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[Oblivion]

Remember Foster Friess? No? Well, he was the billionaire that bankrolled Santorum's "campaign", who said that women who didn't want to get pregnant should "put a Bayer aspirin between their legs". So he's back in the news again, and was trying to explain why Republicans actually earned the mandate to lead the country and not Obama:

Obama won by five million votes. But Friess dismissed that margin, arguing that a 350,000 vote flip across four states (which he couldn't name) would have given Romney the election.

To me, 350,000 votes is not a huge mandate, even though the total numbers, which take into account a lot of those center cities, went for Obama.

When I asked him if he was saying that votes from "center cities" should be discounted, his answer, in full, was: "Yes."

http://maddowblog.msnbc.com/_news/2...donor-voters-in-center-cities-dont-count?lite

Seems we found a new euphemism for the blahs.

 

[RDreamer]

WTF at Maddow's segment on the state anti-abortion push. Wow...

 

[PhoenixDark]

After that bumbling hearing...I'm starting to doubt Hagel will be nominated. All it takes is McCain to actively try rally support for it; anyone who watched some of the hearing could tell how incensed McCain was.

It's too early to question Obama's decision, and while I remember watching Hagel look amazing on cspan during high school...he looked bad today. The administration can't be happy

 

[RustyNails]

Ive never understood why politicians have to back Israel unconditionally. It makes no sense to me and I bet the majority of Americans would agree

Among the best-known critical works about AIPAC is The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy, by University of Chicago professor John Mearsheimer and Harvard University Kennedy School of Government professor Stephen Walt. In the working paper and resulting book they accuse AIPAC of being "the most powerful and best known" component of a larger pro-Israel lobby that distorts American foreign policy. They write:[52]

AIPAC's success is due to its ability to reward legislators and congressional candidates who support its agenda, and to punish those who challenge it. ... AIPAC makes sure that its friends get strong financial support from the myriad pro-Israel PACs. Those seen as hostile to Israel, on the other hand, can be sure that AIPAC will direct campaign contributions to their political opponents. ... The bottom line is that AIPAC, which is a de facto agent for a foreign government, has a stranglehold on the U.S. Congress. Open debate about U.S. policy towards Israel does not occur there, even though that policy has important consequences for the entire world.

.

 

[Oblivion]

After that bumbling hearing...I'm starting to doubt Hagel will be nominated. All it takes is McCain to actively try rally support for it; anyone who watched some of the hearing could tell how incensed McCain was.

It's too early to question Obama's decision, and while I remember watching Hagel look amazing on cspan during high school...he looked bad today. The administration can't be happy

While I wouldn't mind Hagel being Defense secretary, I wouldn't lose any sleep if today's hearing fucked up his chances. Obama needs to stop playing into the conventional wisdom meme that Republicans are the ones properly equipped for handling all things military.

 

[Piecake]

Would banning handguns really have greater benefits than costs though? I think there are many other things that could be done to reduce gun violence that would probably cost a lot less; we should explore those options first.

banning guns is by far the most effective way to reduce gun violence and violence in general

 

[pigeon]

This is absurd what you said here. No one who believes abortion is murder is OK with that reading. Even people who support the right to an abortion want to minimize the number of abortions. And the second is very directly enabling real murders in a way that the fifth never did. Unless your arguing that murder is actually a good thing what you're saying is nonsense.

The rest of your post sounds too much like one of those NRA talking points about how its society that's the problem, usually descending into blaming video games, drugs, gangs, etc, or whatever else that comes to mind. Sorry, that's just a huge distraction from the issue and we should not put those issues above that of guns.

Yes, we absolutely should -- although not the issues you're mistakenly and apparently randomly ascribing to me. Maybe you should go back and read what I actually wrote about the permanent underclass? Or, if you don't plan on actually reading posts, not responding at all would also be good.

 

[Giant Panda]

banning guns is by far the most effective way to reduce gun violence and violence in general

It's also one of the most onerous ways of doing it.

 

[Oblivion]

By the by. KrauserKat drew this comic the other day but wasn't able to finish coloring it, and has disappeared for some reason, but I thought I'd post it anyway:

 

[RustyNails]

Some of the GRILLING!!!! questions asked by Republicans to Chuck Hagel:
McCain: " I think history has already made a judgment about the surge, sir, and you're on the wrong side of it and your refusal to answer whether you were right or wrong about it, it's going have an impact on my judgment as to whether to vote for your confirmation or not. I hope you will reconsider the fact that you refused to answer a fundamental question about an issue that took the lives of thousands of young Americans.”

