I see it routinely on news sites that have a presence on social media. Hit the comments section and your jaw will drop (I was just on Politico’s FB page and there’s a lovely Republican talking about how Dr Carson is a full blooded black and thus superior to the half breed Obama as part of an assertion that the modern GOP is more inclusive than the Left).
Tim_N
3083
I tried looking through facebook for comments like these and found a link to this “news” article. Start flicking through the comments if you want to start (or continue!) losing your faith in humanity:
http://www.youngcons.com/none-of-the-colorado-shooting-victims-were-planned-parenthood-employees-or-patients/
Strollen
3084
As both Nate Silver here and David Brooks on the Newshour said we are still 2 months away from the first vote in the Iowa caucus and even further from the first real vote in NH. So freaking out about Trump and Carson is premature.
Most voters especially in a primary don’t make up there minds until days or even hours before walking into the polling place. With the exception of 2012 presidential election (and primarily Nate Silver himself) political polls have been really wrong the last five or six year, both in the US (e.g. Kentucky race) and also in Canada and the UK.
Alstein
3085
That model is based on old assumptions- I don’t buy it these days. If Trump loses support between now and the Caucus, it’s due to Trump screwing up somehow in a way that finally gets him.
I’m not going to say Trump wins now, but it’s going to be based on whether trump voters actually vote, or if they’re just low-energy.
Okay good, as long as it’s anonymous crazies in a comments section somewhere and not legitimate people responsible for their statements that you have friended or your friends have friended.
Anecdotally I will say that in my corner of New Hampshire, I am seeing signs for only two candidates – Sanders and Trump. I think I’ve see one Carson sign and one Fiorina sign and that’s it.
I haven’t had a chance to feel out my Republican friends but wouldn’t be shocked if they’re supporting Bernie. They tend to be moderates and could bring themselves to support Romney last time around because he was such a buffoon. Sanders tends to have bi-partisan support in this area. But there are tons and tons of Trump signs out there so his support is very real on the ground.
Miramon
3088
Cruz apparently just called the Planned Parenthood shooter a transgender leftist activist. Are they allowed to just say anything now?
Per Fox News’ “We can lie if we want to” legal defense that was successful in defending their BS, apparently they can.
To be entirely fair, leftist politicians and news people lie through their teeth as well, but it doesn’t usually carry quite as much bite. However, we’ve all heard the lines about how right-wingers don’t care about the poor, are racists, etc., and that’s pretty darn nasty on its own.
There’s a meme going around Facebook saying this, but I can’t imagine it’s substantiated. The war over what motivated this guy–so we can wield the label of “terrorist” upon our enemies–is just fucking absurd. If he’s anti-abortion, we can all recognize he doesn’t represent most pro-lifers, right? If he’s transgender, the same? If the PP selling-baby-parts videos riled him up, we aren’t required to come to the conclusion that the videographers intended this. So do we learn anything from who he is and what motivated him other than maybe how to identify and counteract the rest of the tiny minority of unhinged armed people with a grievance?
magnet
3091
Well, yeah, but what if he’s a Muslim?
I’m surprised he didn’t accuse Hillary Clinton of being the shooter.
No but the crap the pro-lifers are pulling can be seen as having a direct impact on those people and their victims. It also creates an atmosphere of fear for people who don’t deserve it at all and don’t need it heaped on top of whatever they are going through.
He’s saving that for Obama.
Ted Cruz has an opinion about women’s health.
http://www.rawstory.com/2015/12/ted-cruz-says-there-is-no-war-on-women-because-we-dont-have-a-condom-shortage/
“The last I checked, we don’t have a rubber shortage in America,” the GOP presidential candidate said during a town hall here, responding to a question about the availability of contraception to women who want it.
“Look, when I was in college, we had a machine in the bathroom. You’d put 50 cents in and voila!” added Texas’ junior senator, who attended Princeton University and Harvard Law School. “So yes, anyone who wants contraceptives can access them, but it is an utterly made-up, nonsense issue.”
CraigM
3097
Because the only reason anyone would ever take birth control pills is for contraceptive purposes*. What about freedom of choice, Ted? Shouldn’t women have the choice in their sexual activities and how to do so safely? Also: keep talking Cruz, you ignorant buffoon.
*says the guy who has 3 close relatives who take them for other medical purposes
Timex
3098
Ok, I think that we need to start giving a tutoring session to republican politicians.
“Are you about to say something about women? Possibly about their naughty parts, or rape?”
“YOU NEED TO NOT SAY THAT.”
Interesting perspective from Vox (I know, I know) on Trump and the media.
As everyone acknowledges, politicians have always lied. So what’s going on here? How are Trump’s lies different? Are they just more voluminous, more flagrant? Or is there something deeper going on that has unsettled the media establishment?
But Trump does not back down, retract, or apologize, ever, not even for the most trivial thing. He refuses to allow journalists and pundits to validate their watchdog role. He recognizes that capitulating to the mainstream media is far worse for any conservative than clinging to a lie. (Fiorina, for instance, was pilloried for backing down.) They have no power over him at all, and now everyone knows it.
If you’re a journalist and you’re in it for the feeling of power, you’re probably doing it wrong.
Well, there’s that and the fact that he’s a narcissist so he’s likely pathologically incapable of backing down, retracting or apologizing.
