The Democrats have produced the most disturbing election year theater imaginable. Installation and coronation of Kamala without so much as a vote or even a statement of any kind of policy and now the the fawning over an overweight "everyman" as a running mate makes me wonder just how far the actual Democrat voters can be led. Surely they don't ALL watch legacy media. You'd think they might have some questions about where her actual loyalties lie, considering for instance, Reid Hoffman is shelling out big bucks.
I read Brené Brown copiously, and I've hesitated--until recently--to use shaming-sounding nomenclature. But as I've recently heard Stoller and Glenwald, particularly, refer to today's Dems as "herd animals," it's felt less like a knock and more like a simple objective descriptor of today's reality. "Lemocrats," too, feels right.
I don't even mean this mean. Nomenclature like this simply acknowledges the witnessed-in-constituents' freedom from the weight of choice, just as ATW covered in today's broadcast. What we're seeing is absolutely the relinquishing of the hardship of genuine choice for the felt-freedom of simply being told where to follow by people with apparent technical competence(s).
Social media has atomized everything the last almost-15 years; until I read The Age of Surveillance Capitalism, I thought that was by negligence instead of design. From this Age-informed view, what I heard in the haunting-to-me cheering-at of the empty Harris/Walz words spoken today had me fumbling for an Arendt quote on loneliness as precondition to totalitarianism I can't recall clearly enough to find.
There's a like-feeling idea expressed in the final words on the back matter of my copy of The Origins of Totalitarianism, though:
"Hannah Arendt explores the institutions and operations of totalitarian movements, focusing on the two genuine forms of totalitarian government in our time, Nazi Germany and Stalinist Russia, which she adroitly recognizes were two sides of the same coin, rather than opposing philosophies of Right and Left. From this vantage point, she discusses the evolution of classes into masses, the role of propaganda in dealing with the nontotalitarian world, the use of terror, and the nature of isolation and loneliness as preconditions for total domination."
In a world where people felt good about themselves and their communities, without loneliness, there would not have been a Harris-Walz rally such as I, so chillingly, heard embraced by its attendees today. (Thank goodness I was, at least, hearing with ATW commentary layered on top.)
There is a contingent of Gaza friendly Dems on Twixter who are livid that Kamala picked a "Zionist stooge" like Walz. I don't know what that translates into as far as actual votes go.
Of the two tickets that will be on the ballot in November, only one is projecting loneliness, isolation and pessimism in its vision of America, which as Arendt notes is bound up with totalitarian movements--and it isn't Harris/Walz...
I've spent the last half-decade being stalked and tormented by folks from Team "Harris/Walz" (which is to say, "Team Blue Neolib"), whose staunchest adherents are the loneliest, most isolated, most conformity-demanding people I have ever known. So you can go ahead and sell your "two tickets" you-must-vote-Blue Neolib!!! sob story somewhere else, m'kay?
I will never, ever buy what you are selling. And while I seldom deign to speak for anyone else, I think it's safe to say: I speak here for anyone and everyone else who's been subjected to allll the many horrors underneath all Team Blue Neolib's friendly-looking facade.
Wait until she gets over 90 million votes. She is going to landslide Donald. Pushing Biden to the side ramps up their system. They can believably sell that she got the most votes in history. It'll be telling that it will be that much more than the Biden most in history as well.
It's no longer about reality, it's about plausible believability.
All they have to do is keep skewing the polls by oversampling Democrats, & the steal won't seem so blatant. They are already busily registering illegal aliens to vote, in hopes of snagging as many of their ballots as they can. Ballot drop boxes will be going up in cities all over the country soon, & there ya go! 90 million votes EASY!
Watch Vivek Ramaswamy & Matt Taibbi's discussion where the 'weird' concept comes up about the 34:00 minute mark - tho' the entire interview is worth listening to.
That was great analysis, Thank you. The frequent coordination between western governments and media should concern everyone. Things like Covid, Build Back Better & The Great Reset were all global in scope and the scripts read by the national leaders were verbatim.
Have not listened to it, but I hope Prince Rami-Salami reminds listeners that he was occupying one of the Republican weird seats long before it became a cool meme. He deserves some sort of "weird" recognition for it, in my opinion.
The people pushing Drag Queen Storytime, transing of children, & open borders, who lost track of 85K children who came in as "unaccompanied minors" are most likely NOT "Republican chuds," but you do you, honey.
What did we do? We had sex. We walked to town and back. We socialized with our neighbors. Now everyone facilitates themselves over images they find online. Now we go into online echo chambers in parasocial networks with people we will never met.
Dems make a mountain out of a mole hill in terms of Jan 6th, which lasted all of 6 hours, but then ignore (actually cheered on) months of George Floyd inspired riots that resulted in the burning, and looting of many cities and the deaths of over 20 citizens.
MAGA narrative WTF, Are you denying that cities burned and looting happened and over 20 people died? That’s pretty sick to deny reality but TDS afflicts many on the left.
The guy tried to handle the riots using local police, and then after seeing they were overwhelmed, called in the national guard. That’s just good, moderate governance. I know fascists like the idea of immediately summoning the armed forces to solve any and all civil disturbances at the barrel of a gun, but normies aren’t so taken with the idea of the military rushing in to their city every five minutes.
You don't know what you're talking about. Settle down, fill out your mail in ballot for all democrats and get back to your group canasta games at the retirement home.
I think you’re probably unable to see how left Walz is because you think as he does. You’re not able to see the woods for the trees. A lot of voters are like that. It’s as if you have completely forgotten you’ve been lied to and duped by your own party who dumps certain people unceremoniously and anoints others with the help of State Media.
And that’s just in the past two months of their nefarious shenanigans.
Are you saying dishonest government is a partisan thing? It sounds like you’re saying that, am I hearing you wrong? I don’t think like either party & I’ve been lied to all my life, it doesn’t matter which party, it’s a dishonest manipulative political system.
Have you read James Madison’s Federalist Paper No 10? He explains it. He wrote the US constitution. He said it would be helpful to the “propertied minority” (his words) in ruling over the large clueless majority of Americans.
A minority can successfully rule if it builds the majority very big & very diverse. Then the “propertied minority” (uses this term repeatedly) can manipulate the diverse groups who make up the complex geographically spread-out majority to direst their blame for the country’s problems against each other, north vs south, manufacturing vs farming, Protestant vs Catholic, and many others, & their hostility against each other, their hate, will absorb their focus & they will never pay attention to the propertied minority, the small powerful group he & his peers belong to, he calls opposed political groups factions, his faction may decisively rule the country the way they know is best, something the majority faction will never know with their lack of perspective, their lack of wealth, culture, high education can bring.
The small propertied minority will easily rule over the fragmented majority, as long as the minority facilitates their fragmentation & the conflict among each other.
In the current era of US political history, the two party system is used powerfully by the dominant minority faction, United by their common economic interests. “You’re just saying that because you think like an ignorant Republican!, “. “I can see you’re only saying that because you think like the gullible Democrats.”
Madison said this will keep such divided people from being able to think outside the box of mutual hate & contempt. The number of people who do think outside these boxes & who try to show the others a way of thinking independent of the distortions of the two party system won’t get through because their numbers will be so small, the party faithful will see the independent as just another version of the “other” party, since they aren’t on the same side as one’s self.
For the propertied minority, this partisan conflict helps the success of the divide & rule system that makes rule by a small minority over a large majority possible.
If you haven’t read No 10 of the federalist papers by Constitution author & 4th president Madison, you might like to check it out, many copies on the web, to me it’s been eye opening, surprising. Maybe reading it by many people could help the real majority interest be better realized in the US, if democracy is your thing. Definitely not for everybody. Not for Madison or “founding fathers” in general.
no, all kinds of people do that. Some do and some don't. Some 'leftists' disparage everyone who disagrees with them and some 'rightists' disparage everyone who disagrees with them, and neither sees themselves as doing that. They think it's just the other guy who's leftist/rightist, which ever one they're not, Have you ever noticed that? It's not left or right, it's a human, thing, and especially in political systems where the leaders use 'divide and rule' tactics to continue and strengthen their power. It's tricky, easy to not see how they do it. They have tools of power that regular people don't have.
I knew nothing about Governor Walz before he was chosen as the V.P. candidate, but the Protecting Reproductive Options Act (1) that he signed into law in January, 2023 is certainly "far-left". It's a radical change from the views on abortion held by the liberal justices in Roe v. Wade, and a radical departure from the views of many mainstream liberals.
The Roe v. Wade justices explicitly recognized that states had "legitimate interests in protecting both the pregnant woman's health and the potentiality of human life, each of which interests grows and reaches a 'compelling' point at various stages of the woman's approach to term." They labored to find a reasonable balance between those two competing interests.
By contrast, the Protecting Reproductive Options Act entirely ignores the the developing child ("potentiality of human life"), implicitly denying it personhood and rights throughout the pregnancy. In Minnesota, a pregnant woman can legally decide to abort her child in the last week, or even on the last day, of pregnancy simply because she changed her mind about having a child. This is a radical departure from Roe v. Wade, which allowed states to ban elective, post-viability abortions.
Note that statistics about abortion at different stages of pregnancy are irrelevant to my point, which is about what the Minnesota law allows.
The law making Minnesota a "transgender refuge state" (2, 3) would also be viewed as "far-left" by many people.
