Sunday, April 10, 2016

Hysteria at the New Yorker

More than three months before any ballots have been cast at the Republican convention, Roger Stone, Donald Trump’s on-again, off-again consigliere, has delivered the campaign equivalent of a severed horse head to delegates who might consider denying Trump the nomination. Trump’s supporters will find you in your sleep, he merrily informed them this week. He did not mean it metaphorically.
“We will disclose the hotels and the room numbers of those delegates who are directly involved in the steal,” Stone said Monday, on Freedomain Radio. “If you’re from Pennsylvania, we’ll tell you who the culprits are. We urge you to visit their hotel and find them. You have a right to discuss this, if you voted in the Pennsylvania primary, for example, and your votes are being disallowed,” Stone
Over the years, I’ve covered elections in Iraq, Iran, and Burma. Stone’s taunt is every bit as threatening as anything I heard in those places, which have far less experience than America with democracy. Such is the moment we currently inhabit.
...It’s easy to mock Trump for his thin-skinned fixation on the size of his audiences, but that misses a deeper point: you can’t have a riot without a mob. Even before he was a candidate, Trump displayed a rare gift for cultivating the dark power of a crowd. In his role as the primary advocate of the “birther” fiction, he proved himself to be a maestro of the mob mentality, capable of conducting his fans through crescendos of rage and self-pity and suspicion. Speaking to the Times editorial board, in January, he said, “You know, if it gets a little boring, if I see people starting to sort of, maybe, thinking about leaving, I can sort of tell the audience, I just say, ‘We will build the wall!,’ and they go nuts.”
...When we are exposed to the right energy, even those of us who are not inclined to cross the boundaries from politics to force will do things that we would ordinarily consider reprehensible. Stephen David Reicher, a sociologist and psychologist at the University of St. Andrews, in Scotland, who has studied soccer mobs and race riots, told Wired last month, “People don’t lose control, but they begin to act with collective values.” Recently, he has turned his attention to studying Trump’s crowds. “It’s not your individual fate that becomes important but the fate of the group.”
And therein lies the key to Trump’s ability to introduce menace into the convention: he does not need to call upon his supporters to do anything but protect their newfound sense of identity and purpose. Stone, the political operative and self-described practitioner of “dirty tricks”—a man who (again, no metaphor) has a tattoo of Nixon on his back—has mapped out the fantasy that they will offer to their people, to explain what happens if Trump falls short of the twelve hundred and thirty-seven delegates he needs to secure the nomination. “Either Trump will have twelve hundred and thirty-seven votes, in which case the party will try to throw out some of those delegates in a naked attempt to try to steal this from Donald Trump, or he will be just short of twelve hundred and thirty-seven, in which case many of his own delegates, or, I should say, people in his delegate seats, will abandon him on the second ballot,” Stone said Monday. The convention, he has already told Trump voters, is rigged against them.

98 comments:

Dust Bunny Queen said...

I've already said. In those primaries where the people actually vote (as opposed to the caucuses which are already stacked by the party elites) the delegates are chosen by the voters to represent THEIR candidate at the convention. IF those delegates decide that their personal wishes are more important than the voters, those delegates deserve to be hunted down and have the living crap beaten out of them.

The system IS rigged. We haven't had an honest, fair election in decades. It is really all just one be pretense and a huge joke on the people who still think (ha ha ha) that their votes actually count.

We might still consider going along with the pretense for a while....but not much longer.

Fair warning.

edutcher said...

What the New Yorker doesn't mention is that the Cruz crowd is actively engaged in stealing and denying delegates a seat at the convention.

The NeverTrump crew is bragging how they "swept" CO, but, in fact, they stole it. Trump delegates were left off the ballot and Cruzzers were printed twice.

This is how the Democrats work.

So now, it's payback. The stolen seats, as Stone told Breitbart a couple of weeks ago, will be contested before the credentials committee at the convention.

April, I know, will come along with her F Stone act, but how many people really approve of what Cruz and Roe are doing?

All we need now is a Gloria Allred (and you know I can't stand that broad) press conference with all the escorts Daddy Cruz boinked.

PS Be afraid, New Yorker, be very afraid.

edutcher said...

PPS Like the new avatar. The Blonde's mom's favorite character was Tweety Bird.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

Roger Stone is an embarrassing thug. *Doing it wrong.*

edutcher said...

Do you approve of how Cruz and Roe are doing it?

And, no, he's not. He just stands up and fights back, which is what led a lot of us to support Trump.

And, if you buy the polls, Trump is up another 2 in NY.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

btw- CO did not have an R caucus this year. Cruz isn't stealing anything (As lying Donny emotes),Cruz has a better operation.

While Trump piddles his time away on Twitter spouting insults, Cruz is running circles around him logistically. Trump even admitted he doesn't understand or "have the right people" on the delegate front.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

Can Trump win in November with his high negatives? Not bloody likely.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

Trump cancelled his latest visit to CO. Colorado: He hates us, we hate him.

