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Swan Oat posted:Maybe they could be lured to a secluded area where they can be eaten and also their wealth can be expropriated and redistributed to the poorest Americans. We could call the convention "To Serve Man." It's a modest proposal I could get behind.
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Apr 21, 2014 01:34
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SedanChair posted:If Howard Hughes had bought Howard Johnson's would we call it HoHu? And if he changed it to a Mongolian buffet it'd be known as HoHuHot.
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Apr 21, 2014 01:38
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more friedman units posted:Business and political elites are asking, particularly because there's less and less distinction between the three groups. This is an interesting thing to say, considering that people like literal Rockefellers have been in cabinet positions dating back a century, and there's basically never been a time in the US' history that the Congress was not majority business elites.
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Apr 21, 2014 04:09
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Install Windows posted:This is an interesting thing to say, considering that people like literal Rockefellers have been in cabinet positions dating back a century, and there's basically never been a time in the US' history that the Congress was not majority business elites. No, but you see this one point in the 1950s was great for Labor as long as you were a white male and you ignored a third of the country.
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Apr 21, 2014 04:13
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Install Windows posted:This is an interesting thing to say, considering that people like literal Rockefellers have been in cabinet positions dating back a century, and there's basically never been a time in the US' history that the Congress was not majority business elites. Fair enough, it's a return to normal after a few semi-aberrant decades. more friedman units fucked around with this message at 04:56 on Apr 21, 2014 |
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Apr 21, 2014 04:46
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Looks like both the UAW and VW are throwing in the rag in TN. I really can't blame them considering that the Koch Bros basically own the state and can throw money to make laws since it's a GOP stronghold. quote:(Reuters) - The United Auto Workers union on Monday said it was withdrawing its objection claiming undue outside political interference in the result of a February election it lost among workers at the Volkswagen AG plant in Tennessee. http://mobile.reuters.com/article/idUSBREA3K0GG20140421?irpc=932
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Apr 21, 2014 14:22
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Ben Has Tiny Weenus posted:Also, you gotta love that the people who complain about "liberal censorship" freak out the most over being mocked. That's because in their mind being mocked is the liberal censorship. Being held to task, or facing any consequence whatsoever for your personal views in the court of public opinion is the evil liberal machine attacking your first amendment rights. As opposed to, you know, other people also expressing their first amendment rights.
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Apr 21, 2014 14:37
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Phone posted:Looks like both the UAW and VW are throwing in the rag in TN. I really can't blame them considering that the Koch Bros basically own the state and can throw money to make laws since it's a GOP stronghold. What are VW's plans moving forward? I know they wanted a union presence for streamlining of negotiations of labor and I remember one article speculating that not having a union would be a hindrance to expansion at the Tennessee plant.
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Apr 21, 2014 14:54
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It's worth your time to watch the video of Senator Blumenthal nearly getting hit by a train at a rail safety press conference.
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Apr 21, 2014 15:05
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Install Windows posted:This is an interesting thing to say, considering that people like literal Rockefellers have been in cabinet positions dating back a century, and there's basically never been a time in the US' history that the Congress was not majority business elites. I would actually expand the overlapping groups to include academic and military elites. Especially during the early days of the country, academic and military roots seemed to hold at least as much sway in determining someone's political position as their business roots. (Though, you can always argue that the officer class were always elites dating back to forever.) I think it would be more interesting to look at how far the military influence has receded from national political figures. (Who do we have left at the top with a military background? McCain and Kerry?)
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Apr 21, 2014 15:07
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Joementum posted:It's worth your time to watch the video of Senator Blumenthal nearly getting hit by a train at a rail safety press conference. This is amazing. He's standing directly on the yellow line which, if I remember correctly, you're explicitly not supposed to do. It could only have been better if they had conducted the press conference for rail safety on the middle of the tracks.
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Apr 21, 2014 15:12
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I think the most illustrative example of waning military influence is when Bob Dole's most recent appearance in front of the Senate for some international treaty got unceremoniously shot down along party lines. Dems were for it and Republicans against because Obama, near as I can tell. Dole had to be wheeled to the podium because the dude is really getting up in years. It seemed completely disrespectful. I wouldn't have voted for him in 96 if I could but he seemed a capable governor.
