WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 24, 2024
Plus, a route to successful dances? Yesterday was a very good day at this incomparable site.
We got some helpful medical news. We received some much-appreciated pushback from Kevin Drum concerning that possible ghost dance. (See here, then also see this.)
(More on that disagreement to come. As Kevin basically noted, disagreement is normal.)
And then, this morning, a bit of hope! This post has arrived from PennLive at the Patriot-News in the capital city of swing-state Pennsylvania:
New Pennsylvania poll shows Biden leading Trump in head-to-head
A new, too-early-to-mean-much poll of Pennsylvania voters shows incumbent President Joe Biden holding a 7.5 percentage point lead over former President Donald J. Trump.
But, hey, on this presidential primary day why should New Hampshire have all the fun?
Yes, the poll is very early, and it's a fairly substantial outlier. But on this very best of days, could a worm be starting to turn?
It's our belief that any normal Democratic president could defeat Candidate Trump this fall. In recent months, our concern has been this:
Can the current version of President Biden wage a competent, vigorous campaign on his own behalf? We don't know the answer to that question.
As we noted at the time, our deep concern formed on the day of his speech on Maui following the Lahaina wildfire disaster—and we didn't see "edited" tape on Fox News. We saw the speech live on CNN, exactly as it was delivered, and we came away deeply concerned concerning what might still come.
As Trump has taken the lead from Biden in some scary national polls, it seems to us that our blue tribe elites have perhaps begun staging some recent ghost dances. Example:
Trump refers to Haley when he means Pelosi and we act like some major thing has changed.
That strikes us as a losing play. It reminded us of the vast historical tragedy involved in the "ghost dance" ending of our nation's Indian wars.
As a possible measure for the long run, we thought we saw routes to more successful future dances in a set of recent columns in the New York Times.
For today, we'll focus on Bret Stephens, a long-time standard conservative, but also a long-time NeverTrumper.
Just to establish a record, Stephens isn't going to vote for Candidate Trump this year. Just to establish a record, here's something the NeverTrumper said in yesterday's version of The Conversation with Gail Collins:
STEPHENS (1/23/24): Truth is, if Biden were running against Nikki Haley, I’d vote for her. But a vote for Trump is just an invitation to the furies, both foreign and domestic. His victory would be great for Vladimir Putin and devastating for Volodymyr Zelensky. It would weaken the center-right and center-left while energizing both the MAGA faithful as well as the social-justice warriors. It would debase our culture, debilitate our democracy, disorient our allies and drive normal people nuts.
If the price for avoiding that is Biden’s meh presidency, I’ll take it.
He'd vote for Haley over Biden—but he wouldn't vote for Trump. At this site, we'd vote for Biden over Haley. But here again, disagreement is a large part of normal.
Also to establish a record, we'll reproduce something Stephens said about the Democratic ticket he'd like to see in the field this fall against a Candidate Trump
STEPHENS: Well, the hour is late for President Biden, and my preferred option remains to see the first lady persuade her husband to step aside around the time of the Democratic convention, so that the party can choose a new ticket—ideally Gretchen Whitmer, the Michigan governor, with Adm. Jim Stavridis, the former NATO commander, as her running mate for foreign policy gravitas.
But let’s assume that isn’t happening. My first piece of advice for Biden is: abortion, abortion, abortion.
It's hard to picture some such thing happening. And of course, Stephens didn't say that he'd vote for Whitmer/Stavridis—but he has made it plain that he wouldn't vote for Trump.
To complete the rule of three, we'll offer the part of The Conversation which we'd affirm with the greatest force. Asked to guess about Trump's possible VP selection, Stephens offered this long cool drink of sane:
COLLINS: Kristi Noem, the governor of South Dakota, gets mentioned a lot and recently Representative Elise Stefanik from upstate New York. Stefanik is the one whose questioning of the head of Harvard put the poor woman on a short slide out of office.
Trump reportedly called Stefanik “a killer,” which from him is an enormous compliment. She’s only 39, but I could imagine her getting the nod.
STEPHENS: Stefanik or Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina. He’s pleasant and ingratiating, a tall drink of water. She’s aggressive and unscrupulous, a triple shot of moonshine. And unlike Pence, she’d follow Trump straight to hell. Were it up to me, I’d choose Scott, which makes me think he’ll choose Stefanik.
He's pulling no punches concerning Stefanik. It will be years before we get over the way some of our vaunted blue elites ran to say that Stefanik got it right in her performance with the three college presidents, a colloquy in which her performance was substantially more appalling even than theirs.
We've offered these three clips today to establish a basic record. Stephens isn't a blue tribe denizen, but he's full-throated NeverTrump.
In essence, this new Conversation served as a follow-up to Stephens' most recent stand-alone column, in which, or so it seemed to us, he offered some good sound advice.
That earlier column appeared last week, beneath this puzzling headline:
The Case for Trump … by Someone Who Wants Him to Lose
In that column, it seemed to us that Stephens—an unabashed anti-Trumper—offered some good sound advice. More specifically, it seemed to us that he was offering sound advice to us over here—to us in our frequently self-impressed but routinely ineffective blue tribe.
A glint of good news has emerged from Pennsylvania. It may turn out to be a mirage—or it could always be the start of a change in the nation's political weather.
That said, Candidate Trump could win this fall. Tens of millions of neighbors and friends are going to vote for that outcome, as is their perfect right.
It seems to us that our own blue tribe has played a role in the creation of this state of affairs. Political groupings can earn their way out, and it seems to us that our blue tribe, like every large tribe, may at times have an impulse to do that.
Our concern about November's outcome mainly concerns the degree of vigor with which President Biden will be able to campaign. At this site, we suspect that doctored ghost dances won't be able to save the day.
It may be too late to save the outcome of this year's presidential election, but it seems to us that Stephens' column from last week offered some good sound advice for the much longer run.
Democracy hangs in the balance at this time, our blue elites widely say. We don't know if that's the case, but we think there are much more promising ways for our own blue tribe to perform.
Tomorrow: The NeverTrumper's Tale
ReplyDeletePresident Biden has an important advantage: his son is a genius abstract painter.
This should be announced everywhere, 24x7. His son's masterpieces should be donated to the Louvre and other world museums, for everyone to enjoy. Immediately.
This is a UGE advantage. This is how we win!
Just like a Republican troll to blame a former drug addict for engaging in positive activities and complaining when he sells his paintings instead of whatever financial crimes they have been blaming him for. George W. Bush has become a painter too and his paintings sell for a lot of money because investors expect them to make money for them. Hunter Biden has been made into a similar historical figure by the right wing's attacks on him. I consider it fair that he should gain from the notoriety the right has given him by selling his work.
