Rachel Maddow on President Obama’s Extraordinary Appeal to Israelis and Palestinians

Stepping outside the box
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MSNBC Video

Rachel Maddow had a great segment last night on President Obama’s trip to Israel, and the extraordinary off-script direct appeal to Israelis and Palestinians in his Jerusalem speech. It concludes with a look at how the cable news channels covered (or in the case of Fox News, didn’t cover) the ceremony in which Obama was awarded Israel’s Presidential Medal of Distinction.

Also see
Transcript of Obama’s Speech in Israel President Obama Speaks to the People of Israel | the White House

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100 comments
1 Brother Holy Cruise Missile of Mild Acceptance  Fri, Mar 22, 2013 1:31:17pm

I heard this last night (i listen to a feed while gaming). She was, as always, on fire.

2 Kragar (Antichrist )  Fri, Mar 22, 2013 1:42:45pm

Memo to Reince Priebus: Mike Huckabee’s Anti-Gay Views Are Not ‘Reasonable’

Via Think Progress, we see that Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus thinks that a good way for the GOP to win support from voters who have turned away from the party is to start sounding “reasonable” … like Mike Huckabee:

Priebus cited former governor Mike Huckabee of Arkansas as an example of someone who could be “a model for a lot of people in our party” in terms of discussing issues like marriage and abortion. “I always tell people: Listen to Governor Mike Huckabee,” he said. “I don’t know anyone that talks about them any better.”

Ummm … does Prebius really think that Huckabee has a good record of sounding “reasonable” on these issues? Does he actually even know anything about Huckabee’s anti-gay views?

Huckabee was, after all, the candidate of choice for a cavalcade of rabidly anti-gay Religious Right activists for a reason and with whom he continues to associate. Heck, he even received an award from Vision America in 2010 which is run by a man who still declares that AIDS is God’s punishment for immoral behavior. And just last year, he campaigned for a congressional candidate who openly supports the criminalization of homosexuality.

Huckabee has declared that, if he became president, he would reinstate Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell and proclaimed that he is looking for “spiritual warriors” who will not allow the nation to fall “to the hands of those who would enslave us” but will instead stand and fight against marriage equality. In fact, his opposition to gay marriage is well-known, as he has compared it to bestiality and alcholism:

How is that rebranding going?

3 Eclectic Cyborg  Fri, Mar 22, 2013 1:46:17pm

Tangentially related, I wanted to chime in on the discussion of “judeo-christian” that popped up in the last thread.

Of course the fact that term is a lame attempt by Christians to sound “inclusive” but rather offensive to a lot of Jews has been brought up too many times to mention.

However, I wanted to say that I myself, even though I’m a Christian, find Judaism to be a very profound and beautiful religion and It hurts me to see how some Christians can be so disrespectful to Jews.

How you can worship a Jewish King who followed many Jewish customs when He was on earth but at the same time detest Jews is something I cannot understand.

4 Kragar (Antichrist )  Fri, Mar 22, 2013 1:50:39pm

re: #3 Eclectic Cyborg

American Christianity is judeo-christian the way Taco Bell is Mexican food.

5 Varek Raith  Fri, Mar 22, 2013 1:51:50pm

re: #4 Kragar (Antichrist )

American Christianity is judeo-christian the way Taco Bell is Mexican food.

How goes the demo?

6 Kragar (Antichrist )  Fri, Mar 22, 2013 1:53:37pm

re: #5 Varek Raith

How goes the demo?

Bunk bed is gone, got some of the stuff out to the garage. Waiting for the kids to get home so they can sort thru the crap in their room, then we move the bookcases and dressers around.

7 Vicious Babushka  Fri, Mar 22, 2013 1:56:08pm

re: #3 Eclectic Cyborg

“Judeo-Christian” is a bunch of BS. Judaism has more in common with Islam in terms of customs and observances. The Christians throw the “Judeo” in front because: 1) they want the Jews to be their BFF’s in their crusade against Teh Muslimz 2) They want you to know that they, not Teh Juice, are the “perfection” and Teh Juice are just the stubborn deniers.

the United States is not a Christian State. (Essay written in 1850).

8 freetoken  Fri, Mar 22, 2013 1:58:05pm

Obama withdraws appeals court pick

President Barack Obama withdrew his nomination of Caitlin Halligan to a federal appeals court Friday, handing a victory to Republicans in the Senate who twice blocked his pick for the key judicial post.

Calling the obstruction by Republicans unjustified and unacceptable, Obama said he agreed to Halligan’s request to be pulled from consideration even though she would have served with distinction on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.

[…]

Senate Republicans blocked Halligan’s confirmation for a second time in early March, arguing that Halligan is too liberal and citing her work on lawsuits against gun manufacturers and on behalf of illegal immigrants.

