Understanding the US - Again

[Rony]

The NBA Proves That Corporate Social Activism Is All About the Dollars

In recent years, the NBA has become famously political. During the heyday of the Black Lives Matter movement, the NBA permitted players to wear slogan-printed T-shirts in support, and stars like LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Paul spoke out loudly on the issue.

In 2017, Commissioner Adam Silver actually tried to blackmail the city of Charlotte, North Carolina, by pulling the All-Star Game, all in an attempt to restore the so-called bathroom bill for transgender people.

The NBA has reaped the benefit from its benevolent attitude toward left-leaning social activism, too. Silver, like former Commissioner David Stern before him, has been praised ad infinitum by the press, compared favorably to that alleged corporate hobgoblin Roger Goodell of the NFL.

Then the NBA came up against its own corporate interests.

And the NBA caved.

Late last week, Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey tweeted an eminently uncontroversial statement: “Fight for freedom, stand with Hong Kong.” That’s about as milquetoast a statement about Hong Kong as it’s possible to make. But that didn’t matter to the Chinese government, which immediately stated that it would cut relations with the NBA and the Rockets in particular.

Speculation quickly ran rampant that Morey might lose his job. Morey was forced to delete his tweet and walk it back: “I did not intend my tweet to cause any offense to Rockets fans and friends of mine in China. I was merely voicing one thought, based on one interpretation, of one complicated event. I have had a lot of opportunity since that tweet to hear and consider other perspectives.”

James Harden, star of the team, tweeted, “We apologize. We love China. We love playing there.”

Silver’s NBA put out an apology in Chinese saying (as translated), “We are extremely disappointed in the inappropriate comment by the general manager of the Houston Rockets.”

So, what happened to all of that corporate do-gooderism? It simply disappeared upon contact with reality. That’s the sad truth of corporate politics: If it takes kowtowing to the Chinese communist government to earn a quick dollar, corporations will do it. Ask Google. Or Hollywood studios. Or the NBA.

All of which gives the lie to the bizarre notion that corporations are handmaidens for capitalist exploitation. They’re not. They simply follow dollars. If they can grab those dollars through cronyism with governments, they will. In fact, that’s easier than retaining a competitive advantage in a free and open marketplace.

There’s another, more important point at stake. When corporations virtue signal to the left, they’re doing so for the same reason the NBA just bowed to China: dollars.

The NBA understands that American leftists are far more censorious than conservatives—and that means that openly pandering to the American left earns product loyalty from that political contingent, without serious consequences from American conservatives.

It’s not about pure principle for Silver and company—or for any other newly woke corporations discovering their inner social activists. It’s about the green. It always is.

[Rony]

ESPN's China map. Includes Taiwan, Nine Dash Line, Arunachal Pradesh and Aksai Chin none of which the US govt recognizes as PRCs.

[UlanBatori]

If DT has really got a good deal with the cheen, it is a really big deal isn't it? Went to the brink as usual; I wonder who actually blinked. But given that it was the cheen Vice Premier who came to the WHOTUS, the optics say that the Cheen decided to make the deal and let DT look good.

All else aside, if he actually secures a good deal for US farmers, that is worth 100,000,000 times more than all the petty noises made by CNN and donkeystan, isn't it? That actually lives up to one of the toughest campaign promises.

Now the Syria deal is seen in a different light: DT basically declared that he is tired of the "endless wars" and pulled out the US prop. At the same time, issues dire warnings to parties not to overstep. Wasn't this the only way out? Seems agreed between US and Russia - and by extension, Turkey and Eyeran. Everyone gets what is important to them. In the end, Turkey has to pull out of Syria or bad things will start happening to them. The Kurds can become loyal Syrian citjens if they don't want to be loyal Turkish citjens. The Flee Sillian Almy I think is going to get their heads chopped unless they assimilate back into Turkey.

[g.sarkar]

DT also had a good deal with North Korea. China deal may be similar. But on reflection, what goes my father? Deal or no deal. The entire China problem is a creation of the US, where a third world country was pumped up to cause conflict with the USSR. Now India and other countries of Asia will have to deal with it for a long time.
Gautam

[A_Gupta]

Very good podcast, IMO.
https://player.fm/series/on-the-media/sticks-and-stones

The right to throw a punch ends at the tip of someone’s nose.” It’s the idea that underlies American liberties — but does it still fit in 2019? This week, On the Media looks back at our country’s radical — and radically inconsistent — tradition of free speech. Plus, a prophetic philosopher predicts America 75 years after Trump.

