polecat's smelly patch

polecat's smelly patch https://www.dailykos.com/user/polecat/rss/index.xml News Community Action Copyright 2005 - Steal what you want Wed, 15 Sep 2021 03:53:35 +0000 Wed, 15 Sep 2021 03:53:35 +0000 Daily Kos rss@dailykos.com (Daily Kos) Daily Kos rss@dailykos.com (Daily Kos) Oh, this is funny: Horse Paste causes sterility! https://www.dailykos.com/story/2021/9/6/2050743/-Oh-this-is-funny-Horse-Paste-causes-sterility <a href="https://www.scholarsresearchlibrary.com/articles/effects-of-ivermectin-therapy-on-the-sperm-functions-of-nigerian-onchocerciasis-patients.pdf" target="_blank">Archives of Applied Science Research</a> (2011): Effects of Ivermectin therapy on the sperm functions of Nigerian onchcerciasis† patients †onchocerciasis == river blindness Rationale for them to perform this study: <div> <div> <div> <blockquote> … a recent report showed that 85% of all male patients treated in a particular centre with ivermectin in the recent past who went to the laboratory for routine tests were discovered to have developed various forms, grades and degrees of sperm dysfunctions including, low sperm counts, poor sperm morphologies (two heads, Tiny heads Double tails absence of tail’s, Albino sperm calls), azoospermia and poor sperm motility [6]. Several studies done on animals also showed similar findings [7, 8]. </blockquote> And their conclusion: </div> </div> </div> <blockquote> <div> <div> <div> We observed significant reduction in the sperm counts and sperm motility of the patients tested. On the morphology there was significant increase in the number of abnormal sperm cells. This took the forms of two heads, double tails, white (albino) sperms and extraordinarily large heads. It is suspected that the above alterations in the already determined parameters of the patients’ sperm cells could only have occurred as a result of their treatment with ivermectin. </div> </div> </div> </blockquote> According to this article, Ivermectin affects the following: <ul> <li>Morphology (weird shapes)</li> <li>Motility (can’t swim)</li> <li>Sperm count</li> </ul> <blockquote> <div> <div> <div> There was a significant drop in the sperm counts of the patients after their treatment with ivermectin. For example in a particular patient the sperm count dropped from 125 million cells per ml of sperm before therapy with ivermectin to 105 million per ml after the treatment 6*[Normal Control Range = 60 – 120 x 10 per ml, see table 1]. There was also a significant reduction in the motility of the cells after the treatment with ivermectin. These reductions were not concurrent, nor where they in proportion to one another. As for the morphology, there was a significant increase in the number of abnormal cells after the treatment with ivermectin *[Normal control Range of normal motility = above 50%, see table 1]. </div> </div> </div> </blockquote> <div> <div> <div> Not just counts, but motility, too: <blockquote> Also sperm motility was found to reduce drastically (see table 3) when pre ivermectin and post ivermectin motility tests are compared. Sperm with abnormal morphology were also found to have increased after ivermectin therapy as shown in table 4 </blockquote> </div> </div> </div> Darwin?  Is that you? rss@dailykos.com (polecat) ivermectin Recommended Sterility _2050743 Tue, 07 Sep 2021 03:25:14 +0000 Rogan has COVID-19. Let there be horse paste. https://www.dailykos.com/story/2021/9/1/2049683/-Rogan-has-COVID-19-Let-there-be-horse-paste <a href="https://www.vice.com/en/article/v7e89m/joe-rogan-covid-19-ivermectin" target="_blank">VICE:</a> <blockquote> Joe Rogan, the UFC commentator and podcast host, has come down with COVID-19, he <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CTSsA8wAR2-/" target="_blank">announced</a> on Instagram. He said he’s treating the illness with, among other things, <a href="https://www.vice.com/en/article/bvzkjd/facebooks-ivermectin-groups-are-unhinged-and-out-of-control">ivermectin</a>, the unproven treatment beloved by anti-vaccine activists and right-wing politicians. </blockquote> the article concludes with: <blockquote> "I feel great," he said, unconvincingly. </blockquote> How hard would it to have been to take the vaccine?  Really? /idiot rss@dailykos.com (polecat) COVID19 joerogan Recommended _2049683 Wed, 01 Sep 2021 21:31:30 +0000 Grid batteries, Elon Musk, and FIRE (yes, right now in Australia) https://www.dailykos.com/story/2021/7/30/2042949/-Grid-batteries-Elon-Musk-and-FIRE-yes-right-now-in-Australia In order to make better use of green energy (solar, wind, tidal, etc), it helps to be able to store the power when it is generated and use it when you want.  Time shifting, as it were. Hydroelectric does this by pumping water back uphill as a form of mechanical storage. The idea of using batteries for this isn’t new — but the kind of battery you want for this has a different set of requirements than say one in a car. I have several UPS systems throughout my house (tiny lead-acid batteries — uninterruptible power systems) that keep various critical things powered so they can weather a storm or simply enable me to shut down things safely.  Wish I had one big enough to keep the refrigerator going, though.  $$$ Grid Power The key point is that utility scale grid power doesn’t have to be lightweight, transportable or small — it has to be cheap, reliable, and safe. In the news this week, <a href="https://www.utilitydive.com/news/form-energys-20kwh-100-hour-iron-air-battery-could-be-a-substantial-br/603877/" target="_blank">Form Energy</a> has announced <a href="https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/form-energy-unveils-chemistry-of-multi-day-storage-battery-technology-301339075.html" target="_blank">chemistry</a> for an air-breathing iron pellet based battery that would cost around $20/kWh.  This has the potential to be a game changer both for renewables, but even for nuclear plants that can generate power more cheaply at night. Lithium-ion, on the other hand, is optimized for high energy density per unit mass (e.g. lightweight) and currently costs over $80/kWh.  There is cobalt and nickel in the manufacturing process (cobalt in particular has some really bad sourcing issues), and the kicker is that Lithium doesn’t respond well to firefighting.  (Add water to lithium and find out!) Speaking of Lithium and Water: <div class="dk-editor-embed center-block" data-twitter-content="&lt;blockquote class="twitter-tweet"&gt;&lt;p lang="en" dir="ltr"&gt;Australia&amp;#39;s biggest (Tesla) battery system (450MWh) is on fire!&lt;br&gt;Apparently the plant wasn&amp;#39;t operational yet, but was in the testing phase.&lt;a href="https://t.co/BWXm5V7gpA"&gt;https://t.co/BWXm5V7gpA&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href="https://t.co/NRExElvBuM"&gt;https://t.co/NRExElvBuM&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href="https://t.co/8djQFu7S3w"&gt;pic.twitter.com/8djQFu7S3w&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&amp;mdash; Dave Jones (@eevblog) &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/eevblog/status/1420982130939629570?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;July 30, 2021&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt; "><div class="remove-embed-content">x</div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Australia's biggest (Tesla) battery system (450MWh) is on fire! Apparently the plant wasn't operational yet, but was in the testing phase.<a href="https://t.co/BWXm5V7gpA">https://t.co/BWXm5V7gpA</a> <a href="https://t.co/NRExElvBuM">https://t.co/NRExElvBuM</a> <a href="https://t.co/8djQFu7S3w">pic.twitter.com/8djQFu7S3w</a>— Dave Jones (@eevblog) <a href="https://twitter.com/eevblog/status/1420982130939629570?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 30, 2021</a></blockquote> </div> And in fact that’s not just a problem with this gigantic installation in Australia.  Firefighters <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/business/autos/federal-regulators-warn-risks-firefighters-electrical-vehicle-fires-n1271084" target="_blank">are not prepared</a> for handling electric car fires here in the US. <blockquote> “What the heck? How do we make this stop?’” [Chief Palmer] Buck [of Houston, TX] asked his team. They quickly consulted Tesla’s first responder <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/20889394-2016_model_s_emergency_response_guide_en#document/p25/a2040184" target="_blank">guide</a> and realized that it would take far more personnel and water than they could have imagined. Eight firefighters ultimately spent seven hours putting out the fire. They also used up 28,000 gallons of water — an amount the department normally uses in a month. That same volume of water serves an average American home for nearly two years. </blockquote> Car batteries are not small batteries — not only do they hold a LOT of energy,  <blockquote> ...unlike a small phone battery, the large batteries found in the Tesla Model X, for instance, contain enough energy to power an average American <a href="https://www.eia.gov/tools/faqs/faq.php?id=97&t=3" target="_blank">home for more than two days.</a> </blockquote> This is further complicated in Tesla’s case because there can be 400v <a href="https://www.kcra.com/article/crushed-electric-vehicles-pose-unique-danger-to-rescuers/6403522#" target="_blank">high power lines</a> in unexpected places.  Going to use the jaws-of-life on that car?  Better know where the cables are.  (Or were.) Disclosure: I own a BMW i3 — only has about 60 miles of range and is a lot smaller.  Also I think that BMW did a slightly more safety conscious design, but there is still room for concern with this type of battery. There is absolutely NO excuse for using Lithium Ion on a grid scale installation. This <a href="https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/tesla-lake-forest-home-fire/22740/" target="_blank">article talks</a> about a Tesla that crashed into someone’s house, lighting it on fire, etc.  What it fails to mention (and is covered in previous NBC article above) is that even after removing the Tesla from the garage, it continued to reignight: <blockquote> But 45 minutes after the flames on the Tesla were extinguished, it reignited again. Firefighters began hosing it down with copious amounts of water, up to 200 gallons per minute, but “that did not extinguish the flames,” according to the NTSB. At approximately 9:13 p.m., nearly three hours after the first alarm was received, firefighters had to pour out more than 600 gallons of water per minute. In the end, two firefighters sustained minor smoke inhalation-related injuries, and the agency used 20,000 gallons of water. </blockquote> Yes, we need grid scale batteries to time shift renewable energy.  Absolutely.  It just shouldn’t be Lithium Ion and it shouldn’t be from Tesla. (IMHO) rss@dailykos.com (polecat) ElonMusk GridScaleBatteries hydroelectric lithiumion Renewables SolarPower Tesla WindPower _2042949 Fri, 30 Jul 2021 19:05:29 +0000 Yup - Eta is going to dump on Mar-a-Lago, too. https://www.dailykos.com/story/2020/11/7/1993749/-Yup-Eta-is-going-to-dump-on-Mar-a-Lago-too Eta’s wind field is likely going to get stronger as it travels over warm water — not sure what will happen as it crosses Cuba.  Looking at the forecast, it’s going to slow down on Sunday SE of Miami and likely intensify. Hopefully everyone in South Florida will be okay. At least one forecast shows it moving back out into the gulf after encountering South Florida: <div class="dk-editor-embed center-block" data-twitter-content="&lt;blockquote class="twitter-tweet"&gt;&lt;p lang="en" dir="ltr"&gt;&lt;a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Eta?src=hash&amp;amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;#Eta&lt;/a&gt; is currently forecast to approach southern Florida Monday morning as a Tropical Storm. Heavy Rain is expected: 5-10 inches with isolated areas of up to 15 inches possible across portions of the Florida peninsula. &lt;br&gt;For more information, please visit &lt;a href="https://t.co/pyol8aO16N"&gt;https://t.co/pyol8aO16N&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href="https://t.co/vlH8QyJJuZ"&gt;pic.twitter.com/vlH8QyJJuZ&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&amp;mdash; NWS Weather Prediction Center (@NWSWPC) &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/NWSWPC/status/1325022703888310272?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;November 7, 2020&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt; "><div class="remove-embed-content">x</div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Eta?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Eta</a> is currently forecast to approach southern Florida Monday morning as a Tropical Storm. Heavy Rain is expected: 5-10 inches with isolated areas of up to 15 inches possible across portions of the Florida peninsula. For more information, please visit <a href="https://t.co/pyol8aO16N">https://t.co/pyol8aO16N</a> <a href="https://t.co/vlH8QyJJuZ">pic.twitter.com/vlH8QyJJuZ</a>— NWS Weather Prediction Center (@NWSWPC) <a href="https://twitter.com/NWSWPC/status/1325022703888310272?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 7, 2020</a></blockquote> </div> This does concern me in that there might be national emergencies in the next 70 days that this lame-duck pResident might just refuse to help with. rss@dailykos.com (polecat) Mar-a-Lago TropicalStormEta _1993749 Sat, 07 Nov 2020 18:02:53 +0000 And the AP calls Nevada, too https://www.dailykos.com/story/2020/11/7/1993733/-And-the-AP-calls-Nevada-too Just noticed that AP had called Nevada, too. Up to Biden:290.  Waiting on Georgia to make it 306. rss@dailykos.com (polecat) AP Nevada PresidentBiden Recommended _1993733 Sat, 07 Nov 2020 17:20:12 +0000 The Trump Interregnum (and Depression) https://www.dailykos.com/story/2020/11/6/1993325/-The-Trump-Interregnum-and-Depression Slate asks the question “<a href="https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2020/11/worst-presidential-transition-1892-harrison-cleveland.html" target="_blank" title="">What’s the Worst a Vengeful Lame-Duck Administration Can Do?</a>” The first think that came to my mind was the (previously anointed) WORST PRESIDENT EVER James Buchanan who did absolutely nothing about secession and Ft. Sumter when it was still possible to do something about it.  Didn’t reinforce federal forts or anything much else. But this article outlines another, terrible handoff — possibly even worse.  Benjamin Harrison’s “handoff” to Grover Cleveland (yes, a Republican → Democratic transition like this one). Harrison and his people did everything they could to ensure a permanent Republican majority — admitting 6 new states to pack the Senate and a few extra Congressional seats, too: <ul> <li>Idaho</li> <li>North Dakota, </li> <li>South Dakota, </li> <li>Montana, </li> <li>Washington</li> <li>Wyoming</li> </ul> But people didn’t like Harrison a whole lot: <blockquote> The Republicans pulled out all the stops again for Harrison in 1892, but this time it didn’t work because everyone hated Harrison, thought he’d gone too far, and was packing the mechanics of the system to stay in power. So there was a huge backlash and in 1892, Cleveland was elected—winning the popular vote and the Electoral College. And the Democrats won the presidency, House, and Senate for the first time since the Civil War. </blockquote> The kicker (and the buried lede) was that the Transition (and Interregnum) went from November to MARCH 1893.  And in that time Harrison’s people crashed the economy.  MIHOP <blockquote> So during the interregnum, as the panic developed, the financiers rushed to Washington and said, DO something! And the secretary of the treasury, Charles Foster, and Harrison said, No, we’re good. Foster actually said publicly that, as he saw it, the administration was only responsible for the economy up until March 4, the day Cleveland took office. He didn’t even manage it—the economy actually collapsed 10 days before Harrison left office. </blockquote> I kid you not, they did NOTHING: <blockquote> On Feb. 17, the market collapsed. Panicked observers begged Harrison to relieve the crisis, but with only eight days left in his term, they maintained nothing was happening. The secretary of the treasury spent his last few days in office sitting for his portrait. </blockquote> This was the “panic of 1893”.  