Campaign 2016: Hillary Clinton's Fake Populism Is a Hit - Matt Taibbi/RollingStone

[WillyT]

Campaign 2016: Hillary Clinton's Fake Populism Is a Hit
Pundits say her idealist porridge is not too hot, not too cold, but just fake enough
By Matt Taibbi - RollingStone
April 16, 2015


The reaction to Hillary's campaign announcement went exactly according to script. Melina Mara/The Washington Post/Getty

<snip>

Hillary Clinton ran onto the playing field this week, Rock and Roll Part 2 blaring in the background, and started lying within minutes of announcing her entry into the presidential election campaign.

"There's something wrong," she told a crowd of Iowans, "when hedge fund managers pay lower taxes than nurses or the truckers I saw on I-80 when I was driving here over the last two days."

Oh, right, that. The infamous carried interest tax break, the one that allows private equity vampires like Mitt Romney and Stephen Schwartzman to pay a top tax rate of 15 percent while all of the rest of us (including the truckers Hillary "saw" – note she didn't say "hung out with Bill and me over chilled shrimp at the Water Club&quot pay income taxes.

The carried interest loophole is an absurd, completely unjustifiable handout to the not merely well-off but filthy rich, and it's been law in this country for about three decades.

Raise your hand if you really think that Hillary Clinton is going to repeal the carried interest tax break.

We'll come back to that in a minute. In the meantime...

<snip>

More: http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/campaign-2016-hillary-clintons-fake-populism-is-a-hit-20150416

[AuntPatsy]

1. I may be wrong but I honestly don't believe I am, I have complete faith in her ability to set

Things right...

[Jackpine Radical]

4. Ach, du lieber Gott!

[AuntPatsy]

16. I don't really believe in god

[MisterP]

81. evidently: people often have their faith in God shaken and questioned

politicos--not so much!

[AuntPatsy]

83. ? Not sure what gave you the idea that I had faith that was shaken concerning what some call God

[ND-Dem]

93. depends on who your god is

[AuntPatsy]

146. I guess..

[Cryptoad]

183. There are some who if they don't like what you said in a post,,,,

but have no comeback,,,,, will holler out " Hey look over there ,,,a squirrel" .. this may be the case here of what has happened with ur post AuntPatsy.

[cali]

8. what in her economic record leads you to that belief?

She is not for raising taxes on the wealthy.

[AuntPatsy]

19. A very interesting article...

http://billmoyers.com/2015/04/13/radical-agenda-hillary-clinton/

[cali]

92. that's not even about HRC

It certainly isn't responsive to the question I asked you

[AuntPatsy]

149. It absolutely strikes a cord concerning her and others economic stance In the political realm

I happen to believe it explained a lot... My opinion ...

[Cryptoad]

145. She wants to raise taxes on the wealthy far more than any other candidate.

That makes her the progressive candidate in this election.

[bvar22]

150. And you have some documentation for that claim?

I would love to have some facts and figures about how Hillary is
"raise taxes on the wealthy far more than any other candidate".

IN 2008 campaign, she refused to Raise-the-Cap on Social Security
because that would be too much of a burden on those making more than $100,000/year.

[Cryptoad]

170. No need to cite "common knowledge"

[bvar22]

175. I provided facts.

You provided......... exactly what?

[Cryptoad]

182. so do tell, which GOP candidate's position is more progressive

[bvar22]

184. Oh , Come On Toad,

...you can do better than that.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Well, maybe not.

[Cryptoad]

185. got nuttin?

[donnasgirl]

157. Are you saying she wants to more than Bernie or Elizabeth.

[Cryptoad]

168. Of course not...

Bernie and Elizabeth are not running.

[donnasgirl]

169. I agree with Elizabeth

But Bernie is going to run.

[Cryptoad]

171. I do too,,,

but she aint going to run.....

[DeSwiss]

49. I may not have already won the Publisher's Clearinghouse Grand Prize......

...but I honestly believe that I have.

- But they still won't give me my rightful money!!!!

[AuntPatsy]

64. Cute ;) hope you get your money;)

[Martin Eden]

53. Was that a double entendre?

"right" (as opposed to Left)

[AuntPatsy]

66. Good one ;)

[bjobotts]

60. What lies? She didn't lie. She acknowledged. Why the purist bit huh.

[AuntPatsy]

68. I'm impressed that you know actual politicians that are 100 percent truthful, could you share info?

[frylock]

134. you really whupped the shit outta that strawman..

beat it good!

[JDPriestly]

147. Bernie Sanders comes as close to that standard as any.

Not perfect probably, but no habitual liar.

[AuntPatsy]

151. You see that's where we should all stop and take a real look around us..how many of us actually

Know or will come face to face or engage with a certain politician enough where we could swear beyond a reasonable doubt that how we perceive them to be is more than just a faint glimmer of truth

[JDPriestly]

156. Have you watched Bernie Sanders?

Try it. I'm not saying he is the mirror of truth, but he is a person who does not bother to try to impress others with anything but who he is and the truths he tells. Elizabeth Warren is also pretty forthright.

Anybody can make mistakes. But when a candidate hires a huge team to varnish and gild his or her image, there is a problem. We are probably not being shown the real person.

[billhicks76]

76. Bad Move

She's a total right wing fake. Her entire persona exudes the opposite of authenticity.

