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#dems are so ‘pro choice’ when it comes to having a right over your own body EXCEPT when it comes to vaccinations
thewinterstale · 1 year
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The TLT Ballet AU Nobody Asked For!
Okay, here is my Locked Tomb Pre-Pro Ballet Summer Intensive AU, because apparently, my most niche interests aren't as niche as I thought!
In this AU, Abigail is the summer program administrator. She is the opposite of "if you can't do, teach" - she is a very passionate mentor by choice - she had a short career with a company with bad practices and went "I can absolutely do better... and I will." And she did! She's married to Magnus, who is the res director - a non-dancer who "moves well" and is very supportive and enthusiastic. He makes the dancers feel comfy and at home, even if they're coming from very far away. He and Abigail are always one step ahead of homesickness. They live within walking distance of the main studio and have dancers over constantly. Everyone is fed because they are elite athletes and artists and they need their strength and their wits.
Harrow and Gideon are the Russians. They have serious Vaganova training. They are super intense, and everyone is afraid of them. Harrow has been in pre-pro, full-time training since she could walk. She was selectively bred for balletic facility. She has no other professional skills (or social skills that help outside of a ballet school), so if she fails to find placement in a company, she's SOL. Gideon was an orphan plucked from obscurity and put into training because of natural musicality. Like Harrow, if her dreams don't pan out, she has everything to lose. They're rivals, and they hate each other, but they make each other better. Like all the Russian ballet students you encounter over here, they've come to experience American-style of ballet... and will likely intimidate every teacher in the process with their absurdly technical training.
Judith and Marta come from one of those bare-bones studios with a sign in the lobby that says "THIS IS NOT A RECITAL SCHOOL." If you show up and your uniform isn't perfect, they send you home. They won't let students learn variations until they prove they are ready. Nobody has ever been ready. It's also one of those schools where you need express written permission to attend an outside summer intensive... and you only get permission if you're solid enough to get into an incredible program OR you're about to lose your spot anyway. Judith and Marta got permission. They aren't entirely sure which category they're in, so they're on their best behavior.
Ianthe and Coronabeth are NYC ballet bitches - Balanchine 4 Life, Baby. They are competition ballerinas, and their parents are purists, so they're only allowed to compete in Classical Variations. Corona always places higher than Ianthe because she can act the roles and has a magnetic stage presence, even though Ianthe is a stronger technical ballerina. Ianthe thinks dancing is menial, sweaty, peasant work - she's a choreographer at heart and is merely paying dues. She has the superpower of knowing exactly what to say in the wings to psych other dancers out right before they go on stage. They both compete for scholarships so they can leave the country as often as possible and not have to deal with their awful stage dad. This SI has a good reputation (and a gorgeous studio with lots of natural light for pics), so they made an appearance for their socials. They are ambassadors for every ballet brand and have an insane social media following. Secretly, Corona is a contemporary ballerina, and she KNOWS she'd sweep the competition if she was allowed to compete, but Ianthe choreographs all her best solos, and she's kind of afraid she'll suck if left to her own devices.
Jeannemary and Isaac are international students at the children's school, and Abigail and Magnus are hosting them. They have nowhere to go when they aren't in class, so they're always taking class with the older dancers. Jeannemary is one of those kids who made her pediatrician's life hell because she wanted to know the SECOND her body was ready to go en pointe. She got permission to go up on demi at barre at eight... but, of course, she pushed it, got hurt, and ended up having to wait even longer. Luckily, Isaac didn't have to worry about any of that - he kept her company when the rest of her cohort moved up without her. He's a really conscientious stretcher, always makes sure he's warm before he attempts anything, and is really good at communicating with his pas partners. They balance each other out. They are babies so nobody sees them as a threat.
Cam and Pal have no studio or school affiliation. They train at home with private teachers. They're those kids who show up at the competition, and everyone's like "Who is that?" and then they dance, and everyone's like "Fuck." They rarely, compete, though. Why should they? They know they're good... plus, it's art and competition isn't the point. Pal's a classical ballet boy, and Cam has a strong classical background but is focusing on contemporary. They can still fuck up a pas de deux like nobody's business. Neither plans to pursue dance professionally, though. Pal's interested in sports med so he can work with dancers, and Cam's got a sixth sense for pointe shoe fitting. She can watch someone dance for two minutes and immediately tell them what's wrong with their shoe. She has an inherent understanding of how people move. When she breaks in shoes, it's very violent and deliberate. Pal's afraid he's going to lose her to Complexions, but if she wasn't a dancer, she'd work in data ;-)
Dulcie has finally reached the point where pre-pro level classes are too much for her body, but she has danced her whole life and doesn't want to just retire and disappear - all her friends are dancers, and she loves the art form, so she sits in on class all the time. Everyone is always very happy to see her because she has a special knack for giving very good, very specific notes very kindly. She has a great eye for technique, and her notes often focus on adding artistry and perfecting lines. She comes from a huge recital school that does a massive Nutcracker every year, so she's great with costumes. If she likes you, she'll darn your shoes for you and sew on your ribbons. She thinks staying active is important, so she takes adaptive pilates with Pro, and takes an adaptive dance class a few times per week. If you call her an inspiration, she'll bite you.
Silas is a technique snob. He has French training, so everyone else is always wrong, and he's always right. If you give him a correction, he'll somehow end up correcting you. He has very strong ideas about what dancers should be eating, drinking, breathing, wearing, and doing at all times (it's what he's eating, drinking, breathing, wearing, and doing). He has a highly curated lifestyle youtube channel where he teaches people how to make intentionally disgusting vegan protein drinks. He thinks adding flavor shows weakness. Colum has the same training, but he's actually here to learn. He smokes behind the school in between classes, and he's pretty cool when Silas isn't around. He's kind of over ballet, tbh, but he has put so much of his life into getting this far that walking away seems like more trouble than it's worth.
Now stick them in a remote studio all summer and see who survives!
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fizzingwizard · 2 years
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soooo xD
(politics and my dad)
I had a lot of college loans to pay back after graduation. I started off paying 1300 a month which was haaard. I lowered it to 1000 when I left my first job, and kept up that way until I started my most recent job, when I had to take a pay cut and also had increased bills due to a new living arrangement, so I lowered the payments to 700 a month. I didn't stop paying during the pandemic. Even so, the interest just piled up and piled up and piled up.... I was paying one third to half my paycheck every month since I graduated and it wasn't making a difference.
Well, after my parents split up, my mom decided to see the house. We moved into that house when I was 8 and were renters my whole life. They finally paid it off and became owners when I was in college with the intent of fixing it up and selling it (my mom never liked living there anyway, it was small, and on an awful downward sloping hillside). Of course, the recession was going on, and the housing market totally collapsed. They couldn't get their money's worth and were stuck living in it.
So finally when one of them at least would have to move out anyway, mom decided to sell. It was her choice because my dad had been lying about a bunch of money stuff, the trigger for the split, and letting her sell the house was his apology I guess. I have very mixed feelings about it but it's not my decision.
Then mom said that she wanted to use some of the funds from selling the house to help me pay off my school loans - the point of this post lol (finally). You know what my dad said?
"Don't do it. Biden's going to reduce school debt, so Fizz might not have to pay."
First of all, I was amazed. Although I'd love to have my loans disappear, I never thought any new policy would affect me x'D It would start off, at least, with people in the tightest traits. I'm low middle class, not low income - most relief programs skip us over because there are lots of people with less privilege in need. They were always going to take priority IF any relief was coming. (Since that time there have been various new fixes from the government, but yeah, none so far that would affect me.)
Second, my dad as you probably know is a Trumper, claims to be socially liberal but only ever touts far right ideology, and categorically hates all Democrats. None of us have love for either party >_> But my dad can't get through a single conversation without railing about "libtards" and "dem devils." But he was relying on Biden to clear up my loans?? Which was a thing even I had zero expectations would happen??
Ok! Well! Anyway - my mom did help me, for which I'm both very privileged and very grateful every single day of my life. I have savings for the first time since graduation. It's not a lot, but it's finally like, if I have an accident, it won't be the end of the world...
Which brings me to today on Facebook: My dad's sharing a post that says, "Student debt relief: Step 1 - Take out a loan, Step 2 - Pay it back." You know, the usual.
BUT YOU LITERALLY WANTED ME TO RELY ON BIDEN FOR DEBT RELIEF.
When it's someone else, "pay back your loans!" When it's him/his family, "we deserve relief" what?????? I have no idea how else to interpret such a flip-flop.
but for that matter my dad is also staunchly pro-life... despite wanting an abortion for himself when my mom was pregnant with me and the doctors thought I would have a birth defect. I don't have one, but here we go again: my dad's pro-life for everyone else, but pro-choice for himself? :/ However a lot of pro-choices are like that... My grandma's extremely religious family was on surface pro-life, but before she died grandma revealed she had been forced to have an abortion by her mother. Lol. Lies lies lies, it all smells like sewage. All these people want is to control everyone else and continue to cover up their own messes to look pristine...
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laurenjxuregui · 3 years
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just bc someone is anti-tr*mp it doesn’t necessarily mean they’re pro-biden 🥴
#i mean#i think we can all agree both options sucked#and a lot of people only voted biden to get trump out of office#bc trump has shown us these past 4 years that he’s an arrogant asshole#and voting republican means voting against women/lgbt/poc/etc rights#which is why i get so mad when people/my family is okay with wholeheartedly supporting him#and a lot of tr*mp supporters are fueled by hate which is why i’m so against it#but voting democrat also sucks for different reasons#it already gets me scared thinking about how they’re about to mandate this stupid covid vaccine#dems are so ‘pro choice’ when it comes to having a right over your own body EXCEPT when it comes to vaccinations#as someone who already has had a severe reaction to one and has watched my sisters life be ruined by one.. idk wtf i’d even do if#we’re all FORCED to get one 🥴#what happened to.. my body my choice lol#they’re already voting on the mandate in new york TODAY !!!#like this shit is bound to happen#and it’s hella scary#that’s why either way whoever won this election we’d be fucked just in dif ways#this is why i didn’t even vote bc i couldn’t morally choose one candidate#when both sides would hurt me and people i love#maybe if this pandemic wasn’t even a thing then i woulda been 100% for biden bc none of this would be an issue#it makes me feel like this was all part of the plan tbh#don’t forget that other countries got covid under control without a vaccine#and it is unnecessary for a virus with a 99% recovery rate#thank u for coming to my ted talk
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olivieblake · 3 years
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I know we are concerned about trump rolling back many rights such as Roe v Wade and gay marriage etc, and if there was ever a time it would be done it would be now with the court the way it is but I wonder sometimes if those two issues are kinda like carrots dangling in front of a horse. A major issue we have is the left has nothing to unite them there are so many ideas about what needs to be done and it's impossible to have everyone be represented by one person. (1)

the right seems to push most everything to the side for the issues of abortion and gay marriage, and I guess guns and money. To me it feels like there would be benefits to stringing them along in order to get their votes year after year. Fighting to keep a law doesn’t give the same fire as fighting to change something as seen by how many on the left are willing to not vote cause Biden is exactly like trump despite the very real threat of the loss of these rights. I don’t mean like there is no reason to worry/vote cause it won’t happen, I think the threat the most serious its ever been but I wondered your thoughts on how much these issues are used to keep the GOP votes rolling in or if you think they’d struggle once those issues were gone or am I totally wrong, ha. It’s frustrating as a christian (or was idk anymore its turned so ugly) to watch others give up their morals for something they might not get just cause they are so simple to manipulate imo
I won’t lie to you, anon, this was... hard to make sense of, so let me open by restating what I think you’re trying to say? it seems like maybe you’re arguing that abortion and gay marriage are hot button issues that generate a controversial polarity where everyone is driven to vote based on their position on those issues, so if those issues were no longer on the table there would be nothing to keep people actively participating. it also seems like maybe you resent this because you’d like to vote your morals, but based on these controversial social issues you’re being forced to take a political position you don’t align with fully. 
here’s what I think you’re right about: the american two-party system forces a polarity that favors centrism, or has up to this point. yes, the left is a collection of extremely variant positions that are forced further and further center-right as a party as a result of the right becoming increasingly fundamentalist. this is arguably the greatest flaw in american policy construction: the founders did not believe that anyone after george washington would ever garner 51% of the popular vote, meaning that there would always be a tie and then the senate, representing the states, would choose the next president. basically, they set up a system much more like the british bicameral legislature than what we have now, where the states would select the next president from among themselves. but because the federalists and democratic republicans mobilized the way they did, we have the system we have now, where every issue is essentially black and white; either yes or no. 
dichotomies are inherently problematic, and while I do not agree that the left lacks unity in their policies, you’re correct that a “true” left does not exist in the united states; aka bernie and even warren should not be democrats if biden is also a democrat. that’s fair, or would be, if we did not have only two ideologies to choose from.
