Monday, February 29, 2016

To hell with the propagandists


According to reporters, covering the Donald Trump campaign is practically like combat duty.

A tweet from NBC’s Katy Tur: “Trump trashes press. Crowd jeers. Guy by press 'pen' looks at us & screams 'you’re a bitch!' Other gentleman gives cameras the double bird."

She followed up: “Just another Sunday.”

Intoned Callum Borchers of The Washington Post:


More from Mr. Borchers:


Mr. Borchers’ previous writings have exposed him as one of the dimmer bulbs in Washington media, but I will attempt to be of service.

Nobody is going to assault the cute and adorable Katy Tur. I am 99% sure Mr. Trump is not a unicorn, but we’d have to look under that comb-over to be sure. As for journalists helping with informed decisions, that’s a laugh. The subtle liberal media biases of 25 years ago have become a 24/7 crusade; people have noticed. Propagandists reap what they sow.


Little Wing

While My Guitar Gently Weeps (Acoustic)

Yeah! Vote for the Guy David Duke Supports!

by Kim D.

There's just no back peddling on this one. When the previous leader of the KKK says Trump's his guy for POTUS, perhaps some of Donald's die-hard supporters should at the very least Google who David Duke is and what he has traditionally stood for and then consider how that equates to his recent endorsement of the guy who wants to make America great again.

 

Evidently the Trump train did the research, saw all the red flags, and quickly told the Donald to poo poo the Duke endorsement which he has now done:

Those over at the libcrib, aka Think Progress, vetted the claim the Trump didn't know anything about Duke.  This is just a preview of the heap of hell which will be unleashed if Trump succeeds in capturing the Republican nomination. Face it folks, there is a reason why Trump doesn't beat Hillary in the polls. He will be more unlikable to the general population in a presidential election than the woman who slept through Benghazi and lied about a video to cover up the deaths of brave Americans.
FYI mainstream media - Do Your Job! The very fact that this site is quoting from Think Progress is proof of how you have failed the American people. 

Sherri & Bob on Trump University #Fail

#CommonCore is a disaster - Trump U is awesome!

by Kim D.

Donald Trump from the get go declared Common Core a disaster and knowingly did so because Jeb Bush had previously and enthusiastically supported federal educational guidelines. Now that American families have experienced Common Core and have seen it to be just as Trump decried, this is a great talking point and one must give kudos to Trump for speaking out on the issue.


But the vetting of candidates shouldn't stop there.  It's easy to say what one is against but rather difficult to stake a claim for what one is for and Trump has a rather sketchy past in regard to education. What exactly was Trump University?

Really? An "A"???
As Cruz mentioned in the last debate, if Trump is the Republican nominee, we may see him on the witness stand before Hillary gets there. 
Some on Twitter have weighed in with their thoughts on Trump and his past dalliance into the realm of education:

Leonardo DiCaprio wins Oscar Then Lectures Hollywood on Protecting Planet

He finally won! 

The modern version of 2 Minutes Hate #1984


David Corn writes about the ways of Washington and politics in Mother Jones, one of the few leftist publications that has not devolved into a complete joke. He also appears now and again on obscure cable shows.

In a recent rant on the MoJo website, he makes clear his contempt for anybody who might vote Republican:




Mother Jones has won many awards for its journalism. The only award this article could win is “most hate stuffed into 1,500 words.” It is aimed at you, Mr. and Mrs. America, for opposing the Democrats’ vile and disastrous policies.

Breakfast In Hell

Sunday, February 28, 2016

Gimme Shelter (Live)

The BEST guitar riff ever: Mick Ralphs- Evil Wind

Sunday Cocktail Hour: You Belong To Me (Live)

The Late Great Terry Kath: 25 or 6 to 4 (Live)

Still You Turn Me On (Live)

Boogie with Stu (Remastered)

No One To Run With (Live)

Karen Bass (D-Ca): We need a true African-American on the Supreme Court, Clarence Thomas doesn't count

Saturday, February 27, 2016

Insomniac Theater: The Honeymooners - The $99,000.00 Answer

Best music vid ever: Dear Mr. Fantasy (Live)

Fighting My Way Back (Live)

I'm NOT comparing Trump to Hitler

Seriously, I'm not.
I am only pointing out how blind faith in any human being will lead some people to step off the curb and lose their sense of reason.