1. Andrew Marantz [@andrewmarantz], author of Anti-Social: Online Extremists, Techno-Utopians, and the Hijacking of the American Conversation — and our guest host for this hour — explains what he sees as the problem with free speech absolutism. Listen.

2. john powell [@profjohnapowell], law professor at UC Berkeley, P.E. Moskowitz [@_pem_pem], author of The Case Against Free Speech: The First Amendment, Fascism, and the Future of Dissent, and Susan Benesch [@SusanBenesch], Director of the Dangerous Speech Project, on our complicated legal right to speak. Listen.

3. Andrew and Brooke discuss the philosopher Richard Rorty, whose work can teach us much about where the present approach to speech might take us, as a nation. Listen.

[UlanBatori]

DT also had a good deal with North Korea. China deal may be similar. But on reflection, what goes my father? Deal or no deal. The entire China problem is a creation of the US, where a third world country was pumped up to cause conflict with the USSR. Now India and other countries of Asia will have to deal with it for a long time.
Gautam

China is the world's most populous nation, and huge in area and resources and smart people. It is inevitable that they will rise, even more inevitable than an Indian rise: Nixon and Kissmyassinger merely recognized reality back in 1971-73 and crashed to total defeat by 1975.
DT's election campaign/debates argument was that the US establishment between the lot of them, didn't have anyone who knew how to make a good business deal - and both the NoKo dance and the Cheen tariffs brinkmanship have been very interesting demonstrations. With NoKo, Trump faced the tougher theoretical problem: How to impress a wacko who would sacrifice his entire nation to keep himself in power. With cheen it is the ultimate bijnej problem, and it looks like the Trump admin has managed it very well indeed. He's delivering on campaign promises big-time. The donkeys braying about the "Ukraine impeachment" look totally irrelevant by comparison.

[chetak]

If the kurds have been thrown so casually under the bus, one can very easily envisage a situation where India too will get thrown under the bus because of some imagined short term gain for the US.

Even in 2019, there are many so called international "studies" and "think tank discussions" where India is not even mentioned in passing and many of these entities are allegedly well known and leading think tanks whose opinions are valued by the US govt.

In the arena of international relations, we should not get carried away by our own imagined and exalted opinion of ourselves and leave the country open to being blindsided by our "allies" all of whom will endeavor to operate in our blindspots and slyly pander to our egos by saying just what we wish to hear.

Truly, if wishes were horses, then ............, no.

[g.sarkar]

DT also had a good deal with North Korea. China deal may be similar. But on reflection, what goes my father? Deal or no deal. The entire China problem is a creation of the US, where a third world country was pumped up to cause conflict with the USSR. Now India and other countries of Asia will have to deal with it for a long time.
Gautam

China is the world's most populous nation, and huge in area and resources and smart people. It is inevitable that they will rise, even more inevitable than an Indian rise: Nixon and Kissmyassinger merely recognized reality back in 1971-73 and crashed to total defeat by 1975.
DT's election campaign/debates argument was that the US establishment between the lot of them, didn't have anyone who knew how to make a good business deal - and both the NoKo dance and the Cheen tariffs brinkmanship have been very interesting demonstrations. With NoKo, Trump faced the tougher theoretical problem: How to impress a wacko who would sacrifice his entire nation to keep himself in power. With cheen it is the ultimate bijnej problem, and it looks like the Trump admin has managed it very well indeed. He's delivering on campaign promises big-time. The donkeys braying about the "Ukraine impeachment" look totally irrelevant by comparison.

I disagree. Nothing is inevitable Sir.
Gautam

[UlanBatori]

HiC barks: gets smacked down

Some commenters were not impressed by the ‘crocodile tears’ and ‘faux outrage,’ reminding the former secretary of state of her own role in destabilizing the Middle East.
“This entire horror in Syria wouldn’t even be happening had it not been for you, Obama, Brennan and McCain arming, funding, training and empowering Al-Qaeda and ISIS terrorists in a fanatical push to overthrow the legitimate Syrian government,” one wrote. Spare us the crocodile tears.

