I’d say…in America?
NEVER.
While Dolt45 was racebaiting in his hatred spewed against those athletes that took the knee to protest about police brutality against Black Americans…
Jelani Cobb Wrote the following piece:
From Louis Armstrong to the N.F.L.: Ungrateful as the New Uppity
By Jelani Cobb
September 24, 2017
EXCERPT:
Sixty years ago, Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas, became a flash point in the nascent civil-rights movement when Governor Orval Faubus refused to abide by the Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Board of Education. Faubus famously deployed the state’s National Guard to prevent nine African-American students from attending classes at the high school. In the midst of the crisis, a high-school journalist interviewing Louis Armstrong about an upcoming tour asked the musician about his thoughts on the situation, prompting Armstrong to refer to the Arkansas governor as several varieties of “motherfucker.” (In the interest of finding a printable quote, his label for Faubus was changed to “ignorant plowboy.”) Armstrong, who was scheduled to perform in the Soviet Union as a cultural ambassador on behalf of the State Department, cancelled the tour—a display of dissent that earned him the scorn and contempt of legions of whites, shocked by the trumpeter’s apparent lack of patriotism. As the historian Penny Von Eschen notes in “Satchmo Blows Up the World,” a history of the American usage of black culture as a tool of the Cold War, students at the University of Arkansas accused Armstrong of “creating an issue where there was none,” and joined the procession of groups cancelling Armstrong’s scheduled concerts.
The free-range lunacy of Donald Trump’s speech on Friday night in Alabama, where he referred to Colin Kaepernick—and other N.F.L. players who silently protest police brutality—as a “son of a bitch,” and of the subsequent Twitter tantrums in which the President, like a truculent six-year-old, disinvited the Golden State Warriors from a White House visit, illustrates that the passage of six decades has not dimmed this dynamic confronted by Armstrong, or by any prominent black person tasked with the entertainment of millions of white ones. There again is the presence of outrage for events that should shock the conscience, and the reality of people who sincerely believe, or who have at least convincingly lied to themselves, that dissenters are creating an issue where there is none. Kaepernick began his silent, kneeling protest at the beginning of last season, not as an assault against the United States military or the flag but as a dissent against a system that has, with a great degree of consistency, failed to hold accountable police who kill unarmed citizens. Since he did this, forty-one unarmed individuals have been fatally shot by police in the United States, twelve of them African-American, according to a database maintained by the Washington Post. The city of St. Louis recently witnessed days of protests after the acquittal of Jason Stockley, the former officer who, while still working for the city’s police force, fatally shot Anthony Smith, a twenty-four-year-old* African-American motorist who had led officers on a chase. Stockley emerged from his vehicle, having declared that he would “kill the motherfucker,” then proceeded to fire five rounds into the car. Later, a firearm was found on the seat of Smith’s car, but the weapon bore only Stockley’s DNA. The issue is not imaginary.
Yet the belief endures, from Armstrong’s time and before, that visible, affluent African-American entertainers are obliged to adopt a pose of ceaseless gratitude—appreciation for the waiver that spared them the low status of so many others of their kind. Stevie Wonder began a performance in Central Park last night by taking a knee, prompting Congressman Joe Walsh to tweet that Wonder was “another ungrateful black multi-millionaire.” Ungrateful is the new uppity. Trump’s supporters, by a twenty-four-point margin, agree with the idea that most Americans have not got as much as they deserve—though they overwhelmingly withhold the right to that sentiment from African-Americans. Thus, the wonder is not the unhinged behavior of this weekend but rather that it took Trump so long to exploit a target as rich in potential racial resentment as wealthy black athletes who have the temerity to believe in the First Amendment.
It’s impossible not to be struck by Trump’s selective patriotism. It drives him to curse at black football players but leaves him struggling to create false equivalence between Nazis and anti-Fascists in Charlottesville. It inspires a barely containable contempt for Muslims and immigrants but leaves him mute in the face of Russian election intervention. He cannot tolerate the dissent against literal flag-waving but screams indignation at the thought of removing monuments to the Confederacy, which attempted to revoke the authority symbolized by that same flag. He is the vector of the racial id of the class of Americans who sent death threats to Louis Armstrong, the people who necessitated the presence of a newly federalized National Guard to defend black students seeking to integrate a public school. He contains multitudes—all of them dangerously ignorant.
