Progressives (Liberals)

Hey! No one is perfect.

https://variety.com/2018/digital/news/young-turks-lawsuit-racial-discrimination-1202877230/

https://therightscoop.com/breaking-new-poll-reveals-ted-cruz-with-a-huge-lead-over-beto-orourke/

rejecting 3rd party

The Texas Quote of the Day:

"As certain as truth and God exist, the admission of Texas into this Union will prove, sooner or later, an element of overwhelming ruin to the Republic."

- U.S. Rep. Daniel Barnard of New York, 1845

Washington Monthly's editor-in-chief, Paul Glastris, on Monday said Democrats should push for statehood for Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico, arguing that it would help them in elections.

“I believe that Democrats should lay the groundwork for having the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico become states in 2021, should Democrats take the House, the Senate and the White House," Glastris told Hill.TV's Krystal Ball on "Rising."

“Thirty-seven times since the founding of the country we’ve added states to the union. We last time did it in 1959 when we added Hawaii and Alaska. There’s very good reason why we should do this," he continued.

"The disastrous response by the federal government to the hurricane in Puerto Rico is really example No. 1. If Puerto Rico were a state and had two senators, I can guarantee the federal government would not have been able to get away with the slow-walking of the response, and thousands of people might not have died."

Glastris argues in an article titled "Winning is not enough," that Democrats need to figure out how to retain power for more than two years in more than one branch of government.

“A relentless, and somewhat ruthless effort by the Democrats to expand the number of citizens who can vote and do vote is not only good for the country if you believe voting is a right that ought to be exercised, but it’s very good for the Democratic Party," Glastris said.

Puerto Rico's nonvoting representative introduced legislation in Congress last month to grant statehood to the island, which has been a U.S. territory since 1898.

A majority of voters in Washington, D.C., voted in favoring of petitioning Congress to become a state in 2016.

— Julia Manchester

Puerto Rico was a disaster hit by a disaster. The Federal government did fine.

How many of those deaths could have been prevented by the local govt?
Why was tons of food and medical aid, and thousands of bottles of water, left to rot in containers?

All of that was done by the local govt.

Do you have a link to this? is it a transcript?

https://thehill.com/hilltv/rising/399474-journalist-dems-should-push-for-puerto-rico-dc-statehood-in-2021

thanks! helpful backlink in there to his article

The federal government barely began a response before they pulled out. Every stateside hurricane has always had the feds' help. Why not this territory? A couple of rolls of paper towels is a deliberate insult.

Why was the federal government not monitoring the situation and preventing the locals from mismanaging things?

#45 is president of Puerto Rico - the responsibility stops at his desk.

The mismanagement was long before the hurricane, a significant number of people were without power before it happened, try some research instead of pulling Truman out of your butt.

If things go awry for Michael Moore following the release of his latest politically charged documentary, the progressive provocateur says he has a plan to escape potential persecution in the U.S.: He's moving to Canada.

It's a pronouncement so common among aggrieved American liberals that it borders on a political trope. But Moore says he's serious about his plot to vacate the U.S., and not only because of his long-standing affinity for Canada.

For Moore, the prospect of becoming a political refugee seems starkly plausible under the leadership of U.S. President Donald Trump, whom he portrays as a geopolitical threat in Fahrenheit 11/9, set to hit theatres Friday.

Director Michael Moore keen to debate former Trump aide Steve Bannon
"(Trump) absolutely hates democracy, and he believes in the autocrat, in the authoritarian," Moore said in a recent interview at the Toronto International Film Festival, where the film premiered earlier this month.

"I want us to survive this, but I can't make any guarantees that that's what's going to happen. We're in a bad place. We're on the precipice of some very awful stuff."

Grim predictions for America's future
A spiritual sequel to Moore's box-office-busting 2004 documentary Fahrenheit 9/11, Fahrenheit 11/9 is part political autopsy, part call to action. It offers Moore's interpretation of the forces that led to Trump's election in 2016, and puts forward grim predictions about where his presidency might be headed.

In doing so, Moore revisits hits from his cinematic catalogue of American societal ills and diagnoses new ones, cycling through issues ranging from the February school shooting that killed 17 people in Parkland, Fla., to the water crisis in his hometown of Flint, Mich.