Update on bakers fined for denying same-sex couple's request

Establishment GOP - A cornered rat will do anything

By Mouser the King Cat

The GOP elites are going down the drain, and they know it. The wrath of Cruz and Trump voters will be delivered Tuesday night. So are these cornered rats going to be gracious in defeat? No way in hell. From Politico:

Conservative donors have engaged a major GOP consulting firm in Florida to research the feasibility of mounting a late, independent run for president amid growing fears that Donald Trump could win the Republican nomination.

 A memo prepared for the group zeroes in on ballot access as a looming obstacle for any independent candidate, along with actually identifying a viable, widely known contender and coalescing financial support for that person. The two states with the earliest deadlines for independent candidates, Texas and North Carolina, also have some of the highest hurdles for independents to get on the ballot, according to the research.

These donors, who consider themselves masters of the universe, know their stooges in the media have lost their mojo along with all their credibility. They can’t count on finessing a brokered GOP convention with everybody watching. Signatures to get an independent candidate on the ballot must be gathered by May 9 in Texas and June 9 in North Carolina. Those states represent 38 electoral votes. Without them in play, any third party candidate is DOA.

Oh, and what about a candidate? Guess they will cross that bridge when they get to it.

Friday, February 26, 2016

#Crubio2016 and Debate Thoughts

By William McRight

A thing of beauty is a joy forever.  The roundhouse pummeling of a Democrat poised to win the Republican nomination was as joyous and wonderful a thing as has ever been presented on a debate stage. #Crubio2016 teamed to eviscerate a man who has no business being on a Republican debate stage, ballot or discussion. It was verbal sweet science and great fun to watch.

LOSERS 

TRUMP - To any viewer who has not been afflicted by the Trump Zombie Virus, America’s Favorite Fraud had a terrible night in Texas. His answers, as usual, were incoherent, inconsistent and short on anything meaningful on substance. #Crubio2016 teamed to attack Trump on “The Brand” and policy. For those of us in the Cruz camp, we have known that the 46 extra long suit handcrafted in China was empty beyond all belief. He is a cult of personality who manages to insert inane boasts into a substantive policy question. He noted that he was the most serious candidate on Israel because of his “contributions” and the fact the he was the Grand Marshall of a parade. No, seriously. He said it. The tax issue will continue to dog Trump. He said in an ee cummings stream of consciousness riff that he can’t release his tax returns because either two or four or five years were still “under audit.” I would not doubt that John Koskinen was getting late night calls from the Trump legal team. #Crubio2016 pulled apart the Trump Monkey Bread of Personality and Policy. They peeled off all the sweet and delicious parts of this ooey, gooey fraud candidate and left nothing but burnt crumbs. It was glorious.

BENJOHN – The two of you are now a collective.  In debates, you are a national bathroom break. As stated before, you are to be respected for your patriotism and commitment but stop running for Vice President and Sleepy Guy In Chief. “Fruit Salad of Your Life?” Really? Stop. Go Home. If you have any bit of common sense and any shred of conviction toward the Conservative Cause. Stop. You suck air out of the debate and give The Big Orange Fraud time to collect his thoughts after Los Hermanos Cubanos lay down serious strafing fire. Get on the Rubber Chicken Circuit, make a couple bucks and Stop. It is our country we are talking about.  You are killing us and the opportunity to have true conservative governance. When either one of you speak at these debates, Twitter feeds around the globe light up with capitalized PLEASE STOP. SHUT UP. OH NO. Listen to them. Hang up your skates before it is too late.

MODERATORS and CNN – It is very very difficult to control a debate platform where two highly skilled attorneys and a megalomaniac “businessman” are trying to choke slam each other. The cross talk that you allow means all we hear is white noise. Aside from the white noise that is echoing between Trump’s ears. Get some control and let the debaters make their points. Except for BenJohn. It can be run over and drowned out ASAP.   On the matter of post debate spin, doing a 15 minute live interview on the stage with Trump followed by another lengthy segment in the Spin Room makes it seem an awful lot like you are agitprop and not journalists. The tongue bathing of Trump is viewed as a ratings get but it is driving the country into a giant wall. And not one a beautiful elegant one the Mexican Border. Perhaps the theories of assistance setting up a tomato can for Hillary is all true.

