So Plouffe gets a 4/5 Ginzberg and Face the Idiots gets extra stoopid

Leakbusters Sen. Joe Lieberman

on Faux makes Joe sound like a urological treatment sold on late night TV.

Good morning, pups. We’ve got The Pasty Little Putz, Dowd, Friedman, Kristof and Bruni today. The Pasty Little Putz has produced a thing called “Sympathy for the Radical Left” in which he gurgles that in Greece, a failed establishment confronts an extremist alternative. In “Moral Dystopia” MoDo has a question: as our institutions decay, is our sense of right and wrong crumbling as well? It sounds like she and Bobo are starting to cross-pollinate. The Moustache of Wisdom is now in Istanbul. In “First Tahrir Square, Then the Classroom” he says an education revolution may be the next step to empowering the youth of the Arab world. Mr. Kristof is in Tehran. In “Pinched and Griping in Iran” he says a drive across Iran suggests that economic sanctions are biting hard and causing many Iranians to blame their own regime, not the West. Mr. Bruni addresses “2012′s Financial Free-For-All” and says the candidates spend too much time and energy on platinum-level panhandling.

Here they are.

The coffee and tea are ready, and I’ve got chocolate croissants with fresh raspberries and blueberries. Today I get to do one of my very least favorite things — get up on a ladder and fiddle with the air conditioner filter. I just HATE ladders. I think I’ll reward myself with a piece of angel food cake after I’m done. Have a great day.

have berries on that cake, too! reading the same ol’ same ol’ on the media, a shoutout for those willing to try making a difference by running for office at all levels.. Her father’d be proud of daughter Dakota for running for City Council in Brooklyn Park MN (electdakota.com). If you know voters there, i’m just sayin’…

There’s McCain making a come-back again and again…What a guy.
Love the Sinatra pic….those were the days.

The McCain appearance always reminds me of the pic from CHS of Mc in his
purple getup having more than a bit of fun….What a sight.

Thanks, Elliott. UP! is on now, and as usual, distinguishes itself by having on relevant people, if he ever has McAyn on, I will scream. And run. Happy Father’s Day to all

Guests; Steve Cohen, D, TN; Bernard Center for Women’s Bernard, Michael Hastings of Rolling Sone, Esther Armai.

Good morning all.

Thanks for the roundup Elliott. Stellar job as always and very much appreciated.

Good morning all and Happy Fathers Day to all the dad type pups out there.

Good morning all,

willard was in town to meet and greet at a local convenience store , got word there would be Democrats at the stop and blew off that store for one a few miles further away to avoid the Democrats.

The guy’s got some moral fortitude.

Couldn’t possibly allow him to actually face, ya know, real human type people now could they?

Randi Weingarten is on Washington Journal is doing a good job with the wingnut Qs.

Fortitude is going that extra mile – to get away from the real world.

In case FDL missed the lastest installment of Kabuki Theater, Politico has this piece regarding Obama’s decision to enact DREAM through inaction, noting that some say this an abuse of power. Then to be fair to Obama, Politico notes that his predecessor had faced similar charges in a previous episode of Kabuki Theater:

President George W. Bush’s signing statements. The Republican came under fire from Democrats for his frequent decision to attach statements to bills he signed that indicated he found various provisions unconstitutional and, thus, would not enforce or follow them.

Rome is burning, the robber barons are growing richer and stately Senators continue to ignore it all.

Life is good. I can’t wait until we can start taking oaths to the TPP!

Good Morning and Happy Fathers Day to those it applies to.
I just finished reading the Book Salon from yesterday. Very interesting.

Chris will be here Wednesday for a special FDL Book Salon talking with you about his new book, Twilight of the Elites. Be here or be square, 2pm ET.

And the content/concern trolls will be out to proclaim what a corporate tool he is…
*sigh*

Thanks. N.B. – Politico is really a front for right wing views masquerading as news.

Happy Father’s Day to all the fathers out there, (unless the “father” in question is a Catholic Priest).

You’re off the hook. You made me smile.

Yeah. I appreciate the link but I’ll start reading Politico when they are correct in their facts and unbiased in their analyses.

I was going for a smile. :)

You are a successful person.
Hey, you know how you always look at at facts, imperical evidence? There was a story recently about something at the bottom of the ocean that looked suspiciously like the millenium falcon, and some were speculating that it proved that we’ve been visited by aliens. After divers checked it out, they’re saying it’s a giant mushroom.
Thought of you. Research first. Speculate later.

I’m surprised they are still letting McCain on television after saying super pacs = bad. Nice of them to let him polish his mavericky maverick bonafides though.