Inhofe: “The question I’d like to ask you, and you can answer for the record if you’d like, why do you think the Iranian foreign ministry so strongly supports your nomination to be the Secretary of Defense?”

Chuck Hagel couldn't respond to these absurd, almost comical questions? Why is he so scared to say the troop surge did not work? If he can't answer these comical childish questions that only appear big in the GOP bubble, then yes he doesnt deserve to win the nomination.

 

[Piecake]

It's also one of the most onerous ways of doing it.

I guess it depends on your priorities. If you seriously want to reduce violence, banning guns is the way to do it. No other option really comes close

 

[adamsappel]

You also can't discount Evangelical support for Israel, which ironically needs to exist so it can be invaded at the Apocalypse. They want Jews there so they can be converted to Christianity at the End Times.

 

[Ignatz Mouse]

You've got an old lady with a gun that has a history of randomly going off? Shit man I don't care who is holding that thing, I would not go anywhere near that shit. I mean I've been around guns a lot (my ex's dad was a cop and he'd be cleaning that thing every time I came over) but what you just described is just scary dude.

He was trying to give you a hint?

 

[Oblivion]

He was trying to give you a hint?

Are you saying he was coming on to him?

 

[GhaleonEB]

Today, I was driving to work during my NPR station's broadcast of The Takeaway. In between segments, they - like seemingly all NPR shows - played a few seconds of some instrumental music. After one such segment, they played a snipped of a song I recognized, but would not have expected on NPR. It was the intro to Tool's "Right in Two", off 10,000 Days.

I remember it not because it's a great song (which it is) and I wouldn't expect an NPR carried show to be playing Tool (which I didn't), but because they played it right after the segment about Israel bombing Syria. The song is from the perspective of an angel looking down on Earth, observing human behavior, and going, "....the fuck?"

Sample lyrics:

Monkey killing monkey killing monkey
Over pieces of the ground
Silly monkeys give them thumbs
They make a club
And beat their brother, down
How they survive so misguided is a mystery

......

Angels on the sideline again
Benched along with patience and reason
Angels on the sideline again
Wondering when this tug of war will end

(The reference to monkeys is mocking the human species, not any particular race/ethnicity as it's sometimes used.)

Clearly not just transition music but commentary on the subject at hand. Made me wonder how many of these kind of things I miss due to not being familiar with the music. I wanted to high-five the guy that slipped it in there.

 

[HyperionX]

Now now, it is a reality that with the exception of accidental deaths a lot of the gun deaths really do happen because of societal problems. Not that video games are doing it, but things like poverty and the class systems we still have really hurt people and sometimes force them into bad situations. If you reduce inequality and provide for people in a prosperous society your gun deaths will go down. It's not distracting from the issue. As much as I think there are some gun related things we can do the real issues should be combatting poverty and creating a prosperous society where people don't feel the need to rob or join a gang or whatever quite as much.

Guns make violence easier and do more damage when someone gets violent, and that's a good reason to think about limits on them, but we shouldn't forget that there is violence to begin with.

Blaming poverty or race and class issues, while infinitely better than simply blaming video games, still ignores the central issue at hand. Numerous other countries have the same issues we do and not even close to the same level of violence. Clearly, guns are the main cause of gun violence, and not some other secondary cause. Not mention the question of how you're suppose to solve poverty altogether in a country as big and diverse as the US. It sounds like you're asking to solve an even more challenging problem.

Yes, we absolutely should -- although not the issues you're mistakenly and apparently randomly ascribing to me. Maybe you should go back and read what I actually wrote about the permanent underclass? Or, if you don't plan on actually reading posts, not responding at all would also be good.

Blaming it all on the permanent underclass or some other form of societal illness is exactly what I'm claiming is a distraction. Not as bad as blaming video games, but it is still ignoring the central issue, as I explained above.

 

[fallagin]

By the by. KrauserKat drew this comic the other day but wasn't able to finish coloring it, and has disappeared for some reason, but I thought I'd post it anyway:

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/47927669/bam3 copy.png

Wow, in what alternate fucking reality would an atheist muslim communist nazi be satisfied with killing just 4 americans?

