The Tweets I feel are not worthy of the news feed but are still damn interesting news

     

    David Mamet is making a play about Harvey Weinstein https://t.co/stj67nYDA1 pic.twitter.com/CXKnTOQogt

    — New York Post (@nypost) May 25, 2018

     

    Comments


    Mussels on opoids now:


    Depressing.

    I weep for you,' the Walrus said:
          I deeply sympathize.'
    With sobs and tears he sorted out
          Those of the largest size,
    Holding his pocket-handkerchief
          Before his streaming eyes.
     
    O Oysters Mussels,' said the Carpenter,
          You've had a pleasant run!
    Shall we be trotting home again?'
          But answer came there none —
    And this was scarcely odd, because
          They'd eaten every one."
     
    who's eating Gilbert Grape?
    Even shellfish and hors d'oeuvres acquiring
    fatal habits these days.

    I was in a crowded elevator in a building a few blocks from Trump tower on Weds. afternoon. I announced to my friend that my cab driver over there warned me if I was going to that address that "they" had just shut down FDR Drive (the main highway along the east coast of Manhattan) and that means "the president is coming." Everyone on the elevator groaned when they heard what I said. That's cause they don't just bring out barricades and corral vehicles, they corral pedestrians on the route as well.

    They didn't this time, because he took a chopper from the highway, I had no idea this is what it looked like when they do that, kinda scary:

     

    WH photo from @POTUS trip to NYC on Wednesday brings to mind "Ride of the Valkyries." (WH photo by @AndreaHanks). pic.twitter.com/MMPnTJooG8

    — Mark Knoller (@markknoller) May 25, 2018

     

     




    almost beyond cross-culturism:


    the 'hood' has definitely gone upscale:

    At Sotheby’s, ASAP Rocky breaks out of the box https://t.co/YbKszfET7Z pic.twitter.com/XrHyZuUNBF

    — New York Times Arts (@nytimesarts) May 26, 2018

    The rapper and style muse put himself through a series of physical challenges before unleashing his new album, “Testing.”

     


    Did you see the Pain Hustlers

    Billions made in fentanyl laced prescription opioids, and MDs who write a new opioid prescription every 4 minutes, even while interviewed by the journalist.

    The drug company Insys created a team to get insurance approval for single patient scrips bringng in $100k/year by pretending to be calling from the doctor's office, plus the usual bribes of docs for "educational presentations".


    yeah. but then I think our whole medical system is a kickback scheme, so I didn't think it an extraordinary article...good intro. for beginners on how it works, though! wink


    But Saudi sheiks come here and rent whole hospital floors cuz we have the....best....system........



    I just love being in the middle of a decades old feud between 2 weird and neurotic actors. And if 50-year-old Frank Sinatra were from Alabama would they call him Roy Moore for pursuing & marrying a 20-year-old? (or if Roy was from New York would he be suave & swing?). Same with Woody (not so much Soon-Yi but his much younger obsessions). Mia hooking up with her famous ex in the middle of an angry breakup of an ongoing relationship to sire a future reporter to clarify it all for us? Oh, those blue eyes...  which cuckoo nest... but then, she's a child of Hollywood, daughter of 2 stars (her mum, the famous Thin Man's Maureen O'Sullivan, played her mom in Hannah & Her Sisters).

    And despite the weirdness of Woody's taking on his long-time girlfriend's 21-year-old adopted daughter, you'd think that after 21 years of them being married (together a total of 27 years) that there'd be some thought that this wasn't just a predatory fling, but actual quirky perhaps romantic love?

    And while we're at it, Polanski gave a 13-year-old a qualuud & champagne and buttfucked her (knowing how procreation, menstrual cycles and unwanted kids works - yes, it both adds to and detracts from the creepiness factor)' this wasn't "accused of rape" - it was admitted factual rape of a minor minor, not a curious wild thang Hollywood groupy minor. And in Polanski's own words, "“As far as what I did: it’s over,” Polanski said. “I pleaded guilty. I went to jail. I came back to the United States to do it, people forget about that, or don’t even know. I then was locked up here [in Zurich] after this festival. So in the sum, I did about four or five times more than what was promised to me.” There's been some wishy-washyness in the press when they discuss this, as if it were only #MeToo allegations, not admitted fact.


    Oy, yeah.

