Thursday Open Thread

Posted on July 14, 2016 by rikyrah

This entry was posted in Arts, Current Events, Dance, Media, Politics and tagged , . Bookmark the permalink.

56 Responses to Thursday Open Thread

  5. rikyrah says:
    July 14, 2016 at 8:07 pm

    ON BLACK WOMEN AND ERASURE IN THE FACE OF INSTITUTIONALIZED RACISM
    Panama Jackson, 7/11/16

    Last week, I wrote a piece about the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad week America was having in the aftermaths of the state-approved murders of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile and the subsequent killings of five police officers in Dallas, Texas, amid a peaceful protest of those killings. In this piece I pointed out how Black men and boys in particular, are targets and that our bodies have been criminalized by America.

    In the comments of this piece, a few people, specifically women, made it a point to note that Black women shouldn’t be erased from the conversation, but constantly are. While the preponderance of these cases of state-sanctioned murder do involve Black men (and boys), Black women are not immune from death-by-cop. Several women are among the unfortunate ranks of dealing with the police and ending up on the wrong side of the equation, i.e. Sandra Bland, Rekia Boyd, Michelle Cusseaux, and the list goes on. While those stories remain part of the narrative and are well-known to those who are fervently involved in the fight to prove that Black lives do matter, the larger conversation centers around these deaths as a battle between the police and Black men.

    ……………………………

    We can’t expect women to be at the forefront of these movements without acknowledging that they’re not just there to support men, but because they also feel the same sting and same circumstances that we do.

    The recent picture of Ieshia Evans (top of the piece), standing tall and serene while the two police officers look prepared to face off against a full scale riot, speaks truth to this power. This Black woman from New York City came down to Baton Rouge to stand against the enemy and did it in the way only a Black woman can, often silently, but as powerfully as any man. She’s there for many reasons, but mainly, because what happens to the Black community in Baton Rouge affects the community in New York City, St. Paul, Minnesota, Ferguson, Missouri, Chicago, Illinois, and anywhere else we are. The picture is powerful in that it shows the stark contrasts in demeanor and purpose. Ieshia is stoically and peacefully asserting her right to be there while the police officers are in action mode against the Black body at rest. I’d like to call it the irresistible force paradox, but we all know how this story ends. Luckily because of the circumstances, it only ends with her in jail.

    Reply
    • eliihass says:
      July 14, 2016 at 8:39 pm

      ‘..Black women and erasure..’

      Hmmmm…

      Just where have we seen that more glaringly on display than ever before in our history…

      Reply
  6. rikyrah says:
    July 14, 2016 at 7:48 pm

    THIS MIGHT BE THE *BLACKEST* LIST OF EMMY AWARD NOMINEES EVER
    JULY 14, 2016
    TAMBAY OBENSON

    Of note, to this blog, given its stated focus:

