Character

Fifteen votes. That's how many attempts it took Kevin McCarthy to attain his longtime goal of becoming the Speaker of the House of Representatives. It is the eighth most ballots cast in American history, and the most since before the Civil War. Click here to Tweet this article McCarthy's victory...

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  • January 7, 2023

The Trump Republican Party is beginning the new year just as one would have expected: With the division, animosity, and chaotic incompetence that has been the hallmark of Donald Trump's brief and abhorrent political career. Click here to Tweet this article The election of the House Speaker is ordinarily a...

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  • January 3, 2023

I grew up in the 1960s, and verbal memes were significant in my black experience. Conversational shorthand was prevalent, with words like solid, psych’, and even rap having a different meaning then than now. Solid could take on multiple meanings depending on context; it could mean I understand, you are...

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  • December 5, 2022

I was recently asked; what do you think about the Dave Chappelle controversy? Without explanation, I knew the questioner was referring to his recent Netflix comedy special “The Closer.” I must first confess that I am a big fan of Mr. Chappelle. His now-defunct late-night sketch comedy show, his stand-up,...

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  • October 25, 2021

This is the sixth set of notes for a reading group on Marx’s Capital, and includes a Volume I refresher for further reading of Volume II. There are links to earlier posts and texts that may be useful. Marx is probably too taken with a kind of scientism by proposing...

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  • October 25, 2021

If you haven’t seen Netflix’s Squid Game yet—well, what are you waiting for? If anything is a parable for our time, this is it. Too often meteoric cultural phenomena that purport to capture the zeitgeist fail to capture my interest, but this one is different. If you believe, as I...

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  • October 14, 2021

Speaking to a colleague this morning who asked if I was tired of writing about racial ‘strife.’ The answer was—no—I am tired of living it. In less than two weeks a white Ohio police chief thought it was a joke to leave a KKK reference on the desk of one...

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  • July 23, 2021

Oklahoma’s right-wing politicians would like to erase history because that’s what they do, whether it’s the omission of facts or rewriting them to favor those in power. Historical guilt and its associated media effects cooties can’t be part of public school curricula. H.B. 1775  implies that the past prior to 1776...

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  • May 24, 2021

I took my first shot of the Pfizer vaccine two days after my birthday. I had my second shot 21 days later, and I am well past the two-week waiting period to be considered fully vaccinated. Now that I have reached that milestone, I am ready for the next public...

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  • May 14, 2021

If you take a moment and listen to the so-called moderate wing of the Republican party, they are as extreme as the rest. This weekend Utah Senator Mitt Romney was roundly booed by members of his party at the Utah GOP convention. The crime that elicited the verbal censure from...

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  • May 3, 2021

“Dadirri listens and knows, witnesses, feels, empathizes in the pain under the anger, and, if the anger is accompanied by action, seeks to understand the thoughts and feelings behind the action. Dadirri then seeks to find the source of that pain in knowledge-building for a deepening understanding of the more...

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  • April 23, 2021

The 2020 election showed how Trump was defeated by defections among white women but there remain a sizable number still wedded to supporting white male politicians regardless of their character. Why is it that white women in the United States have often wielded their collective power to support and amplify...

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  • April 12, 2021

Trump posted an Easter message — it’s the same, but at least MSM isn’t holding back on framing the idiocy as biographer Michael D’Antonio notes the post-president’s continued grifting, and CNN’s Jim Acosta weighs in. “Yep. It’s Sally Field. You love me. You really love me,” D’Antonio said, referring back to the 1980s...

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  • April 4, 2021

We remain weary about the callow stupidity of the GOP/GQP but we must not patronize or condescend about how superfluous their grievances have been and continue to be. Now that we know more about Trump’s sexual practices, fascist fantasizing seems altogether rote and boring, but certainly redolent of a banality...

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  • March 25, 2021

The Atlanta spree killings are unfortunately a story with structural similarity to events elsewhere. How do we know that Robert Long wasn’t on his way to Mar-a-Lago when the cops performed a PIT maneuver on him after he killed eight people. Darn hypotheticals of the culture wars. Mar-a-Lago as spa resort...

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  • March 19, 2021

“The universe has been to them.” (Resident Alien) Kitchen Table Kibitzing is a community series for those who wish to share a virtual kitchen table with other readers of Daily Kos who aren’t throwing pies at one another. Drop by to talk about music, your weather, your garden, or what...

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  • March 13, 2021

My dogs are pretty loyal. I give them loads of treats, ear scratches, and belly rubs, and in return they look at me adoringly while mostly refraining from pooping in or near my shoes. I could start selling holiday gift baskets stuffed with panda sausage, baby seal tears, and black...

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  • March 6, 2021

Is Lindsey Graham for real? No, that’s a serious question. Because he looks like a Rankin-Bass Claymation character to me. Lindsey, the misfit Christmas elf who never liked to make toys and forgot to show up for elf practice because his real dream was to loofah Donald Trump’s hide so he’d stop looking...

