home

Monday Open Thread

By Jeralyn, Section Blog Related
Posted on Mon Sep 10, 2012 at 01:20:24 PM EST
Tags: (all tags)
Share This: Digg! StumbleUpon del.icio.us reddit reddit

Your turn. All topics welcome.

< Yemen Says AQAP Leader #2 Killed | Monday Night Open Thread >

  • The Online Magazine with Liberal coverage of crime-related political and injustice news

  • Contribute To TalkLeft


    • Display: Sort:
    Monday Open Thread | 50 comments (50 topical)

    Readers Must Login or Create an Account to Comment

    An interesting morning (5.00 / 7) (#3)
    by CoralGables on Mon Sep 10, 2012 at 02:24:47 PM EST
    I stood in line at Florida International University this morning trying to get a ticket to see Bill Clinton tomorrow afternoon. Even though it was one ticket per person in line, the quest was a failure as they were gone before I made it to the front.

    Of the few hundred people I could see in the line that wove through the hallways as we waited, only three weren't between the ages of about 18-22. Half these kids hadn't been born when Clinton was first elected and the oldest would have been 10 when he left office.

    They also had several FIU students wearing "College of Democrats" shirts talking to each person in line to see if they were registered to vote and helping them register if they hadn't.

    Even though I left without garnering a ticket for Clinton, I was impressed by those kids.

    I would not piss on (3.00 / 1) (#48)
    by Rojas on Mon Sep 10, 2012 at 09:13:45 PM EST
    the SOB if he was on fire. But I understand that ther is a contingint that loves him. About 3/4 of whcih were the Reagan Dems...
    If I were completly detached from reality, I'd join you in line.


    Parent
    What do you mean "if"? (5.00 / 3) (#50)
    by Yman on Mon Sep 10, 2012 at 09:40:35 PM EST
    That "contingent" would be called the vast majority of Democrats.

    Clinton's approval rating among Democrats was 85%, 89% among African-Americans.  If you think that the majority of that 85% or 89% were "Reagan Dems", you're not in the reality line.

    Parent

    Obama Bounce (5.00 / 0) (#14)
    by CoralGables on Mon Sep 10, 2012 at 03:32:12 PM EST
    Looks like it will settle on about 5-6 points coming out of the convention. Heads should be exploding at the FOX Punditry Network tonight.

    Gallup 7 day Tracking +5
    Rasmussen 3 day Tracking +5
    Cnn/Opinion Research (3 day post convention) +6

    Waiting for the first FOX newsy guy to go off the reservation and say they should have nominated a real conservative for president instead of a phony Massachusetts Republican.

    ha! (5.00 / 2) (#46)
    by The Addams Family on Mon Sep 10, 2012 at 08:35:00 PM EST
    i read "Fox Punditry Network" as "Fox Poultry Network"

    henhouse & all, i guess

    Parent

    It's all part of the plan, don'tcha know? (none / 0) (#16)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Mon Sep 10, 2012 at 03:46:09 PM EST
    :-P

    Honestly, the Romney campaign looks like deer in the headlights at this point, having obviously been caught completely flat-footed by the surge in public approval for the president in the wake of the Democratic Convention.

    Parent

    You Haven't Heard ? (none / 0) (#24)
    by ScottW714 on Mon Sep 10, 2012 at 04:36:50 PM EST
    Romney adviser states "polls don't matter", well at least this wekk they don't, the week before they were gold I tell ya, gold.

    Parent
    A SurveyUSA poll (none / 0) (#17)
    by MKS on Mon Sep 10, 2012 at 03:48:05 PM EST
    of North Carolina is suspect.  It shows a 10% Romney lead.   But the internals show Romney getting 30% of the African American vote; and African Americans comprising 20% of the electorate.

    Survey USA is generally very good, but this poll was done with the Republican outfit Civitas.

    Otherwise, the polling is a sea of blue.

    Parent

    Hmm (none / 0) (#18)
    by lilburro on Mon Sep 10, 2012 at 03:52:28 PM EST
    I think andgarden would be better able to tell us if SUSA has ever gone down that road before, but my, how the mighty have fallen.  30% of the AA vote is absolutely laughable.