[…]

GUNS!

BROWN PEOPLE!

I see the rebranding effort continues full stop ahead.

9 kirkspencer  Fri, Mar 22, 2013 2:00:17pm

re: #7 Vicious Babushka

“Judeo-Christian” is a bunch of BS. Judaism has more in common with Islam in terms of customs and observances. The Christians throw the “Judeo” in front because: 1) they want the Jews to be their BFF’s in their crusade against Teh Muslimz 2) They want you to know that they, not Teh Juice, are the “perfection” and Teh Juice are just the stubborn deniers.

the United States is not a Christian State. (Essay written in 1850).

This tendency toward theocracism has been around for a long, long time, and it’s not going to leave easily if at all.

10 freetoken  Fri, Mar 22, 2013 2:01:35pm

OBAMA BOWS TO ISRAEL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Image: e8c8042c-ec3d-4796-8b73-f28ca53ff1c0.jpg


Where’s the outrage??

11 Eclectic Cyborg  Fri, Mar 22, 2013 2:02:13pm

re: #10 freetoken

OBAMA BOWS TO ISRAEL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Image: e8c8042c-ec3d-4796-8b73-f28ca53ff1c0.jpg

Where’s the outrage??

You can’t see his hands in that photo, he may be flipping off Peres!

12 freetoken  Fri, Mar 22, 2013 2:02:37pm

Close up for an even better view:

trbimg.com

13 klys  Fri, Mar 22, 2013 2:07:44pm

Money saving tips from bankers

Another banker, who used to work at Goldman Sachs and now runs his own business, said he gets his wife to iron his shirts nowadays. “At Goldman there was a service in the basement where I dropped my shirts off for a fee, but now I ask Jane to do it for me,” he said.

“The wife is doing the ironing,” another banker told us. “She’s not loving it, but she doesn’t want to get a job herself so is having to accept it.”

I’ll just leave it at that.

14 darthstar  Fri, Mar 22, 2013 2:13:07pm

Pettiness, thy name is Fox News.

15 sattv4u2  Fri, Mar 22, 2013 2:14:22pm

re: #14 darthstar

Pettiness, thy name is Fox News.

But my bolognas 1st name is O S C A R

16 Feline Fearless Leader  Fri, Mar 22, 2013 2:28:23pm

re: #15 sattv4u2

But my bolognas 1st name is O S C A R

But he was called “Meyer” after the British bombed Berlin.
;)

17 sattv4u2  Fri, Mar 22, 2013 2:34:21pm

re: #16 Feline Fearless Leader

But he was called “Meyer” after the British bombed Berlin.
;)

I thought it was after the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor

Youtube Video
18 freetoken  Fri, Mar 22, 2013 2:35:04pm

The tailspin of “fly over” country into medieval theocracies continued more or less today, with ND going ahead with the “personhood” law, while down in KY the Democratic governor vetoed a bill that was most questionable, but that may be overridden soon:

Beshear vetoes Kentucky religious freedom bill

20 freetoken  Fri, Mar 22, 2013 2:39:32pm

Meanwhile, down in Oklahoma:


Family of Tulsa megachurch leader plead no contest

Two employees of a Tulsa megachurch received five-year deferred sentences and no jail time Friday after pleading no contest to a misdemeanor charge of waiting two weeks to report the August rape of a 13-year-old girl on ministry property.

Youth pastors John and Charica Daugherty - the son and daughter-in-law of Victory Christian Center head pastor Sharon Daugherty - had denied wrongdoing since their arrests in September for allegedly failing to promptly report child abuse. They rejected a plea deal last month and were slated to go to a jury trial in May.

Special Judge Bill Hiddle said Friday that the evidence against the Daughertys wasn’t as compelling as the case against three of their Victory co-workers - two of whom were sentenced Monday to 30 days in jail on the same misdemeanor charges. But he expressed concern that leaders in the 17,000-member worldwide ministry weren’t as involved as they should have been in making certain that suspicions about abuse were reported promptly.

[…]

Hmmm… reminds me of some Cardinals in the RC….

21 freetoken  Fri, Mar 22, 2013 2:40:09pm

re: #19 Charles Johnson

Has a striking resemblance to the Lord High Denier.

22 sattv4u2  Fri, Mar 22, 2013 2:41:48pm

re: #19 Charles Johnson

This dog who kinda looks like he’s handling it right now, but deep down, he can’t…he just can’t handle it.

buzzfeed.com

Neighbor has two of those

They go from Zero to SnarlyTeethBaring in a nano-second

24 darthstar  Fri, Mar 22, 2013 2:44:16pm

re: #22 sattv4u2

Neighbor has two of those

They go from Zero to SnarlyTeethBaring in a nano-second

They only do that when they see you because they’re a good judge of character.

