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You are here: Home / Economics / C.R.E.A.M. / Beyond Parody Open Thread: Erik Prince ‘Tutors’ James O’Keefe

Beyond Parody Open Thread: Erik Prince ‘Tutors’ James O’Keefe

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And one can only wish that were a Far Side reference:

Blackwater founder Erik Prince arranged for political activist James O’Keefe’s conservative group Project Veritas to receive more than one round of “training in intelligence and elicitation techniques,” The Intercept reports. In 2016, the self-styled “guerrilla journalist” group reportedly got lessons from a retired military intelligence operative… In 2017, Prince next set Project Veritas up with a former British MI6 officer in hopes of turning the organization into “domestic spies,” according to report. At the time, O’Keefe posted social-media photos of the event at Prince’s Wyoming ranch, claiming he was training in “spying and self-defense” and planned to turn Project Veritas into “the next great intelligence agency.”

I’m going with a Thorstein Veblen explanation: Flushing the occasional million down the crapper attempting to educate an O’Keefe is an obvious demonstration, to one’s fellow glibertarian billionaires, that one has millions of dollars to waste.

Although, as Jack Crosbie at Splinter points out, it can reasonably be argued that Betsy deVos’s brother Erik is not, himself, all that bright…

Reader Interactions

224Comments

  2. 2.

    Jerzy Russian

    Christ, what an asshole*!

    *Am I referring to O’Keefe or Prince? Yes I am.

  3. 3.

    Robert Bowsher

    Thorstein Veblen is a name you don’t see every day. Maybe Koch and their ilk can spend their money on fancy walking sticks, or maybe imitate the late Paul Allen and buy a yacht that has a yacht in it.

  4. 4.

    Yutsano

    ended with the operative, Euripides Rubio Jr.,

    Obvious fake name is obvious. Otherwise I got nothin’. The fact that they were too stupid to learn even basic intelligence techniques is, well, completely unsurprising.

  6. 6.

    ChrisS

    In yesterday’s Buzzfeed article where Katie McHugh attempts to resurrect a career, after daylighting as a raving racist lunatic, there’s a lot of name dropping of nazi/racist and/or alt-right organizations and their connections with traditional conservative organizations. Erik Prince makes a guest appearance who was asked about a dinner event he was supposed to attend with alt-right freak shows and responded with, “I don’t know what you’re talking about and that dinner never happened.”

    Erik Prince keeps popping up with these folks. Just a coincidence.

  7. 7.

    trollhattan

    The damage done to the country and beyond by members of the Prince family is pretty dire. And they’re keeping at it with no signs of slowing down.

    I’m surprised O’Keefe can breathe and blink simultaneously. Perfect Republican.

  8. 8.

    trollhattan

    @Yutsano:
    Euripides Klossoff would be a great stripper name.

  13. 13.

    catclub

    @matt:

    Uh, this is a criminal conspiracy operating out in the open.

    The only thing I am learning is that the expression “Some people are protected by the law but not bound by it, others are bound by the law but not protected by it.” Is far too often in evidence these days.
    [Was there a thread on the conviction of a cop for murder and it was totally coincidental that the cop was black (and possibly a Muslim?)
    and the victim was white? ]

  15. 15.

    Adam L Silverman

    Euripides Rubio, Jr:
    http://www.virtualwall.org/dr/RubioEx01a.htm

    Here’s his Medal of Honor citation. Awarded posthumously after he was Killed in Action in Vietnam in 1966.

    The President of the United States
    in the name of the Congress of the United States
    takes pride in presenting the
    MEDAL OF HONOR
    posthumously to
    EURIPIDES RUBIO, JUNIOR
    Captain
    United States Army
    for service as set forth in the following
    CITATION:
    For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty: On 8 November 1966, Captain Rubio, Infantry, was serving as Communications Officer, 1st Battalion, 28th Infantry in Tay Ninh Province, Republic of Vietnam, when a numerically superior enemy force launched a massive attack against the battalion defense position. Intense enemy machine gun fire raked the area while mortar rounds and rifle grenades exploded within the perimeter. Leaving the relative safety of his post, Captain Rubio received two serious wounds as he braved the withering fire to go to the area of most intense action where he distributed ammunition, re-established positions and rendered aid to the wounded. Disregarding the painful wounds, he unhesitatingly assumed command when a rifle company commander was medically evacuated. Captain Rubio was wounded a third time as he selflessly exposed himself to the devastating enemy fire to move among his men to encourage them to fight with renewed effort. While aiding the evacuation of wounded personnel, he noted that a smoke grenade which was intended to mark the Viet Cong position for air strikes had fallen dangerously close to the friendly lines. Captain Rubio ran to reposition the grenade but was immediately struck to his knees by enemy fire. Despite his several wounds, Captain Rubio scooped up the grenade, ran through the deadly hail of fire to within 20 meters of the enemy position and hurled the already smoking grenade into the midst of the enemy before he fell for the final time. Using the repositioned grenade as a marker, friendly air strikes were directed to destroy the hostile positions. Captain Rubio’s singularly heroic act turned the tide of battle, and his extraordinary leadership and valor were a magnificent inspiration to his men. His remarkable bravery and selfless concern for his men are in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit on Captain Rubio and the United States Army.

  16. 16.

    Amir Khalid

    I get that James O’Keefe is a dumbass who trips over his own feet a lot. I just don’t understand why his fellow travellers on the right don’t get that too, and quit wasting time and money on him.

