US politics general thread

[cerebus]

Such as?

Didja read the article?

 

[rietrot]

Didja read the article?

Typical leftist BS reasoning. It starts out with some ridiculous personal attacks so that you know you shouldn't like the guy then it namedrops some other people you also shouldn't like and then continue to misrepresent and built a strawman.
Im not a big Shapiro fan, but that article is so ridiculous that I'm reconsidering my opinion of him.

 

[cerebus]

Typical leftist BS reasoning. It starts out with some ridiculous personal attacks so that you know you shouldn't like the guy then it namedrops some other people you also shouldn't like and then continue to misrepresent and built a strawman.
Im not a big Shapiro fan, but that article is so ridiculous that I'm reconsidering my opinion of him.

The article doesn't do any of that. I doubt you read more than a few sentences. Perhaps you can point to some of these "ridiculous personal attacks" in the beginning of the article?

 

[rietrot]

The article doesn't do any of that. I doubt you read more than a few sentences. Perhaps you can point to some of these "ridiculous personal attacks" in the beginning of the article?

THE COOL KID’S PHILOSOPHER

Ben Shapiro’s fans apparently think he is very smart. It is not clear why.

by NATHAN J. ROBINSON

It’s easy to laugh, as some of us do, at the phrase “conservative intellectual.” When the most prominent public spokesmen for the right’s ideas include Milo Yiannopoulos, Charles Murray, and Dinesh D’Souza, one might conclude that the movement does not have anything serious to offer beyond “Feminism is cancer,” “Black people are dumb,” and “Democrats are Nazis.” (Those are, as I understand it, the central intellectual contributions of Yiannopoulos, Murray, and D’Souza, respectively.)

I went about five paragraphs in and it doesn't get any better.

 

[cerebus]

I went about five paragraphs in and it doesn't get any better.

Ah so it's a 'ridiculous personal attack' for the author to state that he doesn't think Ben Shapiro is very smart. Gottit.

 

[rietrot]

Ah so it's a 'ridiculous personal attack' for the author to state that he doesn't think Ben Shapiro is very smart. Gottit.

Yes it is. Especially beginning the article that way, before even getting to what Shapiro stands for. It is completely biased and the very definition of a personal attack.

 

[greg0205]

C.I.A. Officer-Turned-Candidate Says PAC Obtained Her Security Application

WASHINGTON — A former C.I.A. officer running for Congress accused a super PAC aligned with Speaker Paul D. Ryan on Tuesday of improperly obtaining her entire federal security clearance application — a highly sensitive document containing extensive personal information — and then using it for political purposes.

Abigail Spanberger, the Democratic candidate challenging Representative Dave Brat of Virginia, sent a cease-and-desist letter to Corry Bliss, the executive director of the Congressional Leadership Fund, which has raised more than $100 million to help Republicans in the midterm elections. She demanded that the super PAC destroy all copies of the form and agree to not use the information in any fashion.

“I write as a former civil servant and as an American, in shock and anger, that you have tried to exploit my service to our country by exposing my most personal information in the name of politics,” she wrote.

The super PAC released a statement on Tuesday strongly denying Ms. Spanberger’s charge, saying that the document was obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request filed with the United States Postal Service by America Rising, a separate Republican-aligned research firm.

“C.L.F. follows the letter of the law in examining any candidate’s background and Ms. Spanberger was no different,” Courtney Alexander, a spokeswoman for the group, said in the statement.
The group also released a portion of the security clearance application, blacking out some personal information.

Graham Wilson, a lawyer for Ms. Spanberger’s campaign, said that explanation, which laid the mistake on the Postal Service, did not ring true. “In this unredacted form, this is not a document that the government can provide under the Privacy Act,” he said.

Ms. Spanberger, 39, said in the letter that she had “clear evidence” that the Congressional Leadership Fund had provided a copy of her security clearance application to “at least one news outlet,” adding, “I am not aware of any legal way that C.L.F. could have this document.” In an interview, she said that she suspected that the group was trying to exploit a brief time when she taught at a private Islamic school funded by Saudi Arabia.

Sooooo... An unredacted SF86..?

There is no chance the C.L.F got the *unredacted* document through a FOI application and it seems to me there are two options in play here.

Either the C.L.F got the document from a foreign adversary.... or, more likely... the Trump admin is providing classified info on political opponents to GOP candidates for the mid-terms.

 

[rietrot]

C.I.A. Officer-Turned-Candidate Says PAC Obtained Her Security Application



Sooooo... An unredacted SF86..?

There is no chance the C.L.F got the *unredacted* document through a FOI application and it seems to me there are two options in play here.

Either the C.L.F got the document from a foreign adversary.... or, more likely... the Trump admin is providing classified info on political opponents to GOP candidates for the mid-terms.

Meh. Lets see the skeletons hiding in the closest.

 

[greg0205]

Meh. Lets see the skeletons hiding in the closest.

So, you’re all good with an admin handing out classified information as opposition research to members of its own party?

Sorry, just have to adjust my reality here... I thought you were *for* draining the swamp.

