Prelude to the Apocalypse

[Mischief Maker]

This is required viewing for all third-party protest voters.

Bernie Sanders was a lost opportunity of unbelievable magnitude.

[BryanM]

We never had an opportunity this year in the first place. Just the illusion of one.

[darcagn]

This is required viewing for all third-party protest voters.

Bernie Sanders was a lost opportunity of unbelievable magnitude.

What ridiculous trite.

John Oliver is engaging in character assassination of Johnson and Stein when their gaffes have been nowhere on the level of Trump's and Clinton's fuckups.

[antron]

Sarcastic criticism of their own failure to do the opposite perhaps?

http://www.snopes.com/clinton-compliant-citizenry/

If these three sentences had appeared in a letter or essay, as opposed to a quick e-mail, they would read like this:

“And as I’ve mentioned, Washington Republicans, Independents, and Democrats have been quite content to sit quietly as pundits and candidates demean government and elected leaders, quite content to let the study of education fade from our schools, and all-too comfortable as our citizenry then becomes unaware and compliant. Unawareness remains rampant, but as the Sanders and Trump campaigns demonstrate, compliance is obviously fading rapidly. This problem demands some serious, serious thinking…”

No “master-of-the-universe" conspiracy; just a lament that leaders and policy makers have not been sufficiently attentive to some of the basics that make our democracy great.

Bill Ivey

[BryanM]

All you need to enforce compliance is "grab her by the pussy".

It's like a Konami code for oligarchic hegemony.

I think more people should be horrified that the Konami code is more complex and difficult to pull off than this - Our lives are truly worthless.

[EmperorIng]

John Oliver is engaging in character assassination

This attempt at enforcing groupthink + lame potshots* has placed John Oliver's political-humor value hovering at around 20% for the last 2 years or so. Still a chance for laughter, but not often. It also hurts that his delivery and forced jokes are sometimes so. FUCKING. BAD. He is one of the first Englishmen I've seen on TV that can convince me that English people aren't naturally witty.

This is better than Stephen Colbert, whose humor index has bottomed out at a guffaw-index of 2%.

*not defending Johnson's laughable foreign-policy gaffes though

[BryanM]

The "absurdist metaphor combined with a photoshop" macro does wear very thin very fast. The only show of his I'd solidly recommend is the bit on beauty pageants.

These guys are at their worst when relying on a crutch (Jon's "turd mining" of Fox News) and at their best when acting like actual journalists (interviews with random weird or interesting people, expressing an opinion like "hey, 9/11 first responders should get some medical care for all that asbestos they breathed in").

As much as I love the guy, Bill Moyers never had 1/20th as much power as these guys did. If only they were willing to fully appreciate or care about that. "I'm just a clown that comes on after a show of puppets making prank calls" doesn't really cut it when you're talking directly to 0.66% of the nation, and all polling data compares you to this era's Walter Cronkite.

[quash]

https://youtu.be/5IuJGHuIkzY

Between this and Assange's dubious condition, things have become quite interesting since yesterday.

[quash]

https://youtu.be/u8lD-RQ2AhQ

In an unexpected case of convergence, I've found myself warming up to Jill Stein. Out of all the candidates, including Bernie, she's my #2. Good on her for fighting the false narrative of her being an anti-vaccer, too. She understands the game the media plays.

Shame about her stance on immigration, through. It's like hearing someone else's name yelled during sex.

[Cee]

https://youtu.be/5IuJGHuIkzY

Between this and Assange's dubious condition, things have become quite interesting since yesterday.

I was going to post this myself along with the voter fraud proof but alas you got it in, I'd really recommend heading to the Fbis website and reading the recently released files of Clintons investigation which demonstrate the highest levels of corruption imaginable on top of some interesting character revelations... She steals furniture and disregards protocol persistently. The podesta mails are proof of media collusion and corruption on top of crassly worded opinion on minorities that they love to accuse trump of, My favorite was Podesta and DNC staffers showing their disappointment that the san bernadino shooter was Muslim and not white... the democrats have become fucking disgusting. Not an endorsement of Trump by any means but i really hope people looking beyond partisan loyalty for this election.

[Cee]

Sarcastic criticism of their own failure to do the opposite perhaps?

