Mourning in America - Trump Year One: November '16 to

Ugh, PropOrNot sounds like idiots. Bad reporting on WaPo's part. It would still be seemly for Greenwald to at some point acknowledge that more and more official government agencies are saying the Russians interfered, something he kept on denying while his website peddled bullshit fake news cobbled together from Russian hacks. In other words, he was pretty much a useful idiot himself, who now doesn't inform the reader that he very much has a personal interest in discrediting what he calls 'McCarthyism'. In other words, this useful idiot is defending himself from accusations while pretending not to. In other words, this useful idiot keeps on doubling down and course correcting without ever being honest about what he does.

Also, he says 'in other words' way too much while using the same words over and over...

I use my driver's license as voter ID like a normal person

I use my driver's license as voter ID like a normal person

I have no problem with showing my driver's license when I vote. But in the last year I've seen articles about various states' voter ID laws, focusing on people who don't have driver's licenses/state photo IDs for various reason (e.g., expense, difficulty getting to the nearest DMV, not having a birth certificate or other ID to establish identity). The more these states drone on about voter fraud, the more I assume that voter suppression is the real agenda.

Also, there's a long-standing American attitude that being expected to carry ID at all times, and to show this ID to law enforcement on demand, is overreach on the state's part. Has the Overton Window opened to the point that "Papers please" is acceptable?

G&T:

American conservatives gave up long ago on defending our institutions. If the Supreme Court makes a decision they don't like, they shit all over the Supreme Court. If the president is not a Republican, they slander him as illegitimate. Any law they do not author is a direct attack on the Republic and its humble, freedom-loving citizens. If they do not win an election, then the election was rigged. Is any of this sounding familiar? Somehow the American left became better at the traditional role of conservatives than conservatives themselves. Al Gore had to be the one to go on TV in 2000 and tell the country that we are obligated to respect decisions of our institutions even when they are obviously riddled with problems.

http://www.ginandtacos.com/2016/11/27/how-am-i-better-at-this-than-you-are/

gin and tacos – ew

xxpost I've been trying to get my IL drivers license for the first time (my valid out-of-state license having just expired) and, because I have neither a copy of my birth certificate or a passport (which I'm sure is true for many people), it's been a ridiculous hassle. If voter ID laws get changed, I'm of half a mind to start a nonprofit solely dedicated to helping people cut through whatever red tape is necessary to make voting as easy as possible for them.

Also, there's a long-standing American attitude that being expected to carry ID at all times, and to show this ID to law enforcement on demand, is overreach on the state's part. Has the Overton Window opened to the point that "Papers please" is acceptable?

I can't get into any bar in America without a driver's license so I don't know what you're talking about

not to mention one of the strongest methods of suppression has been ensuring that DMVs in relevant districts are open as rarely as possible

tons of people don't have a state ID and they're mostly going to live in cities or they're poor families who share a single car or get picked up by a carpool for work. and young people have apparently been waiting longer and longer to get theirs.

Yeahhhhh, I've been denied service at bars for not having state ID, despite having a passport with me. I am not a driver, nor do I live in the state where it happened.

Getting an official copy of my birth certificate was weirdly easy. Just had a to answer some personal questions online about my parents, where I've lived etc and pay a some money (I think it was around 30 or 40 dollars). "Vital Chek" was the company that does it. It was a relief to finally get an embossed birth certificate.

Yeahhhhh, I've been denied service at bars for not having state ID, despite having a passport with me. I am not a driver, nor do I live in the state where it happened.

― jane burkini (suzy), Monday, November 28, 2016 1:54 PM (two minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

lol yes I've almost been denied the purchase of a bottle of wine because I didn't have a DL and the cashier had never seen a passport before and didn't believe me that it counted as ID.

xpost I think the difficulty differs by state. I'm currently engaged in the exact same process with the exact same company except that they require either a valid state ID (which I don't have because I need a birth certificate to procure a state ID) or two forms of ID from a different list of insane things like boat registry or professional licensure or like a parole letter or something.

I can't get into any bar in America without a driver's license so I don't know what you're talking about.