    I think the Farrow's endlessly fascinating to many because it's a story of a woman trying to create family the right way rather than relying on serendipity of "blood" DNA, a supposed multi-culti openness rainbow. And what do you end up with: same old same old dysfunctional hell us DNA families have always had.

    This Moses story, to my mind, though, is the best to date. I totally buy it. Until the next convincing version comes along. wink

    P.S. Sassiness aside: Forget all the problems of single human brains filtering things according to who knows what, brainwashing, et. al., let's go to the big picture analogy: how do we deal with "faux news", how do we deal with "spin"? Moses' narrative goes to actual facts to go with his spin: two thorough legal investigations, both coming up with: no abuse. Humans can't really go much further than that in finding "truth", get together teams of independents who are trained in the question, and review all the narratives. That's the best we can do. We don't have any better way to figure objective "truth", is why we have juries, etc.


    Supposedly police consider domestic disputes the most dangerous trouble call to respond to. For some reason we're supposed to then observe the angry breakup of a relationship along with a custody fight, and take at face value *any* of the statements, including those of the young kids? Yes, they all sound convincing, and I believe they're all sincere. Hey, look at our Republicans vs Democrats thing - I understand a lot are insincere, but more likely are totally sincere - and frequently completely at odds with completely different views of reality based on the same set of facts. It's like that blue dress vs yellow dress that different people see, or the trouble in trying to figure Americans out vs other natonalities.



    Maybe just fine advice for a keeping narcissist boss happy, but strikes me as cluelessly bad political advice to continue trolling this particular culture wars issue, precisely BECAUSE on this one, these "supporters" are lazy asses who will not get off the frigging couch to vote in mid-terms much less research which candidate supports football players standing for the national anthem:

    Trump disinvites Philadelphia Eagles, Super Bowl champs, from White House

    @ Politico.com, Updated06/04/2018 09:05 PM E

    [....] Trump and his advisers believe the culture war they’ve incited over the national anthem is a hands-down political winner — and the president intends to continue hammering away at the issue heading into the midterms and his own reelection bid, according to people close to him.

    The politics of kneeling is part of why Trump won the White House,” said Andy Surabian, a former Trump White House aide. “Your average American — independent, Republican and even Democrat — doesn’t like the idea of people kneeling for the national anthem.” [....]


    Trump wants everyone to bow to him. This appeal to those who favor authoritarians.

    The Warriors and the Cavaliers are playing in the NBA finals to determine which team will refuse to visit the White House.

    Trump is arguing that he can pardon himself

    Trump lied about writing a letter covering for the reason his son met with Russians.

    Trump’s campaign chairman is alleged to have tampered with witnesses.

    The budget manager admits that tariffs will hurt the middle class

    Now he bans the Philadelphia Eagles from the White House.

    This is Monday.

     


    My dad is a union democrat, center right. He would not have voted for Trump. Probably would have voted for McCain, war hero, wouldn't have voted for Romney. I don't think he really cares a lot about football players kneeling. He cares but it's not a big deal to him. While we were watching the news when the owners decided to fine players who kneel he said, "The NFL is gonna punish players that disrespect the flag." It wasn't even like he was glad about it, just noting an unimportant side issue he saw on the news. I doubt he even once considered why they were "disrespecting the flag." He probably doesn't know. Kneeling for the NA is counter productive.


    Protests are often considered counterproductive at the time they occur.

    The March on Washington, the Freedom Riders, etc. were very unpopular.

    http://time.com/5099513/martin-luther-king-day-myths/


    Protests always get push back. Change doesn't come easily or quickly. But that all protests get push back doesn't mean that all protest tactics are equal. When blacks sat at a Woolworth lunch counter that was an effective protest. They could have burned a flag outside the entrance. Burning flags was a common tactic among the radical anti-war movement at that time. Which do you think is the better tactic most likely to get Woolworths to open up it's lunch counter to blacks?

    Protests don't always lead to positive change. Sometimes they fail to produce change. Tactics is everything. BLM and Occupy Wall Street are examples of protests likely to fail due to poor choice of tactics. I think Occupy Wall Street has already failed. Act UP and the civil rights movement led by MLK succeeded due to wise use of tactics.


    that you mentioned Act Up reminded me that I posted this story about the Parkland group doing a "die-in," Act Up style, and got nearly immediate results on stopping political donations to targeted pols. I saw a video first on twitter and was so impressed that I followed up on the story. Since you visit Florida, I'm sure you know Publix is a big co. there, and slightly upscale, so it wouldn't surprise me if Publix leaned towards the GOP. But instead of calling the cops and causing a big scene, they just backed down.


