TGIF Blues week continues with Ma Rainey. She’s going to show her BLACK BOTTOM.
“Ma” Rainey (born Gertrude Malissa Nix Pridgett; c. April 26, 1886 – December 22, 1939)[1] was one of the earliest known American professional blues singers and one of the first generation of such singers to record.[2] She was billed as The Mother of the Blues.
She began performing as a young teenager (between the ages of 12 and 14), and performed under the name Ma Rainey after she and Will Rainey were married in 1904. They toured with the Rabbit Foot Minstrels and later formed their own group called Rainey and Rainey, Assassinators of the Blues. From the time of her first recording in 1923 to five years later, Ma Rainey made over 100 recordings, including “Bo-weevil Blues” (1923), “Moonshine Blues” (1923), “See See Rider” (1924), “Black Bottom” (1927), and “Soon This Morning” (1927).[3]
Ma Rainey was known for her very powerful vocal abilities, energetic disposition, majestic phrasing, and a ‘moaning’ style of singing. Her powerful voice was never adequately captured on her records, due to her recording exclusively for Paramount, which was at the time known for its below-average recording techniques and poor shellac quality. However, Rainey’s other qualities are present and most evident in her early recordings, Bo-weevil Blues and Moonshine Blues.
Rainey recorded with Louis Armstrong in addition to touring and recording with the Georgia Jazz Band. She continued to tour until 1935 when she retired to her hometown.[1]
Biography
Gertrude Pridgett claimed to have been born on April 26, 1886 in Columbus, Georgia.[4] (This can be questioned, however, as the 1900 census listing indicates she may have been born in September 1882 in Alabama.[5]) She was the second of five children of Thomas and Ella (née Allen) Pridgett, from Alabama. She had at least two brothers and a sister named Malissa, with whom Gertrude was later confused in some sources.[4]
She came onto the performance scene at a talent show in Columbus, Georgia when she was 12–14 years old.[1][6] A member of the First African Baptist Church, she began performing in in Black minstrel show tents. She later claimed that she was first exposed to blues music around 1902. She formed the Alabama Fun Makers Company with her husband Will Rainey, but in 1906 they both joined Pat Chappelle‘s much larger and more popular Rabbit’s Foot Company, where they were billed together as “Black Face Song and Dance Comedians, Jubilee Singers [and] Cake Walkers”.[7] In 1910, she was described as “Mrs. Gertrude Rainey, our coon shouter”,[7] and she continued with the Rabbit’s Foot Company after it was taken over by new owner F. S. Wolcott in 1912.[1]
From 1914, the Raineys were billed as Rainey and Rainey, Assassinators of the Blues. Wintering in New Orleans, she met musicians including Joe “King” Oliver, Louis Armstrong, Sidney Bechet and Pops Foster. Blues music increased in popularity and Ma Rainey became well known.[8] Around this time, Rainey met Bessie Smith, a young blues singer who was also making a name for herself.[A] A story later developed that Rainey kidnapped Smith, making her join the Rabbit Foot Minstrels, and teaching her to sing the blues. This was disputed by Smith’s sister-in-law Maud Smith.[9]
From the late 1910s, there was an increasing demand for recordings by black musicians.[10] In 1920, Mamie Smith was the first black woman to record a record.[11] In 1923, Rainey was discovered by Paramount Records producer J. Mayo Williams. She signed a recording contract with Paramount, and in December she made her first eight recordings in Chicago.[12] These included the songs “Bad Luck Blues”, “Bo-Weevil Blues” and “Moonshine Blues”. She made more than 100 more over the next five years, which brought her fame beyond the South.[1][13] Paramount marketed her extensively, calling her “the Mother of the Blues”, “the Songbird of the South”, “the Gold-Neck Woman of the Blues” and “the Paramount Wildcat”.[14]