The people who want tampon dispensers in girls' bathrooms tend to be the same ones who insist that men who identify as women be allowed in women's and girls' private spaces, including gyms, female prisons, and domestic violence shelters. It's inaccurate if not disingenuous to treat the tampons-in-boys'-bathrooms issue as if it were isolated from the rest of transgender politics.
You meant "...tampon dispensers in the 'boys' bathrooms..." right? Because wouldn't you want tampon dispensers in the girl's bathroom? Not being obtuse. There was a furor over the price of tampons, which were subject to severe price gouging as i recall, until the uproar became too much for the rapacious bastards. But I'll bet you they're still crazy expensive, because stock buybacks.
For the record, I never said anything about wanting tampon dispensers in the boys room. My point is that Walz has done many excellent things in Minn. that have made the lives of its citizens better. Like paid family leave, and getting school lunch for kids.
But people on the right cannot stop obsessing over things like this because somehow they are obsessed with other people's bodies (abortion, trans people, etc) It's exactly why Tim Walz called them WEIRD.
You really are a typical leftist. The government can solve everything. And look at where that’s got us, such a wonderful society of dependents. The Walz’ and Harris’s of life don’t just want people to be helped through a bad time, which is a fine thing. No, they want them beholden all their lives - to them.
You do realize that in pretty much every country around the world, there's nothing strange about the government supporting its citizens. Example, we are literally the only country in the world without national healthcare. Sorry, but I'm never going to think there's anything wrong with people not losing their homes because they have medical bills or women not getting prenatal care because they don't have insurance. Are you suggesting that we also get rid of social security, so that your parents or grandparents go hungry when they're elderly? Someone doesn't need to be a leftist to care about other people and their fellow citizens.
You must be one of the site's new junior high school interns we've been hearing about. Introduce yourself and tell us a little bit about yourself. Goals, ambitions, what you hope to accomplish while commenting here, etc. But welcome.
No, no, not a dating site. What I’m seeing is a petty insulting site, particularly by those on the left. Which is a shame because usually it’s informative and fairly even handed. It’ll be a shame if it simply descends farther into puerile, peevish mockery.
Such pretty language “reproductive rights”. You mean abortion up to birth, that’s what Walz voted for. Maybe that doesn’t bother you but there’s nothing reproductive about aborting a fully formed baby.
Only an idiot thinks abortion happens till birth. Educated people realize 98% of them happen in the first trimester. The rest occur when there are things wrong w mother or fetus.
I am a woman and I can say my opinion freely so far. But who knows if Democrats get their way. Millions of women do not support abortion the way Democrats and Leftists do, we are informed and have the right to a voice. So it is my business.
I say this as someone who thinks abortion, an abomination of a procedure to the woman as well as the baby, should be legal, available, and.....rare! It is in no way rare today, there are more than 3,000 abortions carried out in the US per day. Yes, that’s right per day, in the US alone. Over 60 million babies aborted since Roe v Wade. It is clear it’s not being used as a last resort, for rape, incest or the health of the mother, but as a form of contraception.
And it’s not just about taking the life of the innocent baby. Added to that, research from across the world suggests that abortion increases the risk of mental health complications for women several times over and suicidal ideation by at least 50 percent compared to live birth. Yet patients who are considering abortion are not routinely informed of these risks.
Plus abortion has had dire consequences for black communities, where there’s a planned Parenthood on almost every corner. Why do you think their demographic remains at or below 13%, ever wonder that? It’s as Margaret Sanger, the KKK founder of Planned Parenthood wanted for African Americans and the disabled, eugenics. She’s got her wish.
So, women are lied to at the ballot box and then treated as fodder for the billion dollar abortion machine that benefits the Democrat party the most. Well done you.
The Protect Reproductive Options Act that Governor Walz signed in 2023 guarantees the right to abort a developing child at any stage of pregnancy, for any reason.
You either think that elective, late-term abortions (even up to the last day of pregnancy) should be allowed, as they are in Minnesota, or you don't. Instead of honestly stating your belief in this regard, you evade the question by saying (to paraphrase) "No one does that anyway!"
If you think they're ethical, there would be no point in claiming that they're rare or non-existent - just say you think they're ethical. If you think they're unethical, then you should explain why you support a law that guarantees the right to do something you consider unethical.
No, it’s a precise term. In other words, the truth. They are here illegally, hence, illegal aliens. Most everyone is open to immigration, as long as it is done legally. Why can you not comprehend the difference?
DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas wrote: "The ... Rio Grande Valley Sector is an area of 'high illegal entry.'" (1). Was he also being derisive? The derision arises only in your interpretation of the phrase; don't attribute your own viewpoint to others.
A North Carolina high school student was allegedly suspended for a few days for using the term "illegal alien" (1). Do you support such punishments, or do you just wish that people didn't use that phrase? Or is it only the term "illegals" that you find offensive?
The term "criminal alien" is not used nor does it occur in any legal "system" (whatever that means) or in any U.S. Federal or State codes or statutes. It might be used to refer to an "alien" who has been charged and convicted of a crime.
"Illegal entrants" makes a single appearance in the portion of federal law titled "Aliens and Nationality." A chapter in the code, "Immigration and Nationality," "defines the word "alien" alone as "any person not a citizen or national of the United States."
Your sonic stupidity is at glass-shattering levels and its irritatingly high pitch poses potential risks to even the sturdiest of eardrums.
I'm not advocating either way. Here in LA - the hit and run capital of the country - the majority of illegal aliens do not have car insurance. They don't have health insurance either. It would be better if they had both. It would be better if they weren't here illegally.
"securing reproductive rights" is a euphemism designed to avoid serious philosophical discussion of abortion laws by avoiding the central question - how to balance the mother's desires with those of the "potential life" within her. The law that Governor Walz signed allows a woman to abort her child at any stage of the pregnancy, for any reason - in principle, even one day before her due date simply because she decided she doesn't want a baby.
Reproductive rights is not a euphemism for anything. It literally means that every woman is the right to control her own body, hence her choice whether or not to have a baby. No one gets an abortion at 30 weeks just because they don't want to be pregnant. If you did any research whatsoever you would know that 98% of abortions happen in the first trimester. The ones that don't are usually because something is wrong with the baby, or the mother has a health issue. Regardless of ANY of that - what women do with the bodies is none of your business. I get it, the fact that women do not have to answer to you or anyone about their health choices, infuriates you, but you'll just have to suck it up because IT IS NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS.
I call "reproductive rights", "women's bodily autonomy", and similar phrases euphemisms because they are designed to avoid mentioning one side of the issue - the rights of the "potential life" (Roe v. Wade's phrase) developing within the mother. By avoiding mentioning this core aspect of the abortion issue, liberals hope to settle the question without having to engage in a discussion about how conflicting rights can best be balanced.
The same rhetorical technique is used in the Minnesota abortion law that Tim Walz signed - the words "person" and "people", whose rights the law claims to uphold, are implicitly restricted to the pregnant woman; the question of whether and when the developing child acquires a right to life is simply ignored and goes unmentioned. This is a stark departure from the discussion in Roe v. Wade (for example), which explicitly acknowledged that there were two conflicting rights to be considered and sought a way to balance them.
A fetus cannot survive outside the womb until at least 27 weeks or so. Prior to that it's extremely rare and usually associated with poor outcomes.
Therefore, the woman is the person that gets to make the decision on whether or not to bring the pregnancy to full term. The only one with fully formed "rights" is the woman.
You clearly do not like this, and a woman's autonomy to make this decision bothers you, but that is on you to deal with. Women have been aborting pregnancies since we starting walking upright, and they always will. It is their body, and their choice whether or not to bring life into this world. Not yours. Not the church. Not the supreme court. No one but hers.
It seems to be impossible to get you to discuss the issue in a direct and honest way. You say "the woman is the person that gets to make the decision on whether or not to bring the pregnancy to full term." Unless you're being sloppy in expressing yourself, that's a universal claim that the only rights that count are the woman's rights, regardless of the stage of pregnancy or the woman's reasons for wanting an abortion. If you believe that, why bother mentioning 27 weeks or any such milestone, or clinical statistics on the types of abortions that occur in practice? Just come out and say that you think women should be able to have abortions for any reason and at any stage of pregnancy, even up to the last day.
As I've said, "women's autonomy", "their body", and all other such commonly used phrases are designed to evade the core question. If you don't believe that the zygote/fetus/clump of cells/developing child/potential life, or whatever you wish to call it, has any rights before birth, just say so. That's the belief implicitly underlying Minnesota's abortion law. Instead, you continually use phrases carefully crafted to avoid mentioning or even alluding to the existence of anything but the woman and her body.
In Roe v. Wade, the liberal justices engaged in an honest philosophical interrogation of the core question. You, and most liberals, instead just keep repeating the same slogans over and over.
Let me help. Soy is a humorous dig at those on the political left often associated with dying their hair blue or green, writing whole screenplays at Starbucks while buying nothing while there and those who had an opportunity for a national temper tantrum/group therapy session while wearing pussy hats after Trump's election in 2016. Does it make more sense now?
Thanks for covering the Tulsi situation. By coincidence I just listened last night to an interview she did ages ago and was blown away. What a president she'd make! She makes Kamala look like a politically correct Barbie doll. So to hear about this whole surveillance thing. . . just scary.