  17. 17.

    Just One More Canuck

    @Yutsano: you can’t learn intelligence techniques of you have no intelligence.

    Euripedes? Why not something more realistic, like Yahoo Serious, or Joey Shithead

  20. 20.

    Leto

    When even military intelligence tells you you’re too stupid to learn, time to pack it in.

  24. 24.

    Adam L Silverman

    @catclub: The cop is Somali-American and a Muslim. From what I was able to find, there have only been 13 convictions of police officers for killing suspects or just people in the wrong place at the wrong time over the past decade or so. There is, unfortunately, no breakdown by ethnicity and/or religion in that data.

  26. 26.

    kindness

    If the Oligarchs of today’s America have so many millions to toss around without caring….we need to raise our tax rates for the rich then. They are the ones telling us.

  28. 28.

    Adam L Silverman

    @trollhattan: It’s possible this is CPT Rubio’s son, but that would have made him Euripedes Rubio, III. And I find it hard to believe that he too would just happen to be a military intel officer. I’ve forwarded the information to the reporter from The Intercept.

  29. 29.

    tobie

    @rikyrah: yup. This is the shocking news of the day. tRump and Putin agreed that the Russia thing was a hoax, discussed trade (i.e., lifting sanctions), Venezuela (i.e. letting Maduro stay in power after encouraging the people to try to oppose him), and North Korea (i.e., agreeing to NK’s definition of denuclearization). We need subpeonas, contempt charges and a march the size of the woman’s march soon. Otherwise our country’s lost

  30. 30.

    Gin & Tonic

    @ChrisS:

    “I don’t know what you’re talking about and that dinner never happened.”

    If he doesn’t know what they’re talking about then how can he be sure it never happened?

  32. 32.

    Yutsano

    @Just One More Canuck: @Ruckus: Seriously. One of the most basic rules of intelligence is when to shut up and listen. It doesn’t surprise me in the slightest these knucklefucks couldn’t even manage that basic skill. Staying quiet until opportunity arises just isn’t how they roll.

    @Leto: Heh. I have myself made the joke that military intelligence is an oxymoron. But it’s no surprise thesesoooper gayniuses couldn’t even handle the basics.

  33. 33.

    Adam L Silverman

    @rp: Whomever the military intelligence and special operations person is that Prince had training O’Keefe and the other Project Veritas chuckleheads, it wasn’t CPT Rubio, Jr. Go to the link, there’s a picture of his grave marker in Puerto Rico, a link to his name on the Vietnam Memorial Wall, and a copy of his posthumous MOH citation. These idiots always have the worst tradecraft. They have no ability to understand that people can actually do keyword searches on the Internet. I’m sure Prince brought someone in. I’m also sure he wasn’t Enrique Rubio, Jr. who has been dead for 53 years!

  36. 36.

    Ruckus

    @Yutsano:
    One thing I’ve noticed about conservative idiots is that they believe that they know it all, when obviously they don’t know or understand much of anything. It’s the basic lack of cognitive skills, see 1% of anything and immediately think you fully understand the other 99%

  38. 38.

    germy

    In 2017, Prince next set Project Veritas up with a former British MI6 officer in hopes of turning the organization into “domestic spies,” according to report.

    All kidding aside, isn’t this rather alarming??

    “Journalists” being trained as spies by a mercenary? In order to bring down Democratic elected officials?

  40. 40.

    Adam L Silverman

    I just heard back from The Intercept’s reporter who did their story. He says this is the lat CPT Rubio’s son. I followed up with:

    You were able to confirm that the son was the guy they brought in and this isn’t a bad cover story using a dead Soldiers name? Because that would make the trainer Euripedes Rubio, III not Jr.

    I’ll let you know if I hear anything further.

  41. 41.

    Leto

    @Yutsano: Agreed. I might trust them to clean latrines, but still not without heavy supervision.

    @Adam L Silverman:

    They have no ability to understand that people can actually do keyword searches on the Internet.

    Are you talking about “thesesoooper gayniuses” at Xi-nuis, or the Intercept? Both seem incapable of basic Google-fu.

  43. 43.

    germy

    How can you see his work and decide to back it?

    “Because he’s on our side.”

  45. 45.

    Immanentize

    @Raven: the 28th Infantry (the bloody bucket brigade) was my great Uncle’s division in the Ardennes. It went hard on them there.

    Ooops. I see the Vietnam 28th was a different outfit.

  46. 46.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Immanentize: Perhaps not. There is someone by the name of Euripedes Rubio, Jr in Bowie MD who has a defense contracting company. So it may, indeed, be his kid. There is nothing anywhere, in any official bios, indicating that CPT Rubio had children. There’s no mention of family at all.

  48. 48.

    Mnemosyne

    @Adam L Silverman:

    If you go the old fashioned Miss Manners way of naming, the “Jr” and other numbers are not actually part of your name and you move up a step whenever someone dies. So, in theory, if his father died but his grandfather is still alive, his grandfather could be Sr and this guy could be Jr.

    That’s rarely how it works out in American practice, though — most men keep their own designations. My brother still keeps the “III” as part of his name even though my grandfather and father are both gone and he technically should drop it since he’s the last one with that name.

    I’m pretty sure you’re right, though, and it’s an alias that the jackass is using to inflate his ego. He may have been in the Army, but I doubt he made it out of the motor pool.

  49. 49.