    Parent
    poll of 500 people (none / 0) (#20)
    by CoralGables on Mon Sep 10, 2012 at 04:14:10 PM EST
    change the 30% to 10% and you have Romney up 49-47, which would make much more sense, and it takes away its outlier status. Romney wouldn't be spending money to hold on to North Carolina if their internal polls had them up by 10 points.

    Parent
    Yep (none / 0) (#21)
    by MKS on Mon Sep 10, 2012 at 04:16:11 PM EST


    Parent
    Even 10% is a stretch (none / 0) (#25)
    by lilburro on Mon Sep 10, 2012 at 04:54:31 PM EST
    more like 3 or 4%.  

    Parent
    If that (none / 0) (#26)
    by lilburro on Mon Sep 10, 2012 at 04:55:04 PM EST
    let us not forget nationally they were earning 0% of the black vote about 3 or 4 weeks ago.

    Parent
    Romney (none / 0) (#32)
    by Ga6thDem on Mon Sep 10, 2012 at 05:34:20 PM EST
    might not have a 10% lead but I would not be surprised to see Romney having a lead in NC. After all, Obama barely carried the state in '08 and he's in much worse shape now than then.

    Parent
    The most recent statewide poll by (none / 0) (#34)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Mon Sep 10, 2012 at 05:51:38 PM EST
    ... PPP in North Carolina (conducted Sept. 7-9), has Obama up by one point, 49-48%, which means it's a statistical tie.
    The most recent Survey USA poll has to be badly flawed. Only one week earlier, after the conclusion of the GOP convention, it had Romney up, 46-43%. Two weeks earlier, they had the NC race tied, 43-43%.

    I can't imagine any logical scenario in which Romney gets a bounce in North Carolina after the Democratic Convention that's over twice as large as the one he received following the GOP conclave. That simply flies in the face of reason and reality.


    Parent

    I think NC (none / 0) (#36)
    by lilburro on Mon Sep 10, 2012 at 06:00:33 PM EST
    will probably end up in the Romney column, but he will have to work for it.  And depending on how intact the Democrats' NC ground game is he may have to work really, really hard for it.

    Parent
    From our "Instant Karma" file: (5.00 / 3) (#15)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Mon Sep 10, 2012 at 03:34:26 PM EST
    Public participation in this year's Susan G. Komen Foundation's Race for the Cure in the San Francisco Bay Area was off by 50% from last year -- thanks in no small part to the hard-far-right political turn the organization's now-departed leadership took earlier this year, when they tried to rescind grant funding to Planned Parenthood for breast cancer screenings.

    The other important factor is the very high (5.00 / 1) (#27)
    by oculus on Mon Sep 10, 2012 at 05:09:37 PM EST
    % of amounts donated going to administrative costs, not to cancer research.  

    Parent
    Not enough people willing to take (5.00 / 1) (#37)
    by Militarytracy on Mon Sep 10, 2012 at 06:05:24 PM EST
    a serious look at Komen until they shafted PP.  Then people had an ear for the news and it got worse looking at the board and suspecting they might be incentivizing some cancer treatments and research while trying to negatively impact and discourage others.  It is a reminder that I really need to see that documentary about the big business of breast cancer.

    Parent
    Well, yeah! (none / 0) (#28)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Mon Sep 10, 2012 at 05:13:27 PM EST
    Dedicated wingers like Ari Fleischer don't come cheap, you know.

    Parent
    Tea Party and friends gearing up to (5.00 / 3) (#22)
    by caseyOR on Mon Sep 10, 2012 at 04:18:01 PM EST
    actively harass and bully voters at the polls in November.

    They are not satisfied with the onerous voter ID requirements. Rightwing activists, often associated with the Tea Party, are organizing and training people to challenge voters at the polls. This has happened in some areas during previous elections, and is now being expanded to several states.

    Election workers are volunteers, many of them are senior citizens. As a rule, they receive minimal training on what is and is not allowed at a polling place. They are never trained in how to handle thugs bullying and intimidating voters.

    Charlie Pierce explains it all at his politics blog. I urge everyone to read Charlie's piece and follow his link to the Demos report on this ugliness and how to fight it.

    In Oregon all voting is done by mail. So, this kind of voter intimidation can't happen here. Perhaps we should start pushing for all states to adopt vote-by-mail. In the meantime, if you can, volunteer to be a poll worker, and prepare to do battle with those who would deny people the vote.

