Political Randomness

[El Guapo]

Do you think Trump would still be obsessed with Obama if he was white? Or Hillary if she was a man? I don't.

I think he would still be focused on White Obama to some degree, on account of him being his immediate predecessor and also someone who attacked him / made fun of him a few times. But much less so.

[noxiousdog]

Do you think Trump would still be obsessed with Obama if he was white? Or Hillary if she was a man? I don't.

Yes, of course he would. His pettiness knows no bounds.

[LordMortis]

Do you think Trump would still be obsessed with Obama if he was white? Or Hillary if she was a man? I don't.

Yes, of course he would. His pettiness knows no bounds.

Agreed. Race and sex only amplify his distortion, they aren't the cause. McCain is dead and Trump still has a hardon for trying to destroy his name.

[noxiousdog]

Do you think Trump would still be obsessed with Obama if he was white? Or Hillary if she was a man? I don't.

Yes, of course he would. His pettiness knows no bounds.

Agreed. Race and sex only amplify his distortion, they aren't the cause. McCain is dead and Trump still has a hardon for trying to destroy his name.

That's the perfect example.

[Kraken]

Do you think Trump would still be obsessed with Obama if he was white? Or Hillary if she was a man? I don't.

Yes, of course he would. His pettiness knows no bounds.

Agreed. Race and sex only amplify his distortion, they aren't the cause. McCain is dead and Trump still has a hardon for trying to destroy his name.

That's the perfect example.

Yup. Trump is a petty little man who has to tear down others to build himself up.

[Daehawk]

Even elephants can only make shit so tall.

[Holman]

This will be lost in the ongoing drama of impeachment and Ukraine-a-Lago, but, hey, it turns out the NRA were totally fine with helping the Russians in 2016.

The National Rifle Association acted as a "foreign asset" for Russia in the period leading up to the 2016 election, according to a new investigation unveiled Friday by Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore.

Drawing on contemporaneous emails and private interviews, an 18-month probe by the Senate Finance Committee's Democratic staff found that the NRA underwrote political access for Russian nationals Maria Butina and Alexander Torshin more than previously known — even though the two had declared their ties to the Kremlin.

[hepcat]

Perhaps I'm being overly dramatic, but it feels like we're witnessing the death of the second chance, in some ways. It's a one strike and you're out mentality that bothers me. Before, someone could learn from their mistakes. But now? Not so much.

And cancel culture begins to eat its own.

Reporter who exposed racist tweets no longer at the paper after readers revealed his own

I think I see the light at the end of the tunnel. These kinds of things always end up just destroying themselves since no one on this planet is as perfect as they think.

[LordMortis]

Do you think Trump would still be obsessed with Obama if he was white? Or Hillary if she was a man? I don't.

Yes, of course he would. His pettiness knows no bounds.

Agreed. Race and sex only amplify his distortion, they aren't the cause. McCain is dead and Trump still has a hardon for trying to destroy his name.

That's the perfect example.

Yup. Trump is a petty little man who has to tear down others to build himself up.

Coming back to this. Im a little surprised he's not still taking the bait on the Gretta trolling. How long was aroused over Alabama being hit by a hurricane? I wonder if that would be different if he didn't have a whistle-blower to threaten. Not coming back for a 2nd round against 16 year old over his climate scientology is probably one of the most intelligent public faces he has had in the last three years.

[Max Peck]

If at first you don't succeed, investigate, investigate again.

State Dept. intensifies email probe of Hillary Clinton’s former aides

The Trump administration is investigating the email records of dozens of current and former senior State Department officials who sent messages to then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s private email, reviving a politically toxic matter that overshadowed the 2016 election, current and former officials said.

As many as 130 officials have been contacted in recent weeks by State Department investigators — a list that includes senior officials who reported directly to Clinton as well as others in lower-level jobs whose emails were at some point relayed to her inbox, said current and former State Department officials. Those targeted were notified that emails they sent years ago have been retroactively classified and now constitute potential security violations, according to letters reviewed by The Washington Post.

In virtually all of the cases, potentially sensitive information, now recategorized as “classified,” was sent to Clinton’s unsecure inbox.