A Depression caused by the Harrison administration.  (The article has a lot more detail — worth the read.) So over the next 70+ days of 2020-21, during the winter of COVID, evictions, massive unemployment, a possible government shutdown, and who knows what else done for spite, just remember that we’ve been here before, AND IT SUCKED THEN, TOO. Maybe we can convince Trump to flee because at this point Pence would do a better caretaker job (did I just say that? EEK.) than the current occupant. rss@dailykos.com (polecat) Covid Depression pence trump _1993325 Fri, 06 Nov 2020 14:57:02 +0000 The day begins: Open Carry (Intimidation) at the polls? https://www.dailykos.com/story/2020/11/3/1992169/-The-day-begins-Open-Carry-Intimidation-at-the-polls <a href="https://www.citizen-times.com/story/news/local/2020/11/02/people-guns-buncombe-voting-site-not-aggressive-elections-director-says-vast-majority-votes-already/6129504002/" target="_blank" title="">Asheville Citizen-Times</a> We already had an incident on September 23rd (during the early voting period) where five people were legally carrying visible weapons in Weaverville (a bedroom community five minutes drive north from Asheville). <blockquote> There were no more than five people carrying guns and they stood outside the 50-foot area. They were "not aggressive," [county Elections Director Corinne Duncan] said in response to follow-up questions. </blockquote> Most people in the county that can have already voted.  Buncombe County, NC has just over 200K registered voters of which more than 140K have already voted, mostly from early voting during the last two weeks.  (Including mine, Mrs. Polecat, grandparents, siblings-in-law, etc.)  Starting at 2pm today, “vote preprocessing” will begin so that the numbers can be shared right after 7:30pm EST when the polls close. I hope there are no other incidents involving individuals visibly presenting their firearms (Can you say “intimidation” boys and girls?  Gee, I knew you could.), but on a day like this the odds seem rather high. God only knows what happens when they lose.  Or win, for that matter. rss@dailykos.com (polecat) BuncombeCounty ElectionSafety NC11 NorthCarolina OpenCarry voterintimidation _1992169 Tue, 03 Nov 2020 14:12:18 +0000 Barron Trump tests positive https://www.dailykos.com/story/2020/10/14/1986544/-Barron-Trump-tests-positive <a href="https://wlos.com/news/coronavirus/president-trumps-son-barron-tests-positive-for-covid-19" target="_blank">(WLOS-TV/Sinclair)</a> Barron tested positive but has no symptoms. What lovely parents he has that gave it to him. <blockquote> "My fear came true when he was tested again and it came up positive," Mrs. Trump said in the statement. "Luckily, he is a strong teenager and exhibited no symptoms. In one way, I was glad the three of us went through this at the same time so we could take care of one another and spend time together. He has since tested negative." </blockquote> Interestingly, he’s now negative, so they clearly hid it while he was positive. rss@dailykos.com (polecat) BarronTrump Covid-19 Recommended _1986544 Wed, 14 Oct 2020 21:05:50 +0000 Leningrad Lindsey refuses to take COVID test before debate https://www.dailykos.com/story/2020/10/9/1985193/-Lenningrad-Lindsey-refuses-to-take-COVID-test-before-debate You have to wonder if there will be an actual debate tonight between Jamie Harrison and our Senate Lamprey-in-chief Lindsey Graham. <a href="https://www.wltx.com/article/news/politics/senate-debate-in-question-over-covid19-test/101-1d59e165-4a55-4bc1-b80e-f38bb10f023e" target="_blank">WLTX</a> (South Carolina) <blockquote> Harrison [said] that if Graham will not take a coronavirus test that he cannot “responsibly debate in person tomorrow night and allow politics to put my family, my campaign staff, Sen. Graham’s staff, and members of the media at unnecessary risk.” </blockquote> Graham is trying to avoid testing: <div class="dk-editor-embed center-block" data-twitter-content="&lt;blockquote class="twitter-tweet"&gt;&lt;p lang="en" dir="ltr"&gt;Why won&amp;#39;t you take the test, Lindsey? &lt;a href="https://t.co/dEVXUuBWqA"&gt;https://t.co/dEVXUuBWqA&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&amp;mdash; Jaime Harrison (@harrisonjaime) &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/harrisonjaime/status/1314370964755542018?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;October 9, 2020&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt; "><div class="remove-embed-content">x</div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Why won't you take the test, Lindsey? <a href="https://t.co/dEVXUuBWqA">https://t.co/dEVXUuBWqA</a>— Jaime Harrison (@harrisonjaime) <a href="https://twitter.com/harrisonjaime/status/1314370964755542018?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 9, 2020</a></blockquote> </div> and the money quote from Harrison: <blockquote> "All I'm asking is for the senator to verify that he's healthy enough to be in a room," Harrison said in an interview with News19 Friday. "I don't undestand why he can't get a COVID test now."†  </blockquote> †My emphasis Make sure the flies know Lindsey is going to be there. rss@dailykos.com (polecat) JamieHarrison LindseyGraham Senate _1985193 Fri, 09 Oct 2020 20:32:18 +0000 Trump's campaign really is broke! https://www.dailykos.com/story/2020/9/21/1979278/-Trump-s-campaign-really-is-broke <a href="https://www.rawstory.com/2020/09/trumps-campaign-revealed-just-how-very-little-money-they-have-left/" target="_blank">RawStory</a> We know that Biden had a massive fundraising month, but now we know how well Donald Trump did. Or, I should say, how poorly: <blockquote> Trump’s total haul for August, when he got a week’s worth of free media from the Republican convention, was just $61.7 million. The campaign spent almost all of it, $61.2 million. </blockquote> Trump campaign CoH (Cash on Hand) is $121M, campaign debt is $0.9M. The reason for pushing to fill RBG’s SCOTUS seat is for fundraising purposes and turnout.   A last desperate attempt to remain in the game. His free media stunt from 2016 (est $2B in free media) isn’t working out the same way this time around.   No, we haven’t reached the bottom — I’m not even sure we will reach the bottom before January 20th. rss@dailykos.com (polecat) DonaldTrump Fundraising JoeBiden Recommended _1979278 Mon, 21 Sep 2020 13:39:29 +0000 NC-11: Moe Davis aims at political dilettante Madison Cawthorn https://www.dailykos.com/story/2020/7/2/1957855/-NC-11-Moe-Davis-aims-at-political-dilettante-Madison-Cawthorn Just got an email from him today about Americans targeted by Taliban: <blockquote> <ul> <li>Staff Sergeant Christopher K.A. Slutman</li> <li>Sergeant Benjamin S. Hines</li> <li>Corporal Robert A. Hendriks</li> </ul> Remember the names. They were the Marines killed by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan in 2019. Here’s what we now know: Russian intelligence paid the Taliban to target American troops in Afghanistan and they may have been victims of that bounty. It’s a transgression that demands swift action by our President against the Russians. </blockquote> He asks questions that we should all be asking: <blockquote> <ul> <li>Should our commander-in-chief be held accountable for his failure to act on intelligence amounting to dereliction of duty that has put our troops in danger?</li> <li>And is it the duty of every candidate for Congress to take a side?</li> </ul> </blockquote> The trouble is that the 24-year-old, newly minted, Republican candidate Madison Cawthorn’s ENTIRE position on foreign policy is three short sentences: <div class="align-center"> <figure class="image-captioned"><img alt="ScreenShot2020-07-02at5.56.48PM.png" src="https://images.dailykos.com/images/827089/large/ScreenShot2020-07-02at5.56.48PM.png?1593727018" title="ScreenShot2020-07-02at5.56.48PM.png"> <figcaption></figcaption> </figure> </div> So does this mean Cawthorn is for holding the Russians accountable, or kissing up to Donald Trump? Because you have to pick one or the other. Moe is with the troops. Help him win NC-11. <div class="align-center"> <figure class="image-captioned width-xl"><img alt="Donatebutton.jpg" class="width-xl" src="https://images.dailykos.com/images/669261/large/Donatebutton.jpg?1556295991" title="Donatebutton.jpg"> <figcaption></figcaption> </figure> </div> <hr> † Mark Meadows was in a heavily GerryMandered seat in Western North Carolina that was recently partially repaired under court order so that both halves of Asheville could be in NC-11. He abandoned NC to be Trump’s new Chief Of Staff. Meadow’s Heir Apparent was defeated in a low turnout runoff by Madison Cawthorn, a 24-year-old accident victim and recipient of a large monetary settlement largely because she was uniformly disliked. rss@dailykos.com (polecat) BountyGate MadisonCawthorn moedavis NC11 _1957855 Thu, 02 Jul 2020 22:03:11 +0000 mea culpa https://www.dailykos.com/story/2020/3/9/1925787/-mea-culpa In this latest round of negativity, I bear a lot of responsibility. Culpability. First, I will defend myself. Then I will invalidate that defense. Hopefully there will be a laugh along the way. <h2>The Lead Up to Super Tuesday</h2> I had to vote early because of Jury Duty on Super Tuesday. As a result, I had to pick someone early — and hadn’t decided yet. For a long time I refused to state who was #1, but rather had a top five. I was against both Biden and Sanders entering the race entirely. Eventually it settled out, but then some of THEM settled out. This was the state of my ranking right after Bernie released his taxes (note, he moved INTO my top 5): <ol> <li>Beto,</li> <li>Kamala,</li> <li>Liz,</li> <li>Kirsten,</li> <li>Bernie (just moved up),</li> <li>Pete (hanging around),</li> <li>Joe,</li> <li>everybody else</li> </ol> I liked Amy but thought she had zero chance… Put her in at 4-ish. Around then, Bernie publicly griped about 2016 and Hillary again followed by someone getting doxxed, and that was his last appearance in my top 5. My feelings for Bernie further declined due to him calling Liz a liar on national tv. I mean, it wouldn’t stop me from voting for him in the GE. (Nothing would, although in another diary someone said that a Sanders/Gabbard ticket would be ugly. I agree.) Fast forward up to the SC debate. My #1 and #2 candidates are out, some delegates have been awarded, Amy officially came into my list and left it again due to Pete pushing her buttons (not a good look): <ol> <li>Liz</li> <li>(Amy had been here)</li> <li>Pete</li> <li>Joe</li> <li>Tom</li> <li>Bernie</li> <li>(big gap, thank you Liz Warren for making this happen)</li> <li>Bloomberg</li> <li>(bigger gap — h/t RedDan)</li> <li>Gabbard</li> </ol> Pete was doing well, Liz wasn’t although my heart was with her and she eviscerated Bloomberg (wøøt!), we’d just seen some debates and Amy (whom I also liked) did not put in a good showing. Next morning Clyburn endorsed and that was the day I was going to vote early, so I voted for Biden. Then South Carolina happened, followed by Super Tuesday. By any measure, this was a blowout. Biden even won Texas, and California was close. Looks like Bloomberg’s raison d’etre was to prevent Bernie from amassing a delegate lead in TX and CA. It worked. And he won American Samoa. (insert eyeroll) rss@dailykos.com (polecat) Apology eatingcrow hitpiece MeaCulpa NegativeCampaigning Primary _1925787 Mon, 09 Mar 2020 14:54:19 +0000 Bernie's affair with guns https://www.dailykos.com/story/2020/3/5/1924736/-Bernie-s-affair-with-guns For the graphic above to make sense, we have to step back to 1988 — Bernie’s first run for Congress. <hr> <h2>1988 — Running for Congress</h2> In 1988, Bernie was the 4-term mayor of Burlington, VT and was in a 3-way race with Vermont Governor Peter Smith (R) and Vermont State House Majority Leader Paul Poirier (D) for the sole Vermont Congressional seat. The NRA actively campaigned against Bernie and for Smith and for Poirier. <pre>Smith Peter Republican 98,937 41.20% Sanders Bernard Independent 90,026 37.49 Poirier Paul N. Democratic 45,330 18.88 Hedbor Jim Libertarian 3,110 1.30 Diamondstone Peter Liberty Union 1,455 0.61 Earle Morris Independent 1,070 0.45 Write-In 203 0.08 Total: 240,131 </pre> Gov. Smith won the election to Congress 41.2% to 37.5%. Bernie, on multiple occasions attributed his loss to Smith due to his support for banning assault-weapons: <div class="align-center"> <figure class="image-captioned"><img alt="BernieGunsQuote2.jpg" src="https://images.dailykos.com/images/773993/large/BernieGunsQuote2.jpg?1583450014" title="BernieGunsQuote2.jpg"> <figcaption>One of many quotes where he felt that his opposition to assault weapons cost him an election in 1988.</figcaption> </figure> </div> After that election, both Smith and Poirier signed the NRA pledge to not support “additional restrictive firearms legislation.” <h2>1989 — Stockton, CA</h2> In January 1989, Patrick Edward Purdy <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cleveland_Elementary_School_shooting_(Stockton)" target="_blank">shot and killed five children</a> with an AK-47. After this, called the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/1989/01/18/us/five-children-killed-as-gunman-attacks-a-california-school.html" target="_blank">Cleveland Elementary School Shooting</a>, Congressman Smith (R) now supports a ban on semiautomatic rifles. The NRA is displeased. The Rutland Herald documents the debate in Vermont: <div class="dk-editor-embed center-block"> <div class="remove-embed-content">x</div> <div class="dk-editor-embed center-block"> <div class="remove-embed-content"><a class="new_iframe_placeholder" href="#">x</a></div> <a class="iframe_placeholder scribd dk-embed" href="//scribd.com/doc/296023992" data-frameborder="no" data-src="//www.scribd.com/embeds/296023992/content?start_page=1&view_mode=lis">Scribd Content</a></div> </div> By the next election, something had changed 180° ... <h2>1990 — Owes Congressional win to NRA</h2> <blockquote> "Bernie Sanders is a more honorable choice for Vermont sportsmen than Peter Smith," said the NRA's Wayne LaPierre at the time. "It is about integrity in politics." Though the NRA's backing did not single-handedly put Sanders in office, one exit poll showed that more than a third of his 1990 voters were influenced by the gun issue. </blockquote> In 1990, Bernie beat Smith by >16%. 1) The NRA was now unhappy with Smith for supporting a ban on semiautomatic rifles, and 2) the NRA was now <a href="https://theweek.com/speedreads/567392/nra-helped-elect-bernie-sanders-1990" target="_blank">endorsing Bernie</a>. <div>It’s clear that Bernie’s NRA support changed his appeal to Vermont voters. In a year where turnout dropped, his vote increased from a 3.7% loss to a 16.5% win. Not to mention the exit polling. There were approximately the same number of votes between himself and Congressman Smith, but now divided up much differently. And 1990 was not a Presidential year, as seen by the lower turnout.</div> <pre>Sanders Bernard Independent 117,522 56.00% Smith Peter Republican 82,938 39.52 Sandoval Delores Democratic 6,315 3.01 Diamondstone Peter Liberty Union 1,965 0.94 Write-In 1,116 0.53 Total: 209,856</pre> Did his mind change from 1988 to 1990, or did he change his position to get elected? <div class="dk-editor-embed center-block" data-twitter-content='&lt;blockquote class="twitter-tweet"&gt;&lt;p lang="en" dir="ltr"&gt;The NRA paved the road to Washington for Bernie Sanders.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;He spent the next three decades making sure they got a return on their investment.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;We deserve a president who is not beholden to the gun lobby.&lt;a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NotMeNRA?src=hash&amp;amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;#NotMeNRA&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href="https://t.co/HLYZe4J5PM"&gt;pic.twitter.com/HLYZe4J5PM&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&amp;mdash; Mike Bloomberg (@MikeBloomberg) &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/MikeBloomberg/status/1231947570529947651?