    Gin & Tonic

    @Adam L Silverman: But Erik Prince says it never happened. Who am I to believe: him, who would know, or you, with some “photographic” evidence? I know how to use Photoshop, Mister, I wasn’t born yesterday.

  51. 51.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Leto: It’s a very good article. The reporter may, indeed, have confirmed this is the MOH awardees son.

  53. 53.

    trollhattan

    @Adam L Silverman:
    Good for you and hey, at least they responded.

    Yes, protocol would have him III, not Jr and he’d at a minimum be nearing 60 in age, another correlation point.

  54. 54.

    Raoul

    On one level, this is funny. But on the level where this matters: The brother of a Cabinet member, and a person of interest in the Mueller report, is willing to train clandestine operatives to plant false stories and otherwise sabotage Trump opponents.

    He may well be training folks now who aren’t Whol/O’Keefe level mouth breathers. It shouldn’t need saying, but: This is bad.

  55. 55.

    Adam L Silverman

    @FlipYrWhig: Almost all of the hits returned are for the late CPT Rubio, Jr or for the US Army Reserve Center in Puerto Rico named for him. There is one business record for a Euripedes Rubio, Jr. in Bowie, MD:
    https://www.inc.com/profile/ops-tech-alliance

    And one address/phone # listing for an Euripedes Rubio, Jr. in Baltimore, MD. I’m guessing this is a residence and am not posting the link. But that’s it. So it is possible this is the lat CPT Rubio’s son.

  57. 57.

    germy

    @Raoul: Yes, that was my point in comment #38, but you put it more eloquently than I.

    This is deeply disturbing stuff.

  58. 58.

    Mnemosyne

    @trollhattan:

    If he was a posthumous baby or very young when his father died, that could explain why he would be Jr instead of III.

    But he would also have to be in his mid-50s at a minimum based on when his father died.

  60. 60.

    rp

    @Adam L Silverman: Sorry — I get that. I’m beyond flabbergasted that a guy would be so classless as to borrow the name like that (presumably without any sort of permission). Christ, what an a-hole.

    EDIT: Obv. if it’s his son I stand corrected.

  61. 61.

    Greg Stone

    Great to see a reference to “Theory of the Leisure Class”. Many years since I’ve read it.

  62. 62.

    Adam L Silverman

    @rp: It’s possible this is, indeed, the late CPT Rubio’s son. There is one business record for a Euripedes Rubio, Jr. in Bowie, MD:
    https://www.inc.com/profile/ops-tech-alliance

    And one address/phone # listing for an Euripedes Rubio, Jr. in Baltimore, MD. I’m guessing this is a residence and am not posting the link. But that’s it. So it is possible this is the lat CPT Rubio’s son.

  64. 64.

    Leto

    @Ruckus: You are correct. I have seen the error of my ways. With your permission, seppuku will commence at once!!!!!! (A few more !!!! For proper contrition!!!)

    @Adam L Silverman: I would think the reporter would mention it, but who knows.

    @Raoul:

    is willing to train clandestine operatives to plant false stories and otherwise sabotage Trump opponents.

    I don’t see this as any different than when the right wing libertarian movement started up in the late ‘50’s and was willing to lie/distort facts to achieve their ends, which then merged seamlessly with the Republican political machine. It’s another tactic we have to be aware of. It’s something our dipshit media should be aware of and making more noise about, but we know they’ll bothsiderism it from here till the cows come home.

  66. 66.

    Gin & Tonic

    @Adam L Silverman: OT, but do you know if Cheryl is working on anything relating to that obviously planted Ken Vogel story about Hunter Biden? She mentioned she might be.

  67. 67.

    Gravenstone

    @Adam L Silverman: That seems a particularly galling form of stolen valor, taking the name of a CMoH winner as your nom de guerre. Of course, the current user probably claims he’s honoring the deceased.

  68. 68.

    chopper

    @Yutsano:

    when he quit, he went to tear up his contract and erik prince was all “euripides contracts, youpayade price”

  73. 73.

    Another Scott

    @Mnemosyne: Yup.

    And then there are the people who go by “II” rather than “Jr” (while his farther was still alive) because they don’t want to be called “Junior”. Even though that’s not what “II” means, of course.

    (groucho-roll-eyes.gif)

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  74. 74.

    Yutsano

    @Ladyraxterinok: The nice part is that Mark is still very much getting work. It’s just not (really) in front of a camera. But he has been one of the voices for The Joker in Batman: The Animated Series and other such works. So it’s ice that he’s still in the game. He just has a different role.

  75. 75.

    Gravenstone

    @Dorothy A. Winsor: Was it you a day or two ago mentioning hearing about Iowans getting rather long phone polls from de Blasio? Just what the race needs, another old white dude high on his own supply.

  76. 76.

    ??? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka) ??

    @Ladyraxterinok:
    He’s done tons of voice acting work for the last 30 years or so, so I’m sure he isn’t complaining too much

  77. 77.

    joel hanes

    reportedly quitting because the group ‘wasn’t capable of learning.’

    Most novices picture themselves as masters — and are content with the picture.

    This is why there are so few masters.

  78. 78.

    Ruckus

    @Mnemosyne:
    This is true. My parents named me the II because they didn’t like Jr. I’ve only used the name when doing something legal that I have to show a birth certificate for.

  79. 79.

    Leto

    @Yutsano: I like that his voice work is nearly as iconic as his film roles. His Joker voice is basically the default voice I think of anytime I see the character.

