HassleCat
HassleCat's JournalThe Ben Carson surge, explained
Andrew Prokop has an article for Vox.com. http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/ben-carson-has-surged-into-second-place-behind-trump-here%e2%80%99s-why/ar-AAe13MD?ocid=iehp
Prokop’s explanation of why Ben Carson is “surging” (remember the media like to invent trends) is basically that Carson is the adult in the room. Prokop has a list of Carson assets: biography, positive attitude, outsider status, appeal to religious fundamentalists, and a position on race that is comfortable for white people. There are some comments, presumably from elderly white people, about how Carson would help black people take advantage of all the wonderful opportunities that await them. You really should go to the link if you want to see naïve. In spite of Prokop’s list of Carson’s selling points, it’s pretty clear his major appeal, perhaps his only real appeal, is his conservative message on race, and his attacks on those who seek to exploit racial issues to divide the country. He doesn’t name these sinister forces, so his audience can fill in the blanks with whatever name or image they prefer.
Here comes President Trump! (according to a poll, anyway)
There is an article in The Hill, by Eliot Smilowitz. http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/poll-trump-beats-hillary-head-to-head/ar-AAdXQUs?ocid=iehp
According to the article, there is a poll by Survey USA that has Trump beating Clinton 45 to 40. I’m not sure whether or not to believe this, but it’s certainly conceivable. Many of us here on DU underestimate the depth and breadth of “backlash” sentiment and thinking. It’s relatively easy for xenophobic candidates like Trump to whip up anger at immigrants, foreigners, minorities, etc. I don’t see things turning out this way in the general election, but I may be too generous in my assessment of my fellow citizens.
The poll also has Trump beating any of other the other Democrats by approximately the same margins, which makes me wonder about the results.
Police fire 84 shots at suspect, hit him once
Here is something from a New York Daily New story by Rocco Parascandolla, Ryan Sit & Larry McShane. http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/cops-fire-84-shots-at-robbery-suspect-hit-him-once-police/ar-AAdWWsv?ocid=iehp
According to the story, police in Brooklyn pursued an armed robber and engaged him in two gun battles. The police fired 84 rounds at the suspect, and one shot hit him in the leg. I guess we could criticize the police for their obvious lack of marksmanship skills, but I’m more concerned about the safety of bystanders. The police seem to be in the “spray and pray” mode, where they empty their weapons at a suspect with little regard to where all those bullets are going.
Let' see if they call it Obamadeal
The president said something like, "I can tell you one thing. When the Affordable Care Act is working, and people like it, they won't call it Obamacare anymore." (I'm quoting from memory, so that's not an exact quote.) Very true, Mr. President. I wonder if the same thing applies to the nuke agreement with Iran. I'm surprised the Republicans are not already calling it Obamadeal. You know they're ready to compete with each other to make the most outrageous comments, to see who gets on Fox News. With all the criticism they're going to unload from the manure spreader, I think the threshold will be pretty high. To get noticed, they will have to accuse the president of treason, stupidity, being a secret member of ISIS, etc. Let the fun begin!
Kim Davis' attorney now spouting off
From an AP article by Adam Beam
The attorney for Kim Davis is now claiming the marriage licenses issued while she was in the clink are not valid. This is an interesting situation, not just because it’s a civil right battle, but because it shows how things operate in small town America. Davis has six deputy clerks and all but one agreed to issue marriage licenses. The one deputy clerk who insisted on supporting Davis is her son. That’s right. Her son works for her as a deputy.
The attorney says the legislature should change the law so marriage licenses are not issued under the authority of the county clerk, to protect the “religious liberties” of county clerks who believe some obscure passage from Leviticus overrides their obligations as public servants.
http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/jailed-clerks-attorney-marriage-licenses-are-void/ar-AAdWizc?ocid=iehp
They're not giving up trying to sink the Iran agreement
The pop-ups are still fast and furious, urging me to call Senators and tell them to oppose the agreement. I guess both my Senators have caved in to the socialist peaceniks, since they now want me to call some guy I don't even recognize, not my own Senators.
Transgender controversy
From an Washington Post article by Michael Miller
This appears to be taking place in Hillsboro, Missouri. A transgender teenager named Lila Perry is using the girls’ bathroom and locker room. She has not yet had gender reassignment surgery, so she is physically male. Apparently, many of the female students are not ready to adapt to the new situation. The school district had been allowing Perry to use the staff bathroom, but she said that excluded her and made her feel isolated, as if she were some kind of third gender. So the school district said she could use the same shower and bathroom as the other girls.
There’s an obvious conflict of individual rights going on here. Lila Perry has the right to identify as a girl, and to be accepted as such. The other girls have the right to not have to shower with a person who is physically a male. What do you think? How far does the right to be accommodated extend? I understand her need to feel like a girl, but I think she’s pushing it too far. She might feel like a girl, but she doesn’t look like one. Asking her to use the staff facilities is reasonable.
Of course, things are out of control in the community, with Lila’s friends saying it’s OK, and the other girls saying it’s not OK. The idiot Christians are involved, hiring lawyers and organizing demonstrations.
http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/a-transgender-teen-used-the-girls%e2%80%99-locker-room-now-her-community-is-up-in-arms/ar-AAdSn1R?ocid=iehp
Send message to Cantwell
The Internet is alive with a message wanting you to call Maria Cantwell's office and tell her to oppose President Obama's proposal for a nuclear arms deal with Iran. As you would expect, it's from a right wing group called MakeAmericaSecure.com2014. Of course I sent an email to Cantwell, urging her to support the President. I hope all my fellow Washington citizens will do the same. Thanks.
Going after Gowdy
I'm so happy someone is giving Trey Gowdy a taste of his own medicine. There is a post on the Hillary page that alerted me to this, but it's good for general discussion, I think.
There seems to be a group called Correct the Record, and they're trying to defend Clinton against the ceaseless attacks by Gowdy and his Benghazi (excuse me... BENGHAZI!) "investigation." They're demanding Gowdy turn over all of his emails, which they believe will reveal a pattern of using his "investigation" to perform a political hatchet job on Clinton. They allege Gowdy lied when he said his "investigation" would not be used for political gain, and they claim releasing his emails will prove Gowdy coordinated with anti-Hillary organizations to conduct a smear campaign.
Well, I'm not sure the emails would reveal all that, but they would surely show Gowdy's "investigation" is a three ring circus comprised entirely of clowns. It was proven he and Darre Issa slow-walked the process and leaked information to make it look like they had something when they had nothing. If we saw the emails flying around, I'm sure we would see frequent communication with various right wing groups, and probably some specific stuff about how they planned to skew the "investigation" to make it look like they had ore than they actually did.
Dog fight? Cat fight? Clown fight?
Is this funny, or ironic, or both? Donald Trump and Rand Paul are in a HUGE pissing match. Here is a link to the WaPo story.
http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/donald-trump-mocks-rand-paul-calls-on-him-to-quit-presidential-race/ar-BBlHdrl?ocid=iehp
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