DeleteOtherwise it appears the vindictive right wing will only be satisfied when Hunter Biden is left without any source of income that won't attract the sharks in the water. They won't be happy unless Hunter Biden is flipping burgers at McDonald's because anything more will be called a grift and blamed on his father (who is not the guy painting or selling any paintings). But Melania gets to sell worthless NFTs using her proximity to Trump and no one cares.
"I consider it fair that he should gain from the notoriety the right has given him by selling his work."
DeletePoor thing. It is unconscionable for his father to take 50% of his hard-earned money.
Don't come here are repeat right wing talking points about Hunter Biden. There is no substance to them. If there were, Comer would have had some evidence to present to his committee, but he came up empty-handed.
Delete
DeleteI was only saying that having a genius abstract painter son whose painting are routinely sold for nearly a million dollars a piece is a UGE advantage.
How is this a talking point? It's not.
I see that you don't want our silo to win. You are a Right-wing troll.
Here is a link to an article where you can see some of Hunter Biden's paintings for yourself. The owner of the gallery explains the precautions taken so that Hunter and Joe Biden do not have any idea who purchased any of Hunter Biden's work. There cannot be a quid pro quo if no one knows who bought the paintings.
Deletehttps://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/05/arts/design/hunter-biden-art-buyers.html
DeletePerfect. If it's in nytimes.com, it must be true!
More true than anything you write, for sure.
Deletenytimes.com: "The owner of the gallery explains the precautions taken so that Hunter and Joe Biden do not have any idea who purchased any of Hunter Biden's work"
Deletemsn.com:
"Hunter Biden knew most of his art buyers despite sham ‘ethics’ plan — contradicting the White House: dealer"
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/hunter-biden-knew-most-of-his-art-buyers-despite-sham-ethics-plan-contradicting-the-white-house-dealer/ar-AA1mI5fH
Bwahahaha!!! I filthy magat trump cultist is here talking about his standards of "ethics". Bwahahaha! Stop it, you're killing me! Bwahahahaha!!!
DeleteThe New York Times article is from 3 years ago. The story has since changed: "According to Comer’s statement dated January 9, Bergès admitted to the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability in a transcribed interview that the younger Biden knew who purchased approximately 70 percent of his art, in terms of value"
DeleteThe vomit, I mean artwork, was purchased directly by Democratic donors that Hunter knew well.
https://news.artnet.com/art-world-archives/hunter-biden-art-2-2419211
Delete@12:00 PM,
Ouch. When you get triggered so badly, ask your obamacare provider for additional meds, stronger than usual.
If these are Democratic donors and not people seeking favors from the government, how does that compromise either Biden? It seems unreasonable to tell any relative of a president that they cannot engage in any profession because it might benefit them in some way. The artwork looks serious and worth the prices paid, to me. It looks a lot better than what George Bush painted, and it suggests that Biden is a serious artist and not just painting canvases to launder payments to himself. Why is Hunter Biden not allowed to be an artist?
DeleteWhen your only political observation is to whine that Hunter Biden has a better life than you, it’s time to sit this one out and spend time introspecting on why you are such a sad loser.
Delete
DeleteHunter Biden is a genius abstract painter. Why not donate his genius paintings to the Louvre? Why? Why?
Excuse me, I'll be crying now.
Why the Louvre and not an American museum?
DeleteThe Louvre. Hang them next to Mona Lisa. This is where Biden Family art belongs.
DeleteI'll bet the Eastern European trolls don't know the names of any American museums.
DeleteYour record is broken, Boris.
DeleteAnonumous 5:11pm, I don’t think anyone has trouble understanding that the life of a president’s progeny may be more exciting than their own.
DeleteIt’s acting like Hunter is Kandinsky that’s the problem.
And NBC Today had to search far and wide to find the perfect person to co-host the Today Show just lurking around the GWBush White House. Talk about serendipity!
DeleteWhat some people will say about art, when they get a thrill up their leg about Hunter's penis, amirite?
Delete"That strikes us as a losing play. It reminded us of the vast historical tragedy involved in the "ghost dance" ending of our nation's Indian wars. "
ReplyDeleteThis is a stupid metaphor for Democratic politics because, for one thing, the Democrats are in control of the presidency and the senate. That makes us the ruling party, not part of any historical tragedy in the ending of any political war in our country. We are not the diminishing Lakotas mourning the passing of the buffalo and the loss of our tribal lands. We are the ruling party after a historic presidential election in which Biden won the popular vote by a huge margin and the electoral vote by a comfortable one.
Comparing the Democrats to Lakotas on the reservation may be comforting to the right wing, but it is an inaccurate comparison. And no, we are not going to lose to Trump this year, when Trump is beset by criminal and civil trials (all of which he has lost so far), a shadow of his 2020 more vigorous self, losing his marbles, and pushing moderate Republicans out of his camp with extremist MAGA antics.
So why does Somerby join the Republicans in predicting gloom and doom for Biden? It is hard to tell whether this is a paid gig for Somerby, whether it is a bid for attention like Bill Maher's rightward shift, or whether he is depressed and not thinking clearly himself. Whatever it is, it seems wrong to be using a religious ceremony of past Lakotas as a rhetorical device and it is tiresome to keep hearing that we Democrats are always wrong, no matter how successful, because Republicans don't like us.
I think Somerby needs to take Kevin Drum's criticisms to heart. I was shocked by how many people in Drum's comments called themselves former readers of this blog. What better way to keep Trump in office than to knock Biden at every opportunity and suggest that Trump is making a comeback? Certainly Somerby has spent no time at all touting the many accomplishments of Biden in the past three years, enumerated at Daily Kos in a running catalog, now up to 18 important achievements and still counting:
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2024/1/24/2210467/-Dark-Brandon-Saved-The-State-of-Virginia-Boosting-Biden-Day-18
Somerby’s cultural misappropriation is super cringey.
DeleteI’ve been on the cover of Seventeen and Mademoiselle. I’ve been in the Sears and JC Penney catalogs. I am Colleen Corby.
ReplyDelete"Can the current version of President Biden wage a competent, vigorous campaign on his own behalf? We don't know the answer to that question."
ReplyDeleteThis is such an odd question. If Biden were a long distance runner, someone might fairly ask whether last term's winner could do it again, because the race would depend on that runner's own physical strength. But Biden is running as the head of ticket, with a campaign team and a VP and surrogates, who are if anything more committed to victory now than in 2020. Biden has a track record in office to run on this year and it includes substantial accomplishments: fighting covid, revitalizing the infrastructure, a recovery plan that averted financial crisis, and much more. That is what an incumbent runs on and why incumbents are so hard to defeat for a second term. No one can argue that Biden hasn't done a good job, except a churlish fool like Somerby.