I do think there are some flaws with your premise (? as I interpret it) that these specific social issues are “hot” and/or controversial enough to drive people to the polls vs. being the actual, true defining issues for each party. I disagree. the politics of abortion are not about the value of human life, but the autonomy of women. the politics of marriage are not about whether homosexuality is morally reprehensible, but about whether the state should allow faith-based policy to control how two consenting individuals choose to live. in my mind, these positions are consistent with the concept that government should interfere against systemic prejudices, especially where it’s necessary to maintain our foundational separation of church and state.
the fact is also that the right is a mess. a true conservative party in this country would oppose ALL government regulation; they should be anti-gun regulation AND pro-choice, and essentially pro-everything that isn’t government interference. the fact that the republican party doesn’t fall within these theoretical lines is a flaw as a result of who holds power in that party: white christian men. in order to maintain their social power, they bend their political agenda wherever necessary to ensure that women and minorities do not gain autonomy where they have always maintained control. this is what unites the right, which means that the “left,” which is really more center AND everything left of center, supports politics that do dignify minorities. 
would this be the case if we had multiple political parties? probably not, so your frustration is shared by many. you’ve probably heard this many times, but essentially the argument for biden, even by those who know he will not provide them the policies their consciences dictate, is that he has already shown he—and the party—can be pushed further left. he did not sign on with concepts of the green new deal until bernie and liz warren’s campaigns dictated that politically he needed to, at which point AOC signed on to help him build his own. so is he perfect? no. but if biden wins, there is room to keep fighting for what we want from democratic policy; he is responsive to public pressure. if 45 wins, we lose, end of story. fascism cannot be pushed.
morals are difficult to argue when it comes to politics. for example, the very popular but nonsensical “socially liberal but fiscally conservative” dichotomy is an untenable paradox that a person can only hold as a beneficiary of the existing system. when only one group of people has maintained generational/inherited wealth that allows them to benefit from a lack of social programs and government intervention, of course there is no such thing as having only one foot in the water. the overlap between the christian agenda and white supremacy is also difficult to separate, because while theologically christianity should promote certain values, christianity as an institution was born from imperialism, forced conversion, and a doctrine of constant proselytization. I say this as a catholic; I don’t dislike religious beliefs. but the way religion motivates political decisions is fundamentally flawed.
if your argument (or the argument of those around you) is that the problem with this election is that the left is a collection of ideologies lumped together in order to oppose some very narrow policy decisions, yes, you’re right. but if we pushed even remotely left from where we are now, we might be closer to the center, and then we can continue to push left. I would argue not that this is a time to abandon your principles just to win the presidency, but to at least be unselfish enough to realize that institutional change must be affected incrementally; to recognize that even if your life is not severely affected by 45 and the republican party winning over biden and the centrist-dems, far-right or alt-right policies do undoubtedly cause damage to countless others. you may not get everything you want from biden, but the opportunity to continue to achieve policy decisions you support is there.
try not to allow others around you to create a false dichotomy where this is somehow a choice between two evils; it isn’t. it’s a choice between a closed door and an open one, and even a baby step is a step. 
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redconversesworld · 5 years
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My new life part 2
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“Last but not least ... the spacious terrace, which goes along the entire length of the apartment. Brace yourself for the view darling. If nothing else you’ve seen thus far stole your breath – this will.”
Mrs. Kim was not exaggerating at all. As soon as we stepped onto the terrace we were not only met by the beaming sun but the view. And what a spectacle it was.
The buildings in front of the apartment complex did not obscure the view at all. Since Han river could be seen snaking it’s way down below. Loving how the water glistened , calling for one to go take a stroll along it. Note to self – gotta do that as soon as possible.
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Despite there being people on the terrace, lounging mid lunch break I took brave steps forward, nearing on the railing, risking a quick look down. I admit not the best of ideas as me and heights went hand in hand like water and oil.
Fighting the urge to let out a loud “FUCK” I opt for the rest to be spoken ...”That is high.”
“I neither am a fan of heights, but living up here does have it’s perks. No?”
Polite is the smile that I give back to Mrs. Kim.
Pushing my shades down I quickly grab my phone and press the screen. Speed dialling my brother, who doesn’t answer. Probably in a meeting. Next up I try mom, but she too doesn’t pick up. Doing head math quickly I figure she must be picking up my niece from school, hence why my call goes unanswered.
The decor on the terrace is kept simple. Some smaller trees in large Amphora style vases ... the wood that is used as flooring by my guess bamboo wood as that is resistant to any type of weather. There is a large sitting arrangement in a corner. Able to host – 12 people I can count while scanning the bodies which are set on it. Asking if that too was included or brought in by the crew she confirms it to be theirs. Too bad, but I can later on ask Mrs. Kim for help in finding out where it was bought to get same.
Her attention was briefly caught away by her son who was lounging around a group of young guys. From time to time they’d look at me as if I’ve fallen off of the moon. Must be my looks, since I was wearing what I like to call my comfy outfit. Hoodie, black ripped jeans, red converse and a messengers bag dangling off my shoulder. Not the common look of someone who might be a potential buyer to an apartment worth more than what some hard working people earn in a lifetime or two.
A woman approached me asking if I’d like coffee since it was currently being served.
Thanking her I accept, then nod when being handed over a to go cup.
Usually such big decisions as buying property were made as a family. Meaning mom, bro and I would sit down and discuss the pros and cons. This time it was different, the choice was left to me.
Moms words still ring in my ears.
“Sweetheart, it will be new to us all. But the situation calls for it. Either we stay in New York and risk that dads business in Seoul gets taken over by a competing company ... or we all move there and keep his family legacy going. So go there, find us our new home. We’ll love whatever you pick. Like dad always said – Follow your gut feeling.”
My gut is saying – Get it, before anyone else does... but still I hold back a bit.
“Mrs. Kim?”
Upon hearing my voice she breaks the conversation she was currently having and rushes to me.
“Yes darling? Is everything ok?”
“How much did you say it were listed for?”Allow me to get my papers, so I don’t mess up.”
I nod and keep on sipping on my pleasant coffee. Right as she is about to return to me, my phone starts ringing. Not a usual ringtone as most people have, nooooo – mine had to be Not Today by BTS a song my niece picked as she is in love with some Korean band ... so she gets the say in what music goes on my phone. She is lucky I love her to death or else ... well not that I mind BTS songs , I am just way more laid back when it comes to them. I got other things to worry about , than what one of the guys tweeted of when their next Vlive is. Yeah being an adult sucks and if I could I would turn back time and be a teen again. No other worries than school. While now I got enough of things on my mind to last me this life and the next few coming.
Hmmmm ...
Thinking of it ... Mrs. Kim’s son does look like one of the guys – RM if I am not wrong. Well aside from the hair which last I know was green, while this guy is blonder than blonde. But it fits him well. Not that I’ve taken a closer look. 😏
While my phone was ringing and with it the song blasting at full volume I had multiple sets of eyes on me. Staring as if in complete disbelieve of what they are hearing or seeing.
No idea what their problem is. Don’t care.
Tho one thing was very strange when I started taking pictures of the surrounding areas, the group of guys quickly turned away, some hastily pulling their hoodies deeper over their heads.
Who poured a dose of panic into their cereal this morning?
Pushing that aside I answer my call and for ongoing minutes I am pacing back and forth, taking the papers from Mrs. Kim and giving the numbers to my mom along with sending her a few pics of the view I still am mesmerized with.
“Mom ... mom ... mother! Would you please stop squeaking in my poor ear. I get it, you loveeeeeeeee it. Wanna marry this place.”
Geez looks like I hit Jackpot here, at least with mom. But as always a question lingered in my mind and burned my soul. Losing myself in my own thoughts for a brief moment I absentmindedly move closer to the group of people, not seeing their eyes still glued on each of my moves.
“Would dad like it?” I carefully pass on the question to my mom on the other end of the line.
“He’d love it. Despite all you two always shared the same taste. Sweetheart – if your guts say yes, then so should your mouth.”
“You are right. Luv ya mom. I’ll call you later. Kisses!”
Still somewhat in a daze I reach the railing once again, bend forward ,crossing my arms over it so that I am resting my chin on it, taking a nice cleansing breath.
“What do you think paps?” I utter while looking up into the sky.
“Who are you talking to?” an unknown voice asks, and without even thinking I simply reply.
“My dad. Tho he is sadly no longer with us I always ask him what he thinks or for guidance ... and somehow he gives me an answer. If you look up, you’ll see that there is a cloud which looks like a fisted hand with a thumb being held up. So I got my answer.”
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“Wow.” A guy blunts out.
“Yeaahhhh I can see it!” Joins in another.
“She is cute!” says a third guy.
Uhhh? Oh crap ... did I just say all of it out loud? Great, just the way to go you goose!
“Dat is styuuupid. She is cray on. Better get me a latte ,than stand der talkin rubish. Pfffff ... needs daddys money to buy da apartment.”
Ohhhh boy ... she did not just. Bite your tongue is the mantra I coax myself to slowly. How would I be able to explain to the police why her skanky bitch ass got tossed off of this building by me.
Mrs. Kim is first to shout at her, followed by her sons angered voice.
Okey ... It may not be proper to reply her in english, neither in Korean as I lack the knowledge of words to be sending her to a place where she can go and fuck herself. So I pick one of the other languages I do know. Censuring myself very much.
Turning to her I put on the fakest of smiles and speak.
“Ich hol dir gleich ne Latte, und schlage sie dir über dem Kopf du blöde Kuh.”
Not expecting any other reaction than just confused looks I freeze instantly when a guy starts laughing and hits his thigh repeatedly.
Fuck my life – truly! He understood each and every word.
“I ... like ... her! Ohh boy, been a while since I’ve laughed this hard.”
If there ever was a point in time where the ground should open up and swallow me - this be it please dear Lord.
“Imma call her Ms.Germany. By the way ... Ich bin Karl.”
In perfect German he introduces himself as Karl. Really ? There are 9,7 million people living in Seoul and I bump into the only German guy? Yeahhh ... like I’ve said fuck my life and lack of luck in it.
Giving him a short wave as in Hi. I shrug my shoulders and try to escape further conversation with him by calling out Mrs. Kim , who thank God instantly rushes to my side. Her eyes still glaring at the eye candy which now is trying her best to keep ... still don’t know his name – well Mrs. Kim son by her side. Emitting various smooching sounds, caressing his arm which he flexes away from her, while giving me an apologetic look.
“I’d like to make an offer for the apartment.” My words firm.
“And what would it be, if I may ask?” again the German guy speaks.
“That is the owner of the place darling. He is a businessman/promoter and stroke a deal with the present company. He lets them use the apartment, they agreed to do promotion and events in Germany.”
I am more taken by his question , than to pay full attention to what Mrs. Kim is saying. When it comes to closing deals , dad always said show no fear, stand tall and poker away.
My poker face was on. Let us play a hand.
“The current price is ...” taking a look at the sheet of paper which I hold in hand I hum. “Well not too bad for this beauty, but ...” Karl leans forward, motioning the others to stop talking then waves his hand to me, in sign for me to continue.
“The filming crew did scratch the floor in the living room, so it’ll need some work on. Two cupboards in the kitchen are broken the sink is leaking. There is a stench of Kuh in what will be my room ... if you get what I mean. I don’t have the full access to the rooftop as it’s shared with the adjoining apartment, but in the add it claimed it were all included. False advertising ... I am not interested in signing a lease as most people do nowadays, also the current market isn’t too filled with buyers for such luxury complexes . I buy it now, we sign the pre- contract papers and in less than 24 hours you get your money. If ... you accept this price.”
Scribbling down the number on a paper I fold it , then pass it on to Karl, who briefly takes a peek at it, scribbles something back and says.
“Once filming is done here all named damages will be taken care of. As for the rooftop, yes it was advertised completely accessible, as the other apartment is also mine, but it got leased. Not sure if the ink has dried yet on that contract, but I can pull a few strings to get you access to it. Ich mag dich kleines. Take a look and tell me what you think, Kuh stench not included of course.” He laughs.
The paper travels back to me. I look at the numbers, not as low as I set, but that was expected ... like I said. Poker game. But in this case neither of us had a losing hand.