Rhonda Kazmierski @KazmierskiR
(response to HiC): Says the former Secretary of State under Barack Obama, responsible for the gruesome death of Muammar al-Gaddafi in Libya, for the deaths of 4 great men in Benghazi.. hell, we can go all the way back to Waco, which ended in the death of 76 civilians. Save me your faux outrage!

It was during Clinton’s tenure as secretary of state that the US led a NATO campaign against Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi on the side of groups seeking to overthrow him. Libya was plunged into chaos, with factions in Tripoli and Benghazi fighting each other, and Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS) found fertile ground in the country.

Clinton was left open to widespread criticism over her handling of the September 11 attacks on the consulate in Benghazi, which saw the murder of four Americans, including US Ambassador to Libya Christopher Stevens. She also advocated for training and equipping moderate Syrian rebels to overthrow Bashar Assad. The arms supplied to 'moderate' militant groups in the country ended up with IS.

[Rony]

White Americans’ Hold on Wealth Is Old, Deep, and Nearly Unshakeable

It will end up costing the U.S. economy as much as $1 trillion between now and 2028 for the nation to maintain its longstanding black-white racial wealth gap, according to a report released this month from the global consultancy firm McKinsey & Company. That will be roughly 4 percent of the United States GDP in 2028—just the conservative view, assuming that the wealth growth rates of African Americans will outpace white wealth growth at its current clip of 3 percent to .8 percent annually, said McKinsey. If the gap widens, however, with white wealth growing at a faster rate than black wealth instead, it could end up costing the U.S. $1.5 trillion or 6 percent of GDP according to the firm.

Crucial to understanding how to close that gap—such that it can actually be closed—is grappling with how it was created in the first place. The McKinsey report identifies four components that perpetuate this gap—family wealth, family income, family savings, and community context (a community’s collective public and private assets). Black families have not been able to build wealth due to “unmet needs and obstacles” across these four dimensions.

The wealth, income, and savings that white families accumulated during slavery supplied the economic thew that catapulted them into elite affluent status during the country’s first two centuries of existence. But it was community context and creative credit machinations that helped white families maintain that status over the ensuing two centuries, putting into doubt whether a closure of the black-white racial wealth gap is even possible given these deeply entrenched advantages.

According to Baradaran, it is possible to eradicate the wealth gaps, by upending the racism baked into the capital and finance systems—basically a radical redistribution of land and wealth. This might mean some loss of material assets and resources for white families in the short run. However, if the McKinsey study projections are to be believed, it could also add a trillion-plus dollars to the nation’s overall economy by 2028, which would be a win for everyone.

However, even if some white families lose some wealth in this exchange, that doesn’t mean that they couldn’t bounce back tomorrow. There is apparently already a precedent for that.

[UlanBatori]

According to Baradaran, it is possible to eradicate the wealth gaps, by upending the racism baked into the capital and finance systems—basically a radical redistribution of land and wealth. This might mean some loss of material assets and resources for white families in the short run. However, if the McKinsey study projections are to be believed, it could also add a trillion-plus dollars to the nation’s overall economy by 2028, which would be a win for everyone.

However, even if some white families lose some wealth in this exchange, that doesn’t mean that they couldn’t bounce back tomorrow. There is apparently already a precedent for that.

^^Wonderful prescription: Rob the productive, because "they can bounce back again", and distribute the loot to .... whom exactly?
Sounds like the West Bengal / Malloostan / Kampuchea-PolPot prescription.
The whole premise is that the segregation between "black communities" and "white communities" must be preserved, with a wealth re-distribution. Trouble is that the first time a black apartment dweller, newly endowed with redistributed wealth, goes out to buy a home in an affluent nbd, she will be seeking a loan from a - guesswhat? affluent banker, who gets richer as the black person gets poorer - and with high probability, ends up foreclosing and grabbing the home as well.

Same with cars. More likely in fact that the redistributed wealth, being non-earned, gets spent rapidly on expensive cars, luxury goods. The auto-sales magnate (affluent) and the insurance magnate and shareholder (affluent) such up this money. So the "redistribution" is from hard-working and therefore affluent people to crooked and therefore affluent people.
"Rob the rich and feed the poor and We Are The Poor".
Case in point: there was an AA gent who retired as "VP" of a very major and very white financial services company - as "American" as it gets - a pioneer and perhaps "token", who had trouble being admitted to Executive Lunches where he had to be present, because, get this - the Resort Catering service would refuse to bring out dinner while there was a non-color-appropriate person sitting there!

