tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post1606186047659905566..comments2024-03-18T21:52:45.757-07:00Comments on CONTRARY BRIN: Trump's Divided AmericaDavid Brinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14465315130418506525noreply@blogger.comBlogger123125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-19983033138938885282017-02-25T19:48:08.055-08:002017-02-25T19:48:08.055-08:00We're not quite dead yet.
http://www.huffingt...We're not quite dead yet.<br /><br />http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/delaware-special-senate-election_us_58b22659e4b060480e089560<br /><br /><i><br />In the most expensive special election in Delaware history ― a contest to decide which party controls the state Senate ― Democrat Stephanie Hansen was on track to annihilate her Republican rival on the back of extraordinary turnout.<br /><br />The last time her opponent, John Marino, ran in this district, in 2014, he lost by just 2 points. Hansen’s 58-42 percent victory over Marino on Saturday ensured that Democrats will maintain control of the state Senate. It also notched a big Donald Trump-era win for a new generation of Democratic activists shocked into action by the November election.<br /><br />“We turned back that win from Washington and made sure it won’t hit Delaware,” Hansen said in her victory speech Saturday night.<br /></i>LarryHartnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-82499587019064373422017-02-25T14:42:14.975-08:002017-02-25T14:42:14.975-08:00Just look at the expression on his face and the to...Just look at the expression on his face and the tone of his vocal emphasis when he says "...unless they use somebody's name. Let their <b>name</b> be put out there." at about 1:31 into this video:<br /><br />https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0ByV95m8PE<br /><br />He's not saying that named sources will be more credible than unnamed sources. He's salivating at the prospect of what he and his lawyers and his brownshirts would be able to <b>do</b> to those named sources if they dared to provide information he didn't want public. And he's not slipping this past his supporters either--they know exactly what he means, and they gleefully approve the prospect of future lynch mobs against informers, secure in the knowledge that they themselves would never be on the receiving end of such abuses of power.<br /><br />This sophont is <b>dangerous</b>! I'd make that a hashtag if anyone other than David Brin readers would understand the reference.<br />LarryHartnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-16488984457560835702017-02-25T14:21:37.025-08:002017-02-25T14:21:37.025-08:00Arizsun Ahola:
The thief was pointed out to them,...Arizsun Ahola:<br /><i><br />The thief was pointed out to them, but they chose to believe the thief rather than Hillary because the thief said she was a liar.<br /></i><br /><br />Because the thief said "Believe me!"<br /><br />Emphasis makes it true.<br /><br />Remember that quip about sincerity, how "If you can fake that, you've got it made"? That's what Trump does. And the thing is, he's not even very good at it. The ones who are fooled by his affected sincerity must desperately want to be taken in by his particular promises, because they willfully ignore many facial and vocal cues which just scream, "I don't mean what I say. I don't even really know what I'm saying. But don't you just <b>want</b> to be on my side?"<br /><br />With this latest charge that any media reports he doesn't like are "FAKE NEWS!!!", President Snow is essentially making it a condition of fealty that one believes <b>him</b> rather than one's lying eyes (or ears, or brain). This sophont is <b>dangerous</b>!<br />LarryHartnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-61657453931778604042017-02-25T12:00:49.027-08:002017-02-25T12:00:49.027-08:00...or for fans of The Simpsons...