    This is another page the right has lifted out of the Jim Crow handbook. It infuriates me that we have this kind of crap going on today.

    From our "Your Ryan Eyes" file: (5.00 / 1) (#33)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Mon Sep 10, 2012 at 05:36:36 PM EST
    May Heaven help the Republicans, if they still think Paul Ryan represents the best and the brightest in America. Norah O'Donnell of CBS News treated him yesterday on "Face the Nation" as nothing more than a 20-watt bulb in a 100-watt socket.

    Screw their photo IDs! (none / 0) (#1)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Mon Sep 10, 2012 at 01:52:28 PM EST
    Poll workers should be asking these clowns to show their high school diploma before allowing them to vote:

    Mother Jones | September 10, 2012
    15 Percent of Ohio GOPers Say Romney Deserves Credit for Bin Laden Raid - "In what some (one guy on Twitter) have called 'a stroke of comic genius,' Public Policy Polling decided to ask Ohio Republicans who they thought "deserved more credit for the killing of Osama bin Laden: Barack Obama or Mitt Romney. In what some (my colleague Tim Murphy) have called 'the greatest thing ever,' a full 15 percent of Ohio Republicans surveyed said Romney deserved more credit than the president. Another 47 percent said they were 'unsure.'"

    President Obama is now up by 5 points in Ohio, after last week's strong convention showing.

    This could have been (5.00 / 2) (#2)
    by Zorba on Mon Sep 10, 2012 at 02:20:00 PM EST
    a piece in The Onion.
    Proof that 62% of those Republicans polled are dumber than a bag of hair.

    Parent
    That's what makes the media's ... (5.00 / 1) (#4)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Mon Sep 10, 2012 at 02:35:06 PM EST
    ... repeated attempts to promote false equivalencies so grating. The majority of Republican voters are buying into wholesale falsehoods, thanks to the misinformation they're being fed, and yet the mainstream news organizations remain stubbornly wedded to the "he said, she said" mode of reporting.

    I swear, if Democrats said today that 2+2=4, and the Republicans countered by claiming that 2+2 really equals 5, we'd no doubt be hearing Wolf Blitzer, Jake Tapper and Chuck Todd criticize Democrats for not trying hard enough to reach a compromise by offering 4.5.

    Parent

    Close, but not the way I envision it... (5.00 / 2) (#13)
    by Anne on Mon Sep 10, 2012 at 03:21:40 PM EST
    Wolf Blitzer/Brian Williams/Anchor Stooge:  This just in from Washington: In response to today's earlier announcement by Democrats that two plus two equals four, sources are reporting that Republicans are expected to announce that two plus two equals five.  Those sources asked not to be identified because they are not authorized to speak on matters of Basic Arithmetic.

    Standing by is Dana Bash/Chuck Todd/[insert name of on-site media stooge here].  Dana/Chuck/Stooge, what is the latest word there?  

    Dana Bash/Chuck Todd/Media Stooge:  Well, Wolf/Brian/Anchor Stooge, you may remember that this morning, Harry Reid, the Senate Majority Leader and Nancy Pelosi, the House Minority Leader, came to the steps of the Capitol and announced that two plus two equals five.  They did not take questions from the media, and, as you can imagine, this just sent everyone's Twitter feed into a frenzy.  We immediately went to Senator McConnell's and Representative Boehner's offices for a response, and were told they would have a response at some point.  We've now learned that the Republicans are expected to bring in Bert and Ernie from Sesame Street to announce that, contrary to the Democrats' announcement, two plus two does not equal five.  Already you can see here behind me the crowd gathering for this major announcement.  As soon as they appear, we'll let you know.  Back to you.

    Wolf Blitzer/Brian Williams/Anchor Stooge:  Uh, Dana/Chuck/Media stooge, thank you for that up-to-the-minute report.  I want to assure our viewing audience that we will continue to follow this important story and will break into our regular coverage as soon as the Republican announcement begins.

    Dana/Chuck/Media Stooge:  Wolf?/Brian?/Anchor Stooge?  We've just learned that the president is expected to issue a statement following the Republican announcement.  Anonymous sources tell us it will say, `Today, I learned that once again, both political parties are engaging in behavior that takes time and energy away from the hard and important work the American people expect them to do.  I have issued an invitation to the leaders of both parties to join me here in the White House in hopes that I can calm the tension and persuade them to reach a compromise.  There's simply no reason why we can't find an answer that both sides can accept.  I hope to be able to report back to the American people that, going forward, two plus two will equal some number between four and five. Thank you, God bless you and God bless America.'