    Some NFL teams took a knee. Why is that offensive? The Philadelphia Eagles stood with their arms locked together during the anthem. Trump says that you MUST stand with hand over your heart during the anthem. You are an SOB who shouldn’t be in the country if you kneel or stay in the locker room. How do you think that will play out in history?

    Today is John Wesley Carlos’ birthday. He and Tommie Smith raised their fists on the podium in the 1968 Olympics. Carlos and Smith were heavily criticized at the time, but are considered heroes now.

    https://blackamericaweb.com/2018/06/05/little-known-black-history-fact-john-carlos/

    No flags were burned in the protests to gain access to being served in public places. Please stick to actual events..

    Bernie Sanders joined in protesting mass incarceration with Black Lives Matter in California. Sanders went from being upset about being disrupted by BLM to marching with the organization.

    https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/campaigns/bernie-sanders-rallies-with-black-lives-matter-leaders-in-california-to-put-a-spotlight-on-mass-incarceration

     

     


     Kneeling for the NA is counter productive.

    To change hearts and minds of football fans as to BLM et. al., I agree with you: it's counter productive.

    To alter voting in any direction in mid-terms: not applicable.

    Outside of sports world now it just feeds Trump antics. So it all depends on whether you think pushing attention to his reaction is good or bad. (Inside sports world: frankly I don't give a damn, be fine with me if pro football was abolished.)


    the ridiculous part of it all that these Eagles guys weren't even doing it surprise:

    While the President has focused on players who kneeled during the anthem, no Eagles did that last year – but a number had made it clear they were not going to show up at the White House, to show their displeasure with the President’s very public stance on the national anthem.

    from Atlantic Journal Constitution, link here:

    No members of the Eagles kneeled last year, but most didn't want to go to the White House https://t.co/siX7CuvMVu pic.twitter.com/RGd4JtkDqG

    — Jamie Dupree (@jamiedupree) June 5, 2018

    Definitely using culture wars for narcissistic gain. You're either with the Trump persona or you're agin him.

    The only reason the White House meeting was cancelled is that not enough Eagles are Trump fans, not the way they want to spend their day. But the Trump deal is: no more small crowds! Always yuge crowds! With cheering! Adoring fans giving mega dittoes (the Limbaugh method! ) Chance for Trump to say things about his greatness! (Maybe North Korea, maybe pardon power, maybe crooked Hillary, maybe Dems separating moms from babies, who knows, probably not football, though.)

    This is the real reason why it's counter-productive: all the attention is drawn to Trump, not to the intended issue. He, and his idiot advisors mentioned above, have co-opted it and the other side loses all control of the narrative.


    mho, best way to handle him with stuff like this childish narcissistic behavior: ridicule:

    Philadelphia mayor blasts Trump as 'fragile egomaniac' after Eagles snub

    @ TheHill.com - 06/04/18 09:45 PM EDT

    Philadelphia mayor's aide mocks Trump with photos of Eagles' Super Bowl win crowd size

    @ TheHill.com - 06/04/18 10:21 PM EDT


    poor poor babies, don't get no respeckt:


    but Bill Clinton...


    Took em forever, it was almost like: what is he, chopped liver?

    Meanwhile, I think the Philadelphia Eagles are about to be outlawed by Presidential proclamation:

    ....@NASCAR and Champion @MartinTruex_Jr were recently at the White House. It was a great day for a great sport!

    — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 5, 2018


    We have had many Championship teams recently at the White House including the Chicago Cubs, Houston Astros, Pittsburgh Penguins, New England Patriots, Alabama and Clemson National Champions, and many others. National Anthem & more great music today at 3:00 P.M.

    — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 5, 2018

    And cosmpolitan elite Bill Kristol is on a tear about how Trump is the one expecting genuflection, two of several tweets

    You hate to see the president using the United States Marine Band and the Army Chorus for a cheap political stunt. But he's the president, and they'll show up and do their duty. The good news is you can ignore today's ceremony and enjoy lots of the Band and Chorus on YouTube. https://t.co/VCXmDeiLBw

    — Bill Kristol (@BillKristol) June 5, 2018


    Trump’s National Anthem demagoguery is so cynical, and his followers’ fetishization of the anthem so credulous, that I find it hard to take seriously. But maybe that’s been a mistake on my part. Because there is something not only creepy but even sinister about the whole thing.

    — Bill Kristol (@BillKristol) June 5, 2018

    Cue Ashcroft doing "Where Eagles Soar"




    Almost like falsely accusing your opponent of suffering from a debilitating disease like Parkinsons. Oh wait, no, they just said her extended stay in the hospital could be something else because it lasted much longer and she hasn't been seen in weeks.

    And how fucking obliging of the press to accept 2 reporters caught a glimpse of her so everything's okay. Not much comment on my Tangled Web news item on how Trump plays us - we're replaying Exodus and the Civil War again. Evryone's gone bored.


    oh but this whole spin thing, is getting complicated, a hint that maybe Melania no likey Guiliani:

     

    Yikes. I asked @FLOTUS spokeswoman @StephGrisham45 about Giuliani saying that she believes her husband re Stormy Daniels. Response: “I don't believe Mrs. Trump has ever discussed her thoughts on anything with Mr. Giuliani.”

    — Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) June 7, 2018

     

    From that, my immediate thoughts go back to the news thread here announcing that Guiliani had been hired and many of us opined that the egos had to clash sooner or later. Now it's more like two motor mouths always saying whatever they think off the top of their head and then steadfastly digging in their heels to defend whatever they say off the top of their head no matter how stupid and ill thought out it was. I.E., always a counter-productive instinct to protect a supposed "breathtaking genuis" brand until you make yourself out as a babbling idiot.


    News for Rudy: Trump has appeared in 3 softcore porn videos:

     



    Bannon got a lobotomy:


    The Stepford Advisors


    Washington Capitals just won the Stanley Cup, it's a huge headline over @ WaPo. An hr. ago I ran across this related tweet:

    Washington Capitals player won't meet with Trump if team wins Stanley Cup https://t.co/aEairVx2lU pic.twitter.com/s34SBJQrMK

    — The Hill (@thehill) June 8, 2018

    Smith-Pelly takes a strong stance against Trump. There are ties between black Canadians and blacks in the United States.

    As a historical aside, blacks who fought for the British during the Revolutionary War were taken to Nova Scotia when the British fled the victorious United States. These Loyalists fought for the promise of freedom.

    https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_of_Negroes

    During the Civil War, Black Canadians, including some who fled slavery in the United States, fought for the Union.

    https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=UDVHVNRo1Io#fauxfullscreen

    ​Edit:

    Corrected to when the British fled


    I appreciate that, as a hockey player given stereotypes that are out there about hockey players ("I went to a fight once and a hockey game broke out", etc.), he mentioned Trump's sexism as well as racism.  

    Until HD TV and treadmill workouts at home, I was not into hockey.  I could not follow the puck.  I've come to really appreciate it.  The sportsmanship evident at the end of playoff series, when guys who have been banging each other around look one another in the eye and shake hands, is a refreshing and rare public display of mutual respect by adversaries in these times. 

    The DC area is a bit over the moon about the championship win, with frequent dividing lines temporarily ignored (although Trump is tweeting congrats, so stay tuned to see if The Great Divider will, give him time, have some negative impact on this situation) or superseded.  Which, to understate the case, is not always the case around these parts. 

    It's the first Stanley Cup for the Caps in 44 years and comes against a backdrop of major disappointment and assumptions of playoff (where teams even make the playoffs, often not the case with the Redskins football team) gloom and doom as part of the pro sports culture here for many years now.  Having DC pro sports teams win a championship once in awhile (it's been 26 years, I believe) does create opportunities for people otherwise not getting along so much to forget about that, temporarily, with maybe some relationship improvement windows cracking open in the process.  


    Yes, as much as I personally loathe the whole pro sports thing at times (it's fake tribal, after all), I agree totally with this: does create opportunities for people otherwise not getting along so much to forget about that, temporarily, with maybe some relationship improvement windows cracking open in the process.  I think it's fun news for that reason.  And I also think if the whole team can manage to dis Trump in some way, it will do a lot of good, moreso than with the NFL or NBA.


