Tuesday Open Thread | Christmas Jams 2017

Posted on December 12, 2017 by SouthernGirl2

beautiful-christmas-candles-2The Christmas Song (commonly subtitled “Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire” or, as it was originally subtitled, “Merry Christmas to You”) is a classic Christmas song written in 1944 by Bob Wells and Mel Tormé.

According to Tormé, the song was written during a blistering hot summer. In an effort to “stay cool by thinking cool”, the most-performed (according to BMI) Christmas song was born.[1] “I saw a spiral pad on his (Wells’) piano with four lines written in pencil”, Tormé recalled. “They started, ‘Chestnuts roasting…, Jack Frost nipping…, Yuletide carols…, Folks dressed up like Eskimos.’ Bob didn’t think he was writing a song lyric. He said he thought if he could immerse himself in winter he could cool off. Forty minutes later that song was written. I wrote all the music and some of the lyrics.”

The Nat King Cole Trio first recorded the song early in 1946. At Cole’s behest – and over the objections of his label, Capitol Records – a second recording was made later the same year utilizing a small string section, this version becoming a massive hit on both the pop and R&B charts.

About SouthernGirl2

A Native Texan who adores baby kittens, loves horses, rodeos, pomegranates, & collect Eagles. Enjoys politics, games shows, & dancing to all types of music. Loves discussing and learning about different cultures. A Phi Theta Kappa lifetime member with a passion for Social & Civil Justice.
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98 Responses to Tuesday Open Thread | Christmas Jams 2017

  6. SouthernGirl2 says:
    December 12, 2017 at 10:55 pm

    Who was it that said Black voters weren’t enthusiastic about voting for Doug Jones? STOP LYING ON BLACK PEOPLE! #AlabamaSenateElection

    Reply
  21. vitaminlover says:
    December 12, 2017 at 10:11 pm

    I like going through elections with you precious ladies! (smile)

    Reply
  23. rikyrah says:
    December 12, 2017 at 9:47 pm

    All that’s left are Democratic strongholds

    Reply
  24. SouthernGirl2 says:
    December 12, 2017 at 9:44 pm

    So much for Steve Bannon’s ISH talking. #DougJones wins the #AlabamaSenateElection

    Reply
  26. SouthernGirl2 says:
    December 12, 2017 at 9:41 pm

    Oh My Sweet Jesus! CNN projects Democrat #DougJonesForSenate wins #AlabamaSenateElection

    Reply
  27. rikyrah says:
    December 12, 2017 at 9:37 pm

    Holy Shyt!!!
    Doug Jones!!

    Reply
  28. SouthernGirl2 says:
    December 12, 2017 at 9:18 pm

    #DougJonesForSenate has pulled within 3000 votes. #AlabamaSenateElection. Woooo I believe he’s going to DO THIS!

    Reply
  30. SouthernGirl2 says:
    December 12, 2017 at 9:12 pm

    Watching Steve Kornacki report the #AlabamaSenateElection returns. I’m hyperventilating.

    Reply
    • yahtzeebutterfly says:
      December 12, 2017 at 8:00 pm

      SG2,

      @kira_lerner has photos of people wearing “Black Voters Matter” shirts (about 3 hours ago on timeline)

      Reply
  33. yahtzeebutterfly says:
    December 12, 2017 at 7:35 pm

    New York Times live election results for the Alabama Senate race:
    https://www.nytimes.com/elections/results/alabama-senate-special-election-roy-moore-doug-jones

    Reply
  34. yahtzeebutterfly says:
    December 12, 2017 at 7:31 pm

    ABC Live Coverage of Alabama Senate Race 2017:

    https://youtu.be/B1lgYvBEvzE

    Reply
  35. yahtzeebutterfly says:
    December 12, 2017 at 7:25 pm

    “Black voters in Alabama are getting blocked from voting at polls (DETAILS)”
    http://reverepress.com/politics/black-voters-alabama-getting-blocked-voting-polls-details/
    Excerpts:

    One Alabama voter, Annalise, recorded a video detailing her struggles with poll workers this year, despite not having any trouble during the presidential election in 2016. Annalise explained that she went to vote using the same photo ID — which expires 2024 — she used to vote in 2016, but faced a number of additional questions regarding her address and the color of her hair, as well as where she worked.

