The Neverending Thread for Political Shit

[beantownbubba]

Yeah that's weird. I don't really get enraged by any of them very much. Occasionally a politician will say something that hits a button but not often. I hear them say things that I don't like on a daily basis. But it's not in my nature to let people make me mad for the most part. That's giving them power over me is the way I see it and I'm not giving that to anybody. The older I get, the less I'm willing to give the clowns in Washington, or any of their Koo Koo bird supporters much time in my head. Life is too short.

Now, as I said before, I do sort of get a kick out of watching people reflexively react to certain people whether it's a politician or some other famous person. I know a bunch of people who freak out about Beto ORourke and I just could not care less about what that guy does or says. It's funny though.

It's a total mystery to me how Beto has become as big a "thing" he has become. He seems to be little more than a blank page to me and perhaps that's the secret: People project on to him whatever they want to and he doesn't have the record or public statements to prevent projecting almost anything.

[John A Arkansawyer]

Yeah that's weird. I don't really get enraged by any of them very much. Occasionally a politician will say something that hits a button but not often. I hear them say things that I don't like on a daily basis. But it's not in my nature to let people make me mad for the most part. That's giving them power over me is the way I see it and I'm not giving that to anybody. The older I get, the less I'm willing to give the clowns in Washington, or any of their Koo Koo bird supporters much time in my head. Life is too short.

Now, as I said before, I do sort of get a kick out of watching people reflexively react to certain people whether it's a politician or some other famous person. I know a bunch of people who freak out about Beto ORourke and I just could not care less about what that guy does or says. It's funny though.

It's a total mystery to me how Beto has become as big a "thing" he has become. He seems to be little more than a blank page to me and perhaps that's the secret: People project on to him whatever they want to and he doesn't have the record or public statements to prevent projecting almost anything.

Oh, I get it. It's partly what you say about the blank space, baby. But he also took on someone widely despised in a long-shot candidacy and nearly won. To the ingrained loser mentality of the average moderate Democrat, that's the next best thing to winning. Which it kind of is, but it's still losing. But it was an impressive performance. It's a shame for him he's shot his wad in a much longer-shot candidacy instead of saving it for 2020, when he might've helped the Democratic nominee carry Texas.

A self-centered, ambitious politician helping make things worse by making himself better off--who'd've thunk it?

[Zip City]

Beto kinda almost but not really beat Ted Cruz, so....yeah?

[pearlbeer]

Yeah that's weird. I don't really get enraged by any of them very much. Occasionally a politician will say something that hits a button but not often. I hear them say things that I don't like on a daily basis. But it's not in my nature to let people make me mad for the most part. That's giving them power over me is the way I see it and I'm not giving that to anybody. The older I get, the less I'm willing to give the clowns in Washington, or any of their Koo Koo bird supporters much time in my head. Life is too short.

Now, as I said before, I do sort of get a kick out of watching people reflexively react to certain people whether it's a politician or some other famous person. I know a bunch of people who freak out about Beto ORourke and I just could not care less about what that guy does or says. It's funny though.

It's a total mystery to me how Beto has become as big a "thing" he has become. He seems to be little more than a blank page to me and perhaps that's the secret: People project on to him whatever they want to and he doesn't have the record or public statements to prevent projecting almost anything.

Oh, I get it. It's partly what you say about the blank space, baby. But he also took on someone widely despised in a long-shot candidacy and nearly won. To the ingrained loser mentality of the average moderate Democrat, that's the next best thing to winning. Which it kind of is, but it's still losing. But it was an impressive performance. It's a shame for him he's shot his wad in a much longer-shot candidacy instead of saving it for 2020, when he might've helped the Democratic nominee carry Texas.


A self-centered, ambitious politician helping make things worse by making himself better off--who'd've thunk it?

Really? This line of thinking seems awfully judgy this early in the campaign. I worked on Beto's campaign here in Texas. Although I was disappointed with the final result, I can tell you I've never seen anything like it in all the years of living in this state. My current "Representative" has not held a public event or town hall in my district in over 10 years. Texas is gerrymandered all to hell. Texas has been historically one of the worst states in terms of the number of people voting. We typically rank about 48th. When folks talk about Texas being blue/red/purple, they should really just talk about it being a non-voting state.

Beto was different. He didn't take a dime from corporations or PACs. Up against Ted Cruz, that is a pretty ballsy move. Beto drove and visited every one of the 254 counties in Texas. He visited and spoke with voters and communities. He knocked on doors. He listened. Honestly, Beto inspired people and created a movement here in Texas.