The nifty thing is that if you retroactively classify information that was unclassified when it was sent, you can magically create security violations out of thin air. That's a handy tool when you need to conduct a purge on demand.

[hepcat]

How long was aroused over Alabama

There are some things better left unlearned my friend.

[malchior]

This interview was amazing because you start to realize this guy is the *leader* of the House GOP and he is amazingly empty of substance. The brain drain in the GOP is not that surprising considering how far they've gone off the rails but it still is stunning.

[Daehawk]

Fake people! Fake humans! Its getting to be where I am starting to feel the GOP in DC are aliens trying to start a world take over.

[hepcat]

How any foreign power could ever again trust the word of any GOP backed politician after the last 3 years is beyond me. Trump and his klan have completely trashed any sense of honor or integrity that the United States had on the international stage.

[LawBeefaroni]

How any foreign power could ever again trust the word of any GOP backed politician after the last 3 years is beyond me. Trump and his klan have completely trashed any sense of honor or integrity that the United States had on the international stage.

The new replacement alliances being formed will haunt us for decades.

[Paingod]

How any foreign power could ever again trust the word of any GOP backed politician after the last 3 years is beyond me. Trump and his klan have completely trashed any sense of honor or integrity that the United States had on the international stage.

I'm more excited that NPR said this morning that since the turn of the century, the world has functionally lost 25 democracies, with one of the latest being Hungary (with one party ruling, overwriting the judicial system with its own people, and now taking over 90% of the media). The US should be leading a charge to keep them alive, and instead our president is working to undermine them. It's going to take a generation of careful diplomacy to rebuild what this baboon has lit on fire in three years.

[Isgrimnur]

NPR

Hungary's government is pushing back against European Union assertions that it is putting democracy in danger, says Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto.

The fierce loyalist of hard-line right-wing Prime Minister Viktor Orban is also calling the United States' intention to restart Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty in the country an "insult."
...
"It's fake news about Hungary. There is absolutely a media freedom in [the country]," he tells NPR's Noel King.

Szijjarto, who spoke at the United Nations General Assembly in New York last week, asserts the largest outlets in the country are critical of the government. But as NPR has reported, the Orban government and its allies have taken control of the majority of Hungary's media, which routinely amplify the government line.

The Orban administration has portrayed itself as a defender of Europe's borders and what it considers to be a Christian way of life. It staunchly opposes EU plans to resettle hundreds of thousands of migrants seeking asylum in Europe each year.

Trump is the most dangerous symptom of a world-wide problem.

[hepcat]

Trump has legitimized discounting facts as "fake news" to the point that it's now the go to phrase for other world leaders caught in a lie.

[Isgrimnur]

NPR

A judge has ruled in favor of Harvard University in a high–profile court case centered on Harvard's consideration of race in admissions.

Federal District Court Judge Allison D. Burroughs issued her decision Tuesday, saying, "Harvard's admission program passes constitutional muster," and that "ensuring diversity at Harvard relies, in part, on race conscious admissions."

The plaintiff, advocacy group Students for Fair Admissions (SFFA), accused Harvard of discriminating against Asian-American applicants. It argued the school considers race too much, forcing Asian-Americans to meet a higher bar to get in.

In a statement, SFFA President Edward Blum said, "Students for Fair Admissions is disappointed that the court has upheld Harvard's discriminatory admissions policies." He also said, "SFFA will appeal this decision to the First Court of Appeals and, if necessary, to the U.S Supreme Court."

[hitbyambulance]

It argued the school considers race too much, forcing Asian-Americans to meet a higher bar to get in.

...not following the argument here.

[Isgrimnur]

SFFA, led by conservative strategist Edward Blum, sued Harvard back in 2014, alleging that the school discriminates against Asian-American applicants in the admissions process. The organization says Harvard uses "racial balancing" — which is illegal — to curate its student body and holds Asian-American students to a higher standard than others in the admissions process. (Blum was also behind a lawsuit against the University of Texas at Austin, challenging its affirmative action program. The Supreme Court sided with the University of Texas in 2016.)