«We probably don’t deserve a president that would be that good…»
What the USA middle class want is any president fronting an administration that keeps real estate and share prices growing and the wages of the lower classes falling, and what the "sponsors" want is the same plus wokery to obfuscate that and the colossal subsidies to Wall Street. Both hope that the long term consequences of doing that will be "deserved" by some future generation.
This may all seem much more interesting to Walter and Matt but meanwhile, the Democratic Party has Bobby Kennedy Jr in Court today, where he is accused by DNC operatives of not being a New York resident (for purposes of running for President.) The DNC is using law fare to invalidate hundreds of thousands of NY voters who signed ballot petitions for Bobby. If we want running commentary entirely focused on the two major parties and their candidates there is MSM and TYT and a bunch of quasi-indie news outlets. I give up.
I don't get it either. We already know what Kamala is. I checked out her website out of curiosity and she has ZERO policies for solving problems. She is basically continuing Biden's programs and do the border more better. And Trump is Trump. How about some substance, please.
Subtance? People can't handle substance anymore. It gives them diarrhea. It makes them feel all poopy-poopy. No, people can only handle ephemeral fluff and soap bubbles.
Many (especially older) PMC/middle class people and "sponsors" in the finance, real estate and armament sectors have no problems to solve, they have been making a lot of money in recent years, they do not want any change, any risk; they got theirs or are getting theirs and that's all that matters.
I was hoping against hope there'd be a policy or two posted today. Nope. Even the FAQ is all about donations and volunteering; of the top 10 points covered on the FAQ, only one ("What are the requirements to vote?") falls outside this scope.
If there are no stated policies, what even--beyond cult of personality stuff--are the donations and volunteering for? What do they accomplish, and for whom?
Yearning for some substance, and the kind of world where one needn't go trawling for the slightest glimmers of it.
Glenn Greenwald interviewed Lee Fang the other day, who said that this lack of policy is the way they do politics in California. It's all appearance and identity.
I hadn't heard anything about this particular bit of Democratic Party lawfare. Thanks for referencing it here.
On the lawfare front, I recently read a book (about social media's use/abuse by dictators) that briefly touched on how essential was lawfare to Duterte's rise in the Philippines. I'd been concerned about the Dems' lawfare before I read that passage; after reading it, so much the worse. :(
Gotta say the fawning is so weird. Minnesota with its terrible handling of the 2020 riots has to make this guy a big turn-off to a lot of people in the country, right? What am I missing? This guy is more to the left than the very progressive Harris. I think this choice could swing voters--but I could be wrong, of course.
The 2020 Floyd riots in Minneapolis caused 500 million in damages, 60% of losses were not covered by insurance. 1,000 or so buildings destroyed. Widespread looting, and the 3rd precinct burned to the ground. Walz did nothing for too long. His fans portray that display of indecision and incompetence as “restraint “. No normal person sees it that way. Walz Lake Wobegon hokey act is just too much. I’m a former midwesterner and see right through it.
Oops- Lake Wobegon. As a former midwesterner (Nebr), I had a “weird” image come to me. Like the old cartoon - Foghorn Leghorn - but with mid America accent.
We had an old aunt that we have not seen in many months drop by today for a visit. She brought up Trump, and started with the usual criticism. I quickly changed the subject. It is an absolute waste of time and energy to attempt to change people’s minds about how they feel, because they watch and listen to the mainstream news organizations. She mentioned something she saw on CBS about Trump. She’s a good woman, she’s not stupid, she just does not question the news she watches, she believes it is just actual factual news. I understand that if every source one has for news is heavily biased positive for the Dems and negative for the republicans then of course that is what they will believe.
«she’s not stupid, she just does not question the news she watches, she believes it is just actual factual news»
Many people like that have learned that they *must* believe the official media, because "the nail that stands out will be hammered". Being a "weirdo" carries many risks to career, job, popularity, ...
On the other hand J.D. Vance is a vice-presidential nominee on a presidential ticket. But, sure, you make a very good point about the risks weirdos take---for instance, there's RFK JR who has a very public high wire act going, seemingly without a safety net.
he handled the riots well - it was either start shooting in the beginning or wait for the national guard to mobilize, which takes a while. (there was also an issue with getting the rubber bullets and enough of them)
i'd much much rather have a softer touch than cops shooting at people and a dozen or hundred dying.
people bitching about the police / excessive use of force want the cops to go all crazy at a protest.....one about excessive use of force by the police - ....right.
Bill passed by the legislature and approved by the governor. Burnt taco has it backwards, but sentiment is correct. Science is never completely settled, it appears the science behind trans surgery and puberty blockers on minors is made up of whole cloth, as evidenced by the pioneers of trans treatment in Europe all pulling back on the experimental treatment in regards to minors.
I didn't even catch that on first read! I must've automatically appended the "socially" right before the "progressive" in a kind of text-normalizing process. :D
I was responding to RAO, who evidently seems to think Kamala is "very progressive" and isn't yet another elite-, corporate- and war machine-friendly Clintonoid-Obamanaut.
Understood. What amused me was that I missed those specific words until you highlighted them. Usually they'd have jumped right out at me with dissonance.
On all but the most superficial level, Harris is indeed full-on "Clintonoid-Obamanaut"--the opposite of anything I'd consider remotely progressive. Culture War/non-economic "progressive" only, for sure.
This was one part of Lee Fang's quick-take on Twitter. Curious to see how it plays out among the less-online contingency of the US population, for sure.
his handling of the riots were actually pretty good - he was a far lighter touch than he otherwise could have been. if more violent, you would've had a lot more death, people were itching for a fight. if there's anything about that situation that proved anything it's that guns make protests a hell of a lot more peaceful on both sides, and that they can actually protect businesses.
He's also a "good" leftie, imo - (wanting to increase capital gains taxes, not income taxes so the owners pay more, and those who actually "make" pay less)
i guarantee you most people who talk like this haven't been to a city center in decades, fyi - she's probably from st cloud -
this was a protest about police excessive use of force and they were baiting / waiting for more violence - that was part of the strategy to further nationalize the protests - he didn't fall for the bait.
also, mobilizing the national guard takes a while.
minnesota is already incredibly law and orderish, seeing people saying they wanted more use of force and police intervention really makes me wonder whether they are secret mccarthyists or something -
the overall damages - meh, not great, not terrible. 3.6
I'm still hoping someone (besides the Washington Times, more power to 'em) will cover what still may be the vilest act of Harris' political career: upon winning the San Francisco District Attorney's race in 2004, she quashed the full-scale inquiry (started by her predecessor) into the widespread sexual abuse, over many years, by priests in the Archdiocese. Just threw the whole thing out, despite many hours of testimony from dozens of victims. The kicker, not surprisingly, is that she took substantial financial contributions from the Church during her campaign. You can tell a lot about a politician by how they get their start...
Fang's coverage is one part of what makes me cringe when her record fighting Big Bads is touted by Dems. From my readings thus far, her official actions have been strictly against the powerless, not the powerful. (Just read the top comment on Fang's post. I'd like to read more coverage by that commenter!)
It was law firms that represented the Church, board members of the San Francisco archdiocese, and other closely related organizations. All very clearly sourced and cited in the (admittedly partisan but excellent) book, Profiles In Corruption by Peter Schweizer.
In other words, no, Kamala Harris did not receive campaign donations from the San Francisco archdiocese nor did the Catholic Church contribute financially to her campaign.
Also, for keeping quiet about Biden's position, I'm not especially holding that against her. That's an awkward position for any VP and potus, and a lose-lose one. There are countless other Democrats who should have made that clear a long time ago.
See, this is my real beef with her. She has (at least) two massive flaws, and they sent her staff over the early years as VP packing. One is that she's lazy (and/or dumb, take your pick) and doesn't like to do her homework. The other is that she takes no responsibility for anything and blames anyone but herself.
In addition to those questions, i'm more interested in policy questions. You get a long list of "policy" positions from the koolaid droolers - restore Roe! Child care! Healthcare! etc. The same list any random generic Democrat would cough up.
I'd add -
We're involved in supporting 2 wars now, in support of unreliable allies. These look to escalate imminently. What is your position with regard to these wars, and what to you plan do do about the whole mess?
What's your policy on trade? Tech? Regulation?
What do you plan to do about immigration? Both for those already in the country, and those who aspire to be?
And more. I get crickets when i ask this, and the Dems "It's the Republicans' fault for not passing the bullshit "bipartisan" bill" can be picked apart and shredded, but it's lalalala I can't hear you.
No need evidently. The Dems have the entire country’s (excluding Fox) news media doing all of her campaigning for her. Who could possibly ask for more? Not to mention the entertainment industry. Her best strategy is to remain hidden until Election Day, and they know it.
As someone who lives in Mn. This guy is as bad if not worse than this article says. During Covid Timmy the tyrant shut the State down, Well Not Target etc, but bars and restaurants, churches, Funeral homes etc. Spent 500 million on a morgue to store all the dead that were piling up on the streets.
Totally agree (except for minor correction on the morgue--it was $5million + some extra remodeling--a total waste obvious from the start).