  80. 80.

    Anne Laurie

    @Dorothy A. Winsor:

    Bill de Blasio is planning to run for president? I am no longer able to judge any of these people on their merits.

    From what I’ve read, he has none, so don’t worry.

  81. 81.

    Dorothy A. Winsor

    @Gravenstone: That wasn’t me, mostly because I moved from Iowa to Illinois last summer. I still hear from people there and Iowa is still an easier place to follow than Illinois because there’s just so much less going on.

  82. 82.

    Yutsano

    @Leto: I think it’s gotten to the point the audition process only happens if Mark isn’t available. He just has owned that role for so long.

  83. 83.

    Gravenstone

    @Leto: Yeah, BtaS has basically enshrined his Joker and Kevin Controy’s Batman/Bruce Wayne as the default voices for a generation of people.

  84. 84.

    Leto

    @Yutsano: I think they’re willing to wait while his vocal chords heal. He’s spoken a good bit about what it does to them, but def agree that he’s simply owned that role for forever. They’ve cycled through Batmen, and other members, but Joker has had a singular consistent voice since the early 90s.

    Edit: @Gravenstone:Most definitely, Conroy’s Batman is the gold standard. Did they cast someone else? (Tracy Morgan meme): Nope, nope, nope, noooooope!

  85. 85.

    Mnemosyne

    @Ladyraxterinok:

    As others have mentioned, Hamill moved to voice work soon after his “Star Wars” days were over and has had a long and successful career with it. He was in a car accident shortly before shooting began on “Empire Strikes Back” that required pretty major reconstructive surgery on his face, so he had to give up on being young and beautiful early in his career.

    In retrospect, I’m not surprised he went into voiceover work, because in his original “Star Wars” performance, you can hear vocal echoes of who George Lucas originally wanted for the role: Richard Dreyfuss.

  88. 88.

    Ladyraxterinok

    @Yutsano: Also freaked whe I saw shots of Bill Murray a few yrs ago when his latest movie came out. I heard the name but thought I heard it wrong.

    Movie actors really cannot escape their past.

  89. 89.

    Adam L Silverman

    @germy: Someone has decided to do an oppo dump. This is now the third article dealing with either Prince and/or O’Keefe.

  90. 90.

    Raoul

    @Leto: Maybe I overestimate the magnitude difference, but coordination with the WH via a cabinet member’s sibling seems like a bigger deal. Esp snce said sibling was in the Seychelles in “an apparent effort to establish a backchannel line of communication between Moscow and President-elect Donald Trump.”

  91. 91.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    @Amir Khalid:

    I get that James O’Keefe is a dumbass who trips over his own feet a lot. I just don’t understand why his fellow travellers on the right don’t get that too, and quit wasting time and money on him.

    They are so heavily invested in the narrative that white bois like O’Keefe are the victims of Liberal discrimination that they are terrified to admit the truth that O’keefe is a luzer who would be living under an underpass except for his birth choice to themselves.

  93. 93.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Leto: They have been using Jason O’Mara as the regular Batman in the majority of the animated films for the past several years. Before that they were using Bruce Greenwood, who they also used in the the Gotham by Gaslight animated movie. Greenwood also does Batman in the Young Justice show. They still use Conroy when they use the Justice League/Justice League Unlimited/BTAS/Superman the Animated Series voice casts. So right now you’ve got O’Mara out in the recently released second part completion Reign of the Supermen, you’ve got Conroy in Justice League Vs the Fatal Five (along with a lot of the original voice cast). And O’Mara is doing Batman in the next animated movie in the queue, which is the animated adaptation of Hush.

  94. 94.

    Aleta

    @Adam L Silverman: You’re missing that not all families or parents decide to use it. It’s not a law or anything. My br-in-law purposely didn’t use III with his son’s name.

  95. 95.

    Ladyraxterinok

    @Mary G: Thanks for following and posting about these criminals.

    We need people like you who refuse to let us forget what’s being done in our name!

  98. 98.

    Brachiator

    @Adam L Silverman:

    Someone has decided to do an oppo dump. This is now the third article dealing with either Prince and/or O’Keefe.

    More and more, this all sounds like the operations of a third rate duchy, with all kinds of rascals vying for power or favor.

  100. 100.

    Mnemosyne

    @Yutsano:

    FWIW, most voice actors for iconic roles have understudies who can fill in if needed. They’re often much younger so they can step into the previous actor’s shoes when they retire, and then a new understudy is located.

    IIRC, one of Tom Hanks’ brothers does the voice of Woody from Toy Story when Tom is too busy to do it himself or only a few lines are needed, like for a theme park ride.

  102. 102.

    Mary G

    @Mary G:

    "john as chief of staff u should really have this adminstration put more children in cages""what is in it for me""nothing of course…wink wink"— darth™ (@darth) May 3, 2019

    JUST DRAINING THE SWAMP NOTHING TO SEE HERE— darth™ (@darth) May 3, 2019

  103. 103.

    PaulB

    @Amir Khalid:

    I get that James O’Keefe is a dumbass who trips over his own feet a lot. I just don’t understand why his fellow travellers on the right don’t get that too, and quit wasting time and money on him.

    It’s not really that complicated. The number one goal for the right these days is whatever will piss off “the libs.” How this happens, what rules they break, who does it, whether the grift / sting actually works or not, etc., doesn’t really matter. If it pisses off liberals, they’ll support it and/or do it.

