Posts by Nick Cassella

Daily Clips: October 5th, 2015

Daily Clips: October 5th, 2015

994 mass shootings in 1,004 days: The Guardian compiled data on our nation’s gun violence epidemic and, to put it frankly, it’s deeply depressing. They define a mass shooting as having “four or more people shot in once incident” and after applying these parameters their findings reveal that a mass shooting occurs almost every day in this nation. John Oliver exposes the hypocrisy of politicians who blame shootings on the mentally ill: Believe me, this segment is worth your time. John Oliver is a genius. Hillary Clinton’s crackdown on guns would bypass Congress:  Good for Hillary. She isn’t shying away from the issues of gun control. In fact, she’s outright going to politicize the issue. Clinton would push for the following legislation if elected president, according to Jonathan Allen: 1. “Clinton would also back legislation closing the “Charleston loophole,” which federal officials say allowed the man accused of killing nine people in a South Carolina church earlier this year to obtain a gun. Under current law, a gun sale can go through if a background check isn’t completed within three days.” 2. “Clinton would support two other legislative efforts: to repeal the gun industry’s exemption from lawsuits against manufacturers — an exemption Bernie Sanders has supported — and to prevent stalkers and those convicted of abusing people they were dating from obtaining guns.” It’s interesting to consider that Clinton could use guns as an issue to make her look more progressive than Bernie Sanders. She may not have him on the economic populist language, but she could certainly surpass Sanders’ rhetoric and policies in the gun violence conversation . America needs to let go of its reverence for the bachelor’s degree:  The author, Mary Alice McCarthy, contends that “many high-school graduates must choose between two bad options: a four-year program for which they’re not academically or emotionally prepared, or job-specific training that might put a ceiling on their careers.” I certainly agree with the author’s exasperation. She laments how
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Daily Clips: October 2nd, 2015

Daily Clips: October 2nd, 2015

More Americans have died in the last year from gun violence than in the last 40 years from terrorist attacks: This statistic, right here, outlines the absurdity of our current situation: we are so fearful of “others” attacking us that we are completely forgetting that the greatest violence in our nation comes from within. In a similar vein, LOLGOP had this incredible tweet that sums up our inability to focus on what’s important: 31 cases of voter impersonation since 2000. 10,000 gun deaths in America THIS YEAR. Guess which problem the GOP is trying to fix. — LOLGOP (@LOLGOP) October 2, 2015 Why conservatives mistrust even modest efforts at gun control:  David Graham has a thoughtful article on the psychological nature of the gun control debate. He warns gun control supporters that we cannot ignore the deep levels of distrust gun owners have towards the federal government. While these feelings about the intentions of government are inherent within the American political psyche, Graham doesn’t completely absolve the gun lobby. He notes that gun lobbyists “of course” work to encourage and exploit this fear. He closes by saying, “any attempt to reform gun laws will have to grapple with this fear of government.” Nick Hanauer to tech community: Step up your social and civic engagement:  Our Supreme Troublemaker spoke at GeekWire’s summit yesterday and he touched on many subjects, including the $15 minimum wage, the civic engagement of Amazon, and the future of the gig economy. He decried the current state of wages, claiming “there is also no earthly reason why giant corporations can’t pay workers enough to participate in the economy.” Cartoon of the day:

Daily Clips: October 1st, 2015

Daily Clips: October 1st, 2015

Bernie Sanders raises $24 million, exceeding Obama’s 2008 pace:  The appetite for a politician who exclusively talks about the realities facing Americans was always strong going in to this election cycle. But even the most ardent Bernie supporter couldn’t have foreseen the excitement and firepower that Sanders’ campaign is generating. I will say that it is somewhat misleading to compare Bernie’s 2016 online haul to Obama’s 2008 effort, seeing as Facebook was nowhere near as ubiquitous. For example, in 2008 there were only 145 million monthly users on Facebook and in 2015 there were 1.5 billion . That represents a slight bump in social media use. Nonetheless, what Bernie Sanders is doing in this election is very surprising and very inspiring. Kevin McCarthy’s truthful gaffe on Benghazi: For those of you who haven’t heard, Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy admitted (on live television) that the Benghazi circus was nothing but a plot to hurt Hillary Clinton’s poll numbers. How shocking. He explained: Everybody thought Hillary Clinton was unbeatable, right? But we put together a Benghazi special committee, a select committee. What are her numbers today? Her numbers are dropping. Why? Because she’s untrustable. But no one would have known any of that had happened, had we not fought. Jeb Bush is not the “smart Bush”:  I wrote about Jeb!’s most recent racist gaffe , but here is an excellent fisking of his ridiculous statement about the Redskins name. “400 families have given half the money in this election cycle so far. That’s not American democracy. That’s banana republic democracy.”  

