voice In the Wilderness
clear that he couldn't make it out of IA in 2008 and only barely did so in 2020.

wrt Obama in 2003, not many outside Chicagoland had even heard of him. Checking back on the Senate race, it's interesting to see that he was touting his opposition to the Iraq War in that one. Gave him a leg up with all those unions. Turned out it wasn't much of a primary contest and even less of a general election contest. Some politicians just get lucky.

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4 users have voted.
TheOtherMaven's picture

@Shahryar

That's when we have the next House election, and so far it looks to be a red tide.

If there's any chance at all of getting third-partiers in, we better work fast.

Virginia elects a new Governor this year (2021)- which has me a bit edgy because, for all Northam's numerous faults, he's kept a passable lid on COVID (he's an actual MD, so presumably he knows a bit about this sort of thing).

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8 users have voted.

There is no justice. There can be no peace.

@Shahryar and replaced it with mild expectations.

In a time when "they" want you dead, the most revolutionary thing you can do, is stay alive.

~TLOML

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5 users have voted.

"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981

joe shikspack's picture

@Raggedy Ann

heh, lookout, biden's coming with a huge supply of lead-filled lifejackets for everybody trying to keep their heads above water.

i can't wait.

have a great evening!

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10 users have voted.
snoopydawg's picture

My stomach heaved when he talks about the lights at the Lincoln memorial and it’s like Joe Biden is reaching his arms around us and puke!

One thing that will be nice is the media not harping on every word Biden says like they did Trump. His every move too.

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12 users have voted.

Which AIPAC/MIC/pharma/bank bought politician are you going to vote for? Don’t be surprised when nothing changes.

thanatokephaloides's picture

@snoopydawg

Real state media would show more class and polish.

Such bilge as that CNN clip would never have made it to BBC air, trust me!

Wink

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11 users have voted.

"US govt/military = bad. Russian govt/military = bad. Any politician wanting power = bad. Anyone wielding power = bad." --Shahryar

"All power corrupts absolutely!" -- thanatokephaloides

joe shikspack's picture

@snoopydawg

well, if things don't work out, that fellow can probably get a job in media in north korea.

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9 users have voted.

@snoopydawg
To crush us to death.

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6 users have voted.

I've seen lots of changes. What doesn't change is people. Same old hairless apes.

Lookout's picture

I pooped out last night early. Enjoyed the read this AM. I posted this in the Today's AM OT but in case you miss it here it is for your amusement.

[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rjSoVLsIKPc]
8 min

Too bad this fellow is about to lose his routine...well may be not...guess we'll see.

Take care in militarized DC, and thanks for the EB!

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6 users have voted.

“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”

@Lookout
He doesn't look like him, but he has the gestures and deadpan voice right!

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0 users have voted.

I've seen lots of changes. What doesn't change is people. Same old hairless apes.