25 sattv4u2  Fri, Mar 22, 2013 2:45:00pm

re: #24 darthstar

They only do that when they see you because they’re a good judge of character.

Yup. They judged me by seeing I have a FaceBook friend that skis!!!

26 prairiefire  Fri, Mar 22, 2013 2:48:04pm

I’m very proud of President Obama. Bibbire: #3 Eclectic Cyborg

Tangentially related, I wanted to chime in on the discussion of “judeo-christian” that popped up in the last thread.

Of course the fact that term is a lame attempt by Christians to sound “inclusive” but rather offensive to a lot of Jews has been brought up too many times to mention.

However, I wanted to say that I myself, even though I’m a Christian, find Judaism to be a very profound and beautiful religion and It hurts me to see how some Christians can be so disrespectful to Jews.

How you can worship a Jewish King who followed many Jewish customs when He was on earth but at the same time detest Jews is something I cannot understand.

Christians are the “vine grafted on.” I think Allouette is getting into Heaven ahead of me, somehow.
I want to learn more about different Jewish takes on the afterlife. Anyone?

27 Political Atheist  Fri, Mar 22, 2013 2:49:42pm

You know how it’s best to avoid talking politics with the Boss? I wound up having the most awkward moment yesterday trying to explain the whole NONtroversey over how Obama described the Israeli border policy. Which as we recall got lied about IIRC even in the MSM. Then though in for a penney in for a pound… Why Israel loves Obama

Obama-Exhibit A. Paid big into the missile defense systems that have saved many lives and arguably helped avoid a larger war.

B. Approved the sale of a brand new (yes, controversial over budget long delayed) F-35 stealth jet.

C. Then the whole super penetration bomb delivery deal. D. And then about GWB and threatening to kill loan guarantees unless settlement development ceased.

Heh. Good thing we have been friends for two decades.

28 Political Atheist  Fri, Mar 22, 2013 2:52:05pm

re: #23 Charles Johnson

This dog who’s just…he JUST CAN’T. HE CANNOT. handle life right now.

Did he just see my PETA Page?

29 The Ghost of a Flea  Fri, Mar 22, 2013 2:54:23pm

re: #20 freetoken

Hmmm… reminds me of some Cardinals in the RC….

Yeah. Youth pastors seems to be a position where people get into trouble…and then get sent away to another church to do the same job.

It happened around here, too.

30 Gus  Fri, Mar 22, 2013 2:56:03pm
31 majii  Fri, Mar 22, 2013 2:59:55pm

re: #3 Eclectic Cyborg

Easy, you just rewrite the history of Christianity the way you’re attempting to rewrite American history. By doing this you can highlight the things/ideas you want to push/emphasize and forget about the things you think are not important or that reflect your race, ethnic group, religion, etc., in a negative light. An example of this are the constant attempts in states like Texas and Tennessee to rewrite the history of slavery in America in such a way that the slave owners become benevolent caretakers who drastically improved the lives of slaves by simply feeding, clothing, and housing them. I know it’s stupid, but those who would deny real history for partisan purposes or to save themselves from having to own up to the negative things associated with it seem to be willing to do anything to achieve their goal(s.) IMO, a nation’s people cannot claim to be exceptional in any way if they’re not willing to look at the true historical record of their country and learn from it.

32 freetoken  Fri, Mar 22, 2013 3:01:42pm

Beating one’s head against the proverbial wall:

Everyone Who Claims Adam Lanza Didn’t Use an AR-15-Style Rifle Is Wrong, Wrong, Wrong

33 freetoken  Fri, Mar 22, 2013 3:03:38pm

Blame shifting (not that I think “blame” is in anyway reasonable here to begin with):

MLB sues Florida clinic linked to supplying players with PEDs

34 Varek Raith  Fri, Mar 22, 2013 3:06:53pm

Good evening.

35 Kragar (Antichrist )  Fri, Mar 22, 2013 3:11:12pm

How Homosexuality is like ‘When Teenage Girls Start Wearing Makeup’

Yesterday, Religious Right broadcaster Janet Parshall hosted ex-gay activists Joe Dallas and Nancy Heche, actress Anne Heche’s mom, to discuss their new book “The Complete Christian Guide to Understanding Homosexuality.”

A caller, John, said that based on his personal experiences with gays and lesbians he doesn’t consider homosexuality to be an “emotional or choice-oriented kind of decision” as they seem “compelled to be this way.”

