Apologies for all of the Trump stories, but the underlying reasons why he is doing so well are quite serious so many of the serious journalists are writing about his candidacy.....make sure you read Taibbi and also #9.....and look at the West Wing video.....wonderful.....
1/ Matt Taibbi is disgusted with the Republicans, and explains why in this passionate piece from Rolling Stone.....it's brilliantly written, but get through the beginning to his explanation of what is going on with the GOP.....
The Republicans Are Now Officially the Party of White Paranoia
The rise of Trump obliterates all other issues — campaign 2016 is now almost entirely about race
Donald Trump currently has a negative 51 percent net unfavorable rating among Hispanic voters.
ABC News published an intriguing poll the other day, one that spelled out a growing racial divide:
"Nonwhites see Trump negatively by a vast 17-79 percent… That said, whites are the majority group – 64 percent of the adult population – and they now divide evenly on Trump, 48-49 percent, favorable-unfavorable. Clinton, by contrast, is far more unpopular than Trump among whites, 34-65 percent. So while racial and ethnic polarization is on the rise in views of Trump, it remains even higher for Clinton."
The Republicans already lost virtually the entire black vote (scoring just 4 percent and 6 percent of black voters the last two elections). Now, by pushing toward the nomination a candidate whose brilliant plan to "make America great again" is to build a giant wall to keep out Mexican rapists, they're headed the same route with Hispanics. That's a steep fall for a party that won 44 percent of the Hispanic vote as recently as 2004.
Trump's supporters are people who are tired of being told they have to be part of some kind of coalition in order to have a political voice. They particularly hate being lectured about alienating minorities, especially by members of their own party.
http://www.rollingstone.com/
2/ Great ad....a parody of one of the stupid drug ads you see on TV, and the message is wonderful......one minute of wry amusement......
3/ Elias Isquith with a very insightful story in Salon on white anxiety and how this is propelling Trump up in the polls.....
This is a serious issue - there is a large and well armed minority in this country that's angry and confused, and ready to follow a buffoon like Trump with his message of hate and fear. This is the way Hitler rose to power in Germany, and while we are nowhere close to that situation it's got a lot of similarities.....
If you want to understand why this is happening, this article is a good start.....
(Credit: Reuters/Brendan McDermid/CBS)
The New York Times’ Charles Blow is a fine columnist. But if you want to understand why Donald Trump has become the mad king of American politics, the thundering attack on “The Donald” that Blow wrote last week, entitled “Enough Is Enough,” could hardly serve you worse.
The basic theory of Blow’s column, which soon went viral, is that the Trump campaign is a “shallow farce,” sustained by a “drooling” and “naïve” media. “Yes, the Republican Party created this Frankenstein [sic] of hatred, hubris, narcissism and nativism,” Blow grants, “but the media is giving it life.” He’s not alone in this conviction: Political scientist John Sides maintains that Trump is fundamentally no different from other short-lived bizarro presidential candidates, such as Newt Gingrich or Michele Bachmann.
......................
Besides a genius for self-promotion, what Trump has in common with those two men is this: He appeals to a large swathe of Americans who have not only lived through massive social disruption — the Great Depression and the Civil Rights Movement, respectfully — but who have had their fundamental assumptions about Americanness, and therefore themselves, challenged in the process. When his fans speak of “taking” their country back, they are not being tongue-in-cheek. They are deathly serious.
4/ Bill Maher with some advice to Americans about sex.....one of his rudest segments ever, but incredibly funny......five minutes you shouldn't let the kids hear.....
Bill Maher tonight took on Josh Duggar in a show-ending New Rule about how sexually guilty Americans feel all the time.
From a pill that makes women feel like they have a “sexual desire disorder” to religion telling people they’re having too much sex, Maher said that maybe everyone should just chill out and be okay with everyone’s own sexual choices without judging them.
He mocked Duggar for going to rehab after it was discovered he had two Ashley Madison accounts, explaining that he doesn’t have a addiction, “you’re just horny!”
Maher also invoked Caitlyn Jenner to say it’s great that people are accepting of her sexual choices, but asked, “Could we get the same deal for the other 95 percent of us?”