It has been convenient and politically profitable for Trump to paint the black athletes’ protests as an inane attack upon the symbols of the United States, but he is deeply implicated, and is increasingly aggravating the actual cause of this discord. It was Trump who urged police officers in Brentwood, New York, to treat the suspects in their charge with casual brutality. Trump’s Department of Justice has overseen the dismantling of the community-policing initiative, which was meant to encourage greater rapport between law enforcement and the neighborhoods they patrol. It is the President’s D.O.J. that has displayed disdain for the federal consent decrees that had been used to reform dysfunctional police departments.
And though he’s usually putting out videos filled with humor,
Kevonstage also slays it when he’s ‘keeping it real’.
Love the stats he drops in this video:
From Trevor Noah:
— Jen Karmel (@jenilane29) September 26, 2017
How and when should a black person in America protest? https://t.co/am8QPjKtsr pic.twitter.com/kxXCfVgAtl
— The Daily Show (@TheDailyShow) September 26, 2017
RIP, Hugh Hefner
https://twitter.com/washingtonpost/status/913231922368835590
Don’t come for Jane Fonda if she hasn’t sent for you.
https://twitter.com/edatpost/status/913092849087938560
https://twitter.com/ABC/status/913177470874083328
https://twitter.com/DavidBegnaud/status/913088574983168000
Ro-Tel and Velveeta. Mmmmmm the bestest dip.
https://twitter.com/BostonGlobe/status/913089229927927808
https://twitter.com/IssaRae/status/913131702423310338
Yes!!
https://twitter.com/johnmyers/status/913141998063726592
It’s about time!!
DT tweets on Trumpcare today. I need an interpreter. If they can’t have the vote by Friday and will afterwards need 60 votes, how would three more votes plus one “yes” in the hospital get them 60 votes? I know I shouldn’t be wasting time trying to figure this out, but…???
Donald J. TrumpVerified account @realDonaldTrump 12h12 hours ago
We will have the votes for Healthcare but not for the reconciliation deadline of Friday, after which we need 60. Get rid of Filibuster Rule!
Donald J. TrumpVerified account @realDonaldTrump 12h12 hours ago
With one Yes vote in hospital & very positive signs from Alaska and two others (McCain is out), we have the HCare Vote, but not for Friday!
https://twitter.com/TheRoot/status/912822341457002496
https://twitter.com/undisputed/status/913069554930139136
https://twitter.com/theGrio/status/913068905609998336
https://twitter.com/exoticgamora/status/913092120835215365
Nick Cannon – Stand For What
WATCH: Sen. Hassan reads letter from former Puerto Rico gov: “Unless we see a dramatic increase in assistance… many thousands could die.” pic.twitter.com/sVntV8ANd8
— NBC News (@NBCNews) September 27, 2017
Shameful, criminal, a national disgrace!
But kneeling, flags, song, and respect THO!
SEND.ALL.THE.AID.NOW! The situation is desperate…so many without food and water!
How Did McConnell Become the Whipping Boy?
by Martin Longman
September 27, 2017
Everyone is talking about the horrible day Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell had yesterday. He had to announce that he was giving up on executing an Obamacare repeal through budget reconciliation; he learned that one of his allies, Sen. Bob Corker of Tennessee, won’t be seeking reelection; and he watched the candidate he supported in the Alabama special election lose very badly. It’s all bad news for him and it’s hard to decide which piece is the most threatening to his political career.
……………………………………….
