Political Theatre category archive

When I was a young ‘un, back in the olden days, the proponents of segregation and of the War in Viet Nam (not necessarily the same persons, mind you) loved to blame “outside agitators” for civil rights sit-ins and anti-war demonstrations.

The chorus of reaction hasn’t changed, but it wasn’t “outside agitators” then and it’s not “outside agitators” now.

Whatsoever they sow, therefore shall they weep.

Afterthought:

The Kochs sowed the wind. Now they reap the whirlwind.

There is truth in scripture, if you read it aright.

At Psychology Today Blogs, Gleb Tsipursky tries to understand the appeal of Trumpery and concludes it’s all in the pitch.

In related news, Berwood Yost looks at the news coverage of voter registration figures and finds that a fascination with Trumpery and other bright shiny things has led to skewed reportage. Here’s a snippet:

So neither the patterns in the current registration data nor the patterns we’ve seen compared with previous registration changes provide any evidence that a widespread change in voter alignment is taking place in the state, regardless of the news stories that say otherwise. It just isn’t happening.

How could the media and their expert commentators be so mistaken? The answer could be the real “Trump effect”: Members of the media were captured by the compelling national storyline about the Trump candidacy. Knowingly or not, they substituted what they knew was happening elsewhere for what they thought might be happening in Pennsylvania. That’s a too-common mistake when many of us make quick judgments, particularly about those things that seem to confirm what we think we know.

Image via Job’s Anger.

A long-time Maine Republican explains why she has finally chosen to–more properly, been driven to–leave the Republican Party. Here’s bit:

What drove me to finally leave the GOP was the ignorance around the country in state Legislatures trying to turn the clock back on the rights of U.S. citizens who are members of the LGBT community. That hit me where I live. If you had been standing in line at the city clerk’s office in Bangor City Hall when I went in to change my party affiliation, you would have witnessed the sadness I was feeling. I did not celebrate the decision, but rather felt like I was throwing a shovel of dirt on the resting place of what had been the Grand Old Party. I know this sounds melodramatic. I am actually a tad surprised that the decision to leave has had such an impact on me. Ironically, many of my friends who I thought would immediately praise the decision had as their first response to the news, “Oh my, you were one of the few Republicans I respected! What do I do now?”

One of the facts seldom mentioned in the coverage of the Democratic presidential campaign is this: Even though he’s campaigning for the Democratic nomination, Bernie Sanders is not a Democrat.

If you think this somehow doesn’t matter to persons who are grassroots members of a political party–attending boring meetings even when no election is imminent, campaigning on behalf of candidates and causes about which they may be at best lukewarm because the party chose to support them, handing out literature in the rain and making GOTV phone calls to persons who probably don’t care, sometimes supporting the lesser of two evils because the alternative is the evil of two lessers–you need to think again.

The Roanoke Times thinks it may have found “the word” that explains the resilience of Republican rule of the rural.

Methinks they are on to something. Follow the link to decide whether I am correct.

A Handy Guide to Republican Presidential Candidates.

Read more »

Sometimes, the Twitter twits get it right.

Tweet from Bette Middler via Kos.

I was at a gathering earlier today in which the process for choosing delegates to my party’s local and state conventions and, ultimately, to the national convention, was the topic (no, I’m not planning to be a delegate to anywhere). The person in charge of the gathering stated in passing that the selection process still makes his brain hurt.

Daniel Ruth wrote in his column yesterday that our parties’ processes for nominating candidates are a hodgepodge of procedural pitfalls surrounded by tripping hazards surrounded by thickets and despairs of their rationalization. A snippet:

Can it get any worse? You betcha, as long as a Koch brother can stroke a cat.

Follow the link for why he says that.

Via Job’s Anger.