They couldn'......or for fans of The Simpsons...<br /><br />They couldn't vote for Mayor Quimby because he was so soft on crime that he even let Sideshow Bob out of prison early. So instead, they voted for his opponent--Sideshow Bob.<br />LarryHartnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-48276996338359967052017-02-25T11:02:58.849-08:002017-02-25T11:02:58.849-08:00The thief was pointed out to them, but they chose ...The thief was pointed out to them, but they chose to believe the thief rather than Hillary because the thief said she was a liar.Arizsun Aholahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04967462476458382531noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-24733699140872968352017-02-25T10:20:27.611-08:002017-02-25T10:20:27.611-08:00LarryHart sez:
"You're probably correct ...LarryHart sez:<br /><br />"You're probably correct that the other group didn't do a good enough job of pointing out the hand in your pocket, but really, are we that dependent on official sources of fact that if Democrats don't tell us that Republicans rob us, then we don't know it?"<br /><br />Pericles said, "If the truth were really self-evident, then eloquence would not be necessary."TCBhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08153506222271955110noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-12519639083022698612017-02-25T10:15:57.098-08:002017-02-25T10:15:57.098-08:00Arizsun Ahola:
This claim is nonsense. Programs t...Arizsun Ahola:<br /><i><br />This claim is nonsense. Programs that help poor blacks also help poor whites. It is hard to believe that so many people think that laws are written so as that only minorities can receive the benefits. A law so written would be tossed out as unconstitutional extremely rapidly, but it seems to be commonly accepted that laws are applied exactly so.<br /></i><br /><br />That's why they hate Obamacare. It's a giveaway to blacks as reparations for slavery.<br /><br />Seriously, this is what we're up against.<br />LarryHartnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-81247844016275364982017-02-25T10:12:55.156-08:002017-02-25T10:12:55.156-08:00Victoria Silverwolf:
I can't let this go unan...Victoria Silverwolf:<br /><i><br />I can't let this go unanswered, since "The Postman" is an excellent work of art.<br /></i><br /><br />Locumranch uses words differently from the way from the way the rest of us do.LarryHartnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-60812607320791500082017-02-25T10:08:37.149-08:002017-02-25T10:08:37.149-08:00Paul451:
America has grown enormously richer over...Paul451:<br /><i><br />America has grown enormously richer over the past few decades, but Americans haven't.<br /></i><br /><br />Republicans don't think there's anything wrong with that. They don't believe there is such thing as a "wealthy nation". The wealth belongs to the few individuals who possess it. If others are poor, it's because they aren't valuable to the possessors of the wealth, or because they haven't <b>worked hard enough</b> at <b>taking</b> that wealth from its possessors. Wealth disparity is not a problem to be fixed, but the natural order of things.<br /><br /><i><br />Their anger may be misdirected, but if you're being robbed and only one group says they believe you, you're more likely to believe them when they cast blame on someone else and ask for your vote in fighting the scourge.<br /></i><br /><br />The one who says they believe you knows you are being robbed because their hand is right there in your pocket. You're probably correct that the other group didn't do a good enough job of pointing out the hand in your pocket, but really, are we <b>that</b> dependent on official sources of fact that if Democrats don't <b>tell us</b> that Republicans rob us, then we don't know it?<br /><br />Both sides have incentives to spin. Making them compete for credulity is probably a good idea, but discerning the truth is not just a matter of deciding which political party we trust more. If we can't know something unless one or the other campaign tells us, then we might as well start breeding fish and preparing for death, because the republic has nothing for us.<br />LarryHartnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-75075974276553058502017-02-25T10:00:22.096-08:002017-02-25T10:00:22.096-08:00branding genius said,
What am I asking?
I am askin...branding genius said,<br /><i>What am I asking?<br />I am asking that you not frame our current political problems as a continuation of the Civil War.</i><br /><br />I am reading "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander. In chapter 1, The Rebirth of Caste, she points out (page 33) that one strong radical movement after the Civil War was poor blacks and poor whites uniting together to throw off the yoke of control by the wealthy elite. "Alarmed by the success of the Populists and the apparent potency of the alliance between poor and working-class whites and African-Americans, the conservatives raised the cry of white supremacy and resorted to the tactics ... fraud, intimidation, bribery, and terror." The Populist leaders gave in and abandoned their black support, even though that reduced their political power.