In 1924 she made some recordings with Louis Armstrong, including “Jelly Bean Blues”, “Countin’ the Blues” and “See, See Rider”.[15] In the same year she embarked on a tour of the Theater Owners Booking Association (TOBA) throughout the South and Midwestern United States, singing both for black and white audiences.[16] She was accompanied by bandleader and pianist Thomas Dorsey, and the band he assembled called the Wildcats Jazz Band.[17] They began their tour with an appearance in Chicago in April 1924 and continued, on and off, until 1928.[18] Dorsey left the group in 1926 due to ill health and was replaced as pianist by Lillian Hardaway Henderson, the wife of Rainey’s cornetist Fletcher Henderson, who became the band’s leader.[19]
Some of Rainey’s lyrics contain open references to lesbianism or bisexuality. For example, a 1928 song, “Prove It on Me”, states:
They said I do it, ain’t nobody caught me. Sure got to prove it on me. Went out last night with a crowd of my friends. They must’ve been women, cause I don’t like no men.[20]
According to the website queerculturalcenter.org, the lyrics refer to an incident in 1925 in which Rainey was “arrested for taking part in an orgy at [her] home involving women in her chorus.”[21] “Prove It on Me” further alludes to presumed lesbian behavior, “It’s true I wear a collar and a tie… Talk to the gals just like any old man.”[22]
Political activist and scholar Angela Y. Davis notes: “‘Prove It on Me’ is a cultural precursor to the lesbian cultural movement of the 1970s, which began to crystallize around the performance and recording of lesbian-affirming songs.”[23] Towards the end of the 1920s, live vaudeville went into decline, being replaced by radio and recordings.[19] Her career was not immediately affected and continued recording with Paramount and earned enough money touring to buy a bus with her name on it.[24] In 1928, she worked with Dorsey again and recording 20 songs, before Paramount finished her contract.[25] Her style of blues was no longer considered fashionable by the label.[26]
Harriet Tubman Should Not be on a $20
Madness & Reality
Harriet Tubman on Currency is Troubling
Don’t get me wrong: my reasoning has nothing to do with being anti-progression or anti-women. Also, please don’t play the Raven Symone bit of “moving a bit forward”. If we went with Raven’s ideology, we would probably have George Bush and the Koch Brothers on our dollars. Nothing about my reasoning goes against progression or the opportunities made possible by feminism.
http://www.rippdemup.com/race-article/harriet-tubman-should-not-be-on-a-20/
https://twitter.com/victoriarowell/status/598487852108812288/photo/1
And there you have IT. We speak to our own experiences, no one can speak to them BETTER.
Matthew Weiner on Hardball. MAD MEN
https://twitter.com/DrEdwardG/status/599343528431456256/photo/1
Forgot to comment:
I LOVE THE NEW LOGO!
It’s beautiful! For a minute there I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me with the logo..
But it’s really well done and captures your 3 spirits and the essential heart and spirit of your blog: Smart, confident, strong, sassy, fun, truthful, and on point!
https://twitter.com/madisonvercetti/status/598188572785639424/photo/1
LOL WTH?
“Unpublished Jupiter Hammon Poem Discovered at N-YHS”
http://behindthescenes.nyhistory.org/jupiter-hammon-poem-discovered/
Excerpt:
http://behindthescenes.nyhistory.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/JupiterHammonPoem_p2_3.jpg
Distributional impacts of the Price Plan
Posted by Richard Mayhew at 9:41 am .
Yesterday I gave a brief overview of how Rep. Tom Price (R-GA) HR.2300 would work. The “plan” is to repeal everything related to health insurance in ACA and the reconciliation bill, and then replace it with generous tax treatment to savings, high risk pools, small subsidies by age for use on the individual market, selling insurance across state lines and tort reform pixie dust. He funds the plan with a modified Cadillac Tax. So who wins and who loses from this proposal when compared to the baseline of current law.
Repealing all of the ACA
This is the largest source of people who will be made worse off. The big changes are the killing of Medicaid expansion, the re-opening of the donut hole, and underwriting changes.