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  • March 2, 2021

Received this e-mail from Lt. Governor John Fetterman’s (D. PA) U.S. Senate campaign: Pennsylvania is *clearly superior* to New Jersey: In NFL teams, cheesesteaks, and convenience stores. But as of this week, NJ has something that most states, including PA, do not: Weed. Fully legal weed. ✅ I believe that weed should...

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  • February 26, 2021

From November 1994 to October 1995, the so-called trial of the century took place. It centered around murder, race, sex, athletics, and hero-worship. America was drawn to it like a badly made tv melodrama. We were subjected to constant tv break-ins, with breathless reporters recounting every gasp, sigh, and eye-roll...

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  • February 8, 2021

So I know C-SPAN’s whole shtick is to simply report the news without editorial comment, but maybe they could make an exception here and there? Like when a member of one party accuses the entire opposition party of eating babies? Just spitballing here. Watch: x “We need women like [Marjorie Taylor-Greene] in...

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  • February 4, 2021

Conservatives love to mythologize wealthy people as brave, resolute, patriotic captains of industry who won’t let anything get in the way of their success. At the same time, they also frequently portray the rich as timid little whelps who will instantly grab their balls and go home if anyone tries to pluck...

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  • January 29, 2021

Democracy is an afterthought for Trumpists. Whether it’s the “sense of style” or “good men knowing their limitations” the movie character of Dirty Harry played by Clint Eastwood resembles the RWNJ fantasy of transcendent morality embodied in some westerns. Harry Callahan acts beyond a rule of law premised on liberal...

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  • January 28, 2021

Even as DC is now better prepared for a “million militia march” on 20 January, the likelihood is that only the most foolhardy will lay their lives down for Trump’s Big Lie. Meanwhile “something of a pariah” Trump will flee to Florida to rehabilitate his now permanently abysmal position in history. And...

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  • January 17, 2021

To be fair, if I were in Congress, some of my siblings would be calling for my removal pretty much every day. And they’d pull out all the stops. No doubt they’d release photos of me sitting naked in the tub with my boats, having just made a boom-boom of...

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  • January 13, 2021

So this morning, Melania Trump helpfully pointed out to all us plebs who the real victim of the assault on the Capitol is: Melania Trump. That’s no surprise. Trumps are always victims—of the whiniest sort. If Donald Trump ever sincerely took responsibility for anything, I’d start checking random D.C. basements...

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  • January 11, 2021

Another Trump-Russia participation trophy, because Devin was so stupid he won’t get an indictment until Trump leaves office. x What’s the over/under thar Trump will award himself the Medal? pic.twitter.com/vl1Rzws2Ny— Devin Nunes’ cow 🐮 (@DevinCow) January 4, 2021 Nunes has filed multiple lawsuits characterized as Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation...

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  • January 4, 2021
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Democratic Senate candidate Jon Ossoff (@ossoff) gave every Democrat a clinic on how to use Fox News to attack & fact check their own candidate. Ossoff owns Fox News once again x x YouTube Video See full episodes here. Every Democratic candidate should learn from Jon Ossoff how to address the media and...

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  • January 1, 2021

Congressional Republicans have savagely beclowned themselves throughout the Trump era. I thought the worst degradation would be their refusal to hold Trump accountable during the impeachment trials, but the lickspittles were far from done licking and spittling. According to CNN’s Jake Tapper, at least 140 reality-challenged cowards are planning to...

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  • December 31, 2020

One of the cardinal sins of commentary writing is not to name-call or insult your readers with invectives. In this case, I am going to purposefully violate the rules, I am not sure how else to label the 126 Republican members of the United States House of Representatives and at...

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  • December 28, 2020

With a very effective message, Scott Galloway, the author of Post Corona effectively takes down a system that puts corporations ahead of people. “Post Corona” author hits the nail on the head x x YouTube Video See full episodes here. MSNBC Host Stephanie Ruhle asked NYU Professor and author of “Post Corona:...

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  • December 27, 2020

We are in the world of Dr. Doom, Doc Octopus, and Doctor Strange, as Trumpian ignorance has yet to recede from not recognizing the differences among honorific, honorary, and honor. The WSJ publishes an opinion piece suggesting Dr. Jill Biden stop using the ‘Dr.’ title The Wall Street Journal published an opinion...

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  • December 12, 2020

There are varying theories on how hypnosis affects the state of mind. Some believe a hypnotic trance is an altered version of one’s being, while others believe it is an altered state of cognizance that allows you to subconsciously role play. I am not sure my explanation makes sense or...

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  • December 11, 2020

Can enraging Georgia voters about a lost election actually spur GOP turnout in Georgia. The Trumpist cognitive dissonance is strong with them, much like Trump’s claim that he couldn’t possibly have lost because he got more votes than in 2016. x I think a lot of people are overestimating the...