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;February 24, 2020&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt; '><div class="remove-embed-content">x</div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">The NRA paved the road to Washington for Bernie Sanders. He spent the next three decades making sure they got a return on their investment. We deserve a president who is not beholden to the gun lobby.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NotMeNRA?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NotMeNRA</a> <a href="https://t.co/HLYZe4J5PM">pic.twitter.com/HLYZe4J5PM</a>— Mike Bloomberg (@MikeBloomberg) <a href="https://twitter.com/MikeBloomberg/status/1231947570529947651?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 24, 2020</a></blockquote> </div> <h2>1991 & 1993 — Against the Brady Bill</h2> The Brady Handgun Violence and Protection Act was designed to slow down the purchasers of guns with background checks and waiting periods, particularly to keep guns out of the hands of people that should not have them. <div class="dk-editor-embed embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9 center-block"> <div class="remove-embed-content">x</div> <div class="dk-editor-embed embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9 center-block"> <div class="remove-embed-content"><a class="new_iframe_placeholder" href="#">x</a></div> <a class="iframe_placeholder youtube dk-embed" href="//youtube.com/watch?v=SterfJsQyAY" data-frameborder="0" data-height="281" data-src="//www.youtube.com/embed/SterfJsQyAY" data-width="500">YouTube Video</a></div> </div> Governor Martin O’Malley had it right in this ad — in 1991 and 1993, Bernie voted a total of five (5) times against the Brady Bill. He also tried to add an amendment for instant background checks instead — a technology which did not exist at the time. <a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/103rd-congress/house-bill/1025" target="_blank">H.R.1025 — Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act</a> ultimately passes, is presented to and signed by Bill Clinton in the same day on 11/30/1993 despite Bernie voting against it. <h2>2005 — PLCAA</h2> The <a href="http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/BILLS-109s397enr/pdf/BILLS-109s397enr.pdf">Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act</a> (PLCAA) is a United States law which protects firearms manufacturers and dealers from being held liable when crimes have been committed with their products. It had Bernie’s support when it was introduced in 2003 and through 2005 when it was passed. From <a href="https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2015/05/bernie-sanders-on-guns-vermont-independent-voted-against-gun-control-for-plcaa.html" target="_blank">Slate</a>: <blockquote> <div style="text-align:center"> The PLCAA was the <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2005/10/21/politics/21guns.html?_r=1&">No. 1 legislative priority</a> of the National Rifle Association for years, because it shields gun makers and dealers from most liability when their firearms are used criminally. It is one of the most noxious pieces of pro-gun legislation ever passed. And Bernie Sanders voted for it. … Remarkably, the act wiped out gun liability laws in all 50 states, rendering them invalid except for a handful of narrow exceptions. (So much for states’ rights.) Thanks to the law, victims of mass shootings are barred from suing the companies that produced a wartime weapon that no civilian could ever need. </div> </blockquote> The NRA was <a href="https://www.nraila.org/articles/20051020/historic-victory-for-nrabr-us-house" target="_blank">overjoyed</a>. <div class="dk-editor-embed center-block" data-twitter-content='&lt;blockquote class="twitter-tweet"&gt;&lt;p lang="en" dir="ltr"&gt;Sen. Sanders was spot-on in his comments about gun manufacturer liability/PLCAA &lt;a href="https://t.co/nDjEerjkgB"&gt;https://t.co/nDjEerjkgB&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/DemDebate?src=hash&amp;amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;#DemDebate&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href="https://t.co/jEScbMDFt4"&gt;pic.twitter.com/jEScbMDFt4&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&amp;mdash; NRA (@NRA) &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/NRA/status/706859878703177728?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;March 7, 2016&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt; '><div class="remove-embed-content">x</div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Sen. Sanders was spot-on in his comments about gun manufacturer liability/PLCAA <a href="https://t.co/nDjEerjkgB">https://t.co/nDjEerjkgB</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/DemDebate?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#DemDebate</a> <a href="https://t.co/jEScbMDFt4">pic.twitter.com/jEScbMDFt4</a>— NRA (@NRA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NRA/status/706859878703177728?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 7, 2016</a></blockquote> </div> But no. Bernie says it’s about mental health. <div class="dk-editor-embed embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9 center-block"> <div class="remove-embed-content">x</div> <div class="dk-editor-embed embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9 center-block"> <div class="remove-embed-content"><a class="new_iframe_placeholder" href="#">x</a></div> <a class="iframe_placeholder youtube dk-embed" href="//youtube.com/watch?v=Yvth8LoIVnA" data-frameborder="0" data-height="281" data-src="//www.youtube.com/embed/Yvth8LoIVnA" data-width="500">YouTube Video</a></div> </div> <h2>2006 — Jeffords retires. Hello Senator Sanders</h2> The 2006 race against Richard Tarrant was a very expensive race: Tarrant spent over $7M and Bernie $6.7M. One key issue in that race was Bernie’s vote against <a href="http://archive.boston.com/news/local/vermont/articles/2006/09/21/sanders_vote_on_amber_alert_emerges_as_key_campaign_issue/?rss_id=Boston.com+%2F+News+%2F+Local" target="_blank">Amber Alert</a>, because he “disagreed with the sentencing guidelines.” <blockquote> Sanders was one of only 14 House members to vote against the bill, which passed the Senate 98-0, with U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt. -- a Sanders supporter -- voting in favor. </blockquote> <h2>2007 — No aid to countries who restrict US guns</h2> <blockquote> <div>Vote number <a href="http://senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=110&session=1&vote=00321">2007-321</a> prohibiting foreign & UN aid that restricts US gun ownership on Sep 6, 2007 regarding bill <a href="http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d110:SP2774:">S.Amdt. 2774 to H.R. 2764</a> Vitter Amendment to State Dept. Appropriations Bill Results: Agreed to, 81-10</div> </blockquote> <div>Bernie votes yea.</div> <h2>2009 — Allow guns in checked baggage on Amtrak</h2> <blockquote> Vote number <a href="http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=111&session=1&vote=00145">2009-S145</a> allowing firearms in checked baggage on Amtrak trains on Apr 2, 2009 regarding bill <a href="http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d111:SC00013:">S.Amdt.798 to S.Con.Res.13</a> Wicker Amendment Results: Passed 63-35 </blockquote> Bernie votes yea. <h2>2012 — Sandy Hook</h2> <blockquote> On December 14, 2012, at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, <a href="https://www.history.com/topics/us-states/connecticut">Connecticut</a>, Adam Lanza kills 20 first graders and six school employees before turning a gun on himself. Earlier that day, he killed his mother at the home they shared. </blockquote> In fact they average over 2 bullets each victim, and these are high velocity bullets causing extreme damage all the way through. <blockquote> “I don't owe Sandy Hook victims' families an apology.” <a href="https://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/dem-primaries/276402-sanders-i-dont-owe-sandy-hook-victims-families-an-apology" target="_blank">–TheHill</a> </blockquote> <div class="dk-editor-embed center-block" data-twitter-content='&lt;blockquote class="twitter-tweet"&gt;&lt;p lang="en" dir="ltr"&gt;It&amp;#39;s time to hold gun manufacturers accountable. &lt;a href="https://t.co/2qxmd55x9C"&gt;pic.twitter.com/2qxmd55x9C&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&amp;mdash; Joe Biden (Text Join to 30330) (@JoeBiden) &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/JoeBiden/status/1230501756741783554?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;February 20, 2020&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt; '><div class="remove-embed-content">x</div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">It's time to hold gun manufacturers accountable. <a href="https://t.co/2qxmd55x9C">pic.twitter.com/2qxmd55x9C</a>— Joe Biden (Text Join to 30330) (@JoeBiden) <a href="https://twitter.com/JoeBiden/status/1230501756741783554?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 20, 2020</a></blockquote> </div> This is beyond disgusting. <a href="https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/gunman-kills-students-and-adults-at-newtown-connecticut-elementary-school" target="_blank">History.com</a>: <blockquote> In November 2013, the Connecticut State’s Attorney released a report noting that Lanza had “significant mental health issues that affected his ability to live a normal life and to interact with others.” However, mental-health professionals who had worked with him “did not see anything that would have predicted his future behavior,” according to the report. </blockquote> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/dec/03/san-bernardino-shooting-presidential-candidates-responses-nra-ratings" target="_blank">In 2012, Bernie earned a D- from the NRA.</a> There is no excuse for a Democrat to earn anything other than an F. <h2>2015 — Dylann Roof murders nine in a church</h2> In the January 17, 2016 debate with Hillary Clinton, she observed that he voted for the “Charleston Loophole.” This is the means by which <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dylann_Roof" target="_blank">Dylann Roof</a> was able to purchase a handgun and avoid the three-day waiting period from the hamstrung Brady Bill by providing an incorrect agency address as to where he was previously arrested on drug charges. <a href="https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2016/jan/17/hillary-clinton/fact-checking-hillary-clintons-claim-bernie-sander/" target="_blank">Bernie voted against a version of the Brady Bill that reinstated a five-day period.</a> With the exception of his amendment, he voted against every version of the bill. This loophole was directly implicated in Roof’s ability to get a handgun and thus kill nine African Americans in their Church. <h2>2016 — Still Defending PLCAA</h2> <a href="https://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/dem-primaries/276402-sanders-i-dont-owe-sandy-hook-victims-families-an-apology" target="_blank">April 14, 2016.</a> <blockquote> Bernie Sanders was booed loudly during the Democratic presidential debate Thursday night when he refused to apologize to the victims of the Sandy Hook massacre for his stance on gun control. … Blitzer said to Sanders, "The daughter of the Sandy Hook elementary school principal who was killed back in the 2012 mass shooting says you owe her and the other victims' families an apology. Do you?" </blockquote> Interestingly, his <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20181006174259/https://berniesanders.com/press-release/sanders-supports-gun-safety-bill/" target="_blank">position changed</a> under pressure from Rep. Adam Schiff and Sen. Richard Blumenthal: <div class="align-center"> <figure class="image-captioned"><img alt="ScreenShot2020-03-05at11.29.48PM.png" src="https://images.dailykos.com/images/774096/large/ScreenShot2020-03-05at11.29.48PM.png?1583469004" title="ScreenShot2020-03-05at11.29.48PM.png"> <figcaption>Note, that this press release is dated January 16th, 2016, and he’s defending PLCAA on January 17th, 2017 in a debate with Hillary Clinton</figcaption> </figure> </div> What’s even more interesting is that this Press Release has been scrubbed from his website, apparently in 2019. <h2>2020 — It was a “bad vote”</h2> <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/25/us/politics/bernie-sanders-brady-bill-guns.html" target="_blank">NYTimes</a>: <blockquote> Blocks from where nine people were killed in a mass shooting at a historic Charleston, S.C., black church in 2015, the Democratic presidential front-runner, Senator <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/us/elections/bernie-sanders.html">Bernie Sanders</a> of Vermont, was confronted on Tuesday night about his past support for a law that gave immunity to gun manufacturers in wrongful death lawsuits. ... [Biden] zeroed in on Mr. Sanders’s vote to approve the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act in 2005, saying that the law has undermined efforts to hold gun manufacturers accountable after a spate of mass shootings. ... “I’ve cast thousands of votes, including bad votes,” Mr. Sanders said. “That was a bad vote.” </blockquote> A bad vote? No, it was who Bernie is. In 1990 he embraced support from the NRA and to get elected. Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden, Adam Schiff, Richard Blumenthal, and any number of Democrats have called him on it. <hr> <h2>A simple question</h2> Let’s come back to where we started, in his own words: <figure class="image-captioned"><img alt="BernieGunsQuote2.jpg" src="https://images.dailykos.com/images/773993/large/BernieGunsQuote2.jpg?1583450014" title="BernieGunsQuote2.jpg"> <figcaption></figcaption> </figure> A) Does Bernie actually believe that assault rifles are a bad thing, and his statement about losing the 1988 election? (This was the same day he defended his vote against the Brady Bill in a debate with Hillary Clinton.) B) Did he not actually support the NRA but used them to gain a Congressional Seat and then later a Senatoral Seat? And do their bidding along the way. What do you believe in? And if I can’t take your word for this, particularly with all of the innocent blood on your hands, what can I believe? <h2 class="AlignCenter">D- </h2> <hr> C) Another possibility has been brought up in the comments — even though Bernie got elected in 1990 after the NRA went after his opponent for SPONSORING an assault weapons ban, he was really in favor of an assault weapons ban the whole time, irrespective of his Brady and PLCAA votes. To believe this, one has to assume that he was (implicitly or explicitly) lying in 1990 to the NRA and people of Vermont. rss@dailykos.com (polecat) BernieSanders BradyBill DylannRoof HillaryClinton MartinOMalley MikeBloomberg NRA PLCAA SandyHook _1924736 Fri, 06 Mar 2020 04:50:23 +0000 Plurality https://www.dailykos.com/story/2020/2/20/1920608/-Plurality Given the example above, Candidate A has a clear plurality (I didn’t say majority) of the delegates at 33%. However let’s say that Candidate B (at 27%) and Candidate C (at 24%) make a deal for President/Veep and come in above 50%+1 to win the Nomination. As part of this scenario, Candidate A could have made a deal with either B or C to get above 50%+1, but didn’t for whatever reasons. Is this fair? Is it the Democratic (big-D and little-d) thing to do? rss@dailykos.com (polecat) brokeredconvention Delegates DemocraticNationalConvention DemocraticNominee Mathematics Meta PieCharts _1920608 Thu, 20 Feb 2020 15:19:34 +0000 Sestak is out https://www.dailykos.com/story/2019/12/1/1902893/-Sestak-is-out <a href="http://rss.cnn.com/~r/rss/cnn_topstories/~3/WM6CBd2N0Kg/index.html" target="_blank">rss.cnn.com/…</a> <blockquote> "I want to thank you for the honor of running for President of the United States of America," Sestak said in a statement. "It has been an endeavor filled with immeasurable wisdom, passions, humor and insights to, and from, the people of America." </blockquote> I had forgotten he was running. rss@dailykos.com (polecat) JoeSestak _1902893 Mon, 02 Dec 2019 00:47:51 +0000 Gabbard decides to not run for Congress https://www.dailykos.com/story/2019/10/25/1895043/-Gabbard-decides-to-not-run-for-Congress <a href="https://www-m.cnn.com/2019/10/25/politics/tulsi-gabbard-wont-run-for-house-seat-2020/index.