“It’s always a good idea to put a cat in a cartoon, because if people don’t get the cartoon, they at least like to see the picture of the pussy-cat.” (Jeff Danziger, c1:51)
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… [L]iberals, pathetic rationalists that we are, always do the same dumb thing — in 74 percent of adjudicated calls, we say, statistics show that umpires are actually accurate within a margin of 67 percent, adjusting for minor variations in humidity and the GDP, which is the only thing standing between us and a state of anarchy. Our entire politics is one big spoiler alert.
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Conservatives? They laugh and paint their faces red…
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This is the thing our rational political discussions always overlook: People aren’t rational. They aren’t consistent. They don’t have worked-out positions. We know this from novels and movies, where the very definition of satisfying art is complex characters who can’t be reduced to a one-dimensional caricature. But when we enter the supposedly factual world of politics, we pretend to forget it. — John H. Richardson, “Political Theater v. the Reality-Based Community”, Esquire
asiangrrlMN
So, basically we should just make up a bunch of shit, shout at the top of our lungs, punch the other guys in the neck, and piss on anyone who gets in our way? Sounds good to me.
Yutsano
I have to take issue with this line however:
What if, indeed, the accusation of racism isn’t a smear but instead is the truth? Are we just supposed to cluck in silent disapproval and move on? And then tolerate the violence that ensues because we really brought it upon ourselves for speaking that truth? That’s a huge Charlie Foxtrot just waiting to happen. Standing silent while someone makes a fool of themselves and gets others to follow them isn’t leadership, it’s cowardice. Yes I’m looking at you Harry Reid.
DPirate
Unofficial AK primary results
US SENATOR (R)
Miller, Joe REP 32955 51.85%
Murkowski, Lisa REP 30605 48.15%
YES. Cronyism is any form in the public realm has got to go! She was appointed Senator by her daddy when he retired…
US SENATOR (ADL)
Haase, Fredrick LIB 3340 16.28%
Kern, Jacob Seth DEM 3723 18.15%
McAdams, Scott T. DEM 10367 50.55%
Vondersaar, Frank J. DEM 3080 15.02%
I voted LIB here, since the democrats are worthless to me.
GOVERNOR (ADL)
Berkowitz, Ethan A. DEM 13048 48.30%
French, Hollis S. DEM 11148 41.26%
Toien, William S. LIB 920 3.41%
Wright, Donald R. AI 1900 7.03%
Only 7% of Alaskans want to secede…
MEASURE NO. 1 – 07ANCO (forbid public and recipients of public contracts to make expenditures on political contests)
YES 34271 37.13%
NO 58019 62.87%
I don’t understand this. I guess propaganda is about 60% effective.
MEASURE NO. 2 – 09PIMA ( forbid abortions on minors without parental or court permission)
YES 50714 54.66%
NO 42072 45.34%
asiangrrlMN
@Yutsano: I did not read the whole thing, obviously. I agree with you. The word ‘smear’ in this context is incorrect as many of the people who are doing the shouting are, indeed, racists.
Martin Gifford
Hence the need for improved education, especially with regard for critical thinking and creative thinking.
WereBear
Well, some of them do. But I am constantly amazed at the people who simply react to circumstance like a pithed frog and hope for the best.
Batocchio
Richardson makes several good points, but there’s a huge difference between dealing with real people versus politicians, pundits and professional hacks. I can gently challenge my friend’s basically-otherwise-decent-and-occasionally-sweet mother on her homophobia, have a civil, good-natured discussion, get her to laugh and maybe make some headway. It’s completely different with someone like Mark Williams, who’s a bullying, arrogant, angry racist and a general asshole otherwise to boot. Common ground with Williams would start with him acknowledging his “black folks’ letter to Lincoln” was racist. Common ground with Newt Gingrich, Sarah Palin and John Boehner would start with them joining the reality-based community and not lying constantly. Every so often I can extend an invitation to them to get off the Evil Train, but it’s foolhardy to expect that it will happen. By all means, have conversations with real people who might be able to de-escalate or have a reality-based conversation. But it doesn’t take a finely tuned bullshit detector to peg the truly crazy and the professional scumbags.
Tom Collins
It is not a rational statement to say that people aren’t rational. It is a matter of degree. Some people are much more rational than others, although, no one is 100% of the time.