All purpose news and politics thread part v: The quickening

[Tami]

Anyone else wonder if this makes any property with Trump's name or money attached to a soft target for Iranian terror attacks now?

After Trump states that he's targeting 52 sites within Iran, including Culteral and historic sites (which is a war crime), I would be surprised if Trump property isn't targeted.

edit: or taking it a step further


Iran state TV places $80 million bounty on ‘the head of President Trump’ after the killing of top general

Iran state television on Sunday announced an $80 million “reward” for the head of U.S. President Donald Trump.

According to the announcement, Iran is offering $1 for each of its 80 million citizens. The money would purportedly go to the persons who “who get close to the head of President Trump.” The reward was first reported by EN24.

“Iran has 80 million inhabitants,” the statement said. “Based on the Iranian population, we want to raise $80 million, which is a reward for those who get close to the head of President Trump.”

[WestPhillyPunisher]

After Trump states that he's targeting 52 sites within Iran, including Culteral and historic sites (which is a war crime), I would be surprised if Trump property isn't targeted.

Like Trump cares about culture, and history to him is what he had for dinner last night. With the White House so far refusing to reveal evidence about what attacks on Americans Suliemani was planning, this is looking more and more like a repeat of Dubya and those nonexistent WMD’s, and, like with Bush 43, it was all a ploy to help bolster Trump’s re-election chances.

[InformationGeek]

Oh this can only end badly. VERY BADLY.

[WestPhillyPunisher]

Oh this can only end badly. VERY BADLY.

Shit! That has Stephen Miller’s fingerprints all over it!

[GindyPosts]

Meanwhile, Iraq is talking about kicking U.S. forces out of the country, meaning any inroads in the fight against ISIS is deader than last night’s fried chicken. But hey, it was Hillary Clinton who would start a war in the Middle East if she were president. Trump has fucked up this situation six ways to Sunday, and everyone who isn’t a Republican or hasn’t been brainwashed by Faux News knows it.

But emails... pizza... George Soros!

Sure, Benghazi was a major screw up, but we didn't deliberately murder a country's second in command that night!

[SquirrelMan]

Turning into a nailbiter. Lying about his heart attack does not seem to hurt Sanders in the polls in Iowa:

Results of CBS/YouGov’s new polling Dec. 27 - Jan. 3 (thread)

Iowa
Sanders 23%
Biden 23%
Buttigieg 23%
Warren 16%
Klobuchar 7%

[Billy Batson]

Turning into a nailbiter. Lying about his heart attack does not seem to hurt Sanders in the polls in Iowa:

Results of CBS/YouGov’s new polling Dec. 27 - Jan. 3 (thread)

Iowa
Sanders 23%
Biden 23%
Buttigieg 23%
Warren 16%
Klobuchar 7%

Feel the Bern

[SquirrelMan]

He sure is lucky that the first primary/caucus states are so very white.

[The Overlord]

He sure is lucky that the first primary/caucus states are so very white.

Who has the better policies for African Americans and other minorities? Bernie Sanders or Joe "Forced Busing, Crime Bill, Mass incarceration" Biden? And if you are not takking about Biden over Bernie, who are you talking about? Mayor Pete's supporters do not seem like the most diverse bunch ever.

I bet corporate sellouts like Biden or Mayor Pete would cave into the GOP's racist agenda in the name of "bipartisanship". Biden or Mayor Pete can give the GOP the border wall in exchange for deregulation of Wall Street or massive upper class tax cuts.

[Kusanagi]

As a African American, I don't think any candidate has actually distinguished themselves in regards to African Americans. Biden has the advantage because he's associated with Obama, not because of his actual policies.

There's an argument that African Americans are more conservative/center, but I think this might be a more social/religious notion than a economic reaction. Either way I haven't seen much in terms of evidence aside from far older votes, and speculation.

[Tami]

Graham threatens to 'take matters in our own hands' if Pelosi doesn't send articles of impeachment to Senate

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said Sunday that if the House doesn't submit articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump to the Senate this week, he will seek to change the chamber's impeachment rules so it can proceed with a trial without the articles.

Speaking with Fox News' "Sunday Morning Futures," Graham said: "If we don’t get the articles this week, then we need to take matters in our own hands and change the rules."

"Deem them to be delivered to the Senate," he continued, adding, "My goal is to start this trial in the next coming days, not let [House Speaker] Nancy Pelosi take over the Senate."

Changing such rules would require a simple 51-vote majority.

