The Many Faces of US Politics...

[heganboy]

The usual dumbed down suspects have replied, so dumb they even classify me as right wing when I clearly consider the Bush and Clinton Crime families as equals (partners in drug running in Mena, Arkansas and that's just for beginners). The Democrats and Republicans as one in the disguise of two, boy has Trump upset their little club.  Part of me hopes that evil Hillary wins, it's what these dumb asses deserve.

Seamus, hard to know where to even start with this one.

You're saying you hope trump wins to upset the political cronyism in the US.

Tad extreme there perhaps?

[seafoid]

13 minutes of Clinton lying
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dY77j6uBHI

At 4.23 the Benghazi stuff is on. they contrast how much email activity there was in 2011 while she got the war on and how much from 2012 to when the attack happened.

http://www.nybooks.com/articles/2013/03/07/warrior-petraeus/ "the history of President Bush's two wars. Each began with a quick victory followed by a long period of feckless neglect in Washington while the Sunnis in Iraq and the Taliban in Afghanistan organized insurgencies."

Libya was EXACTLY the same. She runs wars for the Zionists and the 1% and then ignores the aftermath. That is why she is so dangerous.

I think Stew is right

[seafoid]

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/30/style/know-your-meme-pepe-the-frog-nasty-woman-presidential-election.html
 
Internet memes, the viral in-jokes of online culture, have emerged as a potent force in the presidential race, serving to build up and tear down candidates.
Brad Kim, the editor of Know Your Meme, a website that dissects the viral phenomenon, has been tracking each political season since 2008, when he was a student at New York University.
He spoke from his office in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, about how memes have become a dog whistle of this election cycle, and their impact on Election Day.
Q. When did memes become a force in American politics?
A. The 2008 election was the light-bulb moment. Campaigns were trying to reach out to younger voters on emergent social media platforms like YouTube and Facebook. Shepard Fairey's "Hope" poster went viral, inspired countless parodies and was an early breakthrough that shed a light on social media's potential for crowdsourced campaigning.
There were also so-called "single serving" sites like Barack Obama Is Your New Bicycle, which really blew up. That was a very simply laid-out website that would display randomly generated non sequiturs that portrayed Barack Obama as your helpful next-door neighbor, like, "Barack Obama warmed up your car for you," or "Barack Obama left a message on your blog."
The general message was: Barack Obama is good for you, he is in tune with the social media generation.
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The "Nasty Woman" meme took off after Donald J. Trump's remark to Hillary Clinton at the third presidential debate.
Were Republicans able to counter with memes of their own?
In 2008, memes were simply a P.R. nightmare for the Republican Party. Most of them were satires of Sarah Palin. She was one of the first major candidates to be perceived as a loose cannon and as a sound-bite generator that ultimately worked against the party.
A hashtag that really took off was #AccordingtoPalin, which was just a running joke about remarks that she had made that were very questionable, like, "You can see Russia from Alaska."
So surely the G.O.P. learned its lesson by 2012?
As far as memes go, 2012 was an even bigger nightmare for the Republicans. Obama had a comfortable lead for most of the way, and Occupy Wall Street was a grass-roots movement that really saturated social media and aligned sentiment against rich guys in general.
A lot of memes ended up portraying Mitt Romney as the Sith Lord of America. The "binders full of women" line from the town hall debate was a prime example. Within 24 hours, that gaffe turned into a full-blown meme, mostly in the form of captioned image parodies.
What's new this year?
From what we've observed so far, memes are no longer treated as nuisances, although they still can be. We've seen memes play a vital role in crafting a powerful cult of personalities for Bernie Sanders and Donald J. Trump.
Sanders seemed to come out of nowhere this year. Were memes a factor?
If I had to pick one thing that was the most unique this year, it was the idolization of Bernie Sanders through meme caricatures.
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Two of the most popular ones were Barnie Sandlers and Bernie Sanders' Dank Meme Stash, two Facebook pages that operated on the same joke, that Bernie was running on a pro-meme platform. People would cut and paste text onto promotional materials, like official Sanders fliers, so it would seem as if Bernie was making insightful comments on the state of memes, as opposed to the state of politics.
Ultimately, they helped provide him an exceptionally large online following, in comparison with his actual delegate count.
What about with Donald Trump?
This year, meme culture has outgrown its longstanding, left-leaning edge. Reddit, for example, has a sub-Reddit page called The_Donald, which is one of the fastest growing pro-Trump communities. There is also 4chan's /pol/-Politically Incorrect page.
Donald Trump himself has been a major factor. No other candidate in modern U.S. election history has had such an openly antagonistic relationship with the news media and a high level of disregard for Beltway conventions. Memes have been his way to take his message straight to the people.
Which brings us to Pepe the Frog. How did this cartoon frog take off?
Pepe is an internet symbol that has been around for years. He was a character in the comic "Boy's Club" by Matt Furie, and he used to be known as "Feels Bad Man," because he looked so sad.
Feels Bad Man frog inspired many spinoffs over the years, but until 2015, he was a symbol of sad-sack, beta-male singledom for users of 4chan. That site is widely described as the "cesspool" of the internet. It is basically a locker room full of a bunch of single dudes commiserating over their social awkwardness.
Photo