“Well, I hope you got some more ink left. As I’ll be needing it to sign on the dotted line. Deal Mister Karl?”
He nods, then a call is made before he summons Mrs. Kim to him. They exchange a few words , while I try to ignore the piercing look from the bitch and the astounded eyes of the group of men surrounding her.
“Darling ... if you don’t mind we can go now. My office is already working on the papers as is Mister Karls team. We can go grab lunch afterwards to celebrate before you have to fly back. How does that sound?” I adore this woman.
“Sounds perfect to me.”
I shake hands with Karl, thank him on his cooperation. Wish the present audience a nice rest of the day and turn on my heels to head out. But , not before I shout back over my shoulder.
“Don’t forget to take out the Kuh trash. Thank you!”
A loud laughter is heard and it does not end until the elevator doors close and we are taken back down into the lobby to head outside to the car.
One very delicious lunch later Mrs. Kim and I are sort of fighting over who will pay for it. She insists to be it her treat, while I say it needs to be mine as I just purchased a new home and that calls for celebration.
Needless to say she won. But we agreed to stay in touch and that she’d come visit us when we’ll have a full on move in BBQ once my family arrives and we’ve settled in properly.
Next stop is at my hotel, where after a quick shower I pack my stuff, take all the toiletries the hotel filled my suite bathroom with.
What?
They want you to do so!
Yep ... they do! I got no shame – truly.
At least I left the bathrobe there – this time. So still a good girl with a shiny halo above her head. Don’t mind the devil horns, they are there to keep the halo in place.
After that , I gotta take one last taxi drive to the airport from where my flight takes me to New York. Once arrived back home I along with my brother will take care of all the logistic such a huge move calls for. If all goes right we will be fully moved out of New York and translocate to Seoul within three weeks.
Doable in three weeks ... if all goes well.
We shall see ...
Leaning back into my seat, I start thinking of what new life will await us in Seoul. Business wise I know what is coming, it's the other part that has me worried.
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carldavidson · 6 years
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Graphic by Carl Davidson Right click on it and open in new tab to get a closer look.
The U.S. ‘Six Party System' 3.0: Revising the Hypothesis Again
By Carl Davidson
Keep on Keepin' On
"Successful strategic thinking starts with gaining knowledge, particular gaining adequate knowledge of the big picture; of all the political and economic forces involved…It's not a one-shot deal. Since both Heaven and Earth are always changing, strategic thinking must always be kept up to date, reassessed and revised."
May 30, 2018 - This statement above was part of the opening to a widely circulated article I wrote twice, about two and four years ago. With the upcoming November 2018 elections, it's time to take my own advice again and do another update. The strategic terrain is always changing, and we don't want to be stuck with old maps and faulty models.
In the earlier versions,  I suggested setting aside the traditional ‘two-party system' frame, which obscures far more than it reveals, and making use of a ‘six-party' model instead. The new hypothesis, I suggested, had far more explanatory power regarding the events unfolding before us. Some critics have objected to my use of the term ‘party' for what are really factional or interest group clusters. The point is taken, but I would also argue that US major parties, in general, are not ideological parties in the European sense, but constantly changing coalitions of these clusters with no firm commitment to program or discipline. So I will continue to use ‘parties,' but with the objection noted. You can substitute ‘factions' if you like. Or find us a better term.
For the most part, the strategic picture holds. The ‘six parties', under two tents, were first labeled as the Tea Party and the Multinationalists under the GOP tent, and the Blue Dogs, the Third Way New Democrats, the Old New Dealers, and the Congressional Progressive Caucus, under the Democratic tent. In the second version, we had three ‘parties' under each. 
First and most important for us on the left was the rise of Bernie Sanders, who showed far more strength than imagined.  The second was the dramatic and unexpected flowering of Trump and rightwing populism on the right. Both of these, from different directions, challenged, narrowed and weakened the dominant neoliberal hegemonic bloc, which spanned both the GOP multinationals and the Third Way Democrats. It saw the Blue Dogs disappear and the Tea Party divide into Rightwing Populists and Christian Nationalists. Now here's the new snapshot of the range of forces for today, (including a graphic map). The two main changes are the re-emergence of the Blue Dogs, due to the recent three-way breakup of the Labor-Liberal center bloc, and the powerful growth of the Rightwing Populists under Trump. Starting from the left upper corner of the map:
The Rightwing Populists. This ‘party' has mushroomed via the Trump candidacy and unexpected 2016 victory. Trump, an ‘outlier elite' in his own right, is now directly connected to the Robert Mercer family fortune, the 4th ranking billionaire funding right causes. For example, the Mercers keep Breitbart News afloat and funded the career of Steve Bannon, former Trump ‘strategist' that took him to victory in the last stretch. Now along with Breitbart, Fox news is the hourly mouthpiece for Trump's war against the mainstream ‘fake news' mass media. Trump and his allies are waging political warfare against the ‘Deep State.' This is actually a contest for a new ‘America First' nationalist hegemony against the neoliberal globalists under both tents, the GOP Establishment and the Democrat's Third Way. This also includes the ‘intelligence community,' with a long list of Trump-targetted CIA and FBI ‘corrupt leaders', of which FBI director James Comey was the first to fall. ‘Corruption' was their refusal to pledge loyalty to Trump personally, like an old-style Mafia boss.
Trump also has a strong alliance with the Christian Nationalists (Mike Pence, Betsy DeVos, et al), and the DeVos family (Amway fortune), which represents another billionaire donor to the GOP right. Devos's brother, Erik Prince, has also massed billions from his Blackwater/Xe firms that train thousands of mercenaries to serve as ‘private contractors' for US armed intervention anywhere.
Where these two blocs under the GOP tent grew in strength all during the campaign, the Establishment Neoliberals divided a dozen ways, and they were defeated with some humiliation one by one. After the primaries, they were much weaker and were left with the choice of surrender, voting for Hillary Clinton (HRC) or staying home.
Trump's reach under the Dem tent to form an alliance with the Blue Dogs was more tactical. It stemmed from his appeals to ‘Rust Belt' Democrats and some unions on trade and tariff issues, plus white identity resentment politics. The economic core of rightwing populism remains anti-global ‘producerism' vs ‘parasitism'. Employed workers, business owners, real estate developers, small bankers are all ‘producers', and they oppose parasite groups above and below, but mainly those of ‘the Other' below them—the unemployed (Get a Job! as an epithet), the immigrants, poor people of color, Muslims, and more. 
Trump entered politics by declaring Obama to be an illegal alien and an illegitimate office holder (a parasite above), but quickly shifted to Mexicans and Muslims and anyone associated with ‘Black Lives Matter.' This was aimed at pulling the fascist and white supremacist groups of the ‘Alt Right,' using Breitbart and worse to widen their circles, close to Trump's core. With these as ready reserves, Trump reached farther into Blue Dog territory and its workers, retirees, and business owners conflicted with white identity issues—immigration, Islamophobia, misogyny, and more.
Trump's outlook has deep roots in American history, from the anti-Indian ethnic cleansing of President Andrew Jackson to the nativism of the Know Nothings, to the lynch terror of the KKK, to the anti-elitism of George Wallace and the Dixiecrats. Internationally, he combines aggressive jingoism, threats of trade wars, and an isolationist ‘economic nationalism' aimed at getting others abroad to fight your battles for you, while you pick up the loot (we should have seized and kept the oil!).
All this has set up the Rightwing Populists, aligned with Christian Nationalists, in a bid for hegemony over Establishment Neoliberals. So far, Trump is making gains, and the November midterms will bright to light the new balance. Trump's successes, however, also contain his internal weaknesses: the support of distressed white workers. At present, they are forming a key social base of his victories, assuming they will get lush jobs or rising 401Ks of the ‘Make America Great Again!' promises. The problem, however, is that Trump has not implemented any substantive programs apart from tax cuts. These mainly benefit the top 10% and create an unstable class contradiction in his operation, one bound to surface as promises are unfulfilled. His white supremacist demagogy and misogyny has also united a wide array of all nationalities of color and many women and youth against him. 
The Christian Nationalists. This is a subset of the former Tea Party made up of several Christian rightist trends, that has gained more coherence with the election of Mike Pence. It's made up of many who are simply conservative evangelicals.  A good number, however, are theocracy-minded fundamentalists, especially the ‘Dominionist' sects in which Ted Cruz's father is active. They present themselves as the only true, ‘values-centered' (Biblical) conservatives. They argue against any kind of compromise with the globalist ‘liberal-socialist bloc', which ranges, in their view, from the GOP's Mitt Romney to Bernie Sanders. They are more akin to classical liberalism than neoliberalism in economic policy, and thus stress abandoning nearly all regulations, much of the safety net, overturning Roe v. Wade, getting rid of marriage equality (in the name of ‘religious liberty') and abolishing the IRS and any progressive taxation in favor of a single flat tax. 
This is a key reason they attract money from the Koch Brothers, while the Kochs hold Trump and his populists in some contempt. As mentioned above, they also have some access to the Devos fortunes.
Effectively, Christian nationalist  ‘prosperity economics' amounts to affirmative action for the better off, where the rise of the rich is supposed to pull everyone else upwards, so long as those below also pay their tithes and pull upward on their ‘bootstraps.' They do argue for neo-isolationism on some matters, but favor an all-out holy war on ‘radical Islamic terrorism,' to the point of ‘making the sand glow.' They pushed for moving the US Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem and ripping up the Iran nuclear deal. All this is aimed at greasing the skids for the ‘End Times,' the ‘Rapture, ‘and the ‘Second Coming' in the Middle East. With Cruz, Pence and Devos as leaders, they have become the second most powerful grouping under the GOP tent, and the one with the most reactionary platform and outlook, even more so than Trump.
The Establishment Neoliberals. This is the name now widely used in the media for what we previously labeled the Multinationalists. It's mainly the upper crust and neoliberal business elites that have owned and run the GOP for years, including the quasi-libertarian House ‘Freedom Caucus,' the smaller group of NeoCons on foreign policy (John Bolton and John McCain), and the shrinking number of RINO (Republican In Name Only) moderates. The Establishment also favors a globalist, US hegemonist and even, at times, unilateralist approach abroad, with some still defending the Bush-Cheney disaster in Iraq. Their candidates were Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio, but when both of these collapsed under fire from Donald Trump, their voice was reduced to that of John Kasich, governor of Ohio. Kasich presents himself as a pragmatic, pro-worker neoliberal, a difficult circle to square. But he had the NSA/CIA's Michael Hayden and many from the ‘Intelligence Community' in his camp near the end. When Kasich was defeated, some went over to Clinton. Under Mitch McConnell's smothering wings, most are riding out the Trump vs ‘Deep State' storms in silence, as best as they can.
This is a big change. Previously dominant in the GOP and anchored on Wall Street, the Establishment forces were seriously weakened by both the Rightwing Populists and the Christian Nationalists.  It's possible they could be pushed out entirely, but a lot will depend on the results of Robert Mueller's investigations and the outcome of the 2018 mid-term elections. They could purge a weakened Trump and rebuild. They could try to form a new party with neoliberal Dems. Or they could join the Dems and try to push out or smother those to the left of HRC's grouping.
Now let's turn to the Dem tent, starting at the top of the graphic.
The Blue Dogs. This ‘party', while still small, has grown and gained some energy. This is largely because the United Steel Workers and a few craft unions decided to ‘work with' Trump on tariffs and trade. The USW got firmly behind Connor Lamb for Congress. Lamb's narrow victory was won in a Western PA CD in a rural and conservative area, but with a good number of USW miners. Now that the earlier gerrymandered lines have changed, however, Lamb has to run again in the new 17th CD, which is Beaver County and part of Pittsburgh itself, where Trump has less support. Support for ‘Medicare for All' is strong in this area. Lamb claims to favor it but claims it's unaffordable for now. This is a sore point for a good number of left progressive Democrats. They're likely to vote for him, but put their energies into working for better candidates running for legislative seats in Harrisburg.
The Blue Dog resurgence may not last. On one hand, the DNC Third Way gang currently loves people like Lamb, and want to see more candidates leaning to the center and even the right. On the other hand, Trump is unstable on tariffs. If he doesn't follow through on those he has put out as proposals, and folds up on major infrastructure plans save for ‘building The Wall, the unions involved may turn against him.
The Third Way New Democrats. Formed by the Clintons, with an international assist from Tony Blair and others, this dominant ‘party' was funded by Wall Street finance capitalists. The founding idea was to move toward neoliberalism by ‘creating distance' between themselves and the traditional Left-Labor-Liberal bloc, i.e., the traditional unions and civil rights groups still connected to the New Deal legacy. Another part of the ‘Third Way' thinking was to shift the key social base away from the core of the working class toward college-educated suburban voters, but keeping alliances with Black and women's groups still functional.