 

[NYCmetsfan]

While I wouldn't mind Hagel being Defense secretary, I wouldn't lose any sleep if today's hearing fucked up his chances. Obama needs to stop playing into the conventional wisdom meme that Republicans are the ones properly equipped for handling all things military.

Hagel is more left on foreign policy than Obama. Pay no mind to the R by his name.

.

I hate the meme the AIPAC is why the US is the way it is. I'd say AIPAC doesn't add anything new to Israel-US policy. Its more of a follower. The public, media and culture play a much bigger part. Lobbys can't go against the will of the people and the US by and large views palestianians mostly as terrorists. Congress follows that especially after 9-11.

Its not like AIPAC has every really knocked off a candidate for being "anti israel." you'd have to show me examples where two differing views on israel were presented for voters and AIPAC put money behind one to really say they change and influence israel policy. The problem is we never even have a debate or a impartial view of the conflict. Its origins and history are not taught so its easy to have the church pews and news organizations twist things. Europe has only every really gotten "tough" on israel because they saw a population in their countries which saw this as an issue (growing muslim population).

Its gonna be hard for politicians stand up for whats right when they have no incentive to.

Chuck Hagel couldn't respond to these absurd, almost comical questions? Why is he so scared to say the troop surge did not work? If he can't answer these comical childish questions that only appear big in the GOP bubble, then yes he doesnt deserve to win the nomination.

By not answering them his answering them.

I don't mind that he wouldn't name a time when israel has pressured the US to make a "stupid policy" decision because I know that he knows an answer its a gottcha and there's no need for him to fall into their traps so they can take the moral outrage route. I don't care that he won't say so in a comically silly setting that is the current congress. Do you really think he thinks his comment was wrong now? Its politics

It's also one of the most onerous ways of doing it.

It wasn't in Australia and the UK.

And nobody is really talking about banning all guns. Mostly people talk about stricter regulation, tests and registration (this is my most wanted thing.)
Guns aren't my problem is the warped sense that the government needs to justify regulating dangerous weapons. It should be the other way. You need to justify why you need a firearm (hunting, self defense, sport etc). just the same with other dangerous substances and objects. I just want to change the fact that its a god-given right

 

[Black Mamba]

http://www.quinnipiac.edu/institute...e/pennsylvania/release-detail/?ReleaseID=1843

92% favor closing gun show loophole on background checks. Only 8% of this country don't want to take your guns!

 

[pigeon]

Not mention the question of how you're suppose to solve poverty altogether in a country as big and diverse as the US. It sounds like you're asking to solve an even more challenging problem.

Yeah -- because it's MORE IMPORTANT. You say that poverty is a distraction from gun control, but I feel like that statement is laughable. Gun control is a distraction from social programs to combat poverty. Increasing opportunity for the least privileged will have knock-on effects on urban violence; reducing gun violence through gun control will have very little effect on inner-city poverty. Thus I remain unconvinced that it's the best strategy to promote the general welfare of Americans, which is presumably our goal.

I again feel like this position is a privileged one that requires a shallow view of the people actually involved in gun violence. People don't commit violence arbitrarily -- society puts them in a position to commit that violence. What's the most common demographic among gun offenders? African-American male. What's the most common demographic among those killed by gun crimes? African-American male. This isn't about guns, it's about a group of people for which guns are actually a good choice compared to all the other opportunities society makes available. And we close off those opportunities in a million different ways. What's the biggest contributor to the reduction in violent crime in the last thirty years? There's a solid argument that it's unleaded gasoline. Not any police strategy or gun control legislation -- consumer preference shifts caused by environmental regulation! This is the kind of solution that a reductionist view of gun violence misses. Without understanding the social structure that leads to violence, you might reduce gun deaths, but will you really improve society? Ask the Australian Aborigines how much the long gun ban has helped their life expectancy.

edit: Let me note that there are several gun control steps I favor. The original post I replied to was about a full gun ban.

 

[NYCmetsfan]

http://www.quinnipiac.edu/institute...e/pennsylvania/release-detail/?ReleaseID=1843

92% favor closing gun show loophole on background checks. Only 8% of this country don't want to take your guns!

That's all I think has a real chance of passing.