And this comes from the guy who spent all day yesterday arguing that the elderly Donald Trump's gaffes mean nothing because we can all figure out what he meant to say, given a transcript of his speech. And Trump is surrounded by crazies, under indictment for 91 crimes, has been convicted of business fraud, sexual abuse and defamation of a woman he assaulted but cannot stop defaming, and his wife doesn't live with him any more. This is the person Somerby is worried about defeating?
I find myself wondering if Somerby is happy today because he too aced that terribly difficult cognitive exam that gets harder after you recognize that a camel is not an elephant?
I would happily vote for Kamala Harris over Trump. Since she would take over if anything serious were to happen to Biden, what exactly do we have to worry about?
The Iowa and New Hampshire primaries suggest that Trump can only command slightly more than half of his own party. Many of the Haley voters are saying they would vote for Biden over Trump if she drops out of the Republican race. And Trump is not attracting Independents or undecided voters either. He is essentially only supported by MAGAts at this point. There aren't enough of them to beat Biden.
ReplyDeleteI know math is hard, but Somerby should try doing some.
"Trump refers to Haley when he means Pelosi and we act like some major thing has changed."
ReplyDeleteIf this were Trump's only gaffe, Somerby might have a point, but this has become a pattern of incoherence in Trump's public appearances that, coupled with his other odd behavior, suggests something is very wrong with him.
We should also note one of the problems with how the press at large is covering this is the assumption this would NOT be ludicrous bullshit if he had said it about Pelosi.
DeleteOddly, Nikki Haley gave a victory speech after NH and Donald Trump gave an angry, vindictive speech in which he maligned her dress (why?) and said other mean things about her, as if he were a bad loser. Is he really playing the victim even when he wins? Press speculation is about whether she will stay in the race until the South Carolina primary.
DeleteBut is this what the clear frontrunner is like in a victory speech? She did make a better showing than expected (his margin was 11%, which is less than predicted). But does that explain the angry, mean-spirited attack on her that Trump made in place of graciously thanking his supporters and campaing workers? His behavior is bizarre because he acts like he is losing, while Haley acted like the gracious winner.
Trump supporters should be asking themselves what is wrong with Trump. And if my candidate were behaving like a loser, I would perhaps take his word for it and expect a loss down the road. It may be that Trump will get angry enough to pull out of the race, or blow his stack and have a heart attack or aneurysm or stroke, and let Biden coast to victory in November. Anything can happen. Haley could even become the nominee, under certain circumstances.
As Somerby says, anything is possible. I am thinking about sending Haley some money, just for the fun of it.
On her website, Haley says:
Delete"Nikki Haley here.
I have a different style and approach from Joe Biden and Donald Trump.
No drama. No vendettas. No whining. Just results."
Of course, we know that Joe Biden has no drama, vendettas, or whining either, so this stuff is obviously aimed at Trump. Trump is all drama, all revenge fantasies and vendettas, all victim-style whining, 24/7. His MAGA supporters get off on that stuff, but Nikki Haley is a grown-up. Her numbers are made up of never-Trump and moderate Republicans who CANNOT STAND THAT GUY but also crossover Democrats, Independents and undecided voters. Many of the upcoming primaries are open, so people from any party can vote for her. I think it would be fun to give Trump fits between now and the general election. I also like her style, if not her politics.
I will, of course, be voting for Biden, but it doesn't hurt to support the more viable, sane and responsible Republican in the meantime. And that is Nikki Haley. She makes Trump seem like a monster and she deserves to be rewarded for behaving like a human being. Republicans cannot say they don't have a choice.
"Also to establish a record, we'll reproduce something Stephens said about the Democratic ticket he'd like to see in the field this fall against a Candidate Trump"
ReplyDeleteWhy is Somerby seriously presenting us with the ideal ticket for OUR party, dictated by a Republican? And no, of course Biden isn't going to step aside. Why should he? And I don't think Whitmer could win. She couldn't beat Biden in 2020, nor could any of the people being suggested now as Biden alternatives. But beyond that, Biden has earned his second term with a strong performance as president. Stephens calls him "meh" but Stephens is a Republican. I don't consider the opinion of a Republican about our Democratic president to be dispositive. Somerby's mileage apparently varies, but I am wondering whether Somerby isn't a Republican too, given the way he quotes them and approves of them and follows them on Fox in preference to our own party. When someone quacks like a duck and walks like a duck and does whatever else ducks do, it is time for him to admit he is a goddammed duck.
Somerby is a right winger.
DeleteSomerby is center left and votes hard center
DeleteNo one center left quotes Trump approvingly.
Delete"to us in our frequently self-impressed but routinely ineffective blue tribe"
ReplyDeleteWe won the last presidential election, hold the senate and have saved the country from several disasters, most recently financial default when the Republicans couldn't pass a funding bill. The Dow hit a new high on Monday passing 38,000. What exactly are we ineffective at?
"That said, Candidate Trump could win this fall. Tens of millions of neighbors and friends are going to vote for that outcome, as is their perfect right."
ReplyDeleteTrump lost in 2020 with over 73 million votes. Tens of millions is not enough votes for him to win in 2024.
"Our concern about November's outcome mainly concerns the degree of vigor with which President Biden will be able to campaign. "
ReplyDeleteThis is another jab at Biden's age. Or else Somerby is criticizing his virility, since that is the other euphemistic meaning for the word "vigor." Only Jill biden knows or cares about that.
Until Somerby counts up the number of speeches and appearances made by Biden and compares them to the declining numbers (and audience sizes) of Trump's rallies, I do not believe it is right to say that Biden is doing any less now than he did the last time he ran. It would also help if Somerby were to compare Biden's activity level against that of some other presidential incumbent running for reelection, perhaps Trump in 2020? Trump has to be the laziest president we've ever had.
But Somerby has the nerve to imply (without any evidence whatsoever) that Biden deserved Trump's label "sleepy Joe" back in 2020, when Biden won going away from the ineffective, bumbling, ridiculous Trump.
Earth to Somerby -- a presidential race is not an actual race. That is a metaphor. It is an election. Biden could sit at home and just watch the vote-counting and still be a viable candidate. That's how they used to do it in the old days when speeches were printed in newpapers.
DeleteHow on Earth can Somerby expect us to take seriously that he wants Biden to win when Somerby uses every opportunity to knock Biden? Vigor? I'll take brains and integrity and dedication to his job and Biden's other salient qualities over anyone younger, less experienced, more divisive to our party, and especially over Trump, who cannot enter a room without stealing something from his host.
