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Tuesday Morning Open Thread

By Big Tent Democrat, Section Blog Related
Posted on Tue Aug 28, 2012 at 09:26:43 AM EST
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    Tuesday Morning Open Thread | 115 comments (115 topical)

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    The Republican party has been (5.00 / 2) (#6)
    by Militarytracy on Tue Aug 28, 2012 at 10:12:47 AM EST
    Working like dogs this year to make being a woman of child bearing age HELL.....utter horrifying HELL, and I'm supposed to believe that Mitt Romney is on my side?  He won't hurt me?

    and another example (5.00 / 1) (#19)
    by ding7777 on Tue Aug 28, 2012 at 11:10:15 AM EST
    from Pennsylvania GOP Senate candidate, Tom "No abortion for rape victims" Smith

    Smith then appeared to imply that having a child out of wedlock was similar to rape, but then quickly added, "No no no, but put yourself in a father's position, yes. It is similar. This isn't ... but back to the original, I'm pro-life period."


    Parent
    It's hard to imagine, but (5.00 / 1) (#21)
    by Peter G on Tue Aug 28, 2012 at 11:20:51 AM EST
    the R's actually fielded a candidate capable of making Bob Casey look (relatively) good on reproductive rights.

    Parent
    What (5.00 / 1) (#11)
    by lentinel on Tue Aug 28, 2012 at 10:30:47 AM EST
    is the point of a "platform" of the republican party with its onerous "plank' regarding abortion if its titular leader and presidential candidate claims not to support it?

    These conventions a waste of time, energy and resources with respect to anything significant regarding policy.  They are useful for local commerce - hotels, bars, restaurants, philandering, but are dreadful entertainment. The talking heads like them because they get to interview each other - their favorite pastime.

    Too bad about the bump of Trump.

    I think it is useful to the women of the (5.00 / 8) (#20)
    by Militarytracy on Tue Aug 28, 2012 at 11:16:49 AM EST
    United States to understand that no matter what Mitt Romney says, his party is coming for us and they mean to do real harm to us.  They hate us, they hate the abilities to protect ourselves from abuse that we currently have.  As if paying us less and many existing subtle discriminations aren't harm enough.

    Parent
    Excited for Ann Romney's introduction (5.00 / 5) (#14)
    by lilburro on Tue Aug 28, 2012 at 10:42:28 AM EST
    maybe she'll recount for us again how she and Mitt struggled so much in college that they actually had to sell stock.

    If they get desperate enough... (5.00 / 1) (#15)
    by Dadler on Tue Aug 28, 2012 at 10:56:06 AM EST
    ...it will become homemade chicken stock. The iron knees abound.

    Parent
    You would enjoy (5.00 / 1) (#16)
    by CoralGables on Tue Aug 28, 2012 at 10:59:30 AM EST
    yesterday's Doonesbury

    Parent
    Or maybe she'll ... (none / 0) (#55)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Tue Aug 28, 2012 at 01:21:04 PM EST
    ... REALLY humanize him, and disclose how she was on The Pill and they used to boff like bunnies in heat in the back of Mitt's 1967 Pontiac GTO, topped off by her publicly daring BYU to expel them both ex post facto while the convention audience sits silently with collective mouths agape.

    Unfortunately, that will only happen in the sitcom version of the GOP convention that's playing out in my mind.

    Parent

    I gather her talking about her miscarriage (none / 0) (#56)
    by oculus on Tue Aug 28, 2012 at 01:25:13 PM EST
    is meant to humanize her?  

    Parent
    I suppose, as would ... (5.00 / 1) (#62)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Tue Aug 28, 2012 at 01:38:51 PM EST
    .. talking about her struggle with multiple sclerosis. But you know, while I can doubtless sympathize with such personal misfortunes, nevertheless bad things happen to good people all the time. That's life.

    Speaking for myself, I'm a three-time cancer survivor who has historically had trouble getting and keeping health insurance for the better part of the past 25 years -- and I hereby note for the record that her husband wants to keep on having that sort of trouble with his proposal to repeal the 2010 Affordable Care Act, aka "Obamacare."

    Frankly, I'd like to think that the burden should be on the Romneys to demonstrate their ability to empathize with the struggles of the middle and working classes, and not vice versa. Yet is painfully apparent that neither one of them gives a rat's a$$ about people like you and me.

    Parent

    I am suprised they will go to illness (none / 0) (#99)
    by ruffian on Tue Aug 28, 2012 at 04:27:41 PM EST
    as a way to make her 'relatable', given the ease to turn it around and say hey, lots of women get sick without multimillionaire husbands to take care of them.

    But I guess it is all they've got in the way of common experience.

    Parent

    LOL! (none / 0) (#59)
    by Zorba on Tue Aug 28, 2012 at 01:27:49 PM EST
    I only wish that Mr. Zorba and I had had stock to sell when we were both in graduate school!  Our meager savings and part-time jobs, plus loans, were what got us through.  And living in a cheap apartment that was not exactly in the best part of the city (my mother was horrified at where we were living, as was his mother).  That, and the fact that I could cook amazing bean and lentil dishes, and could get at least three meals from one chicken.   ;-)

    Parent
    We lived in a no-bedroom "efficiency" (none / 0) (#60)
    by oculus on Tue Aug 28, 2012 at 01:32:29 PM EST
    in Ann Arbor.  The landlady kept calling to see if we didn't want to upgrade to a one-bedroom.  She was so amazed we had no furniture she loaned us a card table and two chairs.  