Pepe the Frog became political when Mr. Trump endorsed it by retweeting a Trump version of the character.
So how did Pepe become a Trump symbol?
Pepe didn't become political until Donald Trump endorsed it by retweeting a Trump version of the character, which led to a mass influx of pro-Trump Pepes.
You have to consider social media's political climate leading up to 2016, which has been heavily marked by the gender war and identity politics. These things led to the emergence of a reactionary movement, namely the alt-right, and Trump was kind of the natural poster boy for that.
Pepe plugged into the ideology of the alt-right because it was a reaction against the people they call "normies." Pepe had been a symbol of the disenfranchised, social outcasts. It was Trump's natural audience.
Pretty soon there was a huge influx of racist Pepe memes from 4chan and The_Donald community on Reddit. But the real trigger point that led to mass production of Nazi and other offensive Pepes was after Hillary Clinton released a denouncement of the meme, which is a milestone in meme history.
No meme has ever been denounced by a presidential candidate. In a way, Pepe serves as a social media dog whistle for Trump followers to echo their implicit support of ultraconservative beliefs in public forums without risking the invitation of backlash.
Is there a meme shared by supporters of both major party candidates?
One that has been used by both sides is "This Is Fine" dog. It's a web comic by K. C. Green, of a dog sitting in a room engulfed in flames, but he says, "This is fine."
This is how many American voters feel about the state of affairs in this year's election. They think the world is ending.

[J70]

Voter rigging rampant in Texas. Soros voting machines in 16 crucial states. We are going to get yet another selected President.

FFS

No more than the infamous butterfly ballot in Palm Beach in 2000, a bunch of old fvcks don't know how to operate a voting machine

Not the same thing at all!

On the one hand you have a bunch of technology-challenged old geezers who mistakenly pull the lever for Buchanan.

On the other, you have the paranoid, fact- and logic-free memes, such as this Soros voting machine, which repeatedly spread through the gullible right wing like an infection.

They did a test run in Palm Beach and had a bunch of kids in Junior Infants take part in a mock election and if I recall correctly 100 % of them were able to figure out how to vote properly

You can just never admit that some Dems are just as fvckin stupid as some Republicans....I knew you'd get your hair on fire about the butterfly ballot....that's why I threw it out there../.LOL

What are you talking about??

That old people are idiots when it comes to technology is news to no one, nor is it a partisan issue.

Nor indeed is intelligence, and I have never made that claim.

What is a partisan issue is that there is a reactionary, paranoid, right wing section of US society who are being served by an equally paranoid right wing media and political complex. There is no liberal, Democratic counterpart or equivalent.

Yes, I'm sure you can pull up some idiotic utterance or fringe movement from somewhere, but there is no equivalent that has mainstream acceptance and incorporation on the left to anywhere remotely close to the degree it does on the right.

Bill Maher is not paranoid but he is full of shit. Unemployment is not 5%. 14 m new jobs are not good jobs. The economy is not going well. Obama was not a good president.
I think US media has different levels of venality. RTE would be better than any US channel in terms of the public interest. And RTE is mediocre.

Bill Mayer is a comedian who is full of shit sometimes and on the money other times. What he isn't is a major politician indulging conspiracy theories like Jade Helm, birtherism, Muslims, outrage over faked videos, science etc. etc.

As for Obama's presidency, time will tell, either way. He inherited a world of shit and unprecedented GOP obstruction.

I don't what you're on about with the unemployment rate thing. Is that a conspiracy? Is it being calculated differently to how it was done in the past?

Not to let the facts get in the way of a good story, but didn't the democrats have a majority in congress during this time, and if I am correct was that not when Obamacare was passed.

The Dems had a congressional majority for the first two years of his presidency. He's been in power for almost eight years. Are you're denying that the GOP brought obstructionism to a new high (low?). It started from day one, especially in the Senate which had a filibuster-proof majority for about 3 months of that 09-11 congress. Even now, before the election, they're talking about Clinton NOT being able to fill Scalia's supreme court seat. After holding up Obama's appointee since March because apparently the American people should get to choose the appointee by electing a new president.

on a separate point, I believe that unfortunately, a lot of the jobs that are being created today are not high paying jobs, I believe technology and more so increased regulation are the major reasons for this. It is not a good long term situation, in fact it is bad when the divergence between the well off and the less well off continues to increase. However, if you believe that you can tax yourself to prosperity or regulate yourself to prosperity, you are delusional.

Despite Interest rates being at zero for past five years, GDP growth is still below 2%. Cannot blame 2008 2009 for all that. I think there is a serious lack of confidence by businesses both big and small and that is causing a serious lack of new business investment. They would rather increase dividends or do stock repurchase programs rather than expand in the U.S.