[AuntPatsy]

84. I will agree to disagree.. And hope your wrong ;)

[MissDeeds]

85. +1 n/t

[CoffeeCat]

132. I live in Iowa…here is the deal...

Last edited Mon Apr 20, 2015, 03:48 PM - Edit history (1)

In the 2008 primary, Hillary toured around Iowa on a private plane dubbed the "Hillocopter." Her campaign slapped that name on it, not Iowans. She repeatedly gave large, canned speeches with very little substance. She rarely, if ever, spoke to Iowans directly. You are *expected* to speak with us, answer difficult questions and engage if you're a politician in Iowa.

Iowans take their "first in the nation" status very seriously. We are humbled that we are first and we want to do a good job for our nation. We DEMAND that we know these candidates. The majority of Democrat and Republican primary candidates know this. They get it.

Hillary did not. She sauntered into this state, during the 08 primary--as if she was the anointed one. She never worked a crowd or answered questions. When she was criticized for her corporate-cannded campaign, in response, she held a Q & A at a smaller venue. It was discovered that the only ones called on were planted staffers!

She even criticized our Iowa Caucuses, they day after the vote. Caucuses are small-venue voting sites. We meet in high-school libraries, community centers and YMCA gymnasiums. We discuss the candidates and allow people to pitch their favorite candidates to caucus goers. Then, we vote. It's truly democracy in action.

Seriously. Iowans are not fools. We picked Obama, didn't we? Our state is 99 percent white, but we are a very Progressive state in which Obama won in all 99 of our counties in the last Iowa caucuses. Iowa was one of the first states to legalize gay marriage. Iowans demand to vet candidates and we demand authenticity. We're very kind people and we can smell bullshit from miles.

This, "I'm a real girl!" nonsense is not going to get Hillary anywhere. It's fake and it feels like a device to get votes. The editorials and columns in Sunday's Des Moines Register, reflected this reality.

I believe that Hillary should just be Hillary. Her policies and votes tell the story. She's an affluent, lifelong, privileged politicians who sides with the neocons on war policy and the corporatists when it comes to the middle class. She's kow towed to the bankers and the oil companies (pro fracking, has done little to nothing to help the middle class).

She should just be who she is. If she's uncomfortable answering questions and mingling with the masses--just give the canned speeches. Let the chips fall where they may. Some Dems may like that. But please, don't waltz in here and pretend to care and pretend to be something you're not. It's annoying who Iowans to take seriously this process.

Hillary came in third in Iowa last time. We did our due diligence and we saw many problems. She's not going to do any better this time around, by faking it.

[Skidmore]

152. A hearty concurrence from this Iowan.

[billhicks76]

158. Make This An Op-Ed Piece

Feature this. It's the best comment ive read all year.

[Agony]

167. READ THIS

Reality can be harsh, especially when your own ox is goring itself.



Thank you for taking time to lend your perspective

[rhett o rick]

129. Sorry but it doesn't even pass the most basic logic test. She is a member in great standing

in the top 0.02% which is a very small wealthy group. If she is to "set things right" she should start now and be specific as to what she wants changed. When Sen Warren took on the banks they threatened her immediately. If Clinton ever gets in the situation where her fellow 1%'ers threaten her, then I might start to believe. Until then, this is empty rhetoric. And those that believe in it must be doing so on blind, unfounded faith.

[truebrit71]

160. I felt the same way about President Obama...

...how's that saying go...Fool me once....?

[hifiguy]

173. "Faith" is belief without evidence.

I live in an evidence-based world. It's called REALITY.

[AtomicKitten]

2. Folksy with a wink wink to Wall Street.

[Enthusiast]

111. What could be better?

With a little Dubya stupid thrown in she might be able to conjure up a new big war.

[sadoldgirl]

5. The problem is that

from now on people will judge the candidates
of any party by their campaign slogans, well
most of them will.

I hope that the internet will supply facts in
the recent (let's say 10-15 years), which
show these people in a different light.

As I wrote: I just hope for it.

[bluestateguy]

6. What sexist garbage

nt

[WillyT]

9. Excuse Me... I Must Have Missed It... But Where Did The Sexist Part Come In ???

[Jackpine Radical]

21. She's a woman. Taibbi made her Look Bad.

That's sexism.

**sigh**

[Autumn]

29. And there it is.

You called it.

[BeanMusical]

73. Nailed it.

[DonCoquixote]

87. Matt can take it

I remember when Erica Jong accused him of wantign to have incest because he daredoppose Hillary. Fear of Flying indeed.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/matt-taibbi/erica-jong-thinks-i-want_b_96169.html

[cali]

10. what is sexist about it?

Please point to the passages. That are sexist

[hifiguy]

20. As sure as eggs is eggs. nt

[IronLionZion]

201. Eggs is misogyny

Why didn't you say anything about sperm!

[Jackpine Radical]

22. Good that they're getting their practice in on us.

I understand that a bunch of her folks are getting special quick-draw holsters made for their Genderism cards.

[MissDeeds]

80. Yep

Don't address the issue at hand, just deflect, deflect, deflect.

[L0oniX]

25. LMFAO ...fail

[brentspeak]

26. Thanks for the laugh. n/t

[arcane1]

32. Hmm... it IS sexist to regard her views as beyond criticism just because she is a woman.

Sexist garbage indeed!

[DeSwiss]

48. Those......

...''If-you-don't-like-Hillary-you-must-be-a-sexist'' talking points are as about a convincing as Hillary's devotion to the unwashed.

- How can she be against the 1%ers when she's just a few percentage points from being one herself?


