Random Politics

sancarlos · Post by **sancarlos** » Mon May 16, 2016 6:52 pm

brian wrote:I know we're anti-LOL, but I literally LOLed at this.Internet fail.

I looked and those screenshots (including the open tabs to porn sites) are still up right now on the FB page for Mike Webb for Congress. Jeebus - every 16 year-old boy in America could tell him you need to delete your browser history before Mom sees it.

duff · Post by **duff** » Mon May 16, 2016 8:14 pm

brian wrote:I know we're anti-LOL, but I literally LOLed at this.Internet fail.

Yeah, I always get a good laugh when someone uses Yahoo.

rass · Post by **rass** » Mon May 16, 2016 10:17 pm

I can't tell if Google is being geographically biased, so can someone else tell me if there is another Galloping Hill Golf Course other than the one a couple of miles from my house? Especially one in the Virginia area, I guess?

The Sybian · Post by **The Sybian** » Mon May 16, 2016 10:29 pm

brian wrote:I know we're anti-LOL, but I literally LOLed at this.Internet fail.

Webb's Facebook page. He changed the post, but left the comments. He changed his post to Bible quotes about seeing the Lord or some shit due to people supporting him. Some of the comments are hilarious. Some guy made a joke about Webb getting creamed in the primary, and he responded with election results saying he doesn't see how that bares a resemblance to getting creamed. Fucking dumbass.

wlu_lax6 · Post by **wlu_lax6** » Tue May 17, 2016 6:31 am

The Sybian wrote:
brian wrote:I know we're anti-LOL, but I literally LOLed at this.Internet fail.

Webb's Facebook page. He changed the post, but left the comments. He changed his post to Bible quotes about seeing the Lord or some shit due to people supporting him. Some of the comments are hilarious. Some guy made a joke about Webb getting creamed in the primary, and he responded with election results saying he doesn't see how that bares a resemblance to getting creamed. Fucking dumbass.

Webb is a graduate of my fine institution, is running in a district where I could choose to vote for him, and made me want to shake my head.

Update on this

Mike Webb wrote:Was testing the sites for viruses

Arlington Now wrote:Webb acknowledged that the episode has brought his quixotic campaign renewed attention, following his defeat in the race for the 8th District Republican congressional nomination. He insisted that it hasn’t cost him votes.

https://www.arlnow.com/2016/05/17/webb- ... r-viruses/

Because he is a W&L Alum, he fired off a very long long long email when he kicked off his campaign. I read it twice and shook my head at the crazy rambling. I am pretty sure I just deleted the message but if I can find it I will post.

The Sybian · Post by **The Sybian** » Tue May 17, 2016 10:03 am

wlu_lax6 wrote: Webb is a graduate of my fine institution, is running in a district where I could choose to vote for him, and made me want to shake my head.

Update on this
Mike Webb wrote:Was testing the sites for viruses

Arlington Now wrote:Webb acknowledged that the episode has brought his quixotic campaign renewed attention, following his defeat in the race for the 8th District Republican congressional nomination. He insisted that it hasn’t cost him votes.

Because he is a W&L Alum, he fired off a very long long long email when he kicked off his campaign. I read it twice and shook my head at the crazy rambling. I am pretty sure I just deleted the message but if I can find it I will post.

Funny, I posted a link to it last night, but it didn't post. I think I timed out since the wife came down to tell me something, which turned into 45 minutes.

He posted an explanation that is clearly the ramblings of an insane man. Link

Curious by nature, I wanted to test the suggestion that somehow, lurking out in the pornographic world there is some evil operator waiting for the one in a gazillion chance that a candidate for federal office would go to that particular website and thereby be infected with a virus that would cause his or her FEC data file to crash the FECfile application each time that it was loaded on the day of the filing deadline, as well as impact other critical campaign systems.