Bars are places of business, and apart from laws requiring them to not serve alcohol to the underaged, they are within their rights to demand that patrons show ID before letting them inside or serving them.

The "Papers please" question imagines John Q. Citizen on a sidewalk or in another public place. In the absence of any indication that JQC is associated with any crime, do the police have the right to demand that JQC produce his identification? There's a long-standing notion that this scenario would violate U.S. citizens' rights to move freely in public places.

o a long standing notion

did i wander onto the wrong message board? are we really seriously entertaining pros and cons of voter ID and whether an ID requirement presents a major hassle and obstacle to voting (not to mention massive opportunities for systematic disenfranchisement based on how the process is deployed and managed)? this shit is kind of settled background research and in some circuits it's settled case law: requiring ID to vote is discriminatory, suppresses turnout, and has no rational basis in any event. imho you would need to overcome those points before launching into off-topic observations about showing ID at bars, or how your personal experience getting replacement documents was by your standards no big hassle.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/courts_law/getting-a-photo-id-so-you-can-vote-is-easy-unless-youre-poor-black-latino-or-elderly/2016/05/23/8d5474ec-20f0-11e6-8690-f14ca9de2972_story.html

https://www.thenation.com/article/voter-suppression-is-a-much-bigger-problem-than-voter-fraud/

https://www.aclu.org/other/oppose-voter-id-legislation-fact-sheet

eh, my post was some just advice. It's pretty clear that it's not easy for a lot of people to obtain the necessary documents.

There's a long-standing notion that this scenario would violate U.S. citizens' rights to move freely in public places.

Sure, I'm just saying that I have been asked for official state driver's license in any number of scenarios (bars, clubs, etc) (and ok fine I peed on a tree and was seen by a police officer once SUE ME) and I'm certainly not defending the practice - just saying that for practical purposes it seems like you get asked for official ID A LOT in the United States. In many other countries, i.e. Europe, it's extremely rare. America isn't some paragon of freedom in this respect.

I use my driver's license as voter ID like a normal person

― sarahell, Monday, November 28, 2016

Hoping there was humor or something intended in that. I have a driver's license too, but some old, old people do not, and maybe some younger folks as well

these idiots are already attacking each other through leaks

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/morning-joe-kellyanne-conway-sexist-reporting

really cannot stand to see this woman on TV anymore

so, david clarke for department of homeland security??

you should probably be carrying an i.d. if you plan to use a credit card. or drive a car. if you die on the street it's a good idea to have i.d. with you.

these idiots are already attacking each other through leaks

I think circular-firing-squad stuff is going to be a constant feature -- within Trump's circle (which will probably keep changing, who's in and who's out), between them and Congress and the GOP leadership, it's going to be endless drama and namecalling and Tweeting and leaking and god knows what.

man the early Reagan years were exactly like this: one senior administration aide after another whispering to the WaPo about who was in and out.

One of the biggest and most important question marks for me right now is the extent to which Trump will display any conviction about any of his policy "ideas" in the face of opposition of the GOP -- is he content to be the figurehead for the GOP agenda, to wear the crown? Or will his need to make them all kiss the ring play out in the policy realm?

Don't know what to make of this, but just learned/heard that that crazy tax dodge Trump enlisted only works if you spend at least 50% of your time running your business. So either Trump will continue to run his company, leaving the other gov't stuff to his staff and appointees and VP, or he won't, and therefore make himself liable to big taxes in the near future.

I'm assuming there is a good chance that a low income Trump supporter might be compelled to passionately rebut how Trump would use his "genius" to figure out a way around paying taxes anyway.

Wouldn't that be interesting to witness?

One of the biggest and most important question marks for me right now is the extent to which Trump will display any conviction about any of his policy "ideas" in the face of opposition of the GOP -- is he content to be the figurehead for the GOP agenda, to wear the crown? Or will his need to make them all kiss the ring play out in the policy realm?