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+rss%2Fcnn_topstories+%28RSS%3A+CNN+-+Top+Stories%29" target="_blank">www-m.cnn.com/…</a> (on my phone, so it will be short and typo-laden) Looks like she’s all in on her Presidential bid. Did she or did she not sign the DNC’s “pledge” to not run as a 3rd party candidate? Was secretary Clinton correct in her assessment (however Ill-phrased and mangled by the NYT) that someone was being “groomed” by the Republicans (look it up, she didn’t say “Russians”) for a 3rd party run? [and she called Stein an asset, not Gabbard — RTF transcript] rss@dailykos.com (polecat) Congress Recommended TulsiGabbard _1895043 Fri, 25 Oct 2019 12:30:13 +0000 The case for Kamala Harris (Time Magazine) https://www.dailykos.com/story/2019/10/4/1890043/-The-case-for-Kamala-Harris-Time-Magazine <a href="https://time.com/5691643/kamala-harris-2020" target="_blank">Article Link</a> Senator Harris has been in my top 5 from the moment she declared. From a numerical standpoint, I initially thought her position as a Senator from California, and Beto’s position as having narrowly lost to Ted Cruz in TX would have put the both of them into a great position going into Super Tuesday. Clearly my crystal ball isn’t working, but both remain in my top five. <blockquote> … [Harris] consistently polls among the top five candidates in the <a href="https://time.com/5599099/democratic-candidate-quiz/" title="">jumbled Democratic field</a>, and she has the financial resources to remain viable. Her campaign raised $11.6 million in the quarter ending Sept. 30–a respectable haul, although far short of what some other front runners pulled in. As more <a href="https://time.com/5682056/bill-de-blasio-ends-presidential-campaign/">long-shot candidates bow out of the race</a>, campaign officials expect Harris to benefit from voters’ renewed focus. With a little luck, they say, she still has a fairly clear path to the nomination. </blockquote> I personally depend upon her to rip various Trump appointees and nominees a new orifice and she hasn’t disappointed on that score. <blockquote> “This guy [Trump] has completely trampled on the rule of law, avoided consequence and accountability under law,” she says of the President. “For all the sh-t people give me for being a prosecutor, listen. I believe there should be accountability and consequence.” </blockquote> (my emphasis) Amen, sister. <blockquote> On a clear early-fall day, more than 100 people have come to hear Harris speak in a pub in Coralville. “I like Biden, but I want someone new,” says 71-year-old Jane Carlson, a retired university worker. “I don’t want yesterday. I want tomorrow.” </blockquote> Read the article, y’all. rss@dailykos.com (polecat) KamalaHarris Primary2020 _1890043 Fri, 04 Oct 2019 13:02:39 +0000 Cloroxing the Oval Office https://www.dailykos.com/story/2019/7/31/1875812/-Cloroxing-the-Oval-Office Sen. Gillibrand was right, we need to clean out the Oval Office and the rest of the Federal Government. Good line, though. rss@dailykos.com (polecat) Clorox SenatorGillinbrand _1875812 Thu, 01 Aug 2019 02:09:08 +0000 Trump speaks in front of 'altered' Presidential Seal https://www.dailykos.com/story/2019/7/25/1874353/-Trump-speaks-in-front-of-altered-Presidential-Seal From <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-speech-russia-golf-eagle-presidential-seal-turning-point-usa-event-a9019971.html" target="_blank">The Independent:</a> <blockquote> The normally solitary bald eagle was seen with two heads, made to resemble the two-headed bird on the official Russian coat of arms in a mocking nod to Mr Trump’s woes with investigations into Moscow’s election meddling. The symbolic bird also showed up clutching a bag of golf clubs – evidently a joke about the president’s fondness for spending so much time on the links. </blockquote> I promise you, no one is going to find out who did it, but whomever did really hates him. All I can say is that it wasn’t me. RESIST h/t to <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/comments/1874353/74511924#comment_74511924" target="_blank">jqjacobs for finding the original</a>: <figure class="image-captioned"><img alt="" src="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EAVC7HsXkAAD86F.jpg"> <figcaption></figcaption> </figure> 2n10 and alamancedem point out that <a href="https://inktale.com/onetermdonnie/trumps-presidential-seal?fbclid=IwAR3OwG1jbDOOXUwMRMGV9UPE0HgtzJ8y9K1bf9AzFTQglrWpfiXvlPm4AjE" target="_blank">you can buy stuff </a>with this logo on it. Siab found these links: <a href="https://www.vox.com/2019/7/25/8930035/trump-altered-presidential-seal" target="_blank">Vox</a>, <a href="https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/trump-speech-presidential-seal/" target="_blank">Snopes</a> annieli discovered someone was fired (but likely not guilty): <div class="dk-editor-embed center-block" data-twitter-content='&lt;blockquote class="twitter-tweet"&gt;&lt;p lang="en" dir="ltr"&gt;A TPUSA aide has been fired after Trump appeared in front of a doctored seal - which, a source familiar says, was the result of a google search gone wrong. “Zero malicious intent.” &lt;a href="https://t.co/8ZpNtsD6AV"&gt;https://t.co/8ZpNtsD6AV&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&amp;mdash; Betsy Klein (@betsy_klein) &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/betsy_klein/status/1154427298755596288?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;July 25, 2019&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt; '><div class="remove-embed-content">x</div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">A TPUSA aide has been fired after Trump appeared in front of a doctored seal - which, a source familiar says, was the result of a google search gone wrong. Ã¢Â€ÂœZero malicious intent.Ã¢Â€Â <a href="https://t.co/8ZpNtsD6AV">https://t.co/8ZpNtsD6AV</a>— Betsy Klein (@betsy_klein) <a href="https://twitter.com/betsy_klein/status/1154427298755596288?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 25, 2019</a></blockquote> </div> Goes back to this FB page in April, 2017: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/onetermdonnie/photos/a.1276784695736809/1294956097253002/?type=3&theater" target="_blank">www.facebook.com/…</a> <figure class="image-captioned width-xl"><img alt="" class="width-xl" src="https://images.dailykos.com/images/700162/large/onetermdonnie.jpg?1564070491"> <figcaption></figcaption> </figure> Thank you <a href="https://www.facebook.com/onetermdonnie/" target="_blank">One Term Donnie</a>. rss@dailykos.com (polecat) DonaldTrump Golf PresidentialSeal RussianInfluence TurningPointUSA _1874353 Thu, 25 Jul 2019 16:03:53 +0000 Unfair push poll: Biden vs. Sanders https://www.dailykos.com/story/2019/4/30/1854291/-Unfair-push-poll-Biden-vs-Sanders If current polling is remotely accurate, we could find ourselves down to these to guys: Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders. They both have nearly 100% name recognition (unlike say Inslee, whom a majority have never heard of). There have been pre-emptive strikes against each by other candidates, numerous hit pieces against each in the press. There is significant speculation that we’re looking at Biden’s ‘announcement bounce,’ but equally there is speculation that Bernie’s bounce represented his ceiling. You’re welcome to vote pie. You’re welcome to call in an airstrike on Reddit. You’re welcome to run this kind of poll later in the day to sample a different subset of dKos viewers. And of course you can ignore the poll because it doesn’t represent any actual version of reality. Or does it? Bernie vs. Joe — if you had to vote today. <h3>Multiple disclosures:</h3> <ul> <li>I didn’t vote for Bernie in 2016.</li> <li>I didn’t want either of these two guys to get into the 2020 race.</li> <li>Bernie (now that he's released his taxes) is in my top 5, for now</li> <li>For me it isn’t about age, but it’s hard to not notice that they’re BOTH old white guys (pretty much the antithesis of Kos’ crystal ball for the 2020 election)</li> </ul> rss@dailykos.com (polecat) BernieSanders Election2020 JoeBiden Primary PushPoll _1854291 Tue, 30 Apr 2019 14:44:39 +0000 Bernie is in. https://www.dailykos.com/story/2019/2/19/1835907/-Bernie-is-in <a href="https://www.npr.org/2019/02/19/676923000/bernie-sanders-enters-2020-presidential-campaign-no-longer-an-underdog?utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=news" target="_blank">NPR</a> Vermont public radio And CNBC Getting kids ready for school. Will delete when somebody writeS A REAL DIARY. 3..2..1.. until Biden makes his move. Running errands this AM — doroma has a <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2019/2/19/1835910/-Sen-Bernie-Sanders-Joins-The-Race" target="_blank" title="">Rec List diary</a> on it. rss@dailykos.com (polecat) BernieSanders _1835907 Tue, 19 Feb 2019 11:50:20 +0000 John Kelly is about to be kicked out. But who will be his replacement? https://www.dailykos.com/story/2018/12/7/1817625/-John-Kelly-is-about-to-be-kicked-out-But-who-will-be-his-replacement <h4><a href="https://www.cnn.com/2018/12/07/politics/john-kelly-chief-of-staff-donald-trump/index.html" target="_blank" title="">CNN (December 7, 2018)</a></h4> Not just is today Pearl Harbor day, but it is also a day that demonstrates the real problem with “the adult in the room” in the White House. <blockquote> [Kelly’s] expected departure would end a tumultuous tenure for Kelly, who was brought on to bring order to the White House but whose time as chief of staff has often been marked by the same infighting and controversy that has largely defined Trump's presidency from its beginning. Many of the storms in which Kelly became embroiled were by his own making. </blockquote> Many (including me) considered the advent of John Bolton to be the kiss of death for any hope of realistic governance, and it appears that El Mostasho has further cemented his grip on Trump’s naivety. <figure class="image-captioned width-xl align-right"><img alt="LA MALBAIE , QC - JUNE 09: US President Donald Trump (C) leaves with Chief of Staff John Kelly (L) and National Security Advisor John Bolton (R) after holding a press conference ahead of his early departure from the G7 Summit on June 9, 2018 in La Malbaie, Canada. Canada are hosting the leaders of the UK, Italy, the US, France, Germany and Japan for the two day summit, in the town of La Malbaie. (Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images)" class="width-xl" src="https://images.dailykos.com/images/552035/large/GettyImages-970362626.jpg?1528735991" title="LA MALBAIE , QC - JUNE 09: US President Donald Trump (C) leaves with Chief of Staff John Kelly (L) and National Security Advisor John Bolton (R) after holding a press conference ahead of his early departure from the G7 Summit on June 9, 2018 in La Malbaie, Canada. Canada are hosting the leaders of the UK, Italy, the US, France, Germany and Japan for the two day summit, in the town of La Malbaie. (Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images)"> <figcaption>A match made in H*LL.</figcaption> </figure> It was only a matter of time, and Bolton found out how to push all of Kelly’s buttons (most obvious being his support of replacement Homeland Security Secretary and protégé Kirstjen Nielsen). <blockquote> ...in the last months, Kelly has seen his status as chief of staff diminish. Trump began circumventing many of the policies and protocols he enacted, and [Kelly] was on the verge of being fired or resigning numerous times. </blockquote> <h4>But wait, there’s more!</h4> Speculation as to Kelly’s replacement is the fascinating part. I mean, who would take that job willingly (other than John Bolton)? Current speculation and rumors center on Nick Ayers, Pence’s chief of staff. Yes. that guy. The guy I suspect of having written the infamous op-ed about keeping everything in control. The guy that is the Vice President’s right hand man (sorry Mother) and could further exert Pence’s control on the Presidency. And as speculation continues to abound on Transition Leader Pence’s exposure to #TrumpRussia (thank you Cohen, Flynn, McGahn, and Manafort), one has to wonder whether we’re getting closer to seeing what the Endgame† might be like. †BTW, Trailer for Avengers 4 “Endgame” <a href="https://youtu.be/wVhl9QGP0Zo" target="_blank" title="">has just dropped</a>. rss@dailykos.com (polecat) ChiefofStaff DonaldTrump JohnBolton JohnKelly MikePence NickAyers Recommended _1817625 Fri, 07 Dec 2018 14:43:44 +0000 Bloomberg. Sigh. https://www.dailykos.com/story/2018/12/6/1817556/-Bloomberg-Sigh <a href="https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/stevenperlberg/michael-bloomberg-2020-election-reporters" target="_blank">Buzzfeed</a> (Dec 6, 2018) <h4>Fallout</h4> Bloomberg is serious enough about running that Bloomberg News reporters are concerned about what happens to them and how they’re supposed to cover the news if he actually declares. Bloomberg’s options include a) selling <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/company/" target="_blank">Bloomberg LP</a>, b) placing it in a blind trust (if such a thing were actually possible), or c) I imagine using it as an organ of his campaign. [Probably not legal, but who is going to stop him if he’s self-funding?!] <a href="https://www.radioiowa.com/2018/12/04/bloomberg-discusses-objectives-of-possible-2020-presidential-bid/" target="_blank">R</a><a href="https://www.radioiowa.com/2018/12/04/bloomberg-discusses-objectives-of-possible-2020-presidential-bid/" target="_blank">adio Iowa</a>: <a href="https://cdn.radioiowa.