    In the Outstanding Casting For A Limited Series, Movie Or Special category: “The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story, ” and the “Roots” miniseries reboot are both nominated.
    In the Outstanding Directing For A Limited Series, Movie Or Dramatic Special category: Both Anthony Hemingway and John Singleton are nominated for directing episodes of “The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story.”
    In the Outstanding Directing For A Variety Special category: Chris Rock is nominated for directing “Amy Schumer: Live At The Apollo” and Kahlil Joseph and Beyoncé Knowles Carter are both nominated for directing “Lemonade.”
    In the Outstanding Lead Actor In A Comedy Series category: Anthony Anderson is nominated for his performance in “black-ish.”
    In the Outstanding Lead Actor In A Limited Series Or Movie category: Idris Elba is nominated for “Luther,” Courtney B. Vance as Johnnie Cochran in “The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story,” and Cuba Gooding, Jr. as O.J. Simpson in “The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story.”
    In the Outstanding Lead Actress In A Comedy Series category: “black-ish” scores another nomination – Tracee Ellis Ross.
    In the Outstanding Lead Actress In A Drama Series category: Taraji P. Henson in nominated for “Empire,” and Viola Davis for “How To Get Away With Murder.”
    In the Outstanding Lead Actress In A Limited Series Or Movie category: Kerry Washington as Anita Hill in “Confirmation” is nominated and Audra McDonald as Billie Holiday in “Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill” received a nominated as well.
    In the Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Comedy Series category: Andre Braugher gets a nod for “Brooklyn Nine-Nine,” Keegan-Michael Key for “Key & Peele,” and Tituss Burgess for “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.”
    In the Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Limited Series Or Movie category: Bokeem Woodbine is nominated for “Fargo,” as is Sterling K. Brown as Christopher Darden in “The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story.”
    In the Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Comedy Series category: Niecy Nash is nominated for “Getting On.”
    In the Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Limited Series Or Movie category: “American Crime” gets another nod: Regina King.
    In the Outstanding Guest Actor In A Comedy Series category: Tracy Morgan is nominated for hosting “Saturday Night Live.”
    In the Outstanding Guest Actor In A Drama Series category: Both Reg E. Cathey and Mahershala Ali are nominated for “House Of Cards.”
    In the Outstanding Host For A Reality Or Reality-Competition Program category: Steve Harvey is nominated for “Little Big Shots starring Steve Harvey” and RuPaul Charles for “RuPaul’s Drag Race.”
    In the Outstanding Comedy Series category: “black-ish” is nominated.
    In the Outstanding Limited Series category: “American Crime,” “The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story” and “Roots” are all nominees.
    In the Outstanding Television Movie category: “Confirmation” and “Luther” are both nominated.
    In the Outstanding Variety Sketch Series category: “Key & Peele” is a nominee.
    In the Outstanding Variety Special category: “Lemonade” is nominated.
    In the Outstanding Documentary Or Nonfiction Special category: “What Happened, Miss Simone?” is nominated.
    In the Outstanding Informational Series Or Special category: “Star Talk With Neil deGrasse Tyson” and “The Story Of God With Morgan Freeman” are both nominated.
    In the Exceptional Merit In Documentary Filmmaking category: Stanley Nelson’s “The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution” is nominated.

    Reply
  7. rikyrah says:
    July 14, 2016 at 7:41 pm

    Because, we need something to make us laugh, I give you Luvvie:

    ……………………………..

    Dubya’s Sway and Smiles to the Battle Hymn is My Favorite Thing About Today
    Awesomely Luvvie — July 13, 2016 33 91

    There are times when I low-key miss the George W. Bush presidential years. Ok I admit, the only thing I miss about him is the ability to lambast him. Dubya was the guy who invited everyone to the kegger in college and was a BEAST at beer pong. He was not supposed to run to the store, let alone run a country. But he did. For 8 years. And ruined a lot of shit. The only joy we had was in making fun of him because he is so laugh-at-able.

    ………………………………………..
    There was a memorial service for the five Dallas police officers who were killed last week, and POTUS Barack Obama and FLOTUS Michelle were in attendance. Next to them were their predecessors: Dubya and Laura Bush. During the singing of the Battle Hymn of the Republic, which has a chorus of “Glory, Glory Halleluyah” number 43 got his sway and smile in as they all held hands.
    …………………………………………….
    Lawd, we can’t take Dubya NOWHERE. When I tell you I have watched this thing about 15 times, I am not lying. It is the gift that keeps on giving and I have cackled every single time I watched it.

    ……………………………………………

    George W. is the guy your teacher assigns to be your “buddy” on the field trip in 2nd grade so you end up having NO FUN because you spend half the day at the Museum of Science and Industry chasing him around so he won’t step over the rail and ruin the giant diorama of the Chicago skyline. He’s the kid who ruined the $10,000 Lego display when his parent turned their back for 30 seconds. He is the one who Grandma has to mean mug from the other side of the pew on Sunday because he keeps acting up during sermon.

    For 8 years, THIS dude had the nuclear codes. We almost ain’t make it. How many near misses? It’s okay. I don’t even wanna know. We just thank Jah for seeing us through.

    Reply
    • eliihass says:
      July 14, 2016 at 9:05 pm

      Watched it again on this version below…and for a minute there, thought it was rather a sweet moment and cute all around…until of course one remembers that this was the very guy who helped cause the horror and madness that has swept our world and thrown it into endless turmoil that persists and is worse today…the guy who after shaking hands with Haitians that turned out to greet them, wiped his hands on the sly on the back of Bill Clinton’s shirt…

      I hate to speculate, but there’s a blank, ‘happy’ default face that just might suggest early onset of dementia or Alzheimer’s..

      Reply
      • Liza says:
        July 14, 2016 at 11:49 pm

        “I hate to speculate, but there’s a blank, ‘happy’ default face that just might suggest early onset of dementia or Alzheimer’s..”