IMO Trump will lose. He is opposed by the mainstream media, by much of the government bureaucracy and by the entire education establishment. His opponents want so desperately to defeat him that they're willing to grossly abuse their powers. E.g., most of the charges against Trump are blatant abuses of prosecutorial power. Even an ideal Republican candidate would have difficulty winning against these odds, and Trump is far from an ideal candidate.
ReplyDeleteTo me, this situation says that our democracy is in trouble. One party controls so much of the establishment, so that an equal election is almost impossible. The US is pretty nearly a banana republic. Putting the opposing candidate in jail is the kind of thing done in Russia or Nicaragua.
A Trump victory might help to preserve a two-party system, but a Trump victory is not in the cards. Even if Trump somehow won, that would merely slow the march to a single party system. The Democrats have been too successful at getting institutions on their side. A one-party system seems inevitable.
I once lived in a corrupt Republican one party system is a Philadelphia suburb. Now I'm living in a corrupt Democratic one party system in California. In both cases, we got dreadful government.
The funniest thing last night was watching Donald J Chickenshit, fighting 91 felony counts over 4 indictment, rapist and business fraud, whining on stage and complaining about Nikki Haley not admitting she lost. Don't you think so, Dick in CA?
DeleteDavid is a lost cause. Democrats don't control any of the institutions he lists. If Trump ever goes to jail (which seems unlikely), it will be because courts and juries convicted him. The last E.Jean Carroll jury had a MAGA supporter on it but still found Trump liable based on the evidence presented. David apparently doesn't believe in evidence or he wouldn't be calling everything rigged, like a good little MAGA himself. Just because Democrats win, doesn't make this a one-party system. That is being a poor loser.
Delete@David in Cal
Delete"...difficulty winning against these odds"
But the whole point of the Trump phenomenon is that the establishment is fucked up, not connected with most of the population anymore.
Surely you're not suggesting that this situation is forever?
@12:27 - what took you so long?
DeleteDavid may be a lost cause, but you never know who else may be lurking and reading and influenced by something somewhere besides Somerby or David in Cal has said here.
Deletesorry for typo: someone besides Somerby...
DeleteHe is opposed by the mainstream media, by much of the government bureaucracy and by the entire education establishment.
DeleteIt makes me wonder how such a successful and brilliant leader of men, could manage to attract so many opponents. Even many who worked for him or served him seem to be repulsed by the abomination. How do you explain that, Dick in CA?
Fox News is part of the mainstream media, as the largest cable news station.
Delete@1:02 FoxNews is a part of the media, but the Mainstream media is outlets like NBC, CBS, ABC. New York Times.
DeleteFrom The Hill:
Delete"MSNBC, meanwhile, pulled in an average of 784,000 viewers while CNN earned 482,000 in 2023. Fox has been the top-rated cable news channel for more than two decades. Fox's afternoon table-talk program “The Five” was again the top-rated cable news show, averaging 2.9 million viewers and 303,000 in the 25-54 demographic."
That makes Fox News way larger than any competitor. Excluding Fox from any definition of mainstream media makes no sense and is misleading. Somerby also conflates mainstream meda with left-leaning media and that is incorrect, given that the media you list are at most moderate and not leftist.
2.9 million is more than the other stations combined.
Delete1:02 PM, 1:34 PM - the mainstream media is not just cable news. Broadcast news shows get many more viewers than Fox.
DeleteThe Washington Post is owned by the same conservative who owns Amazon and forces his employees to work with robots watching them if they scratch their nose a second too long.
DeleteTwitter is owned by an apartheid emerald heir almost as demented as Trump who took off the guardrails for platforming neo Nazi organizing on the internet.
The entire public assistance system of Utah is contracted out to the Mormon Church so the government can cheap out on its most vulnerable citizens.
The Koch Brothers have an array of lobbies telling you that there's nothing to be gained from lowering healthcare costs and fully funding the school system for everyone the way Scandinavia and most of the developed world does as they're racially pure and we're not. The discrimination and segregation of the school system never stopped, it just became No Child Left Behind, zero tolerance for disabled and Spanish students whose low test scores bring down school averages. This leads to segregation and gentrification of the country.
Walmart was started with money from Mr. Waltons wife and it is still hurting small business and breaking labor unions fighting back.
The New York times and MSNBC cater to liberal audiences but they're very much not interested in telling you that you have more in common with someone from Nicaragua than either red or blue elites. They traffic in paranoia just as much from the center right.
David, the idea that no conservative elite is surviving is absurd. They are just hiding behind lobbies and dark money with nice names like "the heritage foundation" etc.
Always follow the money.
The United States is also a one-party state but, with typical American extravagance, they have two of them.
Delete- Julius Nyerere
No, the US is not a one-party state at all.
DeleteBroadcast news ABC, CBS, NBC are on 1/2 hour a day. MAGATS are plugged into Fox NOOZ 24/7. Right wing hate radio dominates the airwaves. Sinclair Broadcasting infects numerous local TV and radio stations and now just bought a great newspaper, the Baltimore Sun, and will commence to destroying that too.
DeleteGo fuck yourself, David, you whiny ass crybaby.
The following is a list of stations owned or operated by Sinclair Broadcast Group. Sinclair owns or operates 294 television stations across the United States in 89 markets ranging in size from as large as Washington, D.C. to as small as Ottumwa, Iowa/Kirksville, Missouri.[1] Several of these stations are owned by affiliate companies with varying ties to Sinclair—including Cunningham Broadcasting, Deerfield Media, and Howard Stirk Holdings—and operated by Sinclair using local marketing agreements.[2]
Delete@3:59 doesn't speak for me David. You don't have to go fuck anything.
DeleteYou're doing amazing right now. Fight the power.
The MAGATS need to be reprogrammed.
DeleteI am well programmed. I am programmed to play bridge and to concoct word-salads.
Somerby is an ass.
I am Corby.
Any common criminal is opposed by the state and reported on negatively by the media. So what is your point, David. As for banana republics , what occurred on January 6th is quite typical. As instigated by the demented genius who is friends with Putin and would once again have access to top secret files if elected. There are Republican congressmen, governors, and other elected representatives throughout our country so there is no reason your panties should be in such a bundle, except that you are perpetually triggered by your far right wing media outlets. You are over 80 for god’s sake. Grow up.
Delete@3:53
DeleteAh yes the famous liberal sense of humor: "that's not accurate"
For one thing, single-party states elect their leaders by 90%+ margins.
DeleteWhat facts do you have to support your claim?
Trump will be convicted in the DC case, likely ending his brief political career where he was able to cut taxes for the wealthy, ban abortion, and mishandle a pandemic and thus was directly responsible for the unnecessary deaths of thousands of Americans (many of whom, ironically, would have voted for him).
