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Comments Posted By MurphTheSurf3

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Time Out for O/T – Vol. 17

Funny, but also true.

» Posted By MurphTheSurf3 On October 9, 2011 @ 1:20 pm

OCCUPY WALL STREET: A Better Name for the Reality…­.

FORGET ABOUT CALLING THIS NEWEST GROUND SWELL OF POPULAR DISCONTENT
The “Occupy” Movement (that means htose involved are “OCUUPIERS” which plays into the rhetoric from the right.)

I prefer the “99 PERCENT MOVEMENT”.

Isn’t the 99 PERCENTERS a more positive and powerful term than the OCCUPIERS?

THUS IT IS THE 99 PRESENTERS WHO ARE OCCUPYING WALL STREET ETC.

Since this is obviously an organic movement that is not being funded and controlled by the Koch brothers, the right wing and right supporting and “balanced” media is characteri­­zing them as a “mob.”

BUT-
All 5 freedoms guaranteed in the 1st amendment are being practiced there: Speech, Press, Religion, Petition and Assembly.

It could easily be the most important renewal of the American Revolution since the Civil War(Abolitionism) or the Birth of the American Progressiv­e Movement at the end of 19th Century (LaFollete)

GIVEN ALL THIS….WH­ERE ARE THE TEA PARTIERS??­??

» Posted By MurphTheSurf3 On October 9, 2011 @ 12:12 pm

Nobody ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American people (Mencken)

» Posted By MurphTheSurf3 On October 9, 2011 @ 12:08 pm

I watched the whole thing. I think that was a polite bit of diplomacy and given the smackdown that had just taken place was pretty meaningless to which I say..GOOD.

Let’s go for broke. Smackdown is good.

» Posted By MurphTheSurf3 On October 6, 2011 @ 7:22 pm

Got it.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., used an arcane legislative maneuver to effectively rewrite Senate rules to make it harder for the minority party to force uncomfortable votes on the majority.

The buildup to this point started on Tuesday, when Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., tried to force a vote on President Obama’s jobs bill as well as other Republican priorities by offering them as amendments to the China currency bill. Reid blocked the move.

Tonight, McConnell made what’s called a “motion to suspend the rules,” to allow a vote on the amendments. Such motions are almost always defeated, because they require a two-thirds majority to pass. But they’re another way for the minority party to force uncomfortable votes. Even though the minority party doesn’t get a direct vote on the amendment, how somebody votes on the motion becomes a sort of proxy for such a vote. In this case, for instance, if Democrats had voted down a motion for a vote on Obama’s jobs bill, it would have put them in an awkward spot.

Though it’s been the standing practice of the Senate to allow such motions by the minority, tonight Reid broke with precedent and ruled McConnell’s motion out of order, and was ultimately backed up by Democrats.

So, the end result is that by a simple majority vote, Reid was able to effectively rewrite Senate rules making it even harder than it already is for the minority party to force votes on any amendments. Should Republicans retake the Senate next year, it’s something that could come back to haunt Democrats in a major way.

And just to clear up some confusion, what happened tonight was different than the so-called “nuclear option” to end filibusters. While triggering the “nuclear option” requires a Majority Leader to use the same sort of strategic maneuvers as Reid just did, tonight’s move had to do with the amendment process, not filibusters.

» Posted By MurphTheSurf3 On October 6, 2011 @ 6:15 pm

Just joined the conversation, what is going on?

» Posted By MurphTheSurf3 On October 6, 2011 @ 6:02 pm

sarah palin opts out……

If She Had Run

I would have mocked her
I would have criticized her
I would have disdained her
I would have laughed at her

NOW THAT SHE IS NOT RUNNING

I will mock her

I will criticize her

I will disdain her

I will laugh at her

either way, I KNEW I WOULD WIN

» Posted By MurphTheSurf3 On October 5, 2011 @ 6:28 pm

STEVE JOBS….RIP….APPLE’S CREATOR

I bought my first Apple in May of 1977. The Apple II.

