Prelude to the Apocalypse

[BryanM]

No, she absolutely did not say anything remotely close to that. Her exact words were:

“It’s hard to know but I mean if you’re in the Iowa caucuses and 41 percent of Democrats are socialists or self-described socialists, and I’m asked ‘Are you a capitalist?’ and I say, ‘Yes, but with appropriate regulation and appropriate accountability.’ You know, that probably gets lost in the ‘Oh my gosh, she’s a capitalist!’”

She dodged the question, but complained about the caucuses again.

This is similar to the time she was fuming about the "extreme" radicals in the caucuses back in 2008, who overwhelmingly went for pretend socialist Barack Obama. And she's again calling people ignorant - "they don't know that I support appropriate regulation and appropriate accountability", which apparently includes not throwing wealthy bank owners into jail when they commit fraud. Or knowingly launder money from illegal activity. Also, not sanctioning democrats who support torture.

The overton window is exactly where it always was. We are penniless when it comes to giving a poor kid a sandwich. We have no limits of money when it comes to bombing random patches of dirt and giving handouts to the wealthy.

[Mischief Maker]

Yes she did. You left out the question and part of her answer. Here is the question and her entire answer in proper context:

ALAN MURRAY, TIME INC. CCO, MODERATOR: You may be the only presidential candidate since World War II that actually had to stand up and say, 'I am a capitalist.' And you did. Did it hurt you?

HILLARY CLINTON: Probably. I mean, you know, it's hard to know but if you're in the Iowa caucuses and 41% of Democrats are socialists or self-described socialists and I'm asked if you're a capitalist and I say, 'Yes, but with appropriate regulation and appropriate accountability,' that probably gets lost in the, 'Oh, my God, she's a capitalist!'

(emphasis added)

Neil Gorsuch cast the deciding vote today saying arbitration clauses can prevent employees from taking class-action lawsuits against corporations for wage theft.

A decision that all the Clinton and Obama nominees voted against.

For fuck's sake, dude, we're living in the age of greater evil. Take whatever tiny wins you can get!

[BryanM]

How can I be happy when these folks are not turds and actually post their videos on the internet for me to watch. 50 minutes long. So much empathy and worry this specific person has for billionaire CEO's. : (

Just gimme one person in leadership to lose their job Eric Cantor style. It's all I want for christmas.

[Mischief Maker]

So much for that Nobel Peace Prize...

[Specineff]

Oh, no. Now he's going back to bitching and moaning about all those illegal votes, the witch hunt against him, insulting the Department of Justice, and trying to force Mexico to start putting money into the wall fund. BTW, can any Paper Patriots reading this tell me how much has been sent for it so far?

Have some totally fake news made by the giant conglomerates conspiring to mar the flawless reputation of Great Orange Leader Who Get People To Prosperity With Grand Parade In Washington, to kickstart your weekend with a laugh after a federal judge rules that it's unconstitutional for Donnie to block people from Twitter: https://abcnews.go.com/US/tweets-led-la ... d=55407710

[Mischief Maker]

Bring on the anime bikini girls!

[BryanM]

Tweeter has a mute function so he still won't be able to see their.... massive first amendment rights.

It's basically the most important problem here in America today.

On this point - I checked crosstabs and looks like only 22% of people who reported not being able to pay their bills in full said they were "finding it difficult to get by."

From a poll where around 90% of the people said they were "fine".

"Fine" being inclusive of not being able to handle a sudden $500 emergency and being one really bad day from being homeless.

We gag on the English, Germans, or Japanese for the stereotype of not wanting to bother people with their whining. But it seems like it's a universal part of the human condition - denial and social conditioning.

[quash]

Those countries also don't stigmatize multi-generational households nearly as much as the US does. Something about turning unwitting 18 year olds into life long debt slaves really seems to get the boomers' rocks off in America.

[Mischief Maker]

Those countries also don't stigmatize multi-generational households nearly as much as the US does. Something about turning unwitting 18 year olds into life long debt slaves really seems to get the boomers' rocks off in America.

