'member of congress in a safe seat who always gets to vote his conscience (except on guns) cause you're only accountable to a couple hundred thousand people in a weird state and they like you' is a super sweet gig but it prepares someone for presidency about as much as idk, separating conjoined twins or having a pizza empire
― iatee, Saturday, 23 January 2016 20:01 (eight years ago) link
i don't want anyone who's 'prepared' in the bombcrazy GoldmanSachs fuckway HRC is
― we can be heroes just for about 3.6 seconds (Dr Morbius), Saturday, 23 January 2016 20:02 (eight years ago) link
also plz shoot Bloomberg into space, somebody
― we can be heroes just for about 3.6 seconds (Dr Morbius), Saturday, 23 January 2016 20:03 (eight years ago) link
That Trump quote about 5th Avenue is his most perfect A Face in the Crowd moment yet--that's pretty much Andy Griffith when the mic is surreptitiously turned on. The only difference is that Trump knows the mic is on. He's more Lonesome Rhodes than Lonesome Rhodes.
― clemenza, Saturday, 23 January 2016 20:04 (eight years ago) link
oh awesome - http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/24/nyregion/bloomberg-sensing-an-opening-revisits-a-potential-white-house-run.html🔗
He ain't running. Unless he's going to pull a Buchanan (wink wink)
― Iago Galdston, Saturday, 23 January 2016 20:08 (eight years ago) link
having a pizza empire
I don't know, with every passing year I'm thinking this may be the top POTUS qualification.
― Josh in Chicago, Saturday, 23 January 2016 20:28 (eight years ago) link
The Trump quote with another half-minute of context:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iTACH1eVIaA
The context will get him off the hook, but I'm not sure he doesn't end up saying the opposite of what he pretends to be saying anyway.
― clemenza, Saturday, 23 January 2016 20:35 (eight years ago) link
From that article, it sounds like Bloomberg is getting ready so that he can jump in if it looks like Sanders will be the nominee. That's the only way I can imagine him running.
― o. nate, Saturday, 23 January 2016 20:56 (eight years ago) link
"btw, cruz...soft"
ew
― hunangarage, Saturday, 23 January 2016 21:04 (eight years ago) link
I'm serious. Why do you think he goes to Bermuda every weekend? He likes young Latino men
― Iago Galdston, Saturday, 23 January 2016 21:12 (eight years ago) link
honestly don't see how that Trump quip could lose him any supporters, it's nothing revelatory or shocking, quite par for the course really given his usual rhetoric. and also otm, he is invincible.
― hi-nrg candidate (crüt), Saturday, 23 January 2016 23:57 (eight years ago) link
the trump campaign sort of reminds me of https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antifragility
― rap is dad (it's a boy!), Sunday, 24 January 2016 00:04 (eight years ago) link
as another good example of how people are good at coming up with new terms for old shit and getting excessive attention for it?
― service desk hardman (El Tomboto), Sunday, 24 January 2016 00:21 (eight years ago) link
hahaha
― rap is dad (it's a boy!), Sunday, 24 January 2016 00:25 (eight years ago) link
http://pbs.twimg.com/media/CZcdH_tWIAA0Ifq.jpg
― balls, Sunday, 24 January 2016 00:40 (eight years ago) link
"realize isis is bad"
nice
― global tetrahedron, Sunday, 24 January 2016 01:18 (eight years ago) link
the little heart with wings at the bottom kills me
― nomar, Sunday, 24 January 2016 01:21 (eight years ago) link
or is it a heart being nosed from either side by a pair of hedgehogs?
― nomar, Sunday, 24 January 2016 01:22 (eight years ago) link
i think they're mustaches
― rap is dad (it's a boy!), Sunday, 24 January 2016 01:28 (eight years ago) link
This Bloomberg move is the scummiest thing yet in an already awful and tainted primary. Anyone on the democrat side who applauds this should be deeply ashamed.
― a strawman stuffed with their collection of 12 cds (jjjusten), Sunday, 24 January 2016 05:10 (eight years ago) link
He won't do it. Unless capitalism has to be saved.
― we can be heroes just for about 3.6 seconds (Dr Morbius), Sunday, 24 January 2016 07:26 (eight years ago) link
Going home last night, caught the Buffalo signal for Hannity's show. He had Ann Coulter on. Two things she said: "Hispanics love Donald Trump" (emphasis hers) and "Everyone in New York loves Donald Trump" (no emphasis, but "everyone" was the word). That's quite a break with reality.
― clemenza, Sunday, 24 January 2016 14:30 (eight years ago) link
imagine that
― we can be heroes just for about 3.6 seconds (Dr Morbius), Sunday, 24 January 2016 14:31 (eight years ago) link
At dinner last night some friends trotted out the "Hillary is the most accomplished" line, but couldn't site any specific accomplishments besides generally holding office and/or being Secretary of State. Inevitably the counter was an ad hominem "well, what has Sanders accomplished?" question, but I don't think even his supporters walk around calling him particularly accomplished.
What a terrible election. What I just can't get is how people in a city with Rahm as mayor can't recognize Hillary as a similarly terrible or untrustworthy person, or at least similarly, deceptively right-leaning. It's not just that I don't trust her to pursue a progressive agenda, I'm not sure how much I trust her to successfully maintain the status quo. Or, for that matter, get out the vote.