If you wish to do mental gymnastics to deny the truth then sure.

[antron]

Sarcastic criticism of their own failure to do the opposite perhaps?

If you wish to do mental gymnastics to deny the truth then sure.

Looking at Bill Ivey's background I think the burden is quite on you.

[Xyga]

Well, she'll do 140% like Putin, what's the problem ?

[BryanM]

I really die inside every single time someone brags about leaving the democratic party and registering green.

It's like.. what? You're going to show the democrats up by.... doing exactly what they want you to do? They want as many people as possible to stay out of their primaries. If people participated, democrats wouldn't be allowed to be human garbage.

We've already established that the democratic primary is the only election that matters when it comes to the president. The republicans have demographics heavily stacked against them. Trump was literally on Clinton's side from the start, planning to take a dive. I can't say the other republican candidates were too much different, though. This election, if you voted, you either voted for Bernie or you voted for Hillary, full stop.

Bastards like Chris Hedges really make my blood boil. If you weren't so scared of actually winning, Chris, and put your narcissism to the side and let that slimey gross blue (D) by your name for the twelve seconds it would have taken to throw the man a vote, that would have helped a ton.

[Mischief Maker]

Look at the bright side:

If we lose the Senate, do you know who becomes chair of the Senate Budget Committee? A guy named Bernie Sanders. You ever heard of him?

Holy shit, your description of Trump as a real American Hero Dude just might come true!

[BryanM]

He *is* an american hero dude. The opie of this thread assumed he was going to put the GOP out of its misery. (Man was the first page a much happier, joyous time. We weren't at each other's throats over who's worse: the war criminal or the sexual predator.)

But the ranking thing, they're already trying to fuck him out of what should be his.

[Mischief Maker]

But the ranking thing, they're already trying to fuck him out of what should be his.

:facepalm:

There's no such thing as an opportunity the Democratic Party can't squander.

[quash]

It's almost as if he's served his purpose and will never touch a position of significance from here on out.

[Mischief Maker]

It's almost as if he's served his purpose and will never touch a position of significance from here on out.

Exactly!

You are talking about Trump, right?

[Ed Oscuro]

But the ranking thing, they're already trying to fuck him out of what should be his.

Eh, fuck that.

Still I can't blame them. Bernie never came around to saying he was a Democrat, and he still isn't. Can't say I'm astonished that the Democrats are going to want team players, especially if the House isn't going to turn.

[quash]

I find it baffling after everything that's come to light (DNC collusion, high possibility of election fraud, private communications that reveal what the party really thinks of his platform, etc.) that people still refuse to see Sanders for what he is.

In a way, I can almost understand why. Everyone loves a kooky old man, and everyone loves the idea of a kooky old man being president. And this was your kooky old man, who'd finally give you the socialist utopia you've been waiting for. So of course you believed then, as you still want to believe now, that there was ever a contest and that you ever had a chance.

If you remove yourself from your inherent bias towards him and his platform, however, it couldn't be any clearer that he was chosen to be controlled opposition for that reason exactly. You wouldn't donate $27 to a woman who has an entire foundation named after her, but you would donate it to a guy who reminds you of your old history teacher and whispers sweet nothings of single payer and absolving student debt.

There's the rub with ol' Bernie: he claimed to be anti-establishment, yet as soon as he lost the nomination he endorsed perhaps the most deeply entrenched establishment candidate we've ever had. This, of course, after he surrendered his campaign funds to her as per party rules (a party which he technically doesn't even belong to).

So forgive me for casting a shadow of doubt on your favorite candidate, but I would not be surprised in the slightest to find out that he's been a stooge from the beginning. His lackluster performance in the primary debates is awfully suspect in hindsight, as is his insistence on remaining in the race well after it was impossible for him to win.

I can forgive you for supporting Bernie, because he wasn't all bad, he just pandered to the wrong crowd for my tastes and lacked anything resembling a backbone. But don't act like he was some man on a mission going head on against the machine, because he ended up becoming yet another cog.