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Apr 21, 2014 15:18
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Lote posted:What are VW's plans moving forward? I know they wanted a union presence for streamlining of negotiations of labor and I remember one article speculating that not having a union would be a hindrance to expansion at the Tennessee plant. AFAIK VW is going to keep the plant in Chattanooga, but stop investing in it actively. I wouldn't be surprised if they're currently shopping around for a place to drop a new plant in hopes that they could get an organized labor presence so that negotiations aren't a pain in the rear end. I think that SC might be on their radar since BMW and Hyundai already have manufacturing stood up there, but the entire southeast region is completely controlled by GOP Uberalles so who knows. I'd be tickled if they wound up going to Detroit and wind up revitalizing the area.
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Apr 21, 2014 15:28
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Joementum posted:It's worth your time to watch the video of Senator Blumenthal nearly getting hit by a train at a rail safety press conference. That is some uncanny timing. The train whizzes by just when he utters the phrase 'safety of course is paramount'. Please, tell me more about this 'safety' 
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Apr 21, 2014 15:37
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shrike82 posted:I'm not sure why you're focusing on "heirs" as though they're inheriting the donation piggybank from their parents. There definitely is an industry built around it. But its has the same problems - and a lot of the same people - as overly "successful" charities, no? Look at Komen. Board members taking home millions a year and less than 15% of donations actually going to breast cancer research. Big piles of money are like elephant corpses in the African savannah. They attract scavengers and other vermin. Also there is this ... Hrmmm ... Self congratulatory attitude. Contrast the experience of a relative working for the cdc with me contracting for a wealthy philanthropic dabbler. The cdc folks finish up going through after Katrina spraying for mosquito larva to check the spread of a west Nile outbreak. Tired and dirty they all meet up after for beers after - on their own dime - before tucking in for the night. It's another day in combating vectors of communicable diseases. Cheers. Nothing more will get said about it beyond a few mentions in the local media explaining what they are doing with their spray trucks. The wealthy patron finishes a project sending a food/equipment shipment to a particular village in Africa and he throws a gala party. I am expected to attend having assisted tangentially. I have to dress up to attend. Local politicians are invited and show up. There is a slide show about how poor and sad the villagers were and how happy and thankful they are now and how awesome the people who worked on the project are. Then we all mix and talk about how awesome we are for Doing Good. With the government programs the money never stops being public money. It is always the taxpayers. Lavish parties or bonanza management salaries are always criminal waste, fraud, and abuse. With the private organizations the money is private. If they want to throw a party or put their buddy on the board for several hundred k a year in salary to do nothing much ... It isn't waste/fraud/abuse. It's their money. They can do what they want with it.
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Apr 21, 2014 15:39
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Lote posted:I think the most illustrative example of waning military influence is when Bob Dole's most recent appearance in front of the Senate for some international treaty got unceremoniously shot down along party lines. Dems were for it and Republicans against because Obama, near as I can tell. Dole had to be wheeled to the podium because the dude is really getting up in years. It seemed completely disrespectful. I wouldn't have voted for him in 96 if I could but he seemed a capable governor. I think he cried when they shot it down too. Very depressing. 
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Apr 21, 2014 16:59
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Captain_Maclaine posted:Now who can argue with that? I think we're all indebted to Gabby Johnson for clearly stating what needed to be said. I'm particularly glad that these lovely children were here today to hear that speech. Not only was it authentic frontier gibberish, it expressed a courage little seen in this day and age.