As Moore sees it, there's plenty of blame to go around for the current state of affairs. He argues that out-of-touch political leaders in both major U.S. parties, a sensationalist press corps, corrupt campaign-backers and elite entertainers — including himself — helped enable Trump's ascent, which he believes could lead to America's downfall.

The film wavers between optimism about what Moore sees as an emerging populist uprising led by young people, women and minorities, and apocalyptic predictions of an authoritarian takeover of the U.S. government taken straight out of the history books.

In a sequence poised to invite controversy, Moore draws explicit parallels between Trump's political trajectory and Hitler's rise to power in the early 1930s, at one point dubbing audio of Trump over archival footage of a Nazi rally.

This is a movie that takes (Trump's) mask off, and exposes what he's really up to, and what's really going on here...
- Michael Moore
Moore insists that the dangers of the current political climate call for such an alarmist tone.

"This is a movie that takes (Trump's) mask off, and exposes what he's really up to, and what's really going on here, and you may not see it, because you often don't see it until it's too late," said Moore.

"I'm hoping we're in that ... moment before the moment it's too late, and you can't get back what you had."

If that moment has indeed passed, for him at least, Moore said he'll be looking northward for asylum. Among his credentials for citizenship, Moore boasts about his grandfather's Ontario roots, as well as his devotion to the Canadian-made BlackBerry.

"Even Canadians can get played"
Still, Moore believes that Trump's influence, to a limited extent, has seeped across the border. He expressed disappointment about the June election of Ontario Premier Doug Ford, whose fiery brand of populism championing the "little guy" and railing against so-called elites has drawn comparisons to Trump.

"Clearly, anyone can fall for it. Even Canadians can get played," said Moore. "But look, Doug Ford would have to go a long way to match Trump."

This assessment is consistent with Moore's broader view that Canada's problems barely register relative to the five-alarm fires he sees the U.S. as facing on several fronts.

"Canada has a lot of problems. You don't need an American to come here and tell you what your problems are," said Moore. "But (you shouldn't) think for a second that you're anywhere near what we have to take care of and correct."

In Moore's films, Canada is often touted as a would-be role model for the U.S. The filmmaker often relies on anecdotes to support his lofty views of the nation's health-care system and gun-control policies, including a famous scene in 2002's Bowling for Columbine in which he asserts that the country is so safe, people don't bother to lock their doors.

But if Moore's utopian portrayal seems removed from Canadian reality, Moore dismisses this line of criticism as symptomatic of what he views as Canada's national complex: We're just too hard on ourselves.

"When you hear compliments towards yourselves, it makes you nervous, I get that," he said. "There is an unhealthy amount of self-loathing that goes on in Canada that's really not necessary."

Janis Ian
·
I am posting this because of the comments I've gotten about being a feminist, and therefore "misandrist".
I am a feminist. That means I support the right of women to be treated equally to men.
I am a feminist. I do not think men are animals; in fact, I think most men are decent, caring human beings. And I firmly believe many of the men yelling that I'm a man-hater are unfortunate victims of our times and our political system, which still allows them to believe women who stand up are fighting for something they consider unnecessary.
I am a feminist because I have never seen a man avoid an elevator full of men and take the next one, "just in case".
I am a feminist because I've never seen a group of men cross the street to avoid a group of women, "just in case".
I am a feminist because I do not believe men should be excused for bad behavior because they were "really young" or "really drunk" or "with a group of other guys who were doing it, too."
I am a feminist because women's genitals are still ripped out of their bodies so men can rest assured they will feel no sexual pleasure, and will not stray from the marriage bed.
I am a feminist because some men stand silent while other men demean women in the most vulgar, derogatory terms, and don't speak up because they fear their bosses, their co-workers, their fellow students, their friends.
I am a feminist because I think the word "No" means more than silence, and to hold a hand over anyone's mouth to keep them silent is not only unacceptable - it is an act of violence.
I am a feminist because men who respect women understand that waitresses are hired to serve them their food, not our bodies.
I am a feminist because I've known men who think women's bodies belong to them, and my body belongs to me.
I AM A FEMINIST BECAUSE I THINK MORE OF MEN THAN THAT.
I am a feminist because I do not believe men are animals, or without brains, or without hearts, and should therefore be held accountable.
I am a feminist because my father, my uncle, my brother, and my nephews are feminists who understand that they have free will, that they are responsible for their actions, and that all beings are to be treated with respect.
Mostly, I am a feminist because it is right, and just, for thousands of years of mistreatment to be over-turned.
For two years now, I have heard complaints from middle-class white males that they are being "discriminated against". In the past month, the word "misandrist" surfaced. I believe some men are clueless victims of a campaign encouraging them to use that word. This is a akin to the anti-abortion movement re-branding itself as "pro-life".
The accusation that a woman is a "misandrist" because she demands equality is just another way for certain men to whine that they no longer have all the power, and will no longer be allowed to abuse what power they have. It started with that "I'm white, male, middle class, and discriminated against". When that didn't work, it moved to "misandry".
It still won't work.

