All purpose news and politics thread part v: The quickening

[MiddleMan]

my concern is the judiciary, its stacked with regressive "judges" and a Dept of Education that is led by a craven harpy

[Malvolio]

Bernie Sanders Says Gender Still An Obstacle For Female Presidential Candidates



This is a message I can get behind. The left NEEDS TO STOP tearing itself apart in pursuit of ideological perfection.

Of course, we WON’T, because for some people, that pursuit - and the belief that THEY are the TRUE Left(tm) - makes them feel like they’re more important and better than everyone else. So they’ll continue to sit in judgement of those leftists who don’t get the daily groupthink bulletins on which words are on the “Forbidden Because One Person Somewhere Gets Mad, and Making Them Mad Makes You Hitler” list each morning - apparently, using the word ‘idiot’ to describe a neo-Nazi with a swastika on one leg and an anarchy symbol on the other makes a person Hitler, calling for the extermination of the disabled, now... - and they’ll continue to lament how the Right keeps winning seats with the very worst possible candidates while their guy - the BEST GUY - keeps losing!!! And in their lamentations, rather than turning inward and examining themselves and their behavior, they will blame ‘moderates’ for not being progressive enough, or ‘liberals’ for secretly being Republicans in disguise.

I despise a fence sitter, I’m not gonna lie. In this age, to claim to be ‘undecided’ shows a deeply rooted intellectual laziness that infuriates me. But I despise purity guardians and gatekeepers even more, because their demand for ideological purity and lock-stride perfection from anyone deigning to call themselves leftists ultimately drives away support and stifles enthusiasm that could get us across the finish line.

Yes. For some people, the most important thing is for everyone they know to say, "yes, you're right. It's too bad the government doesn't do things your way." Of course, no one ever says anything like that to them, so they become more and more frustrated. You can read that frustration in every facebook post, in every tweet. They just have no sense of introspection.

[skyvolt2000]

Here comes a new challenger.

-----
"Bloomberg pledges $70 billion to bolster black America in new plan"


https://www.yahoo.com/news/bloomberg...170009427.html

And I am sure other races would really like that.

How is that suppose to work? What is the check and balances?

Throwing money into an issue that required a change of thought more than a change in finance is not going to fix anything.

[zinderel]

Providence gay club claims Buttigieg campaign scrapped fundraiser due to ‘dancer pole’

Buck Asprinio, the general manager of the Dark Lady, said members of the campaign who arrived at the venue ahead of the event said they asked staff members to remove the “dancing pole” in the middle of the club. They refused to do so.
. . .
Asprinio said the Buttigieg campaign canceled the event about 20 minutes before it was scheduled to start, and told people arriving to move over to the Hotel Providence.

He expressed disappointment that the event was moved to a “straight venue” instead of an LGBTQ-oriented one.

“To be an openly gay candidate for president,” I would think they would want to show support for their own community,” Aspirinio said.

Not enough crystals or wine, I guess. A reminder that queer folks arent sexless androids might scare off the rich donors - the ones who actually matter - huh, Pete...?

[TriggerWarning]

Providence gay club claims Buttigieg campaign scrapped fundraiser due to ‘dancer pole’



Not enough crystals or wine, I guess. A reminder that queer folks arent sexless androids might scare off the rich donors - the ones who actually matter - huh, Pete...?

There is no positive outcome of an event with a stripper pole in the background of photos taken.

[Mister Mets]

Providence gay club claims Buttigieg campaign scrapped fundraiser due to ‘dancer pole’



Not enough crystals or wine, I guess. A reminder that queer folks arent sexless androids might scare off the rich donors - the ones who actually matter - huh, Pete...?

What type of politician, gay or straight, would want photo ops with a stripper pole? How exactly is that helpful to any cause?

[zinderel]

What type of politician, gay or straight, would want photo ops with a stripper pole? How exactly is that helpful to any cause?