Evi L. Bloggerlady said...

Stone is a fucking idiot for threatening delegates. You catch delegates with honey, not vinegar. That threat may ensure Trump does not get the nomination. They need to stop doing shit like that and start acting presidential.

Yes the GOPe are trying to block Trump. You saw that in Colorado. And yes Ted Cruz is way more savy (at least so far) on how to play the delegate game than Trump. It is like that scene in Nixon when he loses to JFK and his staff say "he stole it 'fair and square'" (which was anything but fair). But that's politics.

If Trump pivoted to being more presidential he would have already locked this race up. Now most of the party (about 60%) is thinking, why bother catering to Trump if we are going to lose the general anyway? As much as Ted was a pain in the ass in the past, he has been quietly building up support. And Trump has managed to make Ted look less of an outlier.

Trump needs way less Stone and Lewandowski and more Manafort. His path to victor is showing he can be presidential and win the general election. Otherwise, the GOP might as well go Cruz or Kasich. Manafort BTW does not answer to Lewandowski but to Trump directly (and that is a good sign for the Donald).

ndspinelli said...

It is amazing for me to watch the outsider supporters, Trump and Cruz, spit venom @ each other. I loathe the machinations and process of politics. So, this may be a stupid question? But, what would prevent these 2 sleazeball pols combining forces. Cruz saying, "Donald you are the prez nominee and you make me VP and you can have my delegates."

edutcher said...

AprilApple said...

btw- CO did not have an R caucus this year. Cruz isn't stealing anything (As lying Donny emotes),Cruz has a better operation.

While Trump piddles his time away on Twitter spouting insults, Cruz is running circles around him logistically. Trump even admitted he doesn't understand or "have the right people" on the delegate front.


Sure. Then why did they leave the guy's name off? It's called stacking the deck, and you clearly approve.

But the Trump operation is already catching up.

Didn't you hear your Messiah got shut out in MI yesterday? Manafort's already on the job.

And logistics are supplies. And Cruz' dirty tactics are being exposed.

Can Trump win in November with his high negatives? Not bloody likely.

You're quoting a Whig rag to justify your arguments?

Again, Reagan's arguments were just as high in '80.

Evi L. Bloggerlady said...

Stone is a fucking idiot for threatening delegates. You catch delegates with honey, not vinegar. That threat may ensure Trump does not get the nomination. They need to stop doing shit like that and start acting presidential.

You mean like Daddy Cruz, who lets Roe pull all the dirty tricks in the world while he waves a Bible?

And those "delegates" are not going to switch their votes. Their allegiance is to the Evil One alone. That's why anybody who wasn't for Teddy was frozen out.

That's why they're going to be challenged at the credentials committee hearings.

But, now, they're on notice the Trump people are not going to take it lying down.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

Evi - You said it.

edutcher said...

ndspinelli said...

It is amazing for me to watch the outsider supporters, Trump and Cruz, spit venom @ each other

nd, Cruz is no outsider. He's in with the Bush Family and the Open Borders crowd.

Evi L. Bloggerlady said...

ndspinnelli, I guess anything is possible (Hillary is that bad of a candidate), but Cruz might be better off not teaming up with Trump (especially if Trump screws up the general election). I thought Trump could win and I suppose that is still possible, but it is less likely. Trump says stuff that will kill him in the general and keeps saying it. You can't win by alienating big segments of voters.

edutcher said...

s/b

Again, Reagan's negatives were just as high in '80.

Dust Bunny Queen said...

I can live with the idea that Trump loses fair and square. More people want Cruz. Ok. More people even want Kasich wtf?? If they shove someone who didn't even run like Ryan or a loser like Rubio....really WTF.

I cannot abide or live with the machinations, cheating, dirty tricks, backroom deals, leaving people off of the ballot, stacking the decks, bribing delegates to get them to abandon the votes of their areas, the dogpiling on by the GOPe, the lying media. All of which are designed to disenfrancise the people who voted.

Yeah. We get it. The elites don't like the voters and especially the middle class, blue collar types who they have been ignoring for years. Stuffing free trade, which kills jobs, down our throats. Importing low wage slaves to further push jobs away from the working class. Importing HB1 visa types to squeeze out the middle upper class techno jobs. They hate us and want our low class rube filled towns and suburbs to die. DIE DIE.

We get it. This latest, not even subtle, theft of delegates and the outspoken desire to thwart the will of the people and substitute their own inflated opinions of themselves is just one big F YOU to the voting base. They think we don't have any options and will just have to suck it up again and vote for who THEY decide, despite what the voters have said.

Think again.

ricpic said...

