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...
Legacy
If you have seen the movie Birds of Prey (And the Fabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn), you know the underlying theme was her discovering her power amidst a world of insanity, crime, and social degradation; hence her emancipation. That brings me to the current impasse in the Senate, with...
West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin just cooked the planet. I don't mean that in a metaphorical sense. I mean that literally. Unless Manchin changes his negotiating position dramatically soon, he will be remembered as the man who, when the moment of decision came, chose to condemn virtually every living creature on Earth...
Women and people of color had a unique experience that ended yesterday in Tokyo, Japan. The controversial Summer Olympics closed with America at the top of the medal leader board despite some members of the team having barbs and sticks hurled at them from the right-wing. Lots of conservatives and...
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...
GQP, the “radical cult that used to be a political party” now attacks “wokeness” to divert attention from their retribution against Liz Cheney’s vote against previous guy during the insurrection. x Rep. Kevin McCarthy: “The movement in this country about wokeness has got to stop.” pic.twitter.com/Vnrkm0N1bx — The Hill (@thehill) May...
A new book suggests now the necessity of reexamining the historical materialist project of Walter Benjamin recognizing those moments of historical contact as acts of recognizing the constructed historical object. “Historicism tends to be hermeneutic because it values cautious, rigorous, and contextualized interpretation of information; or relativist, because it rejects notions of universal, fundamental...
Previous Guy has been desperate for a regular social media channel to wreak his nonsense. Likely he’ll violate the rules again because we’ve seen his poor impulse control and then there’s the Big Lie. Tech experts are skeptical about plans for a Trump social media platform, if only because justice...
More NYC stories of anti-Asian hate. Because bullies and haters come in all shapes and sizes. TRIGGER WARNING NYPD says 65-year-old Asian American woman was walking to church this morning when suspect assaulted her and said “f*** you, you don’t belong here.” Happened in front of 360 W. 43rd St....
Not about authoritarian horseshoes or even close hand grenades. The “environmental” claims of RWNjs or even wise use advocates is also about corporate land use, private property NIMBYism/sovereignty, and constraining minority populations via immigration. Even the New Zealand terrorist’s manifesto proclaimed a ecofascist threat was largely about fearing indigenous people because of...
1969 1969, a day of pride and glory 2021, a day of shame and hate 1964 displaying gallows for hanging It is unbelievable how far we have fallen instead of moving forward. The first still picture is gallows being erected for the hanging of Mike Pence. The picture below is gallows...
Donald Trump’s time in office was defined by death, destruction, disarray, and multiple attacks on democracy. Yet we must never forget that Trump’s legacy also includes an evil milestone, reached in 2018, when the United States, for the first time ever, ranked among the top five deadliest countries for journalists....
Lots of events happening even if they’re all quite chaotic in the Russian Federation. Numerous anti-Putin demonstrations in the middle of winter. and some mysterious doings. Considering how long Trump was groomed, there are very few Trump-like Russian stooges in the wings although Rand Paul, Ron Johnson, and Devin Nunes...
For a brief moment after Trump sent his myrmidons to storm the Capitol where Mitch McConnell was telling the Senate the Biden election was legal, he was angry at what had just happened that he actually showed emotion. “The mob was fed lies,” the GOP leader said on the Senate...
It really has little to do with most legislation. Hell, he might not even whip his caucus on a lot of what Biden wants to do. Although he might want to filibuster on raising taxes. What Mitch really cares about, what he views as his legacy, is his packing of...
Donald Trump tried his best to erase Barack Obama’s legacy, but Joe Biden is president now, and it falls to him to scrub the ocher shite stains out of America’s Underoos. One largely symbolic—but nevertheless important—step is to get the Harriet Tubman $20 bill back on track so Frederick Douglass can see...
“Being American is more than a pride we inherit. It's the past we step into.” “A nation that isn’t broken but simplify unfinished” x WATCH: Amanda Gorman, the youngest inaugural poet in U.S. history, recites a poem on unity in the U.S. at #Inauguration2021 pic.twitter.com/3sIv7DBpla — MSNBC (@MSNBC) January 20,...
Marchers were beaten into withdrawal, spoiling their first attempt to march from Selma to the state capital of Montgomery, Alabama. In the ensuing successful march in 1965 to Montgomery, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered an address that predicted the January 6, 2021 insurrection at the Nation’s Capital. To the...
It’s not so much “when you’ve lost the National Review…”, but the attempt to ensure that there might be an autonomous, conservative GOP rather than a Trumpist party. Aside from fanciful premises about “process” repeated during the House floor debate, the National Review still supports impeachment. He urged a crowd to...
It’s now moving toward that Trump resignation, because impeachment is moving forward and even McConnell has appeared to favor it. Unlike Nixon, perhaps the death of Sheldon Adelson, a major Trump backer, among other defections will not require the approach of major GOP luminaries to pressure Trump to resign. For...
Almost immediately after the siege on the Capitol ended, people started both-sidesing the event. You know, liberals didn’t care about the violence and property destruction that arose in the wake of the racial justice protests over the summer (erm, false), so why do we care about this? In other words, the...
After President Donald Trump ignited his riotous group of seditionists with the words “fight like hell” and ‘take our country back,’ the return shouts and whoops from the crowd were foreboding. In the subsequent hours, Trump's followers proved that walls do not work when they scaled the stone porticos of...