    …Another Alabama voter, Brittany, returned to a polling place she has voted at her entire life — including in November 2016 — only to find that she and a number of other longtime residents had been marked inactive.

    …A similar situation of voters being inexplicably marked inactive was also noted in a precinct in Dothan, AL, where multiple voters were told they needed to fill out provisional ballots instead.

    …According to The Young Turks, the NAACP has also received multiple reports as well of voter suppression following intimidating statements about voting made by the Alabama Secretary of State.

    Regarding police presence at polling stations, an NAACP also told reporter Ken Klippenstein that during past elections, “police have checked voters for outstanding warrants at polling stations, which can deter people from voting.”

    Reply
  41. rikyrah says:
    December 12, 2017 at 3:04 pm

    I know I’m a broken record, but *we need to focus on voter suppression and election interference*. Both domestic and foreign threats are a problem.

    If you don’t tackle these issues now, you likely won’t get another chance later.

    — Sarah Kendzior (@sarahkendzior) December 12, 2017

    Reply
  42. rikyrah says:
    December 12, 2017 at 3:03 pm

    .@Alyssa_Milano & @PiperPerabo with Delta Sigma Theta Inc sorority at UAB (who were the only women’s org to participate in the women’s suffrage movement) the ladies were helping GOTV for Doug Jones! pic.twitter.com/hgMLjhmAH7

    — Doug Jones (@GDouglasJones) December 12, 2017

    Reply
  43. rikyrah says:
    December 12, 2017 at 2:17 pm

    1.Just spoke with a source in the Mobile (AL) County NAACP. Here are some things that are happening today on the ground in Alabama that did not happen in the 2016 election. Thread:

    — Al Giordano (@AlGiordano) December 12, 2017

    Reply
  44. rikyrah says:
    December 12, 2017 at 2:16 pm

    CNN’s Jim Acosts says @PressSec pulled him aside to warn him against asking Trump about his sleazebag attack on Gillibrand or he won’t be allowed back.

    — JoeMyGod (@JoeMyGod) December 12, 2017

    Reply
  47. SouthernGirl2 says:
    December 12, 2017 at 11:28 am

    Get your souls to the polls, Alabama! Take someone with you. Text 5 friends to encourage them to vote. Give a ride to someone who needs one. #VoteDougJonesForSenate

    Reply
  52. rikyrah says:
    December 12, 2017 at 10:34 am

    The Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, in a letter obtained by BuzzFeed News, says that Kamala Harris or Cory Booker should take the spot on the Judiciary Committee that will soon be vacated by Al Franken. https://t.co/UmslLfyP2a

    — Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) December 11, 2017

    Reply
  54. rikyrah says:
    December 12, 2017 at 10:24 am

    Alabama’s Secretary of State was an election monitor in Russia, where he deemed their election “free and fair” (it wasn’t) and said he’d implement Russian tactics in Alabama https://t.co/6R5j6NAgU3

    — Sarah Kendzior (@sarahkendzior) December 12, 2017

    In addition to monitoring elections in Russia and deeming them “free and fair”, Alabama Secretary of State also went on RT in 2015 to discuss American elections pic.twitter.com/yg6cgCNeRe

    — Sarah Kendzior (@sarahkendzior) December 12, 2017

    Alabama was one of the 21 states confirmed as a target of Russian election hackers in 2016 https://t.co/8RnbLaeHS4

    — Sarah Kendzior (@sarahkendzior) December 12, 2017

    Reply
  56. yahtzeebutterfly says:
    December 12, 2017 at 9:38 am

    Artist Minnie Evans was born on this day, December 12, 1892.

    https://youtu.be/PZ-_M28SG6g&rel=0

    Reply
  57. rikyrah says:
    December 12, 2017 at 9:28 am

    Trump’s Victory Was Not Legitimate
    by Martin Longman December 11, 2017

    In my previous piece, I noted that Donald Trump acknowledged for the first time on January 11th that the Russians had been responsible for hacking into Democratic servers and stealing and leaking damaging materials. And that’s true as far as it goes. But he didn’t stick with that story.

    I’d forgive you if have forgotten, but Anthony Scaramucci was briefly Trump’s communications director, even if he never signed the paperwork to get a paycheck or make his position official. Back in July, he went on CNN’s State of the Union and tried to explain why the president keeps lapsing into doubt about the Russians’ culpability.