Heche responded that gays and lesbians might seem different from straight people because they are trying to conform to the norms of the gay community, much like “when teenage girls start wearing makeup then they all want to wear makeup and if the in-group is wearing frilly skirts and ruffle t-shirts then everybody is going to wear a ruffle t-shirt.”
…
Dallas, meanwhile, said that even if it becomes scientifically proven that homosexuality is not a choice, gays and lesbians should suppress their sexuality in the same way that individuals who have predispositions to violence must suppress their violent urges.

36 wrenchwench  Fri, Mar 22, 2013 3:13:56pm
37 sattv4u2  Fri, Mar 22, 2013 3:14:39pm

re: #34 Varek Raith

Good evening.

Youtube Video
38 Kragar (Antichrist )  Fri, Mar 22, 2013 3:15:00pm

Beck: “Rabbi Daniel Lapin is David Barton on steroids”

YIKES!

39 freetoken  Fri, Mar 22, 2013 3:15:55pm

I see that some academics are whining that the (paltry) Political Science funding line in the NSF has been drastically reduced thanks to an amendment by Coburn of OK, in the budget bill that was just done.

There is no doubt that Coburn and some of his GOP fellows, who have long sought to zero-budget PoliSci research, are up to their usual atavistic selves.

Yet I have to wonder if losing $9 million is going to be that catastrophic on this nations entire annual expenditures on the topic, given the many institutions of higher learning that dot this nation.

40 BongCrodny  Fri, Mar 22, 2013 3:17:06pm

re: #35 Kragar (Antichrist )

How Homosexuality is like ‘When Teenage Girls Start Wearing Makeup’

Heche responded that gays and lesbians might seem different from straight people because they are trying to conform to the norms of the gay community, much like “when teenage girls start wearing makeup then they all want to wear makeup and if the in-group is wearing frilly skirts and ruffle t-shirts then everybody is going to wear a ruffle t-shirt.”

Always wondered why Anne Heche seemed a bit nucking futs.

Meet the Parents.

41 Eclectic Cyborg  Fri, Mar 22, 2013 3:17:55pm

Former MS Gov now supports same sex marriage

He is a Democrat, but still…

Former Mississippi Gov. Ronnie Musgrove did something no other person to hold his office ever has – he openly supported equal rights for the LGBT community.

In a blog on the Huffington Post, Musgrove discussed his change of heart when it comes to nationally divisive issues such as gay marriage and adoptions by same-sex parents.

The support comes nine years after Musgrove – a Democrat – left the governor’s mansion.

“What is sad to me is that my understanding of this issue did not come until after I had left office and no longer had the power to right this wrong,” Musgrove wrote in his blog. “This reality weighs heavily on me to this day.”

42 kirkspencer  Fri, Mar 22, 2013 3:18:15pm

re: #38 Kragar (Antichrist )

Beck: “Rabbi Daniel Lapin is David Barton on steroids”

YIKES!

Accidental truth?

43 Mattand  Fri, Mar 22, 2013 3:27:33pm

OT, but kinda important: major breach discovered with the Apple ID account system:

Major security hole allows Apple passwords to be reset with only email address, date of birth

Short story: go to My Apple ID and change your birth date to something else, and then sign up for the new 2-step verification process.

44 HappyWarrior  Fri, Mar 22, 2013 3:28:37pm

re: #41 Eclectic Cyborg

Former MS Gov now supports same sex marriage

He is a Democrat, but still…

I hate to sound skeptical but it kind of rubs me the wrong way that it takes leaving office with some of these people. Kind of like Cheney, a lot is made of how Cheney is pro gay marriage. I know he was Bush’s VP but you’re going to tell me that Cheney who had loads of influence on Bush administration policy couldn’t have influenced Bush not to run a campaign appealing to homophobia.

45 freetoken  Fri, Mar 22, 2013 3:29:14pm

I see the rebranding scheme is in full force today:

Republican senators seek to add anti-abortion amendments to proposed budget bill

Five new anti-abortion amendments have been filed by Republican senators to their proposed budget resolution as part of the marathon voting session known as “vote-a-rama,” The Huffington Post reported Friday.

Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) filed the District of Columbia Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, which would ban abortions after 20 weeks of gestation in Washington, D.C., while Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) introduced an amendment that would make it a crime to transport a minor across state lines for an abortion in order to evade parental consent laws. Sen. David Vitter (R-La.) wants to enact an amendment that would ban abortions based on the gender of the fetus, and the amendment offered by Sen. Deb Fischer (R-Neb.) would allow hospital or health care workers to opt out of participating in an abortion procedure or dispensing emergency contraception if they morally object to it.

[…]

46 HappyWarrior  Fri, Mar 22, 2013 3:30:06pm

re: #45 freetoken

I see the rebranding scheme is in full force today:

Republican senators seek to add anti-abortion amendments to proposed budget bill

More small government.