The guy is a total phony "centrist"--as soon as he had his legislative majority (of one senator) he helped force through a radical agenda--because that's what Dems do. Anytime, any reason abortion, sanctuary state for gender surgery on minors, drivers licenses for illegals, radical social studies curriculum, everything for teachers who don't want to go to the classroom and teach etc etc etc
Very true. That's one reason I vote for Reps (although I'm not one). I don't like a lot of their agenda but they are never disciplined enough to push it through without dissent.
Did they actually buy it? Article said contemplating but thought they should find a business to encourage going in there before doing so. Government, SOPM, that’s all they are good for
Ma. v Mn. Would you rather be shot in arm or the leg?
" Well in in Minnesota Gov Tim Walz has taken care of that little problem...by shutting down All Bars & Restaurants. The question is, 1. How long will this ban be in place 2. how many bars and restaurants will go under? All because of 14 cases (out of a population of 5.6 Million)
Let me see if I understand this (not being all that bright I..Could..Be..Wrong) The media pushes the Panic Button in order to get Ratings/Clicks. A certain number of people go (for lack of a better word) Insane. Politicians in response to the Media and the Insane, react by shutting down large parts of society/the economy...(249 people in a group, you're safe, 251 Everyone dies. If you want a drink or dinner out...You're gonna die.). Then to (try) a solve the problem they created by panicking and reacting to the insanity they say they are going to Give me $1,000. Where we might reasonably ask will they get this money? Why from the magical money tree of course!"
Mar. 19 2020 A skinny old wise ass.
As for "how right wing matt's commenters have been these days." Don't mean We're Wrong!
"Ukraine is a country in Europe. It exists next to another country called Russia. Russia is a bigger country. Russia is a powerful country. Russia decided to invade a smaller country called Ukraine. So basically that's wrong."
After midnight, under the cover of darkness and noctilucent clouds illuminated by a gibbous moon outside his home? In a dank, unfinished, poorly-lit basement with badly exposed wiring and a floor with a surface of crushed concrete cinder blocks? In drag and equipped with a pair of AGM NVG-50 3AW1 – Dual Tube Night Vision Binocular-Goggles?
The scuttlebutt they wanted Shapiro but he got cold feet at last minute (smart), Kelly already screwed the pooch by inadvertently releasing X he was out then retweeted. That left Walz.
What did we do before these nonstop propaganda dumps? American Bandstand?
Thanks for covering this shit so we can tune out, Matt. You’re made of sturdier stuff than I.
The Democrats have produced the most disturbing election year theater imaginable. Installation and coronation of Kamala without so much as a vote or even a statement of any kind of policy and now the the fawning over an overweight "everyman" as a running mate makes me wonder just how far the actual Democrat voters can be led. Surely they don't ALL watch legacy media. You'd think they might have some questions about where her actual loyalties lie, considering for instance, Reid Hoffman is shelling out big bucks.
Lemmings all, I'm coining them Lemocrats.
I read Brené Brown copiously, and I've hesitated--until recently--to use shaming-sounding nomenclature. But as I've recently heard Stoller and Glenwald, particularly, refer to today's Dems as "herd animals," it's felt less like a knock and more like a simple objective descriptor of today's reality. "Lemocrats," too, feels right.
I don't even mean this mean. Nomenclature like this simply acknowledges the witnessed-in-constituents' freedom from the weight of choice, just as ATW covered in today's broadcast. What we're seeing is absolutely the relinquishing of the hardship of genuine choice for the felt-freedom of simply being told where to follow by people with apparent technical competence(s).
Social media has atomized everything the last almost-15 years; until I read The Age of Surveillance Capitalism, I thought that was by negligence instead of design. From this Age-informed view, what I heard in the haunting-to-me cheering-at of the empty Harris/Walz words spoken today had me fumbling for an Arendt quote on loneliness as precondition to totalitarianism I can't recall clearly enough to find.
There's a like-feeling idea expressed in the final words on the back matter of my copy of The Origins of Totalitarianism, though:
"Hannah Arendt explores the institutions and operations of totalitarian movements, focusing on the two genuine forms of totalitarian government in our time, Nazi Germany and Stalinist Russia, which she adroitly recognizes were two sides of the same coin, rather than opposing philosophies of Right and Left. From this vantage point, she discusses the evolution of classes into masses, the role of propaganda in dealing with the nontotalitarian world, the use of terror, and the nature of isolation and loneliness as preconditions for total domination."
In a world where people felt good about themselves and their communities, without loneliness, there would not have been a Harris-Walz rally such as I, so chillingly, heard embraced by its attendees today. (Thank goodness I was, at least, hearing with ATW commentary layered on top.)
There is a contingent of Gaza friendly Dems on Twixter who are livid that Kamala picked a "Zionist stooge" like Walz. I don't know what that translates into as far as actual votes go.
Of the two tickets that will be on the ballot in November, only one is projecting loneliness, isolation and pessimism in its vision of America, which as Arendt notes is bound up with totalitarian movements--and it isn't Harris/Walz...
I've spent the last half-decade being stalked and tormented by folks from Team "Harris/Walz" (which is to say, "Team Blue Neolib"), whose staunchest adherents are the loneliest, most isolated, most conformity-demanding people I have ever known. So you can go ahead and sell your "two tickets" you-must-vote-Blue Neolib!!! sob story somewhere else, m'kay?
I will never, ever buy what you are selling. And while I seldom deign to speak for anyone else, I think it's safe to say: I speak here for anyone and everyone else who's been subjected to allll the many horrors underneath all Team Blue Neolib's friendly-looking facade.
👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
WINNER!!!! can we make it Lemmocrats??
Wait until she gets over 90 million votes. She is going to landslide Donald. Pushing Biden to the side ramps up their system. They can believably sell that she got the most votes in history. It'll be telling that it will be that much more than the Biden most in history as well.
It's no longer about reality, it's about plausible believability.
Spot on.... No one, literally voted for her before but the Elite make up fact and reality and cram it down your throat. Mail it in Bro....;)
Only over 90 million? Why Biden got over 80 million when the Democrats were just practicing finding vote.
All they have to do is keep skewing the polls by oversampling Democrats, & the steal won't seem so blatant. They are already busily registering illegal aliens to vote, in hopes of snagging as many of their ballots as they can. Ballot drop boxes will be going up in cities all over the country soon, & there ya go! 90 million votes EASY!
Disturbing yes, but the thing that really creeps me out is that democrats are weird.
: )
Watch Vivek Ramaswamy & Matt Taibbi's discussion where the 'weird' concept comes up about the 34:00 minute mark - tho' the entire interview is worth listening to.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKtHlvWIpvc
That was great analysis, Thank you. The frequent coordination between western governments and media should concern everyone. Things like Covid, Build Back Better & The Great Reset were all global in scope and the scripts read by the national leaders were verbatim.
Have not listened to it, but I hope Prince Rami-Salami reminds listeners that he was occupying one of the Republican weird seats long before it became a cool meme. He deserves some sort of "weird" recognition for it, in my opinion.
oh I love that nick name. resonates with me. need an a in between
Well said, but Trump Derangement Syndrome is very real. We may see a return to healthy debate as more people move away from corporate media.
Fingers crossed
I think anyone looking past the Everyman demeanor will find Pedo policies and grift to fill every dem pot. Screw them all. Trump must win!
Why is pedo always a part of it? It's inhuman. Truly.
Then why are all the pedo rap sheets filled with Republican chuds?
Troll Alert!
Which "pedo rap sheets"?
Which "Republican chuds"?
Please be specific.
The people pushing Drag Queen Storytime, transing of children, & open borders, who lost track of 85K children who came in as "unaccompanied minors" are most likely NOT "Republican chuds," but you do you, honey.
I'll take Reid Hoffman over Peter Thiel and Elon Musk any day.
Don't obsess over the rich. They're not interested in you.
That was a mean thing to say.
You can have him, I wish somebody would.
They're all creeps who need to be debillionized.
You read my mind!
Why am I blocked from liking this comment?
I liked your blocked comment so I guess you’re ok
So did I, FWIW.
Some accounts on Substack no longer have the ability to like comments.
One commenter regularly posts under comments she likes, "I like this comment," & then she explains that she can't manually like anything anymore.
Substack glitch.
Did the poster block you?
What did we do? We had sex. We walked to town and back. We socialized with our neighbors. Now everyone facilitates themselves over images they find online. Now we go into online echo chambers in parasocial networks with people we will never met.
We drank beer and watched baseball.
“It’s got good propaganda, and I can dance to it! I give it a 98!”
Bandstand Boogie and Donald Pleasance come to mind.............
The Great Escape. How appropriate!
Splendid.
Dad energy, if your dad is left of Mao Zedong and likes to blame everything on someone else.
i'm getting sick of seeing these mischaracterizations - he's really not that far left by far - seeing this online is just - sad
yeah...cause letting the left burn down your biggest city in 2020 is soo centrist...
What??? Minneapolis is gone??
Dems make a mountain out of a mole hill in terms of Jan 6th, which lasted all of 6 hours, but then ignore (actually cheered on) months of George Floyd inspired riots that resulted in the burning, and looting of many cities and the deaths of over 20 citizens.
Or so goes the hard MAGA narrative...
MAGA narrative WTF, Are you denying that cities burned and looting happened and over 20 people died? That’s pretty sick to deny reality but TDS afflicts many on the left.