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  • December 7, 2020

Barr Is Said to Be Weighing Whether to Leave Before Trump’s Term Ends Attorney General William P. Barr is considering stepping down before President Trump’s term ends next month, according to three people familiar with this thinking. One said Mr. Barr could announce his departure before the end of the...

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  • December 7, 2020

This post in the Anticapitalist Chat supports a group reading of Karl Marx’s Capital Vol 1. #GoodMorningMarx #WeeklyMarx. Not quite this type of commodity, but more like a pork barrel. x “Ah, pork bellies, I knew it.” ~Louis Winthorpe @dan_aykroyd https://t.co/yeVcYIYtqF— Stephen Bates (@batess) December 3, 2020 M. Proudhon has the misfortune of...

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  • December 4, 2020

Among of the most predictable character traits of the Malignant Mangoface are these: He is petty, he hates being a loser, and he absolutely has to be the center of attention. All of these are prominent in his latest move against President-elect Joe Biden: Trump considering kicking off 2024 run...

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  • November 28, 2020

Trump celebrated a month and 26 days of asshat amateurism left by having a one minute briefing and taking no questions at the White House, but claiming credit for the stock market record even as he had predicted a crash with a Biden victory. x The First Lady (right) at the...

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  • November 24, 2020

This fucking guy. I mean, really. CNN: It does not appear President Trump will participate in a side-event at the G20 virtual summit focused on pandemic preparedness. The event — which is due to begin this hour — will feature remarks from the leaders of Germany, France, South Korea and...

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  • November 21, 2020

We spend a lot of energy on this blog blasting Republican officials for cowardice, for lack of character, for putting party over country. It is only fair, then, to acknowledge the occasional Republican who actually cares about his responsibilities, Ben Raffensperger, a Republican, is the Secretary of State for Georgia....

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  • November 16, 2020

Will he claim that those five million votes were Californians illegally voting. x “I concede NOTHING!” is not a normal thing for a president to write. But his refusal to concede is meaningless. What matters is that the Presidential Transition Act directs Emily Murphy to ascertain the “apparent” winner and...

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  • November 15, 2020

Spend any time talking to a Republican and eventually you will hear emotional complaints about the Participation Trophy — trophies given to every kid who participates in Little League or similar games regardless of whether they win.  A number of Republicans believe this is destroying the American character. It occurred to...

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  • November 12, 2020

Van Jones cried as he expressed the reality for many Americans who feel liberated from a nightmare that engulfed the country for 4 years. Van Jones gets it right x x YouTube Video See full episodes here. After CNN called the race for the Biden/Harris ticket, Van Jones gave an emotional statement that...

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  • November 7, 2020

Kitchen Table Kibitzing is a community series for those who wish to share a virtual kitchen table with other readers of Daily Kos who aren’t throwing pies at one another. Drop by to talk about music, your weather, your garden, or what you cooked for supper…. Newcomers may notice that...

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  • November 7, 2020

It is important to understand why the angst of the Donald Trump supporter. He conned them as he has done so many times. Donald Trump conned his own x x YouTube Video See full episodes here. Here is what the president would prefer one does not analyze. Trump made the...

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  • November 6, 2020

This story supports a group reading of Karl Marx’s Capital Vol 1. #GoodMorningMarx #WeeklyMarx This covers chapters 14, 15, 16.  Chapter 14 will provide further evidence of alienation in the division of labor and manufacturing in the capitalist reorganization of labor.  Chapter 15 describes more closely the production process and...

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  • November 4, 2020

This story supports a group reading of Karl Marx’s Capital Vol 1. #GoodMorningMarx #WeeklyMarx This covers chapters 11-14. Today’s supporting summary is at the very bottom, below the fold. Set against the backdrop of the Luddite uprisings in the Yorkshire textile industry, Charlotte Brontë’s novel Shirley caused a sensation when it...

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  • November 1, 2020

Biden-Obama speech scheduled at 530pm ET. A Stanford study shows Trump rallies have killed 700 people so far. x YouTube Video Trump remains 10% behind Biden nationally but folks still need to go to the polls. GTFO and VOTE x Former President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden are...

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  • October 31, 2020

If the expected Bluewave rushes over the levee of American politics and washes away the dirt of tyranny; are we looking at a red-secession? If you listen to the massing voices of Republican discontent, war is coming. Story after story is highlighted daily of some Army-surplus-store-toy-soldiers threatening to take to the...

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  • October 30, 2020

MSNBC's Andrea Mitchell is from a time of cordial journalism. Trump's comms guy forced her out of character and she did not disappoint. Andrea Mitchell, out of character. Welcomed! x x YouTube Video See full episodes here. Andrea Mitchell invited President Trump’s Campaign Communication Director, Tim Murtaugh, to the program. True...

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  • October 29, 2020