    On Sunday, Mr. Trump’s new communications director, Anthony Scaramucci, repeated the White House position that Mr. Trump remains unconvinced by the evidence Russia was the culprit behind the election hacking. He said that when the subject comes up, Mr. Trump cannot separate the intelligence findings from his emotional sense that the issue is being used to cast doubt on his legitimacy as president.

    “It actually in his mind, what are you guys suggesting?” Mr. Scaramucci said on CNN’s “State of the Union.” “You’re going to delegitimize his victory?”

    This is a reminder that we’re dealing with a crazy person. At times, Trump understands his campaign was sending people all over the globe to meet with Russians. He knows that his team met in Trump Tower with Russians who were promising dirt on Hillary Clinton. He knows that his campaign chairman owed a Russian oligarch $15 million dollars and offered to give him private briefings and hoped to be released from some of his debt. He knows that his son-in-law was meeting with Russian intelligence officers and Putin’s representatives and trying to set up back-channels to communicate with them outside of the eye of the American intelligence community. He knows that he promised a relaxation of sanctions, which is why so much Russian help was forthcoming. He knows he’s in deep shit.

    …………………………………

    He wants his victory to be legitimate, but it’s not, and I don’t know why there is this persistent drip-drip-drip of liberal columnists who think their highest calling right now is to lecture other liberals about being too outspoken about it.

    About the only thing Trump is correct about is the fact that his victory won’t be seen as legitimate if it becomes accepted that he colluded with the Russians.

    Reply
  58. rikyrah says:
    December 12, 2017 at 9:26 am

    The Underlying Crime in the #TrumpRussia Investigation
    by Martin Longman December 11, 2017

    Carol Lee and Julia Ainsley of NBC News wrote a helpful piece that explains that Robert Mueller is focusing heavily on an obstruction of justice case against the White House, providing a good refresher and timeline.

    Special counsel Robert Mueller is trying to piece together what happened inside the White House over a critical 18-day period that began when senior officials were told that National Security Adviser Michael Flynn was susceptible to blackmail by Russia, according to multiple people familiar with the matter.

    The questions about what happened between Jan. 26 and Flynn’s firing on Feb. 13 appear to relate to possible obstruction of justice by President Donald Trump, say two people familiar with Mueller’s investigation into Russia’s election meddling and potential collusion with the Trump campaign.

    I have no problem with the special counsel’s office looking at obstruction charges, but I think it will be a shame if that is all he comes up with that he feels he can bring as evidence of criminal behavior. I think we should be focused first and foremost on the underlying behavior that led to a cover-up.

    To illustrate my point, let’s go back in time a bit.

    On December 1st, 2016, Jared Kushner and Michael Flynn had a meeting at Trump Tower with Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak. At this meeting, they allegedly discussed a possible easing of U.S. sanctions. Kushner also proposed using Russian diplomatic facilities in the U.S. to set up a secret communications backchannel so that the transition team and the Russians could communicate without U.S. intelligence services overhearing. A couple of other things happened at this meeting that should interest us.

    Reply
  59. rikyrah says:
    December 12, 2017 at 9:23 am

    THE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW 12/11/17
    RNC caught in lie on renewed support for Roy Moore
    Kyle Whitmire, a political columnist for AL.com, talks with Rachel Maddow about how influential Senator Richard Shelby’s decision not to support Roy Moore is, Alabama’s recent history of political scandal, and the challenge of polling the special senate election.

    Reply
  60. rikyrah says:
    December 12, 2017 at 9:22 am

    THE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW 12/11/17
    GOP tax bill protesters brave winter weather
    Rachel Maddow notes some of the protests against the Republican tax bill that took place despite challenging winter weather, and Secretary Mnuchin’s meager report on the plan’s expected performance.

    Reply
  61. rikyrah says:
    December 12, 2017 at 9:21 am

    THE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW 12/11/17
    Roy Moore a lose-lose situation for Donald Trump
    Michael Beschloss, NBC News presidential historian, talks with Rachel Maddow about Alabama history and why a Roy Moore victory in Alabama’s senate race could be a bigger political problem for Donald Trump than the short-term embarrassment of Moore losing.

