On Friday night, Bill Maher explained how Democrats must win back the language framing from the Republicans.
Being a Republican means starting with a bedrock principle,
like rich people shouldn't pay taxes, or black people shouldn't vote. (audience laughter) And then, figuring out how to sell it to low-information voters, otherwise known as Americans.
Did I say "don't tax rich people"? I meant "encourage the job
creators". Did I say "don't let black people vote"? I meant "clamp
down on voter fraud". Did I say "bring back slavery"? I meant "phase
out race-based freedom quotas". (audience laughter and applause)
Video and full transcript below the fold.
And finally, New Rule: Democrats need to stop despairing
about the gloomy midterm predictions, and realize there's actually a
glimmer of hope, and it has to do with suicide. Let me finish. For
decades now, liberals pushed the issue of assisted suicide, and it got
nowhere. Then, they started to call it "aid in dying", and its approval
shot up 20 points and it's now legal in 5 states. That's the power of language. And if they took the word "dying" out altogether and called it "early retirement"? (audience laughter) It would probably win over 10 more states. If they called it "death by chocolate", they could get all 50! (audience laughter and applause)
Now, that success and the success that Democrats had in rebranding
gay marriage as "marriage equality" means they have finally caught on to
what Republicans learned a long time ago from their guru on words,
deranged madman/friend of the show Frank Luntz.
Frank is the genius right-wing wordsmith who taught Republicans to,
instead of saying "estate tax", say "death tax". Instead of saying
"poor people", say "the takers". Instead of saying "ridiculous toupee",
say "healthy head of natural human hair". (audience laughter)
And what Democrats need to do is start out-Luntzing the Republicans
on all the issues. What's the difference between "drilling for oil" and
"energy exploration"? Nothing, except one sounds like something
assholes do, and one sounds like Indiana Jones. Health care reform?
Everyone likes that. "Government takeover of health care". What are
you, Hitler? What's the difference between creationism and intelligent
design? Not IQ points. (audience laughter)
Being a Republican means starting with a bedrock principle, like rich
people shouldn't pay taxes, or black people shouldn't vote. (audience laughter) And then, figuring out how to sell it to low-information voters, otherwise known as Americans.
Did I say "don't tax rich people"? I meant "encourage the job
creators". Did I say "don't let black people vote"? I meant "clamp
down on voter fraud". Did I say "bring back slavery"? I meant "phase
out race-based freedom quotas". (audience laughter and applause)
Republicans are always confident they can move the needle on any
issue because, A) they know they have the right words to make the
hamster hit the pedal. And B) they have the discipline with those
words. Perhaps you noticed how everyone on the right universally
decided at the exact same moment that Obama's "weakness" is what
"emboldened" Putin to take Crimea. And that's not a matter of great minds thinking alike, because for that, you would need great minds. (audience laughter and applause)
No, that's because once the word is decided on, every single
Republican, from the presidential contenders on down to the
feces-throwers on hate radio (audience laughter), all chant it like Rain Man over and over until it's beaten into our skulls.
Now I have no hope the Democrats will ever get that organized. But
they could at least keep up the winning streak in the word game.
Starting with, liberals must stop saying they "believe" in climate change or "believe" in evolution. Evolution is; it's not matter of believing in it. (massive audience cheering and applause)
I don't believe that water boils at 212°; that's how hot it is when it happens! It's not ideology, it's soup! (audience laughter) But most of all, just remember, you win the word game, you win the issue.
Jesus was for feeding the poor. Rename food stamps: "Christ coupons". (audience laughter and applause) Marijuana legalization should be called "creating green jobs". (audience laughter and applause) Abortion is a "natal do-over". (audience groans) And illegal aliens are "refried Americans". (audience groans)
And solar energy has always sounded way too gay for rednecks. Instead, say "invade the Sun and take its oil"! (audience laughter and applause)
Let's not forget Professor George Lakoff who started "Framing" political issues
A Republican bill to criminalize union picketing
has been moving through the Tennessee State House, with a committee
vote coming up soon. But it may be running into a snag: Tennessee
Attorney General Robert Cooper says the bill violates the First Amendment.
“HB1688 presents a content-based restriction upon speech. It
would criminalize ‘any form of mass picketing activity in the context
of a strike, lockout, or other labor dispute’,” the opinion says.
It notes the bill "includes labor-dispute-specific proscriptions on
conduct that do not apply in non-labor contexts. Furthermore, the
injunction provision of HB1688… would establish a different standard for
business and private-property owners who are the targets of
labor-related mass picketing.”
The question, of course, is whether likely UnConstitutionality is enough
of a reason for Tennessee Republicans to back off of limiting speech
because they don't like who's speaking, or what they're saying. An early response from state Rep. Jeremy Durham, the bill's sponsor, suggests he's not backing down without a fight.
• Paul tells Guardian change in Ukraine is US-backed coup
Ron Paul has run for president three times. Photograph: Jim Cole/AP
The former Republican congressman and three-time presidential
candidate Ron Paul has launched a scathing attack on what he calls a
US-backed coup in Ukraine, insisting the Crimean people have the right to align their territory with Moscow and characterisingsanctions against Russia as “an Act of War”.