If you support Gary "$30,000 meme" Johnson, then I have some bad news for you too, because he is probably the most blatant example of controlled opposition I have ever seen. Between C list celebrity endorsements and his incredibly forced presence on social media, the writing on the wall could not be any clearer. He's the DNC's insurance policy if Utah ends up voting Trump; they're hoping at least one state can go third party in the event no candidate reaches the total delegates to win the election.

Jill Stein is probably a legitimate grassroots candidate, but that's also why you won't see much coverage of her.

As for the Don: I seriously doubt he is or ever was controlled opposition. Typically, these candidates usually have some kind of financial backing so they get minimal media coverage. Trump has spent next to nothing on his campaign and has received next to nothing in terms of funding, but has received by far the most media coverage. He has made enemies with every high ranking element of the political establishment and has completely destroyed all of their preferred candidates. In addition to that, his campaign has had ties to several former generals and admirals from the start, including the former head of the Defense Intelligence Agency Michael Flynn, who has gone on record as saying that the creation of radical groups in Syria was a willful decision of the White House.

I'd be more willing to believe that his run for president started as a publicity stunt than him being a plant, but even that seems unlikely given how well he planned his victory in the primaries. Plus, generals are typically not the type to be easily duped into supporting a patsy. If anything, he's their agent, not the Clinton's.

Anyways, we'll have to see how these next few weeks play out. If the world isn't basking in the warmth of sweet, nuclear fire by November 8th, I look forward to the record low share pri- I mean, sharing my thoughts with you all.

[BryanM]

that people still refuse to see Sanders for what he is.

I'm getting tired of this shit.

DONALD TRUMP IS HILLARY CLINTON'S BEST FRIEND. HE RAN TO HELP HER WIN THE ELECTION. YOU VOTED FOR HILLARY CLINTON TO BECOME PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES.



Accept it already.

This, of course, after he surrendered his campaign funds to her as per party rules

I'm sorry. I don't like insulting people. (You can hit me back as much as you want.) It's the lowest form of discourse and easily overblown in text - but you're literally saying that you believe things that are completely insane and easily proven wrong. Do you have a learning disability of some sort?

Go out, get a link to the "rule" [1] you're talking about (which would be extremely illegal if it existed), and prove yourself or correct yourself. Don't be a miserable existence living in a fantasy world of shared conservatives' creation.

Well, I mean, when it comes to corporal matters. I very much encourage people to retreat from reality, but not by warping reality. You should never escape reality by changing it, that's backwards. Like riding a cart without a horse. Go live in Harry Potter-Narnia or a boob anime or something instead of doing that shit. It's far healthier.


[1] Those who want to play along and search for a non-legally binding gross FEC violation, go ahead! Tons of fun to kill a few hours.

He has made enemies with every high ranking element of the political establishment

I think I can think of a few hundred politicians who absolutely love their good friend.



Thanks for voting for the bankers, Quash. They'll take real good care of you.

than him being a plant

He's not a plant. The republican party exists to scare people into voting for neoliberal democrat garbage. He did the best job of losing on a huge roster that was overbrimming with losers with a special talent of losing.

A "plant" implies any of this is a secret. Only people waaaaay out of the loop don't know this stuff already.

Still I can't blame them. Bernie never came around to saying he was a Democrat, and he still isn't. Can't say I'm astonished that the Democrats are going to want team players, especially if the House isn't going to turn.

The man spent his entire career voting alongside their procedural motions and was given seniority on committees as a democrat. He's said he's a democrat countless times. He's going to have the little blue D next to his name in his next election. (It is lamentable he didn't decide or prep himself to run for president earlier than last year. That... really would have helped the bastard out tremendously. Sigh, Bernie. Do better man.)

Let's not kid ourselves here. They're fucking him just as much as they fuck Zephyr or Elizabeth. The only "team player" they care about is if you're on team money.

[Mischief Maker]

Upon re-reading that Charles Schumer quote, while definitely not good, it's not as bad as I first thought. He's just saying other Senators have more seniority than Bernie.

Still, I think Paul Ryan's quote followed by Schumer's flies in the face of quash's picture of an elaborate machiavellian puppet show choreographed from Alex Jones to Bernie Sanders. Ryan proved Republicans have just as much DC cocktail circuit tunnel vision as Democrats when he expected young Republicans to be terrified by a Sanders budget committee.

