Campaign 2016 - I'm Biden my time till I doctor the hearing.

[LynahFan]

Re: Campaign 2016 - I'm Biden my time till I doctor the hearing.

Yes, but compared to what you and I studied, apparently the new curriculum for the class that was adopted last year emphasizes more of the unsavory chapters in white American history. As you know, talking a little bit more about the Trail of Tears and Vietnam, and doing a little bit less chest thumping over WW2 is the only scrap of red meat needed to trigger the nutjobs - consider it their version of a "microaggression".

WW2? My AP history class only made it up to WW1 by the end of the year - teacher was my only one with a PhD, and he loooooooooved the pre-revolutionary period, so we only made it to 1776 by about Christmas.

[Handyman]

Re: Campaign 2016 - I'm Biden my time till I doctor the hearing.

Nobody takes the nine month position, because our response would be Carson's response. What, you think you own this kid?

Again, my point is that Carson takes the slaveowner position for the entire nine months. The rest of us just for the last three. The only difference between the two is the definition of a person.

So then do you agree that Republican actions to force ultrasounds and invasive in vetro exams on women considering legal abortions are also slavery like? Forcing a woman to have her person violated against her will seems like a plantationy thing to do...

[FadeToBlack&Gold]

Re: Campaign 2016 - I'm Biden my time till I doctor the hearing.

WW2? My AP history class only made it up to WW1 by the end of the year - teacher was my only one with a PhD, and he loooooooooved the pre-revolutionary period, so we only made it to 1776 by about Christmas.

I think we made it through Vietnam, but our instructor was very good. He was able to predict the document-based essay question to within 70-80% accuracy nearly every year, and he baked in class time for practice essays throughout the year. I don't think anyone who put in the effort got less than a 4 on the exam.

[SJHovey]

So then do you agree that Republican actions to force ultrasounds and invasive in vetro exams on women considering legal abortions are also slavery like? Forcing a woman to have her person violated against her will seems like a plantationy thing to do...

Forced ultrasounds (I confess I haven't heard of forced in vitro "exams") are exactly what they were intended to be -- harassment of a potential abortion patient by trying to make her feel guilty, with the side effect of increasing the cost and hassle of the procedure. But as you probably know those laws have pretty universally been shot down. Don't see the slavery connection but if you want to make the stretch, feel free.

[ScoobyDoo]

Re: Campaign 2016 - I'm Biden my time till I doctor the hearing.

Scott Walker. The ultimate Scumbag.

[Rover]

Re: Campaign 2016 - I'm Biden my time till I doctor the hearing.

Scott Walker. The ultimate Scumbag.

Wisconsin is a good example of a state where voters have the ability to change things or else they want what Scott Walker is selling.

In 2008 and 2012, Obama won the state with approx 1.6M votes each time. Walker won his election with 1.1M and his re-election and recall election with 1.2M, about the same votes Romney and McCain won (Romney may have been a little higher).

So, that leads to several possibilities:

1) A bunch of Obama voters left the state after 2008, then returned in 2012, then left again in 2014....
2) There are a lot of Obama/Walker ticket splitters, as in people who voted O for Prez twice then Walker for Gov 3 times. This would be about 400K of Obama voters or a whopping 25% of his total.
3) A whole lotta Obama voters stayed home during the mid-terms.

Well, I'm thinking #3 is what happened, and when you don't vote don't complain about who gets in. Wisconsin isn't Alabama. The Dem votes are there. Why they didn't show up in 2014 is beyond me, but you get what you vote for, and you get what you can't be bothered to vote against.

[Handyman]

Re: Campaign 2016 - I'm Biden my time till I doctor the hearing.

Forced ultrasounds (I confess I haven't heard of forced in vitro "exams") are exactly what they were intended to be -- harassment of a potential abortion patient by trying to make her feel guilty, with the side effect of increasing the cost and hassle of the procedure. But as you probably know those laws have pretty universally been shot down. Don't see the slavery connection but if you want to make the stretch, feel free.

It is no more of a stretch than Ben Carson's comments no matter how much you want to pretend it is.

[Kepler]

Re: Campaign 2016 - I'm Biden my time till I doctor the hearing.

Well, I'm thinking #3 is what happened, and when you don't vote don't complain about who gets in. Wisconsin isn't Alabama. The Dem votes are there. Why they didn't show up in 2014 is beyond me, but you get what you vote for, and you get what you can't be bothered to vote against.

Democratic turnout issues in the midterms are why we're in the mess we are nationally, as well. And even though the GOP throws up as many barriers to voting as they can, in the end this is our fault. Our people don't bother to vote unless it's a presidential year. They are not as engaged in the political process at every level, which is how knuckledraggers flood school boards, city councils, and state legislatures. Whatever the reasons, we need to change it.

The RBG article I posted on the SCOTUS forum contained a great quote: "Fight for the things that you care about, but do it in a way that will lead others to join you." That should be inscribed on the lintels of the door at the DNC.