<br /><br />branding genius said,<br /><i>But over the last 30 or so years we got the New Democrats<br />they fight for black folks<br />they fight for gay folks<br />they fight for abortion<br />they fight for the poor<br />they fought for globalization<br />but for the ordinary working men and women? all we got was shitty mandatory for profit insurance aka obamacare.</i><br /><br />That propaganda about the Democrats serving only narrow special interests than us working-class and professional-class whites is the same divisive post-Civil War tactics. Proper help to some groups can help us all. Protecting black folks from reckless police trains the police to treat us all better. Extending marriage to gay folks defuses petty meanness and creates polite society. Safety nets for the poor protects those of us who lose our jobs (I was illegally fired for illness, but one of the safety nets let me retire early instead). Globalization can lead to a more efficient economy.Erin Schramhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12376510919659209734noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-40334308340494830012017-02-25T09:59:11.193-08:002017-02-25T09:59:11.193-08:00David Brin said in the comments,
I have just said ...David Brin said in the comments,<br /><i>I have just said we must have a broad tent that includes conservatives! So long as they are modern, logical, scientific and adult.</i><br /><br />I asked one of my modern, logical, scientific, adult relatives why he voted for Trump. He said, "I am for pro-life, smaller government, lower taxes, health care that does not drive me into bankruptcy, states rights for local issues, for a balanced budget, legal immigration, energy Independence and many similar issues." Trump's ungodly behavior is irrelevant because he is not a religious leader. Republicans have delivered little on those issues, but he blames all career politicians, Democrat and Republican, for throwing their efforts into keeping power over keeping promises. He is satisfied that Trump is doing what he said he would do, despite disagreeing with some of it. Someone needs to shake up the career politicians.<br /><br />I was raised in the same attitude, hearing that politics is a dirty business of closed-door deals. My family paid little attention to politics, so sound bites were taken at face value. Government employment changed my mind. I studied the regulations and saw that Congress and their staff put a lot of thought into everyday laws, with some good ideas suggested by advocacy groups. Hillary Clinton fit the stereotype of the wheeler-dealer politician. Donald Trump did not.<br /><br />David Brin said,<br /><i>Sure, mobilizing the left better will be useful. But even if we ignore the fringe’s flighty unreliability and capriciousness, there is the simple fact that there is very littl low hanging fruit to be plucked in that direction. ... If we can lure them [conservatives] back into realizing that there are other versions of “conservatism,” then the monsters and oligarch-feudalists might lose their grip.</i><br />Thus, the proper mobilization is not to print the liberals to the polls to vote; rather, it is to engage their Republican friends that they need to work together to address America's real problems? My relative listed affordable health care and energy independence, but I could use some good arguments to convince him that he needs to elect candidates who will build rather than destroy. Any ideas?<br /><br />And rather than painting evangelical Christians as a lost cause, which tars all Christians with the same brush, we could point out that the Jesus Christ told us to help the poor, regardless of whether they deserve help or not. The Bible is full of stories of good immigrants, such as the Book of Ruth. My relative said that Christianity does not demand that we be nice to illegal immigrants. Yet the news is currently full of stories of treating vetted visa holders and permanent residents as harshly as people who sneaked over the border. Perhaps those stories will enlighten him to our hypocracy about immigration.Erin Schramhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12376510919659209734noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-36853675270961364672017-02-25T09:57:03.601-08:002017-02-25T09:57:03.601-08:00They do pretty well, considering. I use Amazon mor...They do pretty well, considering. I use Amazon more and the postal service does well. It's not as if they don't know how email has redefined their mission. They survive competition. They serve as emergency backup, as exemplified by Brin. (It really is one of the best themes ever.)<br /><br />Government, like corporations, comprises flawed people. Some people think the fix is rage, sabotage and petulance. I suggest those people are full of bullshit.Jumperhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11794110173836133321noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-91133436270638674502017-02-25T09:50:22.563-08:002017-02-25T09:50:22.563-08:00Something that I see pretty often is the claim fro...Something that I see pretty often is the claim from Trump voters that Democrats don't care about them, that Democrats only help minorities and leave poor whites to fend for themselves.<br /><br />This claim is nonsense. Programs that help poor blacks also help poor whites. It is hard to believe that so many people think that laws are written so as that only minorities can receive the benefits. A law so written would be tossed out as unconstitutional extremely rapidly, but it seems to be commonly accepted that laws are applied exactly so.