Meanwhile, Schumer! Asshole! Why don't you keep your stupid mouth shut for three goddamn weeks and let Ryan electrify the millennial vote for you, idiot? It's just like when the Clinton campaign completely deflated any good will the firing of Debbie Wasserman Schultz could have generated by publicly announcing that she'd instantly be getting a new high-ranking job with them. Give her a week's vacation, morons!

Obligatory.

[BryanM]

Bernado raised $130,000 each for tenish enemies of corruption today so far. They're aiming to get them $200k by the end of the day. Like water in the desert, a little money is the difference between life and death in these things.

As inept at it as he was Lessig has the right idea. There is only one issue that matters: whether our government is run by bribery or not.

[Mischief Maker]

WRONG!

[Ed Oscuro]

Well I guess there's a first time for everything; made my first political tweet.

But I couldn't resist given how goddamn incoherent Trump is. Here's two things he said in the debate tonight:

NAFTA is "the worst deal ever"
"we're going to have all kinds of free trade"

https://youtu.be/u8lD-RQ2AhQ

In an unexpected case of convergence, I've found myself warming up to Jill Stein.

Congrats on being a late bloomer. I should note that "The Federalist" right-wing rag is busy telling everybody protest votes don't count, though.

On Project Veritas: Do people not understand that we have certain rights in this country? We don't ban Nazi rallies because of their views. You can't incite violence, but if you go to a Trump rally and you protest like a normal person does, it's been demonstrated that's risky. But that is not because the protesters are behaving in a way that would have been considered incitement in the past. Instead right wingers are moving the goal posts because they can't handle criticism and protests.

Exactly like the first guy said. We continue to have a severe problem with big babies on the right not wanting to believe that the country is grown out. Most hilarious example of this: Jeff Lords on CNN saying we ought not to be upset about things that might have been considered polite in the 1950s.

[Opus131]

people still refuse to see Sanders for what he is.

He is a cuck. There's nothing else to see. He was cheated out of his victory by Hillary and her cabal of crocked cronies and he just took it like the weakling he is and bent over for the "greater good" of his party, the party that's currently representing all the people he was supposed to be fighting against.

So now it is all up to Trump to beat the evil which and save us all from World War III. If Bernouts had any sense they would be rallying around him now:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VN7cLyyJgGY

Grabbing establishment pussies left and right.

[Opus131]

On Project Veritas: Do people not understand that we have certain rights in this country? We don't ban Nazi rallies because of their views. You can't incite violence, but if you go to a Trump rally and you protest like a normal person does, it's been demonstrated that's risky. But that is not because the protesters are behaving in a way that would have been considered incitement in the past. Instead right wingers are moving the goal posts because they can't handle criticism and protests.

By violently denying your right of assembly and free speech... i'm only exercising my right of assembly and free speech!

I mean, hilarious that after what we know, you leftists are still trying to paddle this line.

Let's face it, even if Trump loses, you lost the argument. It is us so called "right wingers" who now have the moral high ground. And Trump is only the beginning. Now that the GOP is pretty much defunct (and good riddance!) conservatives are now "free" to be actually... conservative. Interesting times ahead, to be sure.

[Opus131]

I'll bet you $200 we'll be in a direct conflict with Russia within six months.

The worst part about Hillary wanting to start a war with Russia (for whatever inexplicable reason), is that she's going to lose too:

[BulletMagnet]

So now it is all up to Trump to beat the evil which and save us all from World War III.

Even after 3 edits. More importantly...

It is us so called "right wingers" who now have the moral high ground.

Considering how frequently "right wingers" have openly disavowed, and continue to disavow, the "moral high ground" (let alone common decency and/or civilized behavior) as a "biased", "politically-correct" tool of the "establishment" in your ever-more-laughable efforts to normalize Trump - and, by extension, your "liberated" selves - pardon me if I call bullshit on that notion.

The worst part about Hillary wanting to start a war with Russia (for whatever inexplicable reason)

That's probably my favorite part of the whole "Hillary wants war with Russia" echo chamber; the fact that even her accusers can't think of a reason why she'd ever want to do it in a million years doesn't make you lot stop to think things over for a split second.