https://www.rawstory.com/2018/09/kavanaugh-joined-notorious-campus-frat-later-banned-no-means-yes-chant-yale-newspaper/
Kavanaugh joined notorious campus frat that was later banned for ‘no means yes’ chant: Yale newspaper

While attending Yale University, Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh joined both a fraternity that was later banned for chanting “no means yes” in front of the campus women’s center and a secret society with an crude nickname that appeared to be based upon members hooking up with women as much as possible.

According to the Yale Daily News, Kavanaugh chose to pledge with the Yale University’s DKE in the late 80’s, which had a reputation as a party frat. One student compared it to the fraternity in the “Animal House” movie.

The report notes that Yale University recently launched an investigation into “the fraternity’s sexual climate after reports in the Yale Daily News and Business Insider documented sexual assault allegations against more than half a dozen members, including the fraternity’s former president.”

Along with belonging to the frat, Kavanaugh reportedly was a member of a secret society officially called “Truth and Courage,” primarily made up of athletes. It has since ceased to exist.

According to students remembering the group from its heyday in the 80s, it was winkingly referred to less as “Truth and Courage” and more as “Tits and Clit.”

The Senate overwhelmingly passed a measure Tuesday to put off budget and border wall fights until after the midterm elections. While most of the government is only funded through December 7th, the resolution included full-year Pentagon funding for 2019, giving almost $700 billion to the military. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) was the only non-Republican “no” vote.

The measure, which passed 93-7, also included full-year funding for the Departments of Labor, Education and Health and Human Services. No Democrat voted against the resolution (Bernie Sanders caucuses with Democrats and ran for president as a Democrat in 2016, but identifies as Independent.)

Military spending, which industry newsletter Inside Defense says is approximately $675 billion, makes up a whopping 79 percent of the $854 billion budget package.

The bill, being called a “minibus” spending package instead of an “omnibus,” included increased spending for weapons systems, including 93 F-35 Joint Strike Fighters and three Littoral Combat Ships.

The stopgap measure is meant to avoid the possible shutdown of the federal government if no funding measure is passed by the September 30 deadline. The House is not currently in session, but is expected to take up the “minibus” next week.

President Trump has again threatened to shut down the government in order to receive funding for his unpopular border wall. He has threatened shutdowns over the wall and immigration before.

“If it happens, it happens,” he said of an October shutdown. “If it’s about border security, I’m willing to do anything.” He doubled down again on border wall demands over the weekend via tweet.


Donald J. Trump
✔
@realDonaldTrump
When will Republican leadership learn that they are being played like a fiddle by the Democrats on Border Security and Building the Wall? Without Borders, we don’t have a country. With Open Borders, which the Democrats want, we have nothing but crime! Finish the Wall!

5:38 PM - Sep 15, 2018
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60.6K people are talking about this
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The minibus may prevent that shutdown, staffers hope, or at least make a veto of the continuing resolution more painful for Trump, who desires more military spending. But he has made a rallying cry with his threats to shut the government down over the wall. However, by shutting down the federal government, Trump would be vetoing new jets and ships he also dearly wants.

“We’re either getting it or we’re closing down government,” Trump said in an August rally in Pennsylvania.

The Senate has, in a broad bipartisan way, bargained that Trump wants planes and ships more than he wants the border wall, or at the very least cannot veto planes and ships to force a shutdown.

But even with 79 percent of the spending package, going to the military — effectively in order to bribe the president into doing his job and keeping the federal government functioning — all Democrats get is not having to deal with the fight over a border wall.

That price seems to be too high for Bernie Sanders.

https://gritpost.com/bernie-sanders-675-billion-military/