Holy smokes, is that the latest talking point from Boutique-Brooklyn-Cookie-Shop-Proprietor-and-Wall-Street-Heiress Rebekah Mercer's Breitbart to justify income inequality and the housing crisis?

"So what if you can't afford a house on a single factory worker's earnings anymore? Only snowflakes are creeped out by the prospect of fucking your girlfriend while knowing your mom is on the other side of that thin wall!"

[quash]

You must not be paying attention to the current news cycle if you think that's the case. Go read the comments on any article about that 30 year old that was taken to court over refusing to move out of his parents house.

I swear, it's like all you need to think anything is a bad idea is to hear it from me. In that case, I want open borders and endless wars in the Middle East.

Also, have you heard of love hotels?

[Mischief Maker]

I swear, it's like all you need to think anything is a bad idea is to hear it from me.

Pretty much. If you're curious, this is the post where you lost all credibility with me:

As usual, I can count on this forum to miss the point entirely. Some things never change.

Since I doubt anyone's gonna talk about it, I'll just say it outright: we have been lied to for our entire lives about the history of our country. The Union wasn't on a virtuous mission to free all the slaves and integrate them into society; quite the opposite, in fact. They mostly just wanted to teach the Confederacy a lesson. And the Confederacy was likely going to abolish slavery eventually anyways; if not for moral reasons, for economic ones (unpaid labor doesn't make for the most productive workforce, as it turns out, plus the incoming industrialization would have rendered it obsolete). Abraham Lincoln was literally more racist than Robert E. Lee, we've just chosen to rearrange the context of the era to conveniently fit our own.

This goes back further than the Civil War and extends to the present day. The American education system has failed every last one of its subjects; and if I didn't know any better, I'd say it's been on purpose.

Imagine for a moment you're out at sea when suddenly your ship comes under sneak attack. You're the only survivor bobbing in the water in your lifejacket as you watch your ship sink, surrounded by the corpses of your shipmates. Then the ship that attacked you approaches and you see it's an American ship!

It pulls up alongside and the admiral leans over with a megaphone to say, "Terribly sorry about ordering that attack. You see, I'm friends with several wealthy businessmen who were counting on the TPP being passed for some of their key investments. But after Trump canceled the TPP, they made it clear to me that if I didn't turn traitor, they wouldn't invite me to their fancy debutante balls anymore. I hope you understand."

And you reply, "Waitaminit! You betrayed your country and murdered my shipmates for economic reasons? Well that's completely justified! By god, they should build a statue in honor of the heritage behind your act of treason this day!"

[sarcasm] In that case, I want [...] endless wars in the Middle East.

You must be thrilled about Trump moving the embassy to Jerusalem, hiring John Bolton and Mike Pompeo, then unilaterally tearing up the Iran nuclear deal!

[BryanM]

Damn it Mission Maker, why did you have to quote that. There's about 800 ways what he said is wrong and it makes my head hurt.

He desperately needs to sit down and watch the Rules for Rulers so he can understand how power structures work. The southern capitalists wanted to expand their holdings, which is why they split the democratic ticket, lost the election and immediately kicked off the war as the last attempt of capital expansion. If they could have been satisfied with what they had, Douglass would have been elected president. (And wouldn't have made much difference from Lincoln being elected, since those new territories by and large would not have voted for a $0 maximum wage.)

Also he needs to sit down and watch Slavery by Another Name so he can learn that we still have legal, constitutional slavery.

... I guess it's my own delusional fantasy that human beings are capable of learning things and correcting themselves.

You must be thrilled about Trump moving the embassy to Jerusalem, hiring John Bolton and Mike Pompeo, then unilaterally tearing up the Iran nuclear deal!

The polling on this topic is absolutely miserable.

70% of the population thinks Iran is a somewhat or extremely serious threat to us. As opposed to the reality of the situation: The USA is an extremely serious threat to Iran.

62% thinks they violated the nuclear agreement, when the correct answer is they have not.

The propaganda is damn effective. Turns out telling blatant lies to people 24/7 works.