    Parent
    We had (none / 0) (#71)
    by Zorba on Tue Aug 28, 2012 at 01:50:03 PM EST
    homeless people sleeping in front of the apartment building, which really was not a problem as far as I was concerned, because the vast majority of them were really, really harmless.  When I could, I gave them a little money (not that we had much to give at the time) and food.  The two things that did bother me the most, however, were the drug deals going down in our neighborhood, and the rats in our apartment.  Also cockroaches, but those I could deal with.  Even mice.  But rats were pretty creepy.

    We finally moved when I kept getting pages with pictures from porno magazines shoved under our door that had scrawled on them, on the male "Me" and on the female "You."  That freaked us out, especially because they showed up when Mr. Zorba was not there and I was, so it almost had to be someone in our own building.  We moved to another apartment shortly thereafter.  As you can imagine.

    Ah, the joys of inner-city living.  I think that most people do not even realize what it's like!

    Parent

    In recent history when did our government (5.00 / 1) (#17)
    by Militarytracy on Tue Aug 28, 2012 at 11:02:06 AM EST
    Suffer its largest failures?  The Iraq War and Katrina were enormous failures from the very start, nothing that we clearly saw coming was more of a failure.  Both were like watching trainwrecks. But when Republicans run things hurricanes aren't their problem and they have to go war with the military they have and not the military they wish they had.

    Regarding the whole (5.00 / 3) (#31)
    by CST on Tue Aug 28, 2012 at 11:56:02 AM EST
    racist or not racist republican thing in the other thread - yes of course there are people who believe in Republican fiscal policies who aren't racist.

    That being said, you cannot simply sit there and say that because you only agree with the fiscal policies - the other stuff (including the war on women, and dog whistle cr@p) doesn't exist.

    Just because you don't personally agree with it, doesn't mean it isn't there.  We are all "cafeteria" voters to some extent, we like some policies but not others of the people we support.  That being said, the policies you don't like will still affect other people's lives.  Sitting there and saying it's a non-issue to you doesn't make it a non-issue to the people affected by it.

    If you want us all to close our eyes and pretend not to see it or call it out, because it doesn't relate to the things you personally care about, sorry, that's not how this works.

    They need to fight the racists (5.00 / 2) (#35)
    by Militarytracy on Tue Aug 28, 2012 at 12:03:06 PM EST
    Or start a third party.  They are in a tough spot, if they alienate the Southern racist they lose a huge chunk of power.  Existing Republican power depends on aligning with Dixiecrats.

    Parent
    yup (5.00 / 4) (#36)
    by CST on Tue Aug 28, 2012 at 12:09:20 PM EST
    hence the dog whistles.  The problem is the "fiscal" republicans get upset when we call that out.  But maybe if they called it out or stopped doing it, we wouldn't have to.  Of course then they'd lose the support of those who support their social policies.

    If social issues aren't part of the platform, why do they keep implementing restrictive social policy?  It's not like we are making these positions up.  It's because the people who typically support the republican party want them as well.

    Parent

    So many (5.00 / 4) (#40)
    by Ga6thDem on Tue Aug 28, 2012 at 12:21:39 PM EST
    times I have thought how this country MIGHT be a better place if the GOP had not given a home to the dixiecrats back in the 60's. What if the GOP had rejected them also? I'm sure they would still be hanging around somewhere but not a player in national politics. Also the fusion of church and state that the GOP has promoted. Exactly who in this country has that helped? It has hurt religion but I'm not sure it helped anything else in anyway.

    Maybe if none of this had happened we would be talking about fiscal policy, foreign policy etc. in stead of these whackos.

    Parent

    Yes, think about what our existing (5.00 / 1) (#51)
    by Militarytracy on Tue Aug 28, 2012 at 12:54:55 PM EST
    policy would be if an undercurrent of racial and gender and gender identity divide, intolerance, and hate wouldn't have had to have been fed little bites at every turn.

    Parent
    The Southern strategy ... (5.00 / 1) (#75)
    by Robot Porter on Tue Aug 28, 2012 at 01:55:15 PM EST
    may be beginning to bite the Republicans.  But it did much more damage to the Democrats and specifically to the true progressive left.

    Not only have the Republicans won more presidential races since the Southern strategy was instituted, but the Democrats have not elected a single progressive President.

    Nor has any Democratic president got any significant progressive legislation passed.  It's all been piddly stuff around the edges.  Nothing within a country mile of the New Deal or the Great Society.

    In short, it killed the left. And when the economic meltdown provided a chance for a left wing resurgence. The party had become so beholding to other interests that whatever left wing ideas or sympathies they still possessed no longer mattered. It wasn't going to drive action.  

    Parent

    That was the excuse the Democrats ... (none / 0) (#65)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Tue Aug 28, 2012 at 01:43:04 PM EST
    ... used for years. Finally, they got up the gumption to defy the Dixiecrats in the 1940s (desgregating the military in 1948), '50s (desegregating public schools) and '60s (the Civil Right Acts and Voting Rights Act), which led to the latters' exodus to the GOP.

    Parent
    It's a damn shame anyone "wanted" them (5.00 / 2) (#76)
    by Militarytracy on Tue Aug 28, 2012 at 01:56:03 PM EST
    They would have had to evolve then.

    Parent
    jeffinalabama, are you lurking? (5.00 / 3) (#33)
    by oculus on Tue Aug 28, 2012 at 11:59:07 AM EST
    Have you moved to Kurdistan?

    Was thinking about him this morning, (5.00 / 2) (#38)
    by sj on Tue Aug 28, 2012 at 12:12:48 PM EST
    myself.