Why bother pretending they were going to use the venue then? And what the hell is wrong with a dancer's pole, other than that America has a weirdly conflicted prudery problem more in line with the most regressive Middle Eastern nations than other `first world` nations...? Why should an unused vertical pole in a club be deemed somehow 'inappropriate' for adults to see? Because it makes you think of sex, and that makes you uncomfortable? It's unlikely that a stripper was going to hump and gyrate laciviously on the pole while the most boring gay couple in the world held a fundraiser, or anything! What's next? Should we go back to demanding women cover up their shapely calves, lest they drive otherwise respectable gentlemen into a lather? Grow the hell up...!

They knew the queer-owned venue had a dancer's pole. They asked to have it removed and were refused. They continued advertising the event anyway, seemingly accepting that it was part of the venue. And then they decided at the last minute to move the fundraiser to a straight venue, instead.

As if a not-in-use dancers pole is somehow going to pervert a nation.

Please.

They decided that appeasing their rich, mostly straight donors was more important than holding it in the place they originally intended and advertised to the community. They likely got donations from the local community on the back of that venue choice, but once they cashed the checks, they decided that reminding their primary, IMPORTANT donors that gay people are not sexless androids like Chasten and Pete seem to be might backfire and cost them those all important `rich, white, centrist' dollars, and so they dipped like cowards.

[Tami]

POLITICO is tracking every endorsement of 2020 presidential candidates from governors and members of Congress

Celebrity Endorsement Tracker: Which Dems Are Big-Wigs Backing?

Joe Biden is winning Democrats’ ‘endorsements primary.’ Does it matter these days?

[numberthirty]

Why bother pretending they were going to use the venue then? And what the hell is wrong with a dancer's pole, other than that America has a weirdly conflicted prudery problem more in line with the most regressive Middle Eastern nations than other `first world` nations...? Why should an unused vertical pole in a club be deemed somehow 'inappropriate' for adults to see? Because it makes you think of sex, and that makes you uncomfortable? It's unlikely that a stripper was going to hump and gyrate laciviously on the pole while the most boring gay couple in the world held a fundraiser, or anything! What's next? Should we go back to demanding women cover up their shapely calves, lest they drive otherwise respectable gentlemen into a lather? Grow the hell up...!

They knew the queer-owned venue had a dancer's pole. They asked to have it removed and were refused. They continued advertising the event anyway, seemingly accepting that it was part of the venue. And then they decided at the last minute to move the fundraiser to a straight venue, instead.

As if a not-in-use dancers pole is somehow going to pervert a nation.

Please.

They decided that appeasing their rich, mostly straight donors was more important than holding it in the place they originally intended and advertised to the community. They likely got donations from the local community on the back of that venue choice, but once they cashed the checks, they decided that reminding their primary, IMPORTANT donors that gay people are not sexless androids like Chasten and Pete seem to be might backfire and cost them those all important `rich, white, centrist' dollars, and so they dipped like cowards.

Along the lines of the black-owned print shop I posted the story about a while back, yep.

Just a plain, unforced error. If there is any scenario where those sorts of elements were anything like an issue, it should have been the very first thing that was addressed. Not a last minute conversation after funds had been raised and the venue had let folks know that an event would be taking place there.

Again, you want to alienate voters you might need in a General Election? This sort of stuff is a textbook example of exactly how you do it.

[Theleviathan]

Why bother pretending they were going to use the venue then? And what the hell is wrong with a dancer's pole, other than that America has a weirdly conflicted prudery problem more in line with the most regressive Middle Eastern nations than other `first world` nations...? Why should an unused vertical pole in a club be deemed somehow 'inappropriate' for adults to see? Because it makes you think of sex, and that makes you uncomfortable? It's unlikely that a stripper was going to hump and gyrate laciviously on the pole while the most boring gay couple in the world held a fundraiser, or anything! What's next? Should we go back to demanding women cover up their shapely calves, lest they drive otherwise respectable gentlemen into a lather? Grow the hell up...!

They knew the queer-owned venue had a dancer's pole. They asked to have it removed and were refused. They continued advertising the event anyway, seemingly accepting that it was part of the venue. And then they decided at the last minute to move the fundraiser to a straight venue, instead.

As if a not-in-use dancers pole is somehow going to pervert a nation.

Please.