Thus the Third Way tries to temper the harsher neoliberalism of the GOP by ‘triangulating' with neo-Keynesian and left-Keynesian policies. But the overall effect is to move Democrats and their platform generally rightward. This had been Hillary Clinton's starting point in her campaign. But caught off guard by the Sanders insurgency, she adopted some positions, at least for the sake of campaigning, from both the former Liberal-Labor bloc and the Congressional Progressive Caucus. She kept her ‘Rainbow' allies with her this way.
Now that HRC was narrowly defeated, the Third Way's power in the party has diminished somewhat. Its labor alliances have weakened, with unions now going in three directions. In terms of the current relation of forces in the party apparatus, the Third Way about 60% of the positions but still controls the major money. In California, for example, the Regulars kept control of the state party committee only with extremely narrow margins over Bernie supporters. The key test is the November midterms: Who will inspire and mobilize the much-needed ‘Blue Wave', give it focus and put the right numbers in the right places?  The measured moderates? Or the insurgent left? This brings us to the last of the six ‘parties.'
The Social Democrats. This is a better description than simply calling it the Congressional Progressive Caucus, as in the first version. I've also taken off ‘Rainbow' from the second version because this term is more fairly shared with the Third Way, which has kept the older and more pragmatic voters of the rainbow groupings under its centrist influence. And as before, the ‘Social Democrat' title doesn't mean each leader active here is in a social-democrat group. It means the core of the CPC, PDA, WFP and Our Revolution platforms are roughly similar to the left social democrat groupings in Europe.  
This is made even more evident with Bernie's self-description as a ‘democratic socialist' in the primaries, where it only seemed to help. It must be noted, however, that the platform is not socialism itself, but best described as a common front vs finance capital, war, and the white supremacist right. This is true of groups like Die Linke (‘The Left') in Germany as well. 
Finally, there is the dramatic growth of the Democratic Socialists of America due to their wise tactics in the Bernie campaign. They went all in for Bernie but also lost no opening to make themselves visible. Now with over 32.000 members which chapters in every state, they are winning a few local and statehouse races. They are now a player in their own right.
This is all to the good. The common front approach can unite more than a militant minority of actual socialists. Instead, it's a platform that can also unite a progressive majority around both immediate needs and structural reforms, including both socialists and non-socialists. Apart from winning many state primaries and 46% of the Convention delegates with a positive, high road approach, this party is now noted for two things: first, the huge, elemental outpourings of young people, mainly women, students and the young workers of the distressed ‘precariat' sector of the class, in elemental risings of millions after Trump took office.  Second, its organized character, with groups like Our Revolution, Indivisible, and the Working Families Party added to this dynamic and growing cluster.
What Does It All Mean?
With this brief descriptive and analytical mapping of the upper crust of American politics, many things are falling into place. The formerly subaltern groupings in the GOP have risen in revolt against the Neoliberal Establishment of the Romneys and the Bushes. Now they want hegemony. On the other hand, the Third Wayer are seeking a ‘restoration' of the Obama coalition, with its alliances with the Keynesian Labor Liberals, while co-opting and controlling the Social Democrats as energetic but critical secondary ally. The Sanders forces have few illusions about this and don't want to be anyone's subaltern. So they continue to press all their issues and policies of a common front vs finance capital, war, and the white supremacist right, building more organization and more clout as they go.
This 'big picture' also reveals much about the current budget debates, which are shown to be three-sided--the extreme austerity neoliberalism of all three parties under the GOP tent, , the 'austerity lite' budget of the Third Way-dominated Senate Democrats, and the left Keynesian, progressive and social democratic 'Back to Work' budget of the Social Democrats and the Congressional Progressive Caucus. The 'Keynesian Labor Liberals' are divided, though they often holding decent programs as positions. But looking for side deals with Trump at the same time may not turn out too well. 
We have to keep in mind, however, that 'shifting the balance of forces' is mainly an indirect and somewhat ephemeral gain. It does 'open up space', but for what? Progressive initiatives matter for sure, but much more is required strategically. We are interested in pushing the popular front vs. finance capital to its limits, and within that effort, developing a 21st-century socialist bloc. If that comes to scale in the context of a defeat of the right, the 'Democratic Tent' is also likely to collapse and implode, given the sharper class contractions and other fault lines that lie within it, much as the Whigs did in the 19th Century. That demands an ability to regroup all the progressive forces there and on the outside into a new 'First Party' alliance, one that also includes a militant minority of socialists, which will be able to contend for power.
An old classic formula summing up the strategic thinking of the united front is appropriate here: 'Unite and develop the progressive forces, win over the middle forces, isolate and divide the backward forces, then crush our adversaries one by one.' In short, we have to have a policy and set of tactics for each one of these elements, as well as a strategy for dealing with them overall. Moreover, take note of warning from the futurist Alvin Toffler: 'If you don't have a strategy, you're part of someone else's strategy.' Then finally, as to tactics, ‘wage struggle on just grounds, to our advantage and with restraint.'
To conclude, we still need to start with a realistic view of ourselves as an organized socialist left. Save for DSA, we are quite small as organizations, but now we can see we are swimming in a sea of millions open to socialism. What can we do now? If you can see yourself or your group honestly working to achieve DSA's stated program, by all means, join and make them larger. Or set up Jacobin / In These Times Reading Groups in your living rooms and unite socialists with them. Join or start PDA or WFP chapters everywhere, use base organizations and broad 'Third Reconstruction' alliances and popular rainbow assemblies to build mass mobilizations and defeat the GOP in November. 
With both socialists and Rainbow progressives, start at the base, focus on city and state governments, and expand the Congressional Progressive Caucus. You rarely gain victories at the top that have not been won and consolidated earlier at the base. Most of all, in order to form broader and winning coalitions, you need organizations of your own to form coalitions and alliances WITH! Seize the time and Git ‘er done!
Carl Davidson is a national committee member of the Committee of Correspondence for Democracy and Socialism,  a DSA member in the Steel Valley, an activist with Progressive Democrats of American in Western PA's 17th CD, and a LeftRoots Compa. The views expressed here are his own.
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kpfeifferworld · 3 years
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Why WON’T the Democratic machine learn from the past or note what’s happened in the GOP?
James Carville is showing up in the news and on news programs sounding the alarm that the Democratic Party has to be treading carefully lest we disenfranchised the “moderates”. I greatly fear too many will listen to this supposed “expert” in political strategy.
I suggest Mr. Carville FO and retire henceforth. Yes, he did a great job getting Bill Clinton elected back in the 90s. Since then he’s led us to destruction over and over. There was a reason his political strategies failed to get Hillary Clinton the nomination in 2008. His time had already passed and he didn’t understand WHY Barack Obama won and won big. Clearly, he still doesn’t.
When Obama won, he and his group set aside their own strategies and listened to the advice of these old “pro’s” who urged bi-partisan and middle-of-the-road policies. The end result was the Dems losing the house and Senate after only 2 years in the first Obama administration, never to take control again until this last election (and then only barely). 
Meanwhile, the GOP was overtaken by the Libertarian thinkers and the extreme right of their party. Do all the elected GOP actually have those ideologies? No. BUT they are smart enough to know that to win you have to turn out excited voters. On their side of the fence that means the extreme right. The Trumpites, Birchers, and other groups of extremists funded by groups like the Kochs and their numerous “foundations” and PACs. Play to the right and you win over and over again because all your radicals come out to vote in large numbers. Those conservatives who are more moderate stay at home or toss their votes to a third-party candidate or write in someone as George W Bush admitted doing in 2016. See, they learned. They know how to win elections even though their philosophy (what little they still have beyond no regulations and no taxes for the corporations and wealthy) is HIGHLY unpopular.
 It’s about voter turnout and it works the same way with the left as it does for the right. Obama won in 2008 because the left was fired up. The progressives, the minorities, the underdog workers were inspired and filled with hope. They came out and VOTED by a landslide. He won re-election but lost a lot of “moderates” (the so-called Reagan Democrats due to the fact so many were lured in by Ronnie even though they still claim to be Democrats) so it wasn’t as large a win. He was also stymied over and over with a Congress who REFUSED to work with him on anything, even things they claimed to want themselves.
So along comes 2016. Say whatever you want pro or con about Bernie Sanders but he tapped into something strong. He could have had the nomination had the Clinton machine not already decided it was her turn at bat. After 20 years of vilification by the right, she really didn’t have a chance. 
Moderates mostly stayed home or voted for Trump. Progressives kind of turned out (not as many of the young voters though who felt ignored by the machine). Even some Bernie supporters went for Trump thinking he’d rock the boat enough to move things away from the old ways and the unholy alliances of politicians and money/corporations/banks that plague all parties. And so we endured the reign of 45.
Yeah, we got the White House back and both houses of Congress BUT, the Senate win is so precarious that Joe Manchin is now the most powerful person in DC because he can side with the GOP and upset that balance. He could also threaten to change parties which would make the GOP the majority, put McConnell back at the wheel and change up the chairs of all the committees. It’s a bit better in the House at the moment BUT with 2022 coming up soon that could all change dramatically. Clearly, enough people voted Trump out but decided to keep giving power to the GOP. We won’t even speak of the Judicial branch that was packed with GOP choices in the Trump years! Now we have Carville and his ilk warning the Democrats not to get too progressive. You might just make the Joe Manchin’s upset! You might lose those “moderates”! Newsflash, has-been, those “moderates”, those “Reagan Democrats” and the others in the “middle” who rallied round the Trump flags in 2016… If they aren’t happy with the policies most won’t vote. 
Yeah, you can cater to them all you want and MAYBE they’ll vote Democratic but no guarantees. There might be some shiny new Trump or Reagan out there to lure them. If you do cater to them,  guess who else you lose?
The progressives. All those young voters. Those Black and Hispanic voters. All those “woke” voters you disdain in your comments, Mr. Carville. The ones who got excited and campaigned and voted in droves for Barack Obama in 2008, defeating your “moderate” pleasing Hillary Clinton. The ones weeping for Bernie or Elizabeth Warren. The ones who nod at good portions of policy ideas from them and AOC and others in the progressive wing. What do they do when they aren’t genuinely fired up? They don’t vote. Who wins when that happens?  Yeah, the GOP who learned to court the VOTING base of their party not try to win friends with Democrats.
We won in this last election because we had enough of 45’s disastrous time in office that we KNEW we had to vote him out. The other races show that the fire wasn’t that hot otherwise. That doesn’t bode well for 2022 folks. If we want to keep and even increase the majority in the two houses of Congress we BETTER have fired up voters. The moderates don’t get fired up. The GOP gets that. We need to learn it too. 
To cede that power to the Joe Manchin’s is to just hand it all back to the GOP and, folks, if that happens I guarantee the Democratic party won’t be anything but a minor player for generations. The GOP knows how to win by any and all means. They may not represent the majority of people with their policies but they can and will control all positions of power once they get in again. They are already setting the stage with restricting voter's rights and their old warhorse of gerrymandering and that’s just the beginning. 
The way to keep and increase the power base for the Democratic party is NOT to go back to ideas that don’t apply any longer. Clinton is long out of power and bi-partisanship bit the dust completely in the Obama years after being on life-support since Reagan at the latest. We have to learn. We have to realize that the only path to winning is to court the votes that will be excited to go stand in lines or mail in their ballots. The young, the minorities, the union supporters, etc. Yeah, that means the progressives. The only way we can lose is to keep making the same mistakes over, and over again. To refuse to learn from not only our mistakes but from what we see from the other side politically.
  Listen to Carville and those like-minded at your peril.
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brett-keane-watch · 6 years
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“Brett Keane Dead” Transcript (of Latest Brett Keane Video)
Hello ladies and gentlemen my name is Brett Keane from god-TV-radio-dot-com.
mheeef (breathing)
ummm... I'm going to be... getting off the internet, and I am in'erested in doing X-box one ecksss. Yesss...
mheeef (breathing)
That's coming out in November sev-seventh two-thousand seventeen. Yes, yes; four ninety-nine. (Italicized text indicates some retarded impersonation).