I actually think it’s the dynamic that unfolded in the Alabama race that should worry McConnell the most. To fully understand this, it’s probably helpful to read Jordan Gehrke’s Medium article today. He works for a political consulting firm that was initially hired by Rep. Mo Brooks and subsequently by Roy Moore. What he discovered during his research for both candidates is that their most effective message was their opposition to McConnell’s leadership. Here’s just a small sample of Gehrke’s piece:
Roy Moore’s theocratic contribution to Republican politics
09/27/17 12:55 PM
By Steve Benen
When Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) was first elected in 2006, it was a breakthrough moment for domestic political diversity: the Minnesota Democrat was the first Muslim American to ever be elected to Congress. Alabama’s Roy Moore had a rather unique reaction to the news.
At the time, Moore was a contributor to a fringe right-wing conspiracy-theory website, having been removed from the state bench for an ethics violation. After learning of Ellison’s victory, Moore argued that the Minnesotan shouldn’t be allowed to serve on Capitol Hill – not because there was a problem with the election, but because Ellison is a member of a religious minority that Moore doesn’t like.
In Moore’s vision of the United States, the law extends special protections and benefits to Christians, while everyone else, in a rather literal sense, is a second-class citizen. The U.S. Constitution may prohibit religious tests for public office, and may separate church from state, but as far as Moore is concerned, that same Constitution was created to “foster Christianity.”
I’ve been writing about Moore’s antics off and on for about 20 years now, and what I think people fail to appreciate is the extent to which he represents something unique in our politics. We’ve grown quite accustomed over the years to assorted cranks and con-men, radicals and rabble-rousers, but what sets Moore apart is the fact that he doesn’t, strictly speaking, believe in a democratic system of government.
The Alabama Republican, who may soon become the newest member of the United State Senate, is probably best described as a theocrat. New York’s Jon Chait summarized this well:
Elizabeth Warren Is Getting Hillary-ed
By
Rebecca Traister
………………………
Paul Ryan rankles some of his members with tax-reform pitch
09/27/17 10:40 AM
By Steve Benen
After months of closed-door talks, Republicans are reportedly going to unveil some of the details of their tax-reform package today, and in the wake of the health care fight, GOP leaders are feeling understandably anxious. If this initiative comes up short, too, Republicans are going to have a tough time justifying the scope of their failure.
With that in mind, the Huffington Post reported last night that House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) not only hosted a meeting with his Republican conference yesterday; he also invited a special guest: Corry Bliss, executive director of the American Action Network, a dark-money group allied with the House GOP leadership.
As the story goes, Republican lawmakers were shown a series of commercials AAN has put together on tax reform, which may air in members’ districts to pressure them to toe the party line. As one member told the Huffington Post, “Like a teacher showing the kids a paddle on the first day of class, the blatant implication was that those who misbehaved would be spanked.”
Another described the presentation as “kind of creepy,” which, I suspect, was part of the point.
But I was also glad to see some GOP members question what the American Action Network was doing at their conference meeting in the first place. From the article:
There is no end to this madness…..
https://twitter.com/thehill/status/913054409696956418
UH UH UH … As his evil twin sister, I’m sure.
SHORT: Black folks should be grateful when they have $$$$ & a pot to piss in?
Trevor NAILED IT.
Kevin;SPOT ON.
Rahm, y’all! #StayWoke
https://twitter.com/deray/status/913034963150299136
How about Mayor Rahm speak out against the orange POS #45’s Dereliction of Duty and criminal neglect of our US CITIZENS IN PUERTO RICO, HMM?
https://twitter.com/DEADLINE/status/913041086423064577
Go LEGEND! ‘Underground’ Nailed that NAKED TRUTH about slave REVOLTS.
So of course RIGHTWING-LEANING Sinclair’s not going to air it.
Yes he did.
NOW: 101st Airborne is deploying Team Medevac to Puerto Rico – 8 medevac helicopters + support personnel
— David Begnaud (@DavidBegnaud) September 27, 2017
Happy HUMP day, Everyone!
Puerto Rico’s Governor just told me that officials can’t find/ reach many of the drivers that are needed to distribute food, fuel and water pic.twitter.com/rtyxc7UBxV
— David Begnaud (@DavidBegnaud) September 27, 2017
Bernie is not even a Democrat, so why is he ripping our party apart?