        Exactly what I was thinking when I saw this. His behavior was very inappropriate for the solemn occasion. Singing the Battle Hymn of the Republic made him happy, and he seems to have forgotten why he was there in that big room with all those people.

        Reply
  23. rikyrah says:
    July 14, 2016 at 6:33 pm

    Trump Explains Palin’s Absence from GOP Convention
    July 14, 2016

    Sarah Palin isn’t included in the official list of speakers for the Republican National Convention next week, and Donald Trump suggested to the Washington Examiner that her absence is because she lives too far from the venue.

    Said Trump: “She was asked. It’s a little bit difficult because of where she is. We love Sarah. Little bit difficult because of, you know, it’s a long ways away.”

    Reply
    • eliihass says:
      July 14, 2016 at 7:04 pm

      Was one of the President’s aides that touched Erica Garner, one of those that don’t even know how to treat our historic black First Lady with respect…?

      Kinda hard to imagine that if some of these same White House aides who don’t even think the President’s own black wife is deserving of respect …or to be held in esteem…how even more condescending to Erica Garner …and how little they must think of her…Beyond of course trying to manage the situation in such a way as to make sure that they aren’t caught in some sort of politically incorrect situation, that somehow manages to sully or negatively impact the historic black President..

      Reply
    • eliihass says:
      July 14, 2016 at 7:13 pm

      LOL…

      Exactly…

      But how incredibly ironic coming from someone who practically wages bitter twitter battles on behalf of Hillary Clinton’s honor… practically turned Bernie Sanders and anyone who supported him into the devil…and slandered and slashed and burned them 24/7 on the twitter stake..

      LOL..

      The double standards, the lack of self-awareness…the head in the sand denials…the hypocrisy…the my stanning and praise of certain white folks, makes much more sense than your stupid stanning and praise of your own pick of white folks…

      My people, my people..

      Reply
  28. rikyrah says:
    July 14, 2016 at 6:27 pm

    PA Hospital employee fired after saying she’s ‘sick and tired of all this bullsh*t with the black people’
    14 JUL 2016 AT 15:42 ET

    Thomas Jefferson University Hospital fired a woman who posted on social media how “sick and tired of all this bullsh*t with the black people.”

    Diane Amoratis’ Facebook rant, was a response to an anti-police brutality protest near Erie, Pennsylvania that went viral after she posted it.

    “They should have bulldozed the BLM protest at the 24/25th district last night. Disgraceful!!! And for all the police officers who have to work amongst these trouble makers, you deserve all the praise in the world,” she said in the post.

    “Blacks kill each other every day, all day long, and it’s ok with them. Why not protest when Jamal kills Kalif???? Well, I AM WHITE AND PROUD TO BE WHITE!! WHITE LIVES MATTER!!!! POLICE OFFICERS LIVES MATTER!!!” she continued, before offering advice to the black community. “Keep your circus in your own neighborhood!!! Get a life, a honest job, and RAISE YOUR KIDS TO BE PRODUCTIVE CITIZENS!!!!”

    She closed the post by saying, “I am sick and tired of all this bull—- with the black people!! If you don’t like my post, then delete me as your friend.”

    Shock and outrage grew and it wasn’t long before a rumor began that she was a nurse at Jefferson University Hospital, however, NBC Philadelphia reports that a spokeswoman for the hospital denied that Amoratis was ever a nurse for the hospital.

    The hospital released a statement Wednesday acknowledging an employee had posted “inappropriate and inflammatory comments” on social media and that she had been fired.

    Reply
  29. rikyrah says:
    July 14, 2016 at 6:24 pm

    Colleagues Mad That Megyn Kelly Isn’t Speaking Up for Roger Ailes
    7.14.16

    While colleagues at Fox News wonder why she hasn’t spoken publicly in favor of her boss in regard to his sexual-harassment lawsuit, others surmise a feminist balancing act.

    Frustration and anger within Fox News are building over primetime star Megyn Kelly’s apparent unwillingness to take sides on behalf of her embattled boss, Roger Ailes, in his publicly damaging legal battle against fired Fox anchor Gretchen Carlson.

    “Megyn is being selfish,” a Fox News insider told The Daily Beast on condition of anonymity because this person was not authorized by the network to speak about the subject, on or off the record. “It’s pretty shocking actually.”