Heaahk (breathing)
If anyone would like to help me get the ecks-box, you can do some donations, do some support-short gasp- and send money veai (VIA) my paypal and that'l help me get my machine in November. Short gasp I'm gonna be giving my old computer over to my wife, so I won't be making videos anymore, I won't be working orn my website any further- that'l be that.
mhfff (breathing)
I had planed aurn (on) leaving youtube just a little while back, gasp, I didn't have nothing to do. Short breath , I was bored- whenever I'm not going out places with my family or watching movies or reading a book...
mhfff (breathing)
...umm, besides video games... I had nothing that I could do that was fun or exciting-quick breath, my brother- he's constantly doing his thing, so I wasn't able to do music with 'im.
mheefff (breathing)
So I got bored and from time to time every once in a blue moon I'd upload a video and put it up, short breath, and that was that.
mfheeef (breathing)
Once I get my ecks box one, I have some games in mind that I am looking forward to playin' short breath, and, uh, that will be that.
mhff (breathing)
Some people might wanna know why is it that I wanna leave youtube. Well, it is pretty obvious but, for those who might be new, who see this last video short breath, this will be the last video uploaded.
mheefff (quiet breathing)
Youtube is, quick exhale, for me is not a social place anymore. I originally came so I could make friends, talk to people, bla bla blah. Quick breath- but I've had to turn my comment section off becuz popular youtubers have decided to...
mheefff (breathing)
...uuh, make me their pincushion, their punching bag. Umm, as well as other people- 'course I'm no special snowflake.
mheefff (breathing)
...but becuz of dis, people who supported me, people who are my friends, decided that they don't wanna leave comments anymore- because if they did, then they got insulted or attacked.
mheefff (breathing)
So I just ended up turning off comments for the longest time, and since then I had not been able to have good conversations with people or talk, chat, which is what I like to do.
mheefff (breathing)
People trolled me non-stop in my live rooms...exhale...uhhh, either by yelling or screaming at me or putting up live porn.
mheefff (breathing)
And that was that...
mheefff (breathing)
...I guess we can talk a little bit about some of the issues orn why it is that Brett Keane has had such a hard time orn, ahhh, youtube.
mheefff (breathing)
To throw it out there...
mheefff (breathing)
...when I originally started orn youtube one of the things that I did that annoyed the piss out of people is asking for donations...
mheefff (breathing)
...asking for people to subscribe to my channel... I had people who would make over twenty videos within a month...
mheefff (breathing)
...about me sayin dat people like me shouldn't be asking for support. People like me shouldn't be for money, people like me
shouldn't be lip smack alongside breath, aoooh... asking for people to like up a video or subscribe and bla bla blah.
mheefff (breathing)
Now it's ten years later and everybody orn the fuckin' planet is doing the exactly the same thing that I did that everybody got to hate me for.
exhale mheefff (breathing)
Some people actually listened and took my advice and now they're making a living orn the internet and making a living off their videos...
mheefff (breathing)
...some of them, exhale, people who've made themselves to be my enemy...
mheefff (breathing)
...I had no choice in the matter...
mheefff (breathing)
...but that's pretty much the big reason, that's the big reason why a lot of people started orn me...
... mheefff (breathing)
...also they enjoy making fun of my voice and my accent and such. At one point in time they used to think I had a radio voice- but not anymore!
mhhff (breathing), placing something on table
Now we just make fun of every fuckin' word I say and big deal out of it and fab-rikate and eksajerate everything I say.
matress sounds,mheefff (breathing)
So that's it. That'sss going to be the end of it...
MHEFFF (loud breathing)
umm..., I guess I'll talk about some things that...
mheefff (breathing)
uhhh..., annoy me. That I've been wanting to get off my chest. Really nothing to do with youtube or internet social media anymore...
mheefff (breathing)
...I've gotten tired of Sony... quick exhale...ummm, as you guys know I was runnin' an old PS4 back in here that I'mma be givin' to mah boi...
mheefff (breathing)
...ummm, I originally got Sony exhale...because they announced that Fallout and games like Skyrim were going to have mods...
mheefff (breathing)
...but then Sony, basically took a shit orn that.
mheefff (breathing)
And now only Pee-C and ecks box gets the decent mods. So that angered me. Sony has refused to refund money for games that they sold me that are fuckin' broke...
... mheefff (breathing)
...and uh, quick exhale, also Sony seems to be very greedy.
mheefff (breathing)
They have PS4 and almost ummidietly after started selling slim and den a PS4 pro...
mheefff (breathing)
...and uh ecks box is gonna end up blowin' dem up out of da fuckin' water. Ecks box seems like it's progressing more towards...
mheefff (breathing)
...things that we want.
mheefff (breathing)
I'm not gonna be playing elder scrolls online anymore.
mhff (breathing)
I feel like the company, Bethesda, had plenty of time to...
mheefff (breathing)
...add more in'eresting features for the game. I thought that they were going to attempt to do like Skyrim and Fallout...
mheefff (breathing)
... where it feels like an actual world but they haven't...
mheefff (breathing)
...it's almost been five years now and they still haven't even gotten around to adding children into the game.
mheefff (breathing)
If you play Fallout...
mheefff (breathing)
...you'll realize right away that you've got children that are settlers, you got children that run around in diamond city...
mheefff (breathing)
...and Skyrim, you got kids who are asking you for help running around in the cities. Whiterun and all that shit.
mheefff (breathing)
Elder scrolls does not have this. Exhale ummm....
...(fan in background) mheefff (breathing)
...the game doesn't have too many random events...
mheefff (breathing)
...and the...game seems like it has ten enemies in the entire vast world that you're runnin' around in.
mheefff (breathing)
ummm...exhale I don't know, it's just- it seems dead. Uhhh, the environments are nice but the...
mheefff (breathing)
...characters...ehh...just...it-it lost it's steam, no fun to it anymore.
mheefff (breathing)
SniffSo yeah, exhale yep, I got some ideas and I've got my eye out orn some games- so if anybody wants to support me...
mheefff (breathing)
...I would like to get a-the ecks box for mah birtday comming up as well as christmas... and that will be all that I want.
mheefff (breathing)
I don't really want anything else...
exhale
...Sniff, my brother he may still every once in a while upload some music videos to his channel. Make sure you check him out, subscribe to 'im.
mheefff (breathing)
Whenever, some people are gonna be like Brett- but aren't you a christian? Aren't you supposed to be sowing seeds and talking about god and all that? I think that I've got enough material about god orn my twitter, my facebook. I...uhhh...my youtube channel...
mheefff (breathing)
...ummm...as well as website for all you guys to look at. I'm gonna leave all my god videos up...
mheefff (breathing)
...I've said everything I'm gonna possibly say about god and religion and all this. Inaudible, right now this is more of...
mheefff (breathing)
...umm... if you ever wanna change or get saved or find god and everything this is something you're gonna have to do orn your own. You can't be talked into god.
lip smack, mheefff (breathing)
You have to be in'erested in truth...
mheefff (breathing)
...and I feel like I've said and done everything I possibly can quick breath- and to be honest with you, that's one of the reasons why I'm leaving youtube because...I'm tired of talking to other christians and trying to be friendly with them...
mheefff (breathing)
...make friends with people of other religion...
mheefff (breathing)
...and then find out that because their views are so diffrent from my own about god that they refuse to hang out or talk or socialize. They don't want to be around anybody...
mheefff (breathing)
...who is religious or spiritual but has a different walk than them- and of course there's atheists. I can't get along with any of these fuckin' people... becausee they don't want to be around people who don't think like them or agree with them on things. If you don't then you're stupid in their eyes...
tumbling around in bed
...and when it comes to other people's religion...
sniff...mheefff (breathing)
...but the, the two out there that I find myself getting along with the most are, belive it or not, satanists and pagans- but I don't plan orn becoming a satanist or pagan...
mheefff (breathing)
...I'm just sayin' when it comes to respectful quick exhale demeanor or behavior these folks...tend to give me the respect that is deserved.
...sniff...mheefff (breathing)
...And that's that. Umm,breathing some people be like "what if drunken peasants wants you to get orn the show"?...
mheefff (breathing)
...Well even if they offered me ten billion dollars I'm not gonna have a computer anymore- I'm going to give my microphone, my computer microphone, over to my brother...
mheefff (breathing)
...and my Pee-C is going to go over to my wife. She's gonna, have...
mheefff (breathing) ...fun and do whatever the hell she wants to do with it.
mheefff (breathing)
She'll most likely have no intrest in uploading videos or doing anything like that. See, you will not be hearing from the Keane family- Justin is the only one...
mheefff (breathing)
...and that's if he even feels like botherin' with it.
mheefff (breathing)
He's got a... baby daughter now...
mheefff (breathing)
...so...
mheefff (breathing)
...he's got his hands full and between takin' care of his child and hanging out with his woman and working...
mheefff (breathing)
...he's uh... you know, he's a vey busy man exhale; and that's that.
... mheefff (breathing)
All right, well anybody that wants to help support... or uh, help get the machine...
mheefff (breathing)
...some of you've been very fucking nasty to me. Other's you've emailed me and you've apologized for your behavior and all that...
mheefff (breathing)
...well that's nice and wonderful, but many of you out there have fucked up my interests in youtube.
mhff (breathing)
But it's not just the people, it's not just the constant trolling or the annoyances- it's also youtube has demonitized every one of my fuckin' videos and they say that they will not review any of my videos unless I hit a thousand views.
mheefff (breathing)
A lot of people have left youtube, both nonbeliver and religious because of that.
mheefff (breathing)
They've made it almost impossible to advertize yourself of promote your work in any kind of way. It's, uh, only the people out there that are fuckin' rich who got the money to sit around and pay for advertisment and all that shit or the ones that are stickin' around...
mheh (breathing)
...who actually think they can still make a job or buisness of it. As for me, there is no social outcome.
mheefff (breathing)
There's, there's nothing. I'm outta here, I've got plenty of cool shit to do in my real life...
mheefff (breathing)
...I hope that you all find god... and I hope that you all have a happy life, gaud bless.
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huldrax · 6 years
Text
Civil War: The Right Way to Use Politics In Comics.