BY MICHAEL STARR HOPKINS, OPINION CONTRIBUTOR — 09/27/17 09:00 AM EDT
https://twitter.com/juanitaChulita/status/900175139391668225
From @bruce_arthur: Raptors players answer the absurd “these athletes are rich why are they complaining” argument: https://t.co/7365nbNvQQ pic.twitter.com/ejqX1uDmaS
— Daniel Dale (@ddale8) September 27, 2017
Don’t let people who don’t know you define you. Do the work – let them judge that. -Michelle Obama. #inbound2017 pic.twitter.com/Ag6uv9obOL
— Makayla Hallford (@MakaylaPlus2) September 27, 2017
SIMON for the WIN!
One reason it’s important for Dems to compete seriously in AL-SEN is to draw out the national GOP into vocally backing this clown. https://t.co/rK5Mfomnrt
— Matthew Yglesias (@mattyglesias) September 27, 2017
I stood up to the KKK, I will stand up for Alabama. I will not embarrass you.
It begins right now.
Donate:https://t.co/6afPBKHSoN
— Doug Jones (@GDouglasJones) September 27, 2017
JUST IN: Trump admin refuses to lift shipping restrictions to help get supplies to Puerto Rico https://t.co/4HrdhGu7U1 pic.twitter.com/Mc27j5JOQZ
— The Hill (@thehill) September 26, 2017
As the president said, you can’t drive to Puerto Rico in a truck. What the Jones Act does: https://t.co/l8qqsPvXCd pic.twitter.com/Oz8MrFaoHT
— Matt Pearce (@mattdpearce) September 26, 2017
“If the Jones Act did not exist, then neither would the public debt of Puerto Rico.” https://t.co/l8qqsPvXCd
— Matt Pearce (@mattdpearce) September 26, 2017
Trump administration denies Puerto Rico’s request to waive the Jones Act, which it did for Harvey and Irma. https://t.co/dm2tcMfm2x pic.twitter.com/2O69ESjABV
— Matt Pearce (@mattdpearce) September 26, 2017
Columbia Journalism Review says journalists should be labeling President Trump’s rhetoric “racist” (https://t.co/xKq7IhfIC0) pic.twitter.com/20MGEZ1gPZ
— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) September 26, 2017
And nobody from Facebook or the Sanders campaign asked why ads were still being bought for Bernie by Russians after Hillary clinched it? pic.twitter.com/RVfdl0XCsy
— Eric Garland (@ericgarland) September 27, 2017
A white man fired for refusing to obey the Constitution is “a really great guy” but a black NFL player who kneels is a “son of a bitch.” https://t.co/Ng1UKxvV1w
— Keith Boykin (@keithboykin) September 27, 2017
Mad!! 7:30 am and 20,000 people are already in their seats waiting to hear Michelle Obama who comes on at 9 #INBOUND2017 pic.twitter.com/tVeZY80FjM
— Joe Fitzgerald (@joewaterford) September 27, 2017
🔥When meeting with Russian spies to discuss attacking Hillary Clinton and getting rid of Magnitsky act, Trump was assured of Russian money.🔥 https://t.co/USCuf4ZBsv
— Eric Garland (@ericgarland) September 27, 2017
Democrats flip two seats in state special elections
BY REBECCA SAVRANSKY – 09/27/17 07:21 AM EDT
THE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW 9/26/17
Trump inauguration donor gets personal attention
Sam Stein, politics editor for The Daily Beast, talks with Rachel Maddow about a newly discovered example of apparent special access to White House officials given to a donor to Donald Trump’s inauguration fund.
THE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW 9/26/17
San Juan mayor: ‘This is a big S.O.S. for anybody out there’
Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz of Puerto Rico’s capital city, San Juan, talks with Rachel Maddow about the desperate situation in her city and in Puerto Rico broadly, and expresses her frustration with an administration that is slow to deploy eager helpers.
THE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW 9/26/17
Schiff: A lot more work to do on Russian use of social media
Congressman Adam Schiff, ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee, talks with Rachel Maddow about how the investigation into Russia’s use of social media to interfere in the American democratic process is advancing.