― Josh in Chicago, Sunday, 24 January 2016 16:04 (eight years ago) link
who the hell cares if a former business man turned mayor wants to run for president
― rap is dad (it's a boy!), Sunday, 24 January 2016 17:10 (eight years ago) link
how is everyone making a big deal about experience going to feel about a guy who...was a mayor of a city
― rap is dad (it's a boy!), Sunday, 24 January 2016 17:14 (eight years ago) link
If I were a former businessman turned mayor, I'd probably run for president too
― Karl Malone, Sunday, 24 January 2016 17:15 (eight years ago) link
a vox article about how many mayors were former businessmen: probably about 75%
― rap is dad (it's a boy!), Sunday, 24 January 2016 17:17 (eight years ago) link
Watching Sanders a couple of times this morning, he's got one really good answer and one terrible non-answer. I don't think Bloomberg will ever run, but asked how a Trump/Sanders/Bloomberg election would go, he answered exactly as he should: it'd be him against two obscenely rich guys, and he'd be okay with that. But asked about Ta-Nehisi Coates and reparations, he avoids the question altogether. I don't want to wade into that myself, but he has to--he has to explain himself.
― clemenza, Sunday, 24 January 2016 17:20 (eight years ago) link
nyc has a larger population than like half the countries on the planet so I mean 'mayor of a city' sure...
― iatee, Sunday, 24 January 2016 17:22 (eight years ago) link
Mayor of New York City probably a more relevant previous job than senior senator from Vermont
― pizza rolls are a food that exists (silby), Sunday, 24 January 2016 17:41 (eight years ago) link
because nyc is a big city?
― rap is dad (it's a boy!), Sunday, 24 January 2016 17:49 (eight years ago) link
yes, please shut up
― k3vin k., Sunday, 24 January 2016 18:03 (eight years ago) link
This jamming of Sanders on reparations is so disingenuous. Has anyone asked Queen Hillary how she feels about it?
― Iago Galdston, Sunday, 24 January 2016 18:13 (eight years ago) link
Yes, that's exactly the defense that is needed, that's what he should say.
― Frederik B, Sunday, 24 January 2016 18:14 (eight years ago) link
Good god this thread is on a loop now
― Οὖτις, Sunday, 24 January 2016 18:14 (eight years ago) link
Well at least we're nearing the end, no?
― Frederik B, Sunday, 24 January 2016 18:15 (eight years ago) link
No, the beginning.
― pizza rolls are a food that exists (silby), Sunday, 24 January 2016 18:20 (eight years ago) link
what Churchill called the end of the beginning. My end comes in 2050 when rising seas take out Aventura and North Miami.
― The burrito of ennui (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Sunday, 24 January 2016 18:23 (eight years ago) link
Here's the Conyers bill. I don't see why a candidate like Sanders couldn't come out in favor of the bill in lieu of specifics yet about what reparations might look like.
https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/114/hr40
― timellison, Sunday, 24 January 2016 18:26 (eight years ago) link
i see why
― karla jay vespers, Sunday, 24 January 2016 18:31 (eight years ago) link
No, but once there has been an actual primary with voting results (NH), perhaps someone could start a Part 3 to this thread.
Here's the Conyers bill.
Although a commission authorized by Congress would carry a somewhat greater weight of authority, the quality of the recommendations will be all that matters. In which case, any organization or foundation could sponsor a commission, find suitably qualified people to serve and come up with a set of findings and recommendations, even if the Conyers bill languishes under Republican control (which, realistically, it will).
― a little too mature to be cute (Aimless), Sunday, 24 January 2016 18:46 (eight years ago) link
A commission authorized by Congress would be an unprecedented legitimization of the argument for reparations, even if none of the recommendations ever came to anything. A commission by a think tank or other NGO would be a meaningless trifle, even if it were co-authored by CATO, Heritage, ACLU, AFL-CIO, Brookings, AEI, ThinkProgress and the Chamber all singing in harmony.
― service desk hardman (El Tomboto), Sunday, 24 January 2016 18:52 (eight years ago) link
A commission co-authored by CATO, Heritage, ACLU, AFL-CIO, Brookings, AEI, ThinkProgress and the Chamber all singing in harmony would be anything but a meaningless trifle. It would be a political miracle. But I understand your point.
― a little too mature to be cute (Aimless), Sunday, 24 January 2016 18:59 (eight years ago) link
Sanders didn't totally avoid the question on reparations; he said that his position is the same as Obama's and the same as Hillary's, which is that we need to focus on fixing the future (with the implication that reparations = rehashing the past, which honestly is something close to what Obama has said about a lot of things in the past, and is fairly standard "mistakes were made"/"if we stop swimming we die" politician rhetoric).
― the top man in the language department (誤訳侮辱), Sunday, 24 January 2016 19:19 (eight years ago) link
the idea that being from a "weird state" without enough people disqualifies you from seeking the presidency is one of the more repulsive and undemocratic ideas i've seen voiced around here
― (The Other) J.D. (J.D.), Sunday, 24 January 2016 19:25 (eight years ago) link
The idea that anyone has said that on here is one of the weirder claims in this thread.
― Frederik B, Sunday, 24 January 2016 19:27 (eight years ago) link
(xxpost) I agree that you could infer all of that into his answer, but that's where he left it, inference: "My reasons are the same as Obama and Clinton," followed by a general discourse on economic opportunity that never mentioned what the reasons were. I'm not saying anything about the validity of his position one way or the other, I just think he'd come across a lot better by simply explaining himself clearly (and regardless of whether the same explanation is demanded of Obama and Clinton).
― clemenza, Sunday, 24 January 2016 19:32 (eight years ago) link
― iatee, Saturday, January 23, 2016 8:01 PM (Yesterday)
― pizza rolls are a food that exists (silby), Sunday, January 24, 2016 5:41 PM (1 hour ago)
― (The Other) J.D. (J.D.), Sunday, 24 January 2016 19:36 (eight years ago) link
I didn't claim that was disqualifying! The idea of "qualifying" for the presidency is inane anyway.
― pizza rolls are a food that exists (silby), Sunday, 24 January 2016 19:37 (eight years ago) link