He settled in a moderately wealthy nbd. Drove a Jag and a Porsche Boxster, but his retirement income was only around $40K/yr. Eventually set up a company that would get money from the Big Lenders (he had connections, or so he thought), and distribute to "Mynawrity" first-time homebuyers. Very happy doing this social service as an occupation.

Trouble is, the loan on his own (approx $300K) home was an ARM (adjustable rate). Terrific deal at the time. Trouble is, there was a clause where the rate could go up about 1 percentage point a year , which sounded very reasonable - unitl it got to 13 percent circa 2007. Then the credit crunch hit. He could no longer get money from the (affluent) big lenders to distribute to his customers. Bijnej went belly-up. No income to pay the 13% ARM. Lost the business, lost the house, and I mean LOST the house. Oh! By the way! The nbd had a really bad hailstorm circa 2000 or so. Place was declared a Disaster Area, which means, Feds gave insurance companies the $$ to replace roofs. Nearly every roof in the nbd was repaired courtesy of Uncle Sam. His was not - AllState Insurace Co simply refused for no apparent reason other than that he was not "color-appropriate". So his house suffered water damage. He did not have the cash to fix it, nor the credit to get a loan to fix it. So he couldn't sell the house.

NOOOOOOOOOOOO help from the Feds, or anyone else. Or "community". A pox on them all! He lost everything. He and his bibi are/were very very nice, honest people. Sorry about the OT.

[abhik]

ESPN's China map. Includes Taiwan, Nine Dash Line, Arunachal Pradesh and Aksai Chin none of which the US govt recognizes as PRCs.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EGecXoqU8AE-I4z.jpg:large
...

Wow did they seriously put the nine-dash line along with the map. Is this the new CCP approved map or preemptive ask-me-to-bend-and-i'll-crawl from NBA?

[A_Gupta]

There is nothing new about the betrayal of the Kurdish forces that fought allied with the US of A.

On 28 May 1945 the British army arrived at Camp Peggetz, in Lienz, where there were 2,479 Cossacks, including 2,201 officers and soldiers. They went to invite the Cossacks to an important conference with British officials, informing them that they would return to Lienz by 6:00 that evening; some Cossacks were worried, but the British reassured them that everything was in order. One British officer told the Cossacks, "I assure you, on my word of honour as a British officer, that you are just going to a conference". By then British–Cossack relationships were friendly to the extent that many on both sides had developed feelings for the other. The Lienz Cossack repatriation was exceptional, because the Cossacks forcefully resisted their British repatriation to the USSR; one Cossack noted, "The NKVD or the Gestapo would have slain us with truncheons, the British did it with their word of honour." Julius Epstein describes the scene thus:

The first to commit suicide, by hanging, was the Cossack editor Evgenij Tarruski. The second was General Silkin, who shot himself...The Cossacks refused to board the trucks. British soldiers [armed] with pistols and clubs began using their clubs, aiming at the heads of the prisoners. They first dragged the men out of the crowd, and threw them into the trucks. The men jumped out. They beat them again, and threw them onto the floor of the trucks. Again, they jumped out. The British then hit them with rifle butts until they lay unconscious, and threw them, like sacks of potatoes, in the trucks.

The British transported the Cossacks to a prison where the Soviets assumed their custody. In the town of Tristach, Austria, there is a memorial commemorating Gen. von Pannwitz and the soldiers of the XV SS Cossack Cavalry Corps who were killed in action or died as POWs.

This is one of the most egregious stories, but Cossacks who had fought for the Allies were repatriated from all over Europe, from under US command too; and even from Fort Dix, New Jersey, USA

That stupid Trump who said that "the Kurds didn't fight with us in World War 2" and the all incredibly stupid people who embrace Trump are probably too ignorant to realize that the Kazakhs who did fight for the US of A in World War 2 were betrayed as well. These are people who would betray their brothers-in-arms. It is such a repugnant action that even Republicans who stand with Trump for all his other lawlessness separate themselves from him on this.

PS: Turkey remained neutral throughout WW2 and entered the war on the side of the Allies only in 1945. We are told Turkish forces saw no combat in that war. So by Trump's logic, the US owes no more to the Turks than it does to the Kurds.