  104. 104.

    karen marie

    Cannot
    Stop
    Laughing

    They failed at journanalism, they failed at being spies. Given how many times O’Keefe has already been convicted and sent to jail, he’s also failed “self defense.” Maybe they could be persuaded to take up sky diving?

  105. 105.

    Aleta

    @Adam L Silverman: IOW, my br-in-l’s son’s legal birth name is not B.I.L III — because his father (a Jr.) didn’t name him that. The son’s name is just plain B.I.L.

    I’m told that this actually leaves the name BIL III open if the son wants to name his son that ….

  107. 107.

    laura

    @Mary G: that monster has no, zip, nada, nyet, nunca humanitarian experience. That hes now directly profiting from this obscenity, this crime against humanity makes me think bad, bad thoughts about what I believe he should experience.
    He is filth.
    He’ll probably hire that other filth Neilsen.

  108. 108.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Mnemosyne: John DiMaggio and Troy Baker tend to do the Joker in most of the animated movies if they’re not using Hamill. Baker will be doing the Joker in the upcoming Batman Vs The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Interestingly enough Baker is also doing the Batman’s voice in that one too. He does Batman in the Lego direct to video movies too.

  110. 110.

    Mnemosyne

    @rikyrah:

    I’m still convinced that the relatively high number of Black men who voted for Trump can be chalked up to misogyny … but I don’t think Kamala Harris would run into that same misogyny from Black men. Elizabeth Warren might. ?

  111. 111.

    Fair Economist

    @Adam L Silverman:

    This is the second hit at Prince to drop within 24 hours. There are three questions: 1) Who wants him exposed right now? 2) Why? 3) Who profits as a result?

    You’re forgetting
    4) How do I help?

  112. 112.

    Mnemosyne

    @Adam L Silverman:

    I’m thinking more like Mickey Mouse, where they do need a pretty consistently similar voice across multiple platforms. There’s not quite the same need for consistency for animated series and direct to video movies.

  114. 114.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Mnemosyne: I understand. On the DC animated side, the real attempts at consistency are among the women who voice Harley Quinn. Tara Strong, who took over for Arleen Sorkin, always tried to get it as close to Sorkin as possible. Or at leas make it an homage. When Melissa Rauch did the voice work in Batman and Harley Quinn, she was clearly trying to make it sound like Sorkin. I have no idea what Kaley Cuoco is going to do in the upcoming animated series for DC Universe.

  115. 115.

    Sab

    @Mnemosyne: I am agreeing with you on that. I believe I know some such voters. Could not bring themselves to vote for the person that reminded them of their fifth grade teacher. But will vote for Kamela. I am more than okay with that.

  116. 116.

    oldgold

    It just never ever stops! Day after damn day of this unhinged shameless madness.

    @realDonaldTrump

    Had a long and very good conversation with President Putin of Russia. As I have always said, long before the Witch Hunt started, getting along with Russia, China, and everyone is a good thing, not a bad thing….We discussed Trade, Venezuela, Ukraine, North Korea, Nuclear Arms Control and even the “Russian Hoax.” Very productive talk!

  117. 117.

    oldgold

    And this:

    REPORTER: “Mr. President, did you tell [Putin] not to meddle in the next election?”
    TRUMP: “We had a good conversation about many different things, ‘k?”
    REPORTER: “Did you tell him not to meddle in the next election?”
    TRUMP: “We didn’t discuss that.”

  118. 118.

    trollhattan

    @oldgold:
    Was this the usual shouting answers standing in front of the roaring helicopter? He seems to love doing that.

  119. 119.

    Mary G

    Paul Waldman has a great post in the WaPo today saying that picking a candidate on electibility is a stupid idea:

    And it is almost always a guy, and a white guy at that. The entire electability discussion assumes that if there are lots of sexist voters and lots of racist voters, then they must be courted and flattered and catered to, lest they become too angry and vote for Trump. If you have a long memory you might recall how in 2008, it was commonly believed that Democrats were making a mistake nominating Obama because Hillary Clinton was the one who had forged such a powerful bond with the white working class.

    The idea that the path to success for a Democrat might lie elsewhere — say, with the candidate best able to organize and mobilize the millions of African-Americans and Latinos who would vote Democratic if they went to the polls — never enters the electability discussion. We seem unable to consider the ability to mobilize votes as a factor in electability, despite all the copious evidence that it is.

    If you’re a Biden supporter because you sincerely love Biden, that’s fine. But it’s deeply ironic that with Democratic voters being offered the largest menu of options they’ve ever had, a field full of smart, accomplished, capable, thoughtful, charismatic women and men, those voters might just decide to go with whoever they think will appeal to Republicans, despite the fact that GOP party unity has become nearly absolute (despite all the talk of Republicans having reservations about Trump in 2016, he retained as much Republican support as Romney or McCain had).

    But that’s what they keep being told they should do: Ignore their own feelings about candidates, and instead try to make a guess about whom other people will like. There are few worse ways to decide which candidate to support.

    This.

  120. 120.

    Bill Arnold

    @Adam L Silverman:

    3) Who profits as a result?

    Motive need not be profit.
    I’m also hoping some anti-Republican billionaire (or more than one) gets involved. Oppo is not expensive.

  121. 121.

    NotMax

    Couldn’t instruct ’em but bet they managed to wheedle gobs of orders for Amway stuff from ’em.

  123. 123.