WINNERS

#Crubio2016 – We have one last best hope to stop this pending disaster. I have long promoted the hashtag #Crubio2016. Like Bush and Reagan, Cruz and Rubio need to team up. Quick. They are a Yin and Yang that would combine perfectly to take down Trumpzilla. Rubio’s affable charm and his newfound skill at attack dog debating are clearly evident. Cruz’s depth and policy conservatism are unquestioned. The answer to the Republican problem of a Democrat winning the nomination is staring them both right in the face.  They need to check their egos and realize that in this field, the two of them are a conservative option that would set America on a path to smaller government and a national resurgence that we sorely need.
In the truest Jerry McGuire sense, they “complete” each other. Cruz and his adherence to policy and principle. Rubio and his raft of endorsements and ability to work and build bridges with the establishment, while adhering to conservative principles. Cruz and his knowledge of the judiciary and the Constitution. Rubio and his strong foreign policy credentials. Both of them on wanting lower taxes, more responsible and effective government while getting out of the way of the American economic engine.

The answer is right there. Simple. All it requires is some big boy leadership on behalf of both of their camps. Conservatism and America can TRULY win again.

It is time for #Crubio2016.

Parsing the American electorate

By Mouser the King Cat

Wondering why so-called conservatives can’t or won’t fight to conserve much of the traditional American way of life? Why politicians promise reform and then line up with the corrupt establishment when they get to Washington? Why some branch of government has to be in your face every day?

You might be a libertarian and not realize it.

The Cato Institute points out new research.

For more than a dozen years now, the Gallup Poll has been using two questions to categorize respondents by ideology:

Some people think the government is trying to do too many things that should be left to individuals and businesses. Others think that government should do more to solve our country’s problems. Which comes closer to your own view?

 Some people think the government should promote traditional values in our society. Others think the government should not favor any particular set of values. Which comes closer to your own view?

 Gallup’s 2015 governance survey pegged 26% of the electorate as conservative, 23% liberal and 15% populist. But wait a minute -- 27% could be considered libertarians, the highest number ever recorded and up 5 percentage points from 2013.

Cato’s David Boaz analyzes: For now I just want to note that there are indeed a lot of voters who don’t fit neatly into the red and blue boxes … But a large portion of Americans hold generally libertarian views – views that might be described as fiscally conservative and socially liberal.

I’ll further point out that the percentages don’t add up to 100, and more than rounding is involved. My guess is the missing 9% are busy drinking the Hillary Kool-Aid, beyond help. Or maybe they are political pundits and couldn’t get their heads out of their asses to answer.

Chris Matthews HAMMERS Bernie Sanders over how he'll pass proposals in Washington

Hillary Clinton: ‘I Think I Have been Transparent’ About Wall Street Ties

Houston Debate Exchange on Israel

What we're seeing with Donald is the pattern of Washington

Donald Trump can't answer a simple question about his health care plan

Thursday, February 25, 2016

Pat Benatar Covers The Beatles: Helter Skelter

It's Drink O'Clock: Brand New Cadillac

RadioActivity: Dragnet - Red Light Bandit

Original Air Date: July 14, 1949

Ronald Reagan on Socialism & Liberalism

ROTW Contributor: Angela Durden

The Killers and the Undertakers

ROTW Contributor: Angela Durden

Daniel Ek is quoted in an article which begins with the Grammy president being made fun of — and accused of just about ranting — as Neil Portnow rightly repeats himself by asking, “Isn’t a song worth more than a penny?” Someone thought it would be cool to ask the CEO of Spotify what he thinks of the matter. I shall break down Mr. Ek’s answer.
Point #1: Daniel Ek, CEO and co-founder of Spotify, is the leading music streaming service in the world right now with nearly 30 million paying subscribers. Breakdown: Awesome. Love it when a business can make money. However…how many free listeners do you have, and are you paying those licensing fees? Hmmmm?
Point #2: Daniel Ek is asked: How do you respond to some artists’ claims that music streaming services are harmful to the industry? Ek answers: Look, we pay the great majority of our revenue back to the music indsutry [sic]. And as we grow, that revenue is really making a difference.”  Breakdown: “Music industry” is a generic term, Mr. Ek. So if by music industry you mean the Warner’s and the Sony’s and the CD Baby’s and the TuneCore’s and the massively under-performing performing rights organizations, then yeah…you’ve made a correct statement. However…profit at whose expense? 