47 Kragar (Antichrist )  Fri, Mar 22, 2013 3:30:59pm

re: #45 freetoken

I see the rebranding scheme is in full force today:

Republican senators seek to add anti-abortion amendments to proposed budget bill

They’re sneaking as much as they can into the budget bills.

Fuck every single one of them.

48 Eclectic Cyborg  Fri, Mar 22, 2013 3:31:58pm

re: #44 HappyWarrior

I hate to sound skeptical but it kind of rubs me the wrong way that it takes leaving office with some of these people. Kind of like Cheney, a lot is made of how Cheney is pro gay marriage. I know he was Bush’s VP but you’re going to tell me that Cheney who had loads of influence on Bush administration policy couldn’t have influenced Bush not to run a campaign appealing to homophobia.

In defense of Musgrove even if he did try to pass it when he was office he would have likely failed. Mississippi is heavily Republican and I believe the GOP had enough power in the legislature to override any measure Musgrove tried to pass.

49 Charles Johnson  Fri, Mar 22, 2013 3:32:16pm

re: #43 Mattand

OT, but kinda important: major breach discovered with the Apple ID account system:

Major security hole allows Apple passwords to be reset with only email address, date of birth

Short story: go to My Apple ID and change your birth date to something else, and then sign up for the new 2-step verification process.

I think that security hole is already fixed, or being fixed - Apple took the password reset feature offline early this morning. Don’t know if it’s back yet.

50 HappyWarrior  Fri, Mar 22, 2013 3:32:27pm

Of course, when the Senate Democrats will inevitably object, these Senate Republicans will whine “See we’re trying to get stuff done but the Democrats aren’t compromising.” Fucking sleazy bullshit and people fall for it.

51 Eclectic Cyborg  Fri, Mar 22, 2013 3:33:41pm

re: #45 freetoken

I see the rebranding scheme is in full force today:

Republican senators seek to add anti-abortion amendments to proposed budget bill

I’m surprised Ted Cruz didn’t get in on the action. That Fischer amendment is especially horrendous, allowing people to step away from their SWORN DUTY because it interferes with their beliefs?

52 HappyWarrior  Fri, Mar 22, 2013 3:34:23pm

re: #48 Eclectic Cyborg

In defense of Musgrove even if he did try to pass it when he was office he would have likely failed. Mississippi is heavily Republican and I believe the GOP had enough power in the legislature to override any measure Musgrove tried to pass.

Perfectly valid point. And for all I know he could have very well had a sincere change of heart too.

53 Eclectic Cyborg  Fri, Mar 22, 2013 3:35:21pm

I really can’t imagine allowing someone to die because it would violate my religious beliefs to help them live.

54 lawhawk  Fri, Mar 22, 2013 3:37:24pm

re: #47 Kragar (Antichrist )

They’re sneaking as much as they can into the budget bills.

Fuck every single one of them.

They’re hoping to nail down positions on votes for use later in the political cycle.

This way, these misogynists in the GOP can claim that X Democrat voted against a balanced budget (ignoring that they would have also been voting for a provision that would be unconstitutional in restricting abortion to less than 20 weeks or is an unreasonable restriction on access to abortion, etc.).

55 blueraven  Fri, Mar 22, 2013 3:43:26pm

re: #52 HappyWarrior

Perfectly valid point. And for all I know he could have very well had a sincere change of heart too.

I think a lot of people over the age of 50 are having sincere changes of the heart. For you and your peers, whether someone is gay or straight has probably never been a real issue. You have to understand that this is difficult for many in the older age groups.

I welcome anyone who has come to the realization that they were wrong and possess the courage to say so publicly.

56 HappyWarrior  Fri, Mar 22, 2013 3:47:18pm

re: #55 blueraven

I think a lot of people over the age of 50 are having sincere changes of the heart. For you and your peers, whether someone is gay or straight has probably never been a real issue. You have to understand that this is difficult for many in the older age groups.

I welcome anyone who has come to the realization that they were wrong and possess the courage to say so publicly.

You raise a good point. Perhaps I was a little harsh on the governor there. But like you I do welcome anyone who comes to the realization that they were wrong and having the courage to do so publicly. It sure as hell beats Saxby Chambliss’ silly statement recently.

57 freetoken  Fri, Mar 22, 2013 3:49:14pm

re: #55 blueraven

I think a lot of people over the age of 50 are having sincere changes of the heart.

A delayed Liberace-effect? They watched him as a child…

58 Vicious Babushka  Fri, Mar 22, 2013 3:51:19pm

re: #26 prairiefire

I’m very proud of President Obama. Bibbi

Christians are the “vine grafted on.” I think Allouette is getting into Heaven ahead of me, somehow.
I want to learn more about different Jewish takes on the afterlife. Anyone?