Always remember that the republicans are not the reason the war with Iran will happen. They are the vessel through which it will happen.

If the Democrats were opposed to this, they would be fighting back against the propaganda. And do you know what would happen if they did? The public would actually know what the fuck was going on, with this topic. At least moreso than that sad ~20% that does.

[Mischief Maker]

If the Democrats were opposed to this, they would be fighting back against the propaganda. And do you know what would happen if they did? The public would actually know what the fuck was going on, with this topic. At least moreso than that sad ~20% that does.

I think you massively overestimate the Democrats' access to the corporate media.

Usually they have to do an end run around with the internet or alternative media to even be heard. Check out this clip of Marc Pocan on the Thom Hartmann show talking about all the articles and social media the Democratic Progressive Caucus puts out about climate change that never gets picked up by the corporate media.

Or you can be like Bernie Sanders and just create your own show online.

[BryanM]

I do remember quite well when MSNBC made sure to have at least 2 republicans on for every democrat during the run up to the Iraq war. That's another reason why it's so triggering to me at which democrats they choose to have on. Every minute is precious, and a Schultz or a Perez just squanders it on cliches and platitudes. Not on educating people. Not on fighting to change anything.

Now another argument is would they allow guys like Mark on if they were in control of the party? Or would there just be 0% democrats allowed on television, ever?

It's all hypothetical, but I'm just bitching about how they do use the time they're given. If they were opposed to the Iran war, they would have leaders who were opposed to the Iran war. And those leaders are the ones who get to decide how the TV time and messaging is done.

You might recall #1 Senate Democrat Leader Chuck Schumer stating that a vote against Bolton was a vote against Israel. That trying to fight against the extermination of Palestine was "anti-semitic".

The #1 thing I liked about Obama was that we hadn't invaded Iran under his administration. I absolutely do not share your optimism that all of his peers would all do the same. Nor your pessimism that they are so powerless. (The bare minimum they could do is sanction members of the party who vote in favor of torture. You agree they could do at least that much, right?)

It's just like the capitalist interests back in those civil war days. They need to acquire property to expand, and Iran has minerals and vespene gas they don't have yet.

[quash]

Imagine for a moment you're out at sea when suddenly your ship comes under sneak attack. You're the only survivor bobbing in the water in your lifejacket as you watch your ship sink, surrounded by the corpses of your shipmates. Then the ship that attacked you approaches and you see it's an American ship!

It pulls up alongside and the admiral leans over with a megaphone to say, "Terribly sorry about ordering that attack. You see, I'm friends with several wealthy businessmen who were counting on the TPP being passed for some of their key investments. But after Trump canceled the TPP, they made it clear to me that if I didn't turn traitor, they wouldn't invite me to their fancy debutante balls anymore. I hope you understand."

And you reply, "Waitaminit! You betrayed your country and murdered my shipmates for economic reasons? Well that's completely justified! By god, they should build a statue in honor of the heritage behind your act of treason this day!"

Do you know how America was founded? Every last one of the founding fathers were traitors against the crown, the same crown that many of the colonists at the time swore loyalty to. Yet, they managed to shake off royal rule and get many of those same people willing to live under their new form of government. If I'm not mistaken, we still have statues and memorials for those guys who stood against the government so many people at that time still supported. Crazy how that works, huh?

BTW, this brand of faux jingoism coming from the Democrats is really quite stale. You guys should've stopped while you were ahead after shamelessly shilling for the war in Iraq and left good enough alone.

You must be thrilled about Trump moving the embassy to Jerusalem, hiring John Bolton and Mike Pompeo, then unilaterally tearing up the Iran nuclear deal!

Absolutely! If we're going to rush face first into collapse, we may as well choose the Good Ending while doing so.

[Specineff]

Now that Roseanne has been cancelled because of her Tweets, who's going to tell Trump his farts smell nice?

[BryanM]

Roseanne's economic anxiety got the best of her. It happens.

I'm jealous I didn't come up with this quip.