34 Years Later…..­I am still an Apple/Mac User. I type this on my MacBook Pro.

In 34 Years I have NEVER had a computer “crash” . I never lost my hard drive contents. Even when something catastroph­ic happened we recovered the contents with relative ease. Its Unix programmin­g kept viruses at bay. The cases have eventually cracked with wear; they have gotten slower as the memory got used up, they fell behind the times. Apple Support on line and by phone is excellent and cost effective. Apple Stores are fun places to go.

I’ve had to use computers from several other companies all in the PC world in my work. Most function fine, but Apple is home.

Best to Steve, his family at home, and his family at work.

By coincidenc­e I will be purchasing my next Mac tomorrow..­.I am upgrading. Thanks Steve.

I admire Steve Jobs and I salute his memory.

» Posted By MurphTheSurf3 On October 5, 2011 @ 6:11 pm

In the GOP accusations of racism are far, far worse than actual racism.

For the modern Republican party race as a problem doesn’t exist. I suppose it’s because they’re understandably hyper-sensitive to accusations of bigotry, and they worry that anything they say in dealing with their recent history will be misconstrued and misunderstood from the start;

Hard to duck an important reality….Race is clearly one of the defining issues in human civilization, and it is persona non gratta among movement conservatives.

And this is all the more true if a conservative happens to be black. Liberals, Democrats talk about bigotry say the the GOPers….not us.

For many right-wingers the only way one can think about race is as a bludgeon. And while it’s to the Republican party’s credit that a black man is currently a semi-serious contender for their nomination, the unpleasant fact remains that, even for Herman Cain, his blackness is thought of in terms not dissimilar from how some liberals think of church and state; it’s fine if he’s black, but won’t he please keep it to himself?

In their desperation to prove how far race is from their minds, many modern conservatives end up demanding that the rest of the world does the same. If you’re a white person, this can be grating and ridiculous; but if you’re someone of color? It very well could feel like a demand to be something other than your true self.

Cain, in this context, comes to represent the denial of self as a person of color. And that is a key identifier.

» Posted By MurphTheSurf3 On October 5, 2011 @ 2:07 pm

THE NEW GOP FRONT RUNNER

Cain and the Unemployed

CAIN: I don’t have facts to back this up, but I happen to believe that these demonstrations are planned and orchestrated to distract from the failed policies of the Obama administration. Don’t blame Wall Street, don’t blame the big banks, if you don’t have a job and you’re not rich, blame yourself! It is not someone’s fault if they succeeded, it is someone’s fault if they failed.

http://www.addictinginfo.org/2011/10/05/herman-cain-blames-the-unemployed-for-being-unemployed/

» Posted By MurphTheSurf3 On October 5, 2011 @ 12:41 pm

Put it on my list of reads for today. Thank you.

Maybe there is life in the body politic after all.

» Posted By MurphTheSurf3 On October 5, 2011 @ 10:23 am

Thanks for this. Quick perusal and I have set it aside for a careful read.

» Posted By MurphTheSurf3 On October 5, 2011 @ 10:22 am

I really want to recommend Democracy Now at http://www.democracynow.org/ as one of the best sources for wide coverage of an emerging social and economic justice movement.

I also recommend Link TV and Current TV for the same reason.

If you have not seen The Billionaire’s Tea Party or The Best Government Money Can Buy, find a way to catch them both.

FOLKS, I FEEL THE EARTH MOVING UNDER OUR FEET!

» Posted By MurphTheSurf3 On October 5, 2011 @ 9:02 am

Thanks for the props/kudos re. our W. Va. efforts.

I like working the phone bank associated with the DNC. I get assigned lists that are labeled “high influence” meaning that they have been identified as voters who bring other voters along. Engaging them requires a level of knowledge many bankers do not have. I was contacted two weeks ago and asked if I could study up on the election and the candidates. I did and worked the banks for three or four hours for about a week.