<br /><br />It is hard for Democrats to profit electorally from the passage of laws that help the poor when poor whites so often seem think such programs are only available to minorities. Frustratingly, these types of claims sometimes even come from poor whites actively using programs they think are only available to minorities simply based on names, using SNAP while complaining that minorities get food stamps and being unaware that SNAP and "food stamps" are the same thing. Liking the ACA but wanting Obamacare repealed is another example.<br /><br />Very frustrating.Arizsun Aholahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04967462476458382531noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-57111068741664078802017-02-25T09:47:03.270-08:002017-02-25T09:47:03.270-08:00 The Post office has got to be one of the better e... The Post office has got to be one of the better examples of the pitfalls of applying business metaphors to government.Tim H.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-20215561429556708802017-02-25T09:28:26.026-08:002017-02-25T09:28:26.026-08:00". . .the plot of 'The Postman', wher... ". . .the plot of 'The Postman', wherein an aimless drifter (with fraudulent intent) dons the discarded uniform of a low-level government delivery boy, only to be magically transformed into the Guardian of Science, Reason & Federalism."<br /><br />I can't let this go unanswered, since "The Postman" is an excellent work of art.<br /><br />Would it not be more accurate to say that the plot involves an aimless drifter who, through the power of common decency and the natural human desire for co-operation and kindness becomes something much more than an aimless drifter; someone who becomes just a little bit better than he was, and who makes the world he lives in just a little bit better than it was?<br /><br />I don't understand the disdain some feel for the United States Postal Service. They do an incredibly difficult job very well. Doctor Brin could not have chosen a better symbol for the way in which individual acts can lead to great accomplishments.Victoria Silverwolfnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-15742064428511545222017-02-25T08:14:47.468-08:002017-02-25T08:14:47.468-08:00Unsure, Paul, but that chart probably does not ave...Unsure, Paul, but that chart probably does not average in people making $0, so things may be even worse. See decline in average household income, instead:<br />https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5d/US_real_median_household_income_1967_-_2014.PNG<br /><br />I lost some prime earning years after the '08 crash. So I'm one.Jumperhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11794110173836133321noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-35136853856966721282017-02-25T07:32:20.559-08:002017-02-25T07:32:20.559-08:00Slim Moldie said...
"Who over the age of 25 i...Slim Moldie said...<br /><i>"Who over the age of 25 is actually doing worse than they were in 2008?"</i><br /><br /><a href="https://aneconomicsense.files.wordpress.com/2016/07/real-gdp-per-worker-versus-real-median-wage-1979q1-to-2016q2-rev.png" rel="nofollow">This</a> is what I'm talking about.<br /><br /><i>America</i> has grown enormously richer over the past few decades, but <i>Americans</i> haven't.<br /><br />Their anger may be misdirected, but if you're being robbed and only one group says they believe you, you're more likely to believe them when they cast blame on someone else and ask for your vote in fighting the scourge.Paul451https://www.blogger.com/profile/12119086761190994938noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-24780547195113960232017-02-25T07:25:14.075-08:002017-02-25T07:25:14.075-08:00You're at least partially correct. Centralizes... You're at least partially correct. Centralizes government and it's baggage will be with us for a while, because the ginormous money that would seek it's demise will not shoulder like responsibilities, the government free libertarian vision bears more than a passing resemblance to the Big Rock Candy Mountain.Tim H.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-82379131234501609332017-02-25T07:04:20.718-08:002017-02-25T07:04:20.718-08:00Tim H never spoke truer words:
Industrial infr...<br /><br />Tim H never spoke truer words: <br /><br />Industrial infrastructure that has been broken up, off-shored and razed will NEVER ever be coming back because it represents an OBSOLETE TECHNOLOGY. Like the Telegraph, NATO, EU, globalism, the Postal Service, Federalism, Centralised Government & its supporting bureaucracies. Like the daily newspaper, buggy whip, 23 Skidoo & the New England Whale Oil schooner. They are all anachronisms. Kiss them all goodbye.<br /><br />Best<br /><br />locumranchnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-88074800379439270682017-02-25T06:56:12.592-08:002017-02-25T06:56:12.592-08:00Dr. Brin,