    Wolf Blitzer/Brian Williams/Anchor Stooge:   Thank you, Dana/Chuck/Media Stooge.  We have to take a short break here; when we get back, new poll numbers are in on what two plus two equals.

    You know that's what would happen.

    Parent

    There may be a missing step here, (5.00 / 1) (#19)
    by KeysDan on Mon Sep 10, 2012 at 04:08:10 PM EST
    the arithmetic dispute will need to go to the "fact checkers"--a new profession that is not to be confused with journalism.

    Parent
    snu&#305;&#623; snld o&#653;&#647; (5.00 / 1) (#40)
    by lentinel on Mon Sep 10, 2012 at 06:43:16 PM EST
    ɐɔıɹǝɯ∀ ssǝlq poפ puɐ noʎ ssǝlq poפ

    Parent
    How did you (none / 0) (#43)
    by Zorba on Mon Sep 10, 2012 at 07:10:10 PM EST
     do that, lentinel?  Very cute.

    Parent
    I (5.00 / 1) (#45)
    by lentinel on Mon Sep 10, 2012 at 08:23:52 PM EST
    went to:

    this.


    Parent

    What's even funnier is that 4% of Ohio Dems (none / 0) (#6)
    by sarcastic unnamed one on Mon Sep 10, 2012 at 02:47:35 PM EST
    think Romney deserves the credit.

    fwiw, neither 15% Repubs nor 4% Dems is a "majority of voters" in either case...

    Parent

    I am sure that he's adding in (5.00 / 1) (#8)
    by Zorba on Mon Sep 10, 2012 at 03:03:05 PM EST
     the 47% who were "unsure." That makes 62% who are totally clueless.
    Of course, this is a poll, a sampling of Republicans.  But still, it says nothing flattering about their intelligence levels.

    Parent
    Ah, that adds up now. (none / 0) (#10)
    by sarcastic unnamed one on Mon Sep 10, 2012 at 03:09:04 PM EST
    Still not sure what to think about the 4% "very liberal"...

    Parent
    Small oops, I read the crosstabs wrong... (none / 0) (#7)
    by sarcastic unnamed one on Mon Sep 10, 2012 at 03:01:09 PM EST
    ...4% of Ohio's "very liberal" voters think Romney is responsible.

    Parent
    Learn to read (none / 0) (#9)
    by CoralGables on Mon Sep 10, 2012 at 03:06:03 PM EST
    your cross-tabs.

    1% of Dems and 1% of Independents said Romney. You can find it on Page 15

    We'll call 1% the margin of error and settle for 14% of the Ohio GOP is completely clueless.

    Parent

    Thanks, as I pointed out previously (none / 0) (#11)
    by sarcastic unnamed one on Mon Sep 10, 2012 at 03:11:00 PM EST
    it's 4% of Ohio's "very liberal" who think Romney was responsible.

    Parent
    The only thing "very liberal" ... (5.00 / 1) (#12)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Mon Sep 10, 2012 at 03:21:26 PM EST
    ... about them, apparently, is their imaginations.

    Parent
    It goes like this: (none / 0) (#5)
    by NYShooter on Mon Sep 10, 2012 at 02:39:14 PM EST
    Obama and the Joint Chiefs were doing their usual nothing regarding Bin Laden

    Until

    The polls showed Mitt Romney moving up in the Primaries.

    Knowing that Romney, as President, would catch Osama on his first day in office, they got off their lazy duffs, allocated two trillion dollars to finding The Shiek, and bingo!

    In other words, they were more scared of Mitt Romney than they were of Osama bin Laden.

    Makes perfect sense to me.


    Parent

    Come On... (none / 0) (#23)
    by ScottW714 on Mon Sep 10, 2012 at 04:32:14 PM EST
    ...I always screw with those people, that just can't be accurate, or is that me just hoping it's not accurate.

    No way would I ever answer a question like that seriously.  There margin of error only accounts for the answers given not representing the population, not the percentage of people not answering truthfully.