Anyone who is newly eligible for Medicaid due to expansionwill be far worse off. At best they will transition from very affordable or free high actuarial value coverage to unaffordable junk coverage with $10,000 or more deductibles. More likely, most of these people will become uninsured as they have made the determination that food, rent, heat are more immediate needs than healthcare on a limited budget.
Senior citizens who are moderate to high prescription drug users will also be worse off. The Donut Hole in Medicare Part D is scheduled to be closed entirely by 2020, and it is significantly smaller and hitting fewer people now than it did in 2009.
Underwriting changes are significant. The ACA/PPACA has guaranteed issue/partial community rating (age/geography/smoking bands). That means a 24 year old non-smoking woman pays the same as her 24 year old non-smoking male roommate. Premiums are banded so a 64 year old can not pay more than three times the premium of a 21 year old. Under Price’s plan, guaranteed issue and partial community rating go away. Instead, insurers are allowed to charge whatever they want and to underwrite with price discrimination. There is a minor carve-out for continuous coverage through Section 134 but if there is any coverage gaps, people will face full medical underwriting to get back into the market. Job lock will be back with a vengeance.
http://www.balloon-juice.com/2015/05/15/distributional-impacts-of-the-price-plan/
The Boston Globe ✔ @BostonGlobe
BREAKING NEWS: Dzhokhar Tsarnaev will be sentenced to death for the Marathon bombing http://www.bostonglobe.com/liv…
Luvvie has news
……………
I’m Writing A Book and AAHHHH! EXCITEMENT!
Awesomely Luvvie — May 15, 2015
I can finally yell it from the rooftops. I AM WRITING A BOOK. I, Luvvie of House Ajayi, First of Her Name. Wearer of sick ass shoes and eater of rice. Giver of no dambs and thrower of epic shade and side-eye sorceress. I am writing a book and it’s called I’m Judging You, coming out in 2016. It will be a collection of side-eyes and lessons on life, culture and social media.
I signed my book deal with Henry Holt, one of the oldest publishers in the United States. They’re an imprint of Macmillan and I could not be giddier.
I announced it yesterday on Twitter after it was placed in Publisher’s Marketplace.
http://www.awesomelyluvvie.com/2015/05/im-writing-book.html
Republicans Want The Pope To Stay Out Of Politics Unless It’s Conservative Politics
By: Keith Brekhusmore from Keith Brekhus
Thursday, May, 14th, 2015, 6:40 pm
Congressional Republicans are upset with Pope Francis for making political statements on issues like income inequality, climate change, and the Israel-Palestine conflict. GOP leaders in Congress are dismayed that the pope is articulating non-conservative stances on a wide range of issues. They believe the pope should keep his nose out of politics unless it is to reinforce the Catholic Church’s support for right-wing positions like opposing abortion and same-sex marriage.
For example, Rep. Tim Huelskamp (R-KS) argues that the pope should focus on “issues [where] he can make a difference”, or what Huelskamp considers the “non-negotiables” like opposing abortion and same-sex marriage. Rep. Huelskamp argues that the pope should stay out of discussions of poverty because that is something the church can’t fix. Huelskamp states:
………………….
Congressional Republicans are taking issue with the pope speaking on political matters, not because they believe religion has no place in politics, but because the views Pope Francis expresses are not in line with those of the Republican Party. Republicans are happy to have religious cover when the Catholic Church publicly takes a conservative position on social issues. However, they do not believe religious leaders should speak out when church doctrine does not align with their conservative views. Therefore in the minds of Congressional Republicans, Pope Francis should keep his mouth shut on issues like peace in the Middle East, climate change and addressing poverty. However, if he wants to criticize gay marriage or abortion, the Republicans would gladly hand him a microphone.
http://www.politicususa.com/2015/05/14/republicans-pope-stay-politics-conservative-politics.html
FOUND AT POU:
conlakappa
More DVRing needed:
Dear Charter Members and supporters, I am honored to share with you that CBS’ 60 Minutes will air its first segment on the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture this Sunday, May 17 from 7:00-8:00 PM (EDT).