So, for the sake of argument, what regulations need to go to help fuel growth (I've asked you this before)?

[J70]

The usual dumbed down suspects have replied, so dumb they even classify me as right wing when I clearly consider the Bush and Clinton Crime families as equals (partners in drug running in Mena, Arkansas and that's just for beginners). The Democrats and Republicans as one in the disguise of two, boy has Trump upset their little club.  Part of me hopes that evil Hillary wins, it's what these dumb asses deserve.

Don't worry, Soros and his evil minions and voting machines are working on it even as we speak.

[seafoid]

http://www.nybooks.com/daily/2016/10/25/down-goes-trump-toward-humiliating-defeat/

[muppet]

http://europe.newsweek.com/hillary-clinton-emails-fbi-comey-donald-trump-anthony-weiner-huma-abedin-514918?rm=eu

...The disclosure by the Federal Bureau of Investigation late on Friday, October 28 that it had discovered potential new evidence in its inquiry into Hillary Clinton's handling of her personal email when she was Secretary of State has virtually nothing to do with any actions taken by the Democratic nominee, according to government records and an official with knowledge of the investigation, who spoke to Newsweek on condition of anonymity....

https://www.yahoo.com/news/comey-wrote-bombshell-letter-to-congress-before-fbi-had-reviewed-new-emails-220219586.html

...At the time Comey wrote the letter, "he had no idea what was in the content of the emails," one of the officials said, referring to recently discovered emails that were found on the laptop of disgraced ex-Rep. Anthony Weiner, the estranged husband of top Clinton aide Huma Abedin. Weiner is under investigation for allegedly sending illicit text messages to a 15-year-old girl.

As of Saturday night, the FBI was still in talks with the Justice Department about obtaining a warrant that would allow agency officials to read any of the newly discovered Abedin emails, and therefore was still in the dark about whether they include any classified material that the bureau has not already seen....

[J70]

Is any significant number of people REALLY going to be swayed away from Clinton at this point by the POSSIBILITY that additional emails have been discovered?

The issue has dogged her for almost two years. Unless someone has been hiding in a cave or in a coma, they already know she is hypersecretive and thinks she is above the law. Unless some new emails emerge showing something damaging, I don't see how this can make much difference, ESPECIALLY given the alternative.

Similarly, are the emergence of new allegations of Trump groping/sexually assaulting women every few days making any difference at this point? Anyone who cares has considered the information already.

[whitey]

Huma Abedin signed under penalty of perjury that she had returned ALL devices contains work related email.

Her douchbag husband supposedly sexted a 15 year old girl and is under federal investigation

When the Feds confiscated HIS computer, they found HER emails.....which is absolutely scandalous, as he would have ZERO security clearance.

What's even scarier is that she didn't even know they were on there.

It is very possible that there is nothing new from an email standpoint, but if this came out after the fact, I can't even imagine what would have happened

What impact will it have.....we'll probably not zero....and IMHO it may impact down ticket races as much as the presidential election.

[muppet]

She signed under penalty of perjury that she had returned ALL devices contains work related email.

Her douchbag husband supposedly sexted a 15 year old girl and is under federal investigation

When the Feds confiscated HIS computer, they found HER emails.....which is absolutely scandalous, as he would have ZERO security clearance.

What's even scarier is that she didn't even know they were on there.

It is very possible that there is nothing new from an email standpoint, but if this came out after the fact, I can't even imagine what would have happened

What impact will it have.....we'll probably not zero....and IMHO it may impact down ticket races as much as the presidential election.

Just to bring some much needed clarity....

Who is the she you are talking about?

And are wives not allowed email their husbands?

[whitey]

Human Abedin

[muppet]

Human Abedin

Cheers.

And also to clarify, the FBI don't know what is in her emails, as they haven't yet received authority from the Justice Department to look at them (as Abedin is not under investigation so no 'probable cause') and they definitely haven't a clue if there is anything to do with Hillary's emails in them.

Do you disagree with any of that?

[whitey]

Human Abedin

Cheers.

And also to clarify, the FBI don't know what is in her emails, as they haven't yet received authority from the Justice Department to look at them (as Abedin is not under investigation so no 'probable cause') and they definitely haven't a clue if there is anything to do with Hillary's emails in them.

Do you disagree with any of that?

To the contrary....this actually could widen the scope of the investigation

"Probable cause" for reading them is the fact that Huma lied under the penalty of perjury that she returned all devices containing work email.

It is also possible (and likely) that the Feds have now discovered previously undisclosed email accounts Huma used to conduct work email.......that could be a HUGE problem for them

[stew]

The democrats are rotten to the core, again Clinton should be in prison.

[screenexile]

The democrats are rotten to the core, again Clinton should be in prison.

Zzzzz change the record stew you and your conservative colleagues have failed again 8 more years get used to it!!!!