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Apr 21, 2014 17:00
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Lote posted:I think the most illustrative example of waning military influence is when Bob Dole's most recent appearance in front of the Senate for some international treaty got unceremoniously shot down along party lines. Dems were for it and Republicans against because Obama, near as I can tell. Dole had to be wheeled to the podium because the dude is really getting up in years. It seemed completely disrespectful. I wouldn't have voted for him in 96 if I could but he seemed a capable governor. You mean veteran influence? It has never existed ever. Look at how the mere mention of "troops" in any State of the Union address results in ~3 minutes straight of clapping from every single person in the room if you want to see military influence. Maybe the military itself doesn't have a lot of control over how things go, see the recent case where they were made by Congress to buy tanks that they explicitly did not want because ~jobs~ There is a veneration for the idea of the military, though, even if we're telling the brass to go gently caress themselves. Still, we treat and have always treated our veterans like literal human garbage. Do you remember when Rick Santorum, while a presidential hopeful, told John motherfucking McCain, a former POW and torture victim while in Vietnam, that he didn't understand torture? The dude hasn't been able to lift his arms above his shoulders since the war because his shoulders dislocated when he was captured and then healed that way. Dis-loving-graceful. But Santorum got away with it entirely. We get away with having gigantic backups in the VA for helping veterans. They have to wait months, years, an eternity to get even a review of their problems. No, the influence of veterans in the country has never existed. We use them up and discard them.
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Apr 21, 2014 18:32
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Oh, veterans have influence in politics I'm this country. Please visit my website https://www.supportaretroops.com and buy a bumper sticker for the low price of $3 plus shipping to show how much you support are troops.
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Apr 21, 2014 18:38
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Mineaiki posted:You mean veteran influence? It has never existed ever. Look at how the mere mention of "troops" in any State of the Union address results in ~3 minutes straight of clapping from every single person in the room if you want to see military influence. Maybe the military itself doesn't have a lot of control over how things go, see the recent case where they were made by Congress to buy tanks that they explicitly did not want because ~jobs~ As long as you thank everyone who mentions being in the military for their service and tear up a little when patriotic songs come on at the air show then you are absolved of all sins against the almighty military.
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Apr 21, 2014 18:44
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Phone posted:...the entire southeast region is completely controlled by GOP Uberalles so who knows. I read that as GOP Umbrellas and now I'm worried about the GOP releasing zombie viruses in a few blue cities to scare up some votes.
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Apr 21, 2014 19:02
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Phone posted:AFAIK VW is going to keep the plant in Chattanooga, but stop investing in it actively. I wouldn't be surprised if they're currently shopping around for a place to drop a new plant in hopes that they could get an organized labor presence so that negotiations aren't a pain in the rear end. I think that SC might be on their radar since BMW and Hyundai already have manufacturing stood up there, but the entire southeast region is completely controlled by GOP Uberalles so who knows. This is all goddamn hilarious and infuriating because it's exactly what the shitheels said was going to happen if they voted in favor of the union. If VW looks elsewhere, I hope that the two leading the charge against unionization are made to eat their words but I know, sadly, that it won't happen. All I can want now is for VW to expressly point to the anti-union tactics as to why they're only keeping status quo instead of expanding.
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Apr 21, 2014 19:05
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Robviously posted:This is all goddamn hilarious and infuriating because it's exactly what the shitheels said was going to happen if they voted in favor of the union. If VW looks elsewhere, I hope that the two leading the charge against unionization are made to eat their words but I know, sadly, that it won't happen. All I can want now is for VW to expressly point to the anti-union tactics as to why they're only keeping status quo instead of expanding. But... but... UNIONS. They'll spin it as "VW left because those dirty union thugs refused to leave us alone."
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Apr 21, 2014 19:16
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Bill Kristol is claiming in his newsletter that "a friend in the know" told him Clinton's running mate will be David Petraeus. The fact that Bill Kristol had a job or is anything other than a ranting street corner demagogue is proof that this isn't a meritocracy
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Apr 21, 2014 19:34
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Does Bill Kristol just do LSD all day and hurriedly write down what little he can remember when an article is due? Because I can't think of another process that would result in being as wrong as he is.
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Apr 21, 2014 19:36
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Fried Chicken posted:Bill Kristol is claiming in his newsletter that "a friend in the know" told him Clinton's running mate will be David Petraeus. You gotta love it when people collecting wingnut welfare talk about how America's a meritocracy.
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Apr 21, 2014 19:47
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You'd be hard-pressed to name a public figure with longer VP odds than Petraeus.
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Apr 21, 2014 19:51
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Raskolnikov38 posted:Does Bill Kristol just do LSD all day and hurriedly write down what little he can remember when an article is due? He thought he'd outsmarted the monkey paw by wishing to be the opposite of a Cassandra. Now people listen to him, but he's always wrong.