 

[rietrot]

So, you’re all good with an admin handing out classified information as opposition research to members of its own party?

Sorry, just have to adjust my reality here... I thought you were *for* draining the swamp.

The administration are the ones that decides what's classified and what's not and why it needs to be classified. I'm all for more transparency and declassifying stuff.

I do hope it done fairly, but something is better than nothing.

This is draining the swamp as at least one swamp donkey will be exposed.

 

[greg0205]

The administration are the ones that decides what's classified and what's not and why it needs to be classified. I'm all for more transparency and declassifying stuff.

I do hope it done fairly, but something is better than nothing.

Administrations also inherit classified documents, and I find fairness, rather than power and weal, is the number one calling for every politician, don't you?

 

[rietrot]

Administrations also inherit classified documents, and I find fairness, rather than power and weal, is the number one calling for every politician, don't you?

No. Fairness might be a great virtue, but the number one calling for every politician is power, probably followed closely by money. They don't give a fsck about fairness.

 

[NarrowBandFtw]

He's a set of vapid conservative buzz phrases and talking points in a human suit. Also a racist jackass.

Ironically this statement is also just using buzz phrases, easily dismissed.

This

is a pretty good dismantling of his schtick.

Which parts? That is a long ass article and most of it seems to fixate on phrases that Ben injects to serve as humour, he's not a great comedian, granted, but fixating on those bits is a meaningless exercise if debunking his argument is your goal.

https://static.currentaffairs.org/2017/12/the-cool-kids-philosopher

Also a pretty pathetic person who actually gets his dad to write articles under a pseudonym on his website about how Ben "breaks" people on the wheel of logic.

tbh, no idea what you're referring to here

https://static.currentaffairs.org/2017/12/the-cool-kids-philosopher

Also sells "nutrition pills".

That's clearly a sponsorship, not actively selling, meh.

Looks like Techne has a more legitimate beef with him than you.

 

[NarrowBandFtw]

Argues with feelings, ignores facts. No wonder he likes Shapiro.

your entire anti-shapiro argument is nothing but feelings

note how I never said what my position is on him, I was only questioning yours ...

 

[greg0205]

No. Fairness might be a great virtue, but the number one calling for every politician is power, probably followed closely by money. They don't give a fsck about fairness.

Exactly my point and part of the reason for my first post.

Also, you added the "one swamp donkey will be exposed" line while I was typing my last post and I didn't want to let that slide. Here's why:

The incumbent in Virginia's 7th is David Brat. He's been in Congress since 2014 and I'm sure you'd be shocked to find he's a member of the Freedom Caucus. He *is* the swamp.

Your "one swamp donkey will be exposed" seem to be aimed at Abigail who is running for Congress for the first time... There's a disconnect in your argument that I'm not sure you're seeing.

 

[cerebus]

Yes it is. Especially beginning the article that way, before even getting to what Shapiro stands for. It is completely biased and the very definition of a personal attack.

Lol what a kook. It's actually the central point of the article - is Ben Shapiro a serious intellectual force or is he grossly overrated?

Exactly my point and part of the reason for my first post.

Also, you added the "one swamp donkey will be exposed" line while I was typing my last post and I didn't want to let that slide. Here's why:

The incumbent in Virginia's 7th is David Brat. He's been in Congress since 2014 and I'm sure you'd be shocked to find he's a member of the Freedom Caucus. He *is* the swamp.

Your "one swamp donkey will be exposed" seem to be aimed at Abigail who is running for Congress for the first time... There's a disconnect in your argument that I'm not sure you're seeing.

You keep acting as though Rietrot is putting serious thought into anything he says and isn't just a reactionary blowhole. Save your words, you slick little worm tongue you.

 

[rietrot]

Lol what a kook. It's actually the central point of the article - is Ben Shapiro a serious intellectual force or is he grossly overrated?


You keep acting as though Rietrot is putting serious thought into anything he says and isn't just a reactionary blowhole. Save your words, you slick little worm tongue you.

Lol someone is triggered.

 

[greg0205]

Okay, confession time... Sometimes I like to crack a beer, kick back and watch Twitter ratios happen.

That said, I feel today's *spectacular* self own by the Texas GOP deserves a mention here.

A little background for those who haven't been following mid-term developments in the Lone Star; Incumbent Ted Cruz is in a bit of a race with Democrat Beto O'Rourke. Beto has offered to debate Ted six times including a debate in Spanish. Ted countered with four offers, all in English and all on a Friday night (if you have a Texan handy, ask them why that's laughable).

Anyhooo... Some GOP social media "expert" decided to post a photo of Beto with the caption: "Maybe Beto can’t debate Ted Cruz because he already had plans..."

It's... being... ratioed... Behold:

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1034580157707759621

Scroll to the comments as fast as you can and enjoy... So far, that ratio is 174 retweets to more than 3100 replies.

EDIT: PS. Beto is on the left.

 

[daveza]

Today





Previously



What a dick.

 

[cerebus]

Okay, confession time... Sometimes I like to crack a beer, kick back and watch Twitter ratios happen.

Hehe... TYT had the best lede - Beta vs Beto