                          To begin with, there is no factually correct choice. At the end of the day whether you lined up on Iron-Man’s side or Captain America’s side it had to do with your perception of right and wrong. Your choice was decided by what you felt was acceptable and unacceptable. It is fundamentally the age old question of Individual rights and liberties VS Society’s. It doesn’t matter who came out the victor. You can win and be wrong; you can lose and be right when it comes to morality. Each of us has to answer if only to ourselves how much of our civil liberties do we trade away for safety? How dirty do we think we would be willing to get our hands to do what we think is right and where do we ultimately draw the line? Civil War begins after a major catastrophe in a town called Stamford. In an attempt to apprehend a group of villains a unit of inexperienced reality star heroes inadvertently cause a hefty amount of casualties, many of which were children. Unsurprisingly it sparks national outrage, everyone is questioning what can be done, why are superhumans allowed to run amok without training, without credentials, without accountability? These questions have always been brewing under the surface but now they’ve exploded to the forefront of American discussion. In the aftermath of Stamford the superhuman community is already debating amongst themselves about what they think will be the next step of public outrage. Many of them can already see the writing in the air, there will be a push to make Super Heroes into Super Cops. Many of them are at first not too bothered by the idea, others are deeply disturbed. Most character’s whose identities have never been secret or out for some time are unbothered by the idea of a great unmasking and why should they be? Hiding themselves has never been a concern for them; therefore no one else should be worried. Or so they think for its often very difficult to understand what you’ve never experienced. Let me fully admit my bias; I backed Captain America. The reasons to me were simple on the surface. People have a right to anonymity; the government cannot be trusted to adequately keep that anonymity—especially when so many lives are on the line and we’re not just talking about the lives of the super humans here; we’re talking about them and the lives of every person who has ever been remotely connected to them or ever will be connected to them. Let’s say that there is a hack by some villain, it’d be like a great big doxxing of epic proportions. All that personal info spilled into nefarious hands. Or imagine the government goes full on dictatorial and begins to do wide spread targeting of individuals within the registry for whatever reasons—they’re no longer satisfied with a registry, now they want to contain everyone, or even kill them. We’ve seen things like this happen in the real world and we’ve seen it in the source material; the Mutant community knows this all too well. These are all possibilities that the characters have to weigh, not knowing if their fears will come true or not but anticipating that they will. When you expect the worst you can only be pleasantly surprised. Their wildest fears are not unfounded as we later see, it’s no longer JUST about registering names and faces; the superhumans will be FORCED to work for the government, live under the radar if they have the capability, or be imprisoned, and last but not least they can resist and perhaps die. When people with powers who don’t even use them are suddenly demanded to sign their name on the dotted line or ELSE, resistance in the end becomes self-defense. They have no choice but to fight or in their minds lose their way of life. At the end of the day the SRA (Super-Human Registration Act) is not only about knowing the identities and whereabouts of its applicants, it’s a draft. The government will be deciding what action the hero takes, where they go, when they go. There will be times when they MUST act but are told to with-hold, there will be times when they don’t want to act, but are demanded to do so. Their personal judgments will no longer matter, they become unwilling soldiers. Luke Cage referred to it as “A form of slavery.” And he isn’t wrong. You either capitulate or you are crippled. You either join or you are labeled a criminal and will be brought to heel. In this light they’ve no other choice but to resist. The SRA is a threat to their world, their freedom. It is an existential crisis to their autonomy, their anonymity. They might be super, but at the end of the day they’re also just people who want to do the right thing on their own terms. They want the freedom to make their choices without the threat of a figurative and literal gun to the head. With that said, just because I believe in the cause of the resistance does not mean I don’t understand where Tony and co. are coming from. That is in itself is an example of how Marvel did things right. I can disagree with him but understand his view. I can be against him and not hate him. I can dislike the things that he does disagree with the decisions he’s made but still want the best possible outcome for him. I have many, many gripes with the Pro-SRA movement. I will save such long, detailed complaints for another time and simply focus on the major premise. The one thing that I DO agree with is that there must be accountability when things go wrong.   I understand that if it’s not the SRA, it will be some other program—a worse program as theorized by Tony and Reed. The government will skip the step of registration and go directly for attempts at utter elimination. Perhaps, as in Reed’s opinion the world will be consumed into chaos in such an event. But that is only if I allow myself to believe that Reed and Tony are beyond reproach, that they are infallible, and I don’t believe they are. We know they aren’t. I can even sympathize with the Pro-SRA side, I can look to Tony and see he’s not a monster, and he’s NOT wrong about everything, nor is he right about it all. He wants to regain the trust of the public; he wants to put their fears at ease. He wants to promise there will never be another Stamford again; he thinks that the registration is a step towards that. Tony wants to make a better, safer world; working within the system he’s been provided. I don’t believe that such a thing is possible—I don’t believe the SRA could have prevented Stamford—or that if the SRA is followed to the letter that there will never be another Stamford.  But I understand where he is coming from and cannot fault him for his conclusion, for his belief that his way is the right way.   To Tony the SRA represents redemption for his own failings and the failures of others. It is a gesture of good will to the public, and while he does believe in the movement it hurts him to have to turn on his compatriots . To have to turn on what he considers his own community, to be viewed as Judas is no doubt a heavy burden. He doesn’t want it to come to violence but if it does, he’d rather it be at the command of someone who cares. Not some faceless bureaucrat who will shrug off the guilt of having harmed someone they don’t even know. Not some person who will look at the law as it is and not what it could be.  Nothing he does if from a place of cruelty but perceived necessity. I’m not excusing the atrocities committed in the process, I mean, using known criminals to bolster their ranks? Cloning a monster Thor-bot? Knowing that the implementation of the SRA is utterly disgraceful but committing to the task none the less? I may abhor that that they do it, I might be screaming at them inside my head, but I never reach the moment where I think to myself “They are forever beyond redemption.”   We, the readers just the same as the two factions are meant to feel torn, anguished that things have come to this. We see the bad choices each side has made, we see the damage they’ve wrought on one another emotionally and physically. We know that it’s unfair to ask people to put themselves into the hands of the government and that it’s also unfair to society not to have a system in which these people can be held accountable. What Marvel did right is that neither group was “The Good Guy” or “The Bad Guy.” They were two opposing factions who believed what they were doing was the best thing to do. The Marvel writers of this period played it straight; they gave both sides their due and left it to the reader to make their choice. They didn’t demonize Steve or Tony, you knew their head and you knew their hearts. They were not cardboard people. They were REAL, conflicted, messy and pained by the choices before them. Both sides made mistakes, both sides were consumed with high emotion, inflaming tension between them. Both groups have done questionable things in the name of their cause. Tony is compromising his own principals for a better tomorrow; Steve is sticking to his principals for a better tomorrow. Neither stance is a bad one, they are simply ideologically opposed and the further the tension mounts the less each side thinks logically. As the war progresses neither are truly fighting for their ideals anymore, they’re just FIGHTING for ego. The ends don’t justify their means anymore. To himself and no one else, Tony admits “It wasn’t worth it.” And yet they’ve gone too far to turn back. You’ll be hard pressed to find someone without some glimmer of regret by the end of things. Everyone is mangled by the end. No one is untainted. Civil War is artfully brutal in how raw it leaves you by the end. We can all look at parts of the arc and think of all the ways the horror could have been avoided, we can see the things the characters themselves cannot see preparing to bite them later down the road and we’re helpless. We don't need the writers to hammer us over the head with what THEY believe is right, we don't need to have our differing world views not only perverted but out right demonized. We don't need nor want the same jab taken over and over again to the point that we can accurately predict it will be coming.
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If you want to talk about politics—If you want to involve them in comics, at the very least do the audience and the character's justice. Present both sides without turning one into a caricature. You aren’t convincing us when you are presenting a false view to topple, you’re preaching to us.
In short, it is humanity that current marvel lacks. Everything is one sided, everything is a hammer without subtlety. There are no layers. There is but one side, the “Right” side. The opposing force cannot be viewed as having any legitimacy whatsoever. RiRi Williams takes over a sovereign nation? Everyone around her congratulates her. Every comment is on how smart, how perfect she is. Despite the fact that we ourselves do not see those qualities in her, we’re simply told that she has them. To compound the issue there is not a soul within her inner circle to add a counterpoint.  She’s better then all who have come before her, she is without compelling conflict. This one toned outlook doesn’t just apply in the comics; it applies in the actual thinking of the creators. You voted for Trump? You are a bigot. You don’t like the direction they’re taking a character in? You have no clue what you are talking about. You want the old characters back? You’re old and stuck in your ways. You’re a rube, you’re the minority of readers, they DON”T want you to buy their books and you will be blocked. There is no respect, there is no dissension. Can you think of ONE or even more than one Marvel comic in the last two years where two ideological opposites were presented with the opportunity to explain their side without one of them being portrayed as villain? Where you were actually left to draw your own conclusion?
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Politics is Show Business for Ugly People…
Digital Elixir Politics is Show Business for Ugly People…
  “It’s too late baby Now it’s too late” –Carole King
  Politics is show business for ugly people. And you’ve got to play by show business rules.
Show business is all about preparation, getting the act, song, movie, TV show, ready and then marketing it so people will be aware of it and buy it.
And you always want to be first, and you want to eliminate all chance.
You want an upward curve, even if you start low and slow.
You want no lulls. You want to keep people interested, by teasing them with new information on a regular basis.
You want to control the narrative.
And what is the narrative the Democrats are trying to sell?
Damned if I know. The only thing they can agree on is they hate Trump. I hate KISS, but that doesn’t keep them off the road, playing to empty arenas, their fans support them. And speaking of KISS, Gene Simmons is one of the greatest marketers of all time, a complete blowhard, but he’s making it work for himself and the band. Maybe he learned it all from Neil Bogart, who changed his name from “Bogatz,” to give the right “impression.” Bogart failed on his first attempt, trying to sell a record of Johnny Carson routines, it went instantly into the cut-out bin, but then he pivoted to disco and Donna Summer and KISS.
And Bogart was a showman, full of crap. Seemingly everything he said was inflated and wrong. Remember when there were four simultaneous KISS solo albums and Neil said they were instantly gold? The press bought it, even though all of them but Peter Criss’s came back.
You see it’s all about perception. Sell the myth, not the facts.
It’s more important that Elizabeth Warren be seen as a fighter against the man than any specific policy position. People don’t go that deep. CONGRESS doesn’t go that deep! Did you read the “New Yorker” story on Al Franken? His accuser told boldfaced lies, there was history disputing her account, but she got out there first and what she said ruled, even though she was working for a pro-Trump radio station. Once again, the Democrats reacted, and now they’re doubling-down, can’t see why they were wrong. Kirsten Gillibrand, YOU’RE HISTORY!
The press said Trump was losing because he brought up the “i” word before the Democrats. But Trump knows you get ahead of the blowback, you make the first punch, and you load the media with so much b.s. that it can’t keep up.
Meanwhile, the public doesn’t know the difference between impeachment and conviction and Pelosi seems as old as she really is. She’s Perry Como after the Beatles. Doesn’t she realize THE RULES HAVE CHANGED?
Happens in entertainment all the time. Suddenly you can’t sell hair bands. Suddenly hip-hop is burgeoning. And if you fight the tide, you drown. Oh, little fish can still swim in their own private backwaters, but if you’re playing for everything, if you want to run the table, you’ve got to be looking to the future, not the past!
Trump speaks to the public. Pelosi speaks to insiders.
That’s why AOC gets so much traction, she speaks to the public-at-large, it’s less about legislation than attitude, which is move over you old farts and let the younger generation take the reins, you oldsters have no idea what is going on anymore!
But Team Pelosi says you’ve got to run to the center, because you’ve got to appeal to those districts that flipped for Democrats in 2016. That’s like making Aerosmith play acoustic, and refusing to let them play new material.
Of course, Aerosmith doesn’t play new material, and Chris Christie is a big Boss fan. It’s kinda like long hair. Once upon a time it symbolized something, you were either for us or against us, then it was just a fashion choice.
Anyone who plays to the rearguard is always disrupted. Didn’t you ever read Clayton Christensen? Everybody pooh-poohs the new, saying it’s not as good as the old, and then it becomes better and the old folds overnight. Christensen says to embrace the new, and then eliminate the old when the new gains traction. The DNC is being disrupted and their answer? Let’s go back to Good Ol’ Joe. That’s like asking your grandfather for music advice.
So what we’ve got is candidates who want to throw the baby out with the bathwater and the Democrats are freaking out, they can’t even get aligned on one position. Criticize the Republicans all you want, but after Trump they all got in line. That’s how you win, when you play like a team!
And if you try to appeal to everybody, you lose. The road is littered with middle of the road artists, who fail on the chart and play to a dwindling audience in Branson and clubs. You want to get people EXCITED! That’s what Warren and Harris and Bernie and Buttigieg are doing.
And what does the establishment say?
THEY’RE TOO FAR LEFT!
AC/DC was too heavy until suddenly they weren’t. “Back In Black” is still streaming prodigiously today, “You Shook Me All Night Long” is an American anthem! Of course Mutt Lange helped. The right has Karl Rove, who do we have on the left?
So the reason you wanted impeachment is so the whole world would watch, so Trump’s bad behavior, criminal or not, would infect the public. When the truth outs, it’s hard to deny.
But no, it was never time. Pelosi and her pals are like a Silicon Valley outfit that never releases its product. It’s so busy getting it right that it can never come out. Meanwhile, Facebook becomes so big by having a motto of “move fast and break things.” Forget that Zuckerberg is the enemy now, he’s on top of the pyramid, he controls the conversation more than not only Congress, but the mainstream media! Furthermore, he just pivoted, saying it was about private conversations, when the Democrats are still looking for that elusive consensus. Everything worth paying attention to starts off the radar, small, and then it blows up and BECOMES THE MAINSTREAM!
So Barr says Trump is innocent.
The Dems folded their tent.
Then Mueller sends his letter and they think…wow, maybe there’s something here. Like a band the label has stopped working that is suddenly selling tickets…the label is on to something else, it’s hard to get it restarted on your old product.
And then the Democrats placed all their hopes on Mueller testifying. That’s like taking someone with a great record, who’s never been on stage, and having them headline Coachella! No one would do that, the odds of failure are too high.
So Mueller didn’t deliver. Oh, don’t make it about Russia, the Dems thought Mueller was gonna blow a hole through the curtain, reveal that Trump was culpable and should be charged. Not only did Mueller not do this, he said as much after he delivered his report earlier…this was his final statement!
And the Dems are playing by old rules and crying to the nonexistent refs that the Republicans are cheating. No, Trump and his posse have invented new rules, like no one in the regime needs to testify. When they up the ante, so do you! You don’t say there’s no crying in baseball!
So now, on left wing radio, all the talk is about getting the transcripts from the grand jury. God, even in the NFL when you lose, you lose, no matter how heinous the call. Because without rules, you’ve got no game.
And that’s what’s happening now, WE’VE GOT NO GAME! Trump and his cronies are running ragged and the Dems and the media are so flummoxed, they do NOTHING!
Come on. Even the most lame influencer knows you’ve got to deliver product on a regular basis. You’ve got to hook the audience and deliver. That’s certainly what Trump has done, and all the left keeps saying is HE SHOULDN’T TWEET!