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Apr 21, 2014 19:51
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Hmm, yes, a man who lost his job due to an affair sounds like a perfect asset for a Hillary Clinton Presidential campaign. On the other hand, Kristol did correctly predict/create McCain's running mate....
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Apr 21, 2014 19:59
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mdemone posted:You'd be hard-pressed to name a public figure with longer VP odds than Petraeus. Carlos Danger
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Apr 21, 2014 20:42
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A young male Latino like Julian Castro would be a good guy to aim for on the VP slot (maybe a little inexperienced but Hillary's presence mitigates that a lot). Martin O'Malley would be another great VP choice. Elizabeth Warren would be too much woman for America to handle at this point, and I think the Dems may cynically avoid putting a black guy on the ticket after it's gone so well for the first guy in certain parts of the country (So no Cory Booker or Deval Patrick, who are in the mix). Patraeus with the affair would be a nightmare for Hillary. 2016 GOP ad: "Hillary Clinton: if her judgement in men is so bad, what would her judgement be like... for America?" Cigar Aficionado fucked around with this message at 20:54 on Apr 21, 2014 |
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Apr 21, 2014 20:44
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Cigar Aficionado posted:
Also, she dresses like a whore and or grandma.
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Apr 21, 2014 20:47
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The funny thing is that Bill Kristol is supposed to be one of the smart ones. I guess he's smart enough to see that there's more money to be made in being a for-hire opinion pusher than real work, but still.
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Apr 21, 2014 20:47
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Cigar Aficionado posted:A young male Latino like Julian Castro would be a good guy to aim for on the VP slot (maybe a little inexperienced but Hillary's presence mitigates that a lot). Martin O'Malley would be another great VP choice. Warren would be too much woman for America to handle at this point, and I think the Dems may cynically avoid putting a black guy on the ticket after it's gone so well for the first guy in certain parts of the country (So no Cory Booker or Deval Patrick, who are in the mix). Yeah, from looking at it 30 months out, I'd guess at one if the Castro brothers or O'Malley. The Castro brothers help rally out the youth and minority vote, and O'Malley is positioning to attack her from the left in the primary, so he would shore that up (particularly if Paul is able to make the Iraq vote an issue by his activity in the GOP primary) For preference I'd say one of the brothers, strengthening the coalition through defining it in opposition to the GOP (non old white male) is more useful to the long term goals of improving things than a slightly more liberal voice in a largely powerless position in an executive branch dealing with an openly hostile legislature. But yeah, I think it is more likely she will run with a dead cat as her veep than David Petraeus
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Apr 21, 2014 20:59
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Why not Biden?
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Apr 21, 2014 21:02
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Biden VP of my heart
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Apr 21, 2014 21:03
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Blake Farenthold, last heard from complaining to the Jimmy Dean Sausage hotline about their new packaging, introduced a bill to cut off Eric Holder's paycheck because he's a big ol' meanie or something:quote:On Thursday, U.S. Congressman Blake Farenthold (TX-27) officially introduced H.R. 4447, the “Contempt Act.” H.R. 4447 would simply prohibit any federal employee who is found in contempt of Congress from receiving his or her salary. More specifically, the bill would officially direct the employer of any officer or employee of the federal government who is in contempt of Congress to not pay compensation to the officer or employee while he or she remains in contempt.
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Apr 21, 2014 21:06
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I'm gonna guess the VP is whoever the establishment like enough to be president in 8 years.
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Apr 21, 2014 21:07
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It's too far out to predict a running mate, just like it's too far out to accurately predict the 2016 nominees. RM are chosen by a vetting committee set up by the candidate after securing the nomination, not 2 years before the first primary ballot is cast. I'm pretty sure at this point in 2010, people were speculating about 2012 nominee Chris Christie's running mate Bobby Jindal.
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Apr 21, 2014 21:08
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Ammat The Ankh posted:It's too far out to predict a running mate, just like it's too far out to accurately predict the 2016 nominees. RM are chosen by a vetting committee set up by the candidate after securing the nomination, not 2 years before the first primary ballot is cast. Yeah, I was trying to include this as a caveat with my "30 months out" point, apologies if that wasn't clear
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Apr 21, 2014 21:09
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