5/ Paul Krugman with a rare political column - here he focuses on the Republican race and the consistent bullshit they all spout as policy.....
There are many things we should remember about the events of late August and early September 2005, and the political fallout shouldn’t be near the top of the list. Still, the disaster in New Orleans did the Bush administration a great deal of damage — and conservatives have never stopped trying to take their revenge. Every time something has gone wrong on President Obama’s watch, critics have been quick to declare the event “Obama’s Katrina.” How many Katrinas has Mr. Obama had so far? By one count, 23.
Somehow, however, these putative Katrinas never end up having the political impact of the lethal debacle that unfolded a decade ago. Partly that’s because many of the alleged disasters weren’t disasters after all. For example, the teething problems of Healthcare.gov were embarrassing, but they were eventually resolved — without anyone dying in the process — and at this point Obamacare looks like a huge success.
Beyond that, Katrina was special in political terms because it revealed such a huge gap between image and reality. Ever since 9/11, former President George W. Bush had been posing as a strong, effective leader keeping America safe. He wasn’t. But as long as he was talking tough about terrorists, it was hard for the public to see what a lousy job he was doing. It took a domestic disaster, which made his administration’s cronyism and incompetence obvious to anyone with a TV set, to burst his bubble.
6/ An absolutely delicious segment from one of the best shows of the 90's - the West Wing. Watch how the President deals with a female bigot [probably Dr. Laura?] who rails against gays, quoting the Scriptures......a wonderful five minutes....definitely worth a look......
Can't we run Martin Sheen? A REAL President?
7/ In some ways the Republicans don't really care who wins the national elections, because they have a lock on a majority of State Governments and have a free hand to pursue their hard right agenda. Democrats still don't get how important the state races are.....
Here is an excellent story about what total control of a State really means if you are living in it, and stupid enough not to notice what is continually being done to you.....and this applies especially to all of us living in Floriduh....
Credit: MATT MAHURIN
The U.S. Constitution gives the states almost total control over how Americans live and vote. Republicans appear to have grasped the importance of this, but most Democrats have not. Since losing the White House and Congress in 2008, the GOP has focused time, money and talent on gaining control of state governments.
Their efforts have paid off. In the 2010 and 2014 midterm elections, older, white and upper-income voters, including many Tea Party supporters, turned out in force, while Democratic constituencies, including many young and minority voters, stayed home. The result is that Republicans control both the governor’s mansion and legislature in 24 states, 70 of the nation’s 99 state legislative chambers, both chambers in 30 states, plus Nebraska’s single chamber, and 31 governor’s mansions.
Nearly 90 percent of the Republicans in the House of Representatives are on the far right of the conservative spectrum, described by Thomas Mann of the Brookings Institution as “a radical insurgency — ideologically extreme, contemptuous of the inherited policy regime [and] scornful of compromise.”
This is also true of GOP state legislators. Republicans hold super-majorities in many states and have wasted no time in adopting radical elements of the Republican agenda. What they’ve done so far provides a telling picture of what a red America could look like.
North Carolina is a poster child for how far a red state can go.
8/ John Oliver with some back to school tips for students.....he's off this week, but does these four minute clips for practice I guess! A mildly funny four minutes.....
It’s a Monday morning, so you know what time it is: John Oliver clip time!
Since tomorrow marks the start of the school year for many Americans, Last Week Tonight filmed a pre-taped segment guiding this year’s incoming students through the many lessons they will not receive this year, including: President Warren Harding‘s smutty penis jokes, the “genocidal lunatics” that were European colonists, and that Asia and Africa are places that actually exist.
Oliver also made a handy guide to who dies at the end of every major high school-level novel.
9/ This excellent story is called "The Ballad Of Bernie and Donald", and brilliantly lays out why Americans are so angry, with the system and everyone in it. It doesn't focus on specifics, just the fact that the anger and disgust felt by many is eminently justified. The corporate media is dealing with this in two ways - the intense focus on Trump's personality and his incendiary remarks, and a total blackout on Bernie because Sanders is discussing issues the corporate media wants ignored.......
You're right to be pissed - you are being screwed.....