    Leto

    Back from my walk:

    @Raoul: It is a different order of magnitude but it falls back to the primary goal of obtaining and keeping power through whatever means, whether they be legal or not. Idk, the more I think about it the less surprised I am that they would resort to this. As we say, Trumpov is just the overt manifestation of the sickness that is the GOP. It was already being bragged in the halls of Congress that Trumpov wasn’t Putin’s biggest beneficiary. That should’ve been the investigation starting point right there.

    Overall we’re agreeing here. Just coming at it in different ways.

    @Adam L Silverman: I like O’Mara’s, but Conroy is my Batman. I also haven’t seen Young Justice (I guess I missed it before they took it off Netflix/Hulu), and haven’t seen the last few animated flicks. I do like them, as they’re superior to Marvel’s offerings, but just haven’t kept up. And no, we won’t be subscribing to DC+.

  125. 125.

    VeniceRiley

    Maybe we should switch to FOHN SOHN TOHN … Third of his name. I’m all for this game of thrones world sounding more like the show.

  127. 127.

    Mary G

    He actually did this?

    Brazil, invited by President Trump in March to join NATO, is “not eligible,” its deputy secretary general, Rose Gottemoeller, said at @CFR_org, citing Article 10, and NATO’s name.— Benjamin Gedan (@benjamingedan) May 3, 2019

    My head is killing me from all the pouinding on the desk it’s done today.

  128. 128.

    Mike in NC

    @oldgold: Good to know Trump is sticking to his monthly performance review with Putin. Vlad and Kim may be planning another embarrassing overseas meeting with him about those pesky nukes.

  129. 129.

    rikyrah

    @Mnemosyne:

    I’m still convinced that the relatively high number of Black men who voted for Trump can be chalked up to misogyny … but I don’t think Kamala Harris would run into that same misogyny from Black men.

    She might…the White husband.

  132. 132.

    Ceci n est pas mon nym

    One can have a lot of fun imagining the O’Keefe bozos and the Erik Prince training

    “No, no, no, when you put the chalk marks on the communications point, they are supposed to be in code! They are supposed to look random! You do not write “George, the package is here under the mailbox” in pink sharpie!”

    “Yeah, but George had trouble remembering the code and so did I. And it’s hard to see the chalk.”

  133. 133.

    Leto

    @Adam L Silverman: The women involved with the DC animated universe are some of the strongest people they have, period. Voice actors, animators, directors… very strong. Now you’re getting me to reconsider that DCU subscription… are you happy? Is that what you wanted? Yeesh! :p

  135. 135.

    trollhattan

    @Mary G:
    “Hey, it’s the ‘North Atlantic’ if I say it is–I’m president, remember?”

    Yeah, he did. Xi is probably still mulling over his NATO invite.

  136. 136.

    sukabi

    From O’Keefes’ first attempt at an op you could tell he was dumber than dirt. His ACORN ‘success’ wasn’t due to his ‘skill’ as a ratfûcker, it was his accomplices in the media, the GOP and yes the Dems that rolled over that killed ACORN.

    not surprising he’s unteachable, he’s a product of the republican party, and they’re all beyond stupid at this point.

  138. 138.

    Martin

    The GOP seems to be unusually unravelled today. I think the pressure is getting to them.

  141. 141.

    NotMax

    @trollhattan

    Ancient joke about a Greek cobbler’s shop.

    Oversize mock-up of a pair of shoes in the window, with a sign beneath them reading thus:

    Euripedes
    Imenides

  143. 143.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Mary G: Anyone could make that mistake. Brazil is on the Atlantic and it is north of Uruguay, Paraguay, Argentina, and Bolivia.

  144. 144.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Leto: Sorry bout that. I haven’t subscribed yet myself. Trying to decide if I’m better off spending $75 a year or just spending the $40 or so for the entire season of Young Justice when it comes out as a digital download.

  145. 145.

    schrodingers_cat

    @Sab: Kamala is a fairly common Indian (Hindu) name for girls. Its one of the names of Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth, it also means lotus in many Indian languages.

    ETA: I am glad that you are not offended by my pedantic observation/correction.

  148. 148.

    trollhattan

    @NotMax:
    Heh :-)

    A name I’ve not encountered personally in my lifetime, unless some wary kid was going by a nickname. “Hi, I’m Rip Kalivas.”

  150. 150.

    Leto

    @Adam L Silverman: Just messing. That’s the thing, if I could be assured that they were going to have more content that I wanted to see, I might be interested. I don’t think they’re going to have enough original content, released quickly/consistently enough, to justify a subscription. Especially versus Netflix/Hulu. If that changes moving forward, well…

  155. 155.

    oldgold

    More:

    @maggieNYT

    Per pool: “Yes, Trump did say that when he talked to Putin about the Mueller report and Russian meddling, Putin ‘sort of smiled’ before he called it ‘a mountain’ that ‘ended up being a mouse.'”

  156. 156.

    Immanentize

    @Mnemosyne: Just FYI. In many Europe counties (I know the Germanic ones best), where films are dubbed way more than sub-titled, voice actors are chosen to be _______. So if Robert Downey Jr. is in a film, that actor who was cast to be him ‘owns’ the right to dub him. Interesting system.

  157. 157.

    Immanentize

    @Leto:

    Back from my walk:

    I cannot tell you how much that simple statement makes me become happy for you and filled with wonderment at the modern world’s potential.

  159. 159.