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/BloombergRadioIowaInterview.mp3" target="_blank">audio</a> <blockquote> ...If he does run for president, Bloomberg told Radio Iowa he will either place his company in a blind trust or sell it. “But I think at my age, if selling it is possible, I would do that,” Bloomberg said. “At some point, you’re going to die anyway, so you want to do it before then.” </blockquote> If he follows through on his threat to run as a Democrat, he’d be the bluest of dogs. [And the D*mnedest of Yankees...] I personally cannot imagine his appeal to the country at large, although he does potentially have enough money and experience to build a national organization. <h4>Stalking Horse</h4> Now, even if he doesn’t make it to the debates, he could do us a service. Trump *hates* Bloomberg. It’s just one more thing to attract the orange *sshole’s attention, but if you recall how Trump went after Oprah, we could potentially affix his attention on a *real* billionaire while the rest of our candidates are building organizations, campaigning, etc. Sort of a sacrificial goat, so to speak. [sorry about the mixing of metaphors.] I’m watching several candidates with interest and Bloomberg isn’t one of them. But if he can draw the ire of Trump, it could be a useful temporary measure. Michael Avenatti [correctly identified as an *sshole by Kos, h/t] demonstrated that for a brief time it is possible to get and keep Trump’s attention. There is only so much time during the day for tweeting. Mueller is coming. rss@dailykos.com (polecat) DemocraticPrimary DonaldTrump Election2020 MichaelBloomberg President _1817556 Fri, 07 Dec 2018 02:48:24 +0000 (Update 4?) Megyn Kelly shows her true colors. Again. Fired! https://www.dailykos.com/story/2018/10/25/1807112/-Megan-Kelly-shows-her-true-colors-Again-Fired Megyn on her last day, although not realizing it yet: <div class="dk-editor-embed embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9 center-block"> <div class="remove-embed-content">x</div> <div class="dk-editor-embed embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9 center-block"> <div class="remove-embed-content"><a class="new_iframe_placeholder" href="#">x</a></div> <a class="iframe_placeholder youtube dk-embed" href="//youtube.com/watch?v=roflidgSPHk" data-frameborder="0" data-height="281" data-src="//www.youtube.com/embed/roflidgSPHk" data-width="500">YouTube Video</a></div> </div> Paraphrase: “It [blackface] is okay as long as your costume matches.” <blockquote> <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2018/10/24/media/megyn-kelly-blackface-al-roker/index.html" target="_blank">CNN</a> Two people familiar with the matter confirmed that to CNN Business and said Kelly's show will be ending. Negotiations about the end date and other details are still underway. But Kelly will not be hosting Thursday's program, and she is unlikely to return later, one of the people said. So "Megyn Kelly Today" may end very soon. </blockquote> It’s a matter of WHEN, not IF. She has apologized, but <blockquote> ...NBC staffers routinely call Kelly's show a "disaster" and other disparaging terms. </blockquote> I don’t think she’s coming back. Maybe she can hang out with Roseanne Barr. Buh-bye. <hr> Update — found this quote in <a href="https://variety.com/2018/tv/news/megyn-kelly-eyes-new-role-at-nbc-news-1202992673/" target="_blank">Variety</a>: <blockquote> <a href="https://variety.com/t/megyn-kelly/">Megyn Kelly</a> and <a href="https://variety.com/t/nbc-news/">NBC News</a> have engaged in conversations about her taking a new role* at the news division, according to a person who has spoken with the anchor, suggesting both sides have grown weary of the intense scrutiny being placed on her morning program, “<a href="https://variety.com/t/megyn-kelly-today/">Megyn Kelly Today</a>” and casting significant doubt on its future. Word of the shift comes after Kelly stirred outrage on Tuesday during a segment in which she questioned why it was wrong for people to don “blackface” for Halloween costumes. The backlash contributed to CAA dropping Kelly as a client on Wednesday, according to an industry source (and first reported by the Hollywood Reporter). </blockquote> *my emphasis My suspicion is that the “new role” at the news division is to stay home during the remainder of her contract. <hr> Update — Thanks for putting me on the recommended list. <hr> Update — Today they’re running a rerun!!! <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/tv/2018/10/25/megyn-kelly-today-reruns-exit-rumors-swirl-blackface-nbc/1759828002/" target="_blank">USA Today</a>: 'Megyn Kelly Today' airs reruns as rumors of her exit percolate <blockquote> A rerun of "Megyn Kelly Today" aired on Thursday, with NBC telling USA TODAY the show would not be live for the rest of the week, as rumors swirled her time on the morning show is coming to an end. </blockquote> <hr> Update — AND <a href="https://pagesix.com/2018/10/25/megyn-kelly-out-at-nbc-after-defending-blackface/" target="_blank">SHE’S GONE</a>. Second <a href="https://lex18.com/news/covering-the-nation/2018/10/25/74252/" target="_blank">source</a>. <blockquote> “Megyn Kelly is done. She is not ever coming back,” an NBC executive familiar with the situation told the Daily Mail. “We are just working out timing of the announcement but mark my word – she is gone and will never be seen on NBC live again.” </blockquote> rss@dailykos.com (polecat) Blackface MeganKelly NBC Racism Recommended _1807112 Thu, 25 Oct 2018 13:00:00 +0000 And Roseanne Barr's show is canceled. https://www.dailykos.com/story/2018/5/29/1767922/-And-Roseanne-Barr-s-show-is-canceled Jen Hayden’s front page <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2018/5/29/1767852/-Will-ABC-stand-by-Roseanne-Barr-after-she-sent-this-racist-joke-targeting-a-former-Obama-advisor" target="_blank">story</a>. <div class="dk-editor-embed center-block" data-twitter-content='&lt;blockquote class="twitter-tweet"&gt;&lt;p lang="en" dir="ltr"&gt;I apologize to Valerie Jarrett and to all Americans. I am truly sorry for making a bad joke about her politics and her looks. I should have known better. Forgive me-my joke was in bad taste.&lt;/p&gt;&amp;mdash; Roseanne Barr (@therealroseanne) &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/therealroseanne/status/1001471669641216005?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;May 29, 2018&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt; '><div class="remove-embed-content">x</div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">I apologize to Valerie Jarrett and to all Americans. I am truly sorry for making a bad joke about her politics and her looks. I should have known better. Forgive me-my joke was in bad taste.— Roseanne Barr (@therealroseanne) <a href="https://twitter.com/therealroseanne/status/1001471669641216005?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 29, 2018</a></blockquote> </div> After that faux apology, Barr continued to double down on Chelsea Clinton: <figure class="image-captioned"><img alt="" src="https://images.dailykos.com/images/547500/large/roseanne2.png?1527603313"> <figcaption></figcaption> </figure> Buh-Bye Roseanne. Hope to never hear from you again. rss@dailykos.com (polecat) BarackObama ChelseaClinton RoseanneBarr _1767922 Tue, 29 May 2018 17:55:06 +0000 Civiqs and privacy https://www.dailykos.com/story/2018/4/28/1760528/-Civiqs-and-privacy What’s the point of online privacy if you both require an email (which makes sense) and then want my actual name to CHECK MY VOTING HISTORY. (And political donations, etc.) Sorry, Kos. It isn’t happening. Too invasive. rss@dailykos.com (polecat) Civiqs Privacy _1760528 Sat, 28 Apr 2018 13:03:51 +0000 Followup on the Self-Driving Uber death https://www.dailykos.com/story/2018/3/20/1750526/-Followup-on-the-Self-Driving-Uber-death (Tempe, AZ) <a href="https://www.abc15.com/news/region-southeast-valley/tempe/tempe-police-investigating-self-driving-uber-car-involved-in-crash-overnight" target="_blank">ABC15</a> The Accident Scene <div class="align-center"> <figure class="image-captioned"><img alt="Screen_Shot_2018-03-20_at_12.03.35_PM.png" src="https://images.dailykos.com/images/521270/large/Screen_Shot_2018-03-20_at_12.03.35_PM.png?1521562165" title="Screen_Shot_2018-03-20_at_12.03.35_PM.png"> <figcaption>Reverse projection to calibrate video from Uber car. The FARO (LIDAR) scanner is used in several places to make a 3D map of the scene. Because the officer is standing at that location, I *suspect* it is the point of impact.</figcaption> </figure> </div> <div class="align-center"> <figure class="image-captioned"><img alt="Screen_Shot_2018-03-20_at_12.08.08_PM.png" src="https://images.dailykos.com/images/521267/large/Screen_Shot_2018-03-20_at_12.08.08_PM.png?1521562164" title="Screen_Shot_2018-03-20_at_12.08.08_PM.png"> <figcaption>Where the car and pedestrian ended up. Pedestrian was carried over 40 yards. Can’t tell if there are skid marks. (reportedly, Uber vehicle was going at 40 mph.)</figcaption> </figure> </div> <div class="align-center"> <figure class="image-captioned"><img alt="Screen_Shot_2018-03-20_at_12.02.11_PM.png" src="https://images.dailykos.com/images/521268/large/Screen_Shot_2018-03-20_at_12.02.11_PM.png?1521562164" title="Screen_Shot_2018-03-20_at_12.02.11_PM.png"> <figcaption>Reverse view of the point of impact. Scene is darker at right where presumably Ms. Herzberg was going. This could be autoexposure on the video. Notice the 3D FARO scanner on tripod (center) and the back of the Uber Volvo in the distance (left).</figcaption> </figure> </div> <div class="align-center"> <figure class="image-captioned"><img alt="Accident scene with Uber car in Tempe AZ" src="https://images.dailykos.com/images/521285/large/Screen_Shot_2018-03-20_at_12.51.29_PM.png?1521564727" title="Accident scene with Uber car in Tempe AZ"> <figcaption>Aerial view of park at upper right corresponding to the location of the scanner in the previous image. Ms. Herzberg entered from the left median and was apparently struck near the right side of the road.</figcaption> </figure> </div> <div class="align-center"> <figure class="image-captioned"><img alt="Daytime street view of accident scene" src="https://images.dailykos.com/images/521286/large/Screen_Shot_2018-03-20_at_12.54.22_PM.png?1521564896" title="Daytime street view of accident scene"> <figcaption>(daylight) Street view of location with scanner, above.</figcaption> </figure> </div> What we know <ul> <li>Audio from the very beginning of the video is not present. Q/A is. <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ABC15/videos/10155682760076359/" target="_blank">Tempe Police Briefing</a></li> <li>Video from Uber vehicle has not been released</li> <li>Nothing has been said about data from the Uber vehicle — LIDAR / SLAM data track</li> <li>LIDAR would not have been affected by low light levels — in fact it would have performed better without solar reflections than in daytime.</li> <li>Approximate speed of Vehicle: 40mph</li> <li>Vehicle was still in autonomous mode. Driver had NOT taken over.</li> <li>At this time there is no evidence that the Uber vehicle slowed down prior to impact</li> <li>He has taken effort to say “pedestrian,” not “cyclist.”</li> <li>She was in the lane of traffic at the time — this is also shown by the impact point on the Uber vehicle (below)</li> <li>There are several angles of video. The video shows the pedestrian approaching the vehicle.</li> </ul> <div class="align-center"> <figure class="image-captioned"><img alt="Screen_Shot_2018-03-20_at_12.03.07_PM.png" src="https://images.dailykos.com/images/521265/large/Screen_Shot_2018-03-20_at_12.03.07_PM.png?1521562160" title="Screen_Shot_2018-03-20_at_12.03.07_PM.png"> <figcaption>Point of impact on the Uber vehicle</figcaption> </figure> </div> NPR Story on Self-Driving Cars dealing with bicycles <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/alltechconsidered/2017/07/24/537746346/bikes-may-have-to-talk-to-self-driving-cars-for-safetys-sake" target="_blank">www.npr.org/…</a> <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/alltechconsidered/2017/07/24/537746346/bikes-may-have-to-talk-to-self-driving-cars-for-safetys-sake" target="_blank">Bikes May Have To Talk To Self-Driving Cars For Safety's Sake</a> <blockquote> "Cars have a very regular pattern with the way they move, whereas when people are riding bicycles they change between either acting like cars on the side of the road," says Rowe, an associate engineering professor at Carnegie Mellon University. "They might switch and become pedestrians and go up on the sidewalks. They tend to move in a slightly more erratic way. It's much harder to predict." </blockquote> My Commentary Just because something may be difficult to see because of darkness, that is not a suitable argument for a car that is mostly using LIDAR and infrared to see. Don’t assume that a video that seems dark means that 1) a driver couldn’t see the pedestrian, 2) the built-in video cameras (yes CAMERAS) couldn’t see it, especially in infrared, or 3) the LIDAR couldn’t see the pedestrian. Looking at the aerial image of the area, there would have been a significant amount of time and data locating Ms. Herzberg. rss@dailykos.com (polecat) pedestrian Self-drivingVehicle Uber _1750526 Tue, 20 Mar 2018 17:17:03 +0000 Self-Driving Uber car kills pedestrian https://www.dailykos.com/story/2018/3/19/1750290/-Self-Driving-Uber-car-kills-pedestrian (Tempe, AZ) <a href="https://www.abc15.com/news/arizona-police-investigating-self-driving-uber-car-involved-in-crash-overnight" target="_blank">ABC15</a> Earlier this morning a northbound Uber vehicle struck and killed a woman walking outside of a crosswalk. The vehicle in question was in self-driving mode WITH an operator behind the wheel. <div class="dk-editor-embed center-block" data-twitter-content='&lt;blockquote class="twitter-tweet"&gt;&lt;p lang="en" dir="ltr"&gt;Our hearts go out to the victim’s family. We’re fully cooperating with &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/TempePolice?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;@TempePolice&lt;/a&gt; and local authorities as they investigate this incident.&lt;/p&gt;&amp;mdash; Uber Comms (@Uber_Comms) &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/Uber_Comms/status/975776694857474048?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;March 19, 2018&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt; '><div class="remove-embed-content">x</div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Our hearts go out to the victimÃ¢Â€Â™s family. WeÃ¢Â€Â™re fully cooperating with <a href="https://twitter.com/TempePolice?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TempePolice</a> and local authorities as they investigate this incident.— Uber Comms (@Uber_Comms) <a href="https://twitter.com/Uber_Comms/status/975776694857474048?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 19, 2018</a></blockquote> </div> It was only a matter of time. This, however, is why there are supposed to be people that can take over while the autonomous software is running. ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems) and SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping) are difficult tasks and we expect and require them to be safe before we deploy them — IF we deploy them. The reality is that a human may not always be able react fast enough for an intervention. I’ve been saying for a long time that the liability of autonomous software is one of the things that will cause it to be a long time coming. (Another is the vast power usage — these cars are a long way from economical to drive. And of course the very high cost of the equipment.) Long haul trucks on the interstate are a different matter — both in terms of cost and power budget but also in terms of a less challenging use case: No crosswalks on the interstate. As long as the cost of insurance for driving the car yourself is LOWER than having the car DRIVE ITSELF, these things will only be an expensive (and dangerous) sport. rss@dailykos.com (polecat) self-drivingvehicles Uber _1750290 Mon, 19 Mar 2018 19:16:40 +0000 “The most hated man in America” https://www.dailykos.com/story/2018/3/14/1749023/-The-most-hated-man-in-America <figure class="image-captioned"><img alt="" src="https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/748157997667356673/7Hg8V-IM_400x400.jpg"> <figcaption>Drew Gray Miller, Libertarian, PA-18</figcaption> </figure> <div class="dk-editor-embed center-block" data-twitter-content='&lt;blockquote class="twitter-tweet"&gt;&lt;p lang="en" dir="ltr"&gt;We&amp;#39;re only a few hours away from me being the most hated man in America &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PA18?src=hash&amp;amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;#PA18&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&amp;mdash; Drew Gray Miller (@DrewGrayMiller) &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/DrewGrayMiller/status/973750225893580800?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;March 14, 2018&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt; '><div class="remove-embed-content">x</div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">We're only a few hours away from me being the most hated man in America <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PA18?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PA18</a>— Drew Gray Miller (@DrewGrayMiller) <a href="https://twitter.com/DrewGrayMiller/status/973750225893580800?