THE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW 9/26/17
Trump staff, lawyers in tow, to face Mueller in Russia scandal
Rachel Maddow reports on expectations that special counsel Robert Mueller will interview White House staff this week in the Trump Russia scandal, and notes how crowded the timeline since 2016 has become with known events.
What I think I’m seeing is that evidence of Trump’s incompetence is growing by the hour. Maybe it’s because mainstream media started reporting the humanitarian crisis in Puerto Rico. But, at this point, “unfit to lead” does not begin to describe him.
We have no leadership. I can’t predict where this goes, how this ends, but there is no leadership.
What Trump Does and Doesn’t Know About Puerto Rico
by Nancy LeTourneau September 27, 2017
When the devastation in Puerto Rico started to unfold, Donald Trump was silent about it all—too caught up in his racist rants about professional athletes. When he finally tweeted about it, here’s what he said:
…………………………….
That produced a lot of head-scratching. Why was the president talking about the island’s debt at a time like this?
Call me naive, but I think it was because he thought it made him look smart. If you want to appear that way, it helps to talk about something you know about. As we learned during the presidential campaign, if there is one thing Trump knows a lot about, it is debt and bankruptcy. He even went so far as to call himself the “king of debt.”
There is also the fact that what Trump knows about Puerto Rico is that they are the largest municipality to ever file for bankruptcy—because he was involved. To get the picture, take a look at what Daniel Wagner wrote about that a year ago.
……………………………….
When Trump heard that something was happening in Puerto Rico, I can imagine that this is the story that came to mind. He thought he knew something about this U.S. territory and decided to show off by tweeting about it. The trouble is, all he knew was how he had managed to rip off a golf course—contributing to the trail of debt that resulted in bankruptcy.
This president is incapable of empathizing with the suffering currently being experienced by the people of Puerto Rico. What he demonstrated with those tweets is that his first impulse is to go with what he knows…investors, debt and bankruptcy.
Alabama Republicans ignore Trump’s advice in key Senate primary
09/27/17 08:00 AM
By Steve Benen
Donald Trump went all out for appointed Sen. Luther Strange (R) in his Alabama primary. The president endorsed him, tweeted about him, promoted his Fox News appearances, dispatched Vice President Mike Pence to campaign for him, and even headlined a local rally for him.
But Alabama Republicans ignored Trump’s advice. Roy Moore easily defeated Strange in their primary runoff yesterday, and soon after, some presidential tweets suddenly disappeared.
Tom Price’s travel combined personal and professional interests
09/27/17 08:40 AM
By Steve Benen
In 1991, George H. W. Bush’s chief of staff, John Sununu, was forced to resign in the wake of a specific kind of scandal: on multiple occasions, Sununu used government resources for his personal travel. The then-president first rebuked his top aide before eventually accepting his resignation.
When the story about HHS Secretary Tom Price’s private-jet travel first broke, it appeared that this was a different kind of controversy because the Republican cabinet secretary’s trips were strictly professional in nature. Politico moved the ball forward yesterday with a report that suggests Price actually mixed personal and professional interests while taking advantage of taxpayer-funded travel.
CROOKS & THIEVES!
We are completely on the same page. I just posted a couple of these videos a few days ago myself. KevOnStage and Trevor Noah each made excellent points.
I.am.wearing.a.sweater!
Fall is back 🍃🍂🍁😄😄
https://twitter.com/JamilSmith/status/912856526754275329
https://twitter.com/NETRetired/status/912859623840940032
Powers was fantastic. I was hoping someone on the panel would ask Cuccinelli and Martin about the civil rights polls and a large majority of white America voted that sit-ins and protests would “hurt the negro”, and that the majority of white Americans voted that they felt it was “too soon” for negroes to want equal rights.
I want that HOODED SWEATSHIRT
https://twitter.com/AC360/status/912854124869439488
SPOT ON
We will not go SILENTLY INTO THAT GOOD NIGHT, MOFOs!
Good Morning,Everyone 😐😐😐