DL Open Thread Monday, Oct. 16, 2023
Whatever you think about the latest Israeli-Palestinian conflict, you have to admit that U.S. media picks and chooses its obsessions, and that dwelling on those stories stirs the deranged to action. Which is how you end up with a landlord stabbing a Palestinian woman’s 6-year-old child to death in that hotbed of ethnic strife that is Plainfield, Ill.
It doesn’t help that the propaganda machine has cranked up to deafening levels. For example, the report of Hamas beheading babies seems to fall into that category.
My evidence for the media’s selective interest is that the conflict in Azerbaijan briefly made the news last month before sinking without a trace. On the other hand, nobody stabbed any children over it, either.
Josh Marshall made an interesting point about the Republicans’ inability to choose a new Speaker of the House: They have internalized the strategy of refusing to honor the results of a vote when they lose. People like to go on and on about what prompted the American Civil War, but that’s really what it was about – the South lost an election and refused to abide by the results.
That’s enough to get you started. The floor’s yours.
How terrible is it when a tragedy happens in…
https://www.facebook.com/TerribleMaps/photos/a.1702342333343482/1778026662441715/?type=3
Man, that sums it up perfectly.
I like how tragedies in Alaska rank lower than those in Canada, which seems true.
Cori Bush-D (MO-1) calls for ending US military aid to Israel.
@ 1:09 mins
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Ck0XCZJRXM
Sent Cori some $olidarity just now.
https://secure.actblue.com/donate/coriwebsite?refcode=web-en-takeover&amount=27&express_lane=true
As a child growing up on Long Island 50% of the residents in my area were Jews, I had a generally good opinion of the Jews, they were my friends. Same for Israel, but that has changed dramatically, I now see them as an ally not worth the having, same for the Saudi’s. I’d like to see a dramatic decrease in military spending, the truth is most of the spending has nothing to do with defending the country and every thing to do with pumping federal money into cities and states, rural areas in particular.
I think that Jim Jordan is gonna get the votes to become Speaker.
Rethugs have proven that they are nothing if not cowardly. Faced with a relentless right-wing blitzkrieg for Jordan, I believe they will fold:
https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2023/10/16/congress/jordan-gains-critical-traction-00121758
Dems withholding their votes for McCarthy was clearly the right strategy. I guess we are trading up from an impotent, wounded R to a real nut.