Fuck It's Silent in Here 2016

[Quality Start Machine]

I keep thinking the Trump candidacy is all a ruse of some sort.

Maybe he's using a PAC for tax free funds, and we're all witnessing a political version of "The Producers".

It makes more sense than The Donald actually thinking he can be elected running as a Fascist.

[InternetApex]

I keep thinking the Trump candidacy is all a ruse of some sort.

Maybe he's using a PAC for tax free funds, and we're all witnessing a political version of "The Producers".

It makes more sense than The Donald actually thinking he can be elected running as a Fascist.

He's toned down a lot of that fascist rhetoric of late, in debates and in the interviews I've seen. He was once a liberal and friend of the Clintons. I think he feels that if he reaches the general he can morph into whatever he has to be to prey on the HRC hate that so many of us harbor and still seem electable. That plan may not be fully formed yet.

The GOP establishment is completely terrified of him. The fact that a goof like him and an independent like Sanders can seriously compete at this point in an election cycle may be excellent news for those of us who can't tolerate either party for very long. Of course, what comes after is extremely important. But sometimes things have to fall apart completely before they can be rebuilt.

We may be seeing that.

[Quality Start Machine]

Jesus, Ted Cruz is a fucking eel.

[Quality Start Machine]

I keep thinking the Trump candidacy is all a ruse of some sort.

Maybe he's using a PAC for tax free funds, and we're all witnessing a political version of "The Producers".

It makes more sense than The Donald actually thinking he can be elected running as a Fascist.

He's toned down a lot of that fascist rhetoric of late, in debates and in the interviews I've seen. He was once a liberal and friend of the Clintons. I think he feels that if he reaches the general he can morph into whatever he has to be to prey on the HRC hate that so many of us harbor and still seem electable. That plan may not be fully formed yet.

The GOP establishment is completely terrified of him. The fact that a goof like him and an independent like Sanders can seriously compete at this point in an election cycle may be excellent news for those of us who can't tolerate either party for very long. Of course, what comes after is extremely important. But sometimes things have to fall apart completely before they can be rebuilt.

We may be seeing that.

What we saw yesterday with Trump is that his complete lack of a ground game will ensure he never makes the General, and probably won't be a factor by Super Tuesday. His numbers have been dropping at a rapid pace as soon as the rubber started hitting the road.

The money is starting to trend toward Rubio, and he'll start separating from the field fairly soon.

On the other side, Sanders has the same type of organization and volunteers that Obama had in 2008. Funny thing is, the last financials showed no PAC money spent on him, but since MoveOn endorsed him, Soros' money is coming into play in his favor.

[InternetApex]

I keep thinking the Trump candidacy is all a ruse of some sort.

Maybe he's using a PAC for tax free funds, and we're all witnessing a political version of "The Producers".

It makes more sense than The Donald actually thinking he can be elected running as a Fascist.

He's toned down a lot of that fascist rhetoric of late, in debates and in the interviews I've seen. He was once a liberal and friend of the Clintons. I think he feels that if he reaches the general he can morph into whatever he has to be to prey on the HRC hate that so many of us harbor and still seem electable. That plan may not be fully formed yet.

The GOP establishment is completely terrified of him. The fact that a goof like him and an independent like Sanders can seriously compete at this point in an election cycle may be excellent news for those of us who can't tolerate either party for very long. Of course, what comes after is extremely important. But sometimes things have to fall apart completely before they can be rebuilt.

We may be seeing that.

What we saw yesterday with Trump is that his complete lack of a ground game will ensure he never makes the General, and probably won't be a factor by Super Tuesday. His numbers have been dropping at a rapid pace as soon as the rubber started hitting the road.

The money is starting to trend toward Rubio, and he'll start separating from the field fairly soon.

On the other side, Sanders has the same type of organization and volunteers that Obama had in 2008. Funny thing is, the last financials showed no PAC money spent on him, but since MoveOn endorsed him, Soros' money is coming into play in his favor.

Agreed on Rubio. As the lagging candidates begin to drop, they'll probably do whatever they're told to do with regard to hurting Trump, that means supporting either Cruz or Rubio. Since nobody likes Cruz including his own ugly, fucked up family, I'm betting that helps Marco pull in that type of support. The establishment clearly likes him and I think smaller fields at debates will show Cruz is not in Rubio's class intellectually.