    It's clear to me with this comment that you never lose a chance to turn every topic into a racially charged one, to be in effect, divisive, to expound on racial grievance and differences.

    How do you think that will help? Or are even you trying to help anything but rather are just doing a primal scream thing? Eternal anger is what it looks like to me.

    You don't see the potential here that American Dreamer does. This is a uniter thing, not the divider thing. This is a largely white sport with largely white fans which represents a city with a largely black population. That's where you should go: unite not divide. 


    The team is free to go to the White House. Smith-Pelly is free is stay at home. Isn’t that free speech?

    I provide a different take on things involving race. We do not have to agree. People can even sit through the anthem.

    Here is what Jackie Robinson had to say about the anthem and the flag. 

    https://mlb.nbcsports.com/2016/08/29/jackie-robinson-i-cannot-stand-and-sing-the-anthem-i-cannot-salute-the-flag/

    There I was, the black grandson of a slave, the son of a black sharecropper, part of a historic occasion, a symbolic hero to my people. The air was sparkling. The sunlight was warm. The band struck up the national anthem. The flag billowed in the wind. It should have been a glorious moment for me as the stirring words of the national anthem poured from the stands. Perhaps, it was, but then again, perhaps, the anthem could be called the theme song for a drama called The Noble Experiment. Today, as I look back on that opening game of my first world series, I must tell you that it was Mr. Rickey’s drama and that I was only a principal actor. As I write this twenty years later, I cannot stand and sing the anthem. I cannot salute the flag; I know that I am a black man in a white world. In 1972, in 1947, at my birth in 1919, I know that I never had it made


    My blood pressure is 115/76. Multiple studies show that racial stress is a factor in the incidence of hypertension in the black community. Realizing that the societal pressure to behave in certain ways can be detrimental to one’s health. I don’t have to shut up and sing.

    Edit to add the third stanza of the Star Spangled Banner contains the following

    And where is that band who so vauntingly swore,
    That the havoc of war and the battle’s confusion
    A home and a Country should leave us no more?
    Their blood has wash’d out their foul footstep’s pollution.
    No refuge could save the hireling and slave
    From the terror of flight or the gloom of the grave,
    And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave
    O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave.

    The hirelings and slaves refers to slaves who fought for the British because of a promise of freedom. Something the colonists were not offering. When the British were defeated, the United States wanted their property returned. The property was the 6000 free people the new country wanted to return to slavery. The British refused. The free blacks were taken to Canada and Trinidad

    https://theintercept.com/2016/08/28/colin-kaepernick-is-righter-than-you-know-the-national-anthem-is-a-celebration-of-slavery/

    All I am doing is providing a more complete record of events


    Not really - all I see you doing is putting some racial juice on any and every comment, often just scrolling back through the list for a history lesson - how'd we end up on the Star Spangled Banner? right.


    I understand the confusion. There was discussion that Smith-Pelly, a black member of the Washington Capitals, should go to the White House despite concerns about Trump. The links I provided on Smith-Pelly focused on the historical connections between how some blacks arrived in Canada and that black Canadians fought for the Union. I did not mention the anthem protest by a black athlete in the NHL. J.T. Brown was the first black NHL player to protest police abuse. Smith-Pelly considered a similar protest in 2017.

    J.T. Brown

    https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nhl/2017/10/09/jt-brown-national-anthem-protest-support/746694001/

    Brown had the support of other NHL players.

    Smith-Pelly 

    https://www.cbssports.com/nhl/news/capitals-smith-pelly-considers-anthem-protest-my-team-has-my-back-if-i-do-it/

    ​Smith-Pelly had the support of his teammates if he decided to protest police abuse.

    The anthem was playing in the background when Smith-Pelly suggested he would not attend a White House celebration.

    Trump will decide whether the Washington Capitals will be invited to the White House.

    https://nypost.com/2018/06/08/trump-no-white-house-invite-for-nba-champs-well-see-about-caps/


    Who here was suggesting that they thought Smith-Pelly should go to the White House despite concerns about Trump? Perhaps I missed that.