[Vayutuvan]

If the kurds have been thrown so casually under the bus, one can very easily envisage a situation where India too will get thrown under the bus because of some imagined short term gain for the US.

US's first short term goal is to pull out of Afghanistan. once that takes place, what use is bakis? they will be starved of aid. thre will ample opportunities for India to set things right in pork in the short term. later is later.

[Vayutuvan]

A_Gupta ji, Turkey controls Bosphorous, Dardanelles. Rest all is maya. if turkey and rooskies get together, west cannot goto blacksea.

[A_Gupta]

A_Gupta ji, Turkey controls Bosphorous, Dardanelles. Rest all is maya. if turkey and rooskies get together, west cannot goto blacksea.

So try to reconcile your allies who are at loggerheads.

[g.sarkar]

If the kurds have been thrown so casually under the bus, one can very easily envisage a situation where India too will get thrown under the bus because of some imagined short term gain for the US.

US's first short term goal is to pull out of Afghanistan. once that takes place, what use is bakis? they will be starved of aid. thre will ample opportunities for India to set things right in pork in the short term. later is later.

Sirji,
The US threw UK and France under the same bus during the Suez crisis. And both are gora Isai countries, with a long tradition of obeying the master. So, there is no question of not kicking the Pak testimonials at the right time. But right now money will flow and some karnails and gernails will retire with extra pension to Western countries to enjoy a well earned retirement.
Gautam

[Vayutuvan]

So try to reconcile your allies who are at loggerheads.

Gulen is the stick in the craw of Erdogan. Erdogan may not necessarily be in a mood to listen to whispered entreaties. he should never have been allowed to rise up. past mistakes over the years. karma is a ...

it is no different from their inability to reconcile India-baki differences. we know why we are here. par for the course. this would have been the case had HiC became POTUS also.

[Rony]

Columbus Day Or Indigenous Peoples' Day ?

Columbus Day: Celebrating cultural heritage, or the colonization of Native Americans ?

Columbus Day Is Dying. Indigenous Peoples Day Is the Future.

[Cain Marko]

If the kurds have been thrown so casually under the bus, one can very easily envisage a situation where India too will get thrown under the bus because of some imagined short term gain for the US.

Even in 2019, there are many so called international "studies" and "think tank discussions" where India is not even mentioned in passing and many of these entities are allegedly well known and leading think tanks whose opinions are valued by the US govt.

In the arena of international relations, we should not get carried away by our own imagined and exalted opinion of ourselves and leave the country open to being blindsided by our "allies" all of whom will endeavor to operate in our blindspots and slyly pander to our egos by saying just what we wish to hear.

Truly, if wishes were horses, then ............, no.

India is not some countryless, landless bunch of peoples
That it can be so easily pushed over Saar. I say the elephant can embrace the gorilla, in time we all know who wins. This is a good time to get in embrace especially in military terms so long as the price is right.

[Vayutuvan]

But right now money will flow and some karnails and gernails will retire with extra pension to Western countries to enjoy a well earned retirement.
Gautam

Sir, that can't be helped.

Paki bleating was always that the US threw them under the bus again and again. They were able to convince even a bunch of fools in the US Congress, including a few Indian-American critters. That is the danger in standing up for Kurds. So India played very nicely without taking sides. They simply censured Turkey. Going any further than that would have had other repercussions.

[chetak]

If the kurds have been thrown so casually under the bus, one can very easily envisage a situation where India too will get thrown under the bus because of some imagined short term gain for the US.

Even in 2019, there are many so called international "studies" and "think tank discussions" where India is not even mentioned in passing and many of these entities are allegedly well known and leading think tanks whose opinions are valued by the US govt.

In the arena of international relations, we should not get carried away by our own imagined and exalted opinion of ourselves and leave the country open to being blindsided by our "allies" all of whom will endeavor to operate in our blindspots and slyly pander to our egos by saying just what we wish to hear.

Truly, if wishes were horses, then ............, no.

India is not some countryless, landless bunch of peoples
That it can be so easily pushed over Saar. I say the elephant can embrace the gorilla, in time we all know who wins. This is a good time to get in embrace especially in military terms so long as the price is right.

they threw the pakis also under the bus a few times along with some other countries.

we are not special.