Though the NRA president said he might put money behind people against people who vote for even that

 

[Black Mamba]

 

[pigeon]

They should really send the Senate budget out with the payroll tax cap removed and see what happens.

 

[NYCmetsfan]

lol Its funny the only things that the parties are proposing are unliked

 

[fallagin]

Wow, so americans dont want to let rich people off without paying their fair share? Huh, what a concept.

Republicans don care.

 

[cashman]

rofl my lmao

Both of my parents who recently became citizens, (Mom in 05ish and Dad in 08ish) and never really gave a shit about voting, would vote for hildawg if she ran. They absolutely love the Clinton family.

This is pretty crazy. Also lol @ the cowboys owner questions mixed in there

It's an easy target.

 

[Frank the Great]

Considering how poorly national opinion is reflected in national policy, it is hard to consider our democracy as anything other than a failure.

 

[Jooney]

Cool Tool story.

One of my favourite tool songs. One of Maynard's more surprising songs, lyrically speaking. Thanks for sharing. ;-)

 

[NYCmetsfan]

Twitter and the media seem to be blasting hagel for his performance today but goddamn did the senate treat him like crap.

So damn condescending

I liked Manchins praise though.

 

[HyperionX]

Yeah -- because it's MORE IMPORTANT. You say that poverty is a distraction from gun control, but I feel like that statement is laughable. Gun control is a distraction from social programs to combat poverty. Increasing opportunity for the least privileged will have knock-on effects on urban violence; reducing gun violence through gun control will have very little effect on inner-city poverty. Thus I remain unconvinced that it's the best strategy to promote the general welfare of Americans, which is presumably our goal.

If your goal is to end poverty, then just say that you want to end poverty and that's the end result of that goal. Don't shoehorn gun violence into this. For all we know, gun violence might not change much at all or even increase. After all, the murder rate dramatically increased during the 1950s through the 1970s, even though the wage disparity was among the lowest in US history during that time period.

I again feel like this position is a privileged one that requires a shallow view of the people actually involved in gun violence. People don't commit violence arbitrarily -- society puts them in a position to commit that violence. What's the most common demographic among gun offenders? African-American male. What's the most common demographic among those killed by gun crimes? African-American male. This isn't about guns, it's about a group of people for which guns are actually a good choice compared to all the other opportunities society makes available. And we close off those opportunities in a million different ways. What's the biggest contributor to the reduction in violent crime in the last thirty years? There's a solid argument that it's unleaded gasoline. Not any police strategy or gun control legislation -- consumer preference shifts caused by environmental regulation! This is the kind of solution that a reductionist view of gun violence misses. Without understanding the social structure that leads to violence, you might reduce gun deaths, but will you really improve society? Ask the Australian Aborigines how much the long gun ban has helped their life expectancy.

You sound like you're repeating NRA talking points again. You still haven't presented a clear reason why the central driver of the violence, the guns themselves, isn't the problem here, and why we should focus on all sorts of secondary causes. I'm sure many other nations used leaded gasoline, and racism was rampant throughout the world at one point. But few nations had a murder rate as high as the US either then or now.

edit: Let me note that there are several gun control steps I favor. The original post I replied to was about a full gun ban.

Actually it was the eventuality of confiscating handguns and other guns, FYI. I do not fully understand the animosity I'm facing given that we are all agree that handguns kill thousands every year.

 

[HyperionX]

It's amazing how the most popular solutions are totally ignored over the least popular ones.

 

[GhaleonEB]

One of my favourite tool songs. One of Maynard's more surprising songs, lyrically speaking. Thanks for sharing. ;-)

Likewise, it's remarkable both musically and lyrically. <3

 

[RDreamer]

Likewise, it's remarkable both musically and lyrically. <3

Yeah, love that song, especially for the lyrics. The album has some real hard-hitters on it. 10,000 days is one of the most powerful songs I've ever heard. I get goosebumps and nearly tear up.

 

[Black Mamba]

Yeah, love that song, especially for the lyrics. The album has some real hard-hitters on it. 10,000 days is one of the most powerful songs I've ever heard. I get goosebumps and nearly tear up.

Wings for Marie live is an experience.

 

[FyreWulff]

While I wouldn't mind Hagel being Defense secretary, I wouldn't lose any sleep if today's hearing fucked up his chances. Obama needs to stop playing into the conventional wisdom meme that Republicans are the ones properly equipped for handling all things military.