[Kepler]

Re: Campaign 2016 - I'm Biden my time till I doctor the hearing.

This is a fascinating study in how they still don't get it. Paid flacks like Barone are still being told to flog this story as if it's real, and as if it's making headway, so their captive audience within the Echo Chamber has no idea that it's not just dead, but boomeranging badly against them.

It reminds me of the "unskew the polls" delusion in 2012, and how they never realized -- even after the fact -- how bizarre it made them look.

I get that they can't publicly admit "well, we gave it a shot," but at least bury it and move on, like their previous fake scandals. They really have snorted so much of their own product that they're addicted now. And nobody likes an addict.

[MaizeRage]

Re: Campaign 2016 - I'm Biden my time till I doctor the hearing.

Good, another excellent example.

The push to revise history courses continues, designed to give a "warts and all" look at the U.S. Carson and others are mad. I get it. Personally, I like the accurate report of history, but I hear what they are saying.

So, Carson comments that basically these revisions are so extreme that someone taking the course will so dislike America they'd be tempted to join ISIS. A dramatic statement indeed.

What if he'd have just said, these revisions are so extreme we're going to cause our kids to dislike our country? So, he's still "crazy"? Isn't he entitled to that opinion? Isn't there a chance he may be right, at least with respect to some kids? Couldn't he be right that some students will leave the class totally disillusioned about the U.S.? Does he have a right to speak out on that, and is someone crazy for arguing that? I mean really, do we need any more disillusioned people than we already have posting in the political threads of this board?

Rather than saying these students will hate our country and move to Canada, he said they'll hate our country and join ISIS. Meh.

I can't argue that someone saying that re-writing history for nationalistic, or more accurately, militaristic purposes is crazy, but I can guarantee that person is dangerous.

[Kepler]

Re: Campaign 2016 - I'm Biden my time till I doctor the hearing.

One of the great joys of an advanced education is reading original sources and understanding that most early (through undergrad) education is thinly-veiled propaganda. The practical problem is it opens up a chasm between people who have read deeply in history and understand (to the extent possible) reality, and the vast majority of people who have been told, and who then pass on, fiction. This happens in every country -- history is configured to sell whatever messaging the rulers want. We laugh at countries like China and Russia for doctoring their history texts, but it's the same here. And, to be honest, a true understanding of history probably isn't necessary for most work-a-day Joes, and the advantage in western democracies (at least for a while longer) is that those who are interested can always educate themselves at the library.

Almost everything taught in history up through the end of an undergraduate education is some combination of over-simplified and sanitized. This shouldn't surprise anybody who understands how ruling classes use institutional tools to hold their power.

[Rover]

Re: Campaign 2016 - I'm Biden my time till I doctor the hearing.

This is a fascinating study in how they still don't get it. Paid flacks like Barone are still being told to flog this story as if it's real, and as if it's making headway, so their captive audience within the Echo Chamber has no idea that it's not just dead, but boomeranging badly against them.

It reminds me of the "unskew the polls" delusion in 2012, and how they never realized -- even after the fact -- how bizarre it made them look.

I get that they can't publicly admit "well, we gave it a shot," but at least bury it and move on, like their previous fake scandals. They really have snorted so much of their own product that they're addicted now. And nobody likes an addict.

Agreed and I didn't realize there were still some knuckledraggers beating this dead horse. Even Republicans were embarrassed by that Benghazi hearing and its only going to get worse when they release all the transcripts of their interviews. Hell, USCHO knucks' aren't even on board with this committee anymore.

[Kepler]

Re: Campaign 2016 - I'm Biden my time till I doctor the hearing.

Agreed and I didn't realize there were still some knuckledraggers beating this dead horse. Even Republicans were embarrassed by that Benghazi hearing and its only going to get worse when they release all the transcripts of their interviews. Hell, USCHO knucks' aren't even on board with this committee anymore.

Another nice piece summing up the self-inflicted wound.

[Rover]

Re: Campaign 2016 - I'm Biden my time till I doctor the hearing.

Funny how common sense goes out the window. Lets say the Dems had the goods on Dick Cheney over something illegal. Not only would I want them to schedule an immediate public grilling of the guy, I'd also want all testimony implicating him released to the media. Instead the House Goopers wanted Clinton to testify in private and they don't want to release the Mills or Blumenthal interview transcripts because....why again? Are they trying to protect Hillary?

Since joecct has been riding this horse, I'm curious if he'll step up and respond post-hearing debacle.

[Kepler]

Re: Campaign 2016 - I'm Biden my time till I doctor the hearing.

Oh, the RNC is being sensible. This was a political attack that blew up in their face, so now they want to put a lid on the artifacts it produces in case any embarrasses them further. It would be poetic justice if the very committee that was formed to do their dirty work wound up itself getting investigated for (1) leaking classified material and (2) obstruction and/or tampering.