I will work on my communique with the powers that be at the mega’s and would like to send it to you via e mail for review and input. Interested? Willing? I want to represent the issues fairly.

» Posted By MurphTheSurf3 On October 4, 2011 @ 9:48 pm

Yes, I know that graph…here is the problem, Presidential races are much more affected by general mood and questions of confidence….the President carries a greater burden and is held to a higher standard. It is not fair. It is not honest. But…well, it just IS.

» Posted By MurphTheSurf3 On October 4, 2011 @ 9:27 pm

From your lips to the Fate’s Ears.

I read an interesting note today at another site:

“Is it possible the America is too dumb to reelect Obama?”

Worries me everyday.

» Posted By MurphTheSurf3 On October 4, 2011 @ 9:25 pm

RCP is a right leaning (and at times lopsided) site, I admit it, BUT even in Pew, and PPP the trend is downward. Precipitously? No. Steadily? Yes.

I think that this will reverse. But….getting to work is they key.

Tonight’s W. Va. results are encouraging.

» Posted By MurphTheSurf3 On October 4, 2011 @ 8:11 pm

I and 10 friends diverted all of our donation money to the Dems in W. Va. and took part in on-line phone banking.

I am pleased to say that a number of those I spoke with said they were not happy with Obama but understood that he was working with a bad hand and that the Dems in W Va stand up for the little guy.

So, maybe the worm is turning.

» Posted By MurphTheSurf3 On October 4, 2011 @ 7:32 pm

Here are the numbers. http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/other/president_obama_job_approval-1044.html

RCP Average 9/13 – 10/3 —
42.7 Approval and 51.0 Disapproval
-8.3 Decline

Hardly his numbers when he was elected and a long way from his first month in office.

They are painful.

BUT, the W. Va. win may point to a growing awareness that we are in the shape that we are because of 8 Bush Years and Current GOP inaction (or blockading). One can hope.

» Posted By MurphTheSurf3 On October 4, 2011 @ 7:28 pm

The Mega’s are those with a high national profile- many (perhaps most) are corporately owned.

To be specific I am looking at those where I post: HP, Politico, Salon, Daily Beast, Daily Kos, FireDog Lake, Media Matters for America, and Real Clear Politics.

There ya are.

» Posted By MurphTheSurf3 On October 4, 2011 @ 7:05 pm

AP

http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/10/04/west-virginians-vote-for-governor/

» Posted By MurphTheSurf3 On October 4, 2011 @ 7:01 pm

GOOD NEWS FROM WEST VIRGINIA

Democrat Earl Ray Tomblin has won the special election race for the West Virginia governorship, according to the Associated Press.

Tomblin, the acting governor, beat drilling executive Bill Maloney, 50 percent to 46 percent with 65 percent of precincts reporting, in a race that narrowed considerably once Republicans started airing ads tying Tomblin to an increasingly unpopular President Obama.

» Posted By MurphTheSurf3 On October 4, 2011 @ 6:13 pm

Greetings All…..

I got responses from half a dozen members of this community re. my observations/questions related to the Big Current Events Blogs (HP, Salon, Daily Beast, Politico).

I thank you all for your honesty, insight, and directness.

I have copied and archived a number of the comments for further consideration and analysis. I have asked these questions on two other sites and gotten a lot of useful input as well.

I have the opportunity to interface with some of the decision makers at two of the big blogs and I want to shape a note to them that reflects what I have learned from all of those who have responded to me.

I don’t want to leave the Mega-Blogs to the trogs, the trolls and the lost, but I am wrestling with how to be effective in that world.

Ok…I’ll be quiet about this now and return to engagement on that for which this site was destined.

» Posted By MurphTheSurf3 On October 4, 2011 @ 6:06 pm

Thanks for your very complete reply to my reply.

I have read your post several times today.

I am going to copy and archive our entire dialogue.