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 14, 2018</a></blockquote> </div> As I read this, there were 1,379 Republicans that could not bring themselves to vote for “More Trump than Trump.” It’s only a matter of time before the Twittler-in-Chief goes off. Either demanding a recount or wanting Miller to be arrested. rss@dailykos.com (polecat) ConorLamb DrawMiller Libertarian PA-18 RichardSaccone Spoiler _1749023 Wed, 14 Mar 2018 18:52:24 +0000 Asheville City Council Primary https://www.dailykos.com/story/2017/10/10/1705961/-Asheville-City-Council-Primary Today was Primary Day for both the City of Asheville Mayoral primary (non-partisan) and for three of the seats on the (soon-to-be-Gerrymandered) City Council. The incumbent Mayor, Esther Manheimer, won the primary with 77.05% of the vote followed by Martin Ramsey with 15.6%. Yay. I like Esther. Two of the incumbents, Cecil Bothwell and Gwen Wisler, were on the City Council ballot along with ten others, six of whom will advance to the General Election. The winners of the top six slots are: <div class="table-wrapper"> <table width="100%"> <caption> <div style="text-align:left"> <div class="table-wrapper"> <table width="915"> <tbody> <tr> <td><a href="http://er.ncsbe.gov/contest_details.html?election_dt=10/10/2017&county_id=11&contest_id=2" title="">CITY OF ASHEVILLE CITY COUNCIL (VOTE FOR 3)</a> </td> <td style=" text-align:right; width:168.890625px"></td> </tr> </tbody> </table> </div> </div> </caption> <tbody> <tr style="background-color:#eae0d7; "> <th style="background-color:#9fbae1; ">NAME ON BALLOT</th> <th style="background-color:#9fbae1; ">PARTY</th> <th style="background-color:#9fbae1; text-align:right">BALLOT COUNT</th> <th style="background-color:#9fbae1; text-align:right">PERCENT</th> </tr> <tr> <td style=" width:536.390625px">Vijay Kapoor</td> <td></td> <td style=" text-align:right">5,637</td> <td style="text-align:right">17.64%</td> </tr> <tr style="background-color:#eae0d7; "> <td style=" width:536.390625px">Sheneika E. Smith</td> <td></td> <td style=" text-align:right">4,102</td> <td style="text-align:right">12.84%</td> </tr> <tr> <td style=" width:536.390625px">Gwen Wisler</td> <td></td> <td style=" text-align:right">3,614</td> <td style="text-align:right">11.31%</td> </tr> <tr style="background-color:#eae0d7; "> <td style=" width:536.390625px">Dee Williams</td> <td></td> <td style=" text-align:right">3,408</td> <td style="text-align:right">10.67%</td> </tr> <tr> <td style=" width:536.390625px">Rich Lee</td> <td></td> <td style=" text-align:right">3,182</td> <td style="text-align:right">9.96%</td> </tr> <tr style="background-color:#eae0d7; "> <td style=" width:536.390625px">Kim Roney</td> <td></td> <td style=" text-align:right">3,172</td> <td style="text-align:right">9.93%</td> </tr> <tr> <td style=" width:536.390625px">Cecil Bothwell</td> <td></td> <td style=" text-align:right">3,066</td> <td style="text-align:right">9.60%</td> </tr> <tr style="background-color:#eae0d7; "> <td style=" width:536.390625px">Jeremy Goldstein</td> <td></td> <td style=" text-align:right">2,380</td> <td style="text-align:right">7.45%</td> </tr> <tr> <td style=" width:536.390625px">Adrian Vassallo</td> <td></td> <td style=" text-align:right">1,362</td> <td style="text-align:right">4.26%</td> </tr> <tr style="background-color:#eae0d7; "> <td style=" width:536.390625px">Pratik Bhakta</td> <td></td> <td style=" text-align:right">1,165</td> <td style="text-align:right">3.65%</td> </tr> <tr> <td style=" width:536.390625px">Andrew Fletcher</td> <td></td> <td style=" text-align:right">545</td> <td style="text-align:right">1.71%</td> </tr> <tr style="background-color:#eae0d7; "> <td style=" width:536.390625px">Jan (Howard) Kubiniec</td> <td></td> <td style=" text-align:right">320</td> <td style="text-align:right">1.00%</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> </div> This is quite interesting in that incumbent <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cecil_Bothwell" target="_blank" title="">Cecil Bothwell</a>, who was a Bernie supporter (which is fine — Bernie won Asheville) and abandoned the Democratic party after Bernie lost (which was NOT fine), refused to vote for Hillary and used his public position to attack her, came in 7th and is now out despite quietly rejoining the Democratic Party earlier this summer. He also had a reputation for attacking people on public media. I suspect his 2014 <a href="http://www.citizen-times.com/story/news/crime/2014/06/20/councilman-cecil-bothwell-charged-impaired-driving/11037131/" target="_blank" title="">DUI</a> didn’t help. Also worthy of note, I received FOUR (4) mailings from Jeremy Goldstein (two of which were from a Real Estate PAC!!!) and Kim Roney is a bartender (newcomer to politics) and says that she lives in a car-free home. I also saw a lot of Sheneika signs, so I would expect her in the final three, barring some kind of spoiler action. Pratik Bhakta was in favor of the GOP’s Gerrymandering efforts, so despite this officially being a “non-partisan” contest, it really wasn’t. Not much effort was required to see who was endorsed by the Democratic Party. The winners : Kapoor, Smith, Wisler, Williams, Lee, and Roney now move on to a contest where only three can be on the council with the other three. Rich Lee came in fourth in the last council election and has been engaged in as much extra-curricular worth within the city as he can. It would help if he interviewed better (IMHO). I’ve met Vijay and am impressed with him. Interesting times. More from the Asheville <a href="http://www.citizen-times.com/story/news/local/2017/10/10/kapoor-manheimer-run-away-vote-bothwell-roney-battle-spot/752262001/" target="_blank" title="">Citizen-Times</a>. rss@dailykos.com (polecat) AshevilleCityCouncil BernieSanders CecilBothwell DeeWilliams EstherManheimer GwenWisler KimRoney RichLee SheneikaSmith VijayKapoor _1705961 Wed, 11 Oct 2017 02:44:26 +0000 → Vice President John McCain. [+Poll] https://www.dailykos.com/story/2017/5/17/1663373/--Vice-President-John-McCain Let’s examine a few scenarios: I. Trump resigns or leaves office prior to the completion of an investigation. I.A Pence becomes President under the 25th. I.B Pence nominates and both chambers have to agree upon a new Veep. This veep is a tie-breaker in the Senate, so it will happen sooner instead of later. Who has already been vetted and voted for by a lot of people? McCain. This is good for John McCain. II. Impeachment happens, conviction happens, and Trump is removed from office. Pence becomes President. See I.A and I.B. This also, is good for John McCain. III. Impeachment happens before the 2018 GE but manages to bring Pence into it because of his ties to Manafort and (alleged) lies about Flynn. III.A Ryan becomes President under the 25th. III.B Ryan nominates McCain (because he sure as shootin’ isn’t going to nominate Romney!) because Ryan has no foreign policy chops at all. Both chambers agree. This is good for John McCain. IV. Impeachment and conviction happens, but after the 2018 midterms. Trump is removed and we have a President Pence. IV.A If there is only one Democratic chamber, someone who can get past BOTH chambers is going to have to be nominated by Pence and then placed in the Veep slot. Remember, an investigation will still be proceeding on Pence. Hence, I suspect strongly it will be McCain. This is good for John McCain. IV.B There are TWO Democratic chambers. President Pence will have to pick someone that the Dems like, but won’t cause his own party to come after him. Beats the daylights out of me who they pick. This is NOT good for John McCain, but he still keeps his Senate seat. V. Impeachment and conviction manage to happen after the 2018 midterms involving BOTH Trump and Pence. Pelosi becomes President. V.I A Democratic nominee is proposed for Veep. Obviously it isn’t John McCain, but it also isn’t someone critical to a majority in the Senate. Not great for John McCain, but he still keeps his Senate seat. VI. Trump resigns AFTER the 2018 midterms and there are Dems in charge of one or more chambers. This is the same as case IV, above. 50-50 for John McCain. <hr> As we get into increasingly unlikely scenarios, it becomes less good for John “yells at clouds” McCain, but in several of these cases, especially the more likely case of Trump bailing before a trial, McCain becomes veep. Do I like it? No. But the man has a measurable chance of ending up at the Naval Observatory. rss@dailykos.com (polecat) Impeachment JohnMcCain Resignation VicePresident _1663373 Wed, 17 May 2017 20:09:31 +0000 Wall Street is figuring out the stimulus isn't going to happen https://www.dailykos.com/story/2017/5/17/1663243/-Wall-Street-is-figuring-out-the-stimulus-isn-t-going-to-happen No stimulus The (alleged) infrastructure spending that Trump had been talking about throughout his campaign isn’t going to happen. Most of us, here, knew it never would — that if it showed up in any form it would be giveaways to cronies and not spending that would show up in the consumer economy. But Wall Street didn’t seem to think that on two levels: <ol> <li>There was an anticipation of increased consumer spending from a stimulus that might eventually happen</li> <li>The glorious tax cuts that the GOP kept promising were just around the corner and that would drive up asset prices.</li> </ol> Fact, as separate from fiction is coming back: <ul> <li>The economy is moving along with slow growth and that really hasn’t changed since last fall (apart from the perennial underperformance of Q1). Inflation remains really low and there is little pressure on pay.</li> <li>Those jobs are NOT coming back. Trump can try to put out the forest fire by peeing on it, but that simply isn’t going to work. (And it isn’t clear that’s what he’s peeing upon.)</li> <li>The Healthcare cuts which in turn would fuel the tax cuts just got that much more unlikely because the GOP is starting to realize that 2018 is now in doubt.</li> <li>Amazon is going to continue to eat away at brick-and-morter businesses, which will also affect employment.</li> </ul> So what does that mean? Asset deflation. While not in free fall yet, the stock market is beginning to drop. The euro hit $1.13 this morning and is getting stronger. The “dipsters” (people that buy on the dips) are about to try their little moves only to discover that it didn’t work in 2008, either. I, for one, pronounce the bull market over. I expected some kind of government shut down caused by Cruz and associated idiots as the trigger for a Recession, but now I don’t think we’ll even need that. The Trump Recession is coming. Why am I acting like asset deflation (dropping of prices of everything from stock to property) is a big deal? A lot of baby boomers are starting to retire — 10,000/day. They’re going to be selling stuff to live off of. Who is going to buy this stuff? When you have a glut of a commodity, what happens to the price of that commodity? Unless you own real estate where the boomers want to move, the prices are going to drop. The big winners are the drug companies and the medical device companies who have what the boomers want. The big losers … I’m sure you can guess. Welcome to the Trump Recession. (It sucks even worse because I got laid off last summer — too early to retire and too old for a high tech job.) rss@dailykos.com (polecat) consumereconomy Deflation Inflation Recession Recommended trump _1663243 Wed, 17 May 2017 15:03:08 +0000 UPDATED(3): Strategic Campaign Group (FBI Raid) https://www.dailykos.com/story/2017/5/11/1661338/-Strategic-Campaign-Group-FBI-Raid Origin Firm was created in 2008 — although the Founder, Kelley Rogers, previously had a firm called “Political Solutions.” <blockquote> [The firm has] ...strategic partnerships with political industry leaders in the fields of telephone voter contact, internet solicitation/communication, and fundraising while expanding ... strategic consulting and direct mail practices. </blockquote> Scope <blockquote> clients have included all of the Republican committees, conservative business groups, political action committees, presidential campaigns, numerous congressional and senatorial candidates, Republican legislative caucuses, and statewide candidates. </blockquote> Players (with links to pages on their website) <ul> <li><a href="http://strategiccampaigngroup.com/about-scg/kelley-rogers-president">Kelley Rogers - President</a></li> <li><a href="http://strategiccampaigngroup.com/about-scg/chip-oneil-vice-president">Chip O'Neil - Vice President</a></li> <li><a href="http://strategiccampaigngroup.com/about-scg/dennis-whitfield-senior-advisor">Dennis Whitfield - Senior Advisor</a> (Reagan Administration)</li> </ul> Close ties to NFIB — “National Federation of Independent Business”. Expect that to lead someplace. Whitfield is tied into ACU and CPAC. O’Neil worked in a variety of staff positions in the House. Don’t know for whom, yet. Rogers is well connected within Republican circles including “all of the committees.” Services Offered <ul> <li>Campaign Consulting</li> <li>Direct Mail</li> <li>Telephone Town Hall</li> <li>Voter Contact Telephone Programs (RoboCalling)</li> <li>Fundraising</li> </ul> Can’t get a list of clients. Will keep looking. UPDATE #1 From <a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/expends/vendor.php?year=2014&vendor=Strategic+Campaign+Group" target="_blank">Open Secrets</a>: <div class="align-center"> <figure class="image-captioned"><img alt="Screen_Shot_2017-05-11_at_2.54.52_PM.png" src="https://images.dailykos.com/images/399692/large/Screen_Shot_2017-05-11_at_2.54.52_PM.png?1494528939" title="Screen_Shot_2017-05-11_at_2.54.52_PM.png"> <figcaption></figcaption> </figure> </div> <div class="align-center"> <figure class="image-captioned"><img alt="Screen_Shot_2017-05-11_at_2.55.02_PM.png" src="https://images.dailykos.com/images/399693/large/Screen_Shot_2017-05-11_at_2.55.02_PM.png?1494528958" title="Screen_Shot_2017-05-11_at_2.55.02_PM.png"> <figcaption></figcaption> </figure> </div> <div class="align-center"> <figure class="image-captioned"><img alt="Screen_Shot_2017-05-11_at_2.55.12_PM.png" src="https://images.dailykos.com/images/399694/large/Screen_Shot_2017-05-11_at_2.55.12_PM.png?1494528980" title="Screen_Shot_2017-05-11_at_2.55.12_PM.png"> <figcaption></figcaption> </figure> </div> So we have Pat McDonough, Charles Faddis, Stephen Mackenzie, Kelsey, Colm Rosier, Brent Waltz, Bobby Schilling, John Bolton, Bob Smith, Lee Terry, Cherilyn Eagar, William Russell, Morgan Griffith, and Palombo at first blush. Will find out how many of them are currently in office, next. UPDATE #2 — Missed one, they’re in OpenSecrets TWICE in 2012. <div class="align-center"> <figure class="image-captioned"><img alt="Screen_Shot_2017-05-11_at_3.02.48_PM.png" src="https://images.dailykos.com/images/399700/large/Screen_Shot_2017-05-11_at_3.02.48_PM.png?1494529461" title="Screen_Shot_2017-05-11_at_3.02.48_PM.png"> <figcaption></figcaption> </figure> </div> This brings them up to $589,008 in receipts from Conservative Strike Force in 2012. UPDATE #3 Following the Conservative Strike Force thread, Ken Cuccinelli (the guy that lost to McAuliffe in VA) successfully sued them as they raised money off of his name. First link I found was Breitbart, so I’m not providing it. If there is a tight relationship (and more than half a million dollars says there is!), then SCG is likely a scam, too. As these things tend to have a lot of threads, and given the FBI response, I bet they’re digitizing every piece of paper in the place and all digital media — hard drives, USBs, etc. rss@dailykos.com (polecat) FederalBureauofInvestigation GOP Recommended Republican robocalling StrategicCampaignGroup _1661338 Thu, 11 May 2017 18:44:55 +0000 Trump’s plane met with Russian plane in Charlotte and Vegas [UPDATED] https://www.dailykos.com/story/2017/3/8/1641392/-Trumps-plane-met-with-Russian-plane-in-Charlotte From the <a href="http://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/politics-government/article136940273.html#storylink=cpy" target="_blank">Charlotte Observer</a>: <blockquote> Five days before the November election, a Russian billionaire’s jet wheeled to a stop at Charlotte Douglas International Airport. <div> <div> Less than 90 minutes later, Donald Trump’s campaign jet arrived on the same tarmac for an afternoon campaign rally in nearby Concord. Who was aboard Dmitry Rybolovlev’s luxurious jet and whether the planes’ near-simultaneous arrival facilitated <a href="http://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/politics-government/white-house/article136102213.html" target="_blank">another previously undisclosed Russian contact </a>with Trump,his family or campaign associates remain unanswered questions. </div> </div> </blockquote> and also <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/white-house-trump-rybolovlev-russia-conspiracy-2017-3?op=1" target="_blank">Business Insider</a>: <blockquote> A private plane owned by a Russian oligarch who has ties to President Donald Trump and his secretary of commerce flew into cities where Trump was campaigning before the November election at least twice, flight data and photographs have shown. </blockquote> Who was on that plane, both in Charlotte 5 days before the election and also in Las Vegas in Late October, you ask? Russian billionaire Dmitry Rybolovlev. <blockquote> Flight-tracking data reviewed by Business Insider showed that M-KATE's (Rybolovlev’s plane’s tail letters) stops in Las Vegas and Charlotte on October 30 and November 3 are indeed outliers. [from it’s normal operation.] </blockquote> Once is a coincidence, twice isn’t. Twice in less than a month? Really? Add to that the rest of the Rybolovlev connection (Trump sold a $95m property to him in 2008 that he has since TORN DOWN.). Rybolovlev owned ~9.9% of the Bank of Cyprus and then bought out by Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross in 2014. Smells pretty bad. Even though Trump didn’t meet with him in Charlotte, his kids stuck around. <blockquote> “[Donald Trump] came in, he came out, he did his thing and he was gone,” Tallent said. Members of his family, however, lingered in North Carolina for the entire week. <a href="http://www.newsobserver.com/news/politics-government/election/article112887368.html" target="_blank">Son Eric and his wife, Lara,</a> made appearances in <a href="http://wncn.com/2016/11/01/hoke-countys-diamond-and-silk-appear-with-lara-trump-in-fayetteville/" target="_blank">Fayetteville </a>and Raleigh. Daughter Ivanka <a href="http://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/local/article112009827.html" target="_blank">was in Charlotte on Nov. 2.