Anti-Palestinian Genocidal Billboard Ads in Downtown Tel Aviv | Tikun Olam |

One of Daniel Pipes` affiliate groups, the Israel Victory Project, paid for skyscraper-size billboards in Tel Aviv featuring images of Mahmoud Abbas and Ismail Haniyeh blindfolded, holding a white flag and begging for mercy on their knees, while Israeli helicopter gunships hover over a decimated Palestinian landscape.  The caption is: "You can only make peace with enemies who have been utterly humiliated."  This may rightly be called a Judeo-fascist version of the Final Solution.

(Photo credit: Haaretz)

Pipes' main claim to fame is his founding of the Middle East Forum, a pseudo-academic think tank designed to promote Islamophobia and pro-Israel propaganda.  The IVP website lists Pipes as its founder. He has voiced similarly genocidal views in the past favoring exterminating Gaza unless it ceased terror attacks against Israel.  Pipes also founded Campus Watch, which served as a template for the far more successful Israeli fascist group, Im Tirzu.  That group monitors professors and course curricula that do not adhere to a strictly pro-Israel orientation.  It urges universities to fire professors who cross its red lines.

Tel Aviv's mayor, Ron Huldai, demanded that the advertising company remove the ads and they were taken down in the middle of the night, to the dismay of Pipes' group, which promised to bring the case before the Supreme Court.

Huldai's rationale for removing the offending billboard is interesting both for its content and how it denies any connection between that and Israeli values:

The ad incites violence that is reminiscent of ISIS and the Nazis-among whom we don't wish to be counted.  Degrading the Other is not our way.

Group to sue Tel Aviv Mayor over removal of Billboard ...

Plenty of opportunity for Daniel Pipes and his gang to spread the hatred ...

○ Opinion We Were Right to Hang Billboards Showing Abbas and Haniyeh as Defeated Terrorists | Haaretz |

Daniel Pipes and David Horowitz Center prime sources to encourage and spread Islamophobia throughout the Western world ...

○ Rise of Populism Based on Terror and Islamophobia
○ How Xenophobia and Targeted Funding Sank Democrats

Mike Bloomberg will sell his company if he's elected president, top campaign adviser says

"There will be no confusion about any of his financial holdings, blurring the line between public service and personal profiteering."

< eyebrow >

"I don't think it's unusual or untoward for Someone of Resources and Substance to go into public service, just as Franklin Roosevelt did," O'Brien argued, when asked about criticisms of Bloomberg's wealth.

as distinct from "a rich guy."

POLITICO Playbook: The Dem ad campaign aimed at taking down Bernie

THE BIG TENT PROJECT -- a Dem 501(c)(4) group aimed at boosting moderates -- has $1 MILLION to spend in South Carolina and Nevada to bash Sen. BERNIE SANDERS (I-Vt.). The group's executive director is JONATHAN KOTT, a former top aide to Sen. JOE MANCHIN (D-W.Va.). (C4s don't have to disclose donors, so we won't know who is behind this.)

archived
WILDING, et al. vs. DNC SERVICES CORP., d/b/a/Democratic National Committee and DEBORAH WASSERMAN SCHULTZ, 25 Aug, 2017 Order of Dismissal

Nor do these Plaintiffs' donations to the DNC or to Bernie Sanders's campaign create standing. The act of donating to an organization does not, of itself, create a legally protected interest in the organization's operations.

In 1850, a proposal to identify slaves by name in the census was rejected by the Senate. One southern senator objected that the names of slaves was "no useful information." Another contended that owners of large numbers of slaves did not know the children's names...

— Adam Rothman (@arothmanhistory) February 16, 2020

thread alert:
"I'm confused. Census takers don't typically take _anyone's name, do they? This sounds like it's mostly about birth certificates. Are they considered to be part of the census? What am I missing here?"
You must be new here or a super-dedicated subscriber to APsplainin.
Every Census survey requests head of household name, name (s) of household members, address, DOB, "race or ethnicity". Now wonder 71% of Americans are opposed to reparations for descendants of US slaves. They got here before 1808.