    Parent
    Breaking news: (5.00 / 3) (#43)
    by shoephone on Tue Aug 28, 2012 at 12:33:38 PM EST
    Republican Party Still Racist. Karl Rove says part of the plan to win the election is to get white Democrats to vote for Romney.

    "Obama has no chance of carrying Indiana," the Fox News contributor explained. "I was having dinner with [Indiana Gov.] Mitch Daniels this spring, and I said, `Mitch, is there a white Democrat south of Indianapolis who's supporting Obama who's not a college professor in Bloomington?' And he stopped for a minute over his green beans and says, `Not that I can think of.'"

    b-b-b-but.....

    White male democrats (none / 0) (#52)
    by Militarytracy on Tue Aug 28, 2012 at 12:55:43 PM EST
    No white female democrat exists that hates herself enough.

    Parent
    I know a white Democratic couple in Indiana (none / 0) (#61)
    by shoephone on Tue Aug 28, 2012 at 01:37:51 PM EST
    and neither one of them would ever be caught dead voting for Richie Rich. And they're not even college professors in Bloomington. Imagine.

    Parent
    I was trying to find a poll (none / 0) (#73)
    by Militarytracy on Tue Aug 28, 2012 at 01:52:36 PM EST
    And I couldn't really find anything for that area.  Is that why they used that area?  Because there isn't much out there to weigh that assertion out with?

    Parent
    I would suspect that Rove (5.00 / 1) (#77)
    by shoephone on Tue Aug 28, 2012 at 02:11:31 PM EST
    just wanted a chance to ding Obama for being black and ding college professors for being intelligent. A two-fer.

    Parent
    Tracy, lemme tell ya (5.00 / 3) (#82)
    by Towanda on Tue Aug 28, 2012 at 02:35:20 PM EST
    about my first trek to that area, the birthplace of Mr. Towanda and site of his family reunions.

    I have been to Indianapolis many times, as well as Bloomington, and thought I would see more of the same.

    Nope. Instead, south from Indianapolis, I kept seeing more and more Confederate flags.  Little ones on cars, massive ones on storefronts.  Also increasingly ubiquitous was Southern yard art, such as "little black boys eating watermelon" stuff every other address or so.  And there, the stuff is painted with very black skintones -- and with lips as red as the paint for the watermelon.

    But only depictions of African Americans were seen for a week.  I never have seen so many and so very white, white, white people.  When we finally got back to Indianapolis and stopped at a motel where the clerk was African American, he must not have know what to think when I walked in and said "at last, I'm back to civilization!"

    And all that was just the visuals of the experience.  I am sparing you the verbiage that was bandied about every d*mn minute down there.  I swear, southern Indiana -- the home of the20th-rebirth of the Ku Klux Klan -- tries to out-south the South . . . a South of myth, a South that probably has not existed in the South for eons.

    Parent

    'Went to undergrad & law school in Bloomington (5.00 / 2) (#90)
    by christinep on Tue Aug 28, 2012 at 03:34:50 PM EST
    'Husband & I married in school.  While there--together with the prime purpose of school--we were educated in the ways of southern Indiana.  Husband sometimes blanches at the memory of certain experiences outside the Blmgtn enclave. Because we became involved & entangled in southern Indiana early on, we spent time in/around towns in the area.  A major eye-opener for me at the time:  Encountering the remnants of a burnt cross outside Martinsville; and, during another excursion, seeing another such burnt cross on the way to/near Cincinatti, Ohio.  Another sad recall:  At a work-break at the library where I worked for school $$$, the several staff would typically share food & stories...the subject here involved the general events-of-the- day wherein local staff noted that certain violent activities were expected from the off-spring of the sons-of-Cain (trans:  Blacks, apparently.)

    Living there as long as we did for several years, there were many enjoyable discoveries--including the beautiful display of Autumn in Brown County & elsewhere, McCormick State Park, the swimming quarries, & lots of friendly, down-to-earth people who somehow grew beyond the bonds of fear.

    Parent

    Southern Illinois is like that, too. (5.00 / 3) (#94)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Tue Aug 28, 2012 at 04:01:15 PM EST
    I found Cairo, IL to be much more southern in character than most places in traditional Dixieland.

    Parent
    Thank you everyone for sharing your (none / 0) (#101)
    by Militarytracy on Tue Aug 28, 2012 at 05:30:01 PM EST
    experiences in this part of the country.  I am not familiar with it at all and not likely to become so either because we aren't from there and there aren't many military bases that would plant me there as long the military makes as many decisions for us as it currently does.

    Parent
    Oh, yes (none / 0) (#104)
    by Zorba on Tue Aug 28, 2012 at 07:03:09 PM EST
    I'm more than familiar with Southern Illinois.  Try Southern Missouri, too.  (But then, Missouri was, after all, a border state during the Civil War.  "Brother against brother" and all that.)

    Parent
    Went to a family reunion in (none / 0) (#109)
    by ZtoA on Tue Aug 28, 2012 at 08:10:42 PM EST
    middle Illinois this summer, and while it is not quite southern Illinois it is getting there. Just outside Ursa is a 4 way stop where the 'hard top hwy' (as we used to call it) is crossed with "Koch Blvd". I think it is blvd because that sounds better than road. It could be drive. On two corners are (most likely subsidized) corn fields. On another corner is some sort of odd over the top stone monument to nationalism with a row of huge flags. On the last corner is a bank. I started laughing. Laughing rather hard as my daughter and nephew looked on in with perplexed smiles.

