StrangeSox

QUOTE (Jenksismyb**** @ Jan 12, 2016 -> 11:24 AM) I think he's popular because he's the anti-establishment candidate and he's not PC. He's something completely new and different in the election cycles recently (or ever). I think if you start parsing out the specifics of what he says, people wouldn't agree with it, but it's the general ideas that people get behind. Aside from some dumb, unprofessional statements (all mexicans are criminals, Fiorina's looks, etc) what other crazy things has he said that he alone is advocating? Building a wall? That's a decades long conversation. He's not the first. And I think MOST people understand that's not realistic to do. But they like that he's wanting to take that on and that he wants Mexico to play a role. No Muslims in the country? Again, he's not the only one. And while it's discriminatory and unconstitutional and everything else, it's the idea that we need to be more secure to prevent a Paris-like attack that people are attracted to. Which is just code for all of the s***ty things he's been saying. Mexicans are rapists, retweeting literal neo-nazi fake black crime stats, Megyn Kelly on her period, Fiorina's looks, mocking a physical disability, proposing that we shut down mosques and register and track all Muslims, s***ting on POWs, goons at his rallies beating up minorities and throwing out Muslims, and I'm sure more that I'm forgetting. He's not really advocating policy, which I think strengthens my argument that his support is due to him and what he's saying. Sanders advocates for quasi-democratic socialism and broadly speaking equality and fair treatment. Trump is advocating for racism, sexism, xenophobia and dips his toe into outright fascism. "Advocating for something that is outside the mainstream of US politics and probably not achievable" isn't what makes Trump terrible, it's his nativist populism.

I don't think he's a wage earner--he runs his own ranch. But yeah you'd think they'd be able to seize his bank accounts or something. Maybe the fines are still being litigated? Either way he's still illegally grazing his animals on BLM land without paying the appropriate fees or abiding by the appropriate regulations.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Jan 12, 2016 -> 11:00 AM) County manager says he'll be billing them for the tens of thousands of dollars per day or so that it costs them to maintain the place and deal with their B.S. So there will be a combo of fines and civil action against these idiots to when it's all over. I hope so, but at the same time, Cliven Bundy has owed the federal government millions of dollars for years now and, as far as I know, is still illegally grazing his cattle on BLM land. Fines don't mean much if they won't enforce them.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Jan 12, 2016 -> 10:56 AM) He's getting 25 to 30% in polls among Republicans. About 25% of the electorate identifies as Republican (remember that much of the electorate does not identify to a party). That's 6 to 8% of the electorate. See more gory math here. The counterpoint to this is that Nate Silver has been saying for months "Trump can't win, his support will collapse" without any real underlying argument to back it up. Romney never had more than 30-35% support until he pretty much had the nomination locked up. He wrote that piece about 8 weeks ago now. Trump is still maintaining a solid lead over both Cruz and Rubio. Votes haven't been cast yet, but we're coming up quickly on the first primaries and caucuses now. Trump definitely isn't a lock to win the nomination, but he's not the "haha, the first in a long string of joke candidates just like 2012" we all may have thought he was 6-8 months ago. edit: additionally, the most credible threat to Trump right now is Ted Cruz.

http://www.oregonlive.com/pacific-northwes...gon_stando.html Nothing happened to the guys who threatened the local businesses at the Bundy Ranch standoff, so it's not shocking to seem them emboldened by another huge non-response here.

The Pacific Patriots Network, the group that joined the militant occupation over the weekend, is out and about patrolling the town of Burns.

Trump is popular because of the terrible things he's saying. They aren't incidental to why people support him. We don't celebrate FDR for the Japanese American internment camps, we don't celebrate Washington for owning slaves. What are the redeeming qualities of Trump's campaign so far, and how are they the source of his popularity rather than the racism/sexism/xenophobia/pseudo-fascism? Ok but that's sort of the point. People are supporting Trump because he's a s***bag bully picking on pretty much every conceivable minority group (racial, religious, gender, physical impairment) out there who's 'not afraid to tell it like it is.' I think the rest of the Republican field is full of terrible policies, but I wouldn't say that people who support Rubio/Cruz/Bush etc. are terrible people. I think Trump clearly and deliberately crossed that line a long time ago, though, and his support hasn't waned.

QUOTE (Buehrle>Wood @ Jan 11, 2016 -> 10:53 AM) Way too ripe for corruption. f*** that. While they create issues of their own, Oregon and California have pretty stringent standards and there really doesn't appear to be any sort of corruption/abuse.

QUOTE (bmags @ Jan 11, 2016 -> 03:58 PM) Damn, I didn't know Kevin Drum had bone cancer. Yeah, multiple myeloma. His treatment has been going fairly well, results are less than ideal but still pretty good, but he knows he only as so much time at this point. edit: he actually had an update on his health yesterday because a lot of people (including me) may have been reading a little more into that article than he intended.

Republicans in Congress appear to be trying to shield VW from any sort of consumer liability. It would also further gut class-action lawsuits on the whole.