THANK GOTT the citizenship question will not rise again. CENSUS 2020 household email addressed surveys are going to be GREAT!

reference
When will census records be available?
"According to the "72-Year Rule," the National Archives releases census records to the general public 72 years after Census Day. ..."
Availability of Census Records About Individuals [PDF 150KB].

Q & A not very clear what the format is :-)

Mayor Bloomberg getting a well-deserved beating! After tonight he may well change party registration ... again. The mayor will not make the public privy to a number of nondisclosure contracts ... transparency mayor, you are in the political arena.

Candidates going after one another turns messy. VP Biden may well profit by sitting back and making some good points.

Health care issue won't be solved or get clarity tonight. Too many variables and big numbers flying around without any foundation.

Will skip next hour and go to sleep instead.

Former CNBC anchor Michelle Caruso-Cabrera will challenge Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in House Democratic primary | CNBC |

Former longtime CNBC correspondent and anchor Michelle Caruso-Cabrera has launched a challenge in the Democratic primary against freshman firebrand Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York.

Caruso-Cabrera, who became a CNBC contributor when she left the network in September 2018, serves as a member of the board of directors for financial services firm Beneficient. She will take a leave from her role as CNBC contributor for the duration of the campaign, a CNBC spokesperson said.

According to a filing late Monday, she will run as a Democrat in that party's primary in the 14th District. Caruso-Cabrera is known to be a skeptic of government and a proponent of free markets.

Caruso-Cabrera apparently plans to make that fight with a more conservative philosophy than AOC. While the sitting congresswoman is a proud democratic socialist who backs Bernie Sanders, MCC has named Ronald Reagan as her favorite president and even published a book on small government in 2010 titled: "You Know I'm Right: More Prosperity, Less Government."

"I am the daughter and granddaughter of working class Italian and Cuban immigrants," Caruso-Cabrera said in a statement. "I am so lucky to have had such a wonderful career and I want everybody to have the opportunity that I've had. That's why I'm running."

Caruso-Cabrera spent more than 20 years with CNBC, serving as a co-anchor of "Power Lunch" and as the network's chief international correspondent.

"Liar, liar pants on fire."

You stated Republican President Reagan was a great president  ...

Today we proudly celebrate President's Day, honoring the leaders in our young nation's history who served their country by leading in both word and deed. Happy President's Day! pic.twitter.com/JEe3clLDzX

— Michelle Caruso-Cabrera (@MCaruso_Cabrera) February 17, 2020

○ Ocasio-Cortez faces 13 challengers - but can anyone unseat her?

Never amazes me that the corporate media even spends time repeating this moment over and over ...

Net worth of former NY mayor Mike Bloomberg is in excess of $64bn ... to illustrate the wealth of California billionaires, their total worth increased from $233bn in 2009 to over $700bn last year.

What was the 'smart' statement by Mike Bloomberg: "the socialist Bernie Sanders is a millionaire with three houses." Geez whiz ...

The right-wing outlets are going bats on social media, repeating the fearmongering of mayor Bloomberg, telling the viewers "Bernie Sanders wants communism ...".

'Cheap shot': Sanders fires back when Bloomberg goes after 'socialism'

Michael Bloomberg attacked Sen. Bernie Sanders at Wednesday's Democratic presidential debate in Las Vegas, with the billionaire former New York City mayor claiming the self-described democratic socialist's ownership of multiple homes makes him a hypocrite.

Bloomberg also accused Sanders of trying to "throw out capitalism" -- something that he said resulted in "communism" in other countries. Sanders called the comparison "a cheap shot."

"The best-known socialist in the country is a millionaire with three homes," said Bloomberg, who is worth an estimated $64.2 billion.

Sanders, who is worth an estimated $2.5 million [income from book sales], explained that he has a home in Washington, D.C., where he works as a senator, a home in Burlington, Vt., and "like many in Vermont, I have a summer camp."

When Donald Trump gets $800 million in tax breaks and subsidies to build luxury condominiums, that's socialism for the rich.