All of that is a problem for Hillary obviously, because she can't beat Rubio off of the sheer lunacy of his personality and ideas. I hate nearly every word that comes out of his mouth, but I can't say I particularly dislike HIM. He's entitled to his ugly, fucked-up opinions, I guess. But Hillary I do not like. Personally. As an independent, I'd have to leave the top line blank on my ballot, which won't mean dick in Illinois, but you see what I did there? It will happen elsewhere.

Tom Brokaw compared Bernie to Howard Dean on Meet The Press Sunday, saying he was just a blip on the radar, a temporary distraction, his supporters, while LOUD were not numerous. Iowa was a shitburger for Brokaw, but when this primary hits the Red/Southern States I just don't see those Democrats going for him. It seems the Centerism is Strong with them.

I may be wrong. Hope so in fact.

[Tonker]

I keep thinking the Trump candidacy is all a ruse of some sort.

Maybe he's using a PAC for tax free funds, and we're all witnessing a political version of "The Producers".

It makes more sense than The Donald actually thinking he can be elected running as a Fascist.

He's toned down a lot of that fascist rhetoric of late, in debates and in the interviews I've seen. He was once a liberal and friend of the Clintons. I think he feels that if he reaches the general he can morph into whatever he has to be to prey on the HRC hate that so many of us harbor and still seem electable. That plan may not be fully formed yet.

The GOP establishment is completely terrified of him. The fact that a goof like him and an independent like Sanders can seriously compete at this point in an election cycle may be excellent news for those of us who can't tolerate either party for very long. Of course, what comes after is extremely important. But sometimes things have to fall apart completely before they can be rebuilt.

We may be seeing that.

What we saw yesterday with Trump is that his complete lack of a ground game will ensure he never makes the General, and probably won't be a factor by Super Tuesday. His numbers have been dropping at a rapid pace as soon as the rubber started hitting the road.

The money is starting to trend toward Rubio, and he'll start separating from the field fairly soon.

On the other side, Sanders has the same type of organization and volunteers that Obama had in 2008. Funny thing is, the last financials showed no PAC money spent on him, but since MoveOn endorsed him, Soros' money is coming into play in his favor.

Agreed on Rubio. As the lagging candidates begin to drop, they'll probably do whatever they're told to do with regard to hurting Trump, that means supporting either Cruz or Rubio. Since nobody likes Cruz including his own ugly, fucked up family, I'm betting that helps Marco pull in that type of support. The establishment clearly likes him and I think smaller fields at debates will show Cruz is not in Rubio's class intellectually.

All of that is a problem for Hillary obviously, because she can't beat Rubio off of the sheer lunacy of his personality and ideas. I hate nearly every word that comes out of his mouth, but I can't say I particularly dislike HIM. He's entitled to his ugly, fucked-up opinions, I guess. But Hillary I do not like. Personally. As an independent, I'd have to leave the top line blank on my ballot, which won't mean dick in Illinois, but you see what I did there? It will happen elsewhere.

Tom Brokaw compared Bernie to Howard Dean on Meet The Press Sunday, saying he was just a blip on the radar, a temporary distraction, his supporters, while LOUD were not numerous. Iowa was a shitburger for Brokaw, but when this primary hits the Red/Southern States I just don't see those Democrats going for him. It seems the Centerism is Strong with them.

I may be wrong. Hope so in fact.

I'm a relative noob when it comes to American politics but I can't see Bernie getting anywhere near the support he needs.  He's way, way, WAY too far left to be elected in America right now.  He should come to Europe, he'd be a shoo-in.

[Quality Start Machine]

I keep thinking the Trump candidacy is all a ruse of some sort.

Maybe he's using a PAC for tax free funds, and we're all witnessing a political version of "The Producers".

It makes more sense than The Donald actually thinking he can be elected running as a Fascist.

He's toned down a lot of that fascist rhetoric of late, in debates and in the interviews I've seen. He was once a liberal and friend of the Clintons. I think he feels that if he reaches the general he can morph into whatever he has to be to prey on the HRC hate that so many of us harbor and still seem electable. That plan may not be fully formed yet.