The result? A 30 point swing from historic margins, but, yeah, a narrow loss. What you don't see are the ripple effects. We put a bunch more Democrats in both National and State office. The State Legislature was shaken and now they aren't pushing bullshit like the 'Bathroom Bill' any more. They are going to increase funding for education, they are going to raise teacher pay. Beto didn't get elected, but he inspired people to get involved and use their voice, and the ripple effects are being felt across Texas.

Do I think Beto is the best candidate for President? I don't know. There is a lot of policy to discuss before we collectively make that decision.

But, maybe try to have more of an open mind than just dismissing him as a 'self-centered ambitious politician'. That isn't fair. If you look at the way he ran his campaign in Texas, self-centered is about that last adjective you could use to accurately describe him. And final candidate or not, there is nothing wrong with an inspirational figure talking to and listening to voters while refusing to take corporate money.

Look, I get being jaded about politics. I'm about as pissed off as they come. But dismissing Beto (and people like AOC for that matter) is counter-productive.

[pearlbeer]

....and just to put a fine point on my post, here is Beto on the campaign trail, waiting at a Whataburger drive-thru. You won't see Ted Cruz do anything this...normal. Man, fuck Ted Cruz.

[PonyGirl]

Beto's hot, like smokin hot. I don't mean to undermine his intelligence, hard work or achievements, but hey, when in Rome...

[beantownbubba]

Beto's hot, like smokin hot. I don't mean to undermine his intelligence, hard work or achievements, but hey, when in Rome...

A bit subtle for you, don't you think? But effective.

Not 100% fair to the extent that several of the comments about AOC's looks were made in the context of explaining why other men are intimidated by her and endorse as oppose to diminish or dismiss her qualifications but point taken. More, please.

[John A Arkansawyer]

Oh, I get it. It's partly what you say about the blank space, baby. But he also took on someone widely despised in a long-shot candidacy and nearly won. To the ingrained loser mentality of the average moderate Democrat, that's the next best thing to winning. Which it kind of is, but it's still losing. But it was an impressive performance. It's a shame for him he's shot his wad in a much longer-shot candidacy instead of saving it for 2020, when he might've helped the Democratic nominee carry Texas.

A self-centered, ambitious politician helping make things worse by making himself better off--who'd've thunk it?

Really? This line of thinking seems awfully judgy this early in the campaign.

The last sentence, yes, is way too judgy. I almost didn't add it after writing the rest. I do think he's made a misjudgment in running for President rather than a state-wide office, but that's a horse-race criticism and those mostly suck.

So yeah, shame on me.

[Cole Younger]

Man nothing here on the Mueller report?

Millions of dollars doesn't get what it once did it seems.

I wonder how much we will find out.

[whatwouldcooleydo?]

Man nothing here on the Mueller report?

Millions of dollars doesn't get what it once did it seems.

I wonder how much we will find out.

(1) I am neck-deep in hoops, nothing else matters for now

(2) Unless you have some inside scoop, how do you know what the millions did or didn’t get?

[beantownbubba]

Man nothing here on the Mueller report?

Millions of dollars doesn't get what it once did it seems.

I wonder how much we will find out.

Do you know something I/we don't? I haven't heard a word about what the report actually says or recommends other than that an anonymous Justice Dept spokesman apparently said the report does not recommend further indictments beyond those already made.

On edit: Oh, sorry, just saw that WWCD already said this.

[Zip City]

Cohen
Stone
Manafort

That doesn't seem like "nothing" to me

[Cole Younger]

Man nothing here on the Mueller report?

Millions of dollars doesn't get what it once did it seems.

I wonder how much we will find out.

Do you know something I/we don't? I haven't heard a word about what the report actually says or recommends other than that an anonymous Justice Dept spokesman apparently said the report does not recommend further indictments beyond those already made.

On edit: Oh, sorry, just saw that WWCD already said this.

No I don't. Just figured I would find some discussion about it here.

No that's not nothing, Zip. But it seems kind of puny after all the speculation about how it was going to bring Trump down.

I hear ya, WWCD. Turkey season opened today in Georgia. Christmas in March!

[Zip City]

I never thought it would take down Trump. Indicting a sitting president is basically impossible

[Cole Younger]

I never thought it would take down Trump. Indicting a sitting president is basically impossible

I didn't think you did.

Yeah I was talking to somebody about it yesterday and for those who want Trump's head on a stick, nothing that is or is not in the report will change how they feel. They hate him. And for those who think he's great, nothing about it will change that. They love him.

[Zip City]

I never thought it would take down Trump. Indicting a sitting president is basically impossible

I didn't think you did.

Yeah I was talking to somebody about it yesterday and for those who want Trump's head on a stick, nothing that is or is not in the report will change how they feel. They hate him. And for those who think he's great, nothing about it will change that. They love him.