    My oldest cousin is a conservative hater. Don't get me wrong - I love my cousin very much, he's great in so many ways. He was rather flummoxed to hear from my sister that he actually has a lesbian in his family (my niece). I think he will come around because he actually does believe in family. But maybe he would be a "brother against brother" type. I can see how that happens.

    Parent

    We get a lot of (none / 0) (#105)
    by Zorba on Tue Aug 28, 2012 at 07:07:56 PM EST
    Confederate flags on pick-up trucks, and there is more than one black jockey statue that I have seen in front yards here in the boonies of Western Maryland, too.
    Sometimes I feel as though the locals are living in another century.

    Parent
    The problem (none / 0) (#64)
    by Ga6thDem on Tue Aug 28, 2012 at 01:41:41 PM EST
    is that those same voters have no use for Romney. He would have been honest if he had said "get them to vote against" Obama instead of FOR Romney.

    Parent
    Kevin Drum (none / 0) (#72)
    by lilburro on Tue Aug 28, 2012 at 01:50:46 PM EST
    wrote an interesting piece about the racial tone of the Romney campaign.  The idea that this is the new normal is deeply discouraging, but hell, maybe it is.

    Why is Romney doing this? I think the answer is largely that he learned a lesson from 2008. John McCain, to his credit, really did insist that his campaign avoid anything that smacked of racial dog whistling. And he lost big. Romney, I think, has decided that McCain was intimidated by the Obama campaign, and he's not going to let the same thing happen to him. So he's going to skate as close to the race line as he can while still retaining at least a smidgen of deniability about what he's doing.

    He references a more extensive Edsall piece on the subject here.

    Parent

    I'm listening (none / 0) (#1)
    by Militarytracy on Tue Aug 28, 2012 at 09:55:28 AM EST


    David's show was good today (none / 0) (#2)
    by Militarytracy on Tue Aug 28, 2012 at 09:56:03 AM EST
    I miss it too often

    Parent
    I've given up trying to listen. Hope there (none / 0) (#103)
    by oculus on Tue Aug 28, 2012 at 06:27:36 PM EST
    might at some point be transcripts?

    Parent
    The statement (none / 0) (#3)
    by Ga6thDem on Tue Aug 28, 2012 at 09:58:03 AM EST
    by Romney is very interesting.

    Letterman re: Ann and "Mitch" Romney (none / 0) (#4)
    by magster on Tue Aug 28, 2012 at 09:58:27 AM EST
    here

    What (5.00 / 2) (#13)
    by lentinel on Tue Aug 28, 2012 at 10:41:52 AM EST
    a lovely interview.

    I'm convinced. Mitt does the laundry.
    And he irons his own white shirts from CostCo.

    Actually, I would have liked to see Mitt challenged on his ironing abilities. It ain't that easy to iron a shirt.

    Does Mitt do the ironing, and Ann the fluffing and folding?
    It wouldn't really be presidential for the man to do the fluffing. Ironing I can see, but not fluffing.

    I hope that Ann bakes cookies.
    I don't want no first lady what can't bake cookies.

    Parent

    It's both (none / 0) (#5)
    by lilburro on Tue Aug 28, 2012 at 10:12:01 AM EST
    a Palin-esque obfuscation and a classic Romney "I DON'T CARE JUST MAKE ME PRESIDENT" moment.

    Is it like the abusive husband (none / 0) (#7)
    by Militarytracy on Tue Aug 28, 2012 at 10:16:04 AM EST
    He'll stop punching me in the face when I stop giving him reasons to punch me in the face?  Where's my dinner, my clean shirt, and my Presidency....the guys are waiting for me dumb biotch?!

    Parent
    How does Romney think these issues (none / 0) (#8)
    by Anne on Tue Aug 28, 2012 at 10:17:02 AM EST
    end up in the courts?  

    Does he believe in Immaculate Litigation?

    My tolerance level for this kind of stuff is almost non-existent...and it's barely even gotten started.

    Ugh.

    There (none / 0) (#18)
    by Ga6thDem on Tue Aug 28, 2012 at 11:03:27 AM EST
    should have been a follow up question to that statement in my opinion. So Mitt what kind of judges are you going to appoint? Are you going to appoint more Alitos?

    Parent
    Why should he know about courts? (none / 0) (#22)
    by Peter G on Tue Aug 28, 2012 at 11:22:29 AM EST
    He only graduated from Harvard Law School (shhh ... don't tell anyone). Where, of course, he did not do nearly as well as The Other Guy.

    Parent
    How do you know? (none / 0) (#24)
    by jbindc on Tue Aug 28, 2012 at 11:25:45 AM EST
    And hey - maybe, if elected, he'll wait 6 months to start appointing judges to the federal bench - just like The Other Guy!

    Parent
    Romney graduated (4.00 / 3) (#30)
    by lilburro on Tue Aug 28, 2012 at 11:49:33 AM EST
    cum laude and Obama graduated magna cum laude.  This information is widely available.  

    Amazing how you can know/research almost anything about Obama's weaknesses, but almost nothing about his strengths.

    Parent

    I didn't know either (none / 0) (#39)
    by jbindc on Tue Aug 28, 2012 at 12:19:46 PM EST
    Because I don't think college / law school grades are that important to the discussion about who is more qualified to run the country.

    When it comes to appointing judges, however, the fact that a "constitutional scholar" took more time in planning the inaugural parties than trying to fill vacancies on the federal bench, IS something that I am concerned about.

    But nice snark.

