Chuck Schumer has never been my favorite Democrat, but . . .

. . . I think he makes a persuasive argument here:

http://player.theplatform.com/p/7wvmTC/MSNBCEmbeddedOffSite?guid=n_maddow_dschumer_180123

There seems to be an assumption by some of my fellow progressives that if Democrats adopt the same nihilist tactics Republicans have used, and used to their advantage, that these same tactics will inure to the benefit of Democrats. But I am not at all convinced that politics operates in quite the same way on the Left in this country as it does on the Right.

Had an encounter with a small group of Trumpers, and am left utterly flabbergasted!

Had an exchange a little earlier with some Trump supporters about Trump's "shithole " comment that has left me utterly flabbergasted.

First, they think liberals and the media are outraged that Trump said a "bad word." I tried to point out that it was the complete context in which he said it, as well as the REST of what he said, that made it an issue.

Then they asserted that Trump's comment was no different from the kinds of shit people say in social media posts all the time. That may well be true, and that liberals were being "hypocritical" if they objected to Trump's comment but had themselves ever posted a comment about the appearance, dress, or other aspects of any member of the Trump family and Trump administration. (Wait . . . what?!)

Then they insisted that Trump wasn't talking about immigrants from those "shithole" countries, but was instead merely commenting on-how terrible those places were to live. Uh, no, sorry. IKt was in the context of a discussion about fro.m which countries we should allow immigrants to enter the U.S. Trump said he didn't want more immigrants from the countries he identified as "shithole" countries, (which happen to all be countries whose populations are predominantly black or brown and instead wanted more immigrants from countries like Norway, which happens to be,like, the whitest country on the planet.

it gets better. . .

Still another of these folks claimed that it was a "double standard" that professional athletes to be permitted to kneel during the national anthem when playing games outside the U.S. while Trump comes in for heavy criticism for calling other countries "shithole." (Where to even begin with that?!)

And then, as I could have predicted, one of them said that sometimes people just need to "face reality" and "tell it like it is." And anyway, this person continued, Trump was just saying what everybody was thinking.ell, maybe in Trumpland that's how everybody thinks. And anyway, I'm sorry, but simply making an ignorant comment, and making it in the crasses, crudest, most offensive way possible is NOT "telling it like it is." It is merely grossly unprofessional and boorish. And sorry to break it to you, Trump supporters, but your bigotries are a reality only in your own twisted souls!

But none of this really surprised me, nor should it have. What really left me gobsmacked was the realization that the folks I was talking to seemed to have absolutely no concept of why it isn't generally a good idea for someone in a high position of leadership -- especially when he is the chief executive of the most powerful nation on earth --to flap his gums in the style of the neighborhood loudmouth who hangs out at the corner bar night after night. They apparently had absolutely no understanding of the kind of damage that sort of careless diarrhea of the mouth can do to international relations, to trade relations, as well as to the U.S.'s standing in the eyes of most of the civilized world.

I guess I had been under the mistaken notion that any reasonably compos mentis adult, irrespective of political leanings, would recognize, almost instinctively, why past U.S. presidents, as well as leaders in high positions both in government and in the private sector, have been and are generally so careful about measuring the words they use in public statements, and also in high profile meetings which are sure to get press coverage. And I just assumed that reasons why that is so important were self-evident, and why we hold leaders to a different, and higher, standard.

All I can say is that if, as a country, we have completely lost any concept of a discourse that is more refined and elevated than that of a belligerent drunk at the local bar, then we are in a crisis that is much, much deeper than any of us has yet realized.

Saw this and had to shsre

Saw this and had to share:

If you have the impulse to post stories about amazing people from Haiti or other "shitholes," stop. Everyone -- even racists -- knows people like that exist. There are amazing people from every group. Equality isn't making room for the exceptional, it's embracing the average.

The "lowest white man" gets to be #!@% president in this country, so there is absolutely no reason why the "lowest black person" shouldn't get a chance here. If the former seems normal to you and the latter makes you squinch, you are racist.

Yeah, we need the geniuses and brave people from "shitholes." We need the hardscrabble hustlers, too. People who actually know how to work, how to fight, how to build, unlike our dumbass president.

- N. K. Jemisin, Twitter @nkjemisin

Two qusetions, one for Trump and one for Bannon

Two questions, one for Trump and his defenders and one for Bannon.

For Trump and his defenders:

You have claimed that Michael Wolff's book is "100% fiction." So why, then, are you so upset with Steve Bannon? I mean, it's 100% fiction, so Bannon didn't really say those things about Junior, right? So which is it?

And for Steve Bannon:

After the Mercers took away your allowance, you claimed that the remarks you made that are quoted in Wolff's book were actually about Manafort, not Junior. Okay, but if it was, as you said, "unpatriotic and treasonous" for Manafort to attend the meeting with the Russians at Trump Tower, why is it not equally unpatriotic and treasonous for Junior to have attended (not to mention organized) the same meeting?

Inquiring minds want to know!