― the last famous person you were surprised to discover was actually (man alive), Monday, November 28, 2016 3:38 PM (one hour ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

my guess is the former. he seems genuinely bored by politics, has a total lack of conviction in his beliefs, which are themselves inconsistent. I suspect he'll wear the crown but cough up enough 'wins' like those plants that didn't move to Mexico because of his phone calls, to continue to play the same role

obvs not a KO argument or anything but still worth noting

Interestingly enough, in two of those crucial Midwestern states that flipped to Trump, Democratic Senate candidates campaigned on economically populist platforms — but they did notably worse than Hillary Clinton. Russ Feingold underperformed Clinton by 2.4 points in Wisconsin, and Ted Strickland underperformed her by 12.8 points in Ohio. Feingold amassed a populist record of challenging big money and special interests when he was in the Senate, and Strickland harshly condemned trade deals during his campaign against Rob Portman (who served as George W. Bush’s US trade representative).

Meanwhile, the two Democratic Senate candidates in competitive races who outperformed Clinton the most both self-consciously presented a moderate image rather than running as liberal firebrands. In Missouri, Jason Kander overperformed Clinton by 15.9 points, and in Indiana, Evan Bayh did 9.6 points better than her (though they both lost).

http://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2016/11/27/13716060/senate-democrats-economic-populism

worth noting, but you'd need a lot more information about those particular races to draw any conclusions from it

If Trump has a tax debt of $50K or more, his passport could be revoked under the FAST Act:
http://www.cnbc.com/2016/03/19/irs-back-taxes-may-mean-really-getting-grounded.html

So I guess it's a thing for defensive Trump supporters to have public freak outs? Who knows what the holidays were like for all these people.

xpost That would be hilarious, but I have a hunch the president can go wherever he wants.

yeah who's in charge of the state dept

I bet the president does not even travel with a passport.

I take it back, he does! Standard issue diplomatic passport. But someone handles that stuff for him.

Re strickland, for example, nothing mentioned here about him being perceived as to the left of Clinton:

http://www.cleveland.com/open/index.ssf/2016/09/heres_why_ted_strickland_is_lo.html

yeah that article even says the AFL-CIO prez wanted him to be more 'agressive'

Strickland and Feingold also presumably represent 'the establishment' or 'the old ways of doing things aren't working' or whatever. I don't think either had anything like the fire and 'movement' feeling that bolstered Sanders's message.

not sure where to put this but what the fuck

http://deadspin.com/liberty-hires-ex-baylor-athletic-director-ian-mccaw-1789441102

liberty university is the worst

I don't think either had anything like the fire and 'movement' feeling that bolstered Sanders's message.

People here in Wisconsin who loved Bernie were definitely way more excited about Russ than about HRC.

So are we gonna have 4 years of tweets like this from Monday:

"@sdcritic: @HighonHillcrest @jeffzeleny @CNN There is NO QUESTION THAT #voterfraud did take place, and in favor of #CorruptHillary !"

Donald J. Trump ‏@realDonaldTrump 4h4 hours ago

"@FiIibuster: @jeffzeleny Pathetic - you have no sufficient evidence that Donald Trump did not suffer from voter fraud, shame! Bad reporter.

Donald J. Trump ‏@realDonaldTrump 4h4 hours ago
"@JoeBowman12: @jeffzeleny just another generic CNN part time wannabe journalist !" @CNN still doesn't get it. They will never learn!

Donald J. Trump ‏@realDonaldTrump 4h4 hours ago
"@HighonHillcrest: @jeffzeleny what PROOF do u have DonaldTrump did not suffer from millions of FRAUD votes? Journalist? Do your job! @CNN"

is perhaps the worst meme of all time that "do not share this photo of trump. he does NOT like it" current thing or no?

yes. and i've seen like a dozen photos that are supposedly THE ONE PHOTO he hates!!

We never the to directly president guy with fuck guy @donaldsucks #screwthisguy , this new paradigm.

yay amer. I to twitter account flame president. nobody cares I type on internet, but wait i type at fat asshole.

We never the!

no sufficient evidence that Donald Trump did not

this is so agonizing to read

i don't usually give a fuck about this sort of thing but having such an obviously batshit president weakens america's hand in all sorts of foreign policy areas doesn't it?

^most half-full aspect of it

(xp) You mean the fact that the entire rest of the world is pointing and laughing?