Denying reality is what got you Kamala and Walz. Now would be a good time to stop digging that hole.
The guy tried to handle the riots using local police, and then after seeing they were overwhelmed, called in the national guard. That’s just good, moderate governance. I know fascists like the idea of immediately summoning the armed forces to solve any and all civil disturbances at the barrel of a gun, but normies aren’t so taken with the idea of the military rushing in to their city every five minutes.
You don't know what you're talking about. Settle down, fill out your mail in ballot for all democrats and get back to your group canasta games at the retirement home.
I think you’re probably unable to see how left Walz is because you think as he does. You’re not able to see the woods for the trees. A lot of voters are like that. It’s as if you have completely forgotten you’ve been lied to and duped by your own party who dumps certain people unceremoniously and anoints others with the help of State Media.
And that’s just in the past two months of their nefarious shenanigans.
Are you saying dishonest government is a partisan thing? It sounds like you’re saying that, am I hearing you wrong? I don’t think like either party & I’ve been lied to all my life, it doesn’t matter which party, it’s a dishonest manipulative political system.
Have you read James Madison’s Federalist Paper No 10? He explains it. He wrote the US constitution. He said it would be helpful to the “propertied minority” (his words) in ruling over the large clueless majority of Americans.
A minority can successfully rule if it builds the majority very big & very diverse. Then the “propertied minority” (uses this term repeatedly) can manipulate the diverse groups who make up the complex geographically spread-out majority to direst their blame for the country’s problems against each other, north vs south, manufacturing vs farming, Protestant vs Catholic, and many others, & their hostility against each other, their hate, will absorb their focus & they will never pay attention to the propertied minority, the small powerful group he & his peers belong to, he calls opposed political groups factions, his faction may decisively rule the country the way they know is best, something the majority faction will never know with their lack of perspective, their lack of wealth, culture, high education can bring.
The small propertied minority will easily rule over the fragmented majority, as long as the minority facilitates their fragmentation & the conflict among each other.
In the current era of US political history, the two party system is used powerfully by the dominant minority faction, United by their common economic interests. “You’re just saying that because you think like an ignorant Republican!, “. “I can see you’re only saying that because you think like the gullible Democrats.”
Madison said this will keep such divided people from being able to think outside the box of mutual hate & contempt. The number of people who do think outside these boxes & who try to show the others a way of thinking independent of the distortions of the two party system won’t get through because their numbers will be so small, the party faithful will see the independent as just another version of the “other” party, since they aren’t on the same side as one’s self.
For the propertied minority, this partisan conflict helps the success of the divide & rule system that makes rule by a small minority over a large majority possible.
If you haven’t read No 10 of the federalist papers by Constitution author & 4th president Madison, you might like to check it out, many copies on the web, to me it’s been eye opening, surprising. Maybe reading it by many people could help the real majority interest be better realized in the US, if democracy is your thing. Definitely not for everybody. Not for Madison or “founding fathers” in general.
Sent from my iPhone
Now you’re talking about Walz’s wood?
Thanks for the pointed explanation. You're obviously not like a lot of voters.
You disparage everyone who disagrees with you. That’s the mark of a true leftist.
no, all kinds of people do that. Some do and some don't. Some 'leftists' disparage everyone who disagrees with them and some 'rightists' disparage everyone who disagrees with them, and neither sees themselves as doing that. They think it's just the other guy who's leftist/rightist, which ever one they're not, Have you ever noticed that? It's not left or right, it's a human, thing, and especially in political systems where the leaders use 'divide and rule' tactics to continue and strengthen their power. It's tricky, easy to not see how they do it. They have tools of power that regular people don't have.
They're not bots, but bot-like.
You'll be ok.
Why do Democrats like you feel loyalty to your party moreso than the country?
I knew nothing about Governor Walz before he was chosen as the V.P. candidate, but the Protecting Reproductive Options Act (1) that he signed into law in January, 2023 is certainly "far-left". It's a radical change from the views on abortion held by the liberal justices in Roe v. Wade, and a radical departure from the views of many mainstream liberals.
The Roe v. Wade justices explicitly recognized that states had "legitimate interests in protecting both the pregnant woman's health and the potentiality of human life, each of which interests grows and reaches a 'compelling' point at various stages of the woman's approach to term." They labored to find a reasonable balance between those two competing interests.
By contrast, the Protecting Reproductive Options Act entirely ignores the the developing child ("potentiality of human life"), implicitly denying it personhood and rights throughout the pregnancy. In Minnesota, a pregnant woman can legally decide to abort her child in the last week, or even on the last day, of pregnancy simply because she changed her mind about having a child. This is a radical departure from Roe v. Wade, which allowed states to ban elective, post-viability abortions.
Note that statistics about abortion at different stages of pregnancy are irrelevant to my point, which is about what the Minnesota law allows.
The law making Minnesota a "transgender refuge state" (2, 3) would also be viewed as "far-left" by many people.
[1] https://www.revisor.mn.gov/laws/2023/0/Session+Law/Chapter/4/
[2] https://www.house.mn.gov/SessionDaily/Story/17865
[3] https://www.revisor.mn.gov/bills/text.php?session=ls93&number=HF146&session_number=0&session_year=2023&version=list
thank you for the specifics John M.!
The Squad cheered for Walz. That makes him the leftists' leftist.
lol, ok.
The mischaracterizations are KAMALAFLAGE.
The history is being buried and altered as we sit here reading...
The Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party. Nuff said.
Hates farmers and blue collar workers. Got it.
Sounds like Kamala.
He has a nickname in Minnesota apparently - Tampon Tim - for requiring tampons in the boys bathrooms
I guess we know where he sticks his. Sorry Pete, I guess the veep door will be closed for you.
🤢😂
Seriously? Say no more.
Of all the assholes in the Democrat Party - and there is no shortage - this guy stands out as one of the biggest.
Really? As we're all aware, it's a packed field. I know nothing about Walz other than he's a modern democrat which means he is harmful to life.
Ask Minneapolis!
He and Kamala have the bent knee in common. Just for different causes.
There’s a fair amount of video that will back you up on that suspicion.
Yeah, what a dick for bringing paid family leave, securing reproductive rights and guaranteeing school lunch.
Yes, and securing tampon dispensers for the boys bathrooms
That's my favorite. Oh, and mandating workers to get vaccinated to earn a living. A little blackmail never hurt anyone.
Imagine caring more about tampon dispensers than kids getting school lunch and families getting paid leave
The people who want tampon dispensers in girls' bathrooms tend to be the same ones who insist that men who identify as women be allowed in women's and girls' private spaces, including gyms, female prisons, and domestic violence shelters. It's inaccurate if not disingenuous to treat the tampons-in-boys'-bathrooms issue as if it were isolated from the rest of transgender politics.
You meant "...tampon dispensers in the 'boys' bathrooms..." right? Because wouldn't you want tampon dispensers in the girl's bathroom? Not being obtuse. There was a furor over the price of tampons, which were subject to severe price gouging as i recall, until the uproar became too much for the rapacious bastards. But I'll bet you they're still crazy expensive, because stock buybacks.
For the record, I never said anything about wanting tampon dispensers in the boys room. My point is that Walz has done many excellent things in Minn. that have made the lives of its citizens better. Like paid family leave, and getting school lunch for kids.
But people on the right cannot stop obsessing over things like this because somehow they are obsessed with other people's bodies (abortion, trans people, etc) It's exactly why Tim Walz called them WEIRD.
Well said and spot on!
You really are a typical leftist. The government can solve everything. And look at where that’s got us, such a wonderful society of dependents. The Walz’ and Harris’s of life don’t just want people to be helped through a bad time, which is a fine thing. No, they want them beholden all their lives - to them.
You do realize that in pretty much every country around the world, there's nothing strange about the government supporting its citizens. Example, we are literally the only country in the world without national healthcare. Sorry, but I'm never going to think there's anything wrong with people not losing their homes because they have medical bills or women not getting prenatal care because they don't have insurance. Are you suggesting that we also get rid of social security, so that your parents or grandparents go hungry when they're elderly? Someone doesn't need to be a leftist to care about other people and their fellow citizens.
The right wingers on here like to bring up their sexual issues at every opportunity.
There’s nothing “sexual” about tampons in boys bathrooms. That’s on you, your mind in a dark place.
It's cheaper than therapy.
seriously. So creepy
You bring up tampon dispensers a lot.
You must be one of the site's new junior high school interns we've been hearing about. Introduce yourself and tell us a little bit about yourself. Goals, ambitions, what you hope to accomplish while commenting here, etc. But welcome.
This isn't a dating site.
I would certainly hope not.
No, no, not a dating site. What I’m seeing is a petty insulting site, particularly by those on the left. Which is a shame because usually it’s informative and fairly even handed. It’ll be a shame if it simply descends farther into puerile, peevish mockery.
Such pretty language “reproductive rights”. You mean abortion up to birth, that’s what Walz voted for. Maybe that doesn’t bother you but there’s nothing reproductive about aborting a fully formed baby.
Only an idiot thinks abortion happens till birth. Educated people realize 98% of them happen in the first trimester. The rest occur when there are things wrong w mother or fetus.
Only an idiot would advocate for it then.
Advocate for it? How about you? Just mind your own business and let women control their own bodies?