    Immanentize

    @Mary G: “Atoms for Peace.” ☮️ Am I insanely conspiratorial to believe that Trump has promised Bolsonaro nukes? A long sought, but once abandoned goal for Brasil?

  164. 164.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Leto: My understanding is Doom Patrol is very good. Titans was consistent and finally found its footing towards the end of its first season. My understanding is Young Justice season 3 is excellent. There’s some concern about the Swamp Thing show given production changes towards the end of filming. I like the Stargirl character, but haven’t heard much about what the series is going to be like. So…

  165. 165.

    Sab

    @schrodingers_cat: I don’t know any Kamalas. I know lots of Pamelas. Spelling issues are one of the inconveniences of being in a diverse country. Worth it.

    Heck. The commenters on this blog cannot keep “to, too and two” straight. For grammar we have to defer to some (extremely bright) guy in Malaysia who writes his third language better than most of us write our first language.

    If we don’t get corrected we often keep doing it wrong.

    Also I am starting to get really wildly enthusiastic about her (still team Warren). Wouldn’t want to keep getting her name wrong.

    I have a Swiss German last name by marriage. Very very common in my state. You would not believe how people screw it up, people who have been living with us named that for decades.

  167. 167.

    Amir Khalid

    @Mary G:
    It’s getting harder and harder to be surprised by the Trump administration’s stupidity, its greed, its malice, or its criminality.

  168. 168.

    trollhattan

    @Immanentize:
    [punch!] “Tell me your name again, wise guy!

    Then there are the famous, possibly non-existent Hogg sisters–Ima and Ura.

  170. 170.

    Amir Khalid

    @Sab:

    For grammar we have to defer to some (extremely bright) guy in Malaysia who writes his third language better than most of us write our first language.

    Anybody I know?

  173. 173.

    Mnemosyne

    @rikyrah:

    Ah, good point. But hopefully fewer than voted for Trump in 2016. Every vote will matter in 2020.

    @mrmoshpotato:

    I mean, it’s still a minuscule percentage compared to white voters, which is why I’m thinking the primary factor was misogyny. It was the tiny percentage of black men who preferred to see anyone with a peni$ as President, even a racist asshole like Trump.

  174. 174.

    Immanentize

    @Mnemosyne: Don’t assume misogyny. There is a part of the black community, like any community, that is interested in fundamental change even if it means chaos. And Trump promised a better world and chaos.

    ETA African Americans have been voting for racist assholes For Ever. Look at Wallace’s numbers for Governor in Alabama.

  179. 179.

    schrodingers_cat

    @Sab: He probably did most of his schooling in English. If Malaysia is anything like India.
    English is the language of the elite in the former holdings of the Empire.
    The British left but English stayed.

  180. 180.

    The Golux

    @Sab:

    The commenters on this blog cannot keep “to, too and two” straight.

    Nor “its” and “it’s”. (Grinds teeth.)

  181. 181.

    Leto

    @Immanentize: Aww, thanks man! Everyone’s encouragement here has meant so much ?❤️

    @Adam L Silverman: I’ve heard the same regarding Doom Patrol, and wouldn’t mind checking out the Titans and YJ. I just went over to the DCU website and couldn’t find any pricing info. At least not readily apparent. If it’s simply $75 per year, as you stated above, that’s just too much for a few shows.

  183. 183.

    ??? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka) ??

    @Mnemosyne:

    tiny percentage of black men who preferred to see anyone with a peni$ as President, even a racist asshole like Trump.

    I’m a white guy, but I’ll never understand this. It was so painfully clear he was manifestly unfit for office. It also should’ve been clear to these black men that Trump was never going to do them any favors.

  184. 184.

    Immanentize

    @schrodingers_cat: I lived in Miami in the ’80s. Anti-immigrant feelings are not unknown in the AA community. So:
    it’s complicated.

    To ascribe the AA vote for Trump completely to sexist attitudes of black men is, ultimately and sadly bigotted.

  187. 187.

    NotMax

    @trollhattan

    Trivia.

    The three-letter designation for what became Maui’s primary civilian airport after WW2 is OGG, chosen to honor one B. J. Hogg.

    Although it is Kahului Airport, locals still sometimes refer to it as NASKA (Naval Air Station KAhului), its name when constructed during the war. Puunene Airport, more inland, had been the original civilian air field

  191. 191.

    Immanentize

    @The Golux: That is a sad aspect of spell check depending on what you type the most. As Betty C. call’s it — the green grocer’s apostrophe. Yes, spell check can be turned off, but 80% good is quite good indeed.

    ETA did you see what I did there?

  193. 193.

    J R in WV

    @Sab:

    I have a Swiss German last name by marriage.

    M father’s father’s father was Swiss German, simple 2 syllable 5 letter name which people often mispronounce. As in 90% of the time.

    Emphasis on the wrong syllable, mostly.

  194. 194.

    Sab

    @The Golux: Does anyone know where to get those English grammar mugs? Each one had a different grammar/spelling rule.

    I used to think they were just cute. Now I think they are necessary for the literacy of my grandchildren.

  195. 195.

    NotMax

    @Sab

    Don’t get me started on the plethora of misplaced or misused apostrophes. Wince each time one is encountered.

    ;)

  196. 196.

    trollhattan

    @NotMax:
    What happen I lose bags at OGG?
    /Mongo voice

    All together now, everybody: “It’s rainin’ men, oh crap it’s rainin’ men!”

    Mayor de Blasio is expected to announce he’s running for president next week, according to four sources with knowledge of the plans.