There was a story recently about something at the bottom of the ocean that looked suspiciously like the millenium falcon, and some were speculating that it proved that we’ve been visited by aliens.

LMAO! Not only would it “prove” that we’d been visited by aliens, it would be compelling evidence that George Lucas is god.

Or, at least as rich and as creative.
And, also, I thought you did a fine job at the Book Salon. RevBev did too!
Kudos to you both.

I’m not sure I know what a content or concern troll is (troll terminology has become so commonplace around here lately, to me it usually seems like an excuse for not engaging arguments one disagrees with), but I thought Van Jones got a pretty free ride yesterday re pinning him down on his personal feelings about corporatism per se, and I certainly did not see him go near the subject. I see corporatism as the central issue that subsumes all others, so, yes, I want to see corporate toolism explored in order to get a glimpse into the true heart of anyone who is presuming to give me behavioral guidance. Re Hayes specifically, I love his show, always watch it (am watching it as I type, in fact), but am also aware that MSNBC ostensibly supports the Dem Party (NOT progressivism!!), but is still largely owned by a major defense contractor and wholly owned by very corporate corporations. So, Hayes’ personal allegiance and loyalty and view of his self-interest may indeed by a subject of some interest to explore a bit. Let’s not be afraid to talk about uncomfortable things, silence creates more dysfunction than probing conversation, IMHO. And, really, isn’t that why FDL exists?

…but I thought Van Jones got a pretty free ride yesterday re pinning him down on his personal feelings about corporatism per se, and I certainly did not see him go near the subject.

Ya know, that just might be because he was at FDL to talk about his book, the topic of which was NOT his “personal feelings about corporatism per se” so that would be a good reason for him to not go near the topic.

I picked up Palast’s Armed Madhouse to review what he said about Venezuela’s oil reserves & other oil matters. Book was published in 06. I got distracted so didn’t finish what I had gone there to do, but did notice he made a big point about how we don’t live in a world of nations anymore, but rather in a world of corporations.

That was in 06, before Citizens United.

If MLK Jr. had come by here, he’d be accused of being a right wing tool for trying to alleviate the symptoms rather than the cause.

Yep. Ironic isn’t it that some of us have become purity cops around here and often employ character attacks and non sequitors? Sounds liken the Tea Party and I don’t want any part of a left wing tea party. If I wanted to be part of a herd mentality, I’d be conservative.

Savor the Purity!

His book is advocating to people like US what WE should put our hopes and energy into. Sometimes, political people are duplicitous. Why would you not want to explore the beliefs and loyalties that are the foundation for why he decided to say what he says in the book? Do you enjoy being misled over and over and over again? Are you sure he is now about progressivism and not about bolstering his place in the Dem Party by diverting us into an unproductive direction until we get thru the election? That is why I asked the exact probing questions I did, and others did, the questions he declined to engage. If he had answered directly, he would have revealed the true outlines of his belief system and agenda.

I don’t get it, truly. The guy has been a favored Obama insider, now says he’s a wannabe progressive leader, still wants US to support Obama. How can you NOT have questions about who he truly is? Rudeness and vulgarity can be dispensed with, but not inquiry.

WTF are you talking about? Van Jones? When did I mention Van Jones? When have I defended Van Jones? Why are you trying to start a fight with me over something I never even said/did/wanted/etc? I was being wry in comment #15 and I was saying that I don’t want any part of a left wing tea party in comment #29 but you seem to be implying that I’m defending Van Jones? Am I missing something? I never said “realitychecker is a purity troll”. In fact, you hadn’t even participated in this thread at all and you get all defensive. Maybe coffee would be a good idea.

I’ve stopped even trying to respond to comments that say I said something that the commenter wants to refute, when it’s that tired old straw dog routine, answer what would have been silly to say, no matter what you actually said.

I can laugh or cry.

It’s Sunday morning and we’re not Greece, so I choose no activism at this moment. And in the meantime, I choose to chuckle at our Kabuki. :)

Right? It’s absurd to falsely accuse a person of something and then demand they defend what they didn’t say or do.

The standard at FDL from the first time I came here was that the invited guests, whether a book author or a politician, were invited to speak on the topic of the book or a specific topic. Van Jones was invited to speak about his book.

Because I am willing to listen to him does not mean that I accept all that he says without question. But I am willing to have him present his case. Then I can do my own research as well and compare his actions to his words and make up my mind as to how much credence to give him.

