Political Vids/Images

[sls.stormyrider]

I don't know what's more disturbing about that vid

Is it that Romney starts off with a blatant unadulterated total lie, or the fact that a portion of our electorate has the IQ of a houseplant- and that those people no doubt have offspring.

[Undermind]

I was waiting for Hacksaw Jim Duggan to jump up on stage with his 2x4!

[runawayjimbo]

I love me some cartograms. Here is the US according to SuperPACs, with the size of each state scaled based on ad money spent per voter. There are really only 12 states.




and a video explaining it better...

www.npr.org/blogs/itsallpolitics/2012/11/01/163632378/a-campaign-map-morphed-by-money?

Wait, I'm confused: I thought Citizens United ensured that Republicans and their corporate masters would be able to buy elections? That map looks pretty purple, even blue to me. Where's all the outrage at?!?

[PIE-GUY]

I love me some cartograms. Here is the US according to SuperPACs, with the size of each state scaled based on ad money spent per voter. There are really only 12 states.




and a video explaining it better...

www.npr.org/blogs/itsallpolitics/2012/11/01/163632378/a-campaign-map-morphed-by-money?

Wait, I'm confused: I thought Citizens United ensured that Republicans and their corporate masters would be able to buy elections? That map looks pretty purple, even blue to me. Where's all the outrage at?!?

You didn't watch the video, did you. The amount of money spent is how they determine the size of each shape. The color is how definitively red or blue the state was in the 2008 election results. The point is that you can barely see the red or blue states, but the purple states are HUGE. Nearly $6 per voter has been spent in Nevada while under $.50 per voter has been spent in California.

[runawayjimbo]

Also, LOL at Chris Christie, free market champion!!

And hey look, Obama supporters can be stupid too!!! (and this is in NY, which is obviously much more culturally and intellectually advanced than backassward Ohio)

[runawayjimbo]

I love me some cartograms. Here is the US according to SuperPACs, with the size of each state scaled based on ad money spent per voter. There are really only 12 states.




and a video explaining it better...

www.npr.org/blogs/itsallpolitics/2012/11/01/163632378/a-campaign-map-morphed-by-money?

Wait, I'm confused: I thought Citizens United ensured that Republicans and their corporate masters would be able to buy elections? That map looks pretty purple, even blue to me. Where's all the outrage at?!?

You didn't watch the video, did you. The amount of money spent is how they determine the size of each shape. The color is how definitively red or blue the state was in the 2008 election results. The point is that you can barely see the red or blue states, but the purple states are HUGE. Nearly $6 per voter has been spent in Nevada while under $.50 per voter has been spent in California.

I didn't, but I think you did a good job explaining it here. In that case I'd say they need a better scale.

Still, I am jealous of you and others who don't live in one of those 12 states and have to endure the inundation of campaign ads every 4 yrs. I can't wait for Wednesday.

[VDB]

I love me some cartograms. Here is the US according to SuperPACs, with the size of each state scaled based on ad money spent per voter. There are really only 12 states.




and a video explaining it better...

www.npr.org/blogs/itsallpolitics/2012/11/01/163632378/a-campaign-map-morphed-by-money?

All hail the perfect, infallible electoral college!

[mbw]

Also, LOL at Chris Christie, free market champion!!

And hey look, Obama supporters can be stupid too!!! (and this is in NY, which is obviously much more culturally and intellectually advanced than backassward Ohio)

stupid sure. believing that the president of the united states is a secret terrorist, that's a whole other bag of potatoes.

[ytowndan]

Ho. Lee. Shit.

This country is uber fucked.

Watch out for the Buddhists!

USA! USA! USA!

and watch out for those Atheist Muslim Communists too. 

Who attended a christian church for 20 years.

Don't you mean a RACIST Christian church?  So, he's a socialist, racist, atheist, Muslim, communist!  And don't forget, he's letting those fuckin' Buddhists come in and take away our freedom!

Scary words are scary.

[nab]

Ho. Lee. Shit.