    The 2020 announcement could come as early as de Blasio’s birthday on Wednesday, when he’ll turn 58, two sources said. The kickoff was initially expected this week but pushed back, according to another source. De Blasio’s federal political action committee, Fairness PAC, recently polled Iowa voters. The PAC also bankrolled the mayor’s recent travel to key early voting primary states, including trips to Nevada, Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina.

    Fairness PAC spokesman Mike Casca — who took an unpaid leave of absence from City Hall last month to work for the committee – said “no decision” has been made yet and wouldn’t explicitly deny that de Blasio was announcing a campaign next week.

    “Very hard to announce something without a decision – nearly impossible, some might say,” Casca said in a text message on Friday.

  197. 197.

    The Golux

    @Immanentize: Possibly, but I see the same commenters making the same mistake reliably. (Though I’ll admit that I have to correct the predictive text on my iPhone frequently.)

  198. 198.

    J R in WV

    @The Golux:

    @Sab:

    The commenters on this blog cannot keep “to, too and two” straight.

    Nor “its” and “it’s”. (Grinds teeth.)

    Me too, also !!

    Wild apostrophes drive wife especially wild… me too also.

    ETA, trying to fix blockquotes messed up…

  200. 200.

    Immanentize

    @schrodingers_cat:
    So is self-interest. How much $$$ and Russian bot effort was spent on telling African Americans that the Democrats were the racists?

    If we believe that Russian interference matters, then we have to believe voters heeded that message.

  201. 201.

    ??? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka) ??

    @rikyrah:
    Some day I hope John Kelly will end up before some kind of tribunal for crimes against humanity. Several minors have already died in government custody and he’s partly to blame for helping implement the forced family separations.

    In my opinion, Trump supporters and voters are murderers-by-proxy. It was obvious what Trump was in 2016. They should’ve known better, and I would argue, many did, but just didn’t care

  202. 202.

    trollhattan

    @NotMax:
    Neglected to mention, the airport outside Wenatchee, WA is designated EAT.

    “Why, don’t mind if I do.” Gazes at vending machine and mutters to self.

  204. 204.

    Gin & Tonic

    @J R in WV:

    Wild apostrophes drive wife especially wild

    So is that how Joe Francis got his start, by misplacing apostrophes?

  205. 205.

    oldgold

    @PhilippeReines

    He talked to Putin about Mueller.

    But refused to talk to Mueller.

    ‘bout sums it up.

  208. 208.

    Gin & Tonic

    @trollhattan: Will always recall a sentence from Burgess’ Enderby: “She breathed on him, although a young lady should not eat (because of the known redolence of onions) onions, onions.”

  210. 210.

    StringOnAStick

    As far as grammar policing goes, some of us comment using a Kindle sometimes, which can be an utterly frustrating experience given the fiddly keyboard (I think it’s the same as an Android phone). Kindles can be remarkably tenacious about what they are sure you are trying to spell, are not aware of all internet traditions, and they don’t let you get cute and make up your own words (humorless!). I would have commented more when I was stuck to the couch after my first knee replacement (2nd one is in July), but narcotics and my haughty Kindle made it so, so, so tedious. It was a godsend though, having a light weight browser when I couldn’t tolerate sitting at the desk with my PC.

  211. 211.

    Sab

    @NotMax: @<a href="#comment

    At least our Swiss name had eight letters, if only two syllables. Locally their are three pronunciations ( is "gh" pronounced "f" or "k".)

    People who have the name pronounce the gh either as f or k. Everyone else ignores it. So everyone locally mispronounces the name. It's weird. We have been here in this area for 200+ years and yet nobody can pronounce it yet. I am obnoxious and correct bank tellers. My husband and his sisters, born to it, just give up and go with the flow.

    How do you screw up five letters.

  212. 212.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    @??? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka) ??: Even more twisted than that, plenty of AA conservatives out there, that’s what Trumpism is about – the legacy luzer section of the Country Club is upset because these new people earned it.

  213. 213.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Leto: You also get BTAS and STAS and JL and JLU in HD. Most, if not all of the animated movies, a bunch of the other DC cartoons going back to the 60s, and they’ve created a very large comics archive subscribers can access.

  215. 215.

    NotMax

    @Sab

    How do you screw up five letters.

    Knew a guy in college whose last name was five letters. All consonants, no vowels.

    Also someone whose last name was four letters, beginning with “Gn” – and the G is supposed to be pronounced.

  218. 218.

    Sab

    @Sab: I work in a suburb that’s very Polish. Fifteen letter surnames with two vowels, and they think their names can be pronounced.

    On the other hand, my people were Celts, and they throw vowells everywhere with no conceivable purpose.

  221. 221.

    Sab

    @The Golux: Its and it’s is just lazy typing. Takes three keystrokes to get the apostrophe.

    Connie Schultz ( better writer and better grammarian than I will ever be) hates tweets that don’t have periods.

  223. 223.

    Ruckus

    @Sab:
    My name is very simple. First name is 3 letters, last name is 4 letters. And I enunciate reasonably well. People get it wrong all the time. And both names are based out of the english language and usage.
    People who speak multiple languages normally get it right. Americans who speak only the bastardized english we speak get it wrong about 50% of the time.

  224. 224.

    2liberal

    @J R in WV:

    two to too it’s its etc etc etc

    Adam seems have these types of errors in a lot of his posts. It makes me think he is doing some talk to text technology.

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