The piece, hosted by 60 Minutes correspondent Scott Pelley, will feature interviews with
Founding Director Lonnie Bunch, curators, and collection donors. The segment will also share behind-the-scenes stories about some of the remarkable collection items that will be on view when the museum opens in the fall of 2016.
We hope that you will be able to tune in and join us in celebrating this exciting time for the National Museum of African American History and Culture
Ohio Republicans Propose Poll Tax For 2016 Election
Last week in the Ohio House of Representatives, 24 Republican members co-sponsored legislation requiring Ohio residents to pay a poll tax to cast a ballot. The idea of having to pay a fee to cast a ballot is patently unconstitutional according to the 24th Amendment, but these are Republicans and they have not shown any interest in adhering to, or recognizing, the validity of the U.S. Constitution since Americans elected an African American man as President.
The proposed Ohio legislation ‘permits’ voters who lack Republican-approved identification to vote, but only if they pay $8.50 for an official GOP-sanctioned voter ID card issued by the state’s Republican secretary of state. There is a very special provision in the voter ID bill that exempts some prospective voters, but their income dare not “exceed one hundred per cent of the federal poverty guidelines,” or less than $11,770 a year in annual income as of 2015; every other prospective voter will pay to vote.
http://www.politicususa.com/2015/05/15/ohio-gop-proposes-poll-tax-election.html
https://twitter.com/NidaKhanNY/status/599222313440157696/photo/1
I cannot wait for this movie!!!
http://blogs.indiewire.com/shadowandact/watch-queen-latifah-michael-kenneth-williams-tika-sumpter-and-tory-kittles-in-3-clips-from-bessie-20150513
Watch Queen Latifah, Michael Kenneth Williams, Tika Sumpter and Tory Kittles in 3 Clips From ‘Bessie’
By Tambay A. Obenson |Shadow and Act
May 13, 2015 at 12:47PM
Yes!
TV One Brings Love, Lust & Lies with Summer Original Movies, ‘The Summoning’ & ‘Will to Love’
Photo of Tambay A. Obenson
By Tambay A. Obenson | Shadow and Act
May 13, 2015 at 11:16AM
TV One is kicking off summer with 2 new movies premiering in June.
The first premiering Saturday, June 6 at 8 p.m. ET is “The Summoning” – a TV One original movie thriller, directed by Charles Murray about a remarried widow, Angela Simmons-Alexander (played by Paula Jai Parker), who summons her first husband (Terrell Tilford) from the dead. Though her new husband Wayne Alexander (Dorian Missick) is everything she could hope for, the passion in her marriage is lukewarm at best. Given an artifact – a spiritual medallion said to awaken the deceased – by a dead friend’s brother, Drew Studdard (Darius McCrary), Angela cannot resist temptation and invokes the magic of the mysterious gift. The reunion with her past love is emotional but turns deadly very quickly as his spirit begins to strengthen and make life-threatening demands, including turning Kendra (Storm Reid), one of their young daughters, against Wayne. With the help of Kiki (Diandra Lyle), a homeless woman Angela hired to run her bar’s kitchen, they plot to send TJ back to the grave.
And debuting Saturday, June 27 at 8 p.m. E.T. is the world premiere of “You Got Served” director Chris Stokes’ “Will to Love,” a romantic comedy about a workaholic bachelor (Marques Houston) who must find a wife in 90 days in order to inherit his grandfather’s fortune. Jamal Hawkins is a 30-something CEO and heir of the “Let It Roll” toilet paper company, who must find a wife before his grandfather passes away. As a quintessential bachelor, Jamal has no idea how to accomplish such a feat and must do so despite his half-sister Monica’s (Shondrella Avery) meddling. He enlists the help of his secretary, Rachel (Keshia Knight Pulliam) and his best friend Danny (Black Thomas) to find a bride who will obtain his family’s approval and win him his birthright. After devising a plan to audition potential brides and finding Candice (Draya Michele), Jamal develops feelings for Rachel and must make the crucial decision between following the money or his heart. The stellar cast also includes Valarie Pettiford and Gary Sturgis.