    Parent

    I think what bothers me so much about this (5.00 / 1) (#50)
    by CST on Tue Aug 28, 2012 at 12:54:24 PM EST
    is that you're making a personal attack on the president throwing parties - which is both just false and completely irrelevant and at the same time you decry posts about Romney's taxes as irrelevant and mud-slinging politics.

    Please inform me as to why false statements about partying are more relevant than true statements about taxes - especially as one of the major stated differences between the two parties is on tax policy.

    Parent

    And since you made me go look (none / 0) (#41)
    by jbindc on Tue Aug 28, 2012 at 12:22:12 PM EST
    Romney graduated cum laude - from law school, but at the same time, he pursued an MBA and graduated in the top 5% of his class.

    Parent
    Poms poms (5.00 / 2) (#48)
    by Big Tent Democrat on Tue Aug 28, 2012 at 12:52:19 PM EST
    Yay Romney!!

    Parent
    Stop that! Stop that right now! (5.00 / 2) (#58)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Tue Aug 28, 2012 at 01:26:01 PM EST
    LOL! You almost made me spew coffee on my keyboard!

    Parent
    But you are wearing the skirt (1.50 / 2) (#84)
    by jbindc on Tue Aug 28, 2012 at 02:36:43 PM EST
    and matching sweater.

    Hope you have the legs to pull it off.

    Parent

    Amd I'm a Democrat! (3.67 / 3) (#88)
    by Big Tent Democrat on Tue Aug 28, 2012 at 03:03:12 PM EST
    Shocked to discover me supporting the Democratic candidate?

    Have you stopped pretending you are one yet?

    Parent

    were you there? (none / 0) (#44)
    by CST on Tue Aug 28, 2012 at 12:41:15 PM EST
    Yes Obama has been too slow to name judges and has more vacancies than Bush or Clinton, but he's appointed 125 of them so far (compared to 162 for Clinton and 170 for Bush).  That statement you made is just a throw-away hit job that is both false and pointless.  If you're trying to make a point about judges, you can do it without blatantly making stuff up.

    Oh, and let's not forget the fact that congress has been a huge obstruction to the process as well.  For example, "In circuit judge nominations, Obama has made five more circuit nominations than President Bill Clinton did, but 12 fewer than Bush".

    "In a recent study, Wheeler suggests that the increase in vacancies on district courts stems from two factors: fewer nominations by Obama, compared to Clinton and Bush, and a spike in the number of judges who took senior status in the first three years of the Obama administration. During those three years, 92 judges took senior status, compared to 72 and 70 in the Clinton and Bush administrations, respectively. "Had district judges taken senior status in Obama's first three years at the same rate they did under Clinton or Bush, there would have been almost no increase in vacancies, and had he made more nominations, and gotten fewer confirmations, the number of vacancies would have decreased," Wheeler observes. Obama made 32 more district nominations than Bush at this same point in their terms, and 46 fewer than Clinton, according to Wheeler."

    Those numbers really show that he's been wasting so much time partying he isn't even trying to get the job done.  For all your posts decrying political hyperbole, you sure dish plenty of it out when it suits you.

    Parent

    Actually (none / 0) (#83)
    by jbindc on Tue Aug 28, 2012 at 02:36:04 PM EST
    He's on par to be the first president to have more judicial vacancies at the end of his first term than when he started.  

    Parent
    re: (none / 0) (#46)
    by lilburro on Tue Aug 28, 2012 at 12:49:00 PM EST
    a "constitutional scholar" took more time in planning the inaugural parties than trying to fill vacancies on the federal bench, IS

    ...something that we were not discussing?  There is a criticism of Obama there but it is at best indirectly related to the discussion of Roe v. Wade and SCOTUS appointments.  I don't know that it's "even-handed" to bring up random things about Obama when there is a clear difference between Romney and Obama here.

    And yes Romney was part of a 4 year joint program, and apparently better at business than law.

    Parent

    At Harvard Law (none / 0) (#107)
    by Peter G on Tue Aug 28, 2012 at 07:38:34 PM EST
    "magna cum laude" is the top 10% by grade point average.  "Cum laude" is the next 30% below that (60th to 90th percentile).

    Parent
    Romney graduated cum laude (none / 0) (#28)
    by Yman on Tue Aug 28, 2012 at 11:45:03 AM EST
    Obama magna cum laude.

    Parent
    You are teh suxor, BTD... (none / 0) (#9)
    by MileHi Hawkeye on Tue Aug 28, 2012 at 10:22:04 AM EST
    for making me look at those dead eyes and that condescending smirk all day.

    In that interview, (none / 0) (#10)
    by KeysDan on Tue Aug 28, 2012 at 10:23:21 AM EST
    it seemed that Mittens distanced himself from his Republican platform, and then distanced himself from himself,  and then unloaded both the platform and his position on activist  "Courts" to decide already settled law.

    Mitt always finds himself (5.00 / 3) (#12)
    by CoralGables on Tue Aug 28, 2012 at 10:35:41 AM EST
    distancing himself from Mitt because Mitt has more sides than Sybil.

    Parent
    One of my dog breeder friends who is (none / 0) (#23)
    by Militarytracy on Tue Aug 28, 2012 at 11:25:37 AM EST
    NEVER political just posted a photo of herself with James Carville on facebook.  He was signing his book for her.  She works on a military base too.  EAT MY FIRE Teapublicans!

    I put the vagina heading toward Tampa (none / 0) (#57)
    by oculus on Tue Aug 28, 2012 at 01:25:51 PM EST
    poster up on FB.  No comments!