Point #3: Mr. Ek states, “Many people don’t realize that the music industry was in decline throughout all the download years…. Now, finally, after years and years of decline, music is growing again, streaming is behind the growth in music, and Spotify is behind the growth in streaming.”   Breakdown: Mr. Ek, you’ve grown the customer base for your service. Your service delivers ears that pay to listen through a proprietary delivery system. Which system you and others have managed to convince everyone that this is the only way to get music. Not that there’s anything wrong with innovation or claiming market share. However…downloading or streaming, theft is still occuring; and it’s not the music business that is growing, and it certainly is not being serviced to good health. 

Point #4A: “We are all in this together,” Mr. Ek replied to Quora. Mr. Ek insists that Spotify is “committed” to the success of songwriters and producers. Breakdown: Mr. Ek, to that I call bull. All that your service and others like yours have managed to do for those songwriters and producers — you claim to be committed to — is separate them from their fan base and their money stream. However…is that completely your fault? 

Point #4B: “We are all in this together,” Mr. Ek replied.  Breakdown:  No. The songwriter and the artist have dropped the ball and ceased to aggressively protect and defend their rights to their own product. The reasons for that are varied, but the result is the same. So, is it any wonder that you are using what they have pretty much given away? However…while the digital aggregators and major labels act in the role of murderers of copyright protections and careers, companies such as yours act in the role of complicit undertaker who wants profit so bad he’s going to encourage business brought to his door as the gangs take over the streets. 

So when the death rate exceeds population growth, where will you get the business then? So, Spotify et al, y’all just go right on ahead and make your fortunes on the backs of the new slave class. And y’all just go right on ahead and set up your fiefdoms and have your little serfs pick that cotton for you and spin it into gold. And y’all just proceed to send the songwriters down into the mines to put out that next big sparkly hit.


But remember this — and you cannot say you’ve not been told — the revolution has started and this is the last hurrah for the killers and the undertakers. Because the slaves and the serfs are walking off the farms and out of the mines. The big multi-nationals — top-heavy with executives who send out for their coffee — are soon not going to be able to afford a coffee pot to spit in.

Happy Birthday - George Harrison

George would have turned 73 yrs old today.

I once read Frank Sinatra said Harrison's "Something" is the best love song ever written.

Trump Vs. Rubio - Hope Vs. Change

by Kim D.


In a campaign year where immigration and safety issues are paramount, Trump is capturing the larger share of the Republican primary vote thus far. From his Reagan copycat of "Make America Great Again" to his anti-PC rhetoric that oftentimes brinks on the verge of the outrageous and profane, Trump is the candidate of those who are uber pissed about do-nothing Washington politics and the lead players. However, Trump is not Reagan-like and as a reminder, should you dare to compare the difference, watch this clip of how a true statesman speaks.

To many of his supporters, the surge of the Trump train is about revenge, not about actual policy. Many are willing to turn a blind eye to the flipflopping and obvious untruths of the front runner in the hopes that Trump will do the things he promises on the stump. In doing so, Trump supporters are relying on "hope" and not vetting his entire record, just as the Democrat party did in the 2007 primary where Barack Obama was concerned. Tapping into the average Joe's anger and coupling rhetoric with celebrity is working well for Donald. The question all should be really asking is if Trump becomes the Republican nominee, will he be able to beat Hillary Clinton, the favored to win the Democratic nod for the 2016 presidential race. With Trump's general election, super high negatives, it is a huge gamble to take.