http://blogs.indiewire.com/shadowandact/tv-one-brings-love-lust-lies-with-summer-movies-20150513
https://twitter.com/iamlaurenp/status/599030302305038338/photo/1
LMBAO I missed Scandal the last 2 weeks. Will have to catch up on the episodes.
https://twitter.com/RawStory/status/599200254223847424/photo/1
It’s getting increasingly dangerous just going about your normal day being a black person in America..
Jeb Bush sees Apple Watch as part of anti-Obamacare plan
05/15/15 09:22 AM
By Steve Benen
On the campaign trail in Arizona yesterday, Jeb Bush tried to pivot from his woeful Iraq confusion to replacing the Affordable Care Act … with his wrist watch.
In Tempe, the Republican presidential hopeful told an audience that he wants to “repeal Obamacare” and replace it with some kind of “consumer-driven” system – a popular phrase among GOP politicians, which no doubt polled well in focus groups. Bush then explained his vision for his new Apple Watch fits into his health care vision:
“On this device in five years will be applications that will allow me to manage my health care in ways that five years ago were not even possible. I’ll have the ability, someone will, you know, because of my blood sugar, there’ll be a wireless, there’ll be, someone will send me a signal. It’ll come here, I’ll get a double beep saying, ‘You just ate a butterscotch sundae’ or something like that. ‘You went way over the top. You’re a diabetic, you can’t do that,’ whatever.
“We’ll be able to guide our own health care decisions in a way that will make us healthy. And ultimately, we have to get to a health system, away from a disease system.”
If you’ve heard the rumor about Jeb Bush being a nerdy policy wonk, far more interested in substantive details than most in his party, you clearly heard wrong. His wonky reputation is belied by everything the former governor actually says on most subjects, including this one.
In fairness, Bush didn’t explicitly say that his Apple Watch could replace health insurance altogether, but he certainly seemed to take some steps in that direction. He talked about repealing the Affordable Care Act, and giving consumers more control over their health care choices. To bolster the point, in his next breath, the Republican candidate specifically pointed to his watch as proof of how people can “guide” their own health care decisions.
This is deeply odd, even by the low standards of the GOP presidential race.
Look, I can appreciate the appeal of wearable tech, but sometimes, people need medical professionals for care. If someone slips on the ice and hurts their leg, I’m sure a smart watch can tell that person all kinds of fascinating information, but eventually, the watch should also say, “You need medical attention.”
And when that person goes to the hospital, he or she will need some health coverage to afford the visit.
Sure, an Apple Watch – or one of its related competitors – can help people manage their diet and exercise routine, but at a certain point, Americans need health security. If they get sick, technology may be able to help manage the effects of a chronic ailment like diabetes, but it’s even more important that they have access to quality, affordable medical care.
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/jeb-bush-sees-apple-watch-part-anti-obamacare-plan
stupid is as stupid DOES. SMH
May 14, 2015 5:08 PM
Stephanopoulos and Presidential Debates
By Ed Kilgore
When I read today that Rand Paul was calling for a ban on George Stephanopolous as a presidential debate moderator because he contributed money to the Clinton Foundation, I wondered about the slippery slope Paul was setting up. If bias proved by deployment of money was a problem, how could anybody from Fox News ever moderate a debate?
But my second thought was to remember the incident in April 2008, when Stephanopolous and Charles Gibson moderated a Democratic presidential debate that was so outrageously vapid and corrosive that a whole bunch of progressive writers composed a letter of protest to ABC. I signed it myself, and later noted this was actually the only occasion when the famous JournoList was ever used to coordinate anything (the letter was first posted there).