The article speaks of "Trump's ability to introduce MENACE at the Convention" Well, who's menacing who (or is that whom?) right now? The GOP Establishment, almost every member of it, is talking matter of factly about a brokered convention and picking, according to Karl Rove, "a fresh face." Doesn't that constitute an assault on, or menace of, democracy. And they're bold as brass about their steal because they assume the only consequence will be a few frenzied demonstrations or protest marches. So how else are Trump supporters, under conditions of a threatened blatant steal, how else are they to protect their MILLIONS OF VOTES but by menacing back? A million Trumpsters WILL converge on Cleveland and maybe, just maybe that show of force will put the fear of actual retribution in the minds of Rove & Co. and force them to rethink....or think, period.

Dust Bunny Queen said...

Donald Trump Is No Ronald Reagan

Whoever thought he was? That isn't the point of Trump at all and those who think it is are sorely missing the point.

Even Ronald Reagan wasn't "Ronald Reagan" until after he was dead and became some sort of mythological legend.

ricpic said...

spinelli - I'm positive that's exactly what's going to happen: Trump and Cruz do a deal - a Trump/Cruz ticket - and stop the steal dead in its tracks. And considering what a young man Cruz is, being Veep would put him (assuming a Trump win) in line for the presidency in his early 50's.

ricpic said...

Evi Bloggerlady - I'm no policy wank but I heard Stone PRAISE Manafort when he was being interviewed by Alex Jones at Infowars. I don't think there's quite the dissension in the Trump camp the MSM would have us believe exists. Trump is making Manafort - a real pro at delegate retention - his campaign manager and demoting Lewandowski as quietly as possible to avoid further waves. Just my take.

edutcher said...

AprilApple said...

Donald Trump Is No Ronald Reagan

How would you know?

You were in diapers at the time.

And I love how you go with Whig sites like "Weekly Standard" and Gray Lady shills to back up your arguments.

Yeah, I'm sure Ned Silver has a ton of numbers. He covered for all the vote fraud nicely last time.

But, aside from the fact Hillary's negatives are worse, take a look at what the Lefties are getting ready for the One True Ted. Ted Cruz's terrifying reinvention: How America's most detestable Senator is repackaging himself for the general election.

PS ric, that's a pet theory of mine. The stolen delegates are a bargaining chip. At this point, nobody trusts Cruz, not even the Senate Conservatives who've changed their first choice for a SCUS slot from Daddy to Mike Lee. You know Trump will cut a deal with the Whigs because they don't want to lose control of Congress (and all the goodies that go with it) so there's a more-or-less united party.

If Cruz doesn't play ball and go for some deal, he gets shut out and becomes a one term wonder. Problem is, if there's something to the sex scandal, after all (consider the new choice of Lee), he's toxic, but, if not, AG or a similar post would be to his liking.

I don't see him as VP; I think Trump would do a Reagan and let the Whigs give him a reasonably non-controversial figure in the mold of Bush 41.

PS DBQ, you are exactly right. Reagan had no problem letting Jerry Ford twist in the wind in '76 so we were stuck with Bucketmouth.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

ed - save your typing. I skip past your drivel. Do you ever step away from the web? Perhaps your lovely wife needs you?

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

Salon is leftwing. Very leftwing.
But then, so is Trump, deep down in his ugly Hillary-lovin' soul.

edutcher said...

ricpic said...

Evi Bloggerlady - I'm no policy wank but I heard Stone PRAISE Manafort when he was being interviewed by Alex Jones at Infowars. I don't think there's quite the dissension in the Trump camp the MSM would have us believe exists. Trump is making Manafort - a real pro at delegate retention - his campaign manager and demoting Lewandowski as quietly as possible to avoid further waves

Lewandowski's a target, even though he was vindicated, so I'm pretty sure that was mutual consent. And Stone was alluding to Manafort in the Breitbart piece I mentioned.

Stone had a falling out with Trump some years ago, but they've remained buds, the same way Trump and Ivana are still friends. Which, to me, says something good about the man.

edutcher said...

AprilApple said...

Salon is leftwing. Very leftwing.

You noticed. But that's what waits for a faux Conservative who wants to hide the details of his life.

But then, so is Trump, deep down in his ugly Hillary-lovin' soul.

You need to see somebody. That kind of obsession isn't healthy.

And we all know you ignore any info that rocks your little world.

See, I was once excited at the prospect of a Trump/Cruz ticket. Until I started reading about Cruz.

And Trump.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

Ed - Perhaps you need to see someone. Your web presence is non-stop. Not healthy. and your Trump addiction, blind faith and conspiracy theory craziness could signify a personality disorder.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

I'd like to have a chance at winning in November. Trump is going to lose.... big. Yuge. His loss will be terrific, great, amazing.

Chip Ahoy said...

I tout I taw a puddy tat. I did! I did taw a puddy tat.

Do people even have birds in cages anymore? Is that even a thing?