He
also said providing economic aid to Ukraine was comparable to giving
support to rebels in Syria knowing it would end up in the hands of
al-Qaida.
The libertarian guru’s remarks in an interview with
the Guardian are almost diametrically opposed to those of his son, the
Republican presidential hopeful Rand Paul, who has called for stiff
penalties against Russia and declared: “If I were president, I wouldn’t
let [Russian president] Vladimir Putin get away with it.”
Ron
Paul, who retired from his Texas congressional seat in 2012, has always
adopted a sceptical view of US foreign interventions. He said that
although the US had not been involved in any military overthrow of the
government in Kiev, it had facilitated a coup in the sense of
“agitating” elements who wanted to usurp Ukraine’s former president, Victor Yanukovych.
“The
evidence is pretty clear that the NGOs [non-governmental organisations]
financed by our government have been agitating with billions of
dollars, trying to get that government changed,” he said. “Our hands are
not clean.”
There is broad bipartisan support on Capitol Hill for
the movement that brought about the departure of Yanukovych, as well as
criticism of Putin for Russia’s military intervention in Crimea, which
many view as a prelude to annexing the territory.
A Russian-backed
referendum, in which Crimeans will be asked if they want to align their
government with Moscow, will take place on Sunday, although western
leaders argue the poll has no legitimacy or legal basis.
Paul said Crimeans should be allowed to break away from Kiev.
“I
think everyone should have right to express themselves,” he said. “It
is messy, that is for sure, because two big governments are very much
involved in trying to tell the Ukranians what to do.”
However he
said Russia had a more justifiable basis for being involved in Crimea
than the US, and no government should prevent locals on the peninsula
from determining their future.
“That is our how our country was
started,” he said. “It was the right of self-determination, and voting,
and asking and even fighting for it, and seceding. Of course
libertarians were delighted with the secession of the various countries
and units of government away from the Soviet Union, so yes, we want the
people to make the decisions.”
He added: “The people of Ukraine
would probably have a loose-knit association, with a rather independent
east and west, and an independent Crimea. It would work quite well.”
Paul, who now runs his own internet TV channel, also took issue with a $1bn aid package for Ukraine which is going through Congress.
“Now
we’re getting involved with the Europeans in trying to change the
government of Ukraine,” he said. “Now they want our money. It is just
like when we when we go out and try and throw out [Syrian president
Bashar al-] Assad, we end up working with al-Qaida. Now we’re likely to
give money to Ukraine so they can pay their bills to Russia. That is the
insanity of it all.”
His son, an increasingly strong contender
for the Republican presidential nomination, made a similar point in the
Senate on Thursday, when he voted against a bill providing aid to
Ukraine.
The Kentucky senator is far more pragmatic than his
father, however, and is on a mission to recast his reputation as a
mainstream potential commander-in-chief. This week, he used an op-ed piece in Time magazine to exhibit his foreign policy credentials, adopting a tough stance against Moscow.
“ladimir
Putin’s invasion of Ukraine is a gross violation of that nation’s
sovereignty and an affront to the international community,” he wrote.
“His continuing occupation of Ukraine is completely unacceptable, and
Russia’s president should be isolated for his actions.”
He added: “Economic sanctions and visa bans should be imposed and enforced without delay.” Ron Paul with his son Rand, at a 2011 presidential campaign event. Photograph: Charles Dharapak/AP
His father took the opposite view. “I think sanctions are horrible. They’re Acts of War,” he told the Guardian.
“It
is based on a moral principle of theft. They want to target sanctions
against 20 or 30 bad Russians who they claim have committed a crime
against humanity, and therefore we’re going to freeze their assets and
steal them from them.”
When it was suggested his position was
opposite to that of his son, Paul replied: “Neither he nor I have ever
pretended our views are identical. He still has the most libertarian
views in the Senate.”
Four Postal Unions Form Alliance
to Defend the Public Postal Service - March 2014
Proclamation
A
Postal Union Alliance
The U.S.
Postal Serviceis under
unprecedented attack.
A (GOP) Congressionally
manufactured financial crisis drains the USPS of vital resources. Six-day
delivery is under constant threat of elimination. The reduction of service
standards and the elimination of half of the nation's mail processing centers
has slowed service and wiped out tens of thousands of good jobs.
Post offices in
cities and small towns are being sold or closed or having their hours cut back.
Corporate privatizers seek to gain control over larger segments of postal
operations-and to get their hands on the Postal Service's $65 billion of annual
revenue.
The Postmaster General's policies of subcontracting and degrading
service are fueling the privatization drive.
The four postal unions stand together to end the
attack.
We stand for a public
Postal Service,
enhancement and expansion of service, and protection of good union jobs in our
communities. We stand with the people of our country in defense of their right
to a universal postal service operated in the public interest.
We commit to work together to:
• Maintain six-day and home delivery.