What Trump supporters don't want to admit is that Ted Cruz is the ultimate middle finger to establishment politics and the ruling class known as the Washington cartel. He hasn't wavered on his principles and is the only one who has proven he will do what he says he will do. For this reason, Trump and Rubio both bash him and label him as a sick liar. Those who are unwilling to take the time to vet the word salads thrown at Cruz on a daily basis simply believe the narrative and this, so far, has been a successful Trump/Rubio strategy.

So, that leaves us with "change" - Rubio. There is not much hope with Marco - put aside that he is the establishment's last great hope. For the majority of pissed right wingers, clinging to their Bibles and guns, Rubio isn't the answer. 

For the last presidential election, the establishment convinced the majority that only Mitt Romney could take on and beat Barack Obama. In a year where we were seething over the passage and implementation of Obamacare, the Republican party nominated the one person who had previously supported a healthcare mandate which wasn't too bright and the result was that millions of conservatives stayed home and handed Obama the reelection.

Will the more right-minded fall for this trick again? In a year where immigration issues top the list, will the majority vote for the one guy who would ensure amnesty? Rubio can screech Ted Cruz is a liar but his record is clear. A vote for Rubio would be one for clear change - amnesty. To better understand Rubio's record on immigration, John Fonte has explained it quite well:
The senators who wrote the legislation — the famous Gang of Eight — intended to expand the pool of cheap foreign labor for favored big businesses: Harry Reid for Las Vegas’s gambling business; Marco Rubio for Florida’s cruise-ship industry; Michael Bennet for Colorado’s ski industry. Apparently the Gang of Eight agreed that “ski instructor” is a job Americans are reluctant to perform, and thus more foreign workers are needed. 
The primary role of Senator Rubio in the Gang of Eight was not in crafting the legislation but in selling the bill to conservatives. For a time, Rubio’s salesmanship appeared to be working, and there was not much conservative opposition to S-744. But then the details of the Gang of Eight’s work began to be scrutinized, and Rubio faced pushback from the Right. 
For example, on June 26, 2013, Senator Ted Cruz told radio host Mark Levin that because of S-744’s thousand waivers, the Obama administration could “ignore vast portions” of the bill. Cruz told Levin that the bill “weakens existing law and border security, it weakens the fence provisions, it weakens biometric control, it weakens operational control. . . . It puts legalization first, and it promises border security in the future.” Indeed, on June 10, 2013, Rubio had told the Spanish-language Univision television network: “First comes legalization. Then come the measures to secure the border.”
A vote for Donald Trump would be one of "hope" that he would erect the border wall and deport millions of illegals sponging off of a taxpayer-funded welfare system. A vote for Rubio would seal the deal and bring true change to immigration policy - aka amnesty. 

Which leads to one final thought -  is there time yet for the true great awakening and the realization that "hope and change" will never solve America's fundamental problems? Translation - only a vote for Cruz will reverse Obama's fundamental screw-over job of this country.

Mitt Romney commenting on what preezy candidates...

are doing right/wrong in campaigns is as welcome and insightful as a Pee Wee Herman dissertation on the proper etiquette that should be followed while masturbating in a darkened theater.

Ted Cruz on the Kelly File Town Hall in Houston, Texas

Obama wants to be Raul Castro's new BFF

By Mouser the King Cat

Hey, let bygones be bygones. Raul Castro and Barack Obama want to be pals. Obama plans to drop by March 21-22.
Obama has acknowledged that as the countries move closer there may be “very serious differences” over issues like free speech. (He said that with a straight face. We all know he and Castro 100% agree that no criticism should go unpunished.)
The trade embargo thing is stickier, because all American property was seized after the Cuban revolution, everything from sugar factories to oil refineries. Thousands of claims were filed, totaling about $1.8 billion.
Leon Neyfakh of The Boston Globe examined the substantial legal hurdles to improving relations more than a year ago, interviewing many learned people. The money quote is from Julia Sweig of the Council on Foreign Relations:
“There is a scenario that I see, which is bit by bit the fundamentals of the embargo are chiseled away by executive order, by the economic and family ties linking Cuba and the United States, and by non-enforcement.”
In other words, the claimants can join the General Motors bondholders in getting screwed, probably between the 2016 election and Jan. 20, 2017.
On one thing, these two new BFFs agree: Rule of law? We don’t need no stinkin’ rule of law.