They decided that appeasing their rich, mostly straight donors was more important than holding it in the place they originally intended and advertised to the community. They likely got donations from the local community on the back of that venue choice, but once they cashed the checks, they decided that reminding their primary, IMPORTANT donors that gay people are not sexless androids like Chasten and Pete seem to be might backfire and cost them those all important `rich, white, centrist' dollars, and so they dipped like cowards.

Politicians have to make calculated, bullshit decisions all the time. The real mistake is that they went down this road at all without properly vetting it. Once they found out the details they'd have been idiots to continue.

You can disagree morally that many general election voters would hate this or turn them off, nevertheless it almost certainly would have. Optics are often stupid, but important.

[Mister Mets]

Along the lines of the black-owned print shop I posted the story about a while back, yep.

Just a plain, unforced error. If there is any scenario where those sorts of elements were anything like an issue, it should have been the very first thing that was addressed. Not a last minute conversation after funds had been raised and the venue had let folks know that an event would be taking place there.

Again, you want to alienate voters you might need in a General Election? This sort of stuff is a textbook example of exactly how you do it.

Do you think general election voters are being alienated by this decision?

Why bother pretending they were going to use the venue then? And what the hell is wrong with a dancer's pole, other than that America has a weirdly conflicted prudery problem more in line with the most regressive Middle Eastern nations than other `first world` nations...? Why should an unused vertical pole in a club be deemed somehow 'inappropriate' for adults to see? Because it makes you think of sex, and that makes you uncomfortable? It's unlikely that a stripper was going to hump and gyrate laciviously on the pole while the most boring gay couple in the world held a fundraiser, or anything! What's next? Should we go back to demanding women cover up their shapely calves, lest they drive otherwise respectable gentlemen into a lather? Grow the hell up...!

They knew the queer-owned venue had a dancer's pole. They asked to have it removed and were refused. They continued advertising the event anyway, seemingly accepting that it was part of the venue. And then they decided at the last minute to move the fundraiser to a straight venue, instead.

As if a not-in-use dancers pole is somehow going to pervert a nation.

Please.

They decided that appeasing their rich, mostly straight donors was more important than holding it in the place they originally intended and advertised to the community. They likely got donations from the local community on the back of that venue choice, but once they cashed the checks, they decided that reminding their primary, IMPORTANT donors that gay people are not sexless androids like Chasten and Pete seem to be might backfire and cost them those all important `rich, white, centrist' dollars, and so they dipped like cowards.

Which primary campaign is willing to appear in front of anything that can be construed as a stripper pole?

I get that Buttigieg doesn't want to make Middle America uncomfortable, but a big reason is that he wants to win. Calling out prudes is not going to help defeat Trump.

[jetengine]

Even here in the UK you wouldnt have a politician in front of a stipper pole. Its not about how sexy it is, more that it comes off as cheap, sleazy and unprofessional. Not the kind of air you want to give yourself.

[numberthirty]

Do you think general election voters are being alienated by this decision?

...

Since folks who I am relatively sure will be able to vote in a General Election were involved in this story?

Yeah, I have right around "Zero..." doubt that some of them were alienated by what went down.

[zinderel]

Even here in the UK you wouldnt have a politician in front of a stipper pole. Its not about how sexy it is, more that it comes off as cheap, sleazy and unprofessional. Not the kind of air you want to give yourself.

It all stems back to stigmatizing sex thanks to the religious fundamentalism that white conservatives LIKE, as opposed to the kind that they pretend to hate because its brown people doing it under the 'wrong' God's name. And it's ridiculous to make promises to appear at a venue you KNEW had a dancer's pole, to campaign on and take in money from locals based on an appearance at that specific venue, only to then completely change course at the last possible minute for no reason other than to appease the prudery and fundamentalist nonsense that is damaging not just this country, but every country falling to right wing religious fundamentalist repression.

Without a stripper on it, a pole is just a pole. If it is 'cheap, sleazy, or unprofessional' to be photographed near a pole with no one on it, that's on the viewer, not reality. People have a right to be upset at such a blatant bait and switch.

But hey...the club totally asked for this. I mean, did you SEE how they were dressed...?

[zinderel]

'The red wall is cracking': Buttigieg gets ovation after expecting protests

At least conservative enclaves love him. That's sure to get him the Democratic vote...