QUOTE (Steve9347 @ Jan 11, 2016 -> 06:19 PM) A year after this post. Definitely the right call. New job, baby, new house and still alive. Today I got a $30,000 bonus. Huzzah!!

QUOTE (HickoryHuskers @ Jan 12, 2016 -> 07:57 AM) I took a five day "boot camp" class that was entirely aimed at passing the exam. Mine was paid for by my employer, so I don't know the exact cost but I'm guessing about $2K. After the class, I put in about 2 hours of studying for two days and then 4 hours the night before the test. I really didn't have time to study more and only passed at the minimum level. What do you call a guy who barely passed the PMP? A certified project manager!

Paul and Fiorina left out of next debate

QUOTE (greg775 @ Jan 11, 2016 -> 11:53 PM) OK I have to get meaner here and quit being so polite. So you are saying all the people who like Trump are bad people?? Trump has more than 6 percent of the populace way more than 6 percent supporting him. So millions and millions of Americans are bad people? Is that what you guys are saying? Then you believe that TONS of Americans are bad people? I've never criticized our own people like that. Like I said, Hilly and Bill have lied PLENTY just like Trump. I've never called you a BAD PERSON for supporting them. This is all relative. Trump is not going to expel all foreigners; he's not going to build any wall. Yes he's lying. The fact I still like him somewhat compared to the old political machine types does not make me BAD person. I see a real decline in the American dream and I want people to start making some money again. I'm not confident any of the regular traditional politicos can do this for America. I say give Trump a shot at it. If he fails, big deal, expel him in four years. America is full of all types of people. Do you think people are BAD people who for decades have gone in the booth and voted for ALL Republicans on each individual ballot without knowing anything about many of them? People in this state do that all the time. I would not say they are BAD people even though I disagree with their actions in that regard. I mean what if a person gave millions to the poor, helped old ladies cross the street every day, visited prisoners, gave gifts to the needy on a regular basis and happened to support Trump heavily. Is that person a BAD person? I say of course not. This is a lot of words that never come close to addressing the reason trump is terrible and why you are terrible for supporting him.

Saying a bunch of racist, misogynistic, bigoted things is not a nice thing to do, and supporting someone who's said what Trump has is pretty terrible. Where is the line between "misguided" and "actively a bad person" for you? I think anyone supports Trump crossed that line months ago.

QUOTE (Jenksismyb**** @ Jan 11, 2016 -> 04:34 PM) Why is the Waco comparison bad here? I mean, in Waco you had brain-washed innocents, allegedly. Here you have a bunch of seditionists and/or traitors. A drone strike would be ok with me. Ruby Ridge + Waco = OKC bombing

http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/ja...ck-it-up-and-go

They're taking down BLM fences to allow cattle to graze freely, rifling through government documents, accessing government computer systems, and driving around in stolen BLM vehicles.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jan 11, 2016 -> 01:04 PM) The right wing believes they really lost because they weren't right wing enough, which has pushed the party further to the right to find candidates. Which has been true for decades and across a lot more than just Presidential level politics. Right-wing media and politicians have actively stoked this mindset the entire time for their own benefit, but they've lost control of the monster. If Democrats ran less successful campaigns and lost elections, the Republican party would be less absurd than it is today and therefore that absurdity is the Democrats' fault? Why isn't it the Republicans' fault for running bad candidates and bad campaigns? Why hasn't the Democratic party made similar radical leftward shifts in response to Republican demagoguery? This idea seems to let Republicans and conservatives completely off the hook for their own ideology.

Right-wing racism and fascism are really the fault of Democrats because Democrats say political things about Republicans! Every single Democratic candidate gets labeled as the most liberal person to ever exist, Obamcare is socialism, etc. but strangely we don't actually see ~both sides!~ reacting in the same manner. Conservatives have been rebelling against the mainstream party establishment since at least Eisenhower and have always blamed losses on "not being conservative enough."

QUOTE (Chisoxfn @ Jan 11, 2016 -> 11:18 AM) This is absurd. You think that half of republicans are just terrible people? I think they are misguided people and I cant say I understand how anyone could vote for him, but to just assume they are terrible is absurd too. But yes, if my only two choices on the ballot were Trump or Hillary, I'd vote Hillary. In reality, if Trump is on the ticket, I'll write in a candidate. Given the things that are coming out of Trump's mouth, yes, you need to be pretty terrible to support the man.

Long article by Kevin Drum over assisted suicide. Not really something that can be excerpted, needs to be read in whole. Covers the history of the assisted suicide movement as well as some personal ties to it (he has stage 3 bone cancer and this is something he's considered for the future). http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2016/0...rnia-kevin-drum Frontline did a related story a few years back.

It's a shocked face trying to eat pop corn and drink a soda but too shocked

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jan 10, 2016 -> 03:10 PM) If I hadn't of looked at the person posting, I honestly couldn't have told you which primary leader this post was about. Both sides!!