Perhaps I’m having a senior moment, but I don’t remember if George’s behavior improved in 2008 (he did get a lot of Republican complaints about his questions in a general election debate). And I’ve always wondered if TV news-readers were necessarily the best moderators or panelists.
I don’t watch the man’s Sunday show, if I can help it, so help me: what do you think of Stephanopolous substantively as a journalist, or as a debate moderator?
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/political-animal-a/2015_05/stephanopolis_and_presidential055566.php
Um, ok…whatever makes you happy
……………………….
Woman Who Offered Herself Along With Her House Finds a Buyer (and Husband)
http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/offbeat/woman-who-offered-herself-along-with-her-house-finds-a-buyer-and-husband/ar-BBjNXZA?ocid=HPCDHP
An Indonesian woman who offered her hand to a suitable buyer of her house has found a man willing to both buy the property and marry her, local media reports.
“His name is Redi Eko,” Wina Lia, 40, toldKompas daily this week. “He is also looking for a wife.”
Like her, Redi is also a single parent. When he heard about Wina’s financial difficulties, the 46-year-old state-owned company employee offered his assistance. “He will sell his house in Lampung [in Sumatra] and will use the money to help me,” she said.
Wina put her two-bedroom, two-bathroom house, which comes with a fish pond and spacious backyard, in Sleman, in Yogyakarta province, up for sale two months ago. The asking price was around $76,500. Her online ad went viral, thanks to the tagline: ‘Buy the house and marry the owner at the same time.’
Redi said that he had already planned to move to Yogyakarta to be closer with his children, who go to university there. “Whether with Wina or somebody else, I will still live in Yogya,” Redi toldKompas.
May 14, 2015 2:47 PM
What President Obama Really Said About Poverty at Georgetown
By Alexander Russo
According to Vox’s Dara Lind, Liberals are reducing one of the most fascinating speeches of Obama’s career to a Fox News joke.
Describing a Tuesday night panel at Georgetown featuring Obama, researcher Robert Putnam, AEI head Arthur Brooks (yes, that guy who gave that speech about how to talk about education), and columnist E. J. Dionne, Lind makes the claim that focusing on Obama’s jab at Fox News shouldn’t obscure the President’s “warning for liberals” about over-reliance on government for helping people in suffering, the tendency to mock conservatives, and the dangers of class segregation over racial segregation.
In fact, Obama argues that middle-class white Americans who might identify themselves as liberals aren’t necessarily familiar and engaged with the challenges facing their poor neighbors because, well, they don’t have any:
I mean, there’s some communities where I don’t know — not only do I not know poor people, I don’t even know people who have trouble paying the bills at the end of the month. I just don’t know those people. And so there’s a less sense of investment in those children.
Linda also notes that Obama defended the way he talks to young Black men, which has been challenged by some like The Atlantic’s Ta-Nehisi Coates who feel that it’s not appropriate to lecture those who aren’t responsible for the circumstances into which they were born and raised:
It’s true that if I’m giving a commencement at Morehouse that I will have a conversation with young black men about taking responsibility as fathers that I probably will not have with the women of Barnard… For me to have that conversation does not negate my conversation about the need for early childhood education, or the need for job training, or the need for greater investment in infrastructure, or jobs in low-income communities.
As Lind writes:
“Obama’s not backing down from a belief in government, or saying that young black men need to prove they’re worthy before society should invest in them. He’s saying that when you, personally, are faced with someone in pain, you should have something to offer them that might help them cope with the difficult situation they’re in — you should be able to engage them on a human scale, not just a political one. That’s a steep challenge. And it’s something many members of Obama’s own tribe — Washington-centered, Democratic Party-affiliated liberals — struggle with more than their ideological counterparts to the left and to the right.”
These are all good and important points Lind makes about the need for liberals and moderates within the Democratic party to reflect (and the difference between policy and practice), even if there’s not a ton of evidence that the (liberal) mainstream media has focused narrowly on the Fox News-baiting or other jabs taken at conservatives. Here’s a transcript of the event from the White House. Here’s the Politico story, and one from the NYT.