Two or three weeks ago you wrote about ...Dr. Brin,<br /><br />Two or three weeks ago you wrote about how the Democrat Party could use retired colonels in elections in red areas to counteract the absence of the party there. You set out what their basic principles should be and I copied them because I liked what you said. Here they are verbatim:<br /><br />“Hence, the basic principles should be:<br /><br />Running as a democrat, I accept and avow that:<br /><br />- Facts matter. We should find ways to refute lies, from all sides.<br />- Science is real. Public policy should pay attention to – even if it doesn’t always follow – the advice of folks who know the facts.<br />- Our children deserve a healthy planet to live in. We can invest in both a clean environment and energy independence.<br />- No child should have his or her future harshly limited by race, gender or class. <br />- Schools should be held accountable to high standards of performance, and have the resources to give us an educated generation.<br />- It’s okay for there to be “winners” in the economy, but not by cheating.<br />- “Supply Side” experiments in huge tax breaks for the rich have universally failed.<br />- Government must be open and accountable. Elections must be clear, verifiable and in fair districts.<br />- Our military must be strong and capable and used responsibly, in carefully considered and adult ways.<br /><br />(Suggestions welcome for this list.)<br /><br /><br />Running as a democrat, I feel free to differ with other democrats, and to express my own position on:<br /><br />- Gun rights. While I do feel there are reasonable ways to reduce gun access by irresponsible people, I fully support gun ownership by American citizens.<br />- Abortion: people of conscience can disagree over when life begins. But we can all strive to find ways to help women avoid ever facing that decision.<br />- Nuclear power: many “tech-liberals” are parting company with the standard position against this clean and helpful power source.<br />- Globalization: we need careful analysis how to keep the benefits of world trade, while ensuring that good jobs stay in America.<br /><br />If some of these positions make me “conservative” in the older sense of Eisenhower and Reagan, so be it. I am still running as a democrat. Because, to paraphrase president Reagan… “I did not leave the Republican Party… the Republican Party left me.”<br /><br />You now seem to have dropped the elections part and I hope that I am wrong. What happened to change your mind if it has changed at all? Your rhetoric has turned extremist and I would like to follow your logic in that but please give some reasons that can be backed by rationality. <br />Deuxglassnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-54964920928840351722017-02-25T06:30:07.222-08:002017-02-25T06:30:07.222-08:00I hope y'all aren't thinking that somehow ... I hope y'all aren't thinking that somehow the industrial infrastructure that has been broken up, off-shored and razed will ever be coming back, no matter what that man campaigned on, no way back, only forwards, would you willingly choose serfdom? For the greater glory of a fortunate few? In the unlikely hope you might be one of them? Really?Tim H.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-7589730556489760562017-02-25T06:06:59.743-08:002017-02-25T06:06:59.743-08:00David,
Wow, you are a smartypants sleuth because w...David,<br />Wow, you are a smartypants sleuth because who else but a Koch funded troll would suggest that Democrats run on policies that popular, effective and benefit all Americans. You are right constant references to the civil war is the best way frame liberal goals. And cos playing union soldiers will totally drive conservatives into submission (that is just brilliant use of fashion). Constantly call call republicans stupid, bigoted, traitors and the federal government will be yours. Just run some retired military guys on globalization and obamacare and all will be fine. branding geniusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-10916703751633171762017-02-25T05:17:56.346-08:002017-02-25T05:17:56.346-08:00locumranch:
The phrase "We will fight for ou...locumranch:<br /><i><br />The phrase "We will fight for our republic" appears to be a call for violence, <br /></i><br /><br />Not at all. All we need to do is continue to show disdain for President Snow, support the New York Times with our dollars, and be nice to people who the alt-right loves to hate. It will drive them as apoplectic as you become when we say good things about Blue State Progressives or science.<br /><br /><i><br />or so it seems to me<br /></i><br /><br />That it "seems to you" is not surprising. Just remember that you are always wrong, and everything will make sense.<br /><br />LarryHartnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-57854193905738639982017-02-25T05:12:32.296-08:002017-02-25T05:12:32.296-08:00Slim Moldie:
I would love to be able to resurect ...Slim Moldie:<br /><i><br />I would love to be able to resurect Harry Crews and persuade him to write a novel centered around the life of a <b>crotch-funded</b> Troll. <br /></i><br /><br />Was that an auto-correct, or did I miss a meme somewhere? Either way, it's funny.<br /><br />:)LarryHartnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-39574153131843049212017-02-25T05:05:49.631-08:002017-02-25T05:05:49.631-08:00I'm a postman and I'm not holding anybody ...I'm a postman and I'm not holding anybody down.<br /><br />Good luck getting Fedex to deliver that letter to Cousin Bob in Ketchikan for the price of a donut.TCBhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08153506222271955110noreply@blogger.com