The Republicans in Colorado are a very stupid group of people. I saw them together. On t.v. One sight and you can barf right on your shoe. The most boring people on Earth. Fierce in their pinched and narrowing world. (Truth is, Dems have their version, I saw this firsthand in action, and there I went barging on my shoe, the exact same type person being politically active at a funeral reception ingratiating himself to the old political master, a friend of mine, a fallen down drunk who drapes his arm over your shoulder and says, "remember that time we went to…" every single time you see him meaning he doesn't remember anything since.) Barf.

Chinos. Ordinary shoes. Belt around a waist that's never missed a meal. Not once. Button down Oxford shirt, plain club tie, medium length haircut. All business all the time. Incapable of conversation other than business. Latched on in earnest business advice conversation with the host, the known political master. The donor.

Yucking it up and celebrating their splendid parliamentary maneuvering that disenfranchised large swaths of voters sympathetic to their cause because they've made their guild special and protected, they've erected barriers to straightforward representation in favor of their particularly screwy, jump through hoops guild and fight it out openly with everybody so they can properly pressure you inside their closed system.

And spare me protestations the system is open to everybody. It's designed to pinch representation. And now it's all become so very clear. They really do not want to represent anybody but themselves. Their stinking ass party is wholly for themselves and themselves alone. So they can have it. All to themselves and their goddamn chino pants and boring ass Oxford shirts. So willing to give up everything to clutch their goddmanable idiotically precious parliamentarian conceits. Goodbye, Colorado Republicans, I cannot say it's been nice knowing you. Hidden as you are behind your bricked in protected antiquated anachronistic non representing sorry ass guild.

Trooper York said...

That was pretty good Chip.

Trooper York said...

I think that headline is right on the money.

Hysteria.

Trooper York said...

It takes talent to sit and post at your computer when your panties are all in a bunch.

Chip Ahoy said...

Where do Colorado Republicans them to go? They who insist on shutting out large segments of their base instead of thinking of ways to include more people. Where do Colorado Republican expect the people they shut out to go? To go to hell? To go get in line behind their chosen candidate like always before? To go away? To disappear? Evaporate? Meld with the great one? What?

They're going to come back and kick your ass until they see blood. That's where they will go.

We've seen this ratchet up each cycle. Honestly, Dumbass Colorado Republicans, you must consider where these people will go, and it isn't behind you anymore.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

In CO, yes - the party is a mess. We also need to ditch the caucus and go to a primary system. This topic is on their radar, at least. Not that I have much confidence.

That doesn't change the fact that Roger Stone, a paid Trump hack, is threatening delegates. (aka - threatening people)

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

Assuming everyone is a Trump supporter is a mistake. His massive support is an illusion.

edutcher said...

AprilApple said...

Ed - Perhaps you need to see someone. Your web presence is non-stop. Not healthy. and your Trump addiction, blind faith and conspiracy theory craziness could signify a personality disorder.

You're sounding like a troll, but I'm not who divides her time between here and Insta.

Now am I?

And The Donald will kill Hillary.

He's already started.

edutcher said...

AprilApple said...

Assuming everyone is a Trump supporter is a mistake. His massive support is an illusion.

We never said that.

You make the assumption.

And you know what happens to people who assume...

Dust Bunny Queen said...

I'd like to have a chance at winning in November.

Win what? What are you going to win, by cheating, lying, disenfranchising, insulting and dismissing the voters? Is that winning? Really? Or is that stealing.

Do you think that those who Trump represents are really going to suck it up and forget that they are less than dirt to you and yours?

Here is what I can guarantee you. If Trump is cheated, snookered out of his delegates and the people who supported him are kicked in the face, yet again, by the smug...oh so very smart....elites....you ARE going to lose big time. The voters already know we are being played for fools. I,personally, am not playing this rigged game anymore and I'm not alone.

If we are going to get just the same old same old shit sandwich wrapped up with an R or a D....same difference, I'd rather just blow a hole in the hull of the ship and let it sink faster. At least we might still be in sight of some land and be able to save ourselves. As it is now. We are going way out past the bouys and soon will be too late to turn back. Sink it now and get a new ship 'cuz this old one has been taken over and the rest of us passengers are not wanted on the ship anyway.

edutcher said...

For those interested, nice Surber piece with a few revelations about Donald Trump most don't know. Troop may know about Manhattan, I'm not sure.

PS You forgot "Stone is a Trumpist thug".

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

Shorter ed: If you're not pro-Trump, you can't be on the internet.
Shorter ed: If you're not pro-Trump, you are a troll.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

DBQ - I never said, in this thread or any other, that I think anyone should cheat.

I don't think most people, myself included, understand the rules surrounding how the delegates get to vote. Look at Hillary and Bernie as an example.
What I AM saying, it that if Trump does win the nomination, he will lose the general.

Trump is the one hurling insults, using low-life un-presidential twitter rhetoric and odd 3rd world threats on a near daily basis and flip-flopping on major issues faster than John Kerry running like a girl in flip flops.
If Trump wins the first ballot, then he should get the nomination.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

Why people think that Trump is refreshing, is beyond me. That sh*t is stale.

now - I'm off to enjoy the rest of my day. I hope you all do the same. Cheers.