    The 45-year-old Kelly—a former corporate litigator whose television career has been carefully nurtured by Ailes since he hired her 12 years ago from the local Washington, D.C., ABC affiliate—is a conspicuous outlier among more than a dozen Fox News personalities, mostly women, who in press interviews and other forums have faithfully defended the 76-year-old Ailes against the 50-year-old Carlson’s allegations of sexual harassment and discrimination.

    Kelly, who, like Fox News, didn’t respond to requests for comment, is paid an estimated $15 million annually under her current deal as Ailes’s protégé-turned-star anchor. She has her defenders, of course. They argue that she is simply being prudent and smart—and preserving her credibility and independence to field potentially handsome offers from broadcast networks when her Fox News contract is up next summer—by not weighing in on the controversy without knowing the facts.

    A number of women currently employed by Fox News have come forward to defend the 74-year-old Ailes — a former aide to President Richard Nixon who started Fox News in the 1990s.

    Reply
  30. eliihass says:
    July 14, 2016 at 6:15 pm

    Our world has gone mad..

    Reply
  31. rikyrah says:
    July 14, 2016 at 1:56 pm

    At GOP convention, toy guns are banned, but real guns are not
    07/14/16 10:00 AM
    By Steve Benen

    Four years ago, as Republicans were getting ready for their national convention in Tampa, Mayor Bob Buckhorn worked with law-enforcement officials to create as safe an environment as possible, including a ban on items that might be considered security threats. As we discussed at the time, that meant people outside the convention would face restrictions on things like water pistols and placards.

    Under Florida law, however, officials couldn’t prohibit people from carrying real guns around the convention site, even if they wanted to. Tampa’s mayor asked Gov. Rick Scott (R) to use his discretion and make an exception to the state law in the interest of security and public safety. Scott refused.

    Four years later, the Wall Street Journal reports on an eerily similar situation.

    Cleveland officials said Wednesday that they will uphold the right of protesters at the Republican National Convention to carry firearms even as they expressed opposition to the state’s open carry laws.

    Speaking to reporters in advance of the Republican National Convention next week, both Cleveland Mayor Frank G. Jackson and police Chief Calvin Williams they were bound by the state’s laws allowing people to carry guns even if they disagreed with them.

    Reply
  32. rikyrah says:
    July 14, 2016 at 1:54 pm

    Presumptive Republican nominee can’t shake ‘Trump U’ controversy
    07/14/16 09:24 AM
    By Steve Benen

    There were quite a few surprises in the new lineup for Republican speakers at the party’s national convention, but the Tampa Bay Times flagged one of the names that stood out.

    Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, whose ties to Donald Trump have been a source of controversy, will have a prime-time speaking appearance at next week’s Republican National Convention.

    Bondi is scheduled to give a five-minute address at 8:30 p.m. Wednesday on the subject of law enforcement…. As the state’s chief legal officer, Bondi is the target of ethics complaints over her solicitation of a $25,000 campaign contribution from Trump in 2013.

    As we’ve discussed before, the details surrounding Florida’s conservative A.G. paint an unflattering picture. Bondi briefly considered joining a multi-state suit against the controversial “school,” but the Florida Republican dropped the investigation after the Trump Foundation made a $25,000 contribution towards Bondi’s re-election.

    And while that raises serious ethics questions, the controversy became more serious when we learned Bondi “personally solicited” the money from Trump while her office was considering a case against “Trump University.”

    Reply
  33. rikyrah says:
    July 14, 2016 at 1:37 pm

    New cabinet may signal Britain’s retreat as a Western power
    By Anne Applebaum July 14 at 8:43 AM

    In fact, I get the logic. Theresa May’s first set of appointments — Liam Fox will become minister for international trade, David Davis will run the exit negotiations, and Boris Johnson will be foreign secretary — make a lot of sense. She has put hard-line Brexit proponents in charge of negotiating Britain’s retreat from European politics. It will be impossible, from now on, for anyone to argue that voters were cheated. If these three men can’t manage the United Kingdom’s divorce proceedings, then nobody can.

    At the same time, May has deftly eliminated an obvious source of internal disharmony. Like Barack Obama appointing Hillary Clinton as secretary of state, she has given her potentially most damaging critic a huge task that will prevent him from writing nasty articles in the Daily Telegraph. Johnson, bored and sidelined, would have had plenty of time to think up jokes about her and her government; now he’ll be on a plane to Timbuktu instead.