    I took comments made at 6:37 PM and 6:41 PM on 06/08/18 to suggest Smith-Polly to join the team if the Capitals were invited to the White House,


    There are time stamped comments on 6/8 for 7:37 and 7:41 that show up on my screen.  If these are the ones to which you are referring I don't see anything suggesting that Smith-Pelly go to the White House. 

    One of the comments suggests that if the whole Caps team could find a way to dis Trump that might have impact. Is this what you are referring to? 

    I did not interpret that comment to be expressing that view.  I took it to be making a broad point about the utility of building bridges rather than alienating potential supporters with overly broadbrush and unfounded statements.

    But I may have interpreted it incorrectly and your interpretation may have been correct. The person who offered the comment can certainly tell us what was meant by it if they wish to. 


    I have heard Trump call NFL players, SOBs and unpatriotic. Trump wants players fired or expelled from the country.

    https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/2018/05/24/donald-trump-vs-nfl-players-tracking-anthem-remarks-protest/640055002/

    I see the players described with a broad brush. Have yo seen the players attack the general public?

    Edit to add:

    A recent poll indicates that only Republicans and white men without college degrees object to the NFL protests in majority numbers.

    https://nypost.com/2018/06/07/most-voters-are-fine-with-nfl-players-anthem-kneeling-poll/

    2nd Edit tomadd:

    NFL, NBA, and NHL players do good things in their respective communities. Many people do not object to the protests. If fact there are activists telling fans to not watch the upcoming season of the NFL because of the demand that the anthem be respected.

    If the biggest demand for the NFL’s anthem position comes from Republicans can white males without a college education, I don’t see how you create a bridge.

    https://theintercept.com/2018/02/08/nfl-boycott-super-bowl-colin-kaepernick/


    Thinking on this matter more here is what I hope will happen. The Caps provide no indication that they are considering whether or not to go to the WH if there is an invitation.  Trump believes that they will, perhaps thinking to can isolate more black athletes he believes insufficiently worshipful of him and his actions, when Smith-Pelly alone declines to go.  He extends an invitation.

    Meanwhile behind the scenes the Caps actually have been discussing this.  They decide to send an additional powerful message of unity and the need for everyone to contribute to racial justice and racial reconciliation by declining the invitation, with a unifying public statement accompanied by a reinforcing gesture.  The basketball champion Warriors brought a group of DC area kids with them to visit the Museum of African American history in lieu of a WH visit.

    Sounds like an organizing project among the Caps players.  Perhaps the most likely way it happens is if Smith-Pelly recruits another player as an ally, or a teammate takes such an initiative,  in an effort to engage the whole team in a conversation about the matter.  All the other players who played in the deciding game are white.  Perhaps Smith-Pelly's closest friend on the team, or the teammate with the strongest feelings in opposition to Trump's racial divisiveness, would be the most likely person to team up with him to create a conversation among the whole team.

    I agree with AA that there might be a way for the entire team to convey their feelings about Trump's actions in this way.

    The team captain, Russian Alex Ovechkin, made pro-Putin comments to the media a couple of months ago.  It's possible that he cares enough about these matters to also more or less consciously be just fine with Trump, as perhaps the most powerful human in the world presently owned by Putin.  But who knows?  He doesn't strike me as very political at all.

    The Capitals were able to win that elusive Stanley Cup championship this season despite having lost a number of key players from last season.  They were able to far surpass expectations this season in part because they were all in for one another.  By all accounts they were an extremely close-knit group that overcome much adversity along the way by supporting one another.

    What better way for them to further demonstrate the power of such unity than by standing with their black teammate Smith-Pelly on this matter?  They could show themselves to be human beings of enormous depth, social awareness, and character beyond their identity as inspired and inspiring hockey teammates.


    It is an interesting dynamic. The Capitals owner supported Hillary Clinton. The team plays near the White House so not going would be a big deal.

    https://www.sbnation.com/nhl/2018/6/7/17440256/capitals-white-house-visit-stanley-cup

    Ivanka and Jared had a photo op with the Capitals at a Washington restaurant last night.​

    https://www.cnn.com/2018/06/10/politics/stanley-cup-jared-kushner-ivanka-trump/index.html

    We will see what Trump’s mood is after Singapore to find out if the team is invited. 


    "Most Capitals say they will visit the White House after winning the Stanley Cup," Samantha Pell, WaPo, this afternoon. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/capitals-insider/wp/2018/06/13/most-...