[WestPhillyPunisher]

Who has the better policies for African Americans and other minorities? Bernie Sanders or Joe "Forced Busing, Crime Bill, Mass incarceration" Biden? And if you are not takking about Biden over Bernie, who are you talking about? Mayor Pete's supporters do not seem like the most diverse bunch ever.

I bet corporate sellouts like Biden or Mayor Pete would cave into the GOP's racist agenda in the name of "bipartisanship". Biden or Mayor Pete can give the GOP the border wall in exchange for deregulation of Wall Street or massive upper class tax cuts.

As a African American, I don't think any candidate has actually distinguished themselves in regards to African Americans. Biden has the advantage because he's associated with Obama, not because of his actual policies.

There's an argument that African Americans are more conservative/center, but I think this might be a more social/religious notion than a economic reaction. Either way I haven't seen much in terms of evidence aside from far older votes, and speculation.

People are missing the point entirely. That’s how I see it. The goal for Democratic voters is to unite behind the candidate that can best defeat Donald Trump, issues, ideologies, everything else be damned. I’m a black man, and I don’t give even half a fuck about anything other than that. Anyone who thinks differently needs to pay attention to what Trump’s been doing the last few days, bringing the country to the precipice of war for no other reason than to bolster his re-election chances. This is an issue about the greater good of voting Trump out of office, because god only knows what damage that maniac will do with another four years under his belt.

[Tami]

Tucker Carlson Made Sense On Iraq And The World Is Upside Down

Tucker Carlson spent a full minute on his show — wait for it — making sense. He talked about the Trump's ordering the assassination of Iraq's top military leader, Qasem Soleimani, with alarm and disgust, and asked exactly the right questions.

1. Is Iran really the greatest threat we face?
2. Who's actually benefitting from this?
3. If we're still in Afghanistan nineteen sad years later, what makes us think there's a quick way out of Iran?

[Tami]

People are missing the point entirely. That’s how I see it. The goal for Democratic voters is to unite behind the candidate that can best defeat Donald Trump, issues, ideologies, everything else be damned. I’m a black man, and I don’t give even half a fuck about anything other than that. Anyone who thinks differently needs to pay attention to what Trump’s been doing the last few days, bringing the country to the precipice of war for no other reason than to bolster his re-election chances. This is an issue about the greater good of voting Trump out of office, because god only knows what damage that maniac will do with another four years under his belt.

Problem is, I really don't think that person is Bernie Sanders.

[Mister Mets]

Alabama has plenty of white-majority areas and plenty of black-majority areas. But when "cost-cutting measures" have made it necessary to shut down some polling places and cut down the business hours of some DMV offices (you know, where you go to renew your state-issued ID), it always seems to be the offices in the black-majority areas. Do you really think that's just a coincidence?

I'd have to see the evidence.

One factor is that cost-cutting measures were restricted in areas with a history of racist policies circa 1965 until the Supreme Court's 2013 decision.

I found an article about changes in the city of Daphne Alabama, where seven polling places have been consolidated to two. This includes the removal of three polling places that were used by the African-Americans in the town. On the other hand, the African American population was 11 percent, which does suggest their three preferred polling places might be used less than the remaining four.

https://www.al.com/news/mobile/2016/...questions.html

Lee Atwater also used the ''N-word'' and said these policies will hurt black people more than white people, that seems pretty cut and dry.

How convenient that these ''cost-cutting measures'' affecting polling stations in African American neighborhoods, its almost like the GOP knows preventing black people from voting helps their ambitions and use ''cost-cutting measures'' to justify it.

Racists and power mongers aren't going to reveal their true intentions, so hide behind code words like ''cost-cutting measures'' to hide their racist and power-mongering agenda, I do not trust Republican officials at their word on this and it still seems like you are still trying to downplay it.

Using code words to hide the true agenda is what Southern Strategy is all about. That is what dig whistling is.

There are multiple complications with dog whistles.

The racist is going to avoid saying anything directly incriminating.

You may even have people in positions of power who don't know what's going on, especially when a generation or more has passed. Some elected officials will believe the pretext.

There will also be false positives, assumptions about dog whistles that end up being false.

And what have they really have they done to eject the racism that was with them from the start?

Bob Jones University had a ban on interracial dating until 2000 and Bob Jones was one thought leaders for the religious right:

https://newrepublic.com/minutes/1407...rracial-dating

I think racism plays a bigger role in these conservative institutions than you would care to admit.

Bob Jones University did apologize for "racially hurtful" institutional policies over a decade ago, so an argument would be that there's no need to eject the racism in this case.