    But May’s choices also suggest a more profound change, visible for some time but only just now swimming into focus: Britain, or at least Tory Britain, no longer aspires to be a leading Western power. Surely May knows that Johnson is a hated figure in Brussels. Surely she guessed that the reaction to his appointment would be laughter in Washington. But she doesn’t care because — like the leaders of all small countries without aspirations to international leadership — her concerns are more parochial. She doesn’t need a foreign secretary who is taken seriously in foreign capitals.

    Reply
  34. rikyrah says:
    July 14, 2016 at 1:19 pm

    Yes, Clinton is sinking in the polls. No, you should not panic. Here’s why.

    Beyond the fact that Clinton still holds a lead after getting hit by sustained awful coverage, note that Trump has not hit 43 percent since last winter, and has not hit 42 percent since the spring. He remains at around 40 percent right now. Meanwhile, Clinton has fluctuated, hitting highs of 48 percent and 47 percent several times. She’s sliding now, but as Deace noted, that may reflect current negative information about her now bombarding voters. It could reverse again, just as it has in the past.

    This basic difference isn’t just evident in the national polls. Mark Murray and the First Read Crew took a hard look at the multiple state polls released yesterday (which also prompted a freak-out), and concluded that while Trump is closing the gap, there is also this crucial point:

    These polls — which mostly show Clinton either ahead or tied in these battlegrounds — were all taken during or after Clinton’s roughest week of the general election, with FBI Director James Comey’s rebuke over her emails. So you could view these battleground numbers as a floor for Clinton, while Trump is still unable to break 40% in many of these states.

    This core dynamic is central to how Democrats view this race. They have undertaken a concerted effort to drive up Trump’s negatives with the explicit goal of preventing him from expanding his appeal. That’s why the pro-Clinton Super PAC, Priorities USA, has been pumping many millions of dollars of ads into the battleground states, ads that use Trump’s own words and antics to sow deep doubts about his temperament and fitness to be president.

    The goal is to prevent Trump, whose campaign is all about winning blue collar whites in the industrial Midwest, from making inroads among college educated whites, which would limit the potential of Trump’s strategy of courting white backlash. (This may also drive up turnout and Clinton’s vote share among nonwhite voters, which would make the white-backlash strategy even tougher to pull off.) Polls suggest Trump may end up being the first GOP nominee in decades to lose among college educated whites — see Ron Brownstein’s terrific analysis on this point — and Democrats are targeting suburban and Republican women in particular to try to make this happen. 

    As Paul Begala, a senior adviser to Priorities USA, put it to me in an interview: “Trump wants to build a wall. I want to build a ceiling.”

    Now, it is of course very possible that Trump will begin to rise, or that Clinton will continue falling. Things could change once Team Trump starts spending big on ads and Team Clinton’s ad barrage no longer goes unanswered. But the point is that, even if it is true that Clinton is sliding, there is still no evidence that Trump can expand his appeal in the manner he needs to. And that’s why senior Democratic pollsters are not terribly alarmed and believe we can’t really have a clear sense of where this race is going until the conventions have passed. We will learn whether Trump really can consolidate moderate Republicans who may be struggling to come to terms with him, and grow.

    Meanwhile, the efforts to keep that ceiling firmly affixed in place are continuing today, with a new Clinton ad campaign.

    Reply
    • vitaminlover says:
      July 14, 2016 at 8:35 pm

      I like the way D.L. went in on her. She couldn’t handle having her behind handed to her. She has such a brash way of talking to people who don’t kneel down to her but he went for her and Fox News. She can’t take the heat. But Hughley put a fire under her feet. She thinks she is so superior. She better wake up if she didn’t get waked up today. She tried to sound tough but just came across loud. So I knew she was losing because she was getting louder. Hey, Megan…talking loud don’t make it right!

      Reply
  37. Ametia says:
    July 14, 2016 at 8:55 am

    Suit up, before you go in. It’s FOUL

    The Shameful Record of
    Republican Sexual Misconduct :

    http://jesusnorepublican.org/+Reasonable/gopimmorality.html

    Reply
  38. rikyrah says:
    July 14, 2016 at 8:05 am

    One year later, Obama gets the last laugh on Iran deal
    07/14/16 08:00 AM—UPDATED 07/14/16 08:57 AM
    By Steve Benen
    It wasn’t easy, and the process nearly collapsed more than once, but exactly one year ago today, Americans learned of a historic diplomatic breakthrough: the United States and our negotiating partners had completed the Iran nuclear deal.

