dagblog - Comments for "A Libertarian House on the Prairie"

Found this on Pinterest. It

EmmaZahn — Sun, 09 Sep 2012 20:35:06 +0000

In reply to Emma, CNN has a story on the

Found this on Pinterest. It made me laugh even though it is not really funny when you think about it. Then I remembered our conversation here.

Source: accidentallyoutoflove.tumblr.com via Dena on Pinterest

Sense of relief...how so?

Peter Schwartz — Sun, 26 Aug 2012 18:02:05 +0000

In reply to 8 %+ , unemployment for years

Sense of relief...how so?

So instead of ignoring a

EmmaZahn — Sun, 26 Aug 2012 17:27:05 +0000

In reply to Emma, CNN has a story on the

So instead of ignoring a piss-ant crank judge's ravings, Texas Democrats fanned the flames to get 'worldwide attention'. Great, just great.

Maybe Kling and Brin were not previously aware that Obama Derangement Syndrome had reached or exceeded that of Bush. Or maybe they recently discovered FDL. :-)

Seriously though, I have noticed an increase in local violent crimes since my original question - a couple of armed home invasions, one confirmed and one suspected murder-suicide, one really sad rage assault ending with a jail suicide. Crimes of despair and desperation. Very atypical so close to home and very unsettling.

Hope you're right. But it's a

Flavius — Fri, 24 Aug 2012 08:58:19 +0000

In reply to Flav, Just my own intuitions,

Hope you're right. But it's a crap shoot. Still we just got lucky with the Akin affair. Who knows God may not be on the side of the big battalions. This time.

Emma, CNN has a story on the

artappraiser — Thu, 23 Aug 2012 21:14:10 +0000

In reply to I was distracted totally

Emma, CNN has a story on the Civil War meme, looks like it may mostly coming from a nutty judge in Texas:

Texas Democrats: Judge who said Obama could trigger civil war should resign
By Josh Levs, CNN, updated 3:35 PM EDT, Thu August 23, 2012

(CNN) -- Texas Democrats are calling for the resignation of a Republican elected county judge who warned this week that the nation could descend into civil war if President Barack Obama is re-elected.

"It's really up to Judge (Tom) Head to do the right thing and resign and stop embarrassing Lubbock County," said Kenny Ketner, who became the county Democratic Party's chief Monday.

"I wish we were getting worldwide attention for something better than a crazy county judge," Ketner told CNN. "But what are you going to do?"

There is no recall process for Head's office in Texas, Ketner said.

The county's Republican Party chief, Carl Tepper, accused the Democrats of "opportunism" and said he called Head and left him a message offering "moral support."

"I don't agree with him, but everyone has their opinion. I can respectfully disagree with him and he can still be an elected official," Tepper said [....]

Flav, Just my own intuitions,

artappraiser — Thu, 23 Aug 2012 21:12:18 +0000

In reply to 8 %+ , unemployment for years

Flav,

Just my own intuitions, but I am not so sure all of the unemployed are focusing anger and hatred and blame on the Obama adminsitration, maybe more like "are all our leaders impotent? is there nobody that can do anything?" You saw this in the beginning of Occupy Wall Street, when there was a flood of "nod, nod" type of support from average people with financial trouble. They didn't see any answers/help coming from either party. It's like they blame both Bush and Obama, and that doesn't necessarily mean Romney is the answer. I tend to suspect that what both candidates say on this, how the debate plays out, in the few months before the election, will affect how the unemployed and financially troubled vote.

Also I am still not convinced that "Citizens United" money will always work to benefit candidates, it is more like a wild card.. The candidate hasn't the control over the message like direct contributions, and some of these rich funders are just plain nuts and egocentric.

Without control of message, the candidates can be drawn into debating topics that they didn't want to address. Thought it didn't happen from "Citizens United" money, look at right now, the presidential campaigns are focused on rape and abortion, you can't tell me that Romney wanted that to happen. What I am saying is: Sheldon Adelson could make the last month of the campaign all about Israel if he decided that's what he wanted to do. Right now it seems to me that the some GOP donors and Romney wanted the discussion right now to be about welfare (dumb, mho, in a time when most Independents probably know someone who gets Food Stamps and aren't angry about it.,) but instead they are talking about rape.

