New American Political Landscape

[prole]

Yes, populations are split between Conservative Brain and Librul Brain. That may be news to the replicants, who don't do Science, and Ultra Progressives, who don't either, but that is apparently the way of the Hairless Monkey, like it or not.

 

Societies probably need both to keep going. I would say we've had a bit too much of conservative brain in the past decade or more - given the string of avoidable disasters of late, but then, is abject stupidity and unbridled avarice really avoidable?

 

Now THIS is writing! Even an imbecile can understand it!

[prole]

No cliff notes necessary!

[rob]

i'm assuming, given the grandiose title of the thread, that the article is predicting an end to the "old" political landscape of liberals vs conservatives.

 

No, not really. It's more about voting demographics -- if anything, he predicts a return to the strength of the democratic majority, as happened with the Roosevelt majority from 1932 - 1968. He posits that the republican "age of Reagan" has ended and that the power has shifted back the other direction, due in part to the internal bickering of the Republican party and to the party's recent history of pandering to a small, politically insignificant (but loud) base -- the tea party. The shrinking of the white voter base is presented as one of many reasons behind this shift in power.

 

He also breaks down changes to the democratic party, led by Obama (and Clinton), including the Democratic preemption of National Security as a platform, and cites the migration of big money and corporate support away from the republican party and towards the possible new democratic power base -- again, namely because people are realizing that the Republican party has been driven into irrelevance by the tea-party, and describes republican efforts to stop this self-destruction (and their failures)

 

It's a good article, well-written, and where it lacks in originality it makes up with abundance of data.

[tvashtarkatena]

Whew. Finally somebody shows up to this party with some tequila poppers.

 

You just saved me 10 years and the effort of learning how to read.

 

Takk

Edited February 26, 2013 by tvashtarkatena

[prole]

Another of the main points is that while the presidential landscape looks good for Dems, local and state politics is increasingly driven by the astroturf laid down by Koch/Teabagger appartus in conjunction with local elites. One of the criticisms leveled at Obama in the piece is that he's left local Dems and progressives out to dry while Republicans are rolling back voter rights, the right to choose, the right to organize, etc. at the state level. His point is, it's not a phenomenon (or an organizing strategy) that should be overlooked in the unidimensional afterglow of Obama's reelection.

[ivan]

nice - now that wasn't so hard, eh?

 

i'm as happy as the next guy to see the republicans beat-down, of course, but can't imagine how anyone could see much of a "glow" in the Vast Liberal Majority out there as there seems no end to the nastiness

 

all the presidents in my living memory had even more lack-luster 2nd terms than firsts, so i've kept my hopes suitably scaled

 

not that i want it, but a century worth of presidential statistics show the republicans, as the opposition party, having an extremely good chance of taking back the white house in 2016 - 'mericans just are a fan of that green, green grass over there...

[ivan]

He also breaks down changes to the democratic party, led by Obama (and Clinton), including the Democratic preemption of National Security as a platform, and cites the migration of big money and corporate support away from the republican party and towards the possible new democratic power base --

that doesn't sound necessarily awesome - it was lbj's insistence on being the strong man that fucked the libturd dream of a better society the last time the democrats were able to have more than 8 years in the office - i guess the reality of the flyign killer robots obama embraces today might make this more palatable to the body politic though, but that doesn't make me feel real warm and tingly...better than a huge invasion of iraq at least i guess?

 

more corporate money flowing into democratic hands oughta corrupt them boys just as much as the elephants too i'd think...

[G-spotter]

FIVE STAR MOVEMENT

[tvashtarkatena]

Another good summary.

 

Is it Christmas today?

 

Blaming Obama for what the teabaggerz are doing locally is bullshit, of course, but the problem is very real, particularly in red states.

 

Given the Feds inability to find its own balls (thanks, in large part, to the teabaggerz), its all about the states, now. Much of the meaningful reform is happening there (DOMA/gays in military/women in combat accepted). Conversely, much of the damage is happening there (voter suppression), too.

 

Thank Dog I live in WA.

 

About 10 years ago, the ACLU recognized that states like Mississippi could slide further into social justice shitholedom, so it restructured its funding distributions such that 'donor' states like WA now subsidize states with weak chapters like Mississippi. This structure has worked very well in helping to prevent more state by state utopia vs shithole stratification. While WA now has the luxury to take on the death penalty, states like Mississippi battle still battle far more potentially damaging idiocy like personhood at conception constitutional amendments.

 

[tvashtarkatena]

I just want to land on an asteroid.

 

In Putin's Russia...

[ivan]

I just want to land on an asteroid.

 

In Putin's Russia...

only russia could throw a fine pussy riot in prison

[prole]

READING?!?

AIN'T NOBODY GOT TIME FOR DAT!!!

[ivan]

READING?!?

AIN'T NOBODY GOT TIME FOR DAT!!!

truly, and thus my reason for finding "time enough at last" the best of the original twilight zone episodes, holy shit that thing was dark!

 

[video:youtube]

 

certainly not much time in 5 minute breaks between classes...

[tvashtarkatena]

is that the one where whats his name steps on his last pair of glasses?

[ivan]

1 minute clip of a 20 minute episode, phat-boy, come on!!! ya wanna summary of a summary?!? THIS SHIT IS IMPORTANT.

 

and what's his name was mickey, for chrissakes - w/o him rocky would been just another lousy wop!

[prole]

I have to choose the creative content I consume wisely using a rational calculus. What is the utility for me in watching the clip? What are the opportunity costs involved? Could my finite time and energy be spent consuming content that maximizes my marginal utility? Will watching the clip help me further my personal goals? Will the content unduly tax my limited resources, is it difficult, will it create unpleasant thoughts?

[prole]

Does it have an abstract?

[tvashtarkatena]

I like your avatar. Cool graphic.

[prole]

Thx.

[ivan]

I have to choose the creative content I consume wisely using a rational calculus. What is the utility for me in watching the clip? What are the opportunity costs involved? Could my finite time and energy be spent consuming content that maximizes my marginal utility? Will watching the clip help me further my personal goals? Will the content unduly tax my limited resources, is it difficult, will it create unpleasant thoughts?

i just try to make certain it contains titties and some big words i don't know yet - i find a damnable tension between the two demands

[prole]

Big words suggest the material may not be entirely suitable for the layperson. Best to avoid entirely.

 

Unless it has an abstract.

[prole]

That's all folks! Thanks for a great day, see you tomorrow!

[tvashtarkatena]

Can you put that in a cartoon where big things hit little things?

[rob]

[prole]

I always liked Bugs Bunny better.