    ​172 comments and counting, less than 2 hours following the post as I write.  This is pretty high volume for comments in response to a WaPo online sports column.     


    Do you think there will be a protest of police brutality by the team members who go to the White House?


    "FAILED PUNT" @ DailyBeast.com,  4 hours ago:

    Trump Asks NFL Players for Advice on Pardons

    summarizing this Reuters piece 

    Trump offers olive branch to NFL players with input on pardons

    with the money quote:

    “This is just another attempt to divert attention and, of course, it places Donald Trump as the master of everything, just appeal to me personally and I’ll let your friends out or maybe I will pardon them,” said Jeffrey Robinson, deputy legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union.

    I am suspicious on reading this part that some buddy on late night phone suggested this attack the NFL thing is not working with the base, you are looking like an ass, why doncha try a little of the Clinton feel your pain thing

     “I am going to ask all of those people to recommend to me, because that’s what they’re protesting—people that they think were unfairly treated by the justice system. And I understand that,” Trump told reporters. “They’ve seen a lot of abuse and they’ve seen a lot of unfairness.” 

    and that the ACLU guy is correctly interpreting it as still all about Trump!

    Especially as he is talking about this at: the G7 press conference!!!

    ALL THAT SAID: the whole culture, we are always making fun of Miz Kardashian. But she's obviously inspirational here as well and so now has shown herself at being successful using the wiles to affect two crazee men, maybe time to stop dissing her political abilities?


    If this obvious ploy works on the base, what does that say about their intelligence level?

    It is the system itself that is the problem. Not everybody is going to have a celebrity in their corner. 


    The reason I am a pessimist is because I keep hearing that we need to recruit those on the other side. I have yet to hear someone propose what can be said to the other side.


    This economy is not working for a great many.  Yet there are many measures available to us which would benefit people of all skin colors, ethnicities and genders--people who think of themselves as on one or another "side" of the current divisions--and result in a fairer, more compassionate, stronger, less angry, less divided economy and society.  So why not work together to pursue those?       

    For the substance, see proposals from, among others with excellent, entirely workable ideas, Jared Bernstein, Thomas Shapiro, and (add proposals of others with excellent ideas here).  Both offer specific policy suggestions, grounded in fact and research and offering broad benefits which would reduce inequality and inequities by addressing barriers which make it more difficult for people of all skin colors, ethnicities and genders to help themselves and improve their circumstances.   

      

     


    The economic message has been sent. It was rejected for Trump’s nonsense. People who need healthcare don’t know that their healthcare his Obamacare. They cheer when Trump talks about abolishing Obamacare. They cheer the Wall and are silent when children are snatched from their mothers. Black voters are not objecting to the Democratic Party’s economic plan. Blacks, Latinos, Asians, and a minority of whites agree with the Democratic plan. A majority of Whites voted for Trump. Trump’s approval remains in the 40s. 

    At the Presidential Level, I see a majority of ethnic minority voters siding with the Democrats and a majority of whites siding with the Republicans. Neither Clinton or Obama ever got a majority of the white vote. We can work to get the white voters willing to form a coalition. I don’t see signs that Trump supporters will change, Democrats are winning seats by forming coalitions already. I don’t see a pool of Democratic voters among people who make up the 40% supporting Trump right now.

    Blacks and minority voters are not the ones preventing a coalition. There is already a coalition with white voters. What is your message to current Trump voters? The economic message isn’t working.


    I don't feel a powerful economic message has been conveyed powerfully, with clarity and conviction, in explicitly unifying, cross-racial and gender responsive language (by the latter I mean offering, with clarity and conviction, proposals that would enable many more women, and male single parents, to be able to better juggle work and family responsibilities and aspirations; Madeleine Kunin, former governor of Vermont, is one among many who have offered workable suggestions on how to do this, in The New Feminist Agenda, for example.)  You believe it has.  So it is understandable to me why you do not see possibilities worth pursuing for doing better in this regard. 

    I believe we understand one another, at a certain level, at any rate.  We just disagree on this matter.    


    Thx for the discussion. I think the message has been sent. The DNC will try to engage the white working class. I think the other portion of the working class already got the message.

    Edit to add:

    It always boils down to what the white working class needs to hear that other ethnic groups have already heard. It seems they are the ones reluctant to form a coalition.


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