Meanwhile, these same wankers are posting to Instagram, the national pastime, and despite their constant disparagement of the internet and Twitter, Twitter is where the news happens, and if you’re not on it, you don’t know what’s going on.
So impeachment failed in the marketplace. It’s like Annapurna, Megan Ellison’s movie company. No matter how great the film, and she’s put out plenty, they never reach expectations. “Booksmart,” one of the best-reviewed movies this year, which appeals to oldsters and youngsters…dead. Product is only one part of the puzzle, you need the aforementioned marketing. The big studios may put out lame films, but they’re experts in marketing them.
When you fail, you write it off. Just look at the Fortune 500, that’s what they do. Did Bezos try to improve the Fire phone? No, he deleted it from the catalog. And today, your mistakes don’t haunt you as long as you continue to play and make noise. Once again, the game has changed, there’s so much noise that the biggest challenge is just reaching the public. And if you don’t, people forget what you were selling, they’re inundated with new messages.
And I’ve used a plethora of metaphors here, but now I’m gonna use one more. Pro football used to be a running game. Now running backs make a fraction of what they used to, all the emphasis is on passing and receiving! You change with the times!
Seems like everybody can change with the times but the Democrats.
So forget impeachment. This is the gang that can’t shoot straight, even if they have clear evidence that Trump needs to go, the right will spin it otherwise and rule the marketplace, i.e. public opinion. And just like a record, you don’t have to appeal to everybody to win. How come Trump knows this and the Democrats don’t?
Instead of clinging to the past, trying to rebuild the old edifice, it’s time to build a new one. And there are a number of candidates promising this. Safe rarely succeeds. Can you say Romney? Can you say Kerry! One of the reasons Obama won was because he HAD little history. There was little to nail him on and he promised hope.
Believe me, Ol’ Joe is not promising hope. He’s like a boomer musician waiting for Hilary Rosen to save them from streaming. But Hilary’s moved on from the RIAA, and streaming has already won, soon there won’t even be any hardware to play discs! Apple kills the iPod because the innards are no longer manufactured, and the Democrats keep trying to prop up oldsters, held together by baling wire. Bill Clinton had Linda Bloodworth-Thomason and her husband selling him, and despite baggage, he won anyway!
Who do the Democrats have?
Maybe it’s time to hire Bill Belichick.
Oh, that’s right, HE’S A TRUMPER!
  ~~~
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    Politics is Show Business for Ugly People…
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forsetti · 7 years
Text
On “I Didn’t Leave the Democratic Party, it Left Me.”
Without fail, a few times a week I hear someone who claims to have been a Democratic voter say, “I didn’t leave the Democratic Party, the Democratic Party left me.”  This is almost always said as a rationale, a justification for voting for Trump or not voting at all.   It is also almost always said by a white male.  A lot of the times, they either are or were in the manufacturing sector and/or a member of a union.  They blame the loss of jobs in their field that have either affected them and/or their family and friends on the Democratic Party.  They also blame the Party for the decline in union membership and anti-union bills passed in once proud union states like Michigan and Wisconsin.  Whenever I hear these complaints, I ask for specific examples of exactly how the Democratic Party betrayed them.  So far, I haven’t received a single specific from anyone that can’t be disproved by my eight-year-old and Google.  All I get is a reiteration that the Democratic Party left them or right-wing talking points about the Democrats being the party of “corporatists.” When I ask them to explain how Democrats are supposed to push pro-union bills when many union members themselves vote for Republicans or how they are supposed to alter the inevitable changes that arise from globalization, they hem and haw and end up not saying a damn thing.
The Democratic Party didn’t leave these folks.  These folks left the Party for a number of reasons.  One reason is because they, like most Americans, are intellectually lazy, especially when it comes to knowing and understanding how their government works.  They don’t understand or care to understand how laws are made, what can and can’t be done because of legislative rules, what can be legitimately done at any given moment in time due to the makeup of the legislative bodies involved.  This situation isn’t unique to ex-Dems, the far-left also suffers from being severely civics challenged.  They expect, demand, and want FDR-like progress without the very large progressive majorities FDR enjoyed every single term in office.  This same unrealistic demand applies on the state level, as well.  If people who claim to be progressives don’t vote for progressive majorities, then they shouldn’t bitch when things are not as progressive as they’d like.  I know this sounds simple, but it seems to completely elude a whole lot of people. When I ask these ex-Dems whether or not they voted or Democratic candidates in the 2010 and/or 2014 midterms, they almost always say, “No.”  I don’t know exactly how the Democratic Party left people who didn’t support it.  I really don’t know how allowing Republicans who are anti-union and all for shipping jobs overseas to have power is a reasonable response to wanting pro-union, less globalization.   If I’m ever able to get an answer about this, it usually ends up being something along the lines of, “to teach the Democrats a lesson.”  This is the same stupid mindset from many on the left during the 2010 midterms with regard to what they perceived were sleights with regard to health care and Wall Street reform.  How’d that “teach them a lesson” thing turn out?  As far as I can tell it led to the rise of the Tea Party, Democrats losing many states including blue states like Michigan and Wisconsin, the U.S. House of Representatives and most of the political leverage progressives had.  That wasn’t a lesson.  That was political suicide which was followed by giving Republicans control of the Senate in 2014 and the White House last November.  This is where I sarcastically slow clap and say, “Bra…..fucking….o!”  You wanted the Democratic Party to do things for you but you didn’t do anything for the Democratic Party.
Another reason these people left the Democratic Party is the same reason a lot of people left-racism/bigotry.  To many of these individuals, unions were great until minorities became members.  Public schools were terrific until their kids had to go to school with “those kids.”  Living in the city or suburb adjacent areas was fine until “those people” started moving in.  Make no mistake, White Flight isn’t something unique to conservatives.  Many so-called “progressives” bolted from their neighborhoods once it started getting ethnically diverse.  The beliefs, attitudes, mindset behind progressive White Flight are the same behind, “I didn’t leave the Democratic Party, the Democratic Party left me.”  Anyone who claims differently doesn’t know a damn thing about anything, especially political history, voting patterns, sociology, psychology, belief systems….
The Democratic Party hasn’t won the majority of the white vote since 1964.  Now, why is that?  What happened in 1964 that would cause white voters to turn away from the Democratic Party?  Was it, A) the government outlawing the poll tax?  Or, B) Barry Goldwater winning the Republican presidential primary nomination?  Or, C) the last Looney Tune cartoon produced by Warner Bros.?  Or, D) the passage of the Civil Rights Act by Democratic President Lyndon Johnson?  If you say anything other than, “D” you need to be remanded to third-grade history and can’t come back to the discussion until you pass.  The underlying reason for White Flight, for School of Choice, for whites not voting for the Democratic Party is racism. Full…Fucking…Stop!  When people tell me, “I didn’t leave the Democratic Party, the Democratic Party left me, “ what they often mean is, “An awful lot of people I don’t want in the Democratic Party are a major voting bloc in the Party.”  The same reasons behind conservative and progressive White Flight are why the Democratic Party hasn’t won the majority of the white vote since 1964.  It isn’t because the Democratic Party’s stance on economic issues.  It is because, when push comes to shove, too many white voters don’t want to minorities to have the same rights and privileges they do.
Of course, people aren’t going to come right out and say the reason they no longer support the Democratic Party is because of racial issues. Instead, they come up with nonsense claims like, “I didn’t leave the Democratic Party, the Democratic Party left me” or “Democrats have moved too far to the left.”  This latter claim is used by the right, the media, and so-called “Democrats” who think chasing the white vote is a smart, moral strategy.  Former Democratic Senator from Virginia, Jim Webb is the most recent person making the idiotic claim that Democrats have moved too far to the left.  This shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone who knows  Webb’s political history. Until 2006 he was a Republican.  I wouldn’t expect anything less from someone with such a conservative background to say something different than Democrats have moved too far to the left.  This is why anyone with an ounce of sense can and should completely ignore anything Webb has to say about the Democratic Party.
The political reality is only one party has moved hard towards their extreme and that would be the Republicans.  Read Eisenhower’s 1956 platform and it sounds like it came out of the 2016 Democratic Convention.  You don’t even need to go back that far to see just how hard to the right Republicans have shifted.  Nixon, Reagan, Bush Sr., even W. wouldn’t have lasted two months running for the Republican presidential nomination in 2016.  This shift to the right by Republicans in Congress is well researched and documented.  Since the early 70s, the majority of Democrats have pretty much stayed in the same just left of center grouping while Republicans in the Senate, but especially in the House have moved sharply to the right.  To say, “Democrats have moved too far to the left” isn’t backed up by the data.  If the gap between the majorities of the two parties was four spots on the political spectrum in the 70s and now it is ten, this doesn’t mean each has shifted three spots.  What has happened is the left has shifted one spot and the right has shifted five.  It is intellectually lazy to look at the difference between four and ten and say, “both sides have moved equally apart.”  There are no Tea Party equivalents on the left.  Jim Webb and others saying, “The Democrats have moved too far to the left,” is complete bullshit. Progressives love to point out white privilege when it applies to conservatives.  Of course, it is low hanging fruit. What many white progressives are not very good at is recognizing and admitting their own privilege and how their beliefs and actions undermine the very ideology they claim to believe in so strongly. Progressivism is about equality, justice, and fairness with no fine print, no fucking asterisks.  If you aren’t standing up and fighting for the rights of those in society who have been and are denied them to one degree or another, stop pretending you are progressive in order to make you feel good about yourself.  Don’t blame the Democratic Party for being the only one of the two major political parties that stands up for these things because you don’t have the mental or intestinal fortitude to do so yourself.  Don’t say, “I didn’t leave the Democratic Party, the Democratic Party left me,” when what you really mean is, “I’m uncomfortable with the Democratic Party prioritizing the most vulnerable in society over my white privileged ass.”  There are actually white supremacists at the seat of power in our country right now.  So-called “progressives” who aren’t adamantly standing up and fighting for those most at risk from the quasi-fascist right may say they were Democrats, but at best they were fair weather fans who, if they were honest, would say, “I’m perfectly fine with progress as long as it is focused on my wants and needs and not on people who really need it.”  This is what it really boils down to whether progressives want to admit it or not.  If you want social/economic change, you have to vote for the party that is your best chance to get it, not the party that is completely against it.  The more you vote for and elect Democratic candidates, the more they will have power.  The more power they have, the more they can enact change.  It is See Spot Fucking Run for anyone smart enough and honest enough to see it.
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stephenmccull · 4 years
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Must-Reads Of The Week From Brianna Labuskes
The Friday Breeze
Newsletter editor Brianna Labuskes, who reads everything on health care to compile our daily Morning Briefing, offers the best and most provocative stories for the weekend.
Happy Friday! Where yours truly is a little in awe and a little dazed at the idea of China in the span of six days building an entire hospital to handle patients of the coronavirus. The pictures from the construction site with what looks like a toddler’s toy box’s worth of excavators alone are worth clicking through for.
Speaking of, you may have — just may have — heard there’s a coronavirus outbreak happening in China. Considering I’ve processed nearly 40 stories per day on the topic, I found it impossible to link to just one. If you’d like to thoroughly check out the full onslaught, we’ve got you covered. But here are some highlights:
— Although the death toll has climbed to 26 people, there are more than 800 confirmed cases, which means the death rate is not startlingly high. On top of that, mostly older men with underlying illnesses are the ones who have succumbed to the virus.
— One case has been confirmed in the United States and one possible case reported. Airports in five major U.S. hubs ramped up their screenings of passengers coming in from China.
— The World Health Organization is holding off on declaring a global emergency since there have been few cases outside China, and the disease doesn’t seem to be spreading within other countries.
— This happened at possibly one of the worst times it could have, as millions of Chinese had been preparing to travel to their hometowns for the Spring Festival.
— How do you avoid the coronavirus? Wash your hands. That’s way more effective than those face masks.
Bottom line is, right now, unless you just came back from the Wuhan area in China, you probably don’t need to worry about getting infected. But it does raise a good question: Is the United States ready to handle a pandemic? Experts say that, although strides have been made in recent years, no, now we are not.
The Washington Post: U.S. Readiness for a Viral Outbreak Has Improved, But There’s a Long Way to Go
And don’t forget to get your flu shot! So far, in the U.S. 6,600 have died and 120,000 have been hospitalized during the 2019-20 flu season.
The Friday Breeze
Want a roundup of the must-read stories this week chosen by KHN Newsletter Editor Brianna Labuskes? Sign up for The Friday Breeze today.