Everybody is judged on their own merits, and everyone has their own path to salvation, it’s not just for Teh Juice alone.

59 prairiefire  Fri, Mar 22, 2013 3:56:42pm

re: #58 Vicious Babushka

Everybody is judged on their own merits, and everyone has their own path to salvation, it’s not just for Teh Juice alone.

That’s so awesome. Please have a happy Passover! I’m sure the Seder dinner will be delish. I heard on NPR folks are already getting dishes ready.

60 CuriousLurker  Fri, Mar 22, 2013 4:00:59pm

re: #58 Vicious Babushka

In case I don’t see you before Monday: Chag kasher v’sameach!

61 Glenn Beck's Grand Unifying Theory of Obdicut  Fri, Mar 22, 2013 4:06:02pm

re: #58 Vicious Babushka

Everybody is judged on their own merits, and everyone has their own path to salvation, it’s not just for Teh Juice alone.

And there may or may not be an afterlife, and the afterlife is not the point of life.

62 Gus  Fri, Mar 22, 2013 4:07:16pm

Heh. North Dakota.

63 Vicious Babushka  Fri, Mar 22, 2013 4:07:37pm

re: #61 Glenn Beck’s Grand Unifying Theory of Obdicut

And there may or may not be an afterlife, and the afterlife is not the point of life.

Afterlife is not mentioned in the scriptures, but it is mentioned in Pirkei Avot: “This world is like an entryway to the next world. Prepare yourself in the entryway, so that you may enter the main hall.”

OK I’m signing off now for Shabbat AND TO PLAY WITH MY GRANDSON.

64 Kragar (Antichrist )  Fri, Mar 22, 2013 4:07:57pm

re: #62 Gus

Heh. North Dakota.

Another GOP shithole.

65 freetoken  Fri, Mar 22, 2013 4:08:23pm

re: #62 Gus

Heh. North Dakota.

Where Fargo dwells.

66 freetoken  Fri, Mar 22, 2013 4:09:46pm

re: #64 Kragar (Antichrist )

Another GOP shithole.

Heh, don’t diss it.

ND is our frontline…. against Canada.

67 Eclectic Cyborg  Fri, Mar 22, 2013 4:17:35pm

re: #66 freetoken

Heh, don’t diss it.

ND is our frontline…. against Canada.

Launch the hockey pucks!!

68 freetoken  Fri, Mar 22, 2013 4:18:39pm

The story was labeled for the lede ” The GOP’s Staunch Conservative Problem”, but the article title puts it more bluntly:

The numbers prove it: The GOP is estranged from America

In my decades of polling, I recall only one moment when a party had been driven as far from the center as the Republican Party has been today.

The outsize influence of hard-line elements in the party base is doing to the GOP what supporters of Gene McCarthy and George McGovern did to the Democratic Party in the late 1960s and early 1970s — radicalizing its image and standing in the way of its revitalization.

In those years, the national Democratic Party became labeled, to its detriment, as the party of “acid, abortion and amnesty.” With the Democrats’ values far to the left of the silent majority, McGovern lost in a landslide to Richard Nixon in 1972.

While there are no catchy phrases for the Republicans of 2013, their image problems are readily apparent in national polls. The GOP has come to be seen as the more extreme party, the side unwilling to compromise or negotiate seriously to tackle the economic turmoil that challenges the nation.

[…]

These staunch conservatives, who emerged with great force in the Obama era, represent 45 percent of the Republican base. According to our 2011 survey, they are demographically and politically distinct from the national electorate. Ninety-two percent are white. They tend to be male, married, Protestant, well off and at least 50 years old.

[…]

Race has loomed larger in voting behavior in the Obama era than at any point in the recent past. The 2010 election was the high mark of “white flight” from the Democratic Party, as National Journal’s Ron Brownstein called it — the GOP won a record 60 percent of white votes, up from 51 percent four years earlier.

To the conservative base, Obama, as an African American in the White House, may be a symbol of how America has changed. Unease with him sets conservative Republicans apart from other voting blocs — including moderate Republicans, who have hardly been fans of the president. For example, a fall 2011 national survey found 63 percent of conservative Republicans reporting that Obama made them angry, compared with 29 percent of the public overall and 40 percent of moderate Republicans.

[…]

I see little reason to believe that the staunch conservative bloc will wither away or splinter; it will remain a dominant force in the GOP and on the national stage. At the same time, however, I see no indication that its ideas about policy, governance and social issues will gain new adherents. They are far beyond the mainstream.