The full post was really long, and I have no idea what the fuck he was rambling about. It is very similar to ramblings I sift through at work when I get complaints from clinically insane employees. The most recent one was calling from the mental ward of a hospital, where she was involuntarily detained. I wish she mentioned that before we were 90 minutes into the conversation. I also wish she got to the reason for her call before we hit the 2 hour mark.

sancarlos · Post by **sancarlos** » Tue May 17, 2016 10:11 am

howard · Post by **howard** » Sat May 21, 2016 9:10 pm

The Role of Politicians in an Oligarchy

Ian Welsh's blog. Good comments too, as usual. If TL/DR: To take the money and do as they are told. And to be your enemy.

howard · Post by **howard** » Sun May 22, 2016 11:17 am

Book Discussion on America's War for the Greater Middle East
Professor Andrew Bacevich talked about his book America’s War for the Greater Middle East: A Military History, in which he looks at the United States' involvement in the Middle East since the end of the Cold War.

47 minute CSPAN video, recent interview with Andrew Bacevich, discussing our foreign policy. Link to the book here, but the same themes run through all his work, the history of the forces that shape the US actions in the Middle East and the rest of the world.

Wonderful. He speaks many important truths. Watch it.

howard · Post by **howard** » Tue Jun 14, 2016 2:02 pm

Interview with Cornel West. Critiques the last three candidates standing, and describes the distinction between a political campaign and a social movement. Pretty short.

Cornel West: Black America’s neo-liberal sleepwalking is coming to an end

howard · Post by **howard** » Sat Jun 18, 2016 2:14 pm

Succinct, and accurate, from Ian Welsh

The Continued Rise of the Populist Right

Johnnie · Post by **Johnnie** » Thu Jun 23, 2016 6:59 am

You guys watching this sit in stuff. I'm only able to follow via stories from random news and political websites.

Looks like the app Periscope is going to be the next big thing.

DaveInSeattle · Post by **DaveInSeattle** » Thu Jun 23, 2016 9:27 am

Johnnie wrote:You guys watching this sit in stuff. I'm only able to follow via stories from random news and political websites.

Looks like the app Periscope is going to be the next big thing.

John Lewis is an American Hero.

Brontoburglar · Post by **Brontoburglar** » Thu Jun 23, 2016 10:02 am

http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2016/jun/2 ... ds-kansas/

Instead, Kobach wants to institute a "partial provisional" process that allows election officials to go back into those provisional ballots and throw out any votes cast in state and local races and count only votes cast for president and U.S. Senate and House.

The state had a similar process in place in the 2014 elections in which a few hundred voters who registered with a federal form were affected. But implementing it in the upcoming elections is estimated to affect as many as 50,000 who registered to vote when they got their driver's licenses without providing the citizenship documentation.

U.S. District Judge Julie Robinson noted in her decision last month that the evidence shows only three instances in Kansas where noncitizens voted in a federal election between 1995 and 2013, and about 14 noncitizens confused about their eligibility who attempted to register during that period.

DaveInSeattle · Post by **DaveInSeattle** » Thu Jun 23, 2016 11:17 am

DaveInSeattle wrote:
Johnnie wrote:You guys watching this sit in stuff. I'm only able to follow via stories from random news and political websites.

Looks like the app Periscope is going to be the next big thing.
John Lewis is an American Hero.

Pruitt · Post by **Pruitt** » Thu Jun 23, 2016 6:44 pm

No matter what happens in the UK vote tonight, David Cameron should be pilloried for putting the country through such a divisive campaign just so he could destroy Boris Johnson.

howard · Post by **howard** » Thu Jun 23, 2016 7:02 pm

True, especially considering even if 'leave' wins the election, the UK will reject the vote and stay regardless. A fucking charade.

Rex · Post by **Rex** » Thu Jun 23, 2016 8:11 pm

Looking forward to the Ryder Cup team realignment--I assume we'll be playing just the continentals?

howard · Post by **howard** » Thu Jun 23, 2016 8:18 pm

I doubt that. Ryder Cup was originally UK vs USA. And it will be at least a decade or two after dissolution of the EU (which is only a matter of time, maybe a decade or so, maybe less, regardless of referenda) before the UK has a shooting war with someone on the continent (haven't had a nice England-France war in 200 years) that would interfere with international sports.

