Now We Know: Hillary Was A Great Candidate

    There are many more details to come out of our continuing political saga, soap opera, meltdown, but at this point we have enough details to know what should have been suspected all along: Hillary was a great candidate.

    This doesn't mean she didn't make a bunch of mistakes - whom among us has not?

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    Michael Maiello's picture

    Nobody Misses the WASPs

    "Those virtues included a spirit of noblesse oblige and personal austerity and piety that went beyond the thank-you notes and boat shoes and prep school chapel going — a spirit that trained the most privileged children for service, not just success, that sent men like Bush into combat alongside the sons of farmers and mechanics in the same way that it sent missionaries and diplomats abroad in the service of their churches and their country."

    This is hilarious.  Of course it's Ross Douthat because, what other self-hating Catholic and devotee to slave morality would write a column about how much the U.S. needs and misses the old line New England WASPs that used to specifically exclude Catholics like him from high society?

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    Doctor Cleveland's picture

    Writing Short Fiction, Then and Now

    I used to write short stories. Then, for many reasons, I stopped writing fiction. Today I had my first story published in more than twenty years. (It will be posted on the web in two weeks, and I will link to it then. If you can't wait, the issue's for sale here.) More stories may be along; we'll see. If it takes another twenty-one years, I'll have something to look forward to in 2039.

    It's a little strange returning to an art form after two decades away. One of the things it means is that in my old stories, no one has e-mail. Most people didn't. Or cell phones. Any temptation to dredge up old pieces is held at bay by the fact that they've become historical fiction.

    So what else has changed?

    When Affirmative Action was White

    We had a recent discussion on the programs of the New Deal, how 'race neutral' the legislation was, passing with strong support from the southern Jim Crow states. This fact leading to some suspicion as to it's intended impacts on minority populations.

    Was it, in fact, a progressive policy primarily aimed at whites, not generally disenfranchised blacks? The book below argues the New Deal and programs like the GI Bill not only were not race neutral, they actually increased the economic and educational inequality of blacks and whites, in effect, they were "affirmative action" for whites. In the book the author argues that the gap created has not yet been remedied (2006).

    Michael Maiello's picture

    GM Owes the Country an Apology and at least $11.2 Billion

    That GM is laying off 15,000 people and closing five plants in the US when it owes its very existence to the generosity of U.S. taxpayers is blatantly unforgivable.  The story here is really simple: GM got paid off, its US workers got laid off.

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    Michael Maiello's picture

    If It Cries in Terror, It Doesn't Lead

    Last night I was on the Twitter and started seeing photos of children on Mexico's side of the border with the United States running from clouds of tear gas. The photos I saw were distributed by Reuters and it was clearly reported that tear gas had been fired into Mexico by agents of the U.S.

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    Doctor Cleveland's picture

    Where Is Donald? Veterans Day Edition

    Today, Veterans Day 2018, the President of the United States stayed in the White House. He did not go to Arlington National Cemetery to lay a wreath. He did nothing to commemorate Veterans Day. The excuse was a forecast of rain. This makes no sense.

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    Michael Maiello's picture

    Abusing the Stock Market

    Today, His Fraudulency Tweeted that recent stock market volatility is all about investors worried that a Democratic-controlled House will "harass" him in its oversight role.  I don't know why the stock market has been more volatile lately.  I have some ideas, and they aren't very surprising. Here's a quickie list:

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    Richard Day's picture

    ELECTION 2018 LIVE CHAT!

    Let us hope that the musical theme for tonight will be:

    Michael Maiello's picture

    Fun at the Ballot Box (Election Open Thread)

    Voting from the safety of a blue, blue state, I get to have a little more fun with my ballot than a lot of people in battlegrounds.

    Sorry, Andrew Cuomo -- you'll win anyway, so I voted for Howie Hawkins.

    Sorry, Kirsten Gillibrand -- I couldn't resist writing in a vote for Al Franken.

    If you're a friend of mine, I might have written you in for New York Supreme Court or for Civil Court judge. Let me know if you win.  You're welcome!

    Anyway, here's an election open thread.

     

     

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    jollyroger's picture

    Does Locating migrant holding pens on military bases + revocation of birthright citizenship =concentration camps beyond the reach of Habeas Corpus?

    We have leaned in recent months that the proposed solution to the flood of refugees seeking adjudication of their asylum claims will not be to increase the number of tribunals, but to prepare to house for years on miitary bases the resulting multitudes frozen "in transit" (usage taken advisedly)

    Hard upon adoption of that policy, the visible tide feeding this population is routinely forced by similar (and explicitly intentional) under resourced processing personnel at "ports of entry" to congregate on the Mexican side of thee border for indeterminate (and increasingly interminable) periods of time.

    librewolf's picture

    Why Hate Violence and Hate Crimes Are 'Special'

    I am hoping that this discussion of what hate violence legislation is, and the underpinnings of it, will address the questions (and scoffing) I know are happening across the country as it is once more at the top of the news. I am a survivor of hate violence, and I have friends who have experienced hate violence, two of whom were murdered. My experiences inform me that many people, especially white people, not only do not understand the need for hate legislation, but who actually see it as "special" treatment. It is not, and I hope the following article helps explain why it is important.

    Doctor Cleveland's picture

    The Death of Whitey Bulger

    I never thought I would be upset to see Whitey Bulger die. But somehow that happened. Because Bulger's death, like Bulger's life, promoted organized crime.

    I'm seeing a lot of the usual nonsense about the man, filled with praise he never deserved, from people who should know better. I blogged about the Whitey myth, and the way he the press builds him up into a folk hero, back when he was first arrested:

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    Michael Maiello's picture

    Birthright Citizenship is Important

    I highly doubt that the President can use an executive order to nullify an amendment to the Constitution, but I do take seriously that Trump will attempt to end the notion that anybody born on American soil can lay a claim to citizenship. It's all about who challenges him and what the law allows, after all.

    The arguments against "anchor babies" is soundbite ready. As Trump puts it:

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    Doctor Cleveland's picture

    Talk Like Crazy People Are Listening

    Dear politicians: talk like crazy people are listening to you. Because they are. We're a big country, with hundreds of millions of people and no guaranteed health care. That means there are a lot of Americans who are mentally ill, and a lot of those people can't get proper treatment. Every time you speak in public, remember that there are some disturbed people who will take what you say, whatever you say, seriously, and that they might act on it.

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    Michael Maiello's picture

    Your Liberal Media

    Wow.

    Mr. Trump’s aides have repeatedly warned him that his cellphone calls are not secure, and they have told him that Russian spies are routinely eavesdropping on the calls, as well. But aides say the voluble president, who has been pressured into using his secure White House landline more often these days, has still refused to give up his iPhones. White House officials say they can only hope he refrains from discussing classified information when he is on them.

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    Danny Cardwell's picture

    Overcoming Racist Imagery: A Trip Inside The Mind

    Who else is tired of their social media feeds being flooded with viral videos of Black people being harassed and/or questioned by overly concerned white people? I’m not saying we shouldn’t watch and share these videos. Ignoring this issue won’t make it go away. These videos serve a purpose, but I’m tired of seeing them. I’m tired of anti-Blackness. I’m tired of people deputizing themselves to police us. I’m tired of people assuming our presence needs to be explained.

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