Open Thread For May 30, 2017
White House Cans Communications Director: Hey, I didn’t even know this guy was the Communications Director.
Noriega Dies: He was always a brutal despot. He was also George HW Bush’s useful ally–until he wasn’t.
Press Literally Under Attack: Bullets fired at the Lexington (KY) Herald-Leader’s offices. This is what Trump and his minions seek to make acceptable.
French President Macron Shows How to Deal With Putin: Of course, the Russkies aren’t in to him for billions of dollars.
What do you want to talk about?
Trump has validated millions of
ignorant cruel bigoted pigs and they love him for it.
Trump’s personal lawyer refuses to cooperate with congressional investigations:
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/russia-investigation-expands-include-donald-trumps-personal-attorney/story?id=47646601
This guy’s a piece of work. Lotsa ties to Trump and the Ukraine.
@mouse: Yes, they do. But never forget that there are more of us than there are of them.
The white anger that Trump has churned up like a widening wake reminds me of the scene in the original “Ghostbusters” when the power gets turned off and all the demons burst from their prison. South Carolina Rep. Mark Sanford, of all people, said that people in his district tell him that if the president can say it, so can they.
We often mistakenly call a large group of sometimes-voters “undecided,” when a more accurate term would be “unconcerned” — that is, they assume the system largely runs itself and that it doesn’t much matter which candidate or party wins. They see nothing that requires their personal involvement.
Some people think that it’s impossible to sway not just the brainwashed but the unconcerned as well. I disagree, and it is stories like this one that will make the difference:
http://www.dailykos.com/stories/2017/5/30/1667247/-Republican-lawmaker-hedges-three-times-when-asked-Is-every-American-entitled-to-eat
For those disinclined to click, a Nebraska Republican was asked about cuts to food vouchers.Three times, NPR reporter Scott Simon asked him if people were entitled to eat. Three times the congressman failed to answer “yes” or “no” — indicating clearly that his answer is “no.”
Stories like this won’t make as much difference to public opinion as the cuts to Medicaid will — nothing motivates like self-interest, and people having to take in critically ill, end-of-life relatives who have gone bankrupt fits the bill nicely. But such stories help, because saying people deserve to starve is a bad look on anybody.