    And despite all the far-right apoplexy, and the dire warnings about the agreement creating a security crisis, the editorial board of the New York Times noted the other day what is plainly true: the nuclear deal “is working” and has “made the world safer.”

    We now have a score sheet on Iran’s compliance with its nuclear commitments from the International Atomic Energy Agency, which is responsible for monitoring Iran’s nuclear activities, and from American officials. Since the deal was reached last July, Iran has, as required, removed and placed in I.A.E.A.-monitored storage two-thirds of the 19,000 centrifuges it used for uranium enrichment at a facility at Natanz. It has ended all uranium enrichment, a process that can be used to produce nuclear bomb-grade fuel, and removed all nuclear material from its once-secret facility at Fordow. It has reduced its stockpile of enriched uranium from 12,000 kilograms, with a purity as high as 5 percent, to 300 kilograms, with a purity of no more than 3.67 percent and hence less usable as weapons fuel. The core of a heavy-water reactor at Arak has been filled with concrete.

    The bottom line: If Iranian officials decided to produce enough fissile material for a nuclear weapon, it would take at least one year; without the deal, it would have taken just two or three months. That has won over some critics of the agreement, like Moshe Ya’alon, who was until recently defense minister of Israel. Last month, he effectively endorsed it and said Iran no longer presented “an existential threat to Israel.”
    Sustaining the agreement will bring plenty of challenges, but a year ago, critics of the diplomatic solution made a series of hair-raising predictions – all of which, at least for now, have failed to come to fruition.

    Reply
  39. rikyrah says:
    July 14, 2016 at 8:01 am

    The Media and the Horse Race
    One poll does not a narrative make.
    by Nancy LeTourneau
    July 13, 2016 3:42 PM

    Ever since Sam Wang pointed out that presidential polling is the most inaccurate from May – July, I’ve been trying to avoid paying any attention to them. I’ve never hung my hat on individual polls, but trends over time combined with polling aggregates can provide us with information that is both interesting and useful. It’s just that, until we get through the conventions, an awful lot of people simply aren’t paying that much attention. So none of this is as important as it will be in a few weeks.

    But today something happened with polling that tells us more about the media than it does about the candidates. The day began with screaming headlines like this one from Politico: “Swing-state stunner: Trump has edge in key states.” Nice alliteration, huh? What we have is a “swing-state stunner” from Quinnipiac showing that Trump is leading Clinton in Florida and Pennsylvania, while they’re tied in Ohio. What is most stunning to the authors is that “in Pennsylvania — which hasn’t voted for a Republican presidential nominee since 1988 — Trump leads, 43 percent to 41 percent.” Notice that they didn’t say that Trump is leading Clinton in this particular poll. They simply say, “Trump leads…” That was posted at 6:00 am (EDT).

    Seven and a half hours later, Politico reports swing-state polling that doesn’t appear to be “stunning.” An NBC/WSJ/Marist poll has Clinton leading Trump in Pennsylvania by 9 points. They also show her leading Trump by 2 points in Iowa and tied in Ohio. Do you really think that the voters of Pennsylvania swung 11 points in Clinton’s favor over 7 1/2 hours? Nah, didn’t happen. That’s why you don’t write headlines that say “Trump has edge in key states” based on the results of one poll.

    But what’s even more ridiculous is that the authors of this second piece feel the need to point out that “The polls contain some worrying signs for Clinton” – but not for Trump, who is either losing or tied in these “important swing states.” Such is the advantage of running as the underdog: our media that craves a close horse race will forever pump your “stunning” positives and completely ignore the negatives.

    Just in case you’d like to know where swing-state polling actually stands in this week before we head into the conventions, here’s what Real Clear Politics has on that:

    Pennsylvania: Clinton +3.2
    Florida: Trump +0.2
    Ohio: Clinton +1.3
    Colorado: Clinton +7.0
    Iowa: Clinton +4.3
    Virginia: Clinton +4.0
    North Carolina: Clinton +0.7
    Georgia: Trump +4.2
    New Hampshire: Clinton +2.7

    Reply
    • Liza says:
      July 14, 2016 at 9:03 am

      A good democratic candidate would be 10 – 20 points ahead in most states. Whatever else, Hillary’s issues are showing up in these polls.

      Reply
  40. rikyrah says:
    July 14, 2016 at 7:59 am

    Opioid bill to become law, but not without grumbling
    07/14/16 08:40 AM
    By Steve Benen

    The good news is, Congress has approved legislation addressing an important issue, and with bipartisan backing, the policy is on its way to becoming law. The bad news is, the bill should have been a whole lot better.