[center][/center]

[BeanMusical]

78. "Hillary's devotion to the unwashed. "

Lol, I totally agree with you but couldn't help laughing when I read that part.

[ND-Dem]

94. critizing a woman now sexist. kind of like in 1890.

[rhett o rick]

128. Your contribution is to call someone sexist? That's all you have? Nothing substantive?

I hope you realize that you will wear out that disparagement quickly if you use it every time someone disagrees with Clinton.

[frylock]

135. bit early in the game for accusations of -ism, isn't it?

[hifiguy]

7. Her "populism" is as phony as a three-dollar bill

with Richard Nixon's portrait on it.

ETA - Holy shite, did Taibbi ever hit that one on the screws. That one went into orbit.

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

58. Hillary's new-found populism seems phony only cuz she's new to it. With a little practice, perhaps it will come across a bit more sincere & Elizabeth-esque.

[Art_from_Ark]

107. Get your $3 Nixon bills right here

Hurry! Supplies are limited!

[hifiguy]

140. LOL! Haven't seen that graphic since

the "glory days" of Watergate. Still funny.

[Autumn]

11. She can talk her Populism talk all she wants. It rings hollow and I don't think

people are going to fall for "talking the talk" and sitting out the walk again. Love that Matt Taibbi, he's one brilliant guy.

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

62. Practice makes perfect. No doubt, the hundreds of consultants Hillary had hired will help as she works on her populism schtik...

Give it time.

[Thinkingabout]

12. So we are subject to fake reporting of Hillary's agenda, accept she will try to change some of the

Inequalities which exist. This is her position.

[cali]

18. she is center right on economic issues. accept that Fact

[Thinkingabout]

31. That is your opinion, it is not my opinion.

[ND-Dem]

95. isn't it also your opinion that social security disability is populated by fraudulent claims

that are destroying it?

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

65. Why let facts get in the way cali? haha...when Hillary can just ignore them and pretend to be somebody she's not.

Unfortunately, Hillary is all we got right now. Still holding out hope though that Elizabeth changes her mind and runs.

[AuntPatsy]

70. Did you read article, pretty interesting and speaks to your subject at hand....

http://billmoyers.com/2015/04/13/radical-agenda-hillary-clinton/

[Maedhros]

13. The money quote:

It doesn't matter that these op-eds usually come in the conservative or centrist press. They're part of a psychological cycle, designed to make voters think that the things that they really want, like tax fairness or prosecution of white collar crooks or ends to wars or illegal surveillance or torture or whatever, are just pie-in-the-sky aims that inevitably perish when they run into the "reality" of governance.

This is the theme song for DU.

[L0oniX]

24. ^^^this^^^

[Doctor_J]

38. NO kidding. Like it's pulled straight from the posts of the Fan Club

[woo me with science]

44. +10000000000000000

[reddread]

50. elegy

[abelenkpe]

91. +1000 nt

[ND-Dem]

96. +1 million and a half. yes, very familiar from DU. talking point central, call the number.

[polichick]

105. Yep - this is the pony shit.

[whereisjustice]

109. Truth at last. Couldn't have said it any better.

[raouldukelives]

133. Yep. nt

[WillyT]

196. + 1,000,000,000 - Perfect !!!

Great pull !!!

[Arcadiasix]

15. She is a fake. I can't ever vote for her.

[blue neen]

86. So, if she is the Democratic nominee for President in 2016, who will you vote for?

??

[blue neen]

90. Still waiting.

[Arcadiasix]

99. I will never vote fot her. If there is a progressive on teh ballot I will vot for that one if not I

won't vote.

[blue neen]

108. You're saying if it all comes down to Hillary Clinton vs. , say Jeb Bush then you will not vote.

Why are you here on Democratic Underground then?

[Adrahil]

120. Two possibilities, I think...

1) poster is a troll looking to suppress the vote.

2) poster can't see the forest for the trees, and is like a child who holds their breath when they don't get their way.

Could go either way.

[totodeinhere]

139. I would vote for her in the general election. But when I attend my state's caucus

I absolutely will be supporting another Democrat.

[Maedhros]

17. An even better quote:

At launch she talked a streak of anti-elitist rhetoric that was taken seriously for a few days, until the punditry took the temperature of her populism and declared to it be the right kind: the fake kind, the purely strategic kind.

The congoscenti even seemed to applaud Clinton for sounding enough like Elizabeth Warren to preclude the necessity of the actual Elizabeth Warren running for president, Warren being the wrong kind of populist, the real kind.

[zeemike]

52. And that quote nails it.

I often wonder what she said to Warren when they had that meeting...perhaps she gave Warren "the talk".

[Jackpine Radical]

59. Well, who really knows? But I think Liz is very reluctant to run

simply because she's a team player, with a fully-functioning sense of humility, who just moved onto the block & she really doesn't want to blow her team's chances with some kind of ego-run. That's just not her. As long as things stay more-or-less on course for the Dems to have a decent shot at the WH, my bet is that she will stay out.

However--and I say this with almost a premonitory foreboding--I'm not at all sure Hillary will be a viable candidate by a year from now in the Primaries. I think O'Malley & Webb are angling around to be the backup candidate if Hillary becomes unavailable for any reason, be it health, scandal (real or otherwise), some new nonsense from Slick Willie, or whatever. As to what Liz might choose to do in that environment, your guess is as good as mine.

[zeemike]

82. Well I don't know that either.

But if she is a team player she would not piss off Wall Street so much...because that is the team.
O'Malley and Webb don't have the name recognition right now, and as long as Hillary is running the media will focus on her and they will never get it.