Hagel isn't Republican.

This is a compliment

 

[Bowdz]

After that bumbling hearing...I'm starting to doubt Hagel will be nominated. All it takes is McCain to actively try rally support for it; anyone who watched some of the hearing could tell how incensed McCain was.

It's too early to question Obama's decision, and while I remember watching Hagel look amazing on cspan during high school...he looked bad today. The administration can't be happy

It will take a lot more than crotchety old McCain to derail Hagel. Hagel didn't win anyone over today, but Schumer's support and Obama's nomination are enough political muscle to get the job done. Dems aren't going to tank their own President's defense nominee and with Dems on board, the votes are there.

 

[empty vessel]

I think this idea that some amendments are necessary and others are relics is pretty obviously a self-serving analysis rather than a principled one, especially since the evidence put forward to support it is literally nothing except that you feel that way.

Well, all of our opinions are self-serving to the extent they express how we feel about something. I don't think there's anything unprincipled about an opinion that the 2nd and 3rd Amendments are relics while others aren't. I would agree with it. Both the 2nd and 3rd Amendments expressed 18th century American fears about standing armies. Modern society--especially including, ironically, arch defenders of the 2nd Amendment--does not share those fears. In fact, much the opposite. Ergo, they are relics having no real relevance to modern society.

That doesn't mean, however, that the constitution--and 2nd Amendment in particular (and even the 9th)--cannot be interpreted to include a right to armed vigilantism. But it does mean that such an interpretation necessarily embraces a living constitution, i.e., that Scalia is a hypocritical jackass.

 

[speculawyer]

Chuck Hagel sounds just like Patrick Leahy.

 

[empty vessel]

Where is the option to stop arbitrarily tying its accounting to the payroll tax? None of the options on the chart are necessary. None of them.

 

[makingmusic476]

Doesn't Obama still intend to tackle more comprehensive tax reform later in the year? Simplifying things, etc.

Maybe rolling all those small taxes into the income tax will be on the table.

 

[Black Mamba]

http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/the-nra-vs-america-20130131?src=longreads

Rolling Stone's Tim Dickinson on the NRA. Just started but I learned a new tidbit:

Write-in candidates occasionally pepper the ballot, but in practice, the tiny slice of eligible members who bother to vote rubber-stamp a slate of candidates dictated by the NRA's 10-member nominating committee – one of whose members is George Kollitides II, CEO of Freedom Group, which manufactures the Bushmaster semiautomatic that Adam Lanza used to slaughter children in Newtown.

 

[PhoenixDark]

It will take a lot more than crotchety old McCain to derail Hagel. Hagel didn't win anyone over today, but Schumer's support and Obama's nomination are enough political muscle to get the job done. Dems aren't going to tank their own President's defense nominee and with Dems on board, the votes are there.

Still leaves him 5 votes short of confirmation, if republicans play hardball and filibuster as a whole...

 

[Aaron Strife]

That's all I think has a real chance of passing.

Though the NRA president said he might put money behind people against people who vote for even that

Whatever, they'll have the people behind them on this one. No one will care about general election ads attacking Democrats for "takin' yer guns away!"

It'll only matter in Republican primaries, which will result in crazier nutjobs running against Democrats, who will probably have a whole host of issues that will make them unelectable.

Bring it!

 

[Black Republican]

jobs report day today

 

[Hobbestetrician]

jobs report day today

Won't be reflected in the polls for at least a week.

 

[Diablos]

Fucking Scott Brown.

He just.

Won't.

Go.

Away.

If he comes back to the Senate after just having his ass handed to him in November, I'll explode.

 

[Rocket Scientist]

Fucking Scott Brown.

He just.

Won't.

Go.

Away.

If he comes back to the Senate after just having his ass handed to him in November, I'll explode.

I think much less needs to happen for you to actually explode.

 

[Black Republican]

Fucking Scott Brown.

He just.

Won't.

Go.

Away.

If he comes back to the Senate after just having his ass handed to him in November, I'll explode.

look at the recent senate polls lol, why should he?

 

[AniHawk]

Won't be reflected in the polls for at least a week.

bad nwes for ombaa

 

[Rocket Scientist]

look at the recent senate polls lol, why should he?

Weren't people posting about him being up 3 against the Democratic candidate?