How Things Change

Way back in the aughts, Move On had a contest in which anyone could submit a video for an ad. I don't even remember what it was for. One random person submitted an ad that was deemed to be anti-Semitic. If I remember correctly - and I might not! - it wasn't even really anti-Semitic, it just made some inappropriate Nazi comparisons (one can understand that facile and incorrect Nazi comparisons aren't really acceptable while still seeing that antisemitism wasn't the likely intent). This was enough for Democrats to denounce Move On and their evil ways, with the media basically demanding it. I might be mis-remembering how bad the ad was, but the real point is that it was submitted by a random person in a contest open to everyone, not the recipient of the Move On Oscar or anything.

Now Trump supporters are filled with neo-Nazis, white supremacists, white nationalists, the alt-right, or whatever they're calling themselves this week. You don't have to go nutpicking to find blatant and outspoken antisemitism. Not a lot of denouncing going on.

Will Republicans lose the Jewish vote? You know, the one they never win anyway?

If Nothing Else

This election season has not contained any discussion of how this time, really, is the election when Democrats lose the Jewish vote. We hear this every presidential election, despite the fact that after African-Americans, Jews are the most reliable religious-ethnic-racial* voting group. Pundits just know that Jews are Republicans at heart.

*Identifiable minority groups can be some combination of these things. It's complicated.

Morning Thread

A ground game is so much more than getting out the vote on Election Day, though there's that too. Here we see that the HRC Campaign has got one, and the Chump does not.

How Many Polls

Just came across another person hectoring teh millennials for maybe not voting for Hillary Clinton despite all polls showing that they'll vote in greater proportions for Hillary Clinton than any other generation. It's a funny obsession. I guess it started with the "Bernie Bros" and how they were all immature stupid not really Democrats who didn't understand politics and therefore could be ridiculed for being immature and stupid and their votes really shouldn't count because of all of them being stupid and not understanding that politics isn't about getting your unicorn right now. The olds worked hard to take your unicorns away! You can't have them back overnight! Now they're immature and stupid because some of them might not vote (young people generally have low turnout, there are good reasons and bad for this) and some of them might vote for third party candidates but those immature and stupid little shits had better obey or else they're going to go back to their basements with no supper! Unlike all other voters, they actually want the candidates to cater to them sometimes! Stupid fucking millennials! You'll take those references on NPR from 1987 and you'll like them!

Telling the kids to get off your lawn might be fun, but don't kid yourself into thinking you're doing your part for the greater good. You're just being an asshole, and what they hear is "yeah, well, it's our fault you can't afford your own house but get off my fucking lawn anyway." Thanks pops!

Maybe instead go to one of those places where The Kids Today congregate, like The Beard Emporium, or Ikea's Basement Furnishings, or the video game store, or maybe a hippity hop concert, with a clipboard and some voter registration forms. Could help. Nah, the stupid little fucks can't be trusted to vote anyway

Holding Pattern

My guess is that absent a video of one of the candidates killing a child - and maybe not even then! - nothing much can happen to change this election. I don't mean that the outcome is set and we can all place our bets and go home. The dice still need to be thrown. But it's hard to imagine anything either campaign can really do to change things.

Scary Weather

Global climate change might mean more localized extreme weather events. It might mean the opposite, depending on where you are, though it probably means more extreme weather events generally. Rising sea levels are going to be pretty universal.

Anyway, no deep thought here, other than shit is fucked up and bullshit and good luck Floridians and others affected.

Bye Bye Duck Boats

They were a horrible safety hazard (very narrow sight lines, horrible blind spots) plus the operators (and patrons) had a "we have a big vehicle so we own these streets" attitude as they were riding through residential neighborhoods. Also, too, people died.

Morning Thread

Florida peeps, stay safe.

America's Worst Humans

Jesse Watters.

The Failed Clinton Presidency

I've long held the belief that Dems needed 3 consecutive terms in the executive branch to rebalance certain things that had gone a bit off kilter since the Nixon era. I stand by that, though I'm a bit less optimistic about how much that will ultimately help. The Blob, the Deep State, and various other bipartisany elements of the permanent floating Washington power class aren't going to budge too much. Still if the most we can hope for is to nudge things one way or another, better one way than the other.

And then there's Congress. I can't think of another election when I've heard less about the downballot races. Weird.

Blaze Out

It's been pretty amusing that Beck's final (possibly) act has been to be like "you thought I was crazy? Now that guy - Trump! - he's crazy!"

Most of you don't waste your beautiful minds with this stuff, but Beck's Fox show was almost art. Highly damaging art, but art nonetheless. Really really bad damaging bullshit art.

Lunch Thread

enjoy

Not Quite As Relevant As It Was

It's good that I can read this Harry Truman bit now and not think he's talking to the present. 1993ish-2006ish he was.

I've seen it happen time after time. When the Democratic candidate allows himself to be put on the defensive and starts apologizing for the New Deal and the fair Deal, and says he really doesn't believe in them, he is sure to lose. The people don't want a phony Democrat. If it's a choice between a genuine Republican, and a Republican in Democratic clothing, the people will choose the genuine article, every time; that is, they will take a Republican before they will a phony Democrat, and I don't want any phony Democratic candidates in this campaign.

But when a Democratic candidate goes out and explains what the New Deal and fair Deal really are--when he stands up like a man and puts the issues before the people--then Democrats can win, even in places where they have never won before. It has been proven time and again.

We are getting a lot of suggestions to the effect that we ought to water down our platform and abandon parts of our program. These, my friends, are Trojan horse suggestions. I have been in politics for over 30 years, and I know what I am talking about, and I believe I know something about the business. One thing I am sure of: never, never throw away a winning program. This is so elementary that I suspect the people handing out this advice are not really well-wishers of the Democratic Party.

Brexit Madness

Usually I take some solace when other countries go stark raving mad. We're not the only ones! Ha ha! But now it's both of my countries.


It was funny when we could laugh at Trump and Boris having the same hair (close enough).

Meh

I say meh. Pretty sure most of the voting population says the same.

Debate Final

Tim Kaine was a Dad and Mike Pence is horrible. That is my debate review after not watching.

Even More Thread

How's your liver?

More Thread

Number 2 for the number twos.

Debate Thread

Number 1 for the number twos.

Afternoon Thread

Made plans before knowing about or I forgot about the debate tonight, so I might not see it. Could be a game changer!!!