Without Warren Sanders is the only one who has a chance IMO, and Hillary has a couple billion dollars so it will be hard unless he can mobilize some strong grassroots...and I think it is possible.
And if he should pull it off and select Warren as VP the GOP would shit their pants because it would mobilize a lot of people...unlike Hillary who would have problems beating Jeb.

But like you said, who knows...we are far from the bubble they live in.

[MADem]

131. I think she's reluctant to run because she's not prepared, not interested in the job, and they'd eat

her ALIVE. HRC's private life has been vetted. Warren's has not. Scott Brown tried to "go there" in the Senate contest, but he did it in a ham-handed way. The RNC machine is much cleverer, and much more insidious. She'd be ripped to shreds, and she's smart enough to know that.

She also has a clear understanding of her strengths, and her potential legacy. Her fight is against income inequality at home, and that's where her focus needs to be. If she can level the playing field for Americans and restore the "American dream," she'll have secured that legacy.

[bvar22]

162. Hillary has been vetted,

and that is why we all recognize that her sudden turn to Populism is nothing but a campaign scam brought on by Warren/Sanders rise in popularity.

The Populist rhetoric suddenly falling so easily from her lips is as phony and empty as a low budget Carnival Barker.

[MADem]

166. Who's "we all?" Plenty of people don't share your view.

I sure don't.

Knock yourself out with your opinions, though--all they do is motivate me to work harder to elect Clinton the first female POTUS of the USA.

What's empty and phony is all this right wing Rovian bullshit masquerading as faux "populist" sentiment--it has its origins at rightwing websites, and somehow bleeds over this way, carried by clueless useful tools who don't even realize how thoroughly they're being used.

I can't believe some of the garbage I've seen here, and all these petty, nasty accusations directed towards people who don't share the opinion that HRC isn't a good candidate. The only "purity tests" I see are coming from people who want to derail the candidacy of the first viable female candidate for the Presidency.

Not DU's finest hour.

[bvar22]

178. You're right. I was presumptive.

Not everybody sees it, or recognizes the duplicity.
Carnival Hucksters, Street Monty Scammers, and Casinos count on it.
That is why they still have "customers" while the scam is so obvious to everyone else.

PT Barnum was incorrect about one thing.
He vastly underrated the rate at which SUCKERS are born in America.

[MADem]

187. So, you're saying the guy who posted

this thread is a "sucker?"

Maybe YOU'RE the sucker--you're sure acting like one.


You sure know how to be rude as hell when you're in someone else's house, I'd say.

I've never known people who call themselves "progressive Democrats" to be quite so ... INTOLERANT, frankly. That "My Way or the Highway" shit is usually a feature of the pachyderm crew.

Makes me wonder, that's for sure.

[bvar22]

190. I respond in kind. EOM.

*

[MADem]

200. I merely asked you a question--and you didn't/couldn't respond to it.

So.....whatever. You don't "respond in kind." You don't respond at all. Perhaps because you can't.

I think talk of "suckers" when it's all down to which DEMOCRATIC politician one might prefer, well, .... SUCKS.

I'll bet I'm not alone. Trying to divide Democrats in a toxic fashion is not very "progressive."

[sheshe2]

202. The....

Great State of Massachusetts sure found Warren popular long before you. That is why we elected her. Stop using her as a tool to bash other Dems. She has said she is not running, what part of that do you not understand?

And before you respond, yes she is being used here.

[magical thyme]

102. I think she listened rather than talked

Listened very closely so she could memorize and parrot, every word, inflection, intonation, gesture.

[nashville_brook]

23. if Hillary can mobilize the base that will be great.

i'm skeptical at this point, but we're 18 months out. i want our nominee to be sharp as nails for the general -- no matter who it is.

[AuntPatsy]

27. Agree, but pushing back the skeptism

[Kelvin Mace]

30. I am told by many here

that my vote and the vote of people like me are not needed. After all, it is just me and a handful of others.

[AuntPatsy]

34. I would wonder about that persons true agenda that would tell you that

[ND-Dem]

97. and they're all farrrrr lefffft. which means they are interested in economic issues and thus

homophobic, sexist and racist

luckily there's only 7 of them so they can be dissed, put in a stocking, and smothered

[yourout]

28. Hillary(Harold) Hill pushing band uniforms...

I don't believe her for a New York second.

[BlueStreak]

36. I never realized that was Buddy Hackett until now

[yourout]

39. Our middle son was one of the barbershop guys in the high school musical.

He was also in Guys and Dolls(Frank Sinatra part) and Fiddler on the Roof.

[SomeGuyInEagan]

176. He sang "Shipoopi" in the movie!

That - alone - is worth admission.

[BlueStreak]

205. What an extravaganza. I hadn't seen that in over 40 years.

And we can't leave out the Simpsons take-off

[BeanMusical]

74. Anybody who believes that B.S is really gullible.

[HereSince1628]

33. Oh DON'T READ TAIBBI...the hits on his articles just make him feel right!

[BlueStreak]

35. It is smart. Americans of all stripes support liberal positions about 60-75%

This has been true for a long time. If a politician can ever succeed in getting people to talk about the issues instead of all of the baggage, it will be clear this is actually a center-left country.

What is different this time is that Hillary is going after GOP wives. The GOP men are probably a lost cause. We just have to wait for them to die, but Hillary has a one-time historic opportunity to have this dialog with the GOP women. Many are inclined to support her because she has the right number of Y chromosomes and ribs.