Any Republican efforts at reinvention face this dilemma: While staunch conservatives help keep GOP lawmakers in office, they also help keep the party out of the White House. Quite simply, the Republican Party has to appeal to a broader cross section of the electorate to succeed in presidential elections.

[…]

69 engineer cat  Fri, Mar 22, 2013 4:18:41pm

Jewish takes on the afterlife

the afterlife is rather vague in traditional judaism - this is because the old testament doesn’t say much about it, and rabbis will only take speculation so far without scripture

the speculation in the talmud iirc is that people who are bad are required by G-d to lie in their graves feeling the painful bite of remorse for their sins, for as much as a year, and be far from G-d as well

(in life one should compensate for sins to the victims directly if possible, and if not by giving charity. on yom kippur you should remonstrate yourself for your sins and feel remorse for them)

otherwise, there is only the vague speculation that a person who has made good for their sins is, after death, allowed to be in some way “close to G-d”

at least, that is my understanding of it after reading up on the talmud and suchlike. of course in jewish tradition agreement among ourselves about most topics, religious or otherwise, is not required, and disagreement is common :-)

70 Gus  Fri, Mar 22, 2013 4:19:32pm

re: #64 Kragar (Antichrist )

Another GOP shithole.

GOP rebranding continues apace.

71 Walking Spanish Down the Hall  Fri, Mar 22, 2013 4:21:09pm

re: #67 Eclectic Cyborg

Launch the hockey pucks!!

We build our igloos out of pucks.

72 Gus  Fri, Mar 22, 2013 4:24:21pm

re: #71 b_sharp

We build our igloos out of pucks.

Bacon lube.

73 Kragar (Antichrist )  Fri, Mar 22, 2013 4:25:43pm

You could not pay me to live anywhere the GOP runs the show.

74 engineer cat  Fri, Mar 22, 2013 4:28:00pm

The numbers prove it: The GOP is estranged from America

i have always thought the entire party is very estrange

75 Gus  Fri, Mar 22, 2013 4:29:02pm
76 freetoken  Fri, Mar 22, 2013 4:30:06pm

re: #75 Gus

Outline of a pig?

77 freetoken  Fri, Mar 22, 2013 4:31:44pm

Getting some play around the internet - blogger C. Jago makes a Venn diagram of irrational nonsense (and note that there is only one entry that sits in the union of all sets):

Image: VDOIN.png

78 Gus  Fri, Mar 22, 2013 4:35:00pm

re: #76 freetoken

Outline of a pig?

79 freetoken  Fri, Mar 22, 2013 4:36:25pm

re: #78 Gus

We can haz bakon!

80 Feline Fearless Leader  Fri, Mar 22, 2013 4:38:19pm

These self-triggering video ads are a pain in the ass. Have iTunes playing and suddenly some ad comes blaring on. :p

81 darthstar  Fri, Mar 22, 2013 4:39:39pm

re: #75 Gus

Stolen.

82 Gus  Fri, Mar 22, 2013 4:41:41pm

re: #79 freetoken

We can haz bakon!

Also, Burger King.

83 Gus  Fri, Mar 22, 2013 4:42:04pm

re: #81 darthstar

Stolen.

Want it cropped?

84 freetoken  Fri, Mar 22, 2013 4:42:24pm

re: #82 Gus

And a “Big Gulp”?

85 Gus  Fri, Mar 22, 2013 4:43:15pm

re: #84 freetoken

And a “Big Gulp”?

Stop reading my mind.

86 Gus  Fri, Mar 22, 2013 4:43:34pm

re: #81 darthstar

Stolen.

Image: iCloud-Pig-Icon.png

87 Gus  Fri, Mar 22, 2013 4:49:48pm

Image: super-big-gulp.jpg

88 darthstar  Fri, Mar 22, 2013 4:50:05pm

My wife’s cousin had a new baby. I think I’m going to like this kid.

Image: 601088_10200949855930326_1060205142_n.jpg

89 Dr Lizardo  Fri, Mar 22, 2013 4:54:16pm

re: #58 Vicious Babushka

Everybody is judged on their own merits, and everyone has their own path to salvation, it’s not just for Teh Juice alone.

Wishing you a Happy Passover. Shalom aleichem.

90 Targetpractice  Fri, Mar 22, 2013 5:03:45pm

re: #68 freetoken

The story was labeled for the lede ” The GOP’s Staunch Conservative Problem”, but the article title puts it more bluntly:

The numbers prove it: The GOP is estranged from America

Yet they’re now on record as supporting the Ryan budget (which includes the repeal of Obamacare and tax cuts for the rich, both issues they lose on last November), think Mike Huckabee is “reasonable” when it comes to gay marriage, and are in the process of making excuses for why immigration reform might go nowhere yet again to appease their base.

