Bookstores usually attempt to stay neutral, preferring to allow the customers their choice of what to purchase. I remember, back when I worked for a large chain, being given a handout stating that for customers if they complained about a controversial political book that had come out. (Its title escapes me at the moment.)
And yes, it personally annoyed me to prominently display the latest Ann Coulter or Bill O’Reilly… but I also felt I had no right to censor what others could read. So I did the job.
I know this is kind of a tangent to your post… but I though I’d chime in since I’ve had some experience in the book world.
Where did this news story break? It seems just a bit odd to go after hiring a lobbyist hired by a democratic politician.
it just doesn’t smell right to run with this to paint the candidate in a bad light by sewing doubt and discord in the liberal base.
It’s like the JJ Abram’s thing…which ultimately was some Right Wing Troll playing the left like a fiddle to weaponize the lefts ‘concern’ about purity.
The guy’s a lobbyist. A lobbyist. Who’s basic job is just a step above ‘selling your soul’
Most of the voters did just that for Obama in 2012 and Hillary in 2016. If the rube contingent indeed does wield as much power in national elections as you seem to think, recent history clearly indicates that enough of them lean left to make a difference. I say bring on the gimmicks as long as there’s some substance behind them. If there’s anything we can learn from Trump, it’s that gimmicks work.
"Ash on an old man’s sleeve
Is all the ash the burnt roses leave.
Dust in the air suspended
Marks the place where a story ended.
Dust inbreathed was a house-
The walls, the wainscot and the mouse,
The death of hope and despair,
This is the death of air.
There are flood and drouth
Over the eyes and in the mouth,
Dead water and dead sand
Contending for the upper hand.
The parched eviscerate soil
Gapes at the vanity of toil,
Laughs without mirth.
This is the death of earth.
Water and fire succeed
The town, the pasture and the weed.
Water and fire deride
The sacrifice that we denied.
Water and fire shall rot
The marred foundations we forgot,
Of sanctuary and choir.
This is the death of water and fire."
Absolutely wrong, elections are built on history. This is why Abrams’ said in the SOTU response: “this is nothing new, Trump is just the latest to take advantage of those divisions that already existed in our country”.
History builds on itself like LEGO blocks. Without the French colony of Vietnam, there would have been no Vietnam War.
French occupation
Ho Chi Mighn being trained by the CIA
Bighn Dign Pho
The French forces leaving
The communist north trying to unite the country under communism
American entrance into Vietnam with ground forces (1964).
You have been stating authoritatively that voters will reject a woman because they are simultaneously too “sexist and anti-intellectual” to do so, but also too clever? to fall for the novelty of anyone other than a white-male president. That is simply demonstrably untrue. The electoral college does not accurately measure overall voter sentiment and you know it. You’ve got nothing but dime-store pop-psychology on your side of the argument.
And you’ve got PC bs that got Trump elected by nominating Clinton. Oh its her turn, first woman president, etc. Come back to this moment in 2020 when the next Hillary has the cancel her fireworks barge because she tried to speak for the people instead of listening and giving voice to their opinions.
Who we choose to vote for should not be based on who our ancestors would have been likely to vote for. America’s sexism and racism should be something we all aspire to overcome, not something to use as a basis for which candidates we nominate.
An interesting read in the comments here… I’d love to have a real policy powerhouse like Warren at the helm, or actually ANY of these candidates is fine. Actually I’d vote for a paper sack with the letter D written on the side of it, filled w dog poop and set aflame. Would do a much better job than Trumputin. So the bar is pretty low. Biden gets the primary by appealing to rust belt Joe Six-packs? fine, whtvr (sigh) It’d be nice if someone progressive and young latched up w Biden (ol Joe croaks and we got the new hotness ready to roll). Do I like ol Joe? yes and no. We’d have action on climate change and a host of other issues if we keep our sh!t together folks. Let’s shift the Overton Window back towards sanity.
I’d vote for anyone other than the R candidate at this point. any. random. person.
I used to think we lived in the Norquistian timeline (GOP just needs a pen, a hand and a heartbeat… how is that working out for y’all?) now I am certain we are deep within the improbability of the Menken timeline “On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their heart’s desire at last, and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron.” At this rate, we’ll never reach the stars, we’ll choke in our cradle, we’ll squander what brief bright flame we kindled against the endless night, the eternal silence…
Sanders (to a degree), Gabbard, and Gravel (to a larger degree)all make this a priority.
The founding fathers agreed with you. The army is the only budget item required to be renewed every two years (every new congress). Until WW2, our peacetime standing army was 2-5% of its wartime manpower, so the house, as well as the senate, had a veto, because they had to appropriate funds to bring the army up to a wartime footing.
Wait, something really weird is happening here.
EspryOn, are you so bent on arguing that you are arguing with yourself?
In reading this thread it would seam to me that there are plenty here more than willing to argue with you.
Don’t bother to respond for though I do disagree, I’m not much for arguing.
Yes. They do. Humanity is on a precipice, and we have to actually deal with that with ideas. We’re all fucked if we don’t. So we need to get our collective head out of our collective asses and actual deal with reality instead of continuing to debate whether or not women are people who deserve full control over their bodies or racism actually exists. These sorts of “debates” are mere distractions so that capital can continue to suck the rest of us dry.