Trooper York said...

I think you mean if he has enough delegates on the first ballot he should get the nomination.

That is very kind of you.

You do realize that your compatriots want to deny him the nomination even if he has the legally required number of delegates elected by the people. That is what Cruz is trying to do. That is what #NeverTrump is all about.

Dust Bunny Queen said...

The Republican Party in YOUR State is cheating and stealing yet, I don't see any condemnation from YOU.

Read this that was posted earlier.

Let us know if you agree with this type of manipulation and out and out cheating?

Drip drip drip. The process to exclude the voters and manipulate goes on. As I said. If Trump loses....fair and square....so be it. THIS and the other contortions by the Republican Party against their own base is not going to go down well. The Republicans are going to lose and lose big if they keep this up.

It is almost like they WANT to lose.

edutcher said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
edutcher said...

AprilApple said...

Why people think that Trump is refreshing, is beyond me. That sh*t is stale.

That's your opinion. We just disagree.

Shorter ed: If you're not pro-Trump, you can't be on the internet.
Shorter ed: If you're not pro-Trump, you are a troll.


Never said it to bag or EBL, and I said you sounded like a troll.

You seem to be the one making blanket statements, not I

Trooper York said...

Most of the stuff thrown at Trump is hysterical exaggeration.

Stone is a bottom feeding hanger on who is very slick at snookering media rubes. You need to not be fooled by biases media spin. You might as well post Rosie O'Donnells claims that Trump will cause hate crimes. It is really silly.

Bleach Drinkers Curing Coronavirus Together said...

I no longer take seriously anything the NYT has to say about politics.

My parents got me a subscription to the New Yorker. I can't figure out what to do with all these damn issues. Half the text is tiny 6-point font announcing every remotely artistic or culinary experience taking place locally that week. The rest of it is articles with questionable pertinence about usually marginally relevant things. I think George Packer and Jill Lepore have good pieces, the rest are almost predictably forgettable.

And yet, because it's a gift, I have this impulse to at least skim through every page and do the "service" of seeing what's worth reading. It is a more compulsive time-waster than porn to an adolescent.

Anyone want to take these damn issues off my hands? Seriously.

There's way too much fluff and crap out there these days. It's enough time consumed just to sift through what's good on YouTube these days. The last thing I need is to end my life regretful of how much it was wasted reading what some hacks needed to put together to make a deadline.

The right wing is right. You can waste way too much time watching news, reading useless info and engaging in every other manner of withdrawal from the real world.

Help me!

Evi L. Bloggerlady said...

rip: Agreed! I think it is a very POSITIVE sign that Trump is going with Manafort and quietly pushing Lewandowski aside. And Stone is generally not an idiot, I just thought that room threat was a stupid comment (even if the media is playing it out of proportions).

If Trump has 1237 going into the convention he will be the nominee. If Trump doesn't clinch before the convention but can convince a majority of delegates he is the better choice (compared to Cruz), he will be the nominee. Eventually he will get there on the second, third, etc. vote. And Chip's description of Colorado delegates is a pretty good description of the people Trump has to win to his side. Delegates at a convention are (mostly) people who spent thousands of their own money contributing and have worked in various local GOP events. They are not necessarily rubes or low information voters, but they definitely have their own biases.

If he can't do either, Trump probably won't be the nominee.

I am not sure how thousands of anti Trumper protesting will play (especially if there are thousands of pro Trumpers worried that the GOP establishment is trying to take the nomination from him). It should be interesting.

Evi L. Bloggerlady said...

R+B, I take it the cartoons aren't doing it for you?

The New Yorker occasionally has a long article on something I was not particularly looking for, but turns out to be interesting. But you gave to glean that out of a lot of stuff not so good.

Bleach Drinkers Curing Coronavirus Together said...

Totally.

The cartoons wear off fast.

Recently they did however run a serious of small (about 1.5" square) Trump thumbnail sketches inserted down near the bottom of every other page in yet another long, winding article. They drew his hair so as to resemble blonde-haired versions of Marvin the Martian, really, with the hair doing something slightly different in each frame. Mildly amusing, especially the one that outlined the dimensions of his coif with angular and linear measurements of the sort you'd see in an architectural drawing.

Trooper York said...

I used to read the New Yorker for Roger Angell's baseball columns.

He is the epitome of the New Yorker style. Knowledgeable. Old Money. Bloodless. Lacking in the essence of what makes baseball great. Like George Will he loves the game but he is not the guy you want to go to the game with to spill beer on or get hot dog mustard on your shirt.

Throughout the 1980's I worked on 44th Street on the same block as the Algonquin Hotel. I used to go in for a couple of pops every once in a while at the bar. It was a trip. Many of the writers from the New Yorker could be found in there.

They are just as freaking boring as their magazine. I much preferred "Jimmy's Corner."