Just advising caution onlee.

[Rony]

Trump Didn't Think He Could Ever Lose the Evangelical Vote — but Then He Abandoned the Kurds

Evangelical support for the Kurds is less well-known than the community’s support for Israel, and the two phenomena are very different from each other in terms of scope, history and levels of commitment. Support for Israel is a top priority for most evangelical voters and stems from religious beliefs about biblical prophecies. Support for the Kurds, meanwhile, is a relatively new phenomenon in the evangelical world and is mostly a result of the role Kurdish fighters have played in the fight against ISIS in Iraq and Syria. That is why media outlets in the United States were surprised by the evangelical leaders’ harsh responses to Trump’s abandonment of the Kurds.

According to Rosenberg, “It shouldn’t be a surprise that evangelicals care so much for the Kurdish people. The Kurds are loyal allies who fought bravely to defeat ISIS and have protected Christians in the region. They also have a history of working with Israel.” He says that evangelicals aren’t only pressuring Trump on this issue: Many were also highly critical of how the Obama administration, in his words, “abandoned the Kurds” during their fight against ISIS.

Trump, according to this aide, “probably doesn’t think he can really lose the evangelical voters. He thinks to himself, ‘What are these people going to do if they don’t like what I did with the Kurds? Are they going to vote for Elizabeth Warren?’”

Rosenberg, however, warns about taking the evangelical vote for granted. “The risk for President Trump isn’t that evangelicals will turn against him,” he says. “The risk is that a small percentage of the evangelicals who voted for him in 2016 will stay home next November [2020] if they’re not happy about what’s going on in the country and the world.

“If evangelical turnout goes down by even 1 percent,” he continues, “that could be enough to have an impact in key battleground states. We have more than a year until the election, and no one can say what will happen until then. But it would be good for the president to listen to those who are urging him to reconsider this policy.”

[UlanBatori]

US does what it does so well: Pence Rushes To Ankara To Take Credit For Syria Ceasefire

No-Bill Biss Bryj for TrumpPence cannot be far behind.

The trip was welcomed by the top Senate Republican Mitch McConnell, but the idea of talks has already been rejected by Turkey. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemned any mediation between his government and the Syrian Kurdish forces that Turkey considers terrorists: "What kind of prime minister, what kind of head of state are those who offer to mediate between us and the terror group?" he said Sunday.
The White House delegation will include Vice President Mike Pence, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, National Security Adviser Robert O'Brien, and special envoy for Syria Jim Jeffrey, according to the White House, which announced Pence will meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

And... how the US achieved Peace:

‘Show of force’: US jets & helicopters threaten Turkish-backed fighters who came VERY CLOSE to American troops in Syria
15 Oct, 2019 20:24 / Updated 1 hour ago
US fighter jets and gunship helicopters were sent to scare off Turkish-backed militants in northern Syria after they came “very close” to US troops at Ain Issa, the Pentagon said. Washington has also sent a complaint to Ankara.
F-15 fighters and AH-64 Apache gunships were used in the “show of force” on Tuesday, an unnamed US official told reporters, after the militants “violated a standing agreement” not to threaten US troops. A formal complaint was lodged with the Turkish military through diplomatic channels, the official added.
Though US troops have been withdrawing from Syria for the past week, some Special Forces operators were apparently still in the area of Ain Issa, located on the strategic M-4 highway about halfway between the Syrian-Turkish border and the former Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS) “capital” of Raqqa.

Agreement or not, they were effective, per the above posts: The US troops left their base(s) with meals half-finished and tents and everything else left behind.

Meanwhile the Moderate Child-Beheaders, The Great White Hope of Liberation in Syria, the Free Syrian Army, are getting bad press:

A senior US official told reporters the following about the proxy force Turkey is relying on as part of its Syria invasion: "They could have used Turkish regular troops,...Instead they decided to use these thugs & bandits & pirates that should be wiped off the face of the earth"

[ramana]

Is this guy complaining?
Turkey is using the thugs as cannon fodder.

[UlanBatori]

I think those guys have effectively destroyed whatever MOHAWG Erdogan was claiming with his "anti-terrorist" operation. Already the killing of the politician bibi is generating calls for War Crimes awards etc.
And Gens Vodkov and Smirnoff won't miss the chance. Already established a No-Fly Zone, which levels the playing field. Without fear of air attack, I think the Kurds will take good "care" of the Flee Sillians.