Does Hillary really believe in this populism? Will she sell us out as easily as Obama on health care and the TPP for example? Probably. But if she can succeed in getting some of those GOP wives to stand up, that could make a big difference for the next generation.

[m-lekktor]

37. another good one from Mr. Tiabbi!

[woolldog]

40. who cares if its fake or not

We need her to win. Everyone needs to shut up and get behind hillary. We can't afford to lose.

[DeSwiss]

45. I, for one- care.

And ''we'' can't lose because we aren't running for anything and she doesn't represent me.

- Now you shutup.....

-1 vote.

[woolldog]

47. we will lose if she does,

Assuming you are an American and live in this country.

[DeSwiss]

56. We've already lost if we continue on this course.

- We will be simply confirming that degrading process if we continue to elect non-entities like Hillary Clinton. She does not represent the future, but the past.

If that be the case, I would rather we stop the slow descent into the mad world you fear. Let us go head long into it and stop this mucking about. People are slowly being poisoned by this society from every realm. The food. The water. And worst of all, the politics.

I say fuck this stalemate. Capsice?

[woo me with science]

63. Hear, hear.

Outstanding graphic.

[arcane1]

57. .

[frylock]

136. Everyone needs to shut up and get behind hillary.

get some bumper stickers printed up, post-haste.

[totodeinhere]

141. I'm not quite ready to reduce it to that common denominator just yet.

Yes I will vote for Clinton in the general election if it comes to that but in the meantime I will be waiting to see if an electable bona fide progressive throws their hat into the ring. I would support O'Malley, Sanders, Biden, Warren or any number of others before I would support Clinton. And yes I know that none on my list have declared yet, and Warren probably won't, but I do think that there will be at least one major candidate challenging Clinton in the primaries and caucuses even though we don't know who that will be at this point.

Also, I don't appreciate being told to shut up.

[LondonReign2]

142. I've never heard a more cogent and convincing political argument

Bravo!

[DeSwiss]

41. !

[PBass]

42. Matt Taibbi also said that presidential candidate John Kerry was stiff and boring.

Matt Taibbi can be a dick. He showed up at Kerry rallies wearing a tiger costume (or whatever - can't be bothered to look it up).

So this time, Hillary is insincere and fake, calculating, shrewd and ambitious, etc. And she didn't invite a random trucker to eat shrimp at the Water Club.

[DeSwiss]

46. Shit, he is!!! Stiff as a fucking board. n/t

[arcane1]

61. Kerry was stiff, boring, and in 100% agreement that we should invade Iraq.

None of that is Taibbi's fault.

[Demeter]

123. Worse yet, he's a vicious shill for the Corporate Oligarchy

and their fascist wars in Ukraine, Yemen, the rest of the Middle East....he doesn't seem to get involved in the Western Hemisphere, for which the Latinos are undoubtedly grateful....

[bvar22]

192. He has verbally attacked Venezuela and its democratically elected government...

...more than once.
For that matter, Hillary has too.

[Fuddnik]

67. Yeah, but he was stiff and boring until he was - or wasn't- or whatever.

I worked for Kerry, and it was all I could do, to keep from falling asleep when I was onstage with him.

[840high]

69. Matt was right about Kerry.

[Major Hogwash]

98. "How's the weather in Boston today, Senator Kerry?"

"Well, today the sun is out, shining brightly, and the skies are clear. Just like that one day in Vietnam back in 1969 when I was ordered on a mission to go patrol upriver for the very first time. The winds were calm when we left port that day, just as calm as they are now. But, after we were just a few miles out of port, the winds picked up considerably, and started blowing. At first, they were only blowing about 10 miles per hour, with gusts up to 15 miles an hour. Which is what I think may happen later this morning. They aren't winds that are strong enough to blow you off course, much. But, they get your attention. The kind of gusts that cause you to notice your speed so as not to run out of fuel while in enemy-controlled territory. Back then, back on that day in Vietnam, we didn't know that the winds would pick up later that morning. Just before noon, if I recall correctly. Then the skies clouded over, an ominous sign of what we could come to expect later in the day. But, today, the winds are not going to get that high, I believe, so it should be fair sailing if you're thinking of going sailing later today. Yet, there was no sailing in Vietnam when we were on that first mission on that terrible day. And I have to say, that we were all so glad to get back to port later than night; we never thought that the winds would blow on us as hard as they did back on that particular day. And I remember the looks on all of the men that were aboard that swiftboat that I was commanding when I told them that we were going to have to turn around soon and head for home. I'll never forget the look of relief that flooded their faces, that will be with me for the rest of my life. Of course, it could rain later on this afternoon, you never know. Take your umbrella with you, just in case."

[KoKo]

118. .....!

[RufusTFirefly]

130. ^ This is brilliant! ^

Love it! Well done!!

[SomeGuyInEagan]

177. Some love for the Major today.

Well played.

[magical thyme]

104. Kerry was stiff and boring.

He still is.

Also comes across as pompous. You left that out.

[LondonReign2]

144. So you are saying he was dead on accurate then?

[JEB]

43. Plastic populism. Quid pro quo populism.

[woo me with science]

51. FINALLY! Two plus two equals four!

[font size=6]

We have now sunk to a depth at which restatement of the obvious is the first duty of intelligent men.

