“White Christmas“ is an Irving Berlin song reminiscing about an old-fashioned Christmas setting. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the version sung by Bing Crosby is the best-selling single of all time, with estimated sales in excess of 50 million copies worldwide.[1][2][3][4]
Accounts vary as to when and where Berlin wrote the song.[4] One story is that he wrote it in 1940, in warm La Quinta, California, while staying at the La Quinta Hotel, a frequent Hollywood retreat also favored by writer-producer Frank Capra. He often stayed up all night writing — he told his secretary, “Grab your pen and take down this song. I just wrote the best song I’ve ever written — heck, I just wrote the best song that anybody’s ever written!”
Chicas, I’m being hit from all sides. I had allergy problems, sinus problems, eye problems and now outer ear infection. Dr prescribed antibiotic ear drops & pain medication. He said my ear is almost swollen shut. Make it stop! I hope the drops are getting in there.
I am praying for you, Southern. Are you avoiding as many sweets as possible/ I read or heard that sugar feeds bacteria. Sorry….the mother in me came out.
Hi Vitamin. Thank you for your prayers. Nove & Dec have been hard months for me. You know it’s bad when a nurse at the ER remembers you from the week before. My ear is feeling a little better. I could hardly open my mouth or chew earlier. I guess the antibiotic drops are starting to work.
Did your eye hurt when it was swollen, SG2? If not, it could be something that I read about recently that occurs from an insect found in Texas and other places. (It is called “kissing bug”)
Look at #2 at this link as far as the eye symptom. (There is a medicine that knocks out the parasite if a blood test says you have the condition that is caused by the droppings of this insect.)
http://www.wikihow.com/Know-if-You-Have-Chagas-Disease
https://twitter.com/DeeshaDyer/status/678057690535432193?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
https://twitter.com/NerdyWonka/status/678000763025551360?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
JOHN BOYEGA’S RESPONSE TO WHITE TEARS IS THE BLACKEST THING I’VE EVER HEARD THIS WEEK
Damon Young, 12/18/15
……………………………………………………………..
This conversation was a brutally funny reminder of the importance of having at least one person in your life willing to call you out on your shit. It could be a parent, a sibling, a spouse, a best friend. Shit, it could be your barber. But we all need someone to remind us, from time to time, that Glade doesn’t exactly come out of our asses when we sit to shit.
But unfortunately, some people don’t have that person. And if this acting thing doesn’t work out for John Boyega, I suggest he starts a new career as that person for people who need that person. People could give him a one time fee. Maybe an hourly rate. Or perhaps, even, he’d be kept on retainer, like a lawyer. He could call himself “The Bullshit Smeller.” (Actually, that title needs some work. Forget I even said that.)
I’m bullish on Boyega’s new career potential because of his response to the White Tears tsunami that drenched the internet after some Star Wars fans learned he would play a major role in The Force Awakens. It was, well, perfect. He was Beatrix at The House of Blue Leaves, Bane in the sewer, or John Wick in the nightclub; wiping up the White Tears spillage with ruthlessness, creativity, and even some humor.
First, he led with a quick jab to the nose:
“I’m grounded in who I am, and I am a confident black man. A confident, Nigerian, black, chocolate man.“
Look, any dude who refers to himself as a confident and chocolate man — seriously, this dude literally called himself chocolate! — is not to be trifled with.
http://verysmartbrothas.com/john-boyegas-response-to-white-tears-is-the-blackest-thing-ive-ever-heard-this-week/
https://twitter.com/FLOTUS/status/678020525679992832?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
https://twitter.com/FLOTUS/status/678032421338660865?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
OMG, that is just too adorable.
https://twitter.com/ATLBlackStar/status/678001922293547008?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
total phuckery
https://twitter.com/BlackInformant/status/678003091451547648?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
https://twitter.com/PrettyFootWoman/status/678036972812820480?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
https://twitter.com/innocence/status/677989099337334784?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
SG2,
feel better :)
Thank you. I’m in a little pain right now. Took a pain pill and going to soak in a hot tub of water. Hope it makes me feel better.
https://twitter.com/FLOTUS/status/677917525238087680?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
OFA & PBO were WAY to SMART for the Clinton’s high school ANTICS. But we all know they tried to squash him, to no AVAIL.
This whole nonsense with Debbie and the DNC must be so exasperating for President and Mrs Obama…After everything they invested in those 2 elections in 2008 and 2012 to show the Democratic party how it’s done…with grace, dignity, focus, ethics, morals, hard work…
It’s back to petty politics and dumpster-diving Clinton-style with the so-called Democratic Party/DNC hierarchy…
They don’t want the Obamas morals, ethics and smart politics…they only want the Obamas help fundraising millions, which they immediately waste on all the rubbish stuff Debbie manages to come up with…
SPEAK!
They don’t want the Obamas morals, ethics and smart politics…they only want the Obamas help fundraising millions, which they immediately waste on all the rubbish stuff Debbie manages to come up with…
And this folks is WHITE PRIVILEGE-fulll steam ahead.