Back to the US of A: So this is the lineup of Donkeystanis per SeeEnnEnn debate:

Former Vice President Joe Biden
Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey
South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg
Former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro
Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii
Sen. Kamala Harris of California
Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota
Former Rep. Beto O'Rourke of Texas
Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont
Businessman Tom Steyer (the only billionaire, and I note that he's wearing a RED tie!!)
Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts
Businessman Andrew Yang

Surprised that Harris is still there. Maybe she will self-destruct by going after TG.

[UlanBatori]

Now THIS I do not understand.These UQstanis did something questionable, crossed the border unintentionally or otherwise - at the border between BC and Washington State. They are being held in - PENNSYLVANIA!!! What logic is that?

[UlanBatori]

Interesting Bojitive Neuj: Someone is releasing tapes about CNN's anti-Trump campaign

In the first clip uploaded by PV, a person who is allegedly CNN President Jeff Zucker tells a staff meeting that he wants them to "stay very focused" on President Donald Trump's possible impeachment.

The video also shows Nick Neville, a media coordinator at CNN saying that Zucker has a "personal vendetta" against Trump.
I’d like to introduce CNN whistleblower Cary Poarch, who secretly recorded his colleagues for months. We’ll be uploading clips all day and night. Says Poarch, “I did’t see any other option...I decided to wear a hidden camera to expose the bias” #ExposeCNN http://exposecnn.com

O’Keefe had stressed that the whistleblower is not one of PV’s undercover reporters, but one of Zucker’s own employees. In the clip, Poarch says his role at CNN was a "dream job" that turned into a “nightmare.”

In one recording, Zucker says he knows “a lot of people” at CNN are friendly with Republican senator Lindsey Graham, but warns that it's “time to knock that off” and “time to call him out.” Zucker blames “years of fake news” and “conspiracy nonsense” from Fox News for the climate of division in the US. Poarch says the description sounded awfully like what CNN itself was doing.

He was calling Fox News ‘fake news’ and a ‘propaganda machine’ and with what I saw, I’m like... that’s pretty much what CNN was. It’s just pumping out propaganda.

Poarch said soon after he began the job at CNN, he noticed a “strong groupthink that permeated the halls” where everyone was “on board” the anti-Trump train and that other important stories get sidelined by Zucker in favor of more negative Trump coverage.

The expose appears to confirm that it's not just one or two CNN employees who are growing tired of the constant focus on Trump, either.

“I hate everything, how everything is like all Trump all the time now. Everyone at my job, everyone at the network complains about it,” says Christian Sierra, another CNN media coordinator.

They hate covering Trump every day.

Sierra goes on to admit that CNN’s interviews with Democrat are “like softballs” and that they are “tougher on Republicans.”

“It was like we were at a funeral — people were like, in shock. I wouldn’t say they were in mourning, I would say people were in shock,” floor manager Mike Brevna says of the atmosphere at CNN the day Trump won the 2016 election.

In August, the conservative group revealed that Google had created a politically biased "blacklist" of undesirable websites based on a "fringe ranking" system. It has also previously recorded Twitter employees admitting that the company “shadowbans” users with right-wing political views.

[hgupta]

What’s your point UB?

[ramana]

I wish there is a bugle blower at BBC that records the bias against India and exposes it!!!

[ShyamSP]

In spite of 12+ donkeys fighting in yesterday's debate, Trump has easy win according prediction models coming in.

Trump is on his way to an easy win in 2020, according to Moody’s * accurate election model
https://www.cnbc.com/2019/10/15/moodys- ... ds-up.html



*Actual source: https://www.moodysanalytics.com/-/media ... -model.pdf

[UlanBatori]

The donkey herd seems pretty hard to distinguish. I cannot tell how Butt-e-gig differs from Biden from Klobuchar from Warren, and I can't even remember the names of the others except the one standout: Gabbard. But she looks about as "Presidential" as John F. Kennedy must have done in his first campaign - worse because he was a Senator IIRC (1/100), not a HouseRep (1/500+). Too sincere, too factual, too honest. Hopeless in today's donkeystan.