Delete4:46
DeleteLook at Congress hiding behind Kirsten Sinema to hold down wages, bipartisan resistance to universal healthcare, the sacred arms around Tel Aviv, the bipartisan push for the Iraq war.
It's right in front of your face. Two tribes of one big party that you're not invited to.
Both sides! Both sides!
DeleteIt’s dumb juice for morons like 4:55.
Dance your jig, fool, it’s nonsense, but at least it’s amusing.
Are you aware that Sinema is not a Democrat and will not be winning reelection? Same with Manchin.
DeleteSinema was the definition of neoliberals being in both sides
DeleteSinema left the Democratic party and became an Independent when she was primaried and had low poll favorability among her constituents. Manchin has the popular gov of WV running against him. They are both toast.
Delete4:00 : Your facts have no bearing on DIC who, like most Trump supporters, is determined to be a self righteous victim. The world is so unfair to an 80 some odd yo white guy who complains about inflation in the context of his 40 dollar lunches. Much like the almost insurmountable odds that had to be overcome as a Jewish employee of an insurance company. This world pities no one.
DeleteNeoliberals are a handshake between the center and the far right wing, not a person.
DeleteThat's why Biden is bullying immigrants, Palestinians, and didn't endorse railway strikes. That's why there's been no traction for liberals for the working class since 1982 until the Democrats absorbed Naderism and Bernieism to defend the center left against the supposed mostly imagined far left in America, five bookstores in Portland.
I don’t know what the word neoliberal means. Can you please explain it?
DeleteRonald Reagan was a Democrat
DeleteThe neoliberal turn was codified in a Washington Post opinion piece in 1982, the abandonment of labor politics in exchange for large donations to the party.
DeleteCharter schools, disaster capitalism making money off New Orleans after Katrina and the Arkansas rice hegemony over Haiti are examples of neoliberal cults. They're the bastards rising to the top and calling themselves the cream of the crop, the cult of personality where your identity is just raw individual effort toward money, it's the person who whores themselves out to the banking elite and ignores ongoing structural violence of human rights law. They're the Ken doll of the Barbie movie, the Libertarians and the people who say homelessness is a sign of the market balancing rents. They told you only Scandinavia is pure white enough to handle socialized medicine. They told you to forget labor unions and just dry hump the rich peoples legs for doggy treats.
These are examples but what does the word mean? Is it a word you apply to people you dislike or does it refer to an ideology or political faction or what?
DeleteThis country's policy towards Israel which casts a blind eye towards the subjugation of the Palestinians did not start with neoliberalism: there is no historical connection. Assaults on organized labor, such as the right to work laws, did not originate in democratic circles. Cherry picking the railroad strike that was averted can easily be countered by the support given Biden by organized labor. Go talk to the UAW. Democrats and Biden do not promote charter schools. Keep up, please, it is a Republican talking point that they don't. If your point is that there are plenty of rich neoliberals like Bill Ackman that may identify as democrats, welcome to the real world, where money talks and is independent of the professed leanings of its deep pocketed donors, who throw it around based on self interest, not necessarily party affiliations. If you are offended by how the world works in this country, you are equally ill informed to lay your grievances on the doorstep of this administration and democrats in general.
DeleteUnamused, is in the cult
DeleteRahm Emanuel came from the neoliberal Obama admin and closed 50 public schools.
DeleteBiden came from the Obama administration and said Israel could very well be an invention of the US if we wanted it to be.
This is fantasy land values of suicide and conquer. It's geeks who are in the upper class telling you to get a job hippie to the entire question of human rights versus capitalism.
Bill Clinton was powered by AIPAC to punish George Bush for criticizing West Bank settlements
DeleteNeolberalism is the Capitalist response to Stalin, it's the personality cult of the upper class liberal realizing he has more in common with the upper class conservative than the lower class worker, and pursuing capitalist indifference toward the suffering of the poor.
DeleteKirsten Sinema and Reagan switching parties are just smaller version of a much more organized rejection of organized labor.
You can either say you have to be a sellout to political committees and big corporations to win, or you can claim there is no name of this strategy, but you can't do both. Particularly when it was announced in the newspaper in print in 1982.
I don't expect to persuade two people who are diehard in the suicide cult of the hard center to see that they are getting dragged kicking and screaming into progress by the center left right now. The neoliberal turn is nowhere near dying its righteous death it deserves but its taken some punches yeah.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/opinions/1982/09/05/a-neo-liberals-manifesto/21cf41ca-e60e-404e-9a66-124592c9f70d/
unamused - The Palestinians are being subjugated by their own chosen Hamas government. Hamas steals all the foreign aid money and provokes wars against the Palestinians.
Delete"It may be too late to save the outcome of this year's presidential election, but it seems to us that Stephens' column from last week offered some good sound advice for the much longer run."
ReplyDeleteWhat advice? That we should let Republicans dictate who our presidential candidates should be? Biden is running because he demonstrated in 2020 that he could beat Trump. The stakes are too big to switch horses now simply because of Biden's age, when there is no other evidence he would not be a fit candidate and president (unlike Trump's increasing dementia symptoms).
No one is proposing that Biden should become president for life (again, unlike Trump who wants to be a dictator not a president). No one is thinking that Biden should run again after 2024, for any office. I doubt that he would want to.
But we find ourselves in the situation where Biden is our best chance of beating Trump this year. No other Democrat is seriously running and as the poor showing of both Dean Phillips and Marianne Williamson demonstrated yesterday in New Hampshire, Democrats there are strongly behind Biden and do not want to switch to anyone else.
If Somerby cannot get behind Biden, then he should at least stop complaining about him and stop promoting Republican issues, stop defending Trump when he makes obvious mistakes, and stop helping Republicans (especially those who would rather run against Whitmer than Biden). Of course he can continue to all the unhelpful stuff he has been doing on behalf of the Republicans, but in that case, he should stop calling himself liberal.
There is nothing noble about ratfucking, even on a minor scale like Somerby's. He shouldn't kid himself that he is any kind of journalist when he is an obvious shill for Trump and the Republicans.
"Tomorrow: The NeverTrumper's Tale"
ReplyDeleteWhy must we be lectured by Republicans?
In the first month of 2024, Biden has already bombed Yemen, Iraq, Syria, and Somalia.
ReplyDeleteAre you seriously suggesting that the president of the US (of any party) should do nothing when another country attacks its citizens, shipping and military?
DeleteShouldn't the president of the US do something to avoid having its citizens, shipping and military attacked by other countries?
DeleteThat's what he's doing, troll boy. That's what he is doing.
DeleteGod bless Biden for saving us from the impending Yemeni invasion in the United States of Saudi Arabia, which is right next to Connecticut
Delete
Delete@1:42 PM
So, 12:49 PM is wrong? No other country attacked American citizens, shipping and military?