Sign Up
Please confirm your email address below:
Sign Up
Whew! OK, believe it or not there was other news beyond the coronavirus.
The Supreme Court gave Republicans some breathing room when it declined a request to fast-track the health law case. The Democrats defending the law wanted the justices to make a decision before the 2020 elections and (nervous) Republicans were like, “Nooo, please take your time.” Any decision would have been ammo for Democrats right at the height of election season. Dems used Republicans’ attacks on the increasingly popular law to surge into the House during the previous midterms.
CNN: Supreme Court Signals It Won’t Consider Obamacare Challenge Before Election
Meanwhile, the debate over contraception coverage is going to land back in front of the justices. At the heart of the case the justices agreed to hear lies the question: Can the Trump administration allow all sorts of employers with religious or moral objections to contraception to opt out of the coverage requirement? The overarching issue is no stranger to the Supreme Court, but it comes with the caveat that most lawsuits will come within the coming year: With conservative Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Neil Gorsuch now on the bench, past cases won’t dictate what we can expect from current ones.
The New York Times: Supreme Court to Consider Limits on Contraception Coverage
On that note, March for Life swept into the nation’s capital Friday, but many advocates on both sides of the culture war have their sights trained a little further in the distance — namely, at Supreme Court oral arguments a little more than a month away. The case over a Louisiana law requiring hospital admitting privileges for abortion providers will be the first big abortion case in front of the newly conservative court.
The Associated Press: Supreme Court Case Looms Large for Rivals in Abortion Debate
If all goes as scheduled, President Donald Trump will become the first sitting president to speak in person at the March for Life event. Trump, who in the past called himself “very pro-choice,” has found a fierce political ally in the anti-abortion movement — in fact, the announcement that he would speak at the event came just a few days after the Susan B. Anthony List said it would spend $52 million to help the president’s reelection.
The Washington Post: Trump to Become the First President to Speak in Person at March for Life
In other news, Trump restored women’s health funding in Texas, rolling back an Obama-era punishment for the state for excluding abortion providers from its program. The decision could give other conservative states the green light to cut off family planning funding for groups like Planned Parenthood.
Texas Tribune: Donald Trump Restores Women’s Health Funding in Texas Stripped by Obama
Trump handed Democrats a gift this week when he mused that the idea of cutting entitlement programs like Social Security and Medicare were on the table as a way to rein in the deficit. Dems sprang into action as might be expected — voters have a history of being, uh, less than receptive to that idea — by highlighting Trump’s previous campaign promises to protect such safety-net programs. Trump then walked back the statement, tweeting: “I have totally left [Social Security] alone, as promised, and will save it!”
The New York Times: Trump Tries to Walk Back Entitlement Comments As Democrats Pounce
CNBC: Davos 2020: CNBC’s Full Interview With President Trump
CMS is apparently full steam ahead in crafting guidance that would help states transform their Medicaid programs into a block-grant model. Although some say the rules could come as early as this month, there’s still some disagreement over the scope of the plan. The terminology might even get a rebranding away from “block grant,” as the phrase has quite a bit of partisan baggage.
The Wall Street Journal: Trump Administration to Soon Issue Guidance on Medicaid Block Grants
Politico: Trump Administration Finalizing Medicaid Block Grant Plan Targeting Obamacare
Insurers are getting in on the hot new trend for curbing high drug prices —manufacturing your own generics. Blue Cross Blue Shield Association and 18 of its health plans are teaming up with Civica Rx to make up to 10 yet-to-be-determined high-cost generics in an effort to increase competition and address shortages. The move comes not long after California Gov. Gavin Newsom floated a similar proposal for his state.
Stat: Civica Rx Teams With Blue Cross Blue Shield to Widen Market for Generics
HHS Secretary Alex Azar apparently had to bear the brunt of Trump’s anger after the president got polling data showing Democrats are more trusted than Republicans on such health care topics as controlling high drug prices.
Politico: Trump Berates Azar Over Bad Health Care Polling
In the miscellaneous file for the week:
— Workers who struggle with depression or other mental health issues can’t get fired because of existing federal protections. But churches are exempt. Pastors routinely lose their positions after church officials learn of their diagnoses.
The Wall Street Journal: ‘It’s Like I Got Kicked Out of My Family.’ Churches Struggle With Mental Health in the Ranks.
— After a Native American girl’s disappearance, state and federal law enforcement quickly mobilized a search instead of letting the case go cold. This shouldn’t be notable, and yet it is.
The New York Times: Rural Montana Had Already Lost Too Many Native Women. Then Selena Disappeared.
— Should congressional candidates be able to use campaign funds to pay for health care? One progressive Georgia Democrat says that not allowing candidates to do so creates structural barriers that make running for office cost-prohibitive for middle-class Americans.
The Hill: House Candidate Asks FEC to Let Her Use Campaign Funds for Health Insurance
— A new wave of state-level laws have been introduced to penalize medical providers who give certain types of care to young transgender patients. The speed and sheer number of bills introduced in recent weeks have prompted transgender advocates to mobilize in response.
The Washington Post: Republican State Lawmakers Push Bills to Restrict Medical Treatments for Transgender Youths
That’s it from me! Have a great weekend.
Must-Reads Of The Week From Brianna Labuskes published first on https://smartdrinkingweb.weebly.com/
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dinafbrownil · 4 years
Text
Must-Reads Of The Week From Brianna Labuskes
The Friday Breeze
Newsletter editor Brianna Labuskes, who reads everything on health care to compile our daily Morning Briefing, offers the best and most provocative stories for the weekend.
Happy Friday! Where yours truly is a little in awe and a little dazed at the idea of China in the span of six days building an entire hospital to handle patients of the coronavirus. The pictures from the construction site with what looks like a toddler’s toy box’s worth of excavators alone are worth clicking through for.
Speaking of, you may have — just may have — heard there’s a coronavirus outbreak happening in China. Considering I’ve processed nearly 40 stories per day on the topic, I found it impossible to link to just one. If you’d like to thoroughly check out the full onslaught, we’ve got you covered. But here are some highlights:
— Although the death toll has climbed to 26 people, there are more than 800 confirmed cases, which means the death rate is not startlingly high. On top of that, mostly older men with underlying illnesses are the ones who have succumbed to the virus.
— One case has been confirmed in the United States and one possible case reported. Airports in five major U.S. hubs ramped up their screenings of passengers coming in from China.
— The World Health Organization is holding off on declaring a global emergency since there have been few cases outside China, and the disease doesn’t seem to be spreading within other countries.
— This happened at possibly one of the worst times it could have, as millions of Chinese had been preparing to travel to their hometowns for the Spring Festival.
— How do you avoid the coronavirus? Wash your hands. That’s way more effective than those face masks.
Bottom line is, right now, unless you just came back from the Wuhan area in China, you probably don’t need to worry about getting infected. But it does raise a good question: Is the United States ready to handle a pandemic? Experts say that, although strides have been made in recent years, no, now we are not.
The Washington Post: U.S. Readiness for a Viral Outbreak Has Improved, But There’s a Long Way to Go
And don’t forget to get your flu shot! So far, in the U.S. 6,600 have died and 120,000 have been hospitalized during the 2019-20 flu season.
The Friday Breeze
Want a roundup of the must-read stories this week chosen by KHN Newsletter Editor Brianna Labuskes? Sign up for The Friday Breeze today.
Sign Up
Please confirm your email address below:
Sign Up
Whew! OK, believe it or not there was other news beyond the coronavirus.
The Supreme Court gave Republicans some breathing room when it declined a request to fast-track the health law case. The Democrats defending the law wanted the justices to make a decision before the 2020 elections and (nervous) Republicans were like, “Nooo, please take your time.” Any decision would have been ammo for Democrats right at the height of election season. Dems used Republicans’ attacks on the increasingly popular law to surge into the House during the previous midterms.
CNN: Supreme Court Signals It Won’t Consider Obamacare Challenge Before Election
Meanwhile, the debate over contraception coverage is going to land back in front of the justices. At the heart of the case the justices agreed to hear lies the question: Can the Trump administration allow all sorts of employers with religious or moral objections to contraception to opt out of the coverage requirement? The overarching issue is no stranger to the Supreme Court, but it comes with the caveat that most lawsuits will come within the coming year: With conservative Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Neil Gorsuch now on the bench, past cases won’t dictate what we can expect from current ones.
The New York Times: Supreme Court to Consider Limits on Contraception Coverage
On that note, March for Life swept into the nation’s capital Friday, but many advocates on both sides of the culture war have their sights trained a little further in the distance — namely, at Supreme Court oral arguments a little more than a month away. The case over a Louisiana law requiring hospital admitting privileges for abortion providers will be the first big abortion case in front of the newly conservative court.
The Associated Press: Supreme Court Case Looms Large for Rivals in Abortion Debate
If all goes as scheduled, President Donald Trump will become the first sitting president to speak in person at the March for Life event. Trump, who in the past called himself “very pro-choice,” has found a fierce political ally in the anti-abortion movement — in fact, the announcement that he would speak at the event came just a few days after the Susan B. Anthony List said it would spend $52 million to help the president’s reelection.
The Washington Post: Trump to Become the First President to Speak in Person at March for Life
In other news, Trump restored women’s health funding in Texas, rolling back an Obama-era punishment for the state for excluding abortion providers from its program. The decision could give other conservative states the green light to cut off family planning funding for groups like Planned Parenthood.
Texas Tribune: Donald Trump Restores Women’s Health Funding in Texas Stripped by Obama
Trump handed Democrats a gift this week when he mused that the idea of cutting entitlement programs like Social Security and Medicare were on the table as a way to rein in the deficit. Dems sprang into action as might be expected — voters have a history of being, uh, less than receptive to that idea — by highlighting Trump’s previous campaign promises to protect such safety-net programs. Trump then walked back the statement, tweeting: “I have totally left [Social Security] alone, as promised, and will save it!”
The New York Times: Trump Tries to Walk Back Entitlement Comments As Democrats Pounce
CNBC: Davos 2020: CNBC’s Full Interview With President Trump
CMS is apparently full steam ahead in crafting guidance that would help states transform their Medicaid programs into a block-grant model. Although some say the rules could come as early as this month, there’s still some disagreement over the scope of the plan. The terminology might even get a rebranding away from “block grant,” as the phrase has quite a bit of partisan baggage.
The Wall Street Journal: Trump Administration to Soon Issue Guidance on Medicaid Block Grants
Politico: Trump Administration Finalizing Medicaid Block Grant Plan Targeting Obamacare
Insurers are getting in on the hot new trend for curbing high drug prices —manufacturing your own generics. Blue Cross Blue Shield Association and 18 of its health plans are teaming up with Civica Rx to make up to 10 yet-to-be-determined high-cost generics in an effort to increase competition and address shortages. The move comes not long after California Gov. Gavin Newsom floated a similar proposal for his state.
Stat: Civica Rx Teams With Blue Cross Blue Shield to Widen Market for Generics
HHS Secretary Alex Azar apparently had to bear the brunt of Trump’s anger after the president got polling data showing Democrats are more trusted than Republicans on such health care topics as controlling high drug prices.
Politico: Trump Berates Azar Over Bad Health Care Polling
In the miscellaneous file for the week:
— Workers who struggle with depression or other mental health issues can’t get fired because of existing federal protections. But churches are exempt. Pastors routinely lose their positions after church officials learn of their diagnoses.
The Wall Street Journal: ‘It’s Like I Got Kicked Out of My Family.’ Churches Struggle With Mental Health in the Ranks.
— After a Native American girl’s disappearance, state and federal law enforcement quickly mobilized a search instead of letting the case go cold. This shouldn’t be notable, and yet it is.
The New York Times: Rural Montana Had Already Lost Too Many Native Women. Then Selena Disappeared.
— Should congressional candidates be able to use campaign funds to pay for health care? One progressive Georgia Democrat says that not allowing candidates to do so creates structural barriers that make running for office cost-prohibitive for middle-class Americans.
The Hill: House Candidate Asks FEC to Let Her Use Campaign Funds for Health Insurance
— A new wave of state-level laws have been introduced to penalize medical providers who give certain types of care to young transgender patients. The speed and sheer number of bills introduced in recent weeks have prompted transgender advocates to mobilize in response.
The Washington Post: Republican State Lawmakers Push Bills to Restrict Medical Treatments for Transgender Youths
That’s it from me! Have a great weekend.
from Updates By Dina https://khn.org/news/friday-breeze-health-care-policy-must-reads-of-the-week-from-brianna-labuskes-january-24-2020/
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