    Not to stick up for republicans, but I have never read anything about Mitt and Bin Laden, and I have read some real whoppers.

    I imagine it's hard core republicans who just cannot bring themselves to give credit to Obama for anything who would rather come off a really dumb than give Obama props for anything.

    Parent

    You're probably right about that. (none / 0) (#30)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Mon Sep 10, 2012 at 05:19:30 PM EST
    I imagine the same Republicans would also readily credit Romney for the turnaround in the American auto industry -- never mind his Nov. 2008 New York Times op-ed urging the outgoing Bush and incoming Obama administrations to "Let Detroit Go Bankrupt."

    Parent
    A new study concludes there is an (none / 0) (#29)
    by oculus on Mon Sep 10, 2012 at 05:19:01 PM EST
    "association" between young men smoking MJ and testicular cancer.  Rather surprising this information has not been posted here:  link

    I blame the increase in testicular cancer ... (5.00 / 2) (#31)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Mon Sep 10, 2012 at 05:26:15 PM EST
    ... not on the magic herb, but rather on all those chemical preservatives and artificial ingredients ingested through 7/11-type food whenever one is suddenly seized by an accompanying attack of the "munchies."

    ;-D

    Parent

    People don't openly cop to drug use... (none / 0) (#35)
    by Dadler on Mon Sep 10, 2012 at 05:51:50 PM EST
    ...in any meaningful numbers.  So I can't really take the findings at face value.  IOW, because an unknown number of those asked were pot users who didn't develop cancer, I'm not sure the study is really helpful, especially since volume of usage had no effect.  I suspect the numbers are terribly skewed by the fact we cage people in this country for non-violent drug offenses, and mistrust of the government is at an all time high. And the fact that the study attempts to claim that this under-reporting of usage cannot "completely" explain the supposed link, which is simply not a logical statement because they have ZERO way of knowing how much under-reporting was done. That lack of reason on the surface, leads me to believe funding for the study didn't come from truly objective sources.

    Parent
    Tox screens? (none / 0) (#41)
    by oculus on Mon Sep 10, 2012 at 06:46:38 PM EST


    Parent
    So, I hear those godless New Yorkers (none / 0) (#38)
    by MileHi Hawkeye on Mon Sep 10, 2012 at 06:13:38 PM EST
    had the nerve to boooooo Timmy Tebow yesterday!  For shame.

    The New York fans (none / 0) (#42)
    by Zorba on Mon Sep 10, 2012 at 07:02:54 PM EST
    can be tough.  No touchdown, no love from them.  When Tebow produces for them, they will look more kindly upon him.  If he doesn't produce, he won't get the love.
    Although, in truth, New York fans are not as tough as the fans in Philadelphia. They may be among the worst.  ;-)

    Parent
    They booed Sanchez also (none / 0) (#44)
    by nycstray on Mon Sep 10, 2012 at 07:44:59 PM EST
    You don't deliver, Jets fans let ya know about it :)

    Parent
    Mornin Joemama discussed something (none / 0) (#39)
    by Militarytracy on Mon Sep 10, 2012 at 06:16:05 PM EST
    That caught my interest this morn.  How can Republican Governors and Republican led Congresses really run with this YOUR LIFE SUCKS NOW meme when they have been running many things they need their constituencies to feel good about?  Is Romney primed for a massive abandoning by the down ticket now?  Last question is mine,Mornin Joemama could never insinuate such a thing, just sit there looking forlorn as hell.

    Andy Murray wins the U.S. Open. (none / 0) (#47)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Mon Sep 10, 2012 at 09:12:57 PM EST
    He defeated Novak Djokovic in five sets tonight, 7-6 (10), 7-5, 2-6, 3-6 and 6-2, becoming the first British citizen to win a Grand Slam event since Virginia Wade took the women's singles crown at Wimbledon in 1977.

    It was a great match. (none / 0) (#49)
    by caseyOR on Mon Sep 10, 2012 at 09:22:05 PM EST
    Both the singles finals were amazing matches, Serena's win yesterday in 3 sets, and Andy's win today.

    The last British man to win a tennis major was Fred Perry in 1936. To say the hopes of a nation rested on Andy Murray's shoulders would not be an exaggeration.

    Parent

    Monday Open Thread | 50 comments (50 topical)

    Readers Must Login or Create an Account to Comment