We were attacked and we retaliated, stupid troll boy.
DeleteSo, stupid troll girl, shouldn't the president of the US do something to avoid having its citizens, shipping and military attacked by other countries?
DeleteTo avoid being attacked in the first place, capiche?
Somerby and his fanboys prefer us to roll over and play dead so the fascists can have a field day.
DeleteThat's what he's doing, stupid troll boy, that's what he is doing.
DeleteAre you dumb, troll girl?
DeleteIf he was doing it, citizens, shipping and military would not have been attacked by other countries. Capiche?
"capiche"? Go all the way and say capeesh or kapeesh. Be full on ignorant.
Delete"And while the word does have its roots in Italian, it has been changed in English. You'll never see the word “capiche” in actual Italian. What you'll see instead is capisci (ca-PEESH-ee) or capisce (ca-PEESH-ay), which are both conjugations of the verb capire (“to understand”)."
That’s a spicy meatball, mamma mia!
DeleteCapisci is familiar, capisce is polite.
DeleteIt’s odd that Somerby can retain a vast readership of those who hate everything he writes. And that they feel compelled to save the rest of us from his wily charms.
ReplyDeleteGo read the comments to the Drum article where reader after reader says that they used to read Somerby but haven't bothered for years. Somerby used to be taken seriously.
DeleteI have to ask why so many right wing commenters are here at the blog of a man who professed to be liberal and says he will vote for Biden? That should answer your question about why some liberals are still here.
Somerby argues that we should not treat conservatives as if they are beyond redemption, but you and David in Cal this morning are telling us directly that trying to reach you is useless. Because it is Somerby who has urged us to try, I might ask why you are here supporting Somerby when you don't believe in his message urging civil discussion between right and left.
I like reading mh and the other liberals who comment here frequently. The trolls and conservatives are easily ignored. So is Somerby, for that matter.
DeleteI don’t think anonymices can change the fact that Bob has followers from both sides of the aisle. I would wager that this extends to friends and others people he knows personally and who respond to him in more personal venues.
DeleteThat there are former readers who have decided they don’t care for his blog and dont read him anymore is normal way of doing business. It’s the people who do read him, hate him, attempt to tell him what he should and should not talk about, and who issue vicious personal insults who are the trolls.
"It’s the people who do read him, hate him, attempt to tell him what he should and should not talk about, and who issue vicious personal insults who are the trolls."
DeleteAnd it's sad, really, that they don't have something better to do.
I'm a troll but I never issue vicious personal insults.
DeleteOh, they’re saving democracy. Everyone loathes Bob, but will stay home or run to vote on Trump if they read his blog.
DeleteWhat anonymouices really worry about is that people won’t see things in black and white after reading him.
"What anonymouices really worry about is that people won’t see things in black and white after reading him."
DeleteYes, they don't do nuance, do they?
Somerby is possibly as confused as Trump. The people who support or follow confused leaders are themselves people who don't think very well.
DeleteSomerby has no lefty followers.
DeleteI’m an anonymouse, and I see in full color.
DeleteNuance is fine for the Arts, where interpretation reigns, but it has no place in politics where one is either knowledgeable or ignorant. Right wingers attempt to mask their ignorance with nuance, but they are only conning their own.
Delete"Donald Trump's often-mocked attorney Alina Habba was reportedly spotted at the ex-president's New Hampshire campaign event after claiming to have been exposed to Covid-19 at the E. Jean Carroll trial.
ReplyDeleteMSNBC legal analyst Lisa Rubin flagged the report, saying Habba "was spotted tonight in New Hampshire."
"I’m guessing her health was not the reason for delaying the E. Jean Carroll trial, which is now scheduled to resume Thursday," she wrote."
And then the news is full of stories about Trump's angry victory speech that sounded more like he had lost, and about exit interviews showing that New Hampshire voters are more moderate than Trump's MAGA agenda, more in tune with Nikki Haley.
Somerby is worried because there is no alternative to Biden, but it is Trump who is having trouble as Haley provides a moderate choice for never-Trumpers and less extreme Republicans.
Trump's inability to control his anger toward Haley is another symptom of dementia. It is not to his advantage to sound off as he did, but he did it anyway because he cannot control himself. That is why he is having so much trouble in court as well. And yes, he never had much control before, but it is much worse now. Rage is a bad look for a candidate.
Possibly relevant note: years ago Al Gore was accused of sexual misbehavior in what was essentially a tabloid story that all fell apart. Bob went through the charges against his former roommate with great, objective deliberation and in some detail. It’s interesting to compare that to the Carroll affair, where I don’t think he’s said anything at all.
DeleteHere’s an actual Spaceballs smear: it was a shit movie.
DeleteAnd Mel Brooks only says nice things about you...
Delete"Comedian Jon Stewart is rewinding the clock, returning to “The Daily Show” as a weekly host and executive producing through the 2024 U.S. elections cycle."
ReplyDeletePolitical Wire
But Somerby is worried abut Biden's vigor:
ReplyDelete"We Are Normalizing Trump Again
January 24, 2024 at 11:57 am EST By Taegan Goddard
Thomas Edsall: “Over the past nine years, Donald Trump has been variously described as narcissistic, mendacious, authoritarian, unbalanced, ignorant, incompetent, egotistic and racist — as someone who demonizes minorities and fans ethnic hostility. These assessments are a major reason roughly half of American voters, according to polls, say they will not vote for him.”
“But even as Trump has steadily escalated his defiance of behavioral norms, a substantial share of the American electorate remains willing to cast a ballot for him. Approximately half of the electorate views Trump as a legitimate 2024 presidential contender, repeatedly demonstrating in surveys that they plan to vote for him in a matchup with President Biden.”
“In other words, these voters have normalized perhaps the least normal president in American history.”
My fellow citizen, he told people that they could cure themselves of a plague by sitting in the Sun. The people who are voting for him are doing it just cause they're tired of being in debt one way or another. Remember Biden is a suit from Delaware who doesn't really like to bite the hand that feeds him.
DeleteA more honorable president would cancel more than .3% of student debt.
A more honorable president would be stopping the Palestine genocide as well.
A more honorable president wouldn't break a labor strike because something something Christmas presents.
Delaware, the corporate haven of the US of A.
DeleteHere is an example of a conservative troll trying to appeal to a caricature of progressive children.