The GOP establishment is completely terrified of him. The fact that a goof like him and an independent like Sanders can seriously compete at this point in an election cycle may be excellent news for those of us who can't tolerate either party for very long. Of course, what comes after is extremely important. But sometimes things have to fall apart completely before they can be rebuilt.

We may be seeing that.

What we saw yesterday with Trump is that his complete lack of a ground game will ensure he never makes the General, and probably won't be a factor by Super Tuesday. His numbers have been dropping at a rapid pace as soon as the rubber started hitting the road.

The money is starting to trend toward Rubio, and he'll start separating from the field fairly soon.

On the other side, Sanders has the same type of organization and volunteers that Obama had in 2008. Funny thing is, the last financials showed no PAC money spent on him, but since MoveOn endorsed him, Soros' money is coming into play in his favor.

Agreed on Rubio. As the lagging candidates begin to drop, they'll probably do whatever they're told to do with regard to hurting Trump, that means supporting either Cruz or Rubio. Since nobody likes Cruz including his own ugly, fucked up family, I'm betting that helps Marco pull in that type of support. The establishment clearly likes him and I think smaller fields at debates will show Cruz is not in Rubio's class intellectually.

All of that is a problem for Hillary obviously, because she can't beat Rubio off of the sheer lunacy of his personality and ideas. I hate nearly every word that comes out of his mouth, but I can't say I particularly dislike HIM. He's entitled to his ugly, fucked-up opinions, I guess. But Hillary I do not like. Personally. As an independent, I'd have to leave the top line blank on my ballot, which won't mean dick in Illinois, but you see what I did there? It will happen elsewhere.

Tom Brokaw compared Bernie to Howard Dean on Meet The Press Sunday, saying he was just a blip on the radar, a temporary distraction, his supporters, while LOUD were not numerous. Iowa was a shitburger for Brokaw, but when this primary hits the Red/Southern States I just don't see those Democrats going for him. It seems the Centerism is Strong with them.

I may be wrong. Hope so in fact.

It's funny that the red states hold so much sway within the Democratic primaries, since they mean fuckall to them during the general election.

[Brownie]

I keep thinking the Trump candidacy is all a ruse of some sort.

Maybe he's using a PAC for tax free funds, and we're all witnessing a political version of "The Producers".

It makes more sense than The Donald actually thinking he can be elected running as a Fascist.

He's toned down a lot of that fascist rhetoric of late, in debates and in the interviews I've seen. He was once a liberal and friend of the Clintons. I think he feels that if he reaches the general he can morph into whatever he has to be to prey on the HRC hate that so many of us harbor and still seem electable. That plan may not be fully formed yet.

The GOP establishment is completely terrified of him. The fact that a goof like him and an independent like Sanders can seriously compete at this point in an election cycle may be excellent news for those of us who can't tolerate either party for very long. Of course, what comes after is extremely important. But sometimes things have to fall apart completely before they can be rebuilt.

We may be seeing that.

What we saw yesterday with Trump is that his complete lack of a ground game will ensure he never makes the General, and probably won't be a factor by Super Tuesday. His numbers have been dropping at a rapid pace as soon as the rubber started hitting the road.

The money is starting to trend toward Rubio, and he'll start separating from the field fairly soon.

On the other side, Sanders has the same type of organization and volunteers that Obama had in 2008. Funny thing is, the last financials showed no PAC money spent on him, but since MoveOn endorsed him, Soros' money is coming into play in his favor.

Agreed on Rubio. As the lagging candidates begin to drop, they'll probably do whatever they're told to do with regard to hurting Trump, that means supporting either Cruz or Rubio. Since nobody likes Cruz including his own ugly, fucked up family, I'm betting that helps Marco pull in that type of support. The establishment clearly likes him and I think smaller fields at debates will show Cruz is not in Rubio's class intellectually.

All of that is a problem for Hillary obviously, because she can't beat Rubio off of the sheer lunacy of his personality and ideas. I hate nearly every word that comes out of his mouth, but I can't say I particularly dislike HIM. He's entitled to his ugly, fucked-up opinions, I guess. But Hillary I do not like. Personally. As an independent, I'd have to leave the top line blank on my ballot, which won't mean dick in Illinois, but you see what I did there? It will happen elsewhere.