Jeb! thinks the Washington Redskins name is A-OK

Jeb! thinks the Washington Redskins name is A-OK

Remember when Jeb! said that Republicans would have to “ lose the primary to win the general ” and that American voters are looking for an “uplifting, much more positive message?” Well, that Jeb! has well and truly gone AWOL; over the past two months, he has instead been checking off a list of racial minorities to belittle. I guess he’s found out that to win the primary in 2016, Republican voters are actually looking for racism, hatred, and a dash of white privilege. Go figure. Today, Jeb! continued this newfound strategy, arguing that the Washington Redskins should not change their name . He added, “Native American tribes generally don’t find it offensive…It’s a sport for crying out loud. It’s a football team…I’m missing something here I guess.” He was also presumably missing something when he talked about “anchor babies” and then clarified that, lest people think he was referring to Hispanics, that this term was related to “ Asian people .” Maybe he was also missing something when he insinuated that Democrats get African Americans to vote for them by offering them “ free stuff .” And he was most certainly missing something when he couldn’t tell you “ what was on the mind ” of the Charleston shooter – you know, that mass murderer who went to a historic black church and yelled, “You rape our women, and you’re taking over the country. And you have to go.” So, let’s recap. October of 2015 hasn’t even arrived and already Bush has made racist comments towards: Hispanic Americans Asian Americans Native Americans African Americans Keep utilizing that “uplifting” and “positive message,” Jeb!

Daily Clips: September 30th, 2015

Daily Clips: September 30th, 2015

Elizabeth Warren should (still) run for president: My favorite political commentator at the moment, Matthew Yglesias, writes an article that I wish I had concocted. He yearns for Warren to jump into the race, noting that “so far, [a search for an alternative to Hillary Clinton] has manifested in an odd yearning for a third Joe Biden presidential campaign.” I couldn’t agree more. Yglesias concludes: In retrospect, Warren should have gotten into the race months ago, back when everyone was writing articles about how she should get into the race. But even though the campaign feels like it’s been going on since the beginning of time, it’s not remotely too late for Warren to change her mind. Oregon to give second chance to residents with marijuana convictions:  Our neighbor to the south is showing Washington how justice should be retroactively served. According to the New York Times, starting next year, almost all forms of marijuana-related offenses will be eligible for expungement. This news comes as Oregon looks to begin selling legal weed on October 1st. Planned Parenthood stands tough against GOP misogyny:  Congressional Republicans got what they wanted – a yelling match at PP President Cecile Richards, where they could interrupt her at will and be absolute d****. What exactly the point was all of this? I think we all know: Republicans want to ban abortions in this country and will go at any length to do so. If you’re a woman in this country, this news should absolutely alarm you. I hate to use the term “War on Women”, but the rhetoric of Republicans towards women today is getting to be very scary. Obama’s Cadillac Tax is doomed: Americans hate the idea of taxing expensive health benefits; in fact 60 percent of Americans oppose taxes “on higher-cost employer-sponsored health plans.” With these poll numbers in mind, Hillary Clinton (ever the political pragmatist) has come out agains the Cadillac Tax (as has the Chamber of Commerce). The repeal of this tax is becoming
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Marco Rubio & his terrible, horrible, no good, very bad paid leave policy