I mean, can't tell any difference between their levels of honesty, comprehension of domestic or international affairs, economics, or general ethics. All zeros. Distinctions are mainly non-merit. Their Founding Fathers were truly prescient in choosing their emblem.

As for the elephants, it is worth remembering that the incumbent was a rebel, threatened to run as independent, and the Party tried its very best to ignore and then shun him right up to their Convention - except that the whole herd had no hope of standing up to him. Nothing changed in 4 years, except that now the number of Republican challengers is zero!! I think they feel correctly that a non-Trump elephant candidate would get trounced, not worth competing at all.

[UlanBatori]

Comparing the US MSM's headlines to RT.com headlines makes for interesting reading.
CNN. Trump trump .. (u get the picture).

RT.com

Chicago Public Schools cancels classes for 361,000 students over teachers strike

‘This water belongs to our farmers’: Modi vows not a single drop of Indian water will flow to Pakistan

‘How is there NO question?’ EVEN CNN hosts gasp at guest’s claim that Tulsi Gabbard is ‘a Russian puppet’ (VIDEO)
Germany to keep door open to Huawei 5G technology, ignoring pressure from US
‘It’s a tough situation’: LeBron James looks to calm tensions as fans burn his jersey in protest after free speech tweets (VIDEO)
Close encounter: HUGE asteroid sped past Earth at 22,000mph
Dutch family found living in cellar for 9 YEARS waiting for ‘end of days’ & unaware other people still existed
Russian police remove 3 US military attachés from train for traveling through restricted area
Left in a hurry: RT films inside abandoned US military base at Manbij, Syria (VIDEOS, PHOTOS) near navy testing site – reports
Don’t fall for beleaguered government’s line: Crisis in Ecuador is just getting started Op-ed
Finally? EU’s Tusk reveals ‘basic foundations’ for Brexit deal are ‘ready’
Building a Russian supersonic business jet: First flight demonstrator will be a rebuilt MiG-29
India receives first Rafale fighter jet from France

[vijayk]

The donkey herd seems pretty hard to distinguish. I cannot tell how Butt-e-gig differs from Biden from Klobuchar from Warren, and I can't even remember the names of the others except the one standout: Gabbard. But she looks about as "Presidential" as John F. Kennedy must have done in his first campaign - worse because he was a Senator IIRC (1/100), not a HouseRep (1/500+). Too sincere, too factual, too honest. Hopeless in today's donkeystan.

I mean, can't tell any difference between their levels of honesty, comprehension of domestic or international affairs, economics, or general ethics. All zeros. Distinctions are mainly non-merit. Their Founding Fathers were truly prescient in choosing their emblem.

As for the elephants, it is worth remembering that the incumbent was a rebel, threatened to run as independent, and the Party tried its very best to ignore and then shun him right up to their Convention - except that the whole herd had no hope of standing up to him. Nothing changed in 4 years, except that now the number of Republican challengers is zero!! I think they feel correctly that a non-Trump elephant candidate would get trounced, not worth competing at all.

what about 50%+ support for impeachment … Is it a fake poll?

[vijayk]

Omar endorses Sanders

[UlanBatori]

what about 50%+ support for impeachment … Is it a fake poll?

I don't know - it seems to suggest that despite all-out noise-making, 50% ALREADY have dismissed it as nonsense.

[Rony]

PKK is more terrorist threat than ISIS ?

For a moment i had to check if this is trump or ergodan talking. What a joker. Americans are caught between this joker and the Dems jokers. Tulsi seems to be the only saner candidate among all these jokers in both parties.

Trump says Kurdish PKK ‘probably more of terrorist threat’ than ISIS

“The PKK, which is a part of the Kurds, as you know, is probably worse at terror and more of a terrorist threat in many ways than ISIS,” Trump told a news conference at the White House.

[Rony]

Watch the 6 minutes that has America searching Tulsi Gabbard

[Rony]

Potus official letters are like his tweets

[A_Gupta]

Nothing changed in 4 years, except that now the number of Republican challengers is zero!!

Last I heard all of these are Republicans, and all are seeking the Republican nomination.
Bill Weld
Mark Sanford
Joe Walsh

But the Republican Party and Fox News are doing their best to squelch them. E.g., four states have already called off their Republican primaries and caucuses for the 2020 presidential elections.

It doesn't help if Ulan Batori is going Guiliani. A mind is a terrible thing to lose.