(Credit: Reuters/Jim Young/AP/Robert F. Bukaty/Photo montage by Salon)
The mainstream media continues to be surprised by the size of the crowds and the intensity of the passion that both Sen. Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump are generating. The reason is simple: The media is quite simply out of touch with the level of anger many American feel after being force-fed, for several years, the phony narrative that the Great Recession is over and that the predatory practices of the institutions that caused it are all in the past.
Yes, the economy is back; its just the middle class that’s in a death spiral. Meanwhile, the media — all about selling and happy-talking consumerism — just can’t bring itself to hold up anything but a distorting fun house mirror. This mirror makes people feel like they are alone in their struggle, even as millions continue to be screwed everyday by the very same government that says it is dedicated to “protecting” them.
10/ And continuing the corporate media issue, a most interesting four minute segment from Cenk Uyrgur talking about Abby Martin, who is a crusading journalist.....an eye opening story, but not surprising if you start with the premise our media is corrupt.........
11/ The Pope is coming to America this week, and it might be fun because Trump might well call him "a loser"....he is also addressing Congress.....
One man hasn’t watched television in 25 years, gets around in a Ford Focus, and is named for a nature-loving pauper who didn’t believe in owning money, property or shoes. He is considered infallible, but often doubts his daily utterances.
The other man spent 14 years in the mirrored embrace of a television show about him, is transported by a fleet with his name on the side, and looks down on anyone who hasn’t amassed a mountain of property. He thinkshe’s infallible.
In a few weeks, Pope Francis will visit our fair land, a fitting pivot from the Summer of Trump, closing out a gluttonous episode of narcissism, rudeness, frivolity and xenophobia. For all that the orangutan-haired vulgarian has done to elevate the worst human traits a public figure can have, Francis is the anti-Trump. He has more power, media magnetism and authenticity in his lone functioning lung than Donald Trump has in his entire empire of ego.
Trump may dismiss the 78-year-old leader of the world’s 1.2 billion Roman Catholics. Yeah, so he’s got his little 109-acre Vatican City, with those silly Swiss Guards. It’s the smallest country in the world — one-eighth the size of Central Park! As Joseph Stalin asked: How many divisions does the pope have? And this guy from Argentina with the goofy grin — no golf courses, resorts or even women who, sadly, are no longer a 10. He’s celibate
13/ The cellphone industry has made it very complicated to buy your phone and to get the best plan for your household - on purpose. This column from the Times tries to make sense of it all.....
THE American wireless industry is increasingly redefining the word “simple” in the same way that the food industry rendered the word “natural” absurd.
Consider that when you pick up “natural” pancake syrup from the grocery store, chances are that one of the listed ingredients will be “natural flavoring” — an oxymoron.
Similarly, when you shop for a wireless phone plan today, chances are that the carrier’s marketing contains the word “simple.” But when you browse the numerous options and fees, you’ll find they are anything but. Instead, we may be hitting peak complexity with phone plans.
“Never before has the pricing been so complicated with all the carriers,” said Toni Toikka, whose research firm Alekstra analyzes wireless bills and who recently created a giant spreadsheet of phone plans. “This is the first time in carrier history that the carriers have been able to build that kind of a maze that even I get really confused.”
14/ Carl Hiaasen with one of his tongue in cheek articles.....amusing, and makes a point.....
For those Americans who haven’t dived into the 7,121 pages of Hillary Clinton emails that were made public last week, here’s a summary based on a modest sampling:
Boring.
I mean throw-away-your-Ambiens boring.
The dreaded chore of slogging through every one of these messages falls to the staff of Congressional Republicans who are trying to bust Hillary for leaking or hiding sensitive information while she was secretary of State.
Material was withheld from about 125 of her emails because the State Department retroactively classified it as “confidential.” The rest of the emails (and this was just one batch) are being dissected page-by-page, line-by-line.
And you thought your job sucked.
15/ Mary and I have just finished the first eight episode series "Broadchurch"....it's a drama about the death of a boy in a small town in Devon, England and focuses on the police investigation.....
It's absolutely wonderful - the acting is superb, the characterizations of life in rural England ring true and it will have you guessing till the final episode - Highly recommended for anyone who likes quiet, intense dramatic TV.....
It's on Netflix but we bought it [by mistake] on Amazon IV for $5.99......