-George Orwell [/font size]

[JaneyVee]

54. Because Republicans anti-populist rhetoric is terrifying.

[woo me with science]

55. K&R and To the Greatest Page.

Our politics are cynically, brazenly corrupt.

This is what we need from journalism. We need them to STOP pretending that the lies make sense. We need them to STOP pretending that we are dealing with a functioning representative democracy.

We need them to stop LYING and start responding honestly to the RECORD and to the GARBAGE we are fed in utter defiance of it by our political machines.

This is very, very good news, that this reality check was published.

Courage is contagious. And so is honesty.


Time for the willful national delusion about what we are really facing here, to end.

[Demeter]

124. +several brazillion

this is a good Original Post topic, woo.

[KMOD]

71. It's not fake.

Hillary is a true blue liberal.

[Pauldg47]

88. Sorry....

....but your wrong.

[KMOD]

89. No, I'm not wrong.

We just see it differently.

[magical thyme]

106. if you define "true blue liberal" as pro-war, pro-Wall Street and pro-TPP

then sure, she's a "true blue liberal."

In which case, I'm not a "true blue liberal."

Those are my issues 3-5, with # 1 being climate change /environment and #2 being the economy. Ironically, taking the opposite side of Hillary on issues 3-5 will go a long way toward fixing #1 and #2.

[one_voice]

72. Matt Taibbi is a...

libertarian ass hat.

As if I'm gonna listen to some Paulbot, states right lovin, roe v wade undoing, libertarian jackass about what is or isn't populism.

[betterdemsonly]

103. Taibbi hates Rand Paul

You're uninformed, and clearly don't actually read Taibbi.

[QC]

116. Some people here use the word 'libertarian' like teabaggers use 'socialist."

Basically, "Anything I happen not to like is ___."

[one_voice]

126. I know, right?...

wtf?, Matt, calling himself a libertarian. What the heck would he know.

[one_voice]

125. That's what happens when you assume...

he likes daddy Paul. Maybe you should read a little more.

He's for states rights, wants roe v wade reversed that's enough for me to say what I said. You wanna like him have at it. That's up to you.

I stand by my original statement.

He's libertarian jackass.

[whereisjustice]

113. lololol - And Greenwald is a poopy head!

[raindaddy]

75. As we post to this thread Hillary Clinton is still carefully considering how she feels...

about a trade agreement that gives global corporations the power to undermine local, state and federal laws if they feel they obstruct their never ending quest for more power and profit.

[Thespian2]

77. Just a thought

If HRC wins, we all lose...
If a Repuke wins, we lose faster...

To win is to back a real populist...the sooner, the better...

[BeanMusical]

79. Kick and R.

[cali]

100. Oops, forgot to rec. Thanks so much, Willy. I have a small confession to make

I saw this 2 days ago, but decided not to post it because I knew the fury it would invoke.

[cantbeserious]

101. HRC - Hope And Change Redux - America Never Seems To Learn

eom

[Adrahil]

121. Oh look... An Obama hater.... How quaint. n/t

[frylock]

137. the fuck?

[bvar22]

193. I second that.

*

[Enthusiast]

110. Kicked and recommended several million.

Only a millionaire could actually favor the carried interest tax loophole.

Weasel Republicans and weasel Democrats have conspired to preserve it. Weasels are weasels.

There is nothing good about this loophole. It does not create investments or jobs. That would be pure mythology.

[whereisjustice]

112. Truckers on I-80, lol. I'm sure that went over well. Remember Romney's "I like grits, y'all" moment?

It's the Bill and Hill show from now on. Would be funny if there wasn't so much at stake.

[daleanime]

114. K&R.....

[marym625]

115. K&R! Big time!

There is not a hand raised emoticon. Hmm. Guess I can't raise my hand.

Great post, WillyT! Thank you!

[whereisjustice]

117. You have to admit, it took years in the making, but we have a genuine McCandidate. So patently

synthetic and sanguine, the recipe is carefully guarded on email servers in her basement run by the neighbor kid down the street who saw how to do it on you tube.

What?

At least she didn't outsource it to India or China.

Right?

Right?

[Jackpine Radical]

127. So krool, so krool

Correct, funny as hell, but krool.

[Fearless]

119. There are few good journalists left and he is one

[Dopers_Greed]

122. I'm expecting...

"Change...middle class...equality...etc."

*Wins election*

"Time to work with the Republicans!"

Hmmm...sound familiar?

[Spitfire of ATJ]

138. "....the tax break "sounds" unfair, but that if you look at the details..."

It's STILL unfair.

The problem is the fundamental fallacy that it is the rich in their nobility that drives the economy.

[kentuck]

143. The Golden Rule...

He who has the gold makes the rules...

[NuttyFluffers]

148. good article. we need more cleaning, less wax & polish.

but wax & polish will be the only things provided. how convenient.

good thing to call it out.

[George II]

153. I wish I had the time to tally all the Anti-Hillary-Clinton discussions started on this site, but...

......I think it would take a couple of weeks, and then I'd be a couple of weeks behind in tallying the NEW Anti-Hillary-Clinton discussions.

[lumberjack_jeff]

154. Theater? Maybe. I'm encouraged that all the candidates are playing the same movie.

All the screens on the DNC cineplex are playing shows about inequality and economic populism. This is great - I'm not all that concerned that the actors aren't universally 100% sincere.

This is an improvement over 2008.

[bvar22]

208. Thank You, OWS.

Before OWS, the Democratic Party Leadership was all about austerity and "Time to eat your peas".