Marco Rubio & his terrible, horrible, no good, very bad paid leave policy

Last week, in an eyebrow-raising move, Senator Marco Rubio detailed a plan for providing paid leave to workers. It’s a prudent political decision, seeing as 80 percent of Americans are in favor of requiring companies to provide paid family leave  and also because the US is the only OECD country that doesn’t mandate such a policy . Before you start thinking he’s a socialist in Milton Friedman’s clothes, note the key caveat in Rubio’s policy proposal: Whereas Democrats like Sanders and Clinton would institute paid leave via federal legislation, Rubio would merely give tax incentives to businesses that offered paid leave, thereby passing the responsibility of basic worker protections on to businesses themselves. Because if we’ve seen anything in the short history of capitalism, it is that businesses always have the best interests of their employees at heart. Here’s how his plan would work: Rubio’s plan would offer a 25% tax credit to employers who offer a minimum of 4 weeks of paid family leave. The maximum pay out per employee, to full-time and part-time workers, would be $4,000, and the maximum leave time would be 12 weeks. “For instance,” Rubio explained, “if you are offered $1,600 in paid leave for four weeks while you take care of your newborn, which would be the equivalent of about $10 an hour, your employer could claim a tax credit for $400.” Rubio’s plan acts as a voluntary, market-based approach to solving a huge problem in America:  less than 15% of US citizens have access to any kind of paid family leave . This is certainly not the first time Rubio has put the market in charge of improving complicated issues. In the past, he’s argued that we should leave it to the free-market to fix the environment  and yes, he thinks we should repeal Obamacare and replace it with a market-based health care program instead . What’s more, he finds it troubling  that most people believe “we need big government to protect the little guy.” Instead of being a guardian of the little guy, he thinks “big government — more often than not — is an impediment to the guy who is striving.” In essence, Marco Rubio has a cult-like devotion to the Republican god of all solutions, The Market. Give me a break. The Market
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Daily Clips: September 29th, 2015

Daily Clips: September 29th, 2015

An American was arrested every 51 seconds for pot in 2014: When talking about marijuana policy, I always know I’m talking to someone in the upper echelons of society when they say, “But pot’s practically legal already!” No, it’s not. The US government spends a mind-boggling “$3.6 billion each year enforcing laws against marijuana possession, according to a frequently cited report by the American Civil Liberties Union .” That is a whole lot of taxpayer money that is being wasted on a substance which the majority of Americans want legalized. Could Trey Gowdy be the next House majority leader?  I know what you’re thinking and the answer is no, I also don’t have a clue who this guy is. After a quick Google search, I found this gem about Gowdy: The South Carolina Republican, a former state and federal prosecutor, is best known for chairing the House Select Committee on Benghazi. Oh, he sounds nice and bipartisan. Gowdy has a “Liberty Score” rating of 85%  (basically, the closer to 100% you are the closer to craziness you get). To put that number in comparison, soon-to-be former Speaker of the House John Boehner had a score of 35% . Yikes. The Daily Show with Trevor Noah: The South African’s first episode aired last night and it is definitely worth a watch. I’m one of the few people who is very excited about his future. Having an objective, outside-of-the-US perspective on our politics and culture is much needed (think of John Oliver). Clinton gets recommendation endorsement from National Education Association:  The 3 million-strong teachers union sent out an email to its members stating: After months of interactions with the three candidates who chose to participate in our process [Clinton, Martin O’Malley and Bernie Sanders], certain things became clear…Clinton is the best positioned candidate to win both the Democratic primary and general election. She has unmatched organizational strength, ground game, and fundraising ability to defeat the candidate of the Koch brothers. While this endorsement will certainly ruffle feathers within the #FeelTheBern crowd, the NEA’s logic is spot-on. However, I
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Daily Clips: September 28th, 2015

Daily Clips: September 28th, 2015

Fox Host confronts Jeb! on his tax plan: In a rather tense interview, Fox host Chris Wallace pointed out that “Bush’s tax plan would, according to his last six years of tax returns, give the former Florida governor a $3 million tax cut ” and asked the candidate, “Does Jeb Bush need a $3 million tax cut?”. Wallace was also quick to point out “that his father, George H. W. Bush, called Ronald Reagan’s theory that lower tax rates would spur income growth ‘voodoo economics.'” Jeb was visibly taken aback by these straightforward questions and his answers were, quite frankly, pathetic. This has got to unnerve those within his campaign, because these same (basic) questions are sure to pop again if Jeb! makes it to the general election. You can watch the full exchange below: Jeb Bush says tax policies of his brother led to dynamic growth: Unfortunately for Jeb!, PolitiFact exists and they looked into one of his statements made in the aforementioned Wallace interview. Here was their final ruling on his claim that the tax policies of his brother “created a dynamic effect of high growth”: The definition of “high,” of course, is relative, but if you look at the most directly comparable examples — the past five presidents’ records in average, annual, inflation-adjusted growth in gross domestic product — George W. Bush ranked fourth among the five presidents, and trailed the two strongest presidents in this regard, Clinton and Reagan, by a particularly wide margin. (Reagan’s policies included both tax cuts and tax increases.) The Ben Carson bubble is bursting! It was inevitable, folks. Ben Carson was always a bigot, but his nap-like persona led the American people to believe otherwise. (“He seems so reasonable and thoughtful…and he was a doctor!”) This weekend, CNN’s Jake Tapper spoke with Carson about his views on Muslims, asking hard-hitting questions, but certainly nothing below the belt. After about seven minutes of bulls*** from Carson (“I’m assuming that if you accept all the tenets of Islam that you would have a
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Daily Clips: September 25th, 2015