    Parent
    I did too (5.00 / 2) (#69)
    by Militarytracy on Tue Aug 28, 2012 at 01:47:58 PM EST
    I put everything up though.  I spent the morning reminding everyone that Republicans sent billions of dollars in cash shrink wrapped to Iraq where it disappeared.  My daughter says I'm embarassing in the South.  I told her to act like you aren't bothered by it and that really messes them up, when they discover you don't need their permission to feel things, know things, and understand things.

    I think many of my doggy friends didn't know what to think about me getting all political on them, one of them who is always posting photos of dogs who need rescued asked me to stop posting political things.  I told her to filter me then because I'm not stopping and how can she fight to save all these dogs now that the economy has gone to shit when what is happening is that people are choosing to feed themselves and their children first like any sane being would.  I posted that things for dogs will not get better until things for people do and that's just common sense.  I get quiet support now.  Nothing public, but private messages, and my very nonpolitical friend did this?  Kind of funny.  

    But it is true, the economics of what has happened hit us all, and it has killed many dogs too unfortunately.

    Parent

    Oh yeah (5.00 / 1) (#70)
    by Militarytracy on Tue Aug 28, 2012 at 01:49:28 PM EST
    And I post that if you cut grandma or the middle class anymore, you will only get more dogs killed.  Cuz that's the truth

    Parent
    Did ya see... (none / 0) (#80)
    by kdog on Tue Aug 28, 2012 at 02:20:56 PM EST
    the Code Pink protestors dressed up as giant vaginas?  Awesomeness.

    Also, police assigned to protest duty outnumber ptotestors 4-1...so much for small government!  

    Parent

    Romney made at least (none / 0) (#25)
    by KeysDan on Tue Aug 28, 2012 at 11:32:53 AM EST
    one fortuitous decision for the convention. It was well that he invited the NY eminence Archbishop Dolan to give the benediction rather than Salvatore Cordileone, Archbishop-designate of San Francisco.  

    Archbishop-designate Cordileone would have been an inconvenience what with his arrest Saturday morning at 12:26 am just outside the campus of San Diego State University on suspicion of drunk driving. The bishop was booked into a San Diego jail and released on bond the next morning.  A police spokesman said he was not a belligerent drunk and presented no problems throughout the night.

    The arch-conservative archbishop is known as the "father of California's Prop. 8" , the anti-gay legislation, and is chair of the US Conference of bishops sub-committee for the promotion and defense of marriage.  He is an advocate for a return to the Tridentine mass promulgated in 1570.  The eminence, currently bishop of Oakland, is to be installed as SF archbishop Oct 4, 5-days before his first court date.  Perhaps he can use as a defense...Judge, the water I was drinking miraculously turned into wine.  It just may work.

    Well, heavens... (none / 0) (#91)
    by Dadler on Tue Aug 28, 2012 at 03:46:08 PM EST
    ...the school IS one of the most notoriously party-heavy institutions of HIGHer learning. When in Rome, cut the padre some slack, sheesh. Ahem. ;-b

    Parent
    And if padres can't get a break in San Diego... (5.00 / 3) (#92)
    by Dadler on Tue Aug 28, 2012 at 03:47:05 PM EST
    ...then where can they?

    Parent
    That's what oculus says ... (5.00 / 1) (#96)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Tue Aug 28, 2012 at 04:05:16 PM EST
    ... whenever the Padres play the Dodgers -- or anyone else these days, for that matter.

    Parent
    Well played (5.00 / 2) (#97)
    by CoralGables on Tue Aug 28, 2012 at 04:06:42 PM EST


    Parent
    About Dolan (none / 0) (#113)
    by womanwarrior on Tue Aug 28, 2012 at 09:37:21 PM EST
    Did you read that he offered his pedophile priests $20,000 a piece to agree to be laicized when he was in Milwaukee?  What a guy to emulate.  


    Parent
    That's the least of it (5.00 / 1) (#114)
    by Towanda on Tue Aug 28, 2012 at 10:20:00 PM EST
    Here's but a brief summary by Peter Isely of SNAP, the survivors group.

    Parent
    Rachel Corrie (none / 0) (#26)
    by sj on Tue Aug 28, 2012 at 11:40:09 AM EST
    I was surprised to see her name on the google news site this morning..  Apparently it took 9 years for Isreal to clear itself of any culpability in her death.
    I'm surprised that (5.00 / 2) (#34)
    by Zorba on Tue Aug 28, 2012 at 11:59:52 AM EST
    it took them that long to clear themselves.  We all knew that they would wind up doing so, anyway.

    Parent
    Also the site is stalling (none / 0) (#27)
    by sj on Tue Aug 28, 2012 at 11:41:17 AM EST
    while waiting for platform/twitter/widgets/tweet_button ... etc.

    Those damn things... (5.00 / 1) (#29)
    by kdog on Tue Aug 28, 2012 at 11:46:11 AM EST
    make most every site load slowly...and damned if I know what their purpose even is! ;)

    Parent
    kdog, please comment on this study. (none / 0) (#32)
    by oculus on Tue Aug 28, 2012 at 11:56:47 AM EST
    MJ/IQ

    Parent
    Ummmm..... (none / 0) (#42)
    by kdog on Tue Aug 28, 2012 at 12:33:06 PM EST
    Stupid is as stupid does ma'am? ;)

    I don't feel any less intelligent for being an every day man for 19 years, though I will admit the more I learn, the more confused I get.  I'm probably the wrong guy to ask, I feel intelligence is too arbitrary to be measured by any test...I don't put much stock in IQ. It's as worthless as the SAT or the Wonderlic.