[lumberjack_jeff]

209. Exactly. n/t

[Blue_Tires]

155. I'm on the fence about Hillary Clinton personally, but it has to be said:

For those of you who are absolutely 100% certain they want NO part of Hillary whatsoever, and won't even hold your nose to vote for her if she's the nominee -- NOW is the time for you to log off DU, identify some Democratic candidates you *can* in good conscious vote for, and start organizing like a sonofabitch...

If Hillary does turn out to be the nominee next year, I am in no mood to see half of DU bitching and moaning about the party not listening to its base; how the party didn't present any other choices but Clinton, how nobody else ever had a chance, ad nauseam...Because while rushing to DU to post the latest daily Clinton hit piece is fun, it's not going to magically make Warren or Sanders instantly drop everything they're doing and jump in the race...

[BainsBane]

159. Populism has nearly always been fake

Huey Long, William Jennings Bryan, George Wallace,Getulio Vargas and Juan Person. None were of the people they sought to incorporate into their movements. Long was a craven opportunist who used populist rhetoric for his own wealth and advancement. Wallace an overt racist who capitalized on popular opposition to civil rights to advance his own career. Bryan, while a true believer, was not of the rural folk whose interests he championed. Vargas and Person used populism to incorporate workers and peasants into the state in a way that co opted the very real revolutionary potential of those classes. Populism is a movement from above that appeals to those below. A politician in the populist tradition uses rhetoric that appeals to ordinary people and incorporates just enough of the people's concerns to maintain the status quo.

People ought to be careful what they wish for. In Europe and Latin America, populism came to be associated with fascism or quasi-fascism. Both were characterized by the corporatist state, which co-opted the populace into the state through sectors and is among the reasons that Peron is sometimes referred to as fascist.

Fascism and Populism

Scholars have argued that populist elements have sometimes appeared in far-right authoritarian or fascist movements.[21][22][23][24][25][26] Conspiracist scapegoating employed by various populist movements can create "a seedbed for fascism."[27] National socialist populism interacted with and facilitated fascism in interwar Germany.[28] In this case, distressed middle–class populists during the pre-Nazi Weimar period mobilized their anger at government and big business. The Nazis "parasitized the forms and themes of the populists and moved their constituencies far to the right through ideological appeals involving demagoguery, scapegoating, and conspiracism."[29] According to Fritzsche:

The Nazis expressed the populist yearnings of middle–class constituents and at the same time advocated a strong and resolutely anti-Marxist mobilization....Against "unnaturally" divisive parties and querulous organized interest groups, National Socialists cast themselves as representatives of the commonwealth, of an allegedly betrayed and neglected German public....Breaking social barriers of status and caste, and celebrating at least rhetorically the populist ideal of the people's community...[30]

In Argentina in the 1940s, a local brand of fascist populism emerged known as Peronism, after its leader Juan Perón. It emerged from an intellectual fascist movement in the 1920s and 1930s that delegitimized democracy.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Populism#Fascism_and_populism
[31]

[BainsBane]

165. Che was not a populist

He was a socialist. The two should not be confused under any circumstances. As an Argentine, he would, I imagine, take great exception to your association of him with the label given to Peron.

In Latin America, may politicians invoke populism in the tradition of the 19th century caudillo. There is often a great distance between rhetoric and policy. That, by the way, is not a comment about Mujica, who seems to have purposefully diverged from that tradition.

I did not say all populists are fascists. I said there has been some overlap between populism and fascism, as is evident in the state structures set up by Peron and Vargas.

Populism more generally is a top down movement that capitalizes on the frustrations of the people. It is anti-revolutionary and in that sense conservative. Che was a revolutionary.

I cited Wikipedia, not as any sort of definitive source but rather a short-hand reference.

[Warren DeMontague]

164. Eh. i disagree with Taibbi, here. I give her props just for bringing it up.

Is she going to repeal the carried interest tax break? Not bloody likely. But, then, without a Democratic Senate AND House, neither would anyone else. And even in that rarefied, unlikely scenario, I'd still give our party a greater than 50% chance of whiffing the ball.

So in this circumstance, i give her props for doing what she is doing. It is something.

[MellowDem]

179. That's the problem...

Giving her credit for bringing it up. She shouldn't get credit for that. And that's why the Democratic Party is where it is.

[Warren DeMontague]

180. Okay, but at this point in time in this particular universe, the only two options are

"bring it up"

and

"don't bring it up".

You've got a good plan to win the House of Representatives given current districting realities, I'm all ears.

[MellowDem]

181. I'd rather she bring it up...

But she gets no credit in my mind for that. Not blame if she can't pass it because the House is Republican. It's more like it's easy to say when it's not a remote possibility, and given her other positions and actions, she is not a populist, so it will come across as pandering on an issue she'll never have to address.

[cantbeserious]

172. I'm Ready For Oligarchy

[DeSwiss]

191. That. Is. Fucking. Perfect.

[WillyT]

195. + 1,000,000,000 - Perfect !!!

[truebrit71]

198. Love it!

[MaggieD]

174. I don't think it's fake at all

I get really sick of people who really have no clue what her various political opinions on policy have been over the years acting like they have any idea what her politics are.

Seems like 90% of you are assuming she must have the same position as Bill on every issue and she just doesn't. I look forward to a day when a woman can have political opinions separate and apart from her husbands when he husband is a well known politician.

Apparently we have not, as a society, evolved that far yet.