10 Terrifying Viruses That Actually Exist

Bernie Sanders Is a Delightfully Cranky Old Man

Wednesday, February 24, 2016

Spanish Moon (Live)

Dixie Chicken (Live)

Hillary Drinks

Hillary Clinton cites 'constitutional right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness'

'right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happines' is NOT in the US Constitution.
It is in the Declaration of Independence.

A big Bayou endorsement for Ted Cruz

By Mouser the King Cat

Tucked into the political calendar is the Louisiana Primary on March 5. Personal relationships mean a lot in bayou country, and GOP establishment darling Marco Rubio has the endorsement of Bobby Jindal, the former governor who has returned to his convenience store empire. (Just kidding!)
          
But we all know the gold standard in Louisiana is to be endorsed by a Robertson who appears on “Duck Dynasty,” still the hottest reality show on cable. Family scion Phil Robertson expressed his admiration for Ted Cruz in a hunting video.

“My qualifications for president of the United States are rather narrow. Is he or she godly, does he or she love us, can he or she do the job and finally – would they kill a duck and put him in a pot and make him a good duck gumbo? I’ve looked at the candidates. Ted Cruz is my man. He fits the bill.”

 Mr. Cruz returned the compliment, suggesting Mr. Robertson might be a good U.N. ambassador.

 “There is a reason he terrifies the mainstream media. He says things you’re not supposed to say. He actually remembers who we are as Americans and he speaks it with a joy. Not with an anger, not with a hatred – with a joy in who we are.”

That “terrifies” reference stems from when Mr. Robertson was quoted in GQ magazine as saying he considered same-sex marriage “evil” and “wicked.” The media pounced; his network suspended him, then un-caved. It took 10 days for “Duck Dynasty” fans to restore order, and the shows went on, every episode ending with a prayer and a family meal.

In other family news, Willie (Phil’s son) went on Fox News and pronounced his admiration for Donald Trump. CEOs can’t afford to be caught on the wrong side of the fence.

The Flipside Talks Vets

Ralph Peters: Obama closing Guantanamo Bay would be a 'huge victory' for terrorists

Cruz Was Trump Before Trump

By J.R. Holmsted

"Say whaaaaat? Have you lost your mind?"

No. Bear with me. The supposed GOP constituency has latched onto Trump, when we really already had all we needed in Cruz. We sacrificed the familiar and eloquent, for the new and bombastic.

But at what price?

I explain further in this series of tweets I unloaded yesterday.


























Primaries Matter So VOTE!

By J. R. Holmsted

Super Tuesday is coming. Far too quickly and with more dire stakes than I ever imagined. I’ve been thinking on this for a while. Maybe I should have written this sooner, maybe none of it matters anyway, but let me just get this off my chest.

Here’s the deal. I get going with the lesser evil. I’ve voted that way a few times. But we are not there yet. These are primaries. Don’t think about how you should vote because of popularity that is the “lesser evil” compared to Hillary Clinton.

Vote for your ideal candidate. Nobody has to know but you. Go with your gut, your heart, your head, but don’t go with the polls. Don’t go with what your mom wants or even your best Tweeps tell you. Vote for YOU.

But most importantly VOTE! Primaries matter now more than ever.

Beyond that I levy a challenge.

I CHALLENGE you to talk about who you’re voting for. What you believe. What conservatism stands for in your eyes. Explain why. Get your apathetic friends involved. Most likely they do care, they just don’t think it matters or don’t want to be flamed for what they think. This crap line of thinking will give us Trump. Which inevitably gives us Hillary. (Even if it does give us Trump, then buckle up for another 8-16 years of progressive rule, because Congress WILL turn over.)

Don’t be chicken. I understand not wanting to take a FB stand, that’s not what I mean. Hell, I don’t. FB is reserved for family and friend connections and photo sharing for me. You can more effectively engage personally. People listen when you articulate your position while looking them in the eye instead of from behind a keyboard.

“Dude! Political discussions are not polite! I was always taught not to discuss them!”