    I do believe my sacrament will open your mind to a certain wisdom.    

    Parent

    Wait, what was the question? ;-) (5.00 / 2) (#49)
    by sarcastic unnamed one on Tue Aug 28, 2012 at 12:52:47 PM EST


    Parent
    I figure if you lost IQ points you must (none / 0) (#47)
    by oculus on Tue Aug 28, 2012 at 12:50:50 PM EST
    have started out a genius.  That's a compliment.  

    Parent
    Why thank you... (none / 0) (#54)
    by kdog on Tue Aug 28, 2012 at 01:08:33 PM EST
    but as per usual, you're too kind!

    As long as retain enough brain function to always remember what is important, I'm golden.  

    And if I am certifiably fried, I'm blaming whippets;)  

    Parent

    ::sigh:: (none / 0) (#37)
    by sj on Tue Aug 28, 2012 at 12:11:09 PM EST
    I'm usually more accurate when typing out part or all of a URL.  But I guess the meaning was clear enough.

    Parent
    It (none / 0) (#45)
    by lentinel on Tue Aug 28, 2012 at 12:48:18 PM EST
    is easy to trash these azzoles. They are eminently trashworthy.
    They are stupid. They are racist. They are misogynists.
    And they are dangerous.

    I wish I could have something to say about the democrats that would make me feel that they are worth voting for, as opposed to just being glad that they have defeated the morons.

    I feel I am in the book, "1984" witnessing the war between Oceania and Eurasia. Here I am cheering on Big Brother, the Drone King.

    Are you and jb doppelgangers? (none / 0) (#53)
    by oculus on Tue Aug 28, 2012 at 01:02:06 PM EST


    Parent
    I don't think they are (5.00 / 1) (#63)
    by CoralGables on Tue Aug 28, 2012 at 01:40:30 PM EST
    jb is more of a Dem bashing in the closet republican, while lentinel is non-discriminatory in despising everyone.

    Parent
    Years ago, I was at an art panel discussion (5.00 / 1) (#67)
    by shoephone on Tue Aug 28, 2012 at 01:45:34 PM EST
    where singer and poet Lydia Lunch was on the panel. One of the audeince members asked her if she thought she was a discriminatory person or just a discriminating person. She answered, "I don't discriminate. I hate everyone equally."

    That aside, I think lentinel is consistent in his/her disdain for dishonesty and corruption in the two political parties.

    Parent

    I often agree with one or the other on (none / 0) (#66)
    by oculus on Tue Aug 28, 2012 at 01:44:05 PM EST
    certain issues.  Polanski, war in Iraq/Afghan. come to mind.  I don't know how they feel about Tebow.  

    Parent
    And I've never heard them express their (none / 0) (#68)
    by shoephone on Tue Aug 28, 2012 at 01:47:43 PM EST
    opinions of bassist Charles Mingus's piano playing.

    Humans are complex.

    Parent

    That's easy. (none / 0) (#98)
    by lentinel on Tue Aug 28, 2012 at 04:22:13 PM EST
    Mingus ain't no Bud Powell.

    Parent
    True enough. (none / 0) (#106)
    by shoephone on Tue Aug 28, 2012 at 07:19:52 PM EST
    (But still..."Orange Was the Color of Her Dress, Then Silk Blues"...)

    Parent
    You (5.00 / 1) (#108)
    by lentinel on Tue Aug 28, 2012 at 08:06:07 PM EST
    like the composition.
    I think it's nice, but that's about all I could say about it.

    But you asked about Mingus as a piano player, not as a composer.

    As a pianist, he isn't imo.

    If you want to talk about the compositions by Jazz musicians of Mingus's era, I would put any of the lines by Charlie Parker ("Au Leu Cha" for example) or Lennie Tristano ("April" or "317 East 32nd St.") way above "Orange Was the Color of Her Dress, Then Silk Blues". I would also put Bud's compositions like, "Dance of the Infidels" way above the efforts of Mingus.

    For me, and I mean no disrespect to you, Mingus was not much of a composer - not much of a pianist, and compared to Ray Brown or Oscar Pettiford - not much of a bass player.

    He is a personality, imo.
    He was a forceful band leader.
    But I know of absolutely no bass player who heard him play the bass and say, "That's it. That's what I want to do". Everyone comes from Ray, Oscar or Paul Chambers.

    At least, that's the way I hear it.

    But I truly respect anyone's right to enjoy whatever music they enjoy. I'm just offering my opinion since I was asked - although I admit I spun out a bit.


    Parent

    We'll have to agree to disagree (5.00 / 1) (#111)
    by shoephone on Tue Aug 28, 2012 at 08:59:44 PM EST
    I like the album of him playing piano. As for his composing skills, every tune on "Mingus Ah Um" is excellent in my opinion.  I think the tune "Self-Portrait in Three Colors" is unequivocally beautiful and brilliant. Some people can't stand the album "New Tijuana Moods" but I love that one too. It wasn't until I took a class in harmonic analysis of Mingus's music that I realized how intricate his compostitions were. But whtever you think of his composing or bass playing, he was a force. Paul Chambers, Eddie Gomez and Dave Holland are my favorite bassists. I also loved Ray Brown, and got to see him many times before he died.

    And, since I did ask, I appreciate your opinion, no matter what...

    Parent

    Elementary My Dear Watson (none / 0) (#78)
    by CoralGables on Tue Aug 28, 2012 at 02:12:21 PM EST
    jb probably supports Saint Tim from a religious standpoint but may dislike his football skills. lentinel would probably dislike everything about Tebow.