Charles Pierce said the Democrats (CLINTONS) can’t even get out their own way.
CP ; “DWS has no CREDIBILITY.” I know that’s right!
We’ve all been saying it…
Debbie Wasserman-Schultz wil be the undoing of the Democratic party…
And shame on Howard Dean…that’s another one we need to be asking what the Clintons promised him in exchange for his nonstop tomfoolery and lies on their behalf…
The person running the data company is a friend of the Clintons.
THEY are soooooo
MESSY
they are totally messy. once again, unforced error handled with absolutely no class.
Hillary Clinton is a WEAK presidential candidate, trying to run as someone with political credentials, (MAINLY ‘CAUSE IMMA WOMAN!) when all she and her camp have ever been and continue to illustrate is ther deviousness, calculating, underhanded, scandal-ridden, entitled, mediocrity.
Debbie W, Schultz is piss-poor DNC chairman is in lockstep with the Clintons to get her two piece and biscuit too, becasue don’t believe for one minute that HILL & BILL wouldn’t hesitate to THROW her frizzy-headed azz under the bus,put that bitch in reverse, and then in drive and roll her ass as flat as a panny cake!
Spot on Mama…spot on!
No one could convince me that HRC Inc is not in on this although no one is talking about that right now. They will, sooner or later. But, if she is elected, is this the kind of hateful, vindictive kind of action that we can expect from her and/or her flunkies?
I predict right now the next president is going to last one term. Nothing short of divine intervention could make one of these people electable twice in a row.
Liza, a freaking Saturday night debate a week from Christmas? C’mon, Lil Debbie, who do you think is going to be sitting home watching this NONSENSE?
DWS just ain’t as smart as she thinks she is. Lots of folks see her.
Y’all talking all sorts of truths in here!
Debbie Wasserman-Schultz is so painfully mediocre and so sleazy and dishonest… She gives women in power a bad name…
David Axelrod called Debbie out…said she and the DNC are putting finger on the scale to tip it in Hillary’s favor…
Yep, DNC & LITTLE DEBBIE are full of CHICANERY, SHENINGANS, TRICKERY, FUCKERY of the SLIMIEST kind.
Finger? Naw, she’s got her entire fat a$$ on the scale, IMO.
Ya’ll do know that the next Dem debate is TOMORROW.
WHAT A SET UP BY DWS , HILLARY & DNC.
Yup…But Debbie is no sophisticate…she’s bound to trip herself up…and then we’ll see Clinton and cohort fingerprints all over this and other stuff..
The Clintons never learn…You’d think that after clearing the field – and with all this talk about Hillary being the ultimate and most qualified candidate ever to run for president, that Hillary would plow forward on her own strengths and merits, instead of resorting to these grade school games, base trickery and chicanery and all to sideline ‘non-threatening’ Bernie Sanders…
Did anyone see Dana ‘F’ Milbank warning Trump to call off his attack dogs on Chris Matthews’ show, lamenting about all the ‘nasty’ e-mails targeting him and his girlfriend from Trump supporters… Stuff like you Jew…
LOL, may we remind Mr Milbank that he was very much one of the instigators of the rabid attack dogs – he did more than his fair share himself…
To hear folks like Dana Milbank now whine about the names they and their significant others are being called by the very same crowd they helped cultivate and gave cover for 8 years, is to believe they have no idea how much their active instigation and complicity helped stoke even worse attacks and death threats on the first black President and First Lady…
Dear Dana,
LIE DOWN WITH DOGS, YOU GET FLEAS!
Sincerely,
Ametia
https://twitter.com/granny_st/status/677989015144955905?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Bring that TRUTH, Granny!
And here’s an update on a few of the girls from the other school – Elizabeth Garrett Anderson school in London which FLOTUS visited in 2009 – she took several of them to visit Oxford University when she and the President returned to London in 2011 for a State visit…Powerful seeds sown and blossoming beautifully…values driven leadership at work..
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/womens-politics/11671994/How-Michelle-Obama-inspired-the-class-of-2009.html
Thanks for this, ellihaas.
HATERS: Drama-drvien
LOVERS:of LIFE: Value-driven
Thanks Ametia…I have 2 or 3 other posts in moderation…Could you please release them..
https://twitter.com/SarahinSuffolk/status/667374583528427521
Meanwhile family, did any of you know that some of the girls from Mulberry school, the girls school in London FLOTUS visited this past summer, were in the White House a couple of weeks ago at FLOTUS’ invitation…
Of course not…I only stumbled into it …The media blacks out her important and serious and extremely successful efforts, but will try to trivialize her and her important and fruitful initiatives by only playing up the rare light-hearted skits she does as an aside to help push her initiatives…Please enjoy the young girls thoughts on their positively impactful visit with FLOTUS at the White House..
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-34848321
https://twitter.com/search?q=Mulberry%20girls%20White%20House&src=typd
https://twitter.com/JaneFarrellEW/status/667316357290160128
https://twitter.com/JaneFarrellEW/status/667666754613747717
http://www.theewgroup.com/jane-farrell-blog/
Obviously they know the meaning of respect.
https://twitter.com/ABallerinasTale/status/677973022863589376?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Chuck Todd is really quite deluded….He fancies himself one of the big boys…an important player and kingmaker in our politics…LOL..