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/the-grade/2015/05/what_president_obama_really_sa055563.php
May 13, 2015 12:00 PM
My Old Friend, John McCain
By Martin Longman
You’re all probably quite familiar with and equally fatigued by stories about how the U.S. Senate used to be a more cordial place where there were strong friendships across the aisle, but Vietnam veterans John Kerry and John McCain have had a long-lasting and meaningful relationship. You may not remember how white-hot the POW-MIA issue was in the late-1980’s and early-1990’s, but more than budget deficits or trade agreements with Mexico, it was what really animated H. Ross Perot’s politics. Working together, Kerry and McCain were able to keep the crazies at bay and help normalize relations with Vietnam.
But no one is immune from John McCain’s late-life turn to unrelenting bloodthirst and overall nastiness, and it shouldn’t be a surprise that Kerry is feeling the brunt of it, too.
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/ten-miles-square/2015/05/my_old_friend_john_mccain055533.php
No surprise here…in the least.
http://breakingbrown.com/2015/05/30-million-prison-for-baltimore-teens-charged-as-adults-approved-by-state/
$30 Million Prison for Baltimore Teens Charged as Adults Approved by State
On Wednesday Maryland officials approved a new $30 million dollar Baltimore jail for teenagers who’ve been charged as adults.
Kara Aanenson, director of advocacy at Community Law In Action, told the Baltimore Sun that the practice of automatically charging many juveniles who commit violent crimes as adults leads to a lot more children being charged as adults.
“It’s definitely not what we want,” Aanenson told the Sun. “We’re really hopeful that we’ll be able to change the law and we won’t need to use it for this population.”
The Board of Public Works unanimously approved the jail.
Currently the Baltimore City Detention center is violating the law by housing juveniles with adult offenders, as the Department of Justice has told the city.
Repeated errors have no effect on Ben Carson
05/15/15 08:40 AM
By Steve Benen
By most measures, retired right-wing neurosurgeon Ben Carson has had a brutal week as a Republican presidential candidate. He’s repeatedly struggled with the basics of American civics; he’s been incoherent during major media interviews; and in South Carolina, he attended a breakfast where he actually lost a couple of teeth.
But at this point, either GOP voters don’t care about Carson’s missteps or they actually approve of his deeply strange national platform.
Following a trio of Republican campaign announcements last week, Ben Carson leaps to the top spot of GOP presidential candidates in the latest Fox News poll tied with presumed GOP front-runner Jeb Bush. […[
Both Bush and Carson sit atop the Fox poll at 13 percent each among Republican primary voters. That’s a seven-point bounce for Carson who was at just 6 percent in the same poll in April.
To be sure, polls are pretty volatile at this point in the process, so it’d be a mistake to assume that Carson is suddenly a top-tier contender because he’s up to 13% in a Fox News poll.
More interesting, at least to me, is the apparent disconnect between Carson’s performance as a candidate and Carson’s standing among Republican voters. Ideally, the way a campaign is supposed to work, there should be some symmetry – the more ridiculous a candidate becomes, the worse he or she does.
With the far-right neurosurgeon, it seems to be the opposite.
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/repeated-errors-have-no-effect-ben-carson
“..More interesting, at least to me, is the apparent disconnect between Carson’s performance as a candidate and Carson’s standing among Republican voters. Ideally, the way a campaign is supposed to work, there should be some symmetry – the more ridiculous a candidate becomes, the worse he or she does.
With the far-right neurosurgeon, it seems to be the opposite…”
The right-wingers are determined to have their useful idiot and token black guy as the shiny cover to their racism. And Ben Carson no matter how progressively ridiculous he gets, is it damn it.
