Now that the KKK is out of mothballs.

this interchange of CNN. At the time, I thought it was unusual. The following story tells it well:

CRITIC'S NOTEBOOK

A Fiery Debate on K.K.K. in ’16. Who Figured?

By JAMES PONIEWOZIK


On Super Tuesday, two commentators on CNN argued about the Ku Klux Klan. On television. In America. In 2016.

It was a singular moment in cable news. This is partly because, until this week, the K.K.K.’s loathsomeness had seemed to be a settled issue. But also because — as intense and unsettling as the argument was — it was substantive and illuminating in a way time-killing cable shouting matches rarely are.

The exchange began when the conservative commentator S. E. Cupp criticized the Republican front-runner, Donald J. Trump, for the “dog whistle” racial implications of his comments and proposals. (He has, besides denigrating Mexican immigrants and calling for a ban on Muslims entering the country, said that he’s not sure whether he would have opposed internment camps for Japanese-Americans during World War II.)

The conversation moved, perhaps inevitably, to Mr. Trump’s interview on Sunday with CNN’s Jake Tapper, in which he did not immediately denounce David Duke, the former Klan leader who supports him. Jeffrey Lord, a former Reagan staffer, defended Mr. Trump — arguing that the Republicans criticizing him were patronizing African-Americans. “I hate to say this about the Republican establishment,” Mr. Lord said, “but their view of civil rights is to tip the black waiter five bucks at the country club.”

Here’s where things got real. Van Jones, a former Obama staffer (and an African-American), turned to Mr. Lord and argued that Mr. Trump was “playing funny with the Klan” by not deploring them with the same passion he directs at other terrorist organizations. (Or for that matter, I’d say, Megyn Kelly.) Mr. Lord responded that Mr. Trump had said enough, that Democrats were “dividing people by race” and besides, the Klan was a “leftist” terror group.

Again: This is 2016. And here was a white panelist suggesting that his African-American peer should really go back and learn his history before criticizing someone about the Klan. Mr. Jones, calmly but with clear emotion, dressed Mr. Lord down: “We’re not going to play that game,” he said. “When you talk about the Klan, ‘Oh, I don’t know, I don’t know’ — that’s wrong.”

It was five minutes or so of the most stunning TV of the year. Even the body language was fascinating: Mr. Jones rested a hand on Mr. Lord’s shoulder at times, seemingly less as a dominating gesture than to keep the situation from spiraling out of control. (“I know you,” Mr. Jones said at one point. “I trust you.”) It was as if he were simultaneously battling Mr. Lord and trying to defuse a highly unstable bomb.

Cable debates typically end up with two parties yelling over trivia. The Jones-Lord argument was arresting precisely the opposite way: Two men were arguing, furiously but in control, over something dead serious.

And while I’ve criticized cable networks plenty over the years for engaging in gasbag theater for ratings, CNN was absolutely right to let this fight play out. The 2016 election has dug up ghastly things in American politics that many of us thought were long buried. But once the Klan robe is out of mothballs, it needs to be confronted under bright lights.

There is something frightening, in general, about hate groups becoming fodder for the modern cable news argument machine. Does anyone want to see TV take a “both sides have their points to make” approach to the actual Ku Klux Klan? But here, anyway, amid the usual hyperbole and Times Square graphics of an election night, CNN delivered a scene of authentic passion over real concerns: the deep schisms among Republicans, the fear that vile hatreds are being resurrected, the anxiety that the vitriol of the campaign is bleeding into the larger culture. (Mr. Jones said that he’d stopped encouraging his 7-year-old son to watch the news.)

In a way, the argument was the 2016 election in miniature. It defied the political alignments we’ve become used to. (Mr. Jones, after all, was a progressive supporting an argument begun by a conservative fellow panelist.) It unearthed ancient, ugly things in our collective history. It was arresting, in part because it seemed it could all go terribly wrong.

It didn’t, this time. But this probably won’t be the last time this election that the limits of cable discussion — like the limits of our political system — get tested.


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Note - This was e-mailed to me. I don't have a link to its origin, so I'm posting the whole thing. If someone can supply a link, I'll snip it down to 4 paragraphs, but I think this is too important to stand on ceremony.

Access to historical betting predictions?

Is there a place where you can find out what the betting community projected for Super Tuesday? Thanks to those who pointed me to websites where I could find predictions. I looked there but didn't find this particular thing.

tia
las

Where is the website where you can see what betting odds are...

... for elections? Someone posted the link here a while ago. I should have saved it.

tia
las

MN and CO - what are your thoughts?

Why is it that Bernie wins with such big margins in states that he wins, even though Hillary wins way more states (and by big margins).

tia
las

Are there some cheerful interpretations....

.... of the fact that the RealClearPolitics averages of matchups between Clinton and all the Republican candidates mostly favor the Republicans?

A great read!

It's true, but also hoping to...

...model some behavior for some of the Bernie supporters.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/12511384252

Bernie's campaign

I'm a Hillary Supporter, but I'm actually glad that Bernie's running a strong campaign. I hope it will sharpen the Democratic focus on income inequality. It's really a systemic problem that will require lots of smart work to address. And Bernie has been SO the opposite of Trump in his "against the establishment" position. He's against the establishment because the establishment has let things slide into inequality. Trump is just boosting his mind-boggling ego.

I'm a Hillary supporter, but I look forward to a really historic speech from Bernie at the convention, and hopefully some serious impact on the platform.

Did Bernie acknowledge Hillary's victory...

... in his MN speech? He did on the walk from the plane, briefly, caught by a reporter, but I'm now listening to the speech on Youtube, and he didn't at the beginning (my husband thought he did), and we listened for an hour. Maybe at the end?

tia
las

Did Sanders know the size of the margin....

.... before he got off the plane to MN? I'd heard that he'd be flying a plane without internet access. Anyway, he seeme below par when he gave his speech.