    Reply
  62. rikyrah says:
    December 12, 2017 at 9:19 am

    THE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW 12/11/17
    When did Donald Trump know that Mike Flynn lied to the FBI?
    Rachel Maddow looks at new reporting by NBC News into Robert Mueller’s apparent focus on the question of Donald Trump’s obstruction of justice in the Flynn case, what Trump knew, when he knew it, and what it means for the story the White House has told about Pence.

    Reply
  63. rikyrah says:
    December 12, 2017 at 9:17 am

    THE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW 12/11/17
    GOP looks to undercut Mueller as Trump Russia probe heats up
    Rachel Maddow notes the sudden criticism of Robert Mueller in right-wing media as the Trump Russia investigation begins to show results.

    Reply
  64. rikyrah says:
    December 12, 2017 at 9:16 am

    Trump’s Treasury Dept embarrasses itself with one-page ‘analysis’
    12/11/17 12:57 PM—UPDATED 12/11/17 01:55 PM
    By Steve Benen

    …………………………………………………..

    The Treasury Department said Monday that the GOP tax plan currently before Congress would need an assist from other Trump administration priorities to pay for itself.

    Tax cuts alone aren’t enough, Treasury said in a one-page analysis, citing welfare reform and infrastructure spending as additional boosts to the economy.

    The Treasury Department argued this morning that the Republican promise will prove to be true if (a) we assume that the regressive tax breaks supercharge the economy; and (b) policymakers also agree to pass Trump’s non-existent infrastructure plan, Trump’s non-existent welfare reform plan, and wait for Trump’s regulatory reform plan to work wonders.

    In other words, the Trump administration is conceding that Republicans are wrong about one of the core promises of the party’s own tax plan. The Treasury effectively declared this morning, “The tax plan will pay for itself if everyone agrees to pass a bunch of other proposals, which haven’t been written, and which have nothing to do with the tax plan.”

    Second, let’s not skip past that “welfare reform” tidbit too quickly. Trump’s Treasury Department is now saying, in writing, that Republicans can pay for tax breaks for the wealthy, not only by raising taxes on the middle class, but by cutting benefits to the nation’s most vulnerable. The document is describing class warfare at its most depraved – taking money from food-stamp beneficiaries, and giving it to millionaires.

    And third, the entire Treasury Department analysis literally fits on one page. If we exclude the headline, the document isn’t quite 400 words (by comparison, the blog post you’re reading right now is 622 words).

    Reply
  66. rikyrah says:
    December 12, 2017 at 8:47 am

    about being in support of Net Neutrality:

    The phone number to call is 888-225-5332, and Pai’s email is Ajit.Pai@fcc.gov.

    Reply
  67. rikyrah says:
    December 12, 2017 at 8:46 am

    Saw this on Twitter last night, and it made me cry.
    You could hear the guilt in his voice. Broke my heart.

    https://twitter.com/funder/status/940376882360520704

    Reply
  68. rikyrah says:
    December 12, 2017 at 8:42 am

    Short piece on the “protect Mueller” bills in the Senate. Graham doesn’t feel any urgent need to pass: https://www.thedailybeast.com/will-the-senate-still-protect-robert-mueller-from-donald-trumps-ax

    Reply
  69. rikyrah says:
    December 12, 2017 at 8:41 am

    Roughly a million FCC comments were fraudulently filed using real names and half a million additional comments were filed from Russian email addresses. Meanwhile, 50,000 real FCC consumer complaints are missing https://t.co/ezMfo6lyyU

    — WIRED (@WIRED) December 10, 2017

    Reply
  70. rikyrah says:
    December 12, 2017 at 8:40 am

    Amazing. Moore guy reduced to “look, they’re not going to be voting on slavery in the Senate so …” Also look at the woman’s expressions! pic.twitter.com/AjT2qHiAI2

    — Josh Marshall (@joshtpm) December 11, 2017

    Reply
  71. rikyrah says:
    December 12, 2017 at 8:38 am

    BREAKING: San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee has died unexpectedly overnight. He was 65 years old. We are awaiting a news conference to begin shortly, and we’ll bring it to you live on-air and online. Latest here: https://t.co/nt4pIEhyV3

