MAINSTREAM COOLER - For those who believe mainstream contemporary facts.

[Matt Allison]

57 minutes ago, Matt Allison said:

I still think it's mostly willful blindness. These people have been presented with plenty of evidence of reality.

I suppose ignorance can't be ruled out.

[Ron Bulman]

I thought Walz did great tonight.  I've got the trophies to prove it made me chuckle.  The school fight song and football players did too prior to him coming on.  Several more important statements in there.  Seemed well received.

Tim Walz, in DNC speech, draws on past as coach, urging Americans to "leave it all on the field" before election - CBS News 

[Bill Fite]

7 hours ago, Matt Allison said:

I don't think it's that they haven't figured it out; there's no denying Trump's misdeeds

I think it's simply because they're bad people that like dictators.

 

6 hours ago, W. Niederhut said:

Not sure where our European pals on the forum are getting their fake "news," but I suspect it's either plutocratic nonsense, (Rupert Murdoch, Telegraph, Daily Mail) Kremlin propaganda, or both.

My observation is that in Europe it's not fake news or that they like dictators - excepting maybe some newspapers, especially in the UK.

The main appeal of far right wingers is based on playing on nationalism and anti-immigration leading to a perceived  loss of culture.

In France and the UK it seems to be against those from former parts of their countries or empire.   Algeria (which at one time was part of France) mostly for France.  In the UK, everywhere else the English spread their language outside of N America.

For the rest of Europe, especially Germany, its backlash against the immigrants from the refugee crisis earlier this century - which was a consequence of Hillary Clinton's time as Sec of State and the policies in the ME that she so vigourasly worked .  It's a disgrace that she was allowed to speak at the Dem Convention IMO.

Couple that with dissatisfaction in any other govt policies and you have issues the right wing can exploit even if they've been in power forever (like the Tories were in the UK) by blaming the opposition and are a significant part of the reason for policy failure.   Brexit anyone?

For example, France there are a lot of protests against the impact of EU rules on the agriculture industry.  They want tariffs to prevent lower-priced produce from Spain undercutting their profitability.

 

 

 

[Steve Thomas]

- Donald Trump -

"The highly overrated Jewish Governor of the Great Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Josh Shapiro, made a really bad and poorly delivered speech..."

why did Trump go out of his way to describe Shapiro as a "Jewish" Governor? He could have said the "skinny" Governor, or "fat" Governor, or "tall" or "short" Governor, but no, he had to define him as the "Jewish" Governor.

 

Shades of Adolph Hitler.

Steve Thomas 

[Steve Thomas]

Trump's cult of personality threatens to hasten the demise of the GOP
Establishment Republicans' DNC epiphany may have come too late
By CHAUNCEY DEVEGA AUGUSt 22, 2024
https://www.salon.com/2024/08/22/of-personality-threatens-to-hasten-the-demise-of-the/

- To paraphrase-
Because the Republican Party is a cult of personality, Donald Trump's character flaws become the Party's flaws. Their whole Party platform is, "whatever Trump wants".
His constant lying, alternate reality, racism and misogyny, become theirs as well, and will ultimately lead to their downfall, perhaps for years to come.

Steve Thomas

[W. Niederhut]

7 hours ago, Bill Fite said:

 

My observation is that in Europe it's not fake news or that they like dictators - excepting maybe some newspapers, especially in the UK.

The main appeal of far right wingers is based on playing on nationalism and anti-immigration leading to a perceived  loss of culture.

In France and the UK it seems to be against those from former parts of their countries or empire.   Algeria (which at one time was part of France) mostly for France.  In the UK, everywhere else the English spread their language outside of N America.

For the rest of Europe, especially Germany, its backlash against the immigrants from the refugee crisis earlier this century - which was a consequence of Hillary Clinton's time as Sec of State and the policies in the ME that she so vigourasly worked .  It's a disgrace that she was allowed to speak at the Dem Convention IMO.

Couple that with dissatisfaction in any other govt policies and you have issues the right wing can exploit even if they've been in power forever (like the Tories were in the UK) by blaming the opposition and are a significant part of the reason for policy failure.   Brexit anyone?

For example, France there are a lot of protests against the impact of EU rules on the agriculture industry.  They want tariffs to prevent lower-priced produce from Spain undercutting their profitability.

 

 

 

Good post, Bill.

Nationalist, anti-immigrant sentiment is strong stuff anywhere.

Incidentally, my wife and I spent two weeks in Paris in (?) 1989, and the U.S. dollar was so weak at the time that we dined on a lot of colonial Algerian tabouli and Vietnamese fare in the Latin Quarter.

The authentic French restaurants were very pricey at the time, which was a shame because French cuisine is my favorite.