Also true, but I’m not worried about that either. There is nothing that will change most peoples’ minds about mostly anything, much less politics. If Trump supporters continue to love him despite the mountain of bullshit that he’s been part of so far, this report won’t move the needle at all. He’s already convinced them that the investigation is a fraud before anything has been reported. He has been telling them to not trust anyone but him.

[whatwouldcooleydo?]

caption this:

[Wolf]

caption this:

"great patriots!"

[schlanky]

caption this:

Most Likely to Secede

[whatwouldcooleydo?]

caption this:

"great patriots!"

They say that patriotism is the last refuge
To which a scoundrel clings
Steal a little and they throw you in jail
Steal a lot and they make you king

[Zip City]

Was Ted Nugent not invited?

[tinnitus photography]

Was Ted Nugent not invited?

the club has a strict No Loin Cloth dress code.

[dogstar]

caption this:

"great patriots!"

Flag Despoilers

[whatwouldcooleydo?]

March 25, 2019, the day on which Michael Avenatti became presidential

[John A Arkansawyer]

March 25, 2019, the day on which Michael Avenatti became presidential

It was welcome comic relief, wasn't it?

[John A Arkansawyer]

And speaking of comic relief, I'm getting a lot today from The Onion. I think this one is my favorite so far:

Man Who Spent Last 2 Years Drawing Pictures Of Trump And Putin Making Out Beginning To Realize Just How Wrong He’s Been

“At the time, I didn’t think there was any other way to show that they were engaging in some sort of illicit relationship other than depicting homosexuality. I’m very sorry that I didn’t wait until all the facts came in. Now I realize I should have never drawn that cartoon of Trump all dressed up in leather BDSM gear sharing a foursome with Putin, Eric Trump, and Donald Trump Jr.”

[John A Arkansawyer]

If you ned another reason to hate Duke, I got it right here:

Duke Whistleblower Gets More Than $33 Million In Research Fraud Settlement

The case has also had repercussions in the broader academic world, because according to the lawsuit, the allegedly faked research was used for more than meeting federal guidelines. It also helped Potts-Kant co-author and publish 38 articles in scholarly journals with her fellow Duke researchers — which were, in turn, cited in 417 other articles when the suit was filed in 2013.

As the website Retraction Watch notes, there have now been 17 retractions of scientific papers related to Potts-Kant's work.

[beantownbubba]

If you ned another reason to hate Duke, I got it right here:

Duke Whistleblower Gets More Than $33 Million In Research Fraud Settlement

The case has also had repercussions in the broader academic world, because according to the lawsuit, the allegedly faked research was used for more than meeting federal guidelines. It also helped Potts-Kant co-author and publish 38 articles in scholarly journals with her fellow Duke researchers — which were, in turn, cited in 417 other articles when the suit was filed in 2013.

As the website Retraction Watch notes, there have now been 17 retractions of scientific papers related to Potts-Kant's work.

While the article doesn't say much about the actual "research", considering that it involved lung function and grants from NIH I think it's safe to assume that at least part of the purpose was medical research. Considering the number of years the fraud went on and the relative prestige of the Duke name attached to govt funded research, the potential consequences for wasted time and money by others following up on the tainted data in their own research into cures or treatments for disease is potentially enormous. Evil comes in many forms.

[Howlinwolf]

Fuck March Madness, it's time for MUELLER MADNESS!!
https://nypost.com/2019/03/25/mueller-m ... ost-wrong/

What a riot!!!

[John A Arkansawyer]

If you ned another reason to hate Duke, I got it right here:

Duke Whistleblower Gets More Than $33 Million In Research Fraud Settlement

The case has also had repercussions in the broader academic world, because according to the lawsuit, the allegedly faked research was used for more than meeting federal guidelines. It also helped Potts-Kant co-author and publish 38 articles in scholarly journals with her fellow Duke researchers — which were, in turn, cited in 417 other articles when the suit was filed in 2013.

As the website Retraction Watch notes, there have now been 17 retractions of scientific papers related to Potts-Kant's work.

While the article doesn't say much about the actual "research", considering that it involved lung function and grants from NIH I think it's safe to assume that at least part of the purpose was medical research. Considering the number of years the fraud went on and the relative prestige of the Duke name attached to govt funded research, the potential consequences for wasted time and money by others following up on the tainted data in their own research into cures or treatments for disease is potentially enormous. Evil comes in many forms.

Lying researchers and cheating academics are right up there with crooked law enforcement and instrument thieves on my Do Not Resuscitate Except By Peeing On Them list.