I am a woman and I can say my opinion freely so far. But who knows if Democrats get their way. Millions of women do not support abortion the way Democrats and Leftists do, we are informed and have the right to a voice. So it is my business.
I say this as someone who thinks abortion, an abomination of a procedure to the woman as well as the baby, should be legal, available, and.....rare! It is in no way rare today, there are more than 3,000 abortions carried out in the US per day. Yes, that’s right per day, in the US alone. Over 60 million babies aborted since Roe v Wade. It is clear it’s not being used as a last resort, for rape, incest or the health of the mother, but as a form of contraception.
And it’s not just about taking the life of the innocent baby. Added to that, research from across the world suggests that abortion increases the risk of mental health complications for women several times over and suicidal ideation by at least 50 percent compared to live birth. Yet patients who are considering abortion are not routinely informed of these risks.
Plus abortion has had dire consequences for black communities, where there’s a planned Parenthood on almost every corner. Why do you think their demographic remains at or below 13%, ever wonder that? It’s as Margaret Sanger, the KKK founder of Planned Parenthood wanted for African Americans and the disabled, eugenics. She’s got her wish.
So, women are lied to at the ballot box and then treated as fodder for the billion dollar abortion machine that benefits the Democrat party the most. Well done you.
The Protect Reproductive Options Act that Governor Walz signed in 2023 guarantees the right to abort a developing child at any stage of pregnancy, for any reason.
You either think that elective, late-term abortions (even up to the last day of pregnancy) should be allowed, as they are in Minnesota, or you don't. Instead of honestly stating your belief in this regard, you evade the question by saying (to paraphrase) "No one does that anyway!"
If you think they're ethical, there would be no point in claiming that they're rare or non-existent - just say you think they're ethical. If you think they're unethical, then you should explain why you support a law that guarantees the right to do something you consider unethical.
Are you Tim's ex-nanny? It's ok. No judgement.
A grown man with a nanny? Rich people are crazy
Yawn
Irrelevant.
Abortion up to the moment of birth is legal in 7 states, & Kamala wants to see it legalized in all 50.
Stop dodging the issue.
What a troll you are. Yawn.
Better to be a troll than a late term abortion zealot.
"Make Infanticide Great Again," Dems!
You really ought to be a bit more discerning with right-wing propaganda.
I’m with you. I don’t give a fuck about life, I just want my finger on the button.
Not to mention setting up a snitch-on-your neighbor hotline and letting Minneapolis burn a little.
Walk me through how illegal aliens get car insurance. That was his rationale for legal ID's for illegals.
Why do they need cars if they have flying saucers? Or is the Men In Black scenario really true?
Are you wearing a pussy hat right now? Have you washed it since 2016?
No, but I'm in a men's restroom searching for the tampon dispenser. Does that count?
If you were in MN, you'd have no problem. Are you menstruating?
You using the term, illegals, negates everything else you say.
They are here illegally.
No shit. It's a derisive term, and you know it
It's a legal term, bro. Resident Alien is also a legal term. Don't be so sensitive.
No, it’s a precise term. In other words, the truth. They are here illegally, hence, illegal aliens. Most everyone is open to immigration, as long as it is done legally. Why can you not comprehend the difference?
DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas wrote: "The ... Rio Grande Valley Sector is an area of 'high illegal entry.'" (1). Was he also being derisive? The derision arises only in your interpretation of the phrase; don't attribute your own viewpoint to others.
[1] https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2023-10-05/pdf/2023-22176.pdf
They’re here illegally, why is it derisive. Explain.
A North Carolina high school student was allegedly suspended for a few days for using the term "illegal alien" (1). Do you support such punishments, or do you just wish that people didn't use that phrase? Or is it only the term "illegals" that you find offensive?
[1] https://reason.com/2024/05/07/this-student-was-allegedly-suspended-for-saying-illegal-aliens-did-that-violate-the-first-amendment/
So what?
the term used in the legal system is CRIMINAL ALIEN. your sonic sensitivity portends a lack of logic & intelligence.
The term "criminal alien" is not used nor does it occur in any legal "system" (whatever that means) or in any U.S. Federal or State codes or statutes. It might be used to refer to an "alien" who has been charged and convicted of a crime.
"Illegal entrants" makes a single appearance in the portion of federal law titled "Aliens and Nationality." A chapter in the code, "Immigration and Nationality," "defines the word "alien" alone as "any person not a citizen or national of the United States."
Your sonic stupidity is at glass-shattering levels and its irritatingly high pitch poses potential risks to even the sturdiest of eardrums.
Do you need help or a spotter?
I fixed it for you. "Walk me through how non citizens get car insurance. That was his rationale for legal ID's for non citizens."
Fixed, like a neutered cat?
You have no idea how it works, do you?
"Newcomers."
It is odd that you would make it illegal to sell certain people a commodity. What happened to The Free Market?
It's already illegal in most states. MN is one of the few that wants to decriminalize crime.
Ok but why can’t a company sell to anyone they want?
Also, isn’t it better for drivers to have car insurance than not?
I'm not advocating either way. Here in LA - the hit and run capital of the country - the majority of illegal aliens do not have car insurance. They don't have health insurance either. It would be better if they had both. It would be better if they weren't here illegally.
"securing reproductive rights" is a euphemism designed to avoid serious philosophical discussion of abortion laws by avoiding the central question - how to balance the mother's desires with those of the "potential life" within her. The law that Governor Walz signed allows a woman to abort her child at any stage of the pregnancy, for any reason - in principle, even one day before her due date simply because she decided she doesn't want a baby.
Reproductive rights is not a euphemism for anything. It literally means that every woman is the right to control her own body, hence her choice whether or not to have a baby. No one gets an abortion at 30 weeks just because they don't want to be pregnant. If you did any research whatsoever you would know that 98% of abortions happen in the first trimester. The ones that don't are usually because something is wrong with the baby, or the mother has a health issue. Regardless of ANY of that - what women do with the bodies is none of your business. I get it, the fact that women do not have to answer to you or anyone about their health choices, infuriates you, but you'll just have to suck it up because IT IS NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS.
You were in favor of vaccine mandates, right?
NOPE
And here you thought you were being oh. so. clever.
I call "reproductive rights", "women's bodily autonomy", and similar phrases euphemisms because they are designed to avoid mentioning one side of the issue - the rights of the "potential life" (Roe v. Wade's phrase) developing within the mother. By avoiding mentioning this core aspect of the abortion issue, liberals hope to settle the question without having to engage in a discussion about how conflicting rights can best be balanced.
The same rhetorical technique is used in the Minnesota abortion law that Tim Walz signed - the words "person" and "people", whose rights the law claims to uphold, are implicitly restricted to the pregnant woman; the question of whether and when the developing child acquires a right to life is simply ignored and goes unmentioned. This is a stark departure from the discussion in Roe v. Wade (for example), which explicitly acknowledged that there were two conflicting rights to be considered and sought a way to balance them.
A fetus cannot survive outside the womb until at least 27 weeks or so. Prior to that it's extremely rare and usually associated with poor outcomes.
Therefore, the woman is the person that gets to make the decision on whether or not to bring the pregnancy to full term. The only one with fully formed "rights" is the woman.
You clearly do not like this, and a woman's autonomy to make this decision bothers you, but that is on you to deal with. Women have been aborting pregnancies since we starting walking upright, and they always will. It is their body, and their choice whether or not to bring life into this world. Not yours. Not the church. Not the supreme court. No one but hers.
It seems to be impossible to get you to discuss the issue in a direct and honest way. You say "the woman is the person that gets to make the decision on whether or not to bring the pregnancy to full term." Unless you're being sloppy in expressing yourself, that's a universal claim that the only rights that count are the woman's rights, regardless of the stage of pregnancy or the woman's reasons for wanting an abortion. If you believe that, why bother mentioning 27 weeks or any such milestone, or clinical statistics on the types of abortions that occur in practice? Just come out and say that you think women should be able to have abortions for any reason and at any stage of pregnancy, even up to the last day.
As I've said, "women's autonomy", "their body", and all other such commonly used phrases are designed to evade the core question. If you don't believe that the zygote/fetus/clump of cells/developing child/potential life, or whatever you wish to call it, has any rights before birth, just say so. That's the belief implicitly underlying Minnesota's abortion law. Instead, you continually use phrases carefully crafted to avoid mentioning or even alluding to the existence of anything but the woman and her body.
In Roe v. Wade, the liberal justices engaged in an honest philosophical interrogation of the core question. You, and most liberals, instead just keep repeating the same slogans over and over.
If he did those things, respect. But I do intend to savage him as below for being a woke democrat apparatchik.
Walz has a solid record that supports the working class
Taibbi and his myrmidumbs hate anything that benefits women and girls. Misogyny is their ONLY motivation for anything.
LOL. So stupid. Or ignorant if that sounds better....
Is it? The R party can't stop obsessing about women's bodies.
lobbied by General Mills. Fake meat, soy milk, sugar pops for our kids lunch.
Soy milk? OMG....no! I'm sure that there's much healthier foods available to those kids, you're just trolling. Yawn.
soy is inflammatory in leftist doses.
I love right wing humor. It’s so avant garde.