• Protect and restore service standards and mail
processing facilities.
• Maintain full-time, full-service public post
offices in every community.
• Oppose the subcontracting of work and privatization
of services.
• Expand postal services to include basic banking,
notary, check-cashing and other services.
• End the corporate welfare of excessive pre-sort
discounts.
• Form a common front in the fight for genuine postal
reform legislation
.• Organize joint actions and speak in a united
voice.
• Unite with other labor unions in defense of the
rights of postal workers and all workers.
• Encourage joint efforts of our union members at the
local level.
• Support maximum cooperation in the next round of
contract negotiations.
• Build an alliance with the American people in
defense of the public postal service.
We
Stand United to Protect America's Postal
Service
Fredric Rolando, President, National Association of
Letter Carriers
Mark Dimonstein, President, American Postal Workers
Union
John Hegarty, President, National Postal Mail
Handlers Union
Jeanette Dwyer, President, National Rural Letter
Carriers Assoc.
A
few years ago, the producers of "Inequality for All" came to me with
the idea for a documentary about income inequality. I didn't know how it
would turn out but I knew I had to do it.
Last night, I witnessed the culmination of our film's purpose in the passion of thousands of DFA members gathered at more than 700 "Inequality for All" Watch Parties across America. It was an amazing "movement moment" and I was thrilled to be a part of it -- and I know Sen. Elizabeth Warren was as well.
"Inequality
for All" revealed how the size and scope of the wealth gap in America
is shocking, immoral, and unsustainable. We learned what we are up
against, and that's a big first step towards leveling the playing field
for working families.
Now, we need to take the next step together and bring this fight to Main Streets everywhere. Through YouPower,
Democracy for America's petition platform, you can start petitions to
fight for real change on any issue that matters to you -- in just a
matter of minutes. That makes it the perfect tool to kick this movement
into high gear.
William, will you start a YouPower
petition today to raise the minimum wage and help us bring the battle
against income inequality to Venice?
We can't afford to sit on the sidelines any longer.
The wealth gap in America is widening by the day, and the threat to our
economy and our democracy couldn't be more real or more immediate.
With the Tea Party grinding Washington into gridlock, we can't wait for Congress.
Every state can set its own minimum wage and every city can choose to
pay its workers more fairly -- if we put on the pressure and make them.
By
winning state and local victories in the backyards of Tea Party
Republicans and moderate Democrats we can build momentum from the ground
up and prove to Washington that this is not an issue that can wait --
it's an issue that can and will decide elections now.
Our
fantastic call last night with Sen. Warren was just the first step. Now,
let's get to work fighting for fairer wages together. Will you start a YouPower petition right now to raise your local minimum wage?
The French find radical drop in declining sperm quality THE WORLD | 27/02/2014 at 11:22 • Updated 2/27/2014
| By Paul Benkimoun Almost no French region is immune: sperm quality declines. A
sharp decline in sperm concentration - almost a third over a period of
sixteen years - had already been recognized at national level. This
time the phenomenon has been analyzed at the regional level by a joint
team of researchers from the Institute of Health Surveillance (VS ) and
the National Institute of Health and Medical Research ( Inserm),
responsible for database" FIVNAT."
EXCLUSIVE: Two time Academy Award-winning cinematographer Haskell Wexler, ASC today threw his support behind the mounting movement calling for accountability in the on-set death of Midnight Rider crew member Sarah Jones. In a letter sent to fellow members of IATSE Local 600 and obtained by Deadline, Wexler supports efforts to include Jones’s name to Sunday’s Oscars In Memoriam tribute and called her death in Thursday’s train incident an act of “criminal negligence.” Wexler co-founded a group called 12on/12off
which advocates a rehaul of current standards that allow for
excessively long work hours and questionably safe working conditions on
film and TV sets across the industry. In 2006 he directed the
documentary Who Needs Sleep? about the dangers crews face in situations in which such health concerns are not prioritized. Read Wexler’s letter: Related: ‘Midnight Rider’ Suspends Filming Following Train Death
Dear Fellow Workers,
I am part of a group asking that Sarah Jones’ name be included in the
Academy’s “In Memoriam” section of the Awards telecast this Sunday.
Sarah and the three injured crew members were not victims of an
“accident” but of criminal negligence. Something that would not have
happened if proper safety rules were in place.
Here is a copy of an ad rejected by our Union magazine, ICG.
I was told that the magazine is on, “high alert” on this subject of
workplace safety, especially if it comes from me! In this case, the
subject comes from the IATSE. They say the magazine doesn’t want to deal
with this “political football” even though it is an official IATSE
resolution.
Employers will work you longer for less money and under questionable
safety conditions because it is their duty to prioritize the bottom
line. As individuals we cannot complain. That’s why we need a Union to
speak for us, certainly when our safety, our health, and our very lives
are at stake! Since they’ve abdicated that responsibility, please join
us at 12on12off.
Wear the hat and never forget that as human beings we believe that
every person’s health, safety and life is worth more than any film or TV
show we can produce.