Don’t give me that nonsense. You don’t have to be abrasive. You don’t have to be a bully. You can inquire positions and engage in civil discourse. Our forefathers did this all the time. More often than not, they discussed politics around beers at a tavern until the wee hours of the morning. Surely many of you can relate. (Don’t pretend you don’t go to the bar or have drinks at home with friends on the reg.) They felt it was imperative. Had they adhered to “politeness” we would not have this democratic republic or worse, our mind-blowingly brilliant Constitution.

Encourage people to get involved. Whether you agree with them or not. Engage, engage, engage, engage, engage!!!

Your convictions will be better for it. Your conscience will be better for it.

America will be better for it.

Come hell or high water, you will have done all you could.

h/t @AviWoolf, @cdpayne, @lifebythecreek for entertaining my thoughts and enriching my mind.

Tuesday, February 23, 2016

It's Drink O'Clock: South of the Border

The Little Guy is right about the little guy

By Mouser the King Cat


The pundits, professors and professional blowhards who analyze politics on TV have grown increasingly tiresome. The disconnect from reality is on display every day and night.

Robert Reich, a professor at Cal-Berkeley, cuts through the clutter by calling the GOP and Democratic races what they are – a populist rebellion not likely to end soon.

Reich says:
 A respected political insider recently told me most Americans are largely content. “The economy is in good shape,” he said. “Most Americans are better off than they’ve been in years. The problem has been the major candidates themselves.” I beg to differ.

Economic indicators may be up but they don’t reflect the economic insecurity most Americans still feel, nor the seeming arbitrariness and unfairness they experience. Nor do the major indicators show the linkages Americans see between wealth and power, crony capitalism, declining real wages, soaring CEO pay, and a billionaire class that’s turning our democracy into an oligarchy.

He goes on:
There’s no official definition of the “establishment” but it presumably includes all of the people and institutions that have wielded significant power over the American political economy, and are therefore deemed complicit.

At its core are the major corporations, their top executives, and Washington lobbyists and trade associations; the biggest Wall Street banks, their top officers, traders, hedge-fund and private-equity managers, and their lackeys in Washington; the billionaires who invest directly in politics; and the political leaders of both parties, their political operatives, and fundraisers.

The article cites the obvious candidates benefiting from the new prevailing mood – Trump and Sanders – but leaves out Ted Cruz, a conservative hated by the establishment.

Professor Reich has been a regular on TV since serving as Secretary of Labor in the Clinton Administration, so look for him to expand on these thoughts in the next few days. I’ll close by answering a question you were dying to ask: He stands 4 feet 11.



Dos Equis 'Most Interesting Man' in Bitter Legal Battle

Good luck, Talia Jane

By Mouser the King Cat

The workplace can be crappy. It is unbearable when you make a string of poor decisions, as Talia Jane did.

 Her story, in her words published at Medium:
 “I left college, having majored in English literature, with a dream to work in media. It was either that or go to law school. Or become a teacher. But I didn’t want to become a cliche or drown in student loans, see. I also desperately needed to leave where I was living. … I found a job … and I put a bunch of debt on a shiny new credit card to afford the move.”

Her job was in customer service at Yelp/Eat 24, which publishes crowdsourced reviews of eateries and such. It was in San Francisco.

The operative word is WAS; her story was titled “An Open Letter To My CEO.” Shortly after it appeared, Talia Jane was fired. The CEO, Jeremy Stoppleman, went on Twitter to deny he knew of the firing before it happened. Skeptics might consider the number of yes men CEOs surround themselves with.

More from Talia Jane: “So here I am, 25, years ago, balancing all sorts of debt and trying to pave a life for myself that doesn’t involve crying in the bathtub every week. Every single one of my co-workers is struggling. They’re taking side jobs, they’re living at home. One of them started a GoFundMe because she couldn’t pay her rent. She ended up leaving the company and moving east, somewhere the minimum wage could double as a living wage.”

I’d like to know where that is, but I digress. The points here: Talia Jane holds a worthless degree; Talia Jane made a poor choice of entry-level jobs; Talia Jane insulted the company CEO.

Don’t be Talia Jane.