I want a government that works for working people, not corporations and CEOs. #DemDebate pic.twitter.com/MnvfiuOc64

— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) February 20, 2020

#DemDebate is a big meh in morning prints by the paid literatti. Lil Mike's epic fail serving sappy ripostes to "rivals" on stage disappoints fans, vindicates Trump proles. Indeed, "Trump won the debate" velocity approaching sonic innerboob force.

Let Rome Burn

< wipes tears >

What went down at the Nevada Democratic debate --> [_link]

— FiveThirtyEight (@FiveThirtyEight) February 20, 2020

Who won the Nevada Democratic debate? Our panelists' verdict

Bernie Sanders is debating like a frontrunner, confidently advancing his agenda and fending off attacks.

Everyone else is frantically trying to make some kind of game-changer happen, throwing up one-liners and cutthroat attacks like Hail Marys with the clock winding down.

— Carl Beijer (@CarlBeijer) February 20, 2020

Bloomberg campaign spends $460m in first quarter ahead of Super Tuesday [_link]

— The Guardian (@guardian) February 21, 2020

Morning Consult poll smoke

Bloomberg's net favorability dropped 20 points after the debate. https://t.co/xc5iKf25YL pic.twitter.com/mlohvcORF2

— Nick Laughlin (@nick_d_laughlin) February 21, 2020

This is goddamn delightful. Dick Van Dyke, my hero. [_link]

— Tikun Olam (@richards1052) February 22, 2020

Looks like Elizabeth Warren's NDA attacks on Bloomberg landed... [_link]

— DW News (@dwnews) February 22, 2020

Nevada caucuses: Democrats prepare to vote in most diverse 2020 state yet [_link]

— The Guardian (@guardian) February 22, 2020

Russia reportedly wants to help Bernie, but he's said 'nyet.' [_link]

— DW News (@dwnews) February 22, 2020

The suspensions come days after the Wall Street Journal revealed that Bloomberg had hired 500 people to regularly post messages on social media supporting him. [_link]

— DW News (@dwnews) February 22, 2020

Over 1,200 IBEW members call on Union leadership to recall Biden endorsement | Common Dreams |

Nevada's Culinery Workers Union can propel a presidential candidate to victory

Early results from local Nevada Caucus see Sanders getting the Union votes!

Entrance poll preference for health care a good sign for Bernie Sanders

Issues by priority for voters: Health Care - Climate Change - Inequality - Foreign Policy.

As nurses we make an oath to protect our patients, but in reality nurses end up protecting patients from our own health care system.

One candidate for president has been with us in that fight, and that person is @BernieSanders! #Bernie2020 #NVCaucus pic.twitter.com/cfQYvhtV9K

— Bonnie Castillo (@NNUBonnie) February 22, 2020

Bernie Sanders has the largest support from first-time caucus goers in Nevada, according to CBS News entrance polls. He has more than twice as much support as his closest competitor with first-time caucus goers, Pete Buttigieg [_link] pic.twitter.com/4TUX2xACSW

— CBS News (@CBSNews) February 22, 2020

Here's how final choice is looking so far: Sanders still has sizable lead, even more so than initial choice #NVCaucus [_link] pic.twitter.com/GzJtcZo7hj

— Kabir Khanna (@kabir_here) February 22, 2020

Bernie Sanders leading in initial preference as Nevada caucus begins | CBS News Live |

Blacks and Latinos--who make up a substantially bigger share of Nevada's Democratic electorate compared to previous 2020 contests--are more likely to call themselves "moderate" or "conservative" than whites, early results from an @NBCNews Entrance Poll show. [_like]

— NBC News (@NBCNews) February 22, 2020

Wow. Check out the line in #SanAntonio to see .@BernieSanders. He doesn't speak until 7pm. It's one of 4 rallies Sanders is holding in Texas this weekend. pic.twitter.com/owRTpTEQdI

— Jeremy Wallace (@JeremySWallace) February 22, 2020

Again, this is an achievement from the 1970s. What has the Establishment wing of the Party done lately? Arguably, Obamacare and the Iran agreement are something. But they're awfully thin compared to Bernie's platform. [_link]