But someone please remind silly Chuck that Paul Ryan does not get to run the country with the President…Not only is Paul Ryan simply a representative from a section of Wisconsin – and voted in by that small section… we only have one President at a time – and Paul Ryan is NOT a co-president but Speaker of the House – and only by a fluke…
This simpleton and his ilk have been trying to elevate any & everyone, including the elevator man over President Barack Obama, since his PRESIDENDCY.
MAJOR FAIL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
Sadly, the concept of a level playing field for the Democratic party primaries, left the station long before the primaries even began Liza…
I will not get behind Hillary for president. I don’t care if PBO does support her.
I won’t either Ametia…I see a concerted effort by some Hillary folks actively working the President Obama and Hillary as buddies and are one-minded angle…I even see a few beginning to for the first time in this sorry saga, try to sweet talk FLOTUS…praising her and posting this one random photo from the last CBC dinner of POTUS, FLOTUS and Hillary behind the scenes, as proof that she’s on board…I even saw a tweet from Debbie linking to a story and praising FLOTUS and Mrs Biden for the Vet homelessness initiative…This is Debbie Wasserman-Schultz who couldn’t even be bothered to hang around to greet the First Lady at the previous DNC Women’s Leadership Forums …and didn’t even invite her to this years…How on earth does the Democratic Party have a National gathering/Forum for WOMEN and not invite the Democratic First Lady – the first black Democratic FLOTUS who has rallied voters on campaign trails and raised more money for them in fundraisers…
I’m not stupid…I have a perfectly functioning and long memory…I remember everything…and nobody is going to ‘work’ me over to vote for Hillary, by suddenly patronizing the Obamas…paying The Obamas random compliments, when they’ve all been as disrespectful and as dismissive of them over these past 8 years…and stood by (some even joining in anonymously and otherwise), as the First Lady – a fellow woman, has been mercilessly attacked…But now they want me to play along for Hillary’s coronation..? I can’t go for that…Not even if my beloved FLOTUS is strong-armed into going along…
That’s the absolute truth. But right now they are trying to squash Bernie like a bug, like some nuisance pest that must be exterminated before the Iowa caucus. Like it was some kind of housekeeping chore and we, the ignorant rank and file, would not really notice or object because they think we are as dumb as Trump supporters.
Debbie is awful Liza…I posted this earlier all the way down…
Bernie Sanders became a serious contender when he was merely supposed to be a useful idiot…a harmless foil to be used to distract from the fact that the DNC had rigged the game entirely and was not planning to have a serious primary or challenge to their candidate Hillary…and right now Bernie and his supporters are posing a serious threat to what is meant to be Hillary’s clean coronation…
I think this will not end well for Debbie…She’s overplaying her hand…
I CAN’T GO FOR HILLARY
NO.CAN.DO!
this entire thing is pitiful.
have said from the beginning- they wanted a coronation.
Yes; we called it on the supposed-coronation for this WITCH
She will NEVER get my vote,
N.E.V.E.R
https://twitter.com/PressSec/status/677957666807939072?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Thank you!! First Lady Obama for always thinking about the children…and for celebrating and honoring our military families like never before…even when some of them are so blinded with baseless racial hate, and still fail to see that you have done so much more for them than any other First Lady in modern history…
Bernie Sanders Campaign Locked Out Of Key Voter File After Data Breach
Updated December 18, 20153:07 PM ET
Published December 18, 201512:26 PM ET
Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaign has been locked out of a key database of Democratic voter information after a staffer accessed data collected and organized by Hillary Clinton’s campaign.
The Democratic National Committee’s decision to block the Sanders campaign from conducting basic and fundamental voter outreach comes at a critical moment in the presidential race. The information is needed to identify and contact voters, and to secure their support in upcoming caucuses and primaries.
Sanders Campaign Response
The Sanders campaign blasted the DNC at a press conference Friday, calling the decision to block the data an “inappropriate overreaction.” The committee is “now actively attempting to undermine our campaign,” campaign manager Jeff Weaver said. He added that “if the DNC continues to hold our data hostage,” the campaign would be in federal court Friday afternoon “seeking immediate relief.”
“Clearly, while the information was made available to our campaign because of the incompetence of the vendor, it should not have been looked at, period,” Weaver said.
“Rather incredibly,” he continued, “the leadership of the DNC has used this incident to shut down our ability to access our own information — information which is the lifeblood of this campaign.”
What Data Was Exposed
First an explanation of the data breach: Like its Republican counterpart, the DNC maintains a massive database containing information about voters across the country.
Campaigns of all sizes, from presidential down to the local level, are granted access to this information, and use it to organize both big-picture strategy and day-to-day operations.
All campaigns have access to the same basic set of information that states collect about voters: names, addresses, party identification and voting history.