</a> </blockquote> The White House denies all of this, of course. <hr> UPDATE: <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/user/igualdad">igualdad</a> and <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/user/durrati">durrati</a> found this: <div class="dk-editor-embed embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9 center-block"> <div class="remove-embed-content">x</div> <div class="dk-editor-embed embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9 center-block"> <div class="remove-embed-content"><a class="new_iframe_placeholder" href="#">x</a></div> <a class="iframe_placeholder youtube dk-embed" href="//youtube.com/watch?v=LnfeSitSbRA" data-height="281" data-src="//www.youtube.com/embed/LnfeSitSbRA" data-width="500">YouTube Video</a></div> </div> <div> <div> <div> <div> <div></div> <div> Russian Vodka advertisement: <div class="dk-editor-embed embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9 center-block"> <div class="remove-embed-content">x</div> <div class="dk-editor-embed embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9 center-block"> <div class="remove-embed-content"><a class="new_iframe_placeholder" href="#">x</a></div> <a class="iframe_placeholder youtube dk-embed" href="//youtube.com/watch?v=Ysxt66TIL28" data-height="281" data-src="//www.youtube.com/embed/Ysxt66TIL28" data-width="500">YouTube Video</a></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <hr> UPDATE: Found another one! M-KATE was in Miami during Trump’s Mar-a-Lago weekend. (<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/shuttle-election-diplomacy-dmitry-rybolovlevs-plane_us_58a7651ae4b026a89a7a2acb" target="_blank" title="">HuffPo</a>) 10-Feb-17 and 12-Feb-17 when Japanese Prime Minister Abe was at Mar-a-Lago. Scroll down to Table 2 in the article. ORANGE shows where the two planes are at the same time, but YELLOW shows when M-KATE is in the same area that Trump is. BLUE shows where M-KATE stayed the night. (Red text indicates trips back to Moscow.) rss@dailykos.com (polecat) CharlotteNC DmitryRybolovlev DonaldTrump JetTag LasVegasNV Recommended Russians russianties WhiteHouse _1641392 Wed, 08 Mar 2017 15:35:12 +0000 Judge Neil Gorsuch says he's going to be Trump's nominee (CNN) https://www.dailykos.com/story/2017/1/31/1628096/-Judge-Neil-Gorsuch-says-he-s-going-to-be-Trump-s-nominee-CNN Appointed to the Appellate Court in 2006 by GWB. Clerked under Justice Byron White. He feels that statutes should be interpreted literally (Textualism), and that the Constitution should be as the Founding Fathers would have read it. (Originalism) Legislative history and the purpose of the law is irrelevant. He was on the Hobby Lobby side… (no surprise there.) He is anti-class-action lawsuit. He is also against contraceptive care (without co-pay) under Obamacare. Displaying the 10 Commandments on public property is just fine with him, without obligation for other religions to be able to display their symbols. Pro-Death Penalty. He has a lot of bad stuff to say about “American Liberals.” <blockquote> American liberals have become addicted to the courtroom, relying on judges and lawyers rather than elected leaders and the ballot box, as the primary means of effecting their social agenda.[<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neil_Gorsuch#cite_note-30" target="_blank">link</a>] </blockquote> Expect to see the 10th Amendment and States’ Rights resurface — he is in favor of States’ Rights. I personally suspect he is against Roe v. Wade. He has two books: <ul> <li>The Future of Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia (2006) — he’s against</li> <li>The Law of Judicial Precedent — one of 12 authors.</li> </ul> <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2017/01/31/politics/gorsuch-supreme-court-hardiman/" target="_blank">CNN</a> rss@dailykos.com (polecat) JudgeNeilGorsuch SCOTUS _1628096 Tue, 31 Jan 2017 20:20:48 +0000 Barbecue as foreign policy https://www.dailykos.com/story/2017/1/17/1621550/-Barbecue-as-foreign-policy It would be cool if the Obamas would consider moving to Asheville when they’re done with DC… <div class="dk-editor-embed embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9 center-block"> <div class="remove-embed-content">x</div> <a class="iframe_placeholder youtube dk-embed" href="//youtube.com/watch?v=T0TYCEXmi90" data-height="281" data-src="//www.youtube.com/embed/T0TYCEXmi90" data-width="500">YouTube Video</a></div> And yes, this makes me very hungry. Fortunately 12 Bones is here in town and definitely worth the visit. (I like the vinegar sauce.) rss@dailykos.com (polecat) 12Bones barbecue _1621550 Tue, 17 Jan 2017 20:20:03 +0000 Change to the Social Contract II: The Military Industrial Complex bites it https://www.dailykos.com/story/2016/11/10/1594491/-Change-to-the-Social-Contract-II-The-Military-Industrial-Complex-bites-it Trump is an isolationist. He’s fine with Japan getting the bomb (and of course Saudi Arabia will buy a few). We won’t be projecting American force as far and wide and won’t need lots of new and expensive gadgets (especially the ones we can’t even afford the ammunition for). There might be an initial boost in military spending as we “Make America Great Again”, but after we’ve built that stuff, a lot of assembly lines will shut down. Unless Lockheed and others are allowed to sell this hardware (because it’s not going to get used), they won’t have a reason to continue. I fully expect the Pentagon to get cut. Seriously, the cost of the wall is about the same as a couple of destroyers. Whether the wall gets built is an open question, but being isolationist is far cheaper than being the world’s police force. And since we’re no longer trying to stop Putin (and I expect the EU to fission), what need will there be to keep spending vast sums on the military? rss@dailykos.com (polecat) DonaldTrump isolationism militaryspending _1594491 Thu, 10 Nov 2016 14:15:10 +0000 Change to the Social Contract I: Death of the Health Insurance Industry https://www.dailykos.com/story/2016/11/9/1594463/-Change-to-the-Social-Contract-I-Death-of-the-Health-Insurance-Industry <figure class="image-captioned width-sm align-right"><img alt="skull_and_bones.png" src="http://images.dailykos.com/images/226088/large/skull_and_bones.png?1458328029" title="skull_and_bones.png"> <figcaption>A parasite that loses its host dies.</figcaption> </figure> First, 10-20 million people will be dropped from ACA in January, 2017. <h4>You know it. Bank on it. The subsidy will be gone.</h4> But then it gets more interesting — businesses won’t be required to provide healthcare to their employees either. What will the insurances companies do? Raise rates. It’s not like there is going to be anything to replace ACA at the start, and competition (assuming there is going to be any) takes awhile to get established. The insurance executives will see the restrictions on them raising rates going away and jack up prices, pushing more people out of the pool. <h4>This will ultimately backfire.</h4> Insurance company revenue will drop. None of these companies will have a path to profitability because increasing prices will cause the customer base to contract — Marketing 101. There are going to be a lot of uninsured people out there, especially in red-state and rural America that were not expecting the replacement for ACA (e.g. the LACK OF HEALTH CARE) to be worse than what they were programmed to hate. The only real questions are: <ul> <li>how long will it take before the backlash arrives?</li> <li>what form will it take? </li> </ul> Is this the path to Medicare for all or is this the path to the Tea Party dream of “Die Early — it’s cheaper that way”? (And “I’ve got mine, screw you.”) They’re had a taste of the bitter pill (Obamacare) and will discover in time that they need it. (I’m guessing about 4 years from now it will reach a crescendo.) rss@dailykos.com (polecat) AffordableCareAct BlueCross HealthCare HealthInsurance Obamacare _1594463 Wed, 09 Nov 2016 18:30:13 +0000 Old King Coal was a merry old soul https://www.dailykos.com/story/2016/11/9/1594505/-Old-King-Coal-was-a-merry-old-soul Solar is dead. With relaxation or removal of EPA requirements, coal won’t have to be scrubbed. Burning it will be really cheap. Cheaper than natural gas. Remember, a lot of coal plants got converted to natural gas with the fracking boom, but converting back will be easy (especially when you don’t have to worry about mercury or coal ash). The stuff is still cheap to mine and even better (from the Trumpian perspective) located in really poor rural areas. OF COURSE coal is going to be making a comeback, both economically and politically. Big winner: coal. <h3>Big loser: solar.</h3> Tell me I’m wrong, I dare you. rss@dailykos.com (polecat) Coal EPA Solar _1594505 Wed, 09 Nov 2016 16:10:10 +0000 Silver Linings https://www.dailykos.com/story/2016/11/9/1594321/-Silver-Linings Mrs. Polecat just watched a recording of Trump’s victory speech and is much more optimistic that Trump will actually try to reach out to all Americans instead of just the crew that brought him to power. In that (misguided, IMHO) spirit, here are some silver linings to the GOP having the whole shooting match. (Pun also intended.) <ul> <li>American businesses will be “encouraged” to stay within the US, and bring manufacturing back home. Will they get to bring their foreign money hoards back home, too? </li> <li>The government will raise (hopefully) considerable amounts of money from the tariffs on imported goods that compete with American domestic manufacturers.</li> <li>The dollar will get a lot weaker, spurring exports if the tariffs aren’t too high.</li> <li>Some money might actually get spent on infrastructure (in red districts only, of course). This is good for Caterpillar, not Hamamatsu.</li> <li>Mar-a-lago will be underwater in 10 years. Perhaps that sign of global warming will be enough to convince someone that it isn’t a hoax.</li> <li>The House Freedom Caucus is his problem now. /Heh</li> <li>Female interns are saved from having to serve in any GOP-controlled branches of Government.</li> <li>The NRA is now the snake that ate the pig — how do you scare people into buying guns when you don’t have an ‘other’ to rail against? Oops.</li> <li>Comey gets to keep his job for handing the election to Trump.</li> <li>Fox News (a.k.a. Pravda) becomes the official mouthpiece of the administration. Wøøt!</li> <li>Rudy Giuliani gets to wear dresses in the Oval Office.</li> <li>Newt Gingrich can start ‘interviewing’ for wifey #4.</li> <li>No one will believe polling ever again.</li> <li>Pence is literally the last person that Trump thanked — and that was as an afterthought. Maybe Trump doesn’t like him, either.</li> </ul> I mean, there is still some (skanky) bathwater left after the baby has been tossed. rss@dailykos.com (polecat) DonaldTrump _1594321 Wed, 09 Nov 2016 14:15:40 +0000 Meet Gov. Mike Pence (R-IN) https://www.dailykos.com/story/2016/7/14/1548275/-Meet-Gov-Mike-Pence-R-IN <a href="http://digg.com/2016/trump-vp-mike-pence-who-is" target="_blank" title="">Ben Goggin at Digg</a> enumerates Pence’s failings: I. Indiana’s own version of <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2015/01/29/indiana-governor-ends-plans-state-run-news-outlet/22529471/" target="_blank" title="">Pravda</a>. State-run news. “Official Truth.” II. Religious Freedom Restoration Act. <a href="http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/pence-noncommittal-on-gay-anti-discrimination-law/article_1ceb2c09-971b-5522-a089-bae986b7fe2c.html" target="_blank" title="">Backlash</a> and boycott because it protected business owners’ “exercise of religion”. III. Abortion restrictions. <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2016/03/24/politics/mike-pence-indiana-disability-abortion/" target="_blank" title="">You’re forced</a> to have that Downs baby or any other disability that baby might have. There is a lot more to Pence’s political history in Goggin’s article — please read it. <ul> <li>Co-sponsored a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants.</li> <li>Pro Iraq war</li> <li>Anti-gay to the point of wanting to stop HIV research</li> <li>Screw over anyone wanting gay rights.</li> <li>Very conservative as a Congressman, very milquetoast as Governor</li> <li>Actually endorsed ToasTED.</li> </ul> This is Trump’s effort to shore up his failings with the Religious Right. And, apparently, to make Ted Cruz STFU. I think it will just make the Trump/Pence (TrumPence? TrumPets?) campaign that much crazier. rss@dailykos.com (polecat) DonaldTrump GOP MikePence _1548275 Thu, 14 Jul 2016 17:48:43 +0000 Bernie requests 45-day extension to campaign financial disclosure report https://www.dailykos.com/story/2016/6/30/1544024/-Bernie-requests-45-day-extension-to-campaign-financial-disclosure-report Just a tweet, lonely and blue. <div class="dk-editor-embed center-block" data-twitter-content='&lt;blockquote class="twitter-tweet"&gt;&lt;p lang="en" dir="ltr"&gt;Lawyer for &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/BernieSanders"&gt;@BernieSanders&lt;/a&gt; cites &amp;quot;campaign schedule &amp;amp; officeholder duties&amp;quot; for Bernie not disclosing personal $ info &lt;a href="https://t.co/6PedXpKn7S"&gt;pic.twitter.com/6PedXpKn7S&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&amp;mdash; Dave Levinthal (@davelevinthal) &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/davelevinthal/status/748569228828106752"&gt;June 30, 2016&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt; '><div class="remove-embed-content">x</div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Lawyer for <a href="https://twitter.com/BernieSanders">@BernieSanders</a> cites "campaign schedule & officeholder duties" for Bernie not disclosing personal $ info <a href="https://t.co/6PedXpKn7S">pic.twitter.com/6PedXpKn7S</a>— Dave Levinthal (@davelevinthal) <a href="https://twitter.com/davelevinthal/status/748569228828106752">June 30, 2016</a></blockquote> </div> 45 days from now will be the Ides of August. rss@dailykos.com (polecat) BernieSanders FEC _1544024 Thu, 30 Jun 2016 17:49:01 +0000 Trump '16 - Seagull Campaigner https://www.dailykos.com/story/2016/6/15/1538986/-Trump-16-Seagull-Campaigner A seagull manager, writ large. Everything is someone else’s fault. There is no reason to think about ANYTHING in advance. As a point of comparison, Jimmy Carter was a micromanager. Ronald Reagan was an un-manager (in the un-Coke sense). Trump would be a stochastic violence manager: you never know what you’re going to get, but it isn’t going to be nice. rss@dailykos.com (polecat) DonaldTrump _1538986 Wed, 15 Jun 2016 16:37:11 +0000 Trying to understand Bernie's campaign arc https://www.dailykos.com/story/2016/6/6/1532920/-Trying-to-understand-Bernie-s-campaign-arc In the second debate when Bernie started falling back on his stump was the first time I noticed that he used it as a crutch. Before that, and especially with the LU speech, I was greatly impressed. I wish he had new material and would look at events and situations that original instead of derivates cases… a small fraction of AA’s live in ghettos, for instance …white privilege isn’t just economics… etc. I also wish he hadn’t decided to go full blown CT on Primaries that he lost. After being undecided for the first few events, I was forced to decide by March 15th (actually, I decided on March 13th) for Hillary Clinton, but I don’t need to get into the reasons here. The order of events may be slightly off, but I think there were some major mileposts that indicated the health or lack thereof of this campaign: <ul> <li>Database Gate. (Seemed Stupid and Trivial at the time. Simply WTF in hindsight.)