Staring at the Andrew Jackson portrait in the Oval Office must have had a stochastic effect. Like Nixon talking to portraits, Trump decided he’d go out with a bang. As his hero, Trump perhaps read about the second inaugural on 4 March 1829. Trump would never hold such an “open house” rather...
Quite a few republicans are whining that the Tangerine Tyrant has damaged his legacy. Really? Trillions in tax cuts for the wealthy both corporate and private, pennies for the poorest. Praising racists and authoritarians for four years. Building America’s picket fence on the Mexican border, he only needed it to...
Happy New Year 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...
Approaching 4,000 deaths per day, Trump’s big policy win: stronger showers, faster dishwashers. Trump’s legacy will be 300,000 dead—and three-martini lunches. And apparently Trump is coming home early from Florida because he's excited about the Senate attempt to overthrow the 2020 election. x When Republicans who denied #COVID19, called it a hoax...
We are in that strange place where a respected rival gets to lead infrastructure change in a critical area of the US economy and a nutter in VA wants fascism. Darn Constitutional freedoms juxtaposed on the same day. Perhaps trains will run on time. President-elect Joe Biden has tapped former South Bend, Ind.,...
This post in the Anticapitalist Chat supports a group reading of Karl Marx’s Capital Vol 1. #GoodMorningMarx #WeeklyMarx “I have joined a family, and like all families, it's full of shit.” – Pablo Picasso on the French Communist Party. x does this mean i dont have to read it— A.M. (@spaceprole) November...
Trump really wants Iran to do something stupid before he leaves office, whether it’s a terrorist strike by proxies or something, something Revolutionary Guard attack. x If killing Iranian general Qassem Soleimani didn’t change Iran’s behaviors or its strategic policies and objectives, I doubt that killing it’s top nuclear scientists...
There’s a meeting of Trump and GOP lawmakers in Gettysburg PA where they will discuss a fraud to which Rudy has yet to admit under oath in court. x Trump is expected to join his attorney Rudy Giuliani in Gettysburg, PA, Wednesday where GOP state lawmakers are holding a “hearing” on...
Last gasps of biglygate: even Mitt Romney shades Trump as President-elect Biden has not ruled out legal action against the GSA, as Trump will have run out of options very soon. x Arizona will follow in a week.Nevada and Wisconsin will certify on December 1. The electors will cast their...
Trumpist anti-certifying efforts for the remaining states seem a fools’ errand but Trump and Giuliani seem to be the best fools for it. Regardless, they are chasing some version of an apocalyptic conclusion. x And Bannon talking about it openly on his insane Alex Jones-level podcast. — S.V. Dáte (@svdate) November 18,...
I’ve seen a lot of epic rants, but this one was particularly potent. Ned Staebler viciously and correctly called out the blatant racism of two Republican who were refusing to certify the presidential election results in Michigan’s Wayne County. Staebler pointed out the two Republican racists—Board of Canvassers members Monica Palmer and William...
Look, Trump has his go to doc interviewing on Russian Television, an idiot resident claiming he will not count votes and will declare victory if in his stupid brain sees a win and this is the same person who told people to drink bleach and stick a UV down or...
There is a critical reality beyond the waiting for the “next two weeks” in which Trump has promised multiple times over the four years a plan for health care and a plan to combat COVID-19. The pandemic crisis has given us some real relations from which we can gain some insights...
We are fifteen days from electing the next President of the United States. Honestly, if you are still one of the undecideds, I would love to hear your reasons. Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden was widely criticized for saying if you do not vote for him “you ain’t black.” Other...
I look forward to this MAGA experiment ending in November and being stuffed away in a coffee can, wrapped in a sock, and buried in the backyard at noon on January 20th, 2021. This embarrassing blight on modern American politics and democracy thankfully has an early expiration date, or so...
Some very encouraging news today courtesy of Morning Consult’s latest poll: x #NCsen:Cunningham (D) 47% (+6)Tillis (R-inc) 41%.#AZsen:Kelly (D) 49% (+8)McSally (R-inc) 41%.#MIsen:Peters (D-inc) 49% (+9)James (R) 40%.#COsen:Hickenlooper (D) 50% (+10)Gardner (R-inc) 40%@MorningConsult, LV, 10/2-11https://t.co/7AsGqSmIR8— Political Polls (@Politics_Polls) October 13, 2020 And in the presidential election: x COLORADOBiden 54%Trump 40%...
Donna Provencher at The American Independent has a great piece about how U.S. Senate candidate, John James (R. MI), has been cozening up right-wing extremists like Ted Nugent (pictured above) and some other awful groups: He has been photographed with and is alleged to have received campaign contributions from Ryan...
Doesn’t sound like a safe incumbent to me: x NEW from me tonight at 10 on @WJTV . Sen. @Cindyhydesmith won't commit to debating @MikeEspyMS at this time. Take a listen. pic.twitter.com/Ot6NldJoHw— Gerald Harris (@GeraldHarrisTV) October 8, 2020 Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, who less than a week ago said she...
So this bull shit just happened: The Michigan Supreme Court issued a split decision late Friday that ruled against Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in a battle over her power to extend emergency declarations used to mandate COVID-19 restrictions. The court's decision throws in to question orders issued by Whitmer related to...