American Politics Thread 2013: I'm a cool Rodham grandma in the USA

the guy on Facebook who wishes death and dismemberment on all Republicans (we all have that guy, right?) posted a link to a story on the Evo Morales's plane being grounded and searched, yada yada yada.

http://truth-out.org/buzzflash/commentary/item/18066-evo-morales-the-president-of-bolivia-accuses-the-white-house-of-kidnapping-him-by-getting-european-allies-to-force-land-his-plane-in-austria

then a second-level comment to someone wanting to boycott the countries involved:
"Let's start with Israeli companies like SodaStream, Sabra, etc before going after countries that have at least a modicum of respect for Palestinian rights."

Guy who brings up Palestinians no matter what should be a square on Internet comment bingo.

man is there already an internet comment bingo

bunch of ilxors on the edge of their seats waiting for that last hit

So, have there been any noticeable sequester effects yet? Besides the occasional curtailing of museum hours or canceling fireworks displays?

A shitload of poor kids have been dropped from Headstart programs.

The annual Cleveland Air Show was cancelled. (Not that I'll miss it, fuck a bunch of supersonic jets doing flybys for a week.)

http://articles.washingtonpost.com/2013-06-30/politics/40292466_1_sequestration-predictions-obama-administration

In 11 cases, sequestration turned out to be as bad as advertised, or worse.

The Labor Department had predicted that emergency unemployment benefits for the long-term unemployed would be cut by 9.4 percent. But in some states, the reductions have been larger: 11 percent. For an individual, that could mean $450 less in benefits this year.

At the Pentagon, officials had predicted that they would reduce training for the Army, flying time for the Air Force and ship deployments for the Navy. They did all three. “It’s extremely hard to show a degradation in our readiness, although we feel it deeply across the force,” Pentagon spokeswoman Beth Robbins said.

Across the government, more than 125,000 employees have been furloughed from the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Internal Revenue Service, and other agencies. About 650,000 Defense Department civilians will start taking 11 unpaid days next week. Public defenders are losing up to 15 days of pay.

In 24 cases, however, The Post’s review showed that the predictions were wrong — sequestration had not lived up to the administration’s alarms.

So, have there been any noticeable sequester effects yet? Besides the occasional curtailing of museum hours or canceling fireworks displays?

one very noticeable effect for me is that i'm on mandatory furlough today! sadtrombone.wav

I know someone who is on furlough on Monday

Good article in the N&O today about 'what happens next' with the new law in NC—both the House leader & Gov. McCrory (who made a pre-election pledge not to sign any legislation restricting abortion, fwiw) are moderate Republican big-business-types who seem reluctant to dirty their hands with divisive culture-war bullshit. So if you wanna call this the GOP's "revenge", just keep in mind that it's a very poorly-planned revenge.

Of course, McCrory can sit back and let the NC House/Senate overturn his veto, if he stands up to them (and I'm going to take a stab in the dark that he won't protest the end of early voting and voting ID restrictions they're bringing in...)

It seems like the effects are diffuse enough that maybe they're just not overwhelming? I mean, I know people affected by it, most obviously gov workers, but maybe it's just too early to tell how damaging it will be.

The most prevalent stories I've read about the sequester, apart from the Headstart enrollment hit, have been of the nature of -- 'here's this worthwhile program we're having to put in mothballs, but the irony is that keeping it suspended costs money, too, and starting it back up will be even more expensive than if we'd never cut it back.'

http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/history/2013/07/hillary_clinton_wesleyan_commencement_speech_robert_pinsky_on_the_politician.html

Olympic ping-pong team, contestant on Jeopardy, key grip for the next Scorsese film--the options out there are theoretically unlimited.

http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/entry/rick-perry-2016-is-option

poll

https://twitter.com/ConnieSchultz/status/353923629219721216/photo/1

A woman should give this fat asshole a haircut amirite

mos def gives us a look at what "doctors" at guantanamo are doing to the men who are hunger striking. a warning - it's pretty nauseating, in all seriousness

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/video/2013/jul/08/mos-def-force-fed-guantanamo-bay-video?CMP=twt_gu

this book will be delicious
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/08/books/this-town-by-mark-leibovich-skewers-washingtons-insiders.html

Rick Perry not seeking reelection

idgi mos def asks to be force fed then hes all begging to stop make up yr mind bro

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/08/florida-banned-computers_n_3561701.html

Ha, Florida accidentally bans smartphones and computers in their quest to stop internet cafes that act as havens for gambling (or something)

Coming this fall (same 'ol, same 'ol):

http://mobile.nationaljournal.com/congress/house-republicans-draft-their-debt-ceiling-playbook-20130707

http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2013/07/racists-love-ron-and-rand-paul-for-some-reason.html

i don't think chait really 'gets' the Old Right

Segregation was in large part a policy of government, not the free market. But it took intrusive federal power to destroy segregation.

I don't think "but" is the right word here. Wouldn't "consequently" make more sense?

BJSSP
Question: have we ever figured out who wrote those newsletters for Ron Paul? It's a question on the mind of every freedom loving American.

My guess is, Obama knows, but he's keeping it a secret, so he can embarrass Paul and establish the NAFTA superhighway, paid for by confiscating the gold at gun point out right out of every (white) person's home.
11 Minutes Ago Reply|Like

too many syllables for Chait.

"therefore"?

"butthole"

Al do you understand humor

I don't think you can use "butthole" as a conjunction

*waits for it*

what if you shortened it to "butt"

Segregation was in large part a policy of government, not the free market. Butt took intrusive federal power to destroy segregation.

I don't think you can use "butthole" as a conjunction

That's What Steve Said

"Very, very few Rand Paul fans are glad Abraham Lincoln was shot."

u suuuuure about this jc?

they are unhappy he was shot as late as 1865

dunno about rand but i doubt there are even one in a hundred ron paul fans who don't sputter with fury at the mention of lincoln's name.

More sequester damage.

Also, Chuck Todd wises up.

Meanwhile, in Texas...

"The engagement from advocates on both sides of the issue showed that the legislative and electoral process is working, said state Rep. Greg Bonnen, R-Friendswood, a physician."

fuck this dude

Chuck Todd...otm? it feels so fucking weird to say that. i mean, it's nothing original, but for once he seems to have accidentally pulled his head up out of the sand

But he's still naive re some things:

that copycat bullet: And if Republicans are trying to stop Democratic laws from being implemented or preventing executive-branch appointees from being confirmed, then you can bet that Democrats will return the favor the next time there’s a GOP president

Since when have Democrats ever shown that they will play hardball like Republicans? Yea, Dems opposed Bork and a few other people, but they have never done anything to the extent that Republicans in the current Congress have.

Feel like the debt ceiling hostage crisis we deal with every couple months is due to the dems trying to use it to extract concessions from the gwb administration..

obv a little bit apples and oranges there

they have never done anything to the extent that Republicans in the current Congress have.

that's because Dems have fewer beliefs, or are less able to fake having as many.

nobody has every done anything to the extent that republicans in current congress have, so it's a bad comparison

Which is why Chuck Todd should not have phrased his "copycat" bullet the way he did.

the Dems have so few instances of hardball post-LBJ that it's no wonder the GOP yells BORK BORK BORK and MIGUEL ESTRADA ad nauseum

HARRIET MYERS

lol

dems did not take down harriet miers