It’s been less than a week since their “autopsy” came out and they announced the need for “rebranding,” yet all they’ve done since is dig their heels in deeper and made even more squealing about how there’s no way they’re gonna budge.

91 engineer cat  Fri, Mar 22, 2013 5:10:50pm

re: #90 Targetpractice

It’s been less than a week since their “autopsy” came out and they announced the need for “rebranding,”

seems to me that the atmospherics surrounding this “autopsy” have made things worse for them

the gop party establishment at this point is acting positively neurotic

92 lawhawk  Fri, Mar 22, 2013 5:14:00pm

re: #91 engineer cat

seems to me that the atmospherics surrounding this “autopsy” have made things worse for them

the gop party establishment at this point is acting positively necrotic

FTFY

93 Targetpractice  Fri, Mar 22, 2013 5:14:19pm

re: #91 engineer cat

seems to me that the atmospherics surrounding this “autopsy” have made things worse for them

the gop party establishment at this point is acting positively neurotic

Basically the party has announced, out loud, that the party base is weighing it down and now the base is firing back. At the same time, the party leadership is still deluding itself to believe that, when it comes to finances and the economy of this country, the people still support their slash-and-burn approach to the budget.

94 Walking Spanish Down the Hall  Fri, Mar 22, 2013 5:14:29pm

re: #90 Targetpractice

Yet they’re now on record as supporting the Ryan budget (which includes the repeal of Obamacare and tax cuts for the rich, both issues they lose on last November), think Mike Huckabee is “reasonable” when it comes to gay marriage, and are in the process of making excuses for why immigration reform might go nowhere yet again to appease their base.

It’s been less than a week since their “autopsy” came out and they announced the need for “rebranding,” yet all they’ve done since is dig their heels in deeper and made even more squealing about how there’s no way they’re gonna budge.

It isn’t rebranding, it’s rederping.

95 engineer cat  Fri, Mar 22, 2013 5:17:45pm

re: #94 b_sharp

It isn’t rebranding, it’s rederping.

Sep 4, 1957:
Edsel arrives in showrooms at last

96 blueraven  Fri, Mar 22, 2013 5:20:04pm

The Colorado murder of Tom Clements and the pizza delivery man is getting curiouser and curiouser.

The (now dead) man in question, Evan Ebel is a white supremacist parolee, and his father is a close friend of Governor Hickenlooper.

Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper said Friday he is close friends with the father of the white supremacist who is the focus of the investigation into the killing of one of his cabinet members and of a pizza delivery man.

But the governor vehemently denied he had anything to do with the release of parolee Evan Ebel from prison earlier this year. Ebel was killed Thursday after a chase and shootout with Texas authorities.

Ebel’s father, Jack, is an attorney who lives in Boulder. Hickenlooper said he has known Jack Ebel for years. They worked together at an oil company when Hickenlooper was a geologist and they have stayed close. He also said he knew that Ebel’s son was in prison and that the family had been upset that he had spent a large amount of time in solitary confinement.

Read more: Clements update: Hickenlooper was friends with the father of white supremacist - The Denver Post denverpost.com

97 Walking Spanish Down the Hall  Fri, Mar 22, 2013 5:23:09pm

re: #96 blueraven

The Colorado murder of Tom Clements and the pizza delivery man is getting curiouser and curiouser.

The (now dead) man in question, Evan Ebel is a white supremacist parolee, and his father is a close friend of Governor Hickenlooper.

Read more: Clements update: Hickenlooper was friends with the father of white supremacist - The Denver Post denverpost.com

I’m more intrigued by the existence of a Governor named Hickenlooper. It sounds right out of Blazing Saddles.

98 prairiefire  Fri, Mar 22, 2013 5:48:23pm

re: #71 b_sharp

We build our igloos out of pucks.

“I take your hockey puck and fart in your general direction!”

99 Skandal  Fri, Mar 22, 2013 6:27:55pm

re: #27 Political Atheist

It was actually GHWB who threatened to kill loan guarantees unless settlement development ceased. Otherwise, very good points you make.

100 stabby  Fri, Mar 22, 2013 6:28:22pm

While there’s nothing wrong with what the President said, I contend that it’s wrong to say that he’s attemping something unusual trying to get Israelis to empathize with Palestinians.

I’ve seen such attempts before.

I remember a journal called “Bitter Lemons” that alternated articles written by Israelis with those written by Palestinians.

It was a depressing failure in that the Palestinian writers insisted on dehumanizing the Israelis in article after article after article for years on end.

There was no shortage of Israelis trying empathize with Palestinians though.

In the “stopped clock” effect, even Roger L Simon is saying almost exactly the same thing about this speech, that it’s good but that the issue of lack of empathy needs to be addressed to the other side.


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