Tom Brokaw compared Bernie to Howard Dean on Meet The Press Sunday, saying he was just a blip on the radar, a temporary distraction, his supporters, while LOUD were not numerous. Iowa was a shitburger for Brokaw, but when this primary hits the Red/Southern States I just don't see those Democrats going for him. It seems the Centerism is Strong with them.

I may be wrong. Hope so in fact.

It's funny that the red states hold so much sway within the Democratic primaries, since they mean fuckall to them during the general election.

That's a feature, not a bug.

[InternetApex]

I'm a relative noob when it comes to American politics but I can't see Bernie getting anywhere near the support he needs.  He's way, way, WAY too far left to be elected in America right now.  He should come to Europe, he'd be a shoo-in.

America is moving left, but probably not in time to stop Hillary. It's not for lack of progressive sentiment that conservative technocrats like Obama and the Clintons have gained power recently. People actually think they're liberals because they talk a good game. Bernie's out here telling us to look into what Obama has done and what Hillary has signed off on but hardly anybody really does. They hear Republicans cry from the pulpit that these people are not conservative enough, when if one digs just a little bit they'll be open-mouth agape at what Obama's policies really mean.

I've been reading progressive takes on his first term from before the 2012 election and I'm now more depressed than ever. This one in particular had me shaken up.

http://www.salon.com/2012/10/27/the_progressive_case_against_obama/

Home equity levels and corporate profits have simply never diverged in this way; what was good for GM had always, until recently, been good, if not for America, for the balance sheet of homeowners. Obama's policies severed this link, completely.

This split represents more than money. It represents a new kind of politics, one where Obama, and yes, he did this, officially enshrined rights for the elite in our constitutional order and removed rights from everyone else (see "The Housing Crash and the End of American Citizenship" in the Fordham Urban Law Journal for a more complete discussion of the problem). The bailouts and the associated Federal Reserve actions were not primarily shifts of funds to bankers; they were a guarantee that property rights for a certain class of creditors were immune from challenge or market forces. The foreclosure crisis, with its rampant criminality, predatory lending, and document forgeries, represents the flip side. Property rights for debtors simply increasingly exist solely at the pleasure of the powerful. The lack of prosecution of Wall Street executives, the ability of banks to borrow at 0 percent from the Federal Reserve while most of us face credit card rates of 15-30 percent, and the bailouts are all part of the re-creation of the American system of law around Obama's oligarchy.

The policy continuity with Bush is a stark contrast to what Obama offered as a candidate.

I mean...

[Chuck to Chuck]

America is moving left

No it isn't.  It's moving slightly right because the left has mostly won.  When rightees scream, "DON'T TOUCH MY MEDICARE!" you know who has won. A large chunk of the GOOP base is over 60. They are the post-New Dealers who will not give up any of the social services net FDR invented. Hard to blame them having paid into them for 40+ years and now they want their (deserved) return.

Where the left has a few wins remaining is on the social issues, mostly because younger people see these social advances as, ultimately, a conservative thing. For example, gay marriage is a very pro-conservative issue (keep the gubbermint outta my bedroom!).  There's room here for some advancement on the left.

Economically, the fight is at the margins. "Is the right tax rate 33% or 37%?"  "Capital gains at 20% or 25%?"  We're just haggling over price here.

[InternetApex]

... Welcome to Chicago Democratic Machine Politics right? That's what we all signed up for and had to know we were getting on some level but why does it hurt so bad to discover that the long-dick to the fanny has been punishing us so malevolently for all these years? "Smart" independents like myself who migrated from the center-right and mistrusted the Dems all along really ought to have known better. But I fell into the "Obama tried but politics are hard :0(" malaise just long enough to pull a lever for the guy. I didn't know anything about economics anyway and I told myself I'd be damned if I had to look in the mirror 50 years from now and say I didn't vote for the first Black president.