Seems to me that if anything, revolution talk would make more sense than civil war talk, but my bet goes strongly with to "neither."

The presidential race is a wild card because of the new kinda money, not favoring either side. You may be right about Congress, though, there it could very much be "thrown the incumbent bums out.."

8 %+ , unemployment for years

Flavius — Thu, 23 Aug 2012 08:53:42 +0000

In reply to Re: have I noticed any "to

8 %+ , unemployment for years means that there is a pool of desperate people who under other conditions might be uninterested in the coming election. Then combine that with the degree of racism that is still present in the South -in the 2008 primaries I recall Obama polling 17% among white democrats in some southern state, perhaps Alabama.

AOBTW the disaffection of the "single payer"left since the Health Care fight-which we read here- adds an additional helping of near hatred to the atmosphere.

Given that I'm surprised that Obama is still in contention but ,sadly, I think he won't be able to survive the swift boating etc. which will be fueled by Romney's greater resources.

I think we may be trembling on the edge of a strong swing to the Right.

In 1980 I had a conversation with a long time democrat- a college president- who had voted for Reagan. He described his life long democratic activism- he had been driving Hubert Humphrey around Minnesota when HH decided to renounce the Vietnam war.Then said that after he pulled the lever for Reagan he had "such a sense of relief". I think we may be approaching an election in which a lot of usually democratic voters are going to experience that same "sense of relief ".

I dread election night.

That is a a relief. Thanks.

EmmaZahn — Thu, 23 Aug 2012 02:36:45 +0000

In reply to Re: have I noticed any "to

That is a a relief. Thanks.

Re: have I noticed any "to

artappraiser — Thu, 23 Aug 2012 01:29:55 +0000

In reply to I was distracted totally

Re: have I noticed any "to arms, third phase of American civil war"

Not really. And a quick perusal of your links and your question made think about how overall, I haven't noticed anything that I would judge as anywhere near as bad as Clinton's second term yet. Despite Pew just coming out and saying they see an acceleration of polarization since the turn of the century.

After all, the Clinton haters actually went all the way through to actual impeachment, not just idle threats about civil war, and had the whole country hanging on the edge of its seat during that. There was no sure bet on how that was going to turn out.

Even the most racist tea partiers seem to couch their dislike/hatred in terms of Obama not being American, introducing non-American ways, which doesn't seem to approach the absolute blistering hatred of "Slick Willie," and the sense at the time that they simply couldn't tolerate living under him as president, they couldn't stand a minute longer. I used to listen to the C-Span morning program where they balanced calls left vs. right, and some of those right wing calls were just amazing, they were apoplectic....having a stroke, at a fever pitch, couldn't even get the words out....the country was down the tubes, ruined....that man, that man, pure evil, etc. Actually, I've noticed some lefties on sites like FDL are more likely to have that level of virulent hatred of Obama (like right wing had for Clinton) than right wingers. I don't see a lot of "we need to secede" anger like there was then, no sense that Obama is a criminal and liar and defiler of the Office and the country, just that he's trying to craftily introduce "socialism."

I was distracted totally

EmmaZahn — Wed, 22 Aug 2012 20:51:37 +0000

In reply to I may be projecting but I

I was ~~distracted~~ totally enthralled by what was going on in the financial markets during the 2008 campaign. It was the least attention I ever gave a Presidential election. Also, TPMCafe underwent a major transition then, too. Josh deliberately courted the pro- and anti- mobs that showed up for daily food fights. Not really my cup of coffee. ;-D

In the same vein, in your meanderings around the internets, have you noticed any bloggers/writers voicing concerns about civil war. I have seen two in the past week or so. Arnold Kling at EconLog (1, 2) and David Brin (3), who called it the third phase of the American Civil War? Both caught me by surprise because I do not get the sense that it is that bad. Am I just lost in the calm before the storm?