Harvard denied the group's claims of discrimination, presenting its own evidence to the contrary during a three-week trial in fall 2018. Harvard uses what it calls a "whole person review" in its admissions process, considering many qualities about each candidate. Testimony from Harvard representatives, including the admissions dean, provided a window into the school's normally mysterious admissions system.

[Isgrimnur]

CNBC

Former Republican Rep. Chris Collins pleaded guilty Tuesday to charges in an insider trading case lodged by federal prosecutors while he was a member of the House.

Collins pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy to commit securities fraud and making false statements, multiple outlets reported.

Collins, 69, changed his plea in Manhattan federal court a day after submitting his resignation from Congress, where he had represented New York’s 27th District since 2013. His resignation letter, sent to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., was read on the House floor Tuesday morning.
...
Collins was arrested in August 2018 on charges of insider trading and lying to an FBI agent. Federal prosecutors accused him of calling his son in a panic from the White House lawn to share information about a failed drug trial conducted by an Australian biotech company in which he was a major stakeholder.

His son, Cameron Collins, then allegedly sold thousands of shares of the company’s stock before the drugmaker, Innate Immunotherapeutics, issued a press release about the failed trial. The company’s stock plummeted more than 90% in the next trading session after the press release was sent out, according to the indictment. Collins saved more than $570,000 by trading on the tip from his father, prosecutors allege.
...
Chris Collins, who was reported to be one of the 10 richest members of Congress during his first term in 2012, pleaded not guilty to the charges on the day of his arrest.

He suspended his 2018 reelection campaign shortly thereafter — but revived it about a month later and won his race.

Collins was the first member of Congress to back President Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign. Collins’ district voted more solidly for Trump than any other district in New York.

[hitbyambulance]

SFFA, led by conservative strategist Edward Blum, sued Harvard back in 2014, alleging that the school discriminates against Asian-American applicants in the admissions process. The organization says Harvard uses "racial balancing" — which is illegal — to curate its student body and holds Asian-American students to a higher standard than others in the admissions process. (Blum was also behind a lawsuit against the University of Texas at Austin, challenging its affirmative action program. The Supreme Court sided with the University of Texas in 2016.)

Harvard denied the group's claims of discrimination, presenting its own evidence to the contrary during a three-week trial in fall 2018. Harvard uses what it calls a "whole person review" in its admissions process, considering many qualities about each candidate. Testimony from Harvard representatives, including the admissions dean, provided a window into the school's normally mysterious admissions system.

that wasn't really any more info that the article above. nowhere is there any of the supposed logic behind why this "holds Asian-American students to a higher standard than others in the admissions process."

[noxiousdog]

that wasn't really any more info that the article above. nowhere is there any of the supposed logic behind why this "holds Asian-American students to a higher standard than others in the admissions process."

Because they want to have a diverse student body, Asians compete against Asians, latinos against latinos, etc. Since Asians are the top performers on average, they must meet higher standards than everyone else.

[hitbyambulance]

that wasn't really any more info that the article above. nowhere is there any of the supposed logic behind why this "holds Asian-American students to a higher standard than others in the admissions process."

Because they want to have a diverse student body, Asians compete against Asians, latinos against latinos, etc. Since Asians are the top performers on average, they must meet higher standards than everyone else.

i seeeee now

[malchior]

Iraqi government under pressure after regional violence escalated

Five people were killed overall and at least 132 wounded on Wednesday in renewed nationwide clashes between demonstrators and Iraqi security forces, the largest display of public anger against Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi’s year-old government.

Domestic instability coupled with regional tensions could prove to be the final nail in the coffin of Abdul Mahdi’s fragile coalition government, sworn in last year as a compromise between rival factions after an inconclusive election.

The protests, which started on Tuesday over unemployment, corruption, and poor public services, have escalated, with many chanting for the “fall of the regime”, a slogan first popularized during the 2011 Arab Spring uprisings.

“We are demanding a change, we want the downfall of the whole government,” said one protester in Baghdad who declined to identify himself for fear of reprisal.

[LawBeefaroni]

that wasn't really any more info that the article above. nowhere is there any of the supposed logic behind why this "holds Asian-American students to a higher standard than others in the admissions process."