Bleach Drinkers Curing Coronavirus Together said...

Sorry - a "series". Not a "serious".

Seriously.

Trooper York said...

It was just too freaking expensive. Still is. The thing was I would wander in with one of the bartenders from O'Lunney's or the Quiet Man where the working guys at the Algonquin used to go to get their booze on. So we got the employee discount as it were. Otherwise we could never afford it.

Trooper York said...

When ripic talks about parts of New York he is talking about stuff like the New Yorker Magazine and the Algonquin. Old money WASP stuff. I remember there was a joint across the street that I think sold duck decoys and brier pipes or some such shit. I couldn't understand how they could pay the rent. Who would go into that place? How could they sell enough hand carved mallards and pocket knifes to pay the freight?

It just didn't make sense.

Trooper York said...

Those two streets 44th and 45th betweeen Fifth and Sixth are a microcosm of New York. There was a Crazy Eddies that turned into the Wiz that eventually went out of business. There was a great Italian Deli called Park that is still there. Great Veal Cutlet heroes made by little old Italian ladies. Well it was then. Probably Mexicans now. The Harvard Club. The Algonquin and the Iroquois Hotel. Then Ian Scharger opened the first big hipster joint "The Royalton." Two Irish Pubs. O'Lunneys and the Quiet Man. The Brazilia Brazilian restaurant. A fast food Kosher joint called Kosher Delight. Just like McDonald's but for the hebes. A clothing store. The place that sells the ducks. Plus a bunch of office buildings.

Just in two blocks.

ricpic said...

Maybe the duck decoy place was a CIA front? The CIA used to be totally WASP.

My Dad actually had a subscription to the New Yorker. It was an example of Jewish admiration and emulation of WASPs. Don't know if that exists any more but it once was very strong. For a kid, me, it was all about the cartoons, which were pretty great before the PC pollution stamped out all the funny. There was a cartoonist, I think his name was Reynolds Price, who did the most incredible drawings of American rural archetypes. They were works of art...and funny. And of course there were the classics, Chas. Addams, Peter Arno, who had like fifty year careers as New Yorker cartoonists. To a kid they were forevers...and then they stopped.

Bleach Drinkers Curing Coronavirus Together said...

Old money WASP stuff.

Tavern on the Green.

ricpic said...

My mistake. The cartoonist was George Price. Google his cartoons. They're incredible. Basically blue collar types, rural and urban.

Reynolds Price is a writer...I think.

Trooper York said...

Brooks Brothers and Paul Stewart where the same deal.

When I first went to the city to work one of the partners dressed only in Paul Stewart suits.
He was Jewish but you would never know it. Lived in Connecticut. Dressed British thought Yiddish. I admired him so I bought my stuff from Brooks Brothers and Paul Stewart. Spent a mint of money.

I am much happier in Hawaiian Shirts and shorts. But I have done the other thing.

Trooper York said...

I think it was a front ricpic. Not a Brooklyn style front. But just a place where some rich guy could go to pretend to have a business across the street from the Algonquin.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

DBQ - "The Republican Party in YOUR State is cheating and stealing yet, I don't see any condemnation from YOU."

How?
How are they stealing it? Trump didn't win any votes here TO steal.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

Evi brings the cool reality.

If Trump has 1237 going into the convention he will be the nominee. If Trump doesn't clinch before the convention but can convince a majority of delegates he is the better choice (compared to Cruz), he will be the nominee. Eventually he will get there on the second, third, etc. vote. And Chip's description of Colorado delegates is a pretty good description of the people Trump has to win to his side. Delegates at a convention are (mostly) people who spent thousands of their own money contributing and have worked in various local GOP events. They are not necessarily rubes or low information voters, but they definitely have their own biases.

This.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

Trump needs to win delegates. Roger Stone is threatening them. Do ya really think this is a good idea?

At some point the "Trump inspires violence" is going to move past the manipulated media meme and become a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

Hillary was able to convince all the super- delegates to side with her before any voting started. Each party's rules are confusing and don't make sense, but there they are. AS a savvy candidate, you must learn the rules and you use them to your advantage. In this, Cruz is winning some delegates. He has every right to do so, if the rules allow. So do Trump and Kasich. Trump admitted that he is clueless with the delegate rules. I don't know - you want to run a political campaign?? - get smart.

You can lead a horse to knowledge but you can't make him think.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

Troop - I'm a #Never Trumper only because Trump has chased me away. Trump's behavior stinks so bad, I had to leave the room.
If he legitimately wins the nom - so be it.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

Not everyone finds the constant Trump whining "No fair!" convincing or compelling.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

I see Drudge just birthed a cow.

Trooper York said...

No. He was just pointing out a snake.

Totally different animals.

Trooper York said...

Does it bother you that pretty much everyone who gets to know Ted Cruz basically loathes him?

Is that any sort of a consideration?