Here's the Rotten Tomatoes review.....
BROADCHURCH: SERIES ONE (2013)
TOMATOMETER
Average Rating: 8.9/10
Reviews Counted: 31
Fresh: 28
Rotten: 3
Critics Consensus: Well written and beautifully shot, Broadchurch is a deliberate, slowly unfolding mystery procedural with terrific performances from a fine cast.
Here's the trailer for "Broadchurch" Season 1.......
Todays video - a rerun but a classic - the Tug Toner from Jimmy Kimmel.....
Todays joke for the ladies
A woman was complaining to her friend about the recent state of affairs with her sick husband.
They have been married for 50 years and she started neglecting him.
One morning he said " Sarah if you don't take better care of me, when I die I will dig myself out of the grave and come back and haunt you".
He did die a few days later and she buried him.
She said to her friend "now let him dig, I buried him upside down"
Todays Polish joke
Everyone seems to be in such a hurry to scream 'prejudice' these days...
A customer asked, "In what aisle can I find the Polish sausage?"
The clerk asks, "Are you Polish?"
The guy, clearly offended, says, "Yes I am, but let me ask you something. If I had asked for Italian sausage, would you ask me if I was Italian? Or if I had asked for German Bratwurst, would you ask me if I was German? Or if I asked for a kosher hot dog would you ask me if I was Jewish? Or if I had asked for a Taco, would you ask if I was Mexican? Or if I asked for some Irish whiskey, would you ask if I was Irish?"
The clerk says, "No, I probably wouldn't."
The guy says, "Well then, because I asked for Polish sausage, why did you ask me if I'm Polish?"
The clerk replied, "Because you're in Home Depot."
Todays redneck jokes
You know you're an EXTREME redneck when...
1. You let your 14-year-old daughter smoke
at the dinner table in front of her kids.
2. The Blue Book value of your truck goes up
2. The Blue Book value of your truck goes up
and down depending on how much gas is in it.
3. You've been married three times and still
3. You've been married three times and still
have the same in-laws.
4. You think a woman who is out of your league
4. You think a woman who is out of your league
bowls on a different night.
5. You wonder how service stations keep their
5. You wonder how service stations keep their
rest-rooms so clean.
6. Someone in your family died right after saying,
6. Someone in your family died right after saying,
"Hey, guys, watch this!"
7. You think Dom Perignon is a Mafia leader.
8. Your wife's hairdo was once ruined by a ceiling fan.
9. Your junior prom offered day care.
10. You think the last words of the Star-Spangled
7. You think Dom Perignon is a Mafia leader.
8. Your wife's hairdo was once ruined by a ceiling fan.
9. Your junior prom offered day care.
10. You think the last words of the Star-Spangled
Banner are "Gentlemen, start your engines!"
11. You lit a match in the bathroom and your house
11. You lit a match in the bathroom and your house
exploded right off its wheels.
12. The Halloween pumpkin on your porch has
12. The Halloween pumpkin on your porch has
more teeth than your spouse.
13. You have to go outside to get something
13. You have to go outside to get something
from the fridge.
14. One of your kids was born on a pool table.
15. You need one more hole punched in your
14. One of your kids was born on a pool table.
15. You need one more hole punched in your
card to get a freebie at the House of Tattoos.
16. You can't get married to your sweetheart
16. You can't get married to your sweetheart
because there's a law against it.
17. You think loading the dishwasher means
17. You think loading the dishwasher means
getting your wife drunk.
And in closing....
Two good ol' boys in an Alabama trailer park
And in closing....
Two good ol' boys in an Alabama trailer park
were sitting around talking one afternoon over
a cold beer after getting off work at the local
Nissan plant.
After a while, the 1st guy says to the 2nd, "If'n
After a while, the 1st guy says to the 2nd, "If'n
I was to sneak over to your trailer Saturday
and make love to your wife while you was off huntin'
and she got pregnant and had a baby, would
that make us kin?"
The 2nd guy crooked his head sideways for a
The 2nd guy crooked his head sideways for a
minute, scratched his head and squinted his
eyes thinking real hard about the question.
Finally, he says, "Well, I don't know about kin,
but it would make us even!"
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