Rex · Post by **Rex** » Thu Jun 23, 2016 8:22 pm

DL3 needs to take a hard line here.

sancarlos · Post by **sancarlos** » Thu Jun 23, 2016 11:00 pm

howard wrote:True, especially considering even if 'leave' wins the election, the UK will reject the vote and stay regardless. A fucking charade.

Really? I doubt that would occur. Everything I read now says they're leaving.

howard · Post by **howard** » Thu Jun 23, 2016 11:22 pm

We'll see. There is a long history of national referendums on the EU and major EU policies being ignored. The UK is different, bigger, stronger tradition of democracy, but the powers that run the UK and Europe (the banks) may not accept this vote lying down.

Although, all the yammering heads on BBC and Sky are treating this vote as binding. I sure hope it is, that the politicians and the powers actually bend to the will of the people.

Granted, I am no expert on Brit politics. But I certainly understand well the disdain of the ruling class for the will of the people, in the UK, in Europe, and of course here.

The bigger issue, however, is the fact that the EU is doomed. It was doomed from the moment of creation, or from the failure after four decades to develop into a true political union. You cannot have a central singular monetary policy while each nation has its own fiscal policy. This contradiction has played out over the past decade, in Greece, Portugal, Spain, Italy, and as much as they deny it, France. The deeper contradiction of the UK having its own monetary policy (despite tight coordination with Brussels) and its own currency (unlinked from the Euro since 1993) leads to this vote. Not racist fears of immigrants, as much as that trope dominated the scaremongering discourse.

It's hilarious, every developed nation around the globe has been trying to devalue their currencies to boost trade/exports. But all the handringing about the crashing pound tonight. Japan is watching jealously, saying, 'wish the yen would do that.'

Gold is up tonight, against all paper currencies. Silver too, ironically while the "Sterling" is down.So there is that.

degenerasian · Post by **degenerasian** » Thu Jun 23, 2016 11:29 pm

"If Britain must choose between Europe and the open sea, she must always choose the open sea."

Too soon?

degenerasian · Post by **degenerasian** » Thu Jun 23, 2016 11:34 pm

The fact that people are seriously talking about Northern Ireland not only separating from the UK, but even reuniting with the Republic says a great deal about how catastrophic this is viewed as being.

howard · Post by **howard** » Thu Jun 23, 2016 11:43 pm

Um, I would not consider such talk as serious. If you took a referendum in the six counties, the vote would be overwhelmingly Unionist. This was always the fatal flaw of Sinn Fien/the IRA - the will of the people, who actually wanted to be part of the UK all these decades (because in large part, they are not Catholic). Northern Ireland ain't going anywhere.

Now, Scotland, otoh…

eta: but right on time with the Churchill quote. Although Winston was old school 'United States of Europe'.

degenerasian · Post by **degenerasian** » Fri Jun 24, 2016 12:00 am

True. This has really been a referendum for the ages.. goes against every political science and economic books out there.

1. In a referendum if the polls are the close, the silent majority will always choose the status quo at the ballot box
NOPE
2. The big cities will decide the referendum
NOPE, NI and Scotland voted remain, London and Manchester voted remain, Birmingham was 50-50
3. Both ruling party, opposition party and sovereign parties were on the remain side.
UKIP has ONE seat in the house of commons and they win the entire referendum
4. The British pound had gone up 5% this week as experts predicted a Remain win
NOPE, the pound has since slid 12% in 4 hours.
5. And most important, the bookies got it wrong. Remain was 2/7

Post by **Sabo** » Fri Jun 24, 2016 7:38 am

It's going to be fun seeing how far my 401k craters today.

rass · Post by **rass** » Fri Jun 24, 2016 8:15 am

Rex · Post by **Rex** » Fri Jun 24, 2016 9:28 am

This is why you have superdelegates.