It’s that well-studied and well-worn but always convenient mercenary/symbiotic relationship of hustling, hustlers, and the hustled.
https://twitter.com/AstroSamantha/status/598995234115096576/photo/1
https://twitter.com/TheEarthPeople/status/598314544147009538
https://twitter.com/BuzzAdventurer/status/598599096782454784/photo/1
https://twitter.com/RobertsDan/status/599017868966014976
https://twitter.com/thehill/status/599032471297138688/photo/1
ALL.OF.THIS.RIGHT HERE.
That’s why they’re scared..That’s why they’re doing their darndest to damage and discredit her..
https://twitter.com/ComicBook_Movie/status/598976185972850689
https://twitter.com/wsbtv/status/599033512889610241
https://twitter.com/WaywardPinesFOX/status/599026229572800512
OH MY
https://twitter.com/abronxchick/status/599014069060837376
a wrong put right
By Chipsticks
Henry Lincoln Johnson (1897 – July 5, 1929)
On June 2, 2015, President Barack Obama will award the Medal of Honor to Army Private Henry Johnson for conspicuous gallantry during World War I.
Private Henry Johnson will receive the Medal of Honor posthumously for his actions while serving as a member of Company C, 369th Infantry Regiment, 93rd Division, American Expeditionary Forces. Then-Private Johnson distinguished himself during combat operations in the vicinity of the Tourbe and Aisne Rivers, northwest of Saint Menehoul, France, on May 15, 1918.
Private Johnson entered the Army on June 5, 1917. He was assigned to Company C, 15th New York (Colored) Infantry Regiment, an all-black National Guard unit that would later become the 369th Infantry Regiment. The Regiment was ordered into battle in 1918, and Private Johnson and his unit were brigaded with a French Army colonial unit in front-line combat.
While on night sentry duty on May 15, 1918, Private Johnson and a fellow Soldier received a surprise attack by a German raiding party consisting of at least 12 soldiers. While under intense enemy fire and despite receiving significant wounds, Johnson mounted a brave retaliation resulting in several enemy casualties.
When his fellow soldier was badly wounded, Private Johnson prevented him from being taken prisoner by German forces. Private Johnson exposed himself to grave danger by advancing from his position to engage an enemy soldier in hand-to-hand combat. Displaying great courage, Private Johnson held back the enemy force until they retreated.
Command Sergeant Major Louis Wilson, New York National Guard, will join the President at the White House to accept the Medal of Honor on Private Johnson’s behalf.
http://theobamadiary.com/2015/05/14/a-wrong-put-right/
GOP rejects military service for Dreamers
05/15/15 08:00 AM—UPDATED 05/15/15 08:31 AM
By Steve Benen
Not long after last fall’s midterm elections, there was some chatter among congressional Republicans that President Obama had made a terrible mistake acting on immigration policy through executive actions. GOP officials not only vehemently disagreed with the White House’s policy, they also said the president was cutting Republicans off prematurely.
The argument was simple: maybe a Republican-led Congress would have at least tried to work with the president on a bipartisan deal, if only Obama had given lawmakers a chance instead of acting unilaterally.
The argument was always absurd – the GOP-led House has had years to work constructively on the issue; it’s refused – but given yesterday’s developments, it seems painfully obvious that last fall’s chatter was a bad joke.
Efforts to open the door for DREAMers – undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. as children – to serve in the military were squashed in Congress Thursday evening.
The Republican-led House voted to strip a measure included in this year’s National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that would have pushed the secretary of defense to consider allowing some undocumented DREAMers to serve in the military.
As msnbc’s Amanda Sakuma’s report makes clear, the proposal itself was actually quite modest. The measure was written by Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), a Marine veteran, and would have simply urged Pentagon officials to reevaluate existing policy when it comes to Dream Act kids’ possible enlistment.
In other words, it wouldn’t have officially changed federal policy in this area, so much as it would have asked the Defense Department to review the status quo for possible changes in the future. This, House Republicans said, was a bridge too far.
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/gop-rejects-military-service-dreamers
Good Morning, Everyone :)
Good Morning, Everyone! :-))))