    Congress sent President Barack Obama a compromise bill Wednesday aimed at curbing abuse of heroin and other drugs, a nationwide epidemic that kills more than 100 Americans every day.

    The overwhelming 92-2 Senate vote comes just days before the seven-week congressional break. It was a welcome political development for vulnerable Republicans such as Ohio’s Rob Portman and New Hampshire’s Kelly Ayotte, who pushed for the measure before they faced constituents.

    This same bill passed the House by a similar margin a few days ago. As the New York Times’ report explained, the measure intends to “strengthen prevention, treatment and recovery efforts, largely by empowering medical professionals and law enforcement officials with more tools to help drug addicts. It would also expand access to a drug that emergency medical workers could use to help reverse overdoses and improve treatment for the incarcerated.”

    The White House announced that President Obama will sign the bill, but the administration isn’t exactly thrilled with the way the legislation turned out. “Congressional Republicans have not done their jobs until they provide the funding for treatment that communities need to combat this epidemic,” the White House said in a written statement.

    The process wasn’t supposed to work this way. As regular readers may recall, in March, the Senate approved the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA) on a 94-to-1 vote. Stakeholders assumed the bipartisan package was well on its way.

    It wasn’t. The GOP-led House said the Senate bill invested too much in prevention, and not enough in enforcement, so the lower chamber went its own way. Both chambers eventually passed their own competing alternatives, and the resulting compromise is what is now headed to the Oval Office for a signature.

    But there’s a reason Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) called the bill “a half-measure.”

    Reply
  41. rikyrah says:
    July 14, 2016 at 7:55 am

    Paul Ryan: ‘This is not the Democratic Party of the mid-1990s’
    07/13/16 12:49 PM—UPDATED 07/13/16 01:07 PM
    By Steve Benen
    House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) participated in a town-hall forum last night, and CNN’s Jake Tapper asked a good question: is Ryan prepared to work with a President Hillary Clinton, should she win in November? Here’s his response:

    “Well, I’ll certainly try. The point I’d say is, this is not the Democratic Party of the mid-1990s…. This is the liberal progressive party of Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren and, yes, Hillary Clinton.

    “I think Hillary Clinton is a very liberal progressive. They have moved far, far, far to the left. And so in the 1990s, there was a little more overlap between the two parties and more room for common ground.”

    This is the sort of assessment that many Beltway pundits will probably like, because it reinforces the agreed-upon narrative that both parties are always to blame for all things, even when that doesn’t make any sense. Sure, the argument goes, Republicans are more conservative, but Democrats have moved “far, far, far to the left.” If only today’s Dems were more like ’90s-era Dems, just imagine the wonderful bipartisan compromises we’d see!

    Reply
  42. Ametia says:
    July 14, 2016 at 7:51 am

    Privatizing airport security by paying extra fee for check ahead of time to avoid check-in day of flight. This is what the buying and selling of our RIGHTS looks like.

    Drum up fear and terror and then charge folks extra to avoid fear & terror. See how this works. AMERICA IS BECOMING ONE BIG CORPORATION. And you’re basically fucked if you can’t afford to pay for your basic HUMAN RIGHTS

    Reply
  43. rikyrah says:
    July 14, 2016 at 7:51 am

    What Is Ruth Bader Ginsburg Thinking?! Here’s What.
    Her criticism of Trump was unwise, but it didn’t set a dangerous precedent.
    BY BRIAN BEUTLER
    July 13, 2016

    What is Ruth Bader Ginsburg thinking?!

    …………………………………

    I see a woman who endured incredible sexism well into her professional career, warning the public about a politician whose sexism would make Don Draper uncomfortable, and who promises to restore a more patriarchal order. I see a Jewish woman with living memory of the Holocaust who is more likely reacting to the normalization of neo-Nazi propaganda than pandering to Notorious RBG readers.

    Reply
    • Ametia says:
      July 14, 2016 at 7:57 am

      Fuck the critics! RBG is the least of our worries a S.C.Justice.

      No one could have been more crass and a mocking bully as Antonin Scalia., when it came to denigrating POC.

      Fuck them with the RUSTIEST of PITCHFORKS.

      Reply
  44. rikyrah says:
    July 14, 2016 at 6:11 am

    Good Morning 😊, Everyone 😆

    Reply

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