Pruitt · Post by **Pruitt** » Fri Jun 24, 2016 12:12 pm

Rex wrote:This is why you have superdelegates.

Nothing more dangerous than putting issues like this to a direct vote. When the average person is too stupid to know how the stock market works, or how diplomacy works, and is not above knee-jerk reactions, than a ridiculously complicated decision like this should not be put in the people's hands.

Look at how each side used fear to get people to vote - either immigrants will be flooding the country, or the economy could collapse.

Fun times ahead in Northern Ireland. Think the re-imposition of a heavily guarded border between it and the Republic is a positive thing?

It's sickening. Resigning isn't enough for Cameron, he should be publicly flogged.

howard · Post by **howard** » Fri Jun 24, 2016 12:15 pm

Pruitt wrote: Look at how each side used fear to get people to vote…

Thank goodness that can't work here. Oh, wait…

Pruitt · Post by **Pruitt** » Fri Jun 24, 2016 12:25 pm

howard wrote:
Pruitt wrote: Look at how each side used fear to get people to vote…
Thank goodness that can't work here. Oh, wait…

No kidding...

But that's why there are checks and balances in the constitution. When you ask the populace a direct question... just asking for trouble.

howard · Post by **howard** » Fri Jun 24, 2016 12:32 pm

This was the day the British people defied their jailers

A snip:

The young may have overwhelmingly voted Remain, too – but, hey, they will grow older someday. The young who voted Remain in 1975 overwhelmingly voted Leave in 2016. In part, perhaps, because they didn’t like being characterised as ancient bigots by the Remain side. Top tip for winning future elections: don’t call the electorate “thick” or “losers”. It, er, turns them off.

Or calling them a bunch of hick racists.

P.D.X. · Post by **P.D.X.** » Fri Jun 24, 2016 12:39 pm

Texas inspired by Brexit.

Pruitt · Post by **Pruitt** » Fri Jun 24, 2016 3:39 pm

howard wrote:This was the day the British people defied their jailers

A snip:
The young may have overwhelmingly voted Remain, too – but, hey, they will grow older someday. The young who voted Remain in 1975 overwhelmingly voted Leave in 2016. In part, perhaps, because they didn’t like being characterised as ancient bigots by the Remain side. Top tip for winning future elections: don’t call the electorate “thick” or “losers”. It, er, turns them off.
Or calling them a bunch of hick racists.

What happens now? We drink. We be happy. We sing a song. Then we piece back the country and get on with the great project of building the British century. We voted the right way because we’re a nation with a sense of destiny. The world is ours now. Go get it.

What a particularly English sentiment. I thought the "British Century" was the 18th.

howard · Post by **howard** » Fri Jun 24, 2016 3:45 pm

I nearly quoted that part, with a similar comment. Building the 18th Century, all over again.

Giff · Post by **Giff** » Fri Jun 24, 2016 3:54 pm

P.D.X. wrote:Texas inspired by Brexit.

I knew this bullshit was coming.

Johnnie · Post by **Johnnie** » Fri Jun 24, 2016 4:24 pm

Nonlinear FC · Post by **Nonlinear FC** » Fri Jun 24, 2016 4:35 pm

I posted this on Facebook, but Jesus Christ.

All the hand-wringing that this vote means Trump can win in November is really asinine. I mean... A referendum on a single issue, in another country, says very little about our election.

And, as is being pointed out hilariously, gloating about Brexit in a country that voted overwhelming to Remain is just another in the long line of examples of Trump showing his orangutan ass to the world.

BSF21 · Post by **BSF21** » Fri Jun 24, 2016 4:42 pm

Giff wrote:
P.D.X. wrote:Texas inspired by Brexit.
I knew this bullshit was coming.

I love this. Let them go and they can have their Theocracy all to themselves and those who want that can boot scoot their happy little asses down there and elect Joel Osteen and we can all get on with the 21st century up here. Win/Win.