It's really nonsensical this particular meltdown of hers is what got her shit canned. It's mild to the point of being cute compared to some of that stuff.

Those who follow politics a bit might remember that she ran for president back in 2012 as a member of the Peace and Freedom Party. That's the same party Ralph Nader ran in back in 2008. It's... basically the exact opposite of what the liberals like Bush, Trump and the Democrats believe.

And today she's on Team Trump.

This is one of the aggravating points that the smug fart sniffing crowd will never understand. People are not robots. Roseanne is not a stable person - she is crazy. And all of us are to some degree - a computational device made out of meat, that seeks social acceptance as a matter of life and death (because it used to be); it's gonna be imperfect at best.

[BryanM]

Another lousy week of primaries where garbage people vote for garbage people, and apathetic people stand by and allow it to continue to happen.

Manchin increased the volume that he screams "I love Trump" in. Going into creepy length about their intimate encounters. He's not going to be sanctioned by Democrats for being a Republican of course - because they're all still employed by the same people last time I checked five seconds ago.

ACA pretty much effectively dead for the next couple years. The individual mandate was never popular, and the DOJ is not going to defend the pre-existing conditions provision. It's... almost like it was designed to fail from the start....

[gameoverDude]

Trump was quite a jackass at the G7 meeting. He sure gets off on pushing people around. I like how Justin Trudeau said Canada would NOT be pushed around.
Hopefully the NK meeting's higher stakes will settle him down a bit. He needs to realise, the world doesn't revolve around him.

[Mischief Maker]

I've been given reason to believe that the negotiations are already complete and he's just going to go there to do the photo op and sign the paper and maybe hold it up for the camera. (Look what I did, daddy! Daddy why don't you love me? Daddy pay attention to me! Daddy! Daaaddyyy!!!)

[quash]

That's some serious projection if I've ever seen it. If all it took were daddy issues to resolve a decades long conflict, surely Obama or Bush Jr. would have taken up the mantle.

[Mischief Maker]

That's some serious projection if I've ever seen it. If all it took were daddy issues to resolve a decades long conflict, surely Obama or Bush Jr. would have taken up the mantle.

What, you think Donald Trump has actually been handling the negotiations?

How many times do I have to tell you Tony Schwartz wrote "The Art of the Deal?" His name is right there on the cover.

His interest is almost entirely about how he is seen or how he thinks he’s seen, and therefore his perspective is a very — it’s wearing blinders. All he cares about right now, particularly in light of what happened at the G-7 is that he can restore in his own mind his sense of self. And what’s so fragile in Trump is his sense of self. And he has almost no ability to tolerate criticism. As you saw when Trudeau criticized him. And that’s a very scary thing. Because right now, as he looks into this meeting, his concern is rehabilitating his image, even if it’s at our expense.

[quash]

Yes. I completely, unironically believe everything I see on TV. They'd never lie. Why would they do that?

I don't think this is going to change much of anything in the short term. Those very expensive wargames around NK are still going to happen without a doubt, they'll just have a bit of a different PR spin to them. Business as usual until proven otherwise.

https://twitter.com/joshrogin/status/10 ... 40960?s=19

This guy gets it. He's putting his advisors under pressure yet again. Until America decides to pull out of a country it occupies, expect nothing to change.

[BryanM]

It does seem a bit of a canard that austerity king and union destroyer Macron would have any conflict with his conservative-themed liberal friend across the pond. Seems like a photo op for everyone involved.
__

Liked this article.

Also liked this extremely pro-Sawant cartoon. A little boastful to claim $24 a month is as good as a guillotine, but, baby steps I guess.

I've been given reason to believe that the negotiations are already complete and he's just going to go there to do the photo op and sign the paper and maybe hold it up for the camera.

His goal in maintaining his popularity with his base isn't one to be trivialized or insulted. This is no different than when Hillary and Melinda Gates held that gala where they had poor women from the third world talk about their moderately successful taco stands or whatever, and pat themselves on the back for what great feminists they are.