This country is uber fucked.

Watch out for the Buddhists!

USA! USA! USA!

and watch out for those Atheist Muslim Communists too. 

Who attended a christian church for 20 years.

Don't you mean a RACIST Christian church?  So, he's a socialist, racist, atheist, Muslim, communist!  And don't forget, he's letting those fuckin' Buddhists come in and take away our freedom!

Scary words are scary.

Scary man on the street reports are scary.  Same old story, different venue.


The begging question remains, what would any of us do to answer the ignorance?  That is the difficult query, in part because human reality, no how hard we try, resits quantification.  It is expressed in real time, with the unknown weight of past personal experience weighing heavily on the speaker and the listener. 

It's easy to pass these speakers off as an aberration, but difficult for me to honestly address what it is that bugs me most about their message.  Most of the difficulty is frustration.  I can bang my head against an info-graphic all day, but if the only people who are willing to address the problems presented in the info-graphic with me are those that agree with it's premise, I've done little beyond preaching to the choir.

The most insidious facet of American politics is the "us or them " mentality.  Unfortunately, the alternative takes real work and compassion, not the message passing and blustering in the name of both ideals that passes for political dialog.             

[ytowndan]

Ho. Lee. Shit.

This country is uber fucked.

Watch out for the Buddhists!

USA! USA! USA!

and watch out for those Atheist Muslim Communists too. 

Who attended a christian church for 20 years.

Don't you mean a RACIST Christian church?  So, he's a socialist, racist, atheist, Muslim, communist!  And don't forget, he's letting those fuckin' Buddhists come in and take away our freedom!

Scary words are scary.

Scary man on the street reports are scary.  Same old story, different venue.


The begging question remains, what would any of us do to answer the ignorance?  That is the difficult query, in part because human reality, no how hard we try, resits quantification.  It is expressed in real time, with the unknown weight of past personal experience weighing heavily on the speaker and the listener. 

It's easy to pass these speakers off as an aberration, but difficult for me to honestly address what it is that bugs me most about their message.  Most of the difficulty is frustration.  I can bang my head against an info-graphic all day, but if the only people who are willing to address the problems presented in the info-graphic with me are those that agree with it's premise, I've done little beyond preaching to the choir.

The most insidious facet of American politics is the "us or them " mentality.  Unfortunately, the alternative takes real work and compassion, not the message passing and blustering in the name of both ideals that passes for political dialog.           

Agreed.  My opinion is, I don't believe there is anything we can do to answer the ignorance.  At least not directly. 

Imagine trying to explain something that's just the slightest bit complex to that woman in the video (who believes someone can be both an atheist and a Muslim).  When people like that are shown information that challenges their worldview, it doesn't make them question their beliefs, it actually reaffirms them (because of the "us vs them" that you mentioned). 

All we can do is address it indirectly, by striving to better educate the next generation. 

[PIE-GUY]

[gah]

I was waiting for Hacksaw Jim Duggan to jump up on stage with his 2x4!

The comments on this are great!

USA! USA! USA!

[rowjimmy]

I really wanted to put this in the storm thread but brought it here out of a begrudging respect for the apolitical folks.

Watch how Seth Myers just simultaneously hits it out of the part and crushes Jimmy Fallon's spirit on the last part of this clip.
You may wish to queue directly to the key bit: 1:54-the end...

(note: there was no studio audience for this show due to Sandy.)

http://www.latenightwithjimmyfallon.com/video/seth-meyers-part-2-102912/1422268/

Now allow me to recap that for you:










Allow me to re-paraphrase:

None of the debates did they mention climate change. And I feel like every six months the worst thing that's ever happend in the world happens weather-wise. And I feel like we're going to look back on this time the way baseball fans in the 90s were like "No, nobody's using steroids."

We are in the Steroid Era of storms and yet there are more people in Congress who probably think this is because, like, gays are marrying... Than the fact that the world is just dying.

Dark but direct.

A shot of what people might need.

[PIE-GUY]

Lulz.