Edited 8 hours ago by W. Niederhut

[Bill Fite]

9 minutes ago, W. Niederhut said:

Incidentally, my wife and I spent two weeks in Paris in (?) 1989, and the U.S. dollar was so weak at the time that we dined on a lot of colonial Algerian tabouli and Vietnamese fare in the Latin Quarter.

The authentic French restaurants were very pricey at the time, which was a shame because French cuisine is my favorite.

Well... if you ever go back let me know.  The N African couscous places can be really good.

Before I moved to France in the 90s, I bought some guide books and stumbled on a really great book to have  -- Cheap Eats in Paris.  I think it might be out of print.  It was  a guide to neighbourhood restaurants by Arrondissement.  So I tried a lot of them over the years and have a list of really good ones that are still around.  Primarily in the center of the city and around the Eiffel Tower, the 2 areas I lived in. Anyway, after a year or so, I pretty much had a feel for which restaurants would be good just by looking at the menu and place or recommendations from colleagues.

One - not far from the Tower was my go-to with visitors.  Sidewalk tables with a view of the Tower over the apartment buildings & run by a very nice young lady and her mother who lived upstairs.  But they sold it and now the upstairs is a dining room and it's run with a team of waiters.  Anyway, it was in the news when Obama first went to Paris as that's the place he went to to eat out.

If you ever go back, let me know and I can give some suggestions for those areas. Although a couple of my favorites have closed.   I do know several that are really good around the Tower,  Isle de St Louis & Notre Dame, Hotel de Ville, Montparnasse and China Town and aren't at the top end of the expensive range.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[W. Niederhut]

2 hours ago, Bill Fite said:

Well... if you ever go back let me know.  The N African couscous places can be really good.

Before I moved to France in the 90s, I bought some guide books and stumbled on a really great book to have  -- Cheap Eats in Paris.  I think it might be out of print.  It was  a guide to neighbourhood restaurants by Arrondissement.  So I tried a lot of them over the years and have a list of really good ones that are still around.  Primarily in the center of the city and around the Eiffel Tower, the 2 areas I lived in. Anyway, after a year or so, I pretty much had a feel for which restaurants would be good just by looking at the menu and place or recommendations from colleagues.

One - not far from the Tower was my go-to with visitors.  Sidewalk tables with a view of the Tower over the apartment buildings & run by a very nice young lady and her mother who lived upstairs.  But they sold it and now the upstairs is a dining room and it's run with a team of waiters.  Anyway, it was in the news when Obama first went to Paris as that's the place he went to to eat out.

If you ever go back, let me know and I can give some suggestions for those areas. Although a couple of my favorites have closed.   I do know several that are really good around the Tower,  Isle de St Louis & Notre Dame, Hotel de Ville, Montparnasse and China Town and aren't at the top end of the expensive range.

 

Thanks, Bill.

In our younger years, my wife and I made several trips to Europe, because my wife's sister used to work for American Airlines, (out of DFW) and we got free airline tickets every year.

But she quit working as an AA stewardess after 9/11, and I haven't flown to Europe for almost 20 years now.

My last trek over there was a Venetian cruise to Dubrovnik, Kotor, and Greece in (?) 2005.

There are a number of places in Europe that I want to re-visit before I kick the bucket.

 

[Douglas Caddy]

[Matt Allison]

This “talking point”, which he has been pushing since his debate w Biden, really demonstrates how far out-of-touch with reality he is; simply because he clearly does not grasp how racist and offensive it is. He truly believes he’s making a compelling argument for Black and Hispanic people to vote for him.

 

 

[W. Niederhut]

7 minutes ago, Matt Allison said:

This “talking point”, which he has been pushing since his debate w Biden, really demonstrates how far out-of-touch with reality he is; simply because he clearly does not grasp how racist and offensive it is. He truly believes he’s making a compelling argument for Black and Hispanic people to vote for him.

 

 

Matt,

     IMO, Michelle Obama had the best comment of the Convention about this, when she said, "The job Donald Trump is seeking in 2024 could turn out to be one of those 'black jobs.'"  😆

Edited 3 hours ago by W. Niederhut

[Steve Thomas]

Trump 'gala' honoring J6 rioters' 'courage and sacrifice' may violate his bail terms

by Carl Gibson, AlterNet

https://www.rawstory.com/trumps-gala-honoring-courage-and-sacrifice-of-j6-rioters-may-violate-his-terms-of-rel/

 

"According to NJ.com, the ex-president is hosting a "J6 awards gala" at his Bedminster, New Jersey golf club next month. Progressive group MeidasTouch reported that on September 5, Trump will be joined by former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani and MAGA influencer Anthony Raimondi at the event, where he is expected to personally address participants in the January 6, 2021 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.

"We gather to pay tribute not only to these individuals but to all J6 defendants who have shown incredible courage and sacrifice," the event's description read.”

 

As a convicted felon, you are not allowed to associate with other felons.

I hope this clown does something stupid like that and they throw his ass in jail.

Steve Thomas