US Politics November 2017

it's the tone.

Eichmann in Jerusalem is a fairly different thing from that shitty NYT article.

xp Absolutely.

I like The Man Without Qualities. Doesn't mean I want a gushing article about any Franz Joseph Fan Club.

The banality of the banality of evil

that said, i am one of those who DO need to see the Nazis as cartoon villains in order to know they're bad. because i am simple-minded and dim.

i thought it was instructive to see that a person can appear normal in some spheres of his life but, given the right conditions and incentives, be an absolute monster.

Did you read it when you were eight? Or was there some reason that this was something you needed to be "instructed" about as an adult?

Exactly. And there's also a difference I think between retroactively determining how almost an entire country became complicit in a historic mass racist genocide vs. profiling some shithead outlier in America. I mean, there are plenty of racists in America, who cares about the handful that are stupid and misguided enough to actually identify as Nazis? I don't give a shit about them. I care more (but still not much) about people who don't identify as Nazis and claim not to be racist but still enable those strains of belief. The failing of this piece is not focusing on the factor that make this dude different: that is, his explicit declared allegiance to an irrational ideology of hate. If you're not gong to dive into why he's one of the few to actually identify as a Nazi and Nazi beliefs, then why bother?

xpost

Not ~ entirely ~ convinced Treeship 2 isn't actually Treeship tbh

t2 not as loosey goosey imo

Treeship of Theseus, imo

Treeship of Fools

Treeship of Theseus, imo

― Frederik B, Monday, November 27, 2017 8:21 AM (seven minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

this is pretty good

people get killed in
the result of treeshipbuilding

second coming of treeshus sheist

Since the first day I took office, all you hear is the phony Democrat excuse for losing the election, Russia, Russia,Russia. Despite this I have the economy booming and have possibly done more than any 10 month President. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 26, 2017

well it's about time they started smearing mueller

http://www.newsweek.com/robert-mueller-special-counsel-russia-aides-criticize-722670

he is the jan brady of presidents (xpost)

There you have it, he's a 10-month president. No need for all those other months.

Time for him to pack his bags

"possibly done more"

Well I’d be surprised if the rancid little fucker could spell Cambridge Analytica on first try.

We should have a contest as to which of the Networks, plus CNN and not including Fox, is the most dishonest, corrupt and/or distorted in its political coverage of your favorite President (me). They are all bad. Winner to receive the FAKE NEWS TROPHY!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 27, 2017

oh cool he still remembers his Apprentice days!

"your favorite President (me)." strong contender for next month's thread title

As in #metoo

plus CNN and not including Fox.

hey i have a magic trick. just... wait... just close your eyes for a second

Fox disqualified for winning the trophy 20 years in a row

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

Christ on a bike

Every network is FAKE NEWS except for FOX, which airs Real News about how Hillary hasn't been to the dentist in NINE months even though you're supposed to get a checkup every SIX months

I will spend every penny I have to my name to watch the live pay-per-view special of our favorite president being drawn and quartered. Like, I will sell all of my stuff. Whatever it takes.

Who knows about anything anymore, but it does seem that the tax proposals are, go figure, not only really unpopular with the millions of people they would hurt - no one seems to be buying the "middle class cut" BS - but at least as of right now, on paper, not good enough to gain enough GOP senators to pass. Or at least, on the latter front, certain hand-wringers would have to, for no clear gain, hold their nose and vote for something that explicitly violates various pledges and principles (like the deficit, or health care or whatever), but I really don't see why they would do that. I mean, of course I do, but it just seems so dumb, even by DC standards, to back off your own standards and vote for something that no one likes for the sake of, what, not entering 2018 election season in a weakened position? The way it looks now, passing something shitty for everyone (but corporations) might be even worse than not doing anything at all. At least people can run on "we're holding out for something better." It's tougher to run on "yeah, it was a terrible plan, but we needed to do something to appease corporations and big donors." Though sure, try that one out.

Not sure I'd count on the "better a pedophile than a Democrat" party to do the right thing for their constituents here, especially given how they've been told in no uncertain terms that the donor money was going to stop flowing if they can't get tax reform done. Then again, this bill is such an unlikeable mess. I can't fathom how this stuff gets architected - like Obamacare repeal, all you need is something that's simply "bad", but they can't even manage that!

Let's just do it and be legends!

Kind of like the Alabama race, it seems sort of a lose-lose.

unfortunately, they may lose less passing the tax bill than not. If they pass it, they piss off some voters, but please their donors and get to pocket a juicy tax cut. If they don't pass it, they lose their donors and their tax cut, while their voters will still be somewhat pissed because it seems like they aren't getting anything done. If they sense that they are going to be facing a wave election next year and will be losing their seats either way, why not at least get the juicy tax cut?

bc it's evil

at least i hope that murkowski and mccain believe that

Poll: Majority of small businesses oppose GOP tax bill

Seems an exploitable fissure in the GOP coalition.

made the mistake of watching a little Morning Joe this a.m. and they were incredulous that the Dems have not been able to make better political hay of this shitty tax bill. somehow collectively ignoring the fact that, as JiC points out, IT IS ACTUALLY MASSIVELY UNPOPULAR. aside from horse-trading I don't see what the Ds can do to actually stop this train if the GOP decides once and for all to send it down the tracks. doesn't matter if 100% of the public hates it. I guess in theory it could become as politically toxic as ACA repeal, but I think we knew all along this was going to be a far tougher sell, especially if enough people in the middle class are getting back something if only in the short term.

Murkowski seems to support the bill so far. I don't think evil ranks very high in their list of concerns. In fact, I'd call evil their raison d'être.

McCain is an evil prick on the vast majority of matters so idk why he wouldn't support this (beyond political expediency/PR)

mccain hinting he might thumbs-dumb tax "reform" too?

http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2017/11/mccain-recounts-obamacare-repeal-death-blow-in-new-interview.html

McCain's sole m.o. has been complaining about "regular order" (lol) and this tax bill has been through committee and will go to the floor for amendments, which is considerably closer to "regular order" than the b.s. process that the obamacare repeal bill went through.

I bet he's a yes.

maybe he dies sitting on his thumb up

CBO score is out and guess what?

http://thehill.com/policy/finance/domestic-taxes/361913-cbo-senate-tax-bill-would-hurt-poor

Fake news

will one GOPer have the guts to come out and say "poor people are subhuman" /tr3nch4n1

Why bother saying it when your every action clearly broadcasts the same sentiment?