Because they want to have a diverse student body, Asians compete against Asians, latinos against latinos, etc. Since Asians are the top performers on average, they must meet higher standards than everyone else.

Because they want to have a diverse racially curated student body, Asians compete against Asians, latinos against latinos, etc.

[Kraken]

I hope Jimmy Carter had a happy 95th birthday, and I hope he lives long enough to see his former office returned to a legitimate president.

[Isgrimnur]

BBC

Thieves stole some of Mahatma Gandhi's remains on what would have been his 150th birthday, police say.

The ashes were taken from a memorial in central India, where they had been kept since 1948 - the year of Gandhi's assassination by a Hindu extremist.

The thieves also scrawled "traitor" in green paint across photographs of the independence leader.

Some Hindu hardliners view Gandhi as a traitor for his advocacy of Hindu-Muslim unity.

[hepcat]

Is it wrong that a few times a week I go into the Fox comments pages and troll for a few minutes?

[$iljanus]

Is it wrong that a few times a week I go into the Fox comments pages and troll for a few minutes?

Make sure you take a good shower afterwards!

[Holman]

If you ever feel in danger of believing that Ben Shapiro is a "conservative intellectual," here's the take-down for you.

[Jaymann]

If Shapiro had arguments that Destroyed and Decimated the left, that would mean that 90% of the left's arguments are correct.

[Isgrimnur]

USA Today

Earlier this week, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said his chamber would have "no choice" but to hold a trial on whether to remove President Donald Trump from office if the House votes to impeach.

But in a new campaign ad on Facebook, the Kentucky Republican claims that any impeachment attempt will fail as long as he remains in charge of the Senate.

"Nancy Pelosi's in the clutches of a left wing mob. They finally convinced her to impeach the president," McConnell says directly to the camera in a 17-second video. "All of you know your Constitution. The way that impeachment stops is a Senate majority with me as majority leader.

[Blackhawk]

It's like a judge walking into the police station at the start of an investigation and saying that they can investigate the crime and lay charges if they'd like, but that he had already decided to find the suspect innocent because they have things in common.

[Kraken]

So...the downhill spiral is picking up speed and, while one can conjure up all sorts of dire futures, it's really hard to see a benign one. The one path I can imagine that has a slim chance is probably a pipe dream.

Does anybody foresee a positive future for America say, three years from now?

[Blackhawk]

So...the downhill spiral is picking up speed and, while one can conjure up all sorts of dire futures, it's really hard to see a benign one. The one path I can imagine that has a slim chance is probably a pipe dream.

Does anybody foresee a positive future for America say, three years from now?

I'll say that I hope for a positive future, but I have no idea how we'd get there beyond blind wishes. Things are just to chaotically unprecedented.

I mean, we could get a great President and see the worst of the Republicans knocked out of office, plus the Republican party split into the Trump apologists and the reformists, but the current climate is such that a good President from our perspective seems like it could just cause another extremist backlash President in four or eight years. I guess our best hope is to have a great President and a congress that are willing to sign away their own power in some sort of 'Never Again' bill or amendment that is designed to make Trumpish abuses impossible in the future. I'm not about to hold my breath for something like that, though. As it is, I will be suspicious of any positive forward momentum as temporary until the next lunatic takes the throne - we reverse, they reverse, we reverse, and we spend the next few decades going in circles. Playing Ring-Around-the-Rosie until it all falls down in ashes.

In other words, I have no idea.

[Blackhawk]

Huh. Three years has turned me from an idealistic optimist into a bitter pessimist. Wow.

[YellowKing]

Does anybody foresee a positive future for America say, three years from now?

Yes. As soon as Trump is out of office I think we'll see a relative return to "normal." I'm not saying the country won't still be bitterly divided along partisan lines, but we'll at least be back to Obama levels of normalcy.

[Daehawk]

This leaving Syria and the Kurds to fend for themselves worries me the most of all the shit the brain dead son of a bitch has done. Not only does it leave the Kurds to be destroyed and to leave America's trust in the blood they will spill but it brings up the worry of more terrorism in the future not only from those known to us but bitter Kurds themselves.