Daily Clips: September 25th, 2015

John Boehner will resign from office in October:  I have a lot of conflicting emotions about this news. On the one hand, I’m (super) excited that this dud-of-a-leader has decided to hang up his boots, but on the other hand, I feel like I owe my progressivism largely to John Boehner. In the infancy of my political conscience, I would watch Keith Olbermann’s show where Boehner was regularly one of the host’s “Worst People In The World.” His obstinate conservatism helped shape my contempt for the modern GOP. Fiscal cliffs, farm bills, Obamacare, Department of Homeland Security, and now the latest government shutdown – these are Boehner’s great accomplishments. I understand that he was caught “betwixt and between” the establishment and the Tea Party, as Chris Cilliza put it. But that doesn’t excuse him for his partisan leadership. Moreover, it doesn’t excuse him from showing no backbone to the American people. He was a coward who let a bunch of racists, misogynists, and homophobes control him.  As Boehner walks away from this esteemed position, he should know that he has handicapped this nation instead of moving it forward. He will go down as one of the worst Speakers of the House in US history. How many wars is the US really righting?  Our nation loves war – there’s no doubt about that. But we probably don’t know the full extent of our military aggression, particularly our special forces who are staged all across the world. Here, The Nation has a neat article on our special-ops and the breadth of their engagement in the wider world. Huckabee: ‘What kind of Christian’ is Obama?   Hear that dog whistle, Tea Party? Jeb Bush: The Pope shouldn’t discuss climate change because ‘he’s not a scientist': By this logic, Jeb! shouldn’t talk about Planned Parenthood because he’s not a woman. If only… EPA says to take tougher stance on auto emissions tests: According to Reuters, US environmental regulators said the will be “stepping up emissions testing activities in response to Volkswagen’s alleged violations of pollution laws.” About time.

Daily Clips: September 24th, 2015

Daily Clips: September 24th, 2015

Noam Chomsky: The GOP is a radical insurgency; it’s not a political party: In a recent interview, Chomsky identifies how the modern Republican Party have well and truly left the confines of political reality. Here is his most provocative, but compelling description of this phenomena: It is important to bear in mind that the Republicans have long abandoned the pretense of functioning as a normal parliamentary party… Since Ronald Reagan, the leadership has plunged so far into the pockets of the very rich and the corporate sector that they can attract votes only by mobilizing sectors of the population that have not previously been an organized political force, among them extremist evangelical Christians, now probably the majority of Republican voters; remnants of the former slave-holding States; nativists who are terrified that “they” are taking our white Christian Anglo-Saxon country away from us; and others who turn the Republican primaries into spectacles remote from the mainstream of modern society—though not the mainstream of the most powerful country in world history. Pope Francis’ full address to Congress:  I don’t want to get caught up in the hysteria of Pope Francis’ visit, but his speech to Congress this morning is certainly worth a listen (or a read). He hits on major themes which America struggles with today: income inequality, hatred towards the “other”, and a basic failure to follow Christ’s Golden Rule. The best part about the address may be watching John Boehner’s face. Pope Francis and the economic order: While George Will freaks out about the Pope criticizing capitalism and warns that “Americans cannot simultaneously honor him and celebrate their nation’s premises,” the rest of us know that the Pope actually speaks the truth when it comes to economics (and isn’t against our “nation’s premises”). As Harold Meyerson writes, In place of our current system, Francis has recommended giving workers more power — in particular, promoting worker-owned and -run cooperatives. Speaking to delegates from Italian cooperatives, he extolled “an
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