[bvar22]

189. No.

We got a good look at Hillary and her policies during Campaign 2008.
I don't believe very many confuse her with Bill.

[MaggieD]

207. Which policies, specifically?

[DonCoquixote]

204. IF Hillary were to actively disown Bill'smistakes

I would pop champgane. NAFTA, Glass Steagall, Telecommucnations act, welfare reform, if she was to go out and say she would undo Bill's decisions on those matters because they were WRONG, you would not have nearly the ennui.

[MaggieD]

206. Why does she need to?

Never seen anyone expect a man to do that if he has different opinions than his wife. That's why it appears so sexist to me.

[bvar22]

210. The Clintons are unique in American History.

Back when Bill was campaigning,
he frequently stated that with He and Hill, "America would get two for the price of one."

...so her time spent in the White House is not Off Limits,
nor is researching and investigating Hilary's time in the White House even remotely "sexist".
The same would be done for any male who was married to a President, and then decided to run for that office themselves.

[MaggieD]

211. That's not a good justification

How about we just treat her with the same respect we would afford a male political candidate?

Sheesh, I am NOT looking forward to having a year and half of rampant sexism shoved down our throats. But I suppose women should get used to it, since it appears there is no stopping it.

[bvar22]

212. Had Hillary been the 2 for 1 President of the 90s who championed Free TRade,

DE-regulation, and Welfare Reform,
I GUARANTEE her 2 for 1 husband would be held to the same scrutiny,
if not worse.

Not EVERY criticism of Hillary is sexism.
I have a cat that won't cross a garden hose in the yard because she thinks it is a big snake.
Same thing.

If I could make a NEW RULE at DU,
it would be:
Everyone who accuses someone else of "sexism" because they criticise Hillary
must provide a cogent argument to support this claim.

[MaggieD]

215. Pick up a history book

You all pull this stuff out of your ears and it's pure sexism. Any even moderately informed person would realize she has ALWAYS been more liberal than Bill. ALWAYS.

SO, yes it is blatantly sexist to just ASSUME they share the same political views.

[DonCoquixote]

213. because, if we do not like what Bill has done

she can say she will NOT do them, and no, that is not sexist, it is a matter of askign what she will or will not do. If a male candidate had a wife who advocvated poltics I disagreed with, I would expect that male to disavow those ideas if he wanted my vote.

[MaggieD]

214. It's totally sexist....

and ignorant. If any of you with this attitude would have picked multitudes of books written a decade or more ago you'd already know she is the true liberal between the two of them. SMH! Ugh.

[DonCoquixote]

216. Sexist to say

We do not like the TPP
we do not like war in the Mid east
we wantd Glass Steagall back

even if those policies her husband did hurt many many many WOMEN
even if WOMEN got the brunt of the punishment to satisfy those whte male voters?

Is it sexist to say that Hillary cannot speak against those policies?
After all, if she reall disagreed, she has a right to say she disagrees.

Indeed, many of us would cheer,
because she would be telling her sexist, womanizing hubby to step off and stop trying to insert himself in HER polical career.

Rejecting Bill's policies would be the ULTIMATE feminist statement, and one that would actually EMPOWER WOMEN, especially those Bill threw under the BUS to please male voters!

[MaggieD]

217. No. It is sexist to assume she doesn't....

..have positions of her own. She does, as anyone who has taken the time to read political/historical books by and about her over the previous 10-15 years knows.

It's ridiculous for you to expect her to publically disavow him. It's insulting to women in general because the only reason anyone could require her to do that is because they have the sexist view that she is incapable of having her own thoughts and policy positions.

Eleanor did not disavow FDR yet everyone knew she was much more liberal than he. I suppose she didn't have to suffer the same sexism because she was a good little girl and didn't run for elected office.

[DonCoquixote]

218. I do belive she has her own positions

so why does she not say them? The times Elanor did speak up are times that she imprioved the world, in some ways, more thand FDR did (especially when it came to the UN, which America, sadly has had lukewarm support for) But if she does not say what she wants to do, in a clear manner, she is not teaching anyone, be they a young girl or boy, how to speak and act. It is not that i assume her polcies are like Bill, I assume, and would like to think she is smarter than that clown, but if she does not say what she thinks, again, say what she thinks, that is NOT helping anyone, especially not women.

[MaggieD]

219. She does say them and pretty much always has

She has hardly been shy about stating her policy opinions. Maybe you're not aware of them, but that doesn't mean she hasn't stated them.

[trumad]

186. I love Taibbi....he's the best...

Other than that....Yawn.

[YOHABLO]

188. Perhaps Hillary is all we can hope for at this point. All we can do is cross our fingers that she

finds her heart. I can't help but think that she's more about being the first woman president elected in the U.S. than actually changing the course of this country. During her disingenuous ''town hall'' meetings, I hope someone sticks it to her on the carried interest tax break. Let's see her make a promise to end this. HA!

That being said, even if she were sincere about making the rich pay more taxes, she can't do much with a Congress controlled by Teabaggers and a Right -Wing leaning Supreme Court.

[workinclasszero]

194. I'm calling it..Hillary in a landslide

And coattails to win back the Senate!

Congrats Mrs President!

[2banon]

197. Bookmarking! LOVE ME some Matt Taibbi!!! He's Always Spot ON!

[Bartlet]

199. For someone who is suppsed to be a liberal

Taibbi sure does come across as a self important whiny bitch a lot.

[WillyT]

203. Pssst... I Wouldn't Use The B-Word If I Were You...

Just a heads-up.