Let me help. Soy is a humorous dig at those on the political left often associated with dying their hair blue or green, writing whole screenplays at Starbucks while buying nothing while there and those who had an opportunity for a national temper tantrum/group therapy session while wearing pussy hats after Trump's election in 2016. Does it make more sense now?
Have a nice day!
Same to you, sir!
Sounds like a packed lunch by New Age redneck mom who hasn't quite made the full turn.
Euphemism: reproductive rights.
And providing pub blockers and sex surgeries to minors
Adam schiff by a landslide
Can’t argue with that. He’s a special kind of Democrat. He’s worked hard to set a new standard for treasonous asshole.
And yet he will be a senator
Of all the assholes laying down innane comments today...
As a Minnesotan, I absolutely despise Tim Walz.
Line forms to the rear!
Bring your tampons!
Do Depends Count? :-)
Depends.
I hear ya. Fellow Minnesotan.
Fergus Falls?
Nope, I'm a southerner. 😆 On the Mississippi River.
As a non-Minnesotan, who gives a shit?
Thanks for covering the Tulsi situation. By coincidence I just listened last night to an interview she did ages ago and was blown away. What a president she'd make! She makes Kamala look like a politically correct Barbie doll. So to hear about this whole surveillance thing. . . just scary.
100%
There’s a great recent interview of her by Chris Williamson on YT. She pulls no punches.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=k86n1HQ-yO4
We probably don’t deserve a president that would be that good…
«We probably don’t deserve a president that would be that good…»
What the USA middle class want is any president fronting an administration that keeps real estate and share prices growing and the wages of the lower classes falling, and what the "sponsors" want is the same plus wokery to obfuscate that and the colossal subsidies to Wall Street. Both hope that the long term consequences of doing that will be "deserved" by some future generation.
Miss Tulsi certainly has that weird Republican thing goin ' on herself, so, ya, why not? Perfect replacement for Vance.
You just don't like women who can hold a conversation. No wonder Kamala has you mesmerized.
This may all seem much more interesting to Walter and Matt but meanwhile, the Democratic Party has Bobby Kennedy Jr in Court today, where he is accused by DNC operatives of not being a New York resident (for purposes of running for President.) The DNC is using law fare to invalidate hundreds of thousands of NY voters who signed ballot petitions for Bobby. If we want running commentary entirely focused on the two major parties and their candidates there is MSM and TYT and a bunch of quasi-indie news outlets. I give up.
I don't get it either. We already know what Kamala is. I checked out her website out of curiosity and she has ZERO policies for solving problems. She is basically continuing Biden's programs and do the border more better. And Trump is Trump. How about some substance, please.
Subtance? People can't handle substance anymore. It gives them diarrhea. It makes them feel all poopy-poopy. No, people can only handle ephemeral fluff and soap bubbles.
So you're saying that's why Matt and Walter are giving us that?
If legacy media disappeared today what would Matt write about tomorrow?
Censorship?
«she has ZERO policies for solving problems»
Many (especially older) PMC/middle class people and "sponsors" in the finance, real estate and armament sectors have no problems to solve, they have been making a lot of money in recent years, they do not want any change, any risk; they got theirs or are getting theirs and that's all that matters.
I was hoping against hope there'd be a policy or two posted today. Nope. Even the FAQ is all about donations and volunteering; of the top 10 points covered on the FAQ, only one ("What are the requirements to vote?") falls outside this scope.
If there are no stated policies, what even--beyond cult of personality stuff--are the donations and volunteering for? What do they accomplish, and for whom?
Yearning for some substance, and the kind of world where one needn't go trawling for the slightest glimmers of it.
Glenn Greenwald interviewed Lee Fang the other day, who said that this lack of policy is the way they do politics in California. It's all appearance and identity.
Pretty lame.
Great interview. Especially like how he identified her advisors.
Isn't it obvious? They want to keep Trump from being elected again.
I haven’t had time to read it yet. Who are her advisors?
I hadn't heard anything about this particular bit of Democratic Party lawfare. Thanks for referencing it here.
On the lawfare front, I recently read a book (about social media's use/abuse by dictators) that briefly touched on how essential was lawfare to Duterte's rise in the Philippines. I'd been concerned about the Dems' lawfare before I read that passage; after reading it, so much the worse. :(
Agreed, Thank you!!!
Gotta say the fawning is so weird. Minnesota with its terrible handling of the 2020 riots has to make this guy a big turn-off to a lot of people in the country, right? What am I missing? This guy is more to the left than the very progressive Harris. I think this choice could swing voters--but I could be wrong, of course.
The 2020 Floyd riots in Minneapolis caused 500 million in damages, 60% of losses were not covered by insurance. 1,000 or so buildings destroyed. Widespread looting, and the 3rd precinct burned to the ground. Walz did nothing for too long. His fans portray that display of indecision and incompetence as “restraint “. No normal person sees it that way. Walz Lake Wobegon hokey act is just too much. I’m a former midwesterner and see right through it.
Is he the same guy that got an alternative coroner to give the revised autopsy on St. George?
"No normal person sees it that way." I hope you're not referring to J.D. Vance.
Why was Walz a good choice?
Oops- Lake Wobegon. As a former midwesterner (Nebr), I had a “weird” image come to me. Like the old cartoon - Foghorn Leghorn - but with mid America accent.
We had an old aunt that we have not seen in many months drop by today for a visit. She brought up Trump, and started with the usual criticism. I quickly changed the subject. It is an absolute waste of time and energy to attempt to change people’s minds about how they feel, because they watch and listen to the mainstream news organizations. She mentioned something she saw on CBS about Trump. She’s a good woman, she’s not stupid, she just does not question the news she watches, she believes it is just actual factual news. I understand that if every source one has for news is heavily biased positive for the Dems and negative for the republicans then of course that is what they will believe.
«she’s not stupid, she just does not question the news she watches, she believes it is just actual factual news»
Many people like that have learned that they *must* believe the official media, because "the nail that stands out will be hammered". Being a "weirdo" carries many risks to career, job, popularity, ...
On the other hand J.D. Vance is a vice-presidential nominee on a presidential ticket. But, sure, you make a very good point about the risks weirdos take---for instance, there's RFK JR who has a very public high wire act going, seemingly without a safety net.
Not to dis your aunt, but believing all the crap the news puts out is the very definition of stupid.
The Walz story from teacher to politician is a good one. Washington probably needs more leaders like him.
The riots definitely seem like strikes 1 & 2. His handling of questions about Biden's mental decline look like strike 3 to me.
He's a garden variety pud puller in the Democratic Party apparatus. He has that in common with headboard Harris.
Harris has a pud?
That's how Kamala got her start in politics.... pulling that Willie Brown pud.
Congenital, non-stop pud-pulling almost derailed Trump's political career before it even got going.
Kamala voters just can't deal with the truth. Why do you find it so difficult to just admit she started her career on her knees?
he handled the riots well - it was either start shooting in the beginning or wait for the national guard to mobilize, which takes a while. (there was also an issue with getting the rubber bullets and enough of them)
i'd much much rather have a softer touch than cops shooting at people and a dozen or hundred dying.
people bitching about the police / excessive use of force want the cops to go all crazy at a protest.....one about excessive use of force by the police - ....right.
He vetoed the outlawing of trans surgeries and blockers for minors. Pure pedo leftism
https://www.revisor.mn.gov/bills/bill.php?b=House&f=HF146&ssn=0&y=2023
Bill passed by the legislature and approved by the governor. Burnt taco has it backwards, but sentiment is correct. Science is never completely settled, it appears the science behind trans surgery and puberty blockers on minors is made up of whole cloth, as evidenced by the pioneers of trans treatment in Europe all pulling back on the experimental treatment in regards to minors.
I don't know much about Minnesota politics, but a quick google search says this is wrong. https://www.lrl.mn.gov/vetoes/vetodetails
You got a quick link to back up what you say?
"the very progressive Harris"
I didn't even catch that on first read! I must've automatically appended the "socially" right before the "progressive" in a kind of text-normalizing process. :D
I was responding to RAO, who evidently seems to think Kamala is "very progressive" and isn't yet another elite-, corporate- and war machine-friendly Clintonoid-Obamanaut.
Understood. What amused me was that I missed those specific words until you highlighted them. Usually they'd have jumped right out at me with dissonance.
On all but the most superficial level, Harris is indeed full-on "Clintonoid-Obamanaut"--the opposite of anything I'd consider remotely progressive. Culture War/non-economic "progressive" only, for sure.
The late great Alexander Cockburn used to derisively refer to these types as "pwogwessives".
This was one part of Lee Fang's quick-take on Twitter. Curious to see how it plays out among the less-online contingency of the US population, for sure.
his handling of the riots were actually pretty good - he was a far lighter touch than he otherwise could have been. if more violent, you would've had a lot more death, people were itching for a fight. if there's anything about that situation that proved anything it's that guns make protests a hell of a lot more peaceful on both sides, and that they can actually protect businesses.
He's also a "good" leftie, imo - (wanting to increase capital gains taxes, not income taxes so the owners pay more, and those who actually "make" pay less)
dead innocents & destroyed small BLACK business is the opposite of good. if trump did the same you would cry racist!
And you'd shrug it off as leftist propaganda. Dolt.
lol, ok.