But I voted for this:

I find Obama likable when I see him on TV. He is a caring husband and father, a thoughtful speaker, and possessed of an inspirational biography. On stage, as he smiles into the camera, using words to evoke some of the best sentiments within us, it's hard to believe certain facts about him:    


Obama terrorizes innocent Pakistanis on an almost daily basis. The drone war he is waging in North Waziristan isn't "precise" or "surgical" as he would have Americans believe. It kills hundreds of innocents, including children. And for thousands of more innocents who live in the targeted communities, the drone war makes their lives into a nightmare worthy of dystopian novels. People are always afraid. Women cower in their homes. Children are kept out of school. The stress they endure gives them psychiatric disorders. Men are driven crazy by an inability to sleep as drones buzz overhead 24 hours a day, a deadly strike possible at any moment. At worst, this policy creates more terrorists than it kills; at best, America is ruining the lives of thousands of innocent people and killing hundreds of innocents for a small increase in safety from terrorists. It is a cowardly, immoral, and illegal policy, deliberately cloaked in opportunistic secrecy. And Democrats who believe that it is the most moral of all responsible policy alternatives are as misinformed and blinded by partisanship as any conservative ideologue.
Obama established one of the most reckless precedents imaginable: that any president can secretly order and oversee the extrajudicial killing of American citizens. Obama's kill list transgresses against the Constitution as egregiously as anything George W. Bush ever did. It is as radical an invocation of executive power as anything Dick Cheney championed. The fact that the Democrats rebelled against those men before enthusiastically supporting Obama is hackery every bit as blatant and shameful as anything any talk radio host has done.  
Contrary to his own previously stated understanding of what the Constitution and the War Powers Resolution demand, President Obama committed U.S. forces to war in Libya without Congressional approval, despite the lack of anything like an imminent threat to national security.

http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2012/09/why-i-refuse-to-vote-for-barack-obama/262861/

And now I'm sad. But I've nobody to blame but myself.

[InternetApex]

America is moving left

No it isn't.  It's moving slightly right because the left has mostly won.  When rightees scream, "DON'T TOUCH MY MEDICARE!" you know who has won. A large chunk of the GOOP base is over 60. They are the post-New Dealers who will not give up any of the social services net FDR invented. Hard to blame them having paid into them for 40+ years and now they want their (deserved) return.

Where the left has a few wins remaining is on the social issues, mostly because younger people see these social advances as, ultimately, a conservative thing. For example, gay marriage is a very pro-conservative issue (keep the gubbermint outta my bedroom!).  There's room here for some advancement on the left.

Economically, the fight is at the margins. "Is the right tax rate 33% or 37%?"  "Capital gains at 20% or 25%?"  We're just haggling over price here.

I can agree with most of this but I think you see it stagnated on the center-left while I hear the rhetoric of Obama, Clinton and Sanders moving harder to the left than anything you heard from Bill or his contemporaries who were so spooked by the Reagan Revolution that they figured rightly that they would never win another national election without demonizing the far left as radical hippie burnouts. That tough talk Clinton had on crime and going head up with female rappers on the news is unthinkable in this Democratic primary.

What has not changed, and I think you've recognized is the machinary of the government itself. Nothing's really changing and yes, the fight is in the margins.

[SKO]

America is moving left

No it isn't.  It's moving slightly right because the left has mostly won.  When rightees scream, "DON'T TOUCH MY MEDICARE!" you know who has won. A large chunk of the GOOP base is over 60. They are the post-New Dealers who will not give up any of the social services net FDR invented. Hard to blame them having paid into them for 40+ years and now they want their (deserved) return.

Where the left has a few wins remaining is on the social issues, mostly because younger people see these social advances as, ultimately, a conservative thing. For example, gay marriage is a very pro-conservative issue (keep the gubbermint outta my bedroom!).  There's room here for some advancement on the left.

Economically, the fight is at the margins. "Is the right tax rate 33% or 37%?"  "Capital gains at 20% or 25%?"  We're just haggling over price here.

I can agree with most of this but I think you see it stagnated on the center-left while I hear the rhetoric of Obama, Clinton and Sanders moving harder to the left than anything you heard from Bill or his contemporaries who were so spooked by the Reagan Revolution that they figured rightly that they would never win another national election without demonizing the far left as radical hippie burnouts. That tough talk Clinton had on crime and going head up with female rappers on the news is unthinkable in this Democratic primary.

What has not changed, and I think you've recognized is the machinary of the government itself. Nothing's really changing and yes, the fight is in the margins.