I know there are a lot of people who loath Trump but there are many who really like him. Even ideological opponents, business rivals and ex-wives.

Ted seems to be universally despised by anyone who gets to know him. Isn't that a concern at all?

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

Cruz pisses off the right people - the party go-along-to-get-along types. Other than that, the "everyone hates him" is a lie pushed by lyin' Donny.

edutcher said...

Really? All we've seen the last 2 years is an act. The man he called a liar funnels him money, which he accepts. He's a phony, sweetie.

Actually nobody likes him, not even Senate Conservatives, else why do they want to have Mike Lee, rather than the One True Ted, be their SCUS pick if the get one.

Witness only one current Senator has come out for him while Sessions, supposedly his best bud, came out for Trump.

And nobody trusts him, either. Witness the fact Ben Carson is supporting Trump while Rubio expressly asked to hang onto his delegates when Daddy showed an interest in him. And, while McConnell funnels money to him (which he accepts without quibble), McConnell has made it clear he would rather anybody than the One True Ted, even though he's a Bush apparatchik

You're the one who's buying the lies.

AprilApple said...

Troop - I'm a #Never Trumper only because Trump has chased me away

That's a lie. you were never for Trump; at least, not around here.

Trump needs to win delegates. Roger Stone is threatening them. Do ya really think this is a good idea?

He's winning delegates. Cruz is trying to steal them and replace the with people loyal only to him. Stone is warning those phony delegates they'll be challenged at the convention.

At some point the "Trump inspires violence" is going to move past the manipulated media meme and become a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Oh, you mean like Michelle Fields?

ndspinelli said...

if your professed hero was Nixon why the fuck would being liked have anything to do w/ it? His wife hated him for chrissake. Only his butt buddy Bebe liked Nixon.

edutcher said...

AprilApple said...

Hillary was able to convince all the super- delegates to side with her before any voting started. Each party's rules are confusing and don't make sense, but there they are. AS a savvy candidate

Dear, you're not going to insult the intelligence of the human race by suggesting Hillary is a savvy candidate?

edutcher said...

Off Drudge

To what Troop alluded

Trump Delegates Scratched From Ballots at GOP Convention...

NO PRIMARY, NO CAUCUS: CRUZ GETS ALL DELEGATES
VOTERS NOT NEEDED


Now Daddy Cruz is really screwed.

Everybody reads Drudge.

chickelit said...

There will be no need for April to vote in Colorado. Her political betters decided that one for her.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

Chickelit - oh trust me, there was much agitation and gnashing of gums about the lack of a primary/ or a caucus. (we are a caucus state) (though I've never caucused - have you?)

In this case, the delegates do speak for me.

edutcher said...

Of course, not a single Trump supporter in CO. Just like Daddy Cruz wants us to believe.

PS Looks like we're back to NH

New York Trump 54% Kasich 22% Cruz 15%.

PA Trump 48% Kasich 22% Cruz 20%.

And I really don't trust the Fox poll.

chickelit said...

(though I've never caucused - have you?)

I recall voting in generals and primaries in CO but not caucusing.

rcocean said...

I used to read the New Yorker in the 1980s - it could be stuffy and boring with guys writing 100 pages about Oranges but it also had Herbart Warren Wind and Kael and some good political stuff -even if it was liberal.

that went away in the 90s when Tina Brown turned it into just another magazine. Plus, its incredibly provincial - just like the New York Times.

rcocean said...

BTW, people used to have this idea that the New Yorker was a WASP magazine. It never was. The publisher was Jewish, and Bill Shawn was too. By the 50s and 60s it was a bunch of Catholics and Jews writing for a WASPs and people wanted to be WASPs.

rcocean said...

This whole Trump thing is just confirmation that the country is following the path of California. The Republican party there is as dead as a dodo. In 1984 Reagan won in a landslide. Today its so left-wing Kasich would be considered a KKK member. Boxer, Brown, and Feistein will be re-elected until they're 100 years old - if they want.

The Democrats won in California by importing Democrat voters from Mexico and Overseas. And all the while the Republicans - in the service of their donors - cheered it on. Prop 187 was pushed through by the people - not the Republican party.

People like Carly and Meg Whitman run for office as "Me too" Republicans but they still lose.

Guildofcannonballs said...

"Do people even have birds in cages anymore? Is that even a thing?"

I worked with a married lesbian couple on a job recently and they had a dog and an uncaged parrot with them. I asked if she might fly out the door and they said nope. She made the most interesting, cartoonish-quality sounds and was endlessly (well, over about 9 hours) interesting.

"I left my heart in San Franciso" and a few other choice phrases were repeated a lot in very different ways of audiobility.

They mentioned they have a bunch of other birds at home, not sure about cages though.

Dogs and birds and cats living together.

chickelit said...

AprilApple said...In this case, the delegates do speak for me.

You Colorado Cruzzers have disgusting tactics. I sincerely hope you fail in the fall.

deborah said...