This kind of non-materialist pandering works wonders among his non-materialist supporters. He gets to say "fuck you", they get to feel warm and fuzzy inside, and absolutely nothing of material consequence has changed.

It's a good grift.

The moment world leaders are nice to him, is the moment it suddenly becomes harder to ignore the fact that Goldman Sachs is in control of the country right now. That Trump is a middle man puppet more than happy to loot the treasure of his country for the elite in exchange for a sack of gold. Just like any Blaise Compaore or Bill Clinton type fellow that came before him.

Yes. I completely, unironically believe everything I see on TV. They'd never lie. Why would they do that?

Like that recent John Oliver segment where he parrots the blatant lies about Venezuela. And pushes for us to do another coup d'tet there, maybe assassinate some people again, get another massively unpopular right wing government back into power there and take all their stuff.

[quash]

It is strange to see the propagandist John Oliver use his brand of lying by omission and misrepresentation on an ideology that by any account, he had previously supported to at least some extent, but whatever pays the bills I guess.

[BryanM]

Talking about fraud, the spate of corporate apology ads are hilarious. There's so many of them right now - I think one day it'll be close to 100% of all advertisements that are run.

South Park mocked this gross cynical stuff a lifetime ago...

It is strange to see the propagandist John Oliver use his brand of lying by omission and misrepresentation on an ideology that by any account, he had previously supported to at least some extent, but whatever pays the bills I guess.

Jon Oliver does not believe in helping the working class. He believes in funneling all resources into the hands of a few capitalists.

He's a millionaire liberal. Not a humanist nor socialist nor union man nor pious man.

It should have been pretty damn obvious when he mocked everyone who wasn't a social liberal (those are the democrats) or a conservative liberal (republicans, including Trump) during the presidential election. As if the two people selected for us were the most qualified of all possible people. You remember him chucking it up at what a catastrophic idea it would be to write down or forgive a single dollar of student loan debt? When we're living in a world where we happily paid down the debts of the banks and kicked people out of their houses during the 2008 wreck?

Jon Stewart shares similar inclinations, he punished his writers when they formed a union as best he could. Man only gets credit for going "this is fucked up, congress" with the first responders on 9/11 not getting medical care bit. Even that has a bit of the jingoism that liberals like - the idea that some people "deserve" some thing, and some don't. By virtue of being a "good" human. Haves, and have-nots.

That you think that millionaires on TV could or would ever support the peasants is a great example of the grift that is the democratic party. There are actual morons out there that keep pretending that they think Obama is a "socialist". What kind of socialist puts piles of gold into the pockets of fraudster bankers, instead of sending them to the gulag? You won't get 70% of the vote by not doing what society wants done, after all.

[quash]

I don't think he's a particularly principled person. He just does what he's told. I'm basically saying that it's interesting how his handlers are attempting to portray socialism in a less than favorable light, when getting the young and broke on board with it is a staple of their propaganda.

Also, he bashed anyone that wasn't Trump? Are we communicating through parallel dimensions right now?

[BryanM]

He dismissed anyone who was not one of the two parties. (He gave your guy plenty of free press with petty non-substantive name calling that helped bolster reactionary support, don't worry.)

I enjoy this creepy bootlicker cultist thanking his boss for firing him on the tweeter. Normal human behavior, right there.

[quash]

Who else was there in the last election? Gary "The Weedman" Johnson? Jill "Totally not a plant" Stein? Even your beloved Bernie had to make a deal with the devil to get any kind of meaningful exposure.

You are seriously detached from reality if you think the Drumpf meme is the reason he won. He campaigned in the rust belt way more than his opposition, but I'm sure some dumb meme that millenials on the internet were primarily exposed to is the reason.

[Specineff]

Aaaaand in more fake news meant to tarnish Image of Great Orange Leader Who Restores Greatness of American, Manafort has had his bail revoked and taken to jail for tampering with witnesses and obstruction of justice. He'll be behind bars while waiting be tried for foreign lobbying:

https://www.cnn.com/2018/06/15/politics ... index.html