Delete3:14 Come November, where should we send the condolence? The envelope will be marked "Strident Inhabitant of the Nonideal World"
Delete3:45 PM "everyone who disagrees with me is a troll" is unfortunately a good guess but not my motivation, i genuinely want to see people be more critical of their cults
DeleteTom Sullivan at Digby's blog explains why Trump is in trouble. Somerby's concerns about Biden's vigor are a distraction from the fact that Trump's support is much softer than in 2020 and Nikki Haley may not win the nomination but she is giving Republicans a protest vote against Trump that reveals his weakness in his own party.
ReplyDeletehttps://digbysblog.net/2024/01/24/losing-their-religion-2/
I have to ask why Somerby is trying to weaken support for Biden instead of analyzing the primary yesterday, which was ultimately favorable for the Democrats.
There is weakness in the Republican Party. There are divisions between the MAGA folks and the folks who don’t like Trump and a division between the neocons and virtually everyone else in the party.
DeleteThat’s why it’s ridiculous to read people here suggesting that Republicans are the Borg, when it’s anonymices demanding that no one step out of line and that they stick with the “seldom is heard a discouraging word” lyrics. Otherwise, IT’S THE END Of DEMOCRACY!
“We have to try and stifle blogs and other speakers to save democracy” is never going to fly with most people.
Aren't the neocons all (or almost all) Democrats now?
Delete
DeleteAnd that, actually, is the main reason for TDS in the establishment. What "MAGA" means, for all intents and purposes, is "stop imperial adventures and take care of your own country". And that's anathema to the neocons/liberal interventionists (both are the same thing).
There’s been a merging of interests between the foreign interventionists and the social interventionists.
DeleteThere will never be another powerful figurehead like Washington, Lincoln, FDR, or Reagan again.
DeleteThere won’t be another character/savior Trump.
Our leadership will be class and its managerial agents.
Oligarchs are always in control of course, but having a nice-looking charismatic figurehead doesn't hurt.
Delete"Washington, Lincoln, FDR, or Reagan"
DeleteWhich of these names is not like the others? Which of these name just doesn't belong?
Figurehead.
DeleteEvery president is a figurehead.
DeleteSomerby fav Dr Bandy Lee assesses Trump voters as suffering from a pathology she calls Trump Contagion. She says Trump voters are stuck in survivor mode and are incapable of rational thought with respect to politics. She says they are dragging America down a death spiral.
DeleteGood on Somerby for promoting Dr Bandy Lee.
Chiefly figurehead in the future.
DeleteAnonymouse 4:25pm, you never noticed the spores falling from the sky in 2015?
DeleteSo the only thing wrong in Bob’s thinking is that he thinks the death spiral is as wide as the entire culture.
DeleteHe’s too inclusive.
So triggered, the right winger crumbles with a self-own.
DeleteActually, he is a nihilist.
DeleteDefinition:
the rejection of all religious and moral principles, in the belief that life is meaningless.
PHILOSOPHY
extreme skepticism maintaining that nothing in the world has a real existence.
HISTORICAL
the doctrine of an extreme Russian revolutionary party c. 1900 which found nothing to approve of in the established social order.
From Wikipedia:
"Nihilism (/ˈnaɪ(h)ɪlɪzəm, ˈniː-/; from Latin nihil 'nothing') is a family of views within philosophy that rejects generally accepted or fundamental aspects of human existence,[1][2] such as knowledge, morality, or meaning.[3][4] The term was popularized by Ivan Turgenev and more specifically by his character Bazarov in the novel Fathers and Sons.
There have been different nihilist positions, including that human values are baseless, that life is meaningless, that knowledge is impossible, or that some set of entities does not exist or is meaningless or pointless.[5][6]"
Somerby emphasizes the "knowledge is impossible" stance and the anything is possible (which implies the entities not existing).
It would suck to be him. I have given up worrying about whether he might be depressed because I think his nihilism is a pose designed to attract attention (he is narcissist in personality) and not a real stance. His guiding principle is probably self-interest, which can be given free rein if one puts aside morality and other value systems.
Anonymouse 4:55pm, I don’t think you’d give a fig about Bob’s gloomy predispositions or dispositions if they were singularly wrapped around The Rightwing Existential Threat.
DeleteWhat chaps you is that Bob also has your Polly Perfect self seated on this runaway train right beside the rest of the world.
CC - "Our leadership will be class and its managerial agents."
DeleteMarx - “the capitalist state serves as the managing committee of the bourgeoisie”
I'm not trying to be snarky, CC, truly. I'm sincerely interested, and I'm asking: Are you subscribing to Marx's views here, or am I totally misinterpreting what you're saying?
Do you think Polly Perfect is an insult?
DeleteAnonymouse 7:16pm, I see that question as thick as concrete.
DeleteDG, were the colonists Marxists when they threw off King George?
DeleteKarl Marx was born in 1818 but the Revolution was in 1776 so it was unlikely he had any influence on them. You and Trump seem to be having similar problems with chronology and American history.
DeleteAnonymouse 10:00pm, it isn’t 1917 either and all concerns about a globalist ruling class are not bent on shooting people.
DeleteWTF? You said something stupid and you have followed it up with gibberish. Do you think any of us will be impressed that you remember 1917 as something associated with commies? Who said anything about shooting people?
DeleteCC - I’m not trying to suggest you’re a Marxist - far, far, far from it - but not everything Marx said is wrong just because he happened to say it. Marx, as I understand him, thought that government was an instrument of the rich that serves to oppress the rest of us. I thought I heard an echo of that sentiment from you, and I wanted to check to see if I had read you correctly.
DeleteAnonymouse 11:00pm, I didn’t remember 1917, I googled it.
DeleteDG, I know you’re not calling me a Marxist.
DeleteHowever, you do want to make a connection as to how I described the current political climate to that of the Marxist struggle.
I don’t want to ditch capitalism. I want to ditch any plan of Marxism for me and capitalism for thee.
Globalists wish to run the world and they’ll align with the left in its desire to restructure our culture. The left will be their muscle/managers, free to socially rehabilitate all we Neanderthals.
We’ll get our paid little apartments, recycle bins, mass transit vouchers, and six packs of Bud Lite.
That’s if we keep our mouths shut…
Where has David been finding all that nonsense about Michelle Obama?
ReplyDeletehttps://www.mediamatters.org/michelle-obama/right-wing-media-baselessly-suggest-michelle-obama-will-be-last-minute-trojan-horse
Predictions about the future cannot be false or true. They represent guesses that might or might not happen. But, I am interested in poll of Democratic preferences. Can commenters please say which Presidential candidate they'd prefer if Biden doesn't run
DeleteA. Kamala Harris
B. Michelle Obama
C. Gavin Newsome
D. Write in your choice
They don't care at all. As long as it's not Trump.
DeleteD. Corby
Delete
DeleteI play bridge, I smell my fingers, I spam Somerby's blog.
Somerby is an ass.
I am Corby.