FDL Book Salons have had an extremely diverse group of authors precisely for this reason, including people who can in no way be considered liberal or progressive. Tom Ridge was treated with respect as were Mark Penn, Bob Woodward, John Dean, Joe and Valerie Wilson, Bill Black, Paul Krugman, James K. Galbraith, and many others.

Maybe that’s why people are willing to return to FDL multiple times when they have new books because of the respect they have been treated with previously.

So, yes, if the question is not about the book he is visiting to promote, I can avoid “knowing.” If you are really so naive as to think you can determine “who he truly is” from some simple questions at an online forum, you need to patent the trick and go make millions.

It’s what your typical argument producer does when your views are solid and can’t be refuted.

Yep. And all too commonly employed in our society these days. Assign your own interpretations/biases to a person’s motives and thought process and then demand that they defend the motives/thoughts which have been assigned them. Rinse, repeat.

Margaret, why get so bristly? Your comment #15 was about book salons, we just had one that implicated, or seemed to, the exact content of your comment. I was only trying to engage what I thought, and think, was a topic worth discussing. But in a clam and thoughtful manner, not with responses that start with “WTF?” You truly do not need to get so defensive with me, I am not out to get you; on the contrary, I respect your intelligence enought to want to have a conversation with you about an issue that matters. (And I have tried to make that clear to you on a number of occasions.)

Boy, how naive I must be to think I can learn anything beyond a politico’s preferred presentation by just asking questions!!! Why the fuck does anyone anywhere ever waste their time asking anyone any qustions about anything? Maybe you have something to learn about asking questions? OR, if the only legit purpose of a book salon is book sale promotion, I sure hope FDL is getting paid for renting our eyes out.

“Seven years of college down the drain.”

Do you even pay attention to the comments and notes that Bev makes at the start of each and every Book Salon requesting folks to stay on the topic of the book as a courtesy or do you just think that doesn’t apply to you?

After all, if you don’t want to read the Book Salon posts and stay within the bounds of the conversation, no one is holding you hostage and demanding that you do so.

See my comment @ 39 realitychecker. This is what you do. This is what you always do. You assign your own beliefs and expectations to what other people write, then extrapolate what their meaning “must have been”, based on nothing but your own opinion and treat it with the full weight of reality. You don’t start off with something reasonable like “Are you referring to the Van Jones Book Salon?”. No. You start off with an attack, always on the attack. I can’t make a wry comment around with you around without you going on the attack. This is why we don’t get along: because you just refuse to stop assigning motives to me and then demanding that I defend the motives that you have imagined.
Please don’t address me again.

Thanks,Demi…..I could not see what set that guy off so that I deserved something like a White Lightning accusation ;) + making no sense….Just wow. Peg and I both asked him/her not to address us…completely misrepresented what I had said….O well. I had mostly enjoyed the BkS, so I was surprised how riled some became….Who know? Anyway, thanks.

I do think the guests deserve some courtesy and a general staying on topic…but I am often very wrong.

Thank you. I am happy to see this comment from you. As you may recall several weeks back I addressed this troll issue on the diner and got flamed.
Come, sit by me.

“Let’s not be afraid to talk about uncomfortable things, silence creates more dysfunction than probing conversation, IMHO. And, really, isn’t that why FDL exists?”

I would just like to second this. Hospitality at book salons
should not preclude vigorous discussion, especially at FDL.
I would hope.

Bad language and bad manners are not vigorous argument, they’re a means of cutting off reasoned discussion.

:)

I’d love to…thanks.

Hospitality does not preclude vigorous discussion but for the Book Salons and other special visits, it has to be ON TOPIC.

If you have read yesterday’s Book Salon thread, there were individuals who asked polite but pointed questions, drawing out the guest and his views in a manner that was both respectful and on topic.

I saw him first.
;-}

Hi RevBev and pups. I read through most of the Salon comments, and was happy that most of the ugliness happened after Jones had left. I agree with Dakine01 about why noted authors are willing to come here to discuss their books. I’d hate to see that change because we are less than courteous.

I always try to think of it as how we would want to treat a guest we invite physically into our home, and how I would want to be treated as a guest in someone else’s home.

A house divided against itself cannot stand. Some people here live to backbite and bask in a hallelujah chorus, then they whine if it gets called “clucking.” Margaret, that “don’t address me stuff,” way beneath you under these circumstances. If you don’t see that your #15 could be fairly read to be a reference to yesterday (which everyone here is CLEARLY talking about), then you are not who I gave you credit for being. You rise to anger very quickly, and for no good reason. And that is something YOU always do.

When your views are stated clearly and are sound, you will find that argument is directed to distort, not present an opposite, and unsound view.