— Tikun Olam (@richards1052) February 22, 2020

BREAKING: Sen. Sanders wins the Nevada Democratic Caucus, @NBCNews projects. #NevadaCaucus [_linl] pic.twitter.com/3quzlvkdr0

— NBC News (@NBCNews) February 23, 2020

We just won the Nevada caucus. This grassroots movement is unstoppable. Together, let's win the Democratic nomination, defeat Trump and transform the country! Join us live in San Antonio: [_link]

— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) February 23, 2020

New 'progressive' Israel lobby group is led by heroes of AIPAC | Mondoweiss - Jan. 29, 2019 |

Last year we reported that the leading Israel lobby group the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, AIPAC, was panicked by the prospect of progressives abandoning Israel, and the fracturing of Democratic support for the Jewish state has only continued apace since then. Now a new lobbying group featuring a number of AIPAC pals has jumped onto the stage. The New York Times reports that the new group, the Democratic Majority for Israel, is led by Democratic Party loyalists who are trying to maintain the party's solid backing of Israel by keeping progressives in the tent.

The Democratic Majority for Israel's launch video seeks to package Israel [video has been pulled from public viewing - Oui] yet again as a progressive cause. Its speakers reel off their political values: "women's rights, LGBTQ rights, safeguarding the environment, worker's rights, health care as a fundamental rights, voters' rights," till Ann Lewis chimes in, "And I believe in United States support for Israel."

○ Donald Trump has proved to be casino mogul Sheldon Adelson's "perfect little puppet" | Mondoweiss |

○ "Democratic Majority For Israel" Group Launches Anti-Bernie Ad: "A Great Guy, But He Just Can't Win"

After Dem. Majority 4 Israel's $1.4M in attack ads failed so miserably, it no longer plans to run anti-Sanders ads. If anything, the ads clearly helped him. This may also mean a recalibration in Aipac's campaign to use DMFI to co-opt pro-Israel Democrats. [_link]

— Tikun Olam (@richards1052) February 23, 2020

○ Pro-Israel Super PAC to stop running negative ads against Bernie Sanders | MEYE |

My earlier post - DNC vs Bernie: The Knives Are Out.

Looking at the 1976 electoral map proves how relevant and meaningful comparing 1972 to 2020 is. pic.twitter.com/E43bqpHYz0

— UberMitch (@UberMitch) February 23, 2020

No historical parallel ... the incumbent Republican of 1972 got booted thru a threat of impeachment by an excellent U.S. Congress. Today Congress failed in their duty and responsibility to impeach President Trump, thus the voters, "We the People" must act in 2020. Grassroots and the Bernie Sanders movement filled with lots of energy and ambition.

This movement is about empowering people the political process has ignored for far too long. We have the multiracial, multigenerational coalition to win the White House. Live from Houston: [_link]

— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) February 23, 2020

I don't know about all that.

However, CNN reported first- and final-round counts by comparison to poll smoked projections. I reckon, Buttijugs is still counting on superior accuracy of the poll smoke PLUS Shadow app results to rustle up 15K more voters? Perhaps three (3) more delegates?

New: Pete Buttigieg's campaign is alleging "irregularities and a number of unresolved questions" against the Nevada State Democratic Party.

The complaints center on how early voting totals were folded into caucus day totals & claim "anomalies in the data."

Here is the letter: pic.twitter.com/HYlvHqsr4n

— Dan Merica (@merica) February 23, 2020

Winning mood, I trust Bernie will get a Nevada victory bump in the polls ahead of Super Tuesday. Leaving fellow candidates, DNC leadership and establishment pundits in anguish behind.

After RussiaGate and failed Impeachment bid, the political pundits of the Democratic establishment woke up to a new reality and political landscape of a massive grassroots campaign of angry Sanders voters. At last someone who feels and expresses the daily sores of workers who can't make ends meet and are still neglected by their representatives in Washington DC.

Doing the math of addition and subtraction, these pundits (