    Parent
    Isaac bands flood Charleston (none / 0) (#74)
    by CoralGables on Tue Aug 28, 2012 at 01:53:30 PM EST
    For those familiar with the City Market in Charleston, SC, outer bands from Isaac flooded it enough today for kayaks to paddle down the middle.

    I was there the first week of Oct '95 (none / 0) (#79)
    by shoephone on Tue Aug 28, 2012 at 02:14:35 PM EST
    and the remnants of Hurricane Opal were still flooding the streets of the city. First time I'd ever driven--ahem--floated a car down the road.

    Parent
    I was walking through there (none / 0) (#89)
    by CoralGables on Tue Aug 28, 2012 at 03:24:13 PM EST
    two weeks ago today. My daughter and I always make a trip through the Market and Margaritaville, then do a little shopping and grab a cupcake at Cupcake on King Street.

    Parent
    Does (none / 0) (#93)
    by Ga6thDem on Tue Aug 28, 2012 at 03:49:14 PM EST
    your daughter go to school there?

    Parent
    She's at (none / 0) (#95)
    by CoralGables on Tue Aug 28, 2012 at 04:02:32 PM EST
    MUSC

    Parent
    I'm jealous (none / 0) (#100)
    by lilburro on Tue Aug 28, 2012 at 04:30:38 PM EST
    Charleston is just beautiful.  I visited last year, when I lived in NC.  I'd love to try living either there or Savannah one day.

    Parent
    I have friends that moved to Charleston (none / 0) (#102)
    by ruffian on Tue Aug 28, 2012 at 05:56:25 PM EST
    two years ago and just love it. I visited last Labor Day weekend and I can see why. Lovely place and what fantastic food!

    Parent
    Yes, the food is great (none / 0) (#110)
    by lilburro on Tue Aug 28, 2012 at 08:18:56 PM EST
    both in and out of the historic downtown area, in my limited experience, anyway.  The architecture is beautiful and the graveyards are spooky and gothic and all those great Southern-y things.  Plus, it's in a really unique location geographically (the views of the water are breathtaking), so it's hard to imagine it not being remarkable.  The only thing that gives me pause is the sort of blueblooded feel that tinges the place.  I'm sure you can escape it but that's one of those things that made me think maybe I'd be happier in Savannah, which didn't strike me in the same way (probably due to the art school SCAD being there).

    One thing that amazes me when I look at old gravestones (I guess I'm thinking specifically of Savannah now) is how many people died over a duel or something for their honor.  So silly.  If only they'd had the internet...they could've happily trolled away at each other and nobody would've gotten hurt.

    Parent

    lol- maybe that would have helped (none / 0) (#112)
    by ruffian on Tue Aug 28, 2012 at 09:09:58 PM EST
    Did you see the Mercer House (from Midnight in the Garden of good and Evil)  in Savannah? it is pretty close to SCAD as I recall, or at lest near where a bunch of new grads were walking around the day I happened to be there a couple of years ago. I have only been to Savannah once also - not enough to have a clear opinion of the personality of the towns. I love old houses and they both have plenty of those!  The views of the water from Charleston are beautiful - have to give it a plus up over Savannah for that reason. But I do love the lovely squares in Savannah.

    They both have character in spades!

    Parent

    I didn't go in it, but I did see it (none / 0) (#115)
    by lilburro on Wed Aug 29, 2012 at 10:41:54 AM EST
    I love that book, too.  I went to Club One where Lady Chablis performs, but she wasn't there that day (despite rumors that she sometimes pulls off an impromptu show on her birthday weekend).

    Yes, views vs. squares, I can't choose.  Charleston probably has the better food.  Watch out for Spanish moss, it has little bugs in it, chiggers I think.  My friend decided to carry some around with the idea of keeping it...locals asked us what she was doing with it and about fell out laughing.  She threw it away.

    Parent

    Gawker is reporting (none / 0) (#81)
    by Ga6thDem on Tue Aug 28, 2012 at 02:24:24 PM EST
    that the mastermind of the murders here in GA and the plot to assassinate Obama was a page at the 2008 GOP convention.

    link

    Can anyone explain to me (none / 0) (#85)
    by CoralGables on Tue Aug 28, 2012 at 02:38:35 PM EST
    how this kind of nutcase conjures up a gameplan to "overthrow the government and poison an apple orchard". Somewhere I guess there is a connection but my wires don't work that way.

    Parent
    If you've (none / 0) (#87)
    by Ga6thDem on Tue Aug 28, 2012 at 02:57:55 PM EST
    ever read Intelligence Report put out by the SPLC you'll see they all have these grand plans. It never ends with just one person or one event.

    I don't think they meant to make a connection. I think they were thinking that poisoning an apple orchard was one of the first steps in their "grand plan". Usually, these people don't start off with presidential assassination plans. It's kind of something they work up to doing after doing some other things.

    Parent

    Guys like that (none / 0) (#86)
    by jondee on Tue Aug 28, 2012 at 02:49:22 PM EST
    and some of Beck's Seig Heil Teabaggers can't help but put me in mind of the people who put up those Wanted For Treason posters in Dallas in '63..

    ..as the Limbaughs and Becks of the world tell their minions to pay no attention to what the Goldman Sachs and Baines of the world do, and to focus all their rage on the "left wing" nigrah with the funny-soundin' name..

     

    Parent

    Tuesday Morning Open Thread | 115 comments (115 topical)

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