    — NBC Bay Area (@nbcbayarea) December 12, 2017

    Reply
  72. rikyrah says:
    December 12, 2017 at 8:37 am

    BREAKING: We just got a call from attorneys John Brakey and Chris Sautter from #Alabama. The State Supreme Court, without a hearing, but on the pure “ex-parte” (i.e. private) complaint of the State, “stayed” — that is, OVERTURNED THIS MORNING’S RULING TO PRESERVE ALL BALLOTS! https://t.co/lZevAjpXhH

    — Greg Palast (@Greg_Palast) December 12, 2017

    Reply
  73. rikyrah says:
    December 12, 2017 at 8:36 am

    Today is incredibly important for the future of Alabama and we need your help encouraging your friends to vote.

    The link below will enable you to find and email your friends that are voters in AL and remind them to vote.https://t.co/LxE9CDmI5T pic.twitter.com/VqWPxhZjDe

    — Doug Jones (@GDouglasJones) December 12, 2017

    Reply
  74. rikyrah says:
    December 12, 2017 at 8:36 am

    Alabama Democrats, POLLS ARE OPEN.
    Find your polling place: https://t.co/tHelwqDMAm …
    Polling hours are 7am – 7pm
    Take friends & family with you.
    Make sure everyone you know has a plan and a ride.
    Don’t be turned away. Make sure you have valid ID pic.twitter.com/6ElLUsJxr6

    — meta (@metaquest) December 12, 2017

    Reply
  75. rikyrah says:
    December 12, 2017 at 8:35 am

    Alabama Democrats, if your voting rights are challenged –
    Take this info with you and if anyone questions your right to VOTE, call
    866-OUR-VOTE (1-866-687-8683) Election Protection hotline with questions or complaints. pic.twitter.com/oGfeKFkrqP

    — meta (@metaquest) December 12, 2017

    Reply
  76. rikyrah says:
    December 12, 2017 at 8:35 am

    This is how Trump lays the groundwork to eventually fire Mueller, and we all know it. https://t.co/jwJKQqbbS5

    — Josh Jordan (@NumbersMuncher) December 12, 2017

    Reply
  77. rikyrah says:
    December 12, 2017 at 8:34 am

    Read @brianbeutler: The real significance of Roy Moore is that he reveals Trump is not an anomaly in today’s GOP:https://t.co/PgCTIJRcJP pic.twitter.com/MWC1e8a5Wq

    — Greg Sargent (@ThePlumLineGS) December 12, 2017

    Reply
  78. rikyrah says:
    December 12, 2017 at 8:33 am

    Adam Silverman at BJ has hypothesized from the beginning that Moore honed his predator skills in Vietnam as an MP.

    This thread is surreal.

    Everytime, I think that it can’t get any lower, something else comes up to prove that it can.😠😠

    https://mobile.twitter.com/JuddLegum/status/940419839633616896

    Reply
  79. rikyrah says:
    December 12, 2017 at 8:26 am

    When Michael Malbin started crunching Federal Elections Committee data this summer to see how the 2018 midterms were shaping up, the sheer number of Democratic challengers blew him away.

    Back in June, there were already 209 Democratic candidates entering House races who had raised at least $5,000, compared to just 28 Republican candidates.
    …..
    When Malbin, the executive director of the Campaign Finance Institute, checked the updated numbers in the fall, the number of Republicans had risen to 71. By then, the number of Democrats had ballooned to 391. Of that number, 210 Democrats had raised at least $50,000 so far, and 145 had raised at least $100,000.

    “I was simply stunned,” Malbin said. “I looked, and I said these are amazing numbers.”

    It’s still too early to tell if a Democratic wave will sweep the House of Representatives in 2018. But the sheer number of Democratic challengers entering House races shows the makings of a wave.

    To put this in context, Malbin says that the number of Republican challengers entering House races at this time of year is normal. The real surprise for him came on the Democratic side, where the numbers indicate a kind of energy around midterm races that he hasn’t seen before. The big drivers seem to be the reaction to Trump and congressional Republicans as they push unpopular policies like their current tax overhaul bill.

    Reply
  80. vitaminlover says:
    December 12, 2017 at 6:45 am

    Good morning, lovely ladies!

    Reply
  81. rikyrah says:
    December 12, 2017 at 3:16 am

    Good Morning, Everyone 😄😄😄

    Reply

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