Nick:

"But, what would prevent these 2 sleazeball pols combining forces. Cruz saying, "Donald you are the prez nominee and you make me VP and you can have my delegates.""

Buchanan recently suggested this. Cruz would be loathe to accept the VP spot, but he's young. He would be next in line after Trump.

William said...

In the 3/14 issue of the New Yorker, there is an article about the founders of the Black Lives Matter movement. It describes them in sympathetic terms, but they sound like complicated people with lots of contradictions and deficits. One of the founders is a lesbian married to a transgendered person. They consider it a crime that Darren Wilson and George Zimmerman are not in jail. ......... In that same issue, there is also an article about General Butt Naked. This is the nom the de guerre of a minor Liberian warlord. The General achieved some fame and support in Liberia because he went before a Truth&Reconciliation Board and confessed his crimes. He said that he had ordered his followers who were mostly children to murder thousands of other children. The writer said that the General was exaggerating, that he probably murdered less than one hundred children. His brags about indulging in cannibalism were, however, true. During one of the General's murder sprees, Jesus appeared before him and told him to stop murdering children. He subsequently became a fervent Christian and has founded a home for his former followers. The home has attracted outside funding........The juxtaposition of the two articles was kind of unsettling, and I wonder whether it was intentional. Anyway, here's my takeaway: the people of Liberia were forgiving of a man who committed mass murder and then found a way to further profit from those crimes. The people of BLM are less forgiving of the American justice system that allows Darren Wilson and George Zimmerman to walk free.......I don't know if that was the editor's intention, but it's hard to feel much sympathy for the BLM after raiding those articles.

Trooper York said...

Nixon didn't end well. I thought you could detect that.

Trooper York said...

Cruz has never compromised in the service of his ambition. I don't think he is going to start now.

Methadras said...

This is all bullshit. All of it.

ndspinelli said...

Nixon did not end well. But he was elected, and re-elected in landslides. I assume you remember that?

Trooper York said...

Sure. But Obama was elected twice too. I don't want to repeat that mistake. Why elect someone that everyone n both parties hate? Why repeat a mistake?

deborah said...

This delegate imbroglio is reminding me of the post I made on Cruz back when things were heating up. It was about how organized his ground game was in Iowa. I thought at the time how important that was. He did win Iowa, apparently with shenanigans at Carson's expense.

Recently I read and article that mentioned how like Obama Cruz is in knowing the ins and outs of delegate math and being cutthroat(?).

Trump seems to have the advantage of playing it light and loose, if his lack of politic savvy doesn't bite him in the butt. At least he wouldn't be the uptight, trigger happy Neocon/Neoliberals Cruz and Clinton are.

Trooper York said...

It seems to me that Cruz is a deeply unpleasant man. I did not think that about him before I really got to know him. I was a big fan of his when he was fighting the Republican Establishment.

I know Trump. I find him amusing. Also not a bad guy. Impulsive. Arrogant. A blow hard. Sometimes a bully. Someone who can also be generous and dare I say it kind every once in a while. But a normal human being. A recognizable New York type.

Cruz seems like a Cylon.

Trooper York said...

The whole thing with his wife troubles me. If we are going to talk about it seriously for a moment and you know I hate to do that.

I have a lot of respect for Mitch Daniels. He would have a decent shot at the nomination but he didn't want to do it because he didn't want to expose his wife and family to what politics would do to them. Cruz not so much. If his wife is as fragile as it seems why is he running? Is it worth it? Is he so arrogant that he thinks he is the only one who can do what needs to be done? I get that you need a yuge ego to run for President but does he love power more than his wife? Some people do for sure. Jerry Ford. Nixon. Clinton.

All kidding aside when I found out about his wife's history I couldn't believe that he would put her to the test. Maybe I am crazy but makes me not want to vote for him. Is that strange?

ndspinelli said...

Goebbels would be proud, maybe even jealous. I just read a piece in Michelle Obama. She's a big reality TV fan.

deborah said...

I haven't read up on Heidi. Something about walking into traffic and being depressed? On the other hand I'm under the impression this is a big-time power couple. They lived apart for years so he could return to Texas while she stayed in DC, each pursuing their own career paths. She may very much want to be first lady. Do you have an especially good link on her?

Trooper York said...

I doubt that you read that but if she is a reality tv fan than she joins millions upon millions of regular Americans who are not pompous know it alls.

I can totally see Michelle popping a Colt 45 and catching an episode of the "Real Housewives of Atlanta." After all she copied her rap off of Nene.

ndspinelli said...

Daily Mail today in an in depth piece talks about how Michelle loves Real Housewives and hates the Clintons. I don't bullshit, lie and pontificate w/o reading source material. Only propagandists do that. Just like their buffoon, demagogue, hero.

ndspinelli said...

"Regular Americans" making the MANY folks here who don't watch that trash irregular? Is that right Herr Goebbels.