</li> <li>Liberty University. (He first came on my radar and WOW!)</li> <li>Hillary’s 11 hours of Trey. (She did very well.)</li> <li>Debate #1 — He did quite well and so did she. This was a good showing despite an incredibly badly scheduled time, after the GOP already had started their kerfuffle. [Curse you, DWS!] “Enough about your d*mned emails!” ← Highlight of the debate.</li> <li>Debate #2 — I think Hillary was more flexible and Bernie seemed to fall back on his stump too much (IMHO).</li> <li>IA — first signs of WTF, in my mind. He should have done better with the younger set as then Senator Obama had. Obama beat polling LV screen by about 8%. Bernie beat by only about 4%. Yes, there was a GOP contest going on at the same time, but still. They didn’t sign up a lot of new voters in advance like Obama did. !!!</li> <li>SC — bailing on SC showed that the campaign hadn’t built the infrastructure that it needed to compete in the South or in diverse states. This ‘infrastructure deficit’ became apparent even as he outraised and outspent Clinton on a monthly basis, she had already built her infrastructure while his campaign was in its infancy. [This is a key point for us to consider next time.]</li> <li>Super Tuesday — Major delegate deficit. One that would never be recovered from.</li> <li>March 8th — Michigan. Wake up call for Clinton and the polling firms. Should have been, would have been, could have been, wasn’t a Clinton blow-out. Too many people crossing over to vote against or for people? Add to that Sanders did a great job of getting students out to the polls. Set the stage for his OH loss because the Clinton campaign was determined to not have that happen again. [Sanders’ outreach in the Muslim community was inspired!]</li> <li>March 15 — (the other Super Tuesday) — Hillary’s sweep. [And I got to vote in NC.]</li> <li>Four good weeks after March 15 where the calendar favored Bernie — even though it was clear from the math that Bernie would gain back some of his 300-ish delegate deficit, there just weren’t enough contests/delegates at stake to really make a difference. And NY would get closer and closer and definitely end this streak. “Momentum” isn’t really a thing. Certainly not with Open contests or Caucuses that can be gamed. AZ didn’t work out so well and of course WY didn’t either.</li> <li>(Here is where it is extremely apparent that you can’t significantly close a gap with proportional delegate wins unless you’ve got either a lot of delegates at stake or major, major blowouts)</li> <li>WY — wasn’t the delegate win it needed to be. </li> <li>(Somewhere around here his donations dropped from $40M/mo down below $17M/mo)</li> <li>(Also around here the narrative changed because we could all see that her infrastructure would carry her through NY, NJ, and CA. And that his appeal was mostly demographic and worked in open contests and highly undemocratic caucuses.)</li> <li>PopeVisit — You don’t pick up stakes in the middle of an incredibly important campaign and fly to Rome for two days. The time hit alone… Really bad press. At this point I became aware of Weaver and some of the bad moves that were being made. In hindsight, the exorbitant spending on ineffective ads as a last-minute gesture to make up for lack of infrastructure in states like NC could have been vastly better spent in other states to build infrastructure.</li> <li>NY — Nails in the campaign coffin.</li> <li>The Math appears by 4/26</li> <li>(Cash on hand drops, donations continue to drop. Campaign is likely in debt > $10M)</li> <li>Layoffs. Campaign is basically lights out because donations fell off. Money that was wasted on expensive TV ads could have made a difference at this point.</li> <li>Cries of voting fraud when Clinton wins</li> <li>And that brings us to NJ/CA, Tomorrow.</li> </ul> So yeah. It has been a wild ride. There are a lot of lessons here to be learned, and we can see that the Clinton Campaign learned many of them from 2008 and applied them well. She had a lot of miscues / self-inflicted wounds early on, but those basically stopped. But as the campaign continued, it seemed that Bernie peaked in February and despite a brief resurgence in late March, that was it. → Infrastructure matters. → Blowing a lot of money on ads at the last minute doesn’t help. → It isn’t clear that big campaign events are necessarily better. (Although I do favorably remember seeing Obama in 2008… that was some event when he came to town.) They sure cost a lot. → Vilifying your fraternal opponent will only cause bad blood. Any other observations? rss@dailykos.com (polecat) BernieSanders HillaryClinton Primary2016 _1532920 Mon, 06 Jun 2016 20:53:14 +0000 Dead Parrots Society https://www.dailykos.com/story/2016/5/10/1518055/-Lists The Parrot is dead. It is not stunned. It is not resting. It is not pining for the Fjords. It is no more. It has ceased to be. It is bereft of life. It rests in peace. It is stone dead. Deceased. Demised. Kicked the bucket. This is an ex-parrot. I don’t care about the beautiful plumage. <a href="http://montypython.50webs.com/scripts/Series_1/53.htm" target="_blank">Script</a> <div class="dk-editor-embed embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9 center-block"> <div class="remove-embed-content">x</div> <a class="iframe_placeholder youtube dk-embed" href="//youtube.com/watch?v=Oj8RIEQH7zA" data-height="281" data-src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Oj8RIEQH7zA" data-width="500">YouTube Video</a> </div> rss@dailykos.com (polecat) Meta Parrot _1518055 Tue, 10 May 2016 20:01:29 +0000 Money Math https://www.dailykos.com/story/2016/5/2/1522392/-Money-Math We’ve all heard that Bernie’s income has taken a hit in the April reporting period. $46 Million in March dropped to $26 Million in April. It’s actually a lot worse than that. His fundraising machine was running full tilt in February and March. $43.5M in February, $46.0M in March. Wow. Steady numbers. (29 days in February, 31 in March.) And then 4/19 happened. Let’s do a little math and assume that up through 4/19 he was making $46M/month or 1.48M/day. And let’s assume that from 4/20 on, it was a lower number. Let’s compute that lower number. $1.48M/day * 19 days + $xM/day * 12 days = $25.8M So we multiply 1.48 * 19 and get $28.2M. That is more than he reported for April. The fundraising drop-off must have occurred BEFORE 4/19. $28.2M + $xM/day * 12 days = $25.8M x would have to be negative. <h3>Hmmm. That didn’t work. Let’s try 4/9</h3> So, He was at the higher rate ($1.48M/day) through the delegate tie in WY. And then it dropped. $1.48M/day * 9 days + $xM/day * 22 days = $25.8M $13.3M + $xM/day * 22 days = $25.8M $xM/day * 22 days = $25.8M - $13.3M $xM/day * 22 days = $12.5M $xM/day = $12.5M / 22days = $0.566M/day <h3>Oh My.</h3> Bernie’s fundraising rate has dropped from $1.48M/day to $0.566M/day. At this rate (if it remained constant) he’d be pulling in less than $17M/mo in May. <h3>This is too simplified.</h3> I put it to you that $16.1M/mo is an upper bound. It is more likely that his fundraising took an additional hit on 4/20 and again on 4/27. It is very, very likely his fundraising is below $10M/mo at this point, possibly as low as $6M/mo. Going into April his cash on hand was $17M. We don’t know how much of that is left, but it is now very clear that funds are significantly drying up. A drop of at least 63%, possibly higher. Check my math, please. Change the date of the drop. Either it happened earlier or his new fundraising rate is lower: <div class="table-wrapper"> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="223"> <tbody> <tr> <td class="AlignCenter" style="width:87px">drop off date</td> <td class="AlignCenter" style="width:124px">new fundraising rate</td> <td class="AlignCenter" style="width:87px"></td> </tr> <tr> <td class="AlignCenter">1</td> <td class="AlignCenter">$25,127,850.07</td> <td class="AlignCenter"></td> </tr> <tr> <td class="AlignCenter">2</td> <td class="AlignCenter">$24,409,344.97</td> <td class="AlignCenter"></td> </tr> <tr> <td class="AlignCenter">3</td> <td class="AlignCenter">$23,639,518.07</td> <td class="AlignCenter"></td> </tr> <tr> <td class="AlignCenter">4</td> <td class="AlignCenter">$22,812,666.96</td> <td class="AlignCenter"></td> </tr> <tr> <td class="AlignCenter">5</td> <td class="AlignCenter">$21,922,211.92</td> <td class="AlignCenter"></td> </tr> <tr> <td class="AlignCenter">6</td> <td class="AlignCenter">$20,960,520.48</td> <td class="AlignCenter"></td> </tr> <tr> <td class="AlignCenter">7</td> <td class="AlignCenter">$19,918,688.08</td> <td class="AlignCenter"></td> </tr> <tr> <td class="AlignCenter">8</td> <td class="AlignCenter">$18,786,261.57</td> <td class="AlignCenter"></td> </tr> <tr> <td class="AlignCenter">9</td> <td class="AlignCenter">$17,550,887.18</td> <td class="AlignCenter"></td> </tr> <tr> <td class="AlignCenter">10</td> <td class="AlignCenter">$16,197,858.10</td> <td class="AlignCenter"></td> </tr> <tr> <td class="AlignCenter">11</td> <td class="AlignCenter">$14,709,526.10</td> <td class="AlignCenter"></td> </tr> <tr> <td class="AlignCenter">12</td> <td class="AlignCenter">$13,064,527.58</td> <td class="AlignCenter"></td> </tr> <tr> <td class="AlignCenter">13</td> <td class="AlignCenter">$11,236,751.44</td> <td class="AlignCenter"></td> </tr> <tr> <td class="AlignCenter">14</td> <td class="AlignCenter">$9,193,942.82</td> <td class="AlignCenter"></td> </tr> <tr> <td class="AlignCenter">15</td> <td class="AlignCenter">$6,895,783.13</td> <td class="AlignCenter"></td> </tr> <tr> <td class="AlignCenter">16</td> <td class="AlignCenter">$4,291,202.13</td> <td class="AlignCenter"></td> </tr> <tr> <td class="AlignCenter">17</td> <td class="AlignCenter">$1,314,538.14</td> <td class="AlignCenter"></td> </tr> <tr> <td class="AlignCenter">18</td> <td class="AlignCenter">-$2,120,074.15</td> <td class="AlignCenter"></td> </tr> <tr> <td class="AlignCenter">19</td> <td class="AlignCenter">-$6,127,121.83</td> <td class="AlignCenter"></td> </tr> <tr> <td class="AlignCenter">20</td> <td class="AlignCenter">-$10,862,723.64</td> <td class="AlignCenter"></td> </tr> <tr> <td class="AlignCenter">21</td> <td class="AlignCenter">-$16,545,445.80</td> <td class="AlignCenter"></td> </tr> <tr> <td class="AlignCenter">22</td> <td class="AlignCenter">-$23,490,995.11</td> <td class="AlignCenter"></td> </tr> <tr> <td class="AlignCenter">23</td> <td class="AlignCenter">-$32,172,931.75</td> <td class="AlignCenter"></td> </tr> <tr> <td class="AlignCenter">24</td> <td class="AlignCenter">-$43,335,421.71</td> <td class="AlignCenter"></td> </tr> <tr> <td class="AlignCenter">25</td> <td class="AlignCenter">-$58,218,741.67</td> <td class="AlignCenter"></td> </tr> <tr> <td class="AlignCenter">26</td> <td class="AlignCenter">-$79,055,389.60</td> <td class="AlignCenter"></td> </tr> <tr> <td class="AlignCenter">27</td> <td class="AlignCenter">-$110,310,361.50</td> <td class="AlignCenter"></td> </tr> <tr> <td class="AlignCenter">28</td> <td class="AlignCenter">-$162,401,981.33</td> <td class="AlignCenter"></td> </tr> <tr> <td class="AlignCenter">29</td> <td class="AlignCenter">-$266,585,221.00</td> <td class="AlignCenter"></td> </tr> <tr> <td class="AlignCenter">30</td> <td class="AlignCenter">-$579,134,940.00</td> <td></td> </tr> </tbody> </table> </div> TL;DR: Bernie’s fundraising dropped off BEFORE the New York Primary. And by a lot. rss@dailykos.com (polecat) BernieSanders Fundraising Primary _1522392 Mon, 02 May 2016 21:43:07 +0000 Flagging - becoming progressively less https://www.dailykos.com/story/2016/4/26/1520160/-Flagging-becoming-progressively-less I’m thinking about making a library of graphics for the sole explicit purpose of dropping on people from any camp who act like *ssholes. Free for us to use around here. (Flagging, HR’ing, TR’ing, 0’s are all dead anyway, so might as well use graphics. They’re worth 1000 words, right?) I’ll take suggestions, with the following rules: <ol> <li>Neither candidate will be mentioned in the image</li> <li>No nudity or sexual suggestion</li> <li>Not obscene.</li> <li>Suggest the circumstance(s) in which it could be used.</li> <li>Some should be funny. (I appreciate good puns.)</li> </ol> Beyond that, let me know and I’ll get on it. Might delegate a few to other people (volunteers). Any good ones will be posted in this diary body so they can be found easily. As you can see from my avatar and the ‘smite’ button at the top, we can color coordinate with dKos when appropriate. (Thank you one and all who posted. I needed some cheering up today. That really helps.) rss@dailykos.com (polecat) Flag Meta Photoshop _1520160 Tue, 26 Apr 2016 13:51:41 +0000 Flagging is now completely anonymous https://www.dailykos.com/story/2016/4/20/1503394/-The-Ides-of-March DK5 brought in some changes — one of them was that you could no longer see who flagged a comment (or flagged you, for that matter). Guess what. Secretly, the admins have made it so that you can’t even see IF you’ve been flagged anymore. Great. Wonderful. [NOT] Community Policing is now officially dead, having been quite ill for the last 6 months. Thus people can drop flags whenever they want, the people receiving them won’t know unless the flags happened first, and this is no longer the site it used to be. Welcome to double secret probation. <div class="dk-editor-embed embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9 center-block"> <div class="remove-embed-content">x</div> <a class="iframe_placeholder youtube dk-embed" href="//youtube.com/watch?v=Y0cF2piwjYQ" data-height="281" data-src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Y0cF2piwjYQ" data-width="500">YouTube Video</a> </div> rss@dailykos.com (polecat) DK5 doublesecretprobation Flagging Meta _1503394 Wed, 20 Apr 2016 20:19:27 +0000 Parody: If I had a BanHammer... https://www.dailykos.com/story/2016/3/18/1489848/-placeholder If I had a banhammer, I'd smack it in that diary, I'd smack it in the help desk, All over this blog, I'd smack out Republicans, I'd smack out Third Party-ers, I'd spike the ball before my brothers and my sisters, All over this blog. <div class="center-block dk-editor-embed embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9"> <div class="remove-embed-content">x</div> <a class="iframe_placeholder youtube dk-embed" href="//youtube.com/watch?v=Eh1b2YzC1uo" data-height="281" data-src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Eh1b2YzC1uo" data-width="500">YouTube Video</a> </div> rss@dailykos.com (polecat) Meta Parody _1489848 Fri, 18 Mar 2016 16:31:56 +0000 21 TrumpStreet. Funny or Die https://www.dailykos.com/story/2016/2/10/1483024/-21-TrumpStreet-Funny-or-Die Spoof: The Art of the Deal (50 minutes). <a href="http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/ad38087bac/donald-trump-art-of-the-deal-movie?_cc=__d___&_ccid=22a0ce5034227b94" target="_blank" title="">www.funnyordie.com/...</a> (Johnny Depp, believe it or not.) “No building has more brass than the Trump Tower.” Note: Best Boy is Martin Shkreli, Sr. #FODTrumpMovie rss@dailykos.com (polecat) DonaldTrump fodtrumpmovie funnyordie JohnnyDepp Parody _1483024 Wed, 10 Feb 2016 20:10:36 +0000