Disappointing choice. I had hoped for Cory Booker, personally, even though I strongly disagree with Booker about schools and vouchers. Kaine was the “safe” choice in the sense he won’t be very interesting, but the safe choice is also risky, because this election more than any previous one is about the immigrant and diverse identity of America. Further, at least as far as Democrats go, Biden is the first VP in 50 years or more who hasn’t gone on to... Read more
In Macbeth, the tragic hero cynically muses about the meaninglessness of life, the universe and everything: Out, out, brief candle! Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player That struts and frets his hour upon the stage And then is heard no more: it is a tale Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, Signifying nothing. Certainly, politics is a better fit for this sentiment than life. The Republican Convention is the ultimate stage full of fretting and... Read more
This is a guest post by Conrad Barwa. As a long-time UK resident it is with some concern and disappointment that I watched the news of the Leave campaign having won the Brexit referendum. More alarming has been the hyperbolic statements and reactions by both sides, especially Bremain being the losing one to the result of the vote; in this it reflected the tenor of the campaign which was characterised by a lot of heated propaganda and falsehoods along with... Read more
Are you anxious about Brexit, the World, and Everything? I’ll have a guest post up here soon from an actual UK resident that will hopefully assuage your fears. In the meantime, some relevant reading: If one vote in a modest sized country can bring down the global financial-geopolitical system then that sucker was coming down anyway. — Matt Stoller (@matthewstoller) June 24, 2016 UK Referendum on Membership of the European Union: Questions & Answers from Belgium, man, Belgium! Britain’s EU... Read more
Russian forces recently bombed our proxy forces – US-supported rebels fighting against Assad – in Syria. Then they denied it. That’s the context for this totally unsurprising news: The woman expected to run the Pentagon under Hillary Clinton said she would direct U.S. troops to push President Bashar al-Assad’s forces out of southern Syria and would send more American boots to fight the Islamic State in the region. Michele Flournoy, formerly the third-ranking civilian in the Pentagon under President Barack... Read more
In the wake of Orlando, let’s talk about guns, rights, and social policy. Rights are not given or guaranteed by the Constitution. We like to pretend that they are, or that rights exist and must be protected and asserted to stop others from taking them away. But rights don’t exist – they are given, by society. Society decides if you have rights or do not. Alternatively, rights only exist when they are imposed with the power of the State –... Read more
Trump has cancelled the press credentials of the Washington Post: Donald Trump said Monday that he is “revoking” the Washington Post’s press access at his campaign events, calling the newspaper “phony and dishonest.” In a Facebook post, the presumptive GOP nominee attributed the decision to the newspaper’s “incredibly inaccurate coverage” of him. https://www.facebook.com/DonaldTrump/posts/10157164046265725 That headline was the result of an interview Trump gave to Fox News on Monday morning. “Look, we’re led by a man that either is not tough,... Read more
and here’s the car magnet I made to say so. Want one? Only $4.99 from Cafepress – Show your lukewarm support today! Read more
What an amazing speech by Bernie Sanders. What struck me the most was that he focused on Trump – to such an extent that I thought he was going to concede the race to Clinton! Our campaign from Day 1 has understood some very basic points, and that is first, we will not allow right-wing Republicans to control our government. And that is especially true with Donald Trump as the Republican candidate. The American people in my view will never... Read more
The news media is filling with stories about how Hillary has officially clinched the nomination as of June 6th 2016, but this assumes that the superdelegate votes are locked in. Of course, it is unlikely that most of the supers will change their vote, but they have not voted yet. The twitter group People4Bernie sent out the following graphic just moments ago that beautifully summarizes the issue: The short version is, that Hillary has 1809 delegates to Bernie’s 1528, and... Read more
Aziz for America
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