I'd say we still sit comfortably center-right with some basic leftist social safety nets. I mean when you compare what we have to any standard European country it's pretty laughable to look at America and say the left has won.

[Chuck to Chuck]

America is moving left

No it isn't.  It's moving slightly right because the left has mostly won.  When rightees scream, "DON'T TOUCH MY MEDICARE!" you know who has won. A large chunk of the GOOP base is over 60. They are the post-New Dealers who will not give up any of the social services net FDR invented. Hard to blame them having paid into them for 40+ years and now they want their (deserved) return.

Where the left has a few wins remaining is on the social issues, mostly because younger people see these social advances as, ultimately, a conservative thing. For example, gay marriage is a very pro-conservative issue (keep the gubbermint outta my bedroom!).  There's room here for some advancement on the left.

Economically, the fight is at the margins. "Is the right tax rate 33% or 37%?"  "Capital gains at 20% or 25%?"  We're just haggling over price here.

I can agree with most of this but I think you see it stagnated on the center-left while I hear the rhetoric of Obama, Clinton and Sanders moving harder to the left than anything you heard from Bill or his contemporaries who were so spooked by the Reagan Revolution that they figured rightly that they would never win another national election without demonizing the far left as radical hippie burnouts. That tough talk Clinton had on crime and going head up with female rappers on the news is unthinkable in this Democratic primary.

What has not changed, and I think you've recognized is the machinary of the government itself. Nothing's really changing and yes, the fight is in the margins.

The rhetoric has changed because of the reality TV nature of modern politics. Ted Cruz may be a loathsome bigot, but he does understand that the crazier shit you say gets you more attention. More attention means more people will give you money.  More money means you can buy more TV ads and keep getting re-elected. Oh, and more money to buy more TV ads props up the profit at CNN, MSNBC and Faux News.  Which makes them look for even crazier people to put on TV to attract eyeballs.  Which attracts crazier politicians.  And... back to the top of the circle.

Were the country to move to the Chicago mayoral election model: Open primary (all parties on a single ballot), no one wins without a 50%+1 vote total, our politics would become far more centrist.  A stage that had Cruz, Trump, Hillary, Bernie, Bush, Rubio all at once vying for all our vote would not only be fascinating, but it would cull the ability of the fringe to get the fringe elected.

The only reason shitbags like Joe Walsh even get a chance for a public paycheck is because the Dems and GOOPs keep their duopoly on the ballot. Imagine where Illinois might be right now if, 5 years ago, the two top vote getters in the Gubernatorial primary made the finals? Instead of Quinn-Brady, you'd have had Quinn-Hynes.  And Hynes would have crushed Quinn. You'd have had a professional as governor for 4 years, not a gadfly.

[Canadouche]

Sometimes I wonder if it's the politician, or the machine. It's entirely possible that most politicians are sociopaths who'll say whatever it takes to get into office (I think there are even some quotes of Abe Lincoln advocating for slavery on the campaign trail, if I recall correctly), but I sort of wonder if they just don't understand the mechanism until they're caught up in it. They have goals and ideals, and then they get into office and are faced with the realities of what it means to dictate law and policy. Their advisors are often people who have been "in the machine" for decades, who are probably very good at persuading them to stick with what works.

Or, maybe their first Top Secret meetings are real eye-openers, and their idealism dies at that moment.

Or, maybe it's like what Bill Hicks said.

I have this feeling man, 'cause you know, it's just a handful of people who run everything, you know ... that's true, it's provable. It's not ... I'm not a fucking conspiracy nut, it's provable. A handful, a very small elite, run and own these corporations, which include the mainstream media. I have this feeling that whoever is elected president, like Clinton was, no matter what you promise on the campaign trail – blah, blah, blah – when you win, you go into this smoke-filled room with the twelve industrialist capitalist scum-fucks who got you in there. And you're in this smoky room, and this little film screen comes down ... and a big guy with a cigar goes, "Roll the film." And it's a shot of the Kennedy assassination from an angle you've never seen before ... that looks suspiciously like it's from the grassy knoll. And then the screen goes up and the lights come up, and they go to the new president, "Any questions?" "Er, just what my agenda is." "First we bomb Baghdad." "You got it ..."