LOL. Dithering and doing nothing while businesses are being burned to the ground says "leadership" to you?
i guarantee you most people who talk like this haven't been to a city center in decades, fyi - she's probably from st cloud -
this was a protest about police excessive use of force and they were baiting / waiting for more violence - that was part of the strategy to further nationalize the protests - he didn't fall for the bait.
also, mobilizing the national guard takes a while.
minnesota is already incredibly law and orderish, seeing people saying they wanted more use of force and police intervention really makes me wonder whether they are secret mccarthyists or something -
the overall damages - meh, not great, not terrible. 3.6
I'm still hoping someone (besides the Washington Times, more power to 'em) will cover what still may be the vilest act of Harris' political career: upon winning the San Francisco District Attorney's race in 2004, she quashed the full-scale inquiry (started by her predecessor) into the widespread sexual abuse, over many years, by priests in the Archdiocese. Just threw the whole thing out, despite many hours of testimony from dozens of victims. The kicker, not surprisingly, is that she took substantial financial contributions from the Church during her campaign. You can tell a lot about a politician by how they get their start...
Michael Shellenberger has a good series about Harris at his Substack.
Lee Fang has also covered this. Here's his recent repost of a related article he wrote a few years back ("Kamala Harris Refused to Assist Victims of Catholic Church Child Sexual Abuse"): https://www.leefang.com/p/kamala-harris-refused-to-assist-victims
Fang's coverage is one part of what makes me cringe when her record fighting Big Bads is touted by Dems. From my readings thus far, her official actions have been strictly against the powerless, not the powerful. (Just read the top comment on Fang's post. I'd like to read more coverage by that commenter!)
For clarity: My "this" does not encompass any correlated donation-specific matters. On that, I have read/heard nothing thus far.
I will check that out, thank you.
That doesn't sound legal.. charities are not supposed to donate to campaigns.. Are you sure about the contributions?
It was law firms that represented the Church, board members of the San Francisco archdiocese, and other closely related organizations. All very clearly sourced and cited in the (admittedly partisan but excellent) book, Profiles In Corruption by Peter Schweizer.
In other words, no, Kamala Harris did not receive campaign donations from the San Francisco archdiocese nor did the Catholic Church contribute financially to her campaign.
nice try.
So no announcement and introduction by kamala? She cant even do a 2 minute presser? Is she still alive?
Some reporter might ask a question she doesn't have a scripted answer for. And she might hack up a word salad hairball.
Kamala: "The Vice President ......helps the President do things........"
Patrick! Good One!
We DEFINITELY can't have that.
https://simulationcommander.substack.com/p/a-few-questions-for-kamala
Also, for keeping quiet about Biden's position, I'm not especially holding that against her. That's an awkward position for any VP and potus, and a lose-lose one. There are countless other Democrats who should have made that clear a long time ago.
We just learned during covid that real leadership is hard. And now we know exactly what Kamala will do when faced with hard decisions.
See, this is my real beef with her. She has (at least) two massive flaws, and they sent her staff over the early years as VP packing. One is that she's lazy (and/or dumb, take your pick) and doesn't like to do her homework. The other is that she takes no responsibility for anything and blames anyone but herself.
You say that about every black person.
In addition to those questions, i'm more interested in policy questions. You get a long list of "policy" positions from the koolaid droolers - restore Roe! Child care! Healthcare! etc. The same list any random generic Democrat would cough up.
I'd add -
We're involved in supporting 2 wars now, in support of unreliable allies. These look to escalate imminently. What is your position with regard to these wars, and what to you plan do do about the whole mess?
What's your policy on trade? Tech? Regulation?
What do you plan to do about immigration? Both for those already in the country, and those who aspire to be?
And more. I get crickets when i ask this, and the Dems "It's the Republicans' fault for not passing the bullshit "bipartisan" bill" can be picked apart and shredded, but it's lalalala I can't hear you.
Donors' hair of pubis no doubt.
🤢
No need evidently. The Dems have the entire country’s (excluding Fox) news media doing all of her campaigning for her. Who could possibly ask for more? Not to mention the entertainment industry. Her best strategy is to remain hidden until Election Day, and they know it.
It worked for Basement Joe….
As someone who lives in Mn. This guy is as bad if not worse than this article says. During Covid Timmy the tyrant shut the State down, Well Not Target etc, but bars and restaurants, churches, Funeral homes etc. Spent 500 million on a morgue to store all the dead that were piling up on the streets.
mpls 3rd precinct 2019
https://media.bizj.us/view/img/11841919/third-precinct*1200xx1180-885-115-0.jpg
And after the (Mostly Peaceful) protest
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d7/Minneapolis_Police_Department_3rd_Precinct.jpg/800px-Minneapolis_Police_Department_3rd_Precinct.jpg
Although he did have a great deal of help from our Boy Mayor.
As a local talk show host once said "The Only Thing Conservative About Waltz Is His Haircut."
Totally agree (except for minor correction on the morgue--it was $5million + some extra remodeling--a total waste obvious from the start).
The guy is a total phony "centrist"--as soon as he had his legislative majority (of one senator) he helped force through a radical agenda--because that's what Dems do. Anytime, any reason abortion, sanctuary state for gender surgery on minors, drivers licenses for illegals, radical social studies curriculum, everything for teachers who don't want to go to the classroom and teach etc etc etc
"as soon as he had his legislative majority (of one senator) he helped force through a radical agenda..."
Give The Devil His Due. They took a one seat majority and Ran With It. Would that The GOP were That disciplined.
Very true. That's one reason I vote for Reps (although I'm not one). I don't like a lot of their agenda but they are never disciplined enough to push it through without dissent.
Come To The Dark Side. We have Cookies! :-)
He also retired from the Guard in 2005 -- I read that his unit was being sent to Iraq. . .
Leaving them without a CSM. No matter what someone thinking of Iraq That was Cowardly. Showed himself to be a Punk.
That must be some morgue.
Buyer emerges for Minnesota’s ‘temporary’ COVID morgue
https://kstp.com/kstp-news/top-news/buyer-emerges-for-minnesotas-temporary-covid-morgue/
St Paul owns it now. As far as I know its still sitting there...empty.
Did they actually buy it? Article said contemplating but thought they should find a business to encourage going in there before doing so. Government, SOPM, that’s all they are good for
3 words I..Don't..Know.
I suppose I could find out, IF I really cared if they did. But don't. :-)
Now that’s weird !
Ma. v Mn. Would you rather be shot in arm or the leg?
" Well in in Minnesota Gov Tim Walz has taken care of that little problem...by shutting down All Bars & Restaurants. The question is, 1. How long will this ban be in place 2. how many bars and restaurants will go under? All because of 14 cases (out of a population of 5.6 Million)
Let me see if I understand this (not being all that bright I..Could..Be..Wrong) The media pushes the Panic Button in order to get Ratings/Clicks. A certain number of people go (for lack of a better word) Insane. Politicians in response to the Media and the Insane, react by shutting down large parts of society/the economy...(249 people in a group, you're safe, 251 Everyone dies. If you want a drink or dinner out...You're gonna die.). Then to (try) a solve the problem they created by panicking and reacting to the insanity they say they are going to Give me $1,000. Where we might reasonably ask will they get this money? Why from the magical money tree of course!"
Mar. 19 2020 A skinny old wise ass.
As for "how right wing matt's commenters have been these days." Don't mean We're Wrong!
the only people who talk about being shot in either ma or mn haven't been downtown since their last high school field trip....
1. Your Point?
2. Downtown's are becoming increasingly irreverent. Thanks to that little Silicon Chip.
3. Crime in inner city neighborhoods, are like cancer. It Spreads.
Downtowns have always been irreverent.
"Ukraine is a country in Europe. It exists next to another country called Russia. Russia is a bigger country. Russia is a powerful country. Russia decided to invade a smaller country called Ukraine. So basically that's wrong."
Not 40-50 years ago.
lol, ok.
“Coach Walz” has a smug, nauseating ring.. so I’m sure they’ll relentlessly hit us with that until we tap out.
I know it's juvenile, but I refer to him as Balz. The ticket in my eyes is 'Kackle and Balz. 2024'.
Feel free to tap out sooner.
He is a literal dictator (covid) who first thing he did with triumivirate control in 22 was go all-in on sterilizing and mutilating kids.
After midnight, under the cover of darkness and noctilucent clouds illuminated by a gibbous moon outside his home? In a dank, unfinished, poorly-lit basement with badly exposed wiring and a floor with a surface of crushed concrete cinder blocks? In drag and equipped with a pair of AGM NVG-50 3AW1 – Dual Tube Night Vision Binocular-Goggles?
I gave you a "Like" for "noctilucent". "Gibbous" is a nice word, too. All that's missing is "opalescent".
He had a program for sterilizing and mutilating children? I can’t believe I missed that. It probably paid better than the Census.
Industrial.
IMO: choosing a far-left apparatchik like Walz suggests that Democrats are confident of their chances, ie, the fix is in.
Then why run against them? Other candidates should refuse to participate in any election that has such rampant corruption.
The scuttlebutt they wanted Shapiro but he got cold feet at last minute (smart), Kelly already screwed the pooch by inadvertently releasing X he was out then retweeted. That left Walz.
Sorry Kelly deleted tweet. Auto correct
White he may be, but he's woke AF!!
"The Last Walz"...
🫕tissss