I need to think this through.

» Posted By MurphTheSurf3 On October 4, 2011 @ 5:43 pm

Technically….the ticket does not run until the convention.

I have heard nothing about jettisoning Biden.

» Posted By MurphTheSurf3 On October 4, 2011 @ 5:34 pm

ChoiceLady

Demon Spotter

Hug Giver

You are right…I am not easily wounded.

My arsenal and my armor are well crafted.

One thing I do is that I really try to engage everyone as if they are being authentic. That tends to drive the trolls away very quickly. They just can’t keep up. What happens then is that some who seem to be trolls emerge as those who have picked up the language and the arguments because they are true believers. AND they have never been well and respectfully challenged.

I had one of those engagements last night.

I just wrote a response to AdLib further up this thread to a very thoughtful discussion he/she posted re. the Big Blogs and how we interact with them. I would be interested in your thoughts on this.

Thanks for your insights, quirky humour and overarching kindness.

» Posted By MurphTheSurf3 On October 4, 2011 @ 7:31 am

Be interested in your thoughts re. my reply to AdLib’s excellent piece.

You flesh out certain points very well in your identification of who makes up the troll culture and the masks behind which they hide.

» Posted By MurphTheSurf3 On October 4, 2011 @ 7:25 am

I read your comment late last night and wanted to mull it over before I replied. It was most thought provoking.

I wonder if it might be of use to have a discussion of the very important insights you and others here have offered in this matter.

Last night I got into a point/counterpoint discussion at HP with three people on one stream. We went back and forth. I have a sense of when people are really engaging. They speak in full thoughts; Write longer pieces; Work at the evidence; Avoid getting nasty and personal; and Engage those who respond to them by addressing the ideas of the other.

At the end of 20 or so interchanges, we mutually “fanned” each other although it was clear we did not agree on everything we had come to some common understandings.

I have had more than a few such interactions at HP.

When they introduced the Pundit Boxes the number of these interactions increased because they keep really strong comments at the top of the page for a long time.

In just a few days I have come to value the uniqueness of this site and see that it is serving an important purpose in furthering deep discussions and in supporting like minded thinkers and doersl

I wonder if there might be some way to engage the the community in a discussion of how “we” might as individuals interact productively with the mega-sites (both for profit and otherwise)?

Your input here provides many insights.

Perhaps we could end up creating a “how to” for those who want to (associated with the Trollbusters pages perhaps).

My concern is this: If those who agree with each other on fundamental political/social/economic tenets only associate with each other, then they run the risk of having little impact beyond strengthening their own belief. They do not have the opportunity that comes from engaging those with whom they disagree. Such engagement can lead to change on both sides.

I have five “friends” at HP with whom I disagree about almost everything. 3 are conservatives, 2 are liberals. But we follow each others work with keen interest. We have attracted others to join the discussion. It’s a town hall approach.

When I worked for the Obama campaign I volunteered to be the community organizer for our efforts in a upper middle class, almost entirely white enclave in the town in which I lived. The voter registration and activity records showed that 92 percent of its residents voted in the GOP primaries. For the SC Dem primary, I wanted to see if we could have an impact that neighborhood.

A lot of work and careful strategy resulted in an 18 percent turnout in the Democratic Primary with the vote splitting pretty evenly between Barack and Hillary. In the General Election the neighborhood went solidly for McCain but for the first time 13 percent voted for a Democrat (the highest previous number was 4 percent).

Earth shattering, world shaking? No. But a start.

» Posted By MurphTheSurf3 On October 4, 2011 @ 7:23 am

Love the offer of hugs and cold compresses.

» Posted By MurphTheSurf3 On October 3, 2011 @ 8:34 pm

Wrote a full response at the start of this thread in reply to myself. Weird.

I wanted to say to you that I understand your perspective. I think it is right on the mark.

» Posted By MurphTheSurf3 On October 3, 2011 @ 8:33 pm