Spell Newsom's name correctly please.
DeleteIf you vote for Corby, make sure it’s the real Corby.
DeleteDIC likes to rant false nonsense about “black on black crime”, here’s a primer for DIC to explore the depths of his ignorance:
Deletehttps://www.teenvogue.com/story/black-on-black-crime-myth
Anonymouse 4:38pm, it’s Teen Vogue. I’m sure David has already read it.
DeleteWell looky at this elitist snob.
DeleteSo, according to Teen Vogue black-on-black crime is a myth.
DeleteAre there any other shocking Teen Vogue discoveries?
Anonymouse 5:36pm, David is particularly fond of the advice column.
DeleteDavid comes across as a nice person, regardless of his views. You don't.
DeleteAnonymouse 10:58pm, when he’s not being called names and cussed out.
DeleteAnonymouse 10:58pm, you’re calling David a “nice person” from the vantage of no one being able to personally call you out if tomorrow you say otherwise,
DeleteDavid has afforded you the ability to hold him accountable for his past remarks.
Damn right he’s a nice person. You- not so much…
David is a nice person. Cecelia is a nice person. I am Korbi.
DeleteMy answer is D) Write in your choice. I hope that helps.
Delete"I have to ask why so many right wing commenters are here at the blog of a man who professed to be liberal and says he will vote for Biden?"
ReplyDeleteActually, I only know of two: David and Cecelia. Any others? (Anonymice who are too scared to use a nym don't count.)
Oh, the moral courage you display in calling yourself Piep Piper must be very impressive to you.
DeleteNo, it doesn't take courage to use a nym. It's more of an etiquette thing.
Delete
DeleteI used a nym, but deplorables were mean to me.
Somerby is an ass.
I am Corby.
This is a perfect example. I make a snarky insult, saying mice are scared, and you can hold me accountable. If you want, you can avoid my comments completely in the future. But if I were a mouse, I could hit and hide.
DeleteYou still can.
DeleteOthers include AC/MA, Hector, Dogface George, and several others who do not use nyms either. Lately there have been pro-Palestinian trolls, corby trolls, someone who claims both parties are equally bad and argues for class not identity issues (which is a theme on right and left), sometimes a misogynist troll or a pro-life troll, depending on content of comments.
DeleteIf you think I'm right wing, you're f'n nuts.
DeleteThe occupation of Palestine has to stop.
DeleteAll we can judge you by, dogface, is your behavior here. You pick fights with all the liberals.
DeleteLet me explain something using small words. Even liberals can, and do, make batshit arguments. Rebutting a batshit argument made by a liberal can readily be done by another liberal.
DeleteGeorge, you make ignorant, bad faith arguments that cut against the blue tribe. Nobody is fooled into thinking you are not a run of the mill right winger.
DeleteLet’s be real, your wimpy denials amuse us, and we need a laugh for time to time.
You ARE f'n nuts.
DeleteIt’s like you are literally tickling me.
DeleteStop, or I’ll piss my pants.
(But keep going, we need the chuckles)
I doubt anyone here cares whether you think of yourself as a liberal or not. We would be happy if you left because all you do here is attack other commenters.
DeleteI didn't pick a fight - I was dragged into this, and then called "ignorant," "bad faith,' and "wimpy." I can take all that, but call me "right wing" - them's fighting words!
DeleteWhat has not been lost on anyone is that you fight like a right winger.
DeleteAnd here's the thing: You don't have to be "happy if I left." You can be happy right now. You can just skip over my comments, because I use a nym. You're welcome.
Delete"What has not been lost on anyone is that you fight like a right winger."
DeleteI submit this as a perfectly meaningless comment.
One heck of a performance tonight.
DeleteThe redundant insult of “mouse” and “hiding” does not decry bad manners but a lack of courage, so it does more than imply that you think you are brave by using a handle. The competition for most tiresome joke in the quest book, the infantile Corby guy, does illustrate how the comment section right wingers will try to harass a left winger who can easily out argue their lame efforts. Cecila, who has nothing to offer but her links to dopey hard right websites, has never made an interesting or substantive comment in the comment section after years of trying.
DeleteWhat links? What websites?
DeleteMy perspicacious comments enrich this blog. I am Corby.
DeletePied Piper 3:26pm, anonymices aren’t scaredy-cats. They’re slimy opportunists.
DeleteHow come the anonymouse brass hasn't come up with an avowed conservative character?
DeleteYou know, a conservative who hates the current conservative cohort because they’ve become too extreme?
Corby, wouldn’t that have made more sense?
opportunist definition -- "a person who exploits circumstances to gain immediate advantage rather than being guided by consistent principles or plans"
DeleteIn what way do anonymous commenters do this, what advantage is gained and why would this be "slimy"?
I used to think you were a poorly educated right winger but now I think you are a non-native English speaker working in a troll farm. You misuse English words so frequently that no one could be that stupid.
Anonymouse 9:58pm, apparently Kevin Drum requires commenters to have a nym, Bob does not. You therefore take advantage of that by making attacks on the blogger and other posters, and issuing pronouncements, opinions, affirmations of your own virtue, that no one can track or hold you accountable for from one post to the next.
DeleteYou’re a slimy opportunist.
I have a nym on Kevin Drum's blog. No one abuses it by stalking or trolling me, because Kevin Drum moderates his blog. What advantage do I gain here, where people mistreat commenters regularly? You especially. Somerby doesn't care enough about his blog to moderate the cesspool that you trolls make of these comments. It is always better here when you are gone.
DeleteI was not part of this thread until a mouse dragged me in and insulted me. When I hit back, the mice gathered and started squeaking.
DeleteAnonymouse 10:57pm, anonymices relentlessly insult Bob and commenters who differ with them.However, Bob is at fault for not protecting anonymices from all pushback?
DeleteThe only reason you can specifically accuse me of being the meanest person here is because I have a nym. That’s the courtesy I offer you while you fire spitballs in anonymity. .
CC - I’m still laughing about your links and websites.
DeleteDG, oh, good,
DeleteI never insult Cecelia. Well, hardly ever. OK, once in a while. But she's a good sport. And she can give as good as she gets.
Delete12:21 - Here’s the thing: I believe you, but it doesn’t matter a whit, because nobody knows who you are. We can’t say, “Oh, that’s the nice Anonymous” when we see your comment.
DeleteAnd the ratio of Asshole Anonymice to Nice Anonymice is
Deletedistressingly high.
I can flatly say I’ve never insulted George.
DeleteThanks Kevin Drum, for hitting the same odd point that I did yesterday about Bob lamenting American importance. Note Bob has nothing to say in reply to Drum’s facts. Bob’s a pretty bitter guy.
ReplyDelete