Campaigns add their own information about those voters — usually, information gathered from door-to-door canvassing and phone calls. They also use the data to conduct big-picture modeling about voters’ likely preferences for specific candidates and develop their overall strategy.
That proprietary information is supposed to be secure from other campaigns. But on Wednesday, a software bug in the database allowed campaigns to see each other’s private voter info.
Sanders Staffer Viewed Clinton Data
A spokesman for the Bernie Sanders campaign confirms a staff member accessed another campaign’s information.
“After discussion with the DNC it became clear that one of our staffers accessed some modeling data from another campaign,” said Sanders communications director Michael Briggs. “That behavior is unacceptable, and that staffer was immediately fired.”
The DNC says Sanders’ campaign won’t be able to access the voter database until the incident is fully explained and there’s proof that any improperly accessed data has been disposed of.
For its part, Sanders’ campaign is blaming the DNC and the vendor that runs the voter file system, NGP VAN. Here’s more from Briggs’ statement, which implies this week’s data breach wasn’t an isolated incident:
“Sadly, the vendor who runs the DNC’s voter file program continues to make serious errors. On more than one occasion, the vendor has dropped the firewall between the data of different Democratic campaigns. Our campaign months ago alerted the DNC to the fact that campaign data was being made available to other campaigns. At that time our campaign did not run to the media, relying instead on assurances from the vendor.
“Unfortunately, yesterday, the vendor once again dropped the firewall between the campaigns for some data.”
Sanders’ supporters are painting this as another instance of the party establishment working against Sanders and favoring his rival Clinton. The DNC was already under scrutiny for a debate schedule that left many wanting more; there’s a debate scheduled for Saturday — one of the busiest shopping days of the year.
The Clinton campaign has not commented on the incident.
Locked Out At A Key Time
There’s no question that being locked out of the voter files is a major short-term hurdle for the Sanders campaign. Ethan Roeder, who directed data operations for Barack Obama’s 2008 and 2012 presidential campaigns, described the national database as “an online search tool that all of the campaign staff all across the country use to do voter contact.”
“All of the organization activity that happens on the ground level is managed through this platform,” Roeder said. “When you make a phone call or knock on a door or have a conversation with a voter, the result of that goes straight into the [system],” Roeder said. “Not having access means there’s nowhere to store your information. And there’s nowhere to pull your information back out of.”
The DNC and NGP VAN are both pushing back on the suggestion that this breach was anything but an isolated incident.
“This bug was a brief, isolated issue, and we are not aware of any previous reports of such data being inappropriately available,” the company said in a blog post on its website. “We look forward to supporting all our Democratic clients, and in particular apologize to the DNC, Clinton and Sanders campaigns for our bug Wednesday. We will continue to work with and report to the DNC regarding this issue to ensure that this isolated incident does not recur. We have and will do better.”
The DNC says it has ordered an audit of the breach, what led to the failure and how widespread it was.
“The DNC places a high priority on maintaining the security of our system and protecting the data on it,” said DNC Communications Director Luis Miranda in a statement. “We are working with our campaigns and the vendor to have full clarity on the extent of the breach, ensure that this isolated incident does not happen again, and to enable our campaigns to continue engaging voters on the issues that matter most to them and their families.”
http://www.npr.org/2015/12/18/460273748/bernie-sanders-campaign-locked-out-of-key-voter-file-after-data-breach
Lil’ Debbie is playing dirty again. She thinks she’s going to get away with this?
Bernie Sanders was not supposed to be a serious contender…but he and his supporters are proving to be a greater threat to Hillary’s coronation than earlier thought…
But Debbie will ultimately overplay her hand in her bid to silence Bernie Sanders and his supporters…
This won’t end well I don’t think…
The Clintons will NEVER learn.
Folks are enraged and rightfully so. This is supposed to be the “Democratic” party, but I feel like there is a group of people running the DNC who are probably shouting “Heil Hillary” at their staff meetings. To not allow the people to have a choice is just simply unconscionable and so wrong and that is exactly what they have done. But right now their fear is showing because this is all about hurting Bernie in Iowa and New Hampshire. They want to be rid of him asap.
This shows me that DWS and HRC are a little worried about Iowa and New Hampshire.
Statement by Jeff Weaver, Bernie Sanders 2016 Campaign Manager
DECEMBER 18, 2015
Two months ago, shortly after our digital vendor who conducts modeling for our campaign told us that there was failure in the firewall that prevents campaigns from seeing one another’s data, we contacted the DNC and told them about the failure. We were concerned that our data could be compromised and we were assured at the time the firewall would be restored.
Instead, we found out two days ago that once again, this sensitive and important data was compromised because the DNC and its vendor failed to protect it.
We have invested enormous campaign resources in acquiring the rights to use this proprietary information. But the DNC, in an inappropriate overreaction, has denied us access to our own data.
Let me briefly discuss the three issues involved here.
First, this is not the first time that the vendor hired by the DNC to run the voter file program, NGP VAN, has allowed serious failures to occur. On more than one occasion, they have dropped the firewall between the data of competing Democratic campaigns. That is dangerous incompetence. It was our campaign months ago that alerted the DNC to the fact that campaign data was being made available to other campaigns. At that time our campaign did not run to the media, relying instead on assurances from the vendor that the problem would be resolved. Unfortunately, the other day, the vendor once again dropped the firewall between the campaigns for some data.
Secondly, after discussion with the DNC it became clear that some of our staffers irresponsibly accessed some of the data from another campaign. That behavior is unacceptable to the Sanders campaign and we fired the staffer immediately and made certain that any information obtained was not utilized. We are now speaking to other staffers who might have been involved and further disciplinary action . Clearly, while that information was made available to our campaign because of the incompetence of the vendor, it should not have been looked at. Period.
Thirdly, rather incredibly, the leadership of the DNC has used this incident to shut down our ability to access our own information, information which is the lifeblood of any campaign. This is the information about our supporters, our volunteers, the lists of people we intend to contact in Iowa, New Hampshire and elsewhere. This is information that we have worked hard to obtain. It is our information, not the DNCs.
In other words, by their action, the leadership of the Democratic National Committee is now actively attempting to undermine our campaign. This is unacceptable. Individual leaders of the DNC can support Hillary Clinton in any way they want, but they are not going to sabotage our campaign – one of the strongest grassroots campaigns in modern history.
We are announcing today that if the DNC continues to hold our data hostage, and continues to try to attack the heart and soul of our campaign, we will be in federal court this afternoon seeking an immediate injunction.
What is required here is a full and independent audit of the DNC’s handling of this data and its security from the beginning of this campaign to the present, including the incident in October that we alerted them to.
https://berniesanders.com/press-release/statement-jeff-weaver/
Damn these people ramming Hillary down our throats and now using this incident about a system firewall failure to punish Bernie for challenging the chosen one. No one with half a brain would believe that HRC had not been made privy to this tactic, at the very least. I will say no more about HRC. But DWS has her dirty hands all over this, it really makes me wonder what she has been promised.
https://twitter.com/WhiteHouse/status/677927041086398464?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Thursday, December 17, 2015
Whose Job Is It to Call Out the Lies?
Here’s a little walk down memory lane:
I’m in my mid-forties and remember well the terrorist incidents of the 1980s – the bombing of the US Embassy and the Marine Barracks in Beirut, the bombing of the US Embassy in Kuwait, the kidnapping of CIA Station Chief William Buckley, the high jacking of Kuwait Airlines Flight 221, the high jacking of TWA Flight 847, the high jacking of the Achille Lauro, the bombing of the Rome and Vienna airports, the bombing of the La Belle disco in West Berlin, and the bombing of Pan Am flight 103. It’s quite a list.
That comes from a note sent to James Fallows by someone he describes as a “current U.S. diplomat.” S/he goes on to point out that all of that failed to provoke the kind of hysteria we are seeing today…which raises the obvious question: what changed? Here’s how the diplomat answers it:
I think the primary explanation for the divergent attitudes of the American public is the 24-hour cable (and internet) news cycle and an opposition party (with its own supporting media/internet apparatus) that will use anything to whip up public sentiment against the incumbent President.
Fallows received that note as part of a discussion he initiated about President Obama’s leadership style and whether or not he’s done enough to allay the current hysteria. Obviously Daniel Drezner doesn’t think so.
Now there’s been a lot of loose talk about how Trump is simply exploiting some of the less savory elements of GOP voters — but I don’t think that’s entirely fair. Indeed, it suppresses Barack Obama’s biggest foreign policy failing: his failure to make Americans feel safer…
It’s on Republicans when they make stupid or incorrect pronouncements about foreign policy and counterterrorism. But the GOP is responding to public anxiety. And that anxiety, and the failure to alleviate it, is currently on the president.
I applaud Drezner for calling out the Republicans for their “incorrect pronouncements about foreign policy and counterterrorism.” But did you notice who he left out? The media.
When did it became the President’s job to be the Consoler-in-Chief? As adults, it seems like that should be on each of us. But it has always been my assumption that it is the job of our free press to bring us the information we need in order to do so – not to simply fan the flames or stand idly by while politicians use lies and distortions to conjure up fear.
http://immasmartypants.blogspot.com/2015/12/whose-job-is-it-to-call-out-lies.html?spref=tw
https://twitter.com/DJ_Sylvester/status/677918541182582784?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
https://twitter.com/splcenter/status/677927386474815489?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
https://twitter.com/splcenter/status/677929695544000513?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
https://twitter.com/ppppolls/status/677933146193698817?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
https://twitter.com/markknoller/status/677943387425800197
PBO presser thread is up!
Going to lay down for a little bit. Took some medication and it made me a little sick to the stomach.
Sorry to hear that.
Take care of yourself, SG2.
SG, take care…be careful about interactions even with over the counter medications…and I know you know to never take medication on an empty stomach…
Rest up & take care of YOU, SG2.
Hope you’re feeling better, SG2.
As New Hampshire polling goes, the new Franklin Pierce University/Boston Herald survey
1. Donald Trump: 26% (down from 28% in October)
2. Ted Cruz: 12% (up from 5%)
2. Marco Rubio: 12% (up from 6%)
4. Chris Christie: 11% (up from 3%)
5. Jeb Bush: 10% (up from 9%)
6. John Kasich: 8% (up from 6%)
7. Carly Fiorina: 6% (down from 10%)
Rubio backers confront ‘second thoughts’
12/18/15 09:20 AM—UPDATED 12/18/15 09:23 AM
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By Steve Benen
In campaign circles, Marco Rubio’s surprising indifference towards his ground game is one of the more important developments of the season. The Florida senator is a darling of the Republican establishment and political media, but few understand his deliberate strategy not to create a credible field operation.
FiveThirtyEight published an interesting piece this week, explaining, “There’s reportedly a joke going around among Iowa Republicans that Marco Rubio must be running for mayor of Ankeny, the Des Moines suburb where his sole Iowa office is located. Defying Iowa’s tradition of retail politics, Rubio also rarely holds campaign events outside of that area and is choosing to invest in television ads over staffers and offices in the state. Rubio is making a deliberate gamble that Iowans will brave the cold on his behalf this Feb. 1 simply because they saw his advertisements or debate performances on television, not because they have seen him in person or heard from his campaign.”
Whether this strategy is a stroke of genius or a foolish gamble will become clearer in about six weeks, but the anecdotal evidence continues to raise eyebrows. The New York Times published an article overnight on Team Rubio’s gambit, which included this striking detail out of Iowa:
Inexperience and inattention to detail on the ground can have a tangible cost. Melody Slater is a former Lee County chairwoman for the now-defunct presidential campaign of Gov. Scott Walker of Wisconsin. Shortly after Mr. Walker dropped out, Mr. Rubio’s campaign announced that Ms. Slater was one of several of Mr. Walker’s backers who had signed on with them.
But now she says she is having second thoughts. “I had three campaigns call me that day – Huckabee, Cruz and Rubio,” Ms. Slater said in an interview, explaining that she agreed to endorse Mr. Rubio only at his campaign’s request. She said she still liked Mr. Rubio and may indeed caucus for him.
But she cautioned that she was also drawn to Mr. Cruz’s Christian values.
“You’ve got to be careful about what you say, don’t you?” Slater mused to the Times.
This is obviously just one person, but I suspect one of the scariest phrases in the political lexicon for Marco Rubio right now is “having second thoughts.” Indeed, though I tend to think too much is made of prediction markets, in which “traders bet on event outcomes,” it’s worth noting that the Florida senator has seen investors start to lose confidence in his eventual nomination.
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/rubio-backers-confront-second-thoughts
https://twitter.com/AriMelber/status/677938670670884865
I was listening to POTUS conference on radio in my car. LMBAO
The media has no shame, no embarrassments, because they are incompetent HACKS.
The question alone, suggests the media’s need and attempts at denigrating this president at every turn. President Obama should be embarrassed by other’s BEHAVIORS?
How utterly ridiculously calculatingly, foolish!
OWN YOUR SHIT GOP
OWN YOUR SHIT MEDIA
OWN YOUR SHIT ABOUT YOUR MEDIOCRITY, WHITE PRIVILIEGE, BIGOTED, RACISTS, WHITE SUPREMACY BEHAVIORS & ATTITUDES.
Hey, Chicas! Check out @3tkogirls. TaKeOver Screenshots. Show your love & pass the link around to help them out. We have to help our young folks out. Beautiful young girls!
PragmaticObotsUnite @PragObots
In the words of the prophet Keith Sweat, “Sumthin’, sumthin’…sumthin’, sumthin’ just ain’t right!”
PragmaticObotsUnite @PragObots
Oh, well look what we have here! Founder of the DNC software vendor worked on Hillary’s campaign! => https://twitter.com/PositivelyJoan/status/677891225584668672 … (5)
PragmaticObotsUnite @PragObots
Let’s also remember that the DNC is run by Hillary’s political BFF, who thinks a debate on the last shopping weekend is a good idea. (4)
PragmaticObotsUnite @PragObots
And according to Sanders camp, this isn’t the first time this software vendor screwed up. (3)
PragmaticObotsUnite @PragObots
A software vendor that the DNC hired screwed up and caused a security breach, but Sanders is punished? (2) pic.twitter.com/orVL63aZF1
PragmaticObotsUnite @PragObots
My Spidey senses are tingling about this whole DNC punishing the Bernie Sanders campaign….
PragmaticObotsUnite @PragObots
Wait, whut??? => DNC penalizes Sanders campaign for improper access of Clinton voter data http://wpo.st/wl9y0
Bernie Sanders became a serious contender when he was merely supposed to be a useful idiot…a harmless foil to be used to distract from the fact that the DNC had rigged the game entirely and was not planning to have a serious primary or challenge to their candidate Hillary…and right now Bernie and his supporters are posing a serious threat to what is meant to be Hillary’s clean coronation…
I think this will not end well for Debbie…She’s overplaying her hand…
I love our FLOTUS
https://twitter.com/FLOTUS/status/677651830806040576/photo/1
Because, this is who they are.
……………..
Nearly 50% of Trump Supporters in Iowa Think Japanese Internment Camps Were a Good Idea
By Zeeshan Aleem December 15, 2015
LIKE MIC ON FACEBOOK:
People looking to condemn Donald Trump’s presidential campaign are quick to point to the frontrunner’s support among prominent white supremacists and mobs eager for a fight. But defenders of the real estate magnate argue that those supporters are fringe followers, out of sync with the thrust of Trump’s ideology.
A new poll, however, illustrates at least one shockingly backward view that’s pervasive among a key contingent of his fans.
According to a Public Policy Polling survey of usual Republican primary voters in Iowa, 48% of Trump voters say they support the use of Japanese internment during World War II, while only 21% oppose it. That’s a departure from Republicans overall in the state, among whom 29% support it and 39% are opposed. The poll found that supporters of Sen. Ted Cruz (Texas), Sen. Marco Rubio (Fla.) and Ben Carson all opposed the policy in greater numbers than supported it — in the latter case, by a margin of 4 to 1.
http://mic.com/articles/130476/nearly-50-of-trump-supporters-in-iowa-think-japanese-internment-camps-were-a-good-idea#.ddLjv4O27
awe
https://twitter.com/CelebNewsFast/status/677608921071296512?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Exchange of the Day
December 18, 2015
Business Insider captured this exchange between Morning Joe host Joe Scarborough and Donald Trump:
Scarborough: “Well, I mean, it’s also a person who kills journalists, political opponents, and invades countries. Obviously that would be a concern, would it not?”
Trump: “He’s running his country, and at least he’s a leader. Unlike what we have in this country.”
Scarborough: “But again: He kills journalists that don’t agree with him.”
Trump: “I think our country does plenty of killing, also, Joe, so, you know. There’s a lot of stupidity going on in the world right now, Joe. A lot of killing going on. A lot of stupidity. And that’s the way it is.”
But Friday during his “Morning Joe” interview, Trump said he always “felt fine” about Putin and touted the Russian president’s poll numbers. Putin’s position in his country is bolstered by the Russian government’s control over much of the Russian news media.
Trump contrasted Putin’s numbers with President Barack Obama’s.
“I think he’s up in the 80s. You see where Obama’s in the 30s and low-40s. And he’s up in the 80s,” Trump said. “And I don’t know who does the polls. Maybe he does the polls, but I think they’re done by American companies, actually.”
http://www.businessinsider.com/donald-trump-vladimir-putin-joe-scarborough-2015-12
Good Lord, it’s come to this.
Walker dissolves admired elections/ethics accountability board
Wisconsin State Senator Jon Erpenbach talks with Rachel Maddow about Governor Scott Walker loosening campaign finance rules and dissolving the Government Accountability Board that was once hailed as a model of nonpartisan technocratic good governance in presiding over state elections and ethics.
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow/watch/walker-dismantles-elections-and-ethics-board-587991619553
those lucky kids!
https://twitter.com/justinsink/status/677887981433307137?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
The religious right finds its man
12/18/15 08:00 AM
By Steve Benen
The pattern started in earnest in 1996. Social conservative leaders weren’t sold on Bob Dole as the Republicans’ presidential nominee, but the religious right movement struggled to rally behind a credible alternative.
As we discussed in March, in nearly every election cycle that followed, a similar dynamic unfolded. In 2000, the religious right wanted John Ashcroft, who didn’t run. In 2008, the religious right hated John McCain, but it couldn’t settle on a rival. In 2012, social conservatives were skeptical about Mitt Romney, but again, it failed to coalesce behind someone else.
The movement and its leaders were absolutely determined not to repeat their mistakes. This would finally be the cycle, the religious right’s heavyweights insisted, in which social conservatives en masse made an early decision, chose a competitive GOP candidate, and helped propel him or her towards the convention.
And though I was skeptical of their organizational skills, social conservative leaders, for the first time in a generation, are doing exactly what they set out to do. National Review reported late yesterday:
James Dobson, founder of the Christian group Focus on the Family and one of the nation’s most influential evangelicals, will endorse Ted Cruz for president today, according to sources briefed on the announcement. […]
Dobson, sources say, has long been an outspoken voice on Cruz’s behalf, arguing in previous private gatherings that Marco Rubio was not sufficiently conservative to earn the group’s support.
The endorsement from Dobson, a powerhouse in religious right circles, comes on the heels of similar support from the Family Leader’s Bob Vander Plaats, the National Organization for Marriage, and GOP activist/direct-mail pioneer Richard Viguerie.
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/the-religious-right-finds-its-man
I SEE THE TWO PIECE & A BISCUIT NEGROES ARE CLAWING AWAY TO STAY IN THE SPOTLIGHT FOR MASSA!
Instead of just making me LOL Ametia, you’ve made me so hungry – and I don’t even eat KFC…But now I’m craving it so badly…My mouth waters remembering just how good it tasted…before we all became conscious consumers…
https://twitter.com/EzidiPress/status/677423038024065024?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
A ‘remarkable’ Republican fight over immigration
12/18/15 08:40 AM—UPDATED 12/18/15 10:05 AM
By Steve Benen
Much of the political world has been buzzing this week about the long-awaited fight between Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz over immigration policy. It was only a matter of time before this dispute took center stage, and now that it has, the outcome may very well play a key role in deciding who becomes the Republican presidential nominee.
At a distance, there doesn’t seem to be much to fight about. On one side, we see Rubio, who co-authored a reform bill celebrated by President Obama and Democrats, before he abandoned the initiative and betrayed his allies. On the other side, we see Cruz, who fought to kill the bipartisan bill that was deeply unpopular with the GOP’s conservative base.
But just below the surface, the details get more complicated. Rubio is eagerly pushing the argument that Cruz sponsored a provision that brought the Texan largely in line with the “Gang of Eight,” while Cruz insists his measure was a poison-pill amendment intended to derail the entire legislative push. There’s been quite a bit of reporting on this, though I tend to agree with Sahil Kapur and Greg Sargent that Rubio’s case is unpersuasive and Cruz is on firmer ground.
And while I’m sure this back and forth will continue for a while, The Guardian flagged one little detail that jumped out at me.
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/remarkable-republican-fight-over-immigration
Miranda
Riviera Beach is the only city in the country where signs for Dr Martin Luther King Jr Boulevard and President Barack Obama Highway are on the same corner.
http://cbs12.com/news/top-stories/stories/vid_32218.shtml?wap=0#.VnQuIi0WOdA.twitter
http://media.cmgdigital.com/shared/lt/lt_cache/thumbnail/275/img/photos/2015/12/17/e9/41/Obama-and-King.jpg
Deflated conservatives eye new tactics in Planned Parenthood fight
12/18/15 06:00 AM EST
Conservative Republicans are disappointed that the government-funding bill does not defund Planned Parenthood but say they are looking for compromise on the issue going forward.
The $1.1 trillion spending bill coming up for a vote in the House on Friday leaves Planned Parenthood funding untouched. Cutting the funding would have been a deal-breaker for Democrats, but that is cold comfort for the conservatives who fought against the group this year.
“I am disappointed that that wasn’t in there,” said Rep. John Fleming (R-La.). “I don’t see where we gained any ground on pro-life [issues].”
“I’m disappointed, I know that Paul Ryan is disappointed,” added Rep. Ken Buck (R-Colo.).
http://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/263667-deflated-conservatives-eye-new-strategy-in-planned-parenthood-fight
https://twitter.com/nytpolitics/status/677846555471290368?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
White House Hints at ‘Non-Traditional’ State of the Union
Dec 17, 2015
The White House is promising President Obama will deliver a “non-traditional” State of the Union address next month, “eschewing the standard litany of policy proposals for a broader discussion on the challenges facing the country,” the AP reports.
“Rather than fade into the lame duck phase of his presidency, the White House said Obama is eager to use 2016 to take steps that drive the debate in the 2016 race. He also expects to be active on the campaign trail, stumping for the Democratic presidential nominee and other party candidates.”
http://bigstory.ap.org/article/500955da10a84d898c5e59086aaf10f1/white-house-promises-non-traditional-state-union
https://twitter.com/dtafakari/status/677620120005554176/photo/1
Ha ha. Well, IMHO, allowing these Civil War monuments and naming streets and buildings throughout the Confederacy after CW generals was a huge mistake. Does anyone know of another country where this happened, where a civil war was fought and the loser was allowed to glorify their “heroes”?
Morning folks.
Peanut is loving Black-ish.
Like, she’s going through the DVR and watching episode after episode..LOL
Good Morning, Everyone :)
Good Morning!
Thanks for White Christmas by the Drifters, SG2!
https://media.giphy.com/media/BDucPOizdZ5AI/giphy.gif
YVW! My pleasure.
Definitely the best version of White Christmas ever recorded, IMHO, the Bill Pinkney and Clyde McPhatter duet. I may have to listen to The Drifters all day now.
:)
Hi SG, ladies…It’s still only 11:30pm or so (Thursday) here in California, but Good morning to all when you eventually make it here…Thanks for all the wonderful holiday music and good cheer – it really does make all the difference..
O Holy Night continues to be my all time favorite Christmas carol…It always makes me weepy…but only when it’s sung and done well…LOL..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ITIaYoWCPkE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4gemjzIzsek
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9egij7D5seI
I especially love how Ms. Leontyne Price sings O Holy Night:
https://youtu.be/lEi9IDV3BzA&rel=0
Good Morning, Everyone! Oh Holy Night is a classic for sure. thanks for bringing the beautiful versions of it.
It’s beautiful Yahtz…there are so many wonderful versions..
Morning, Eliihass!
Oh Holy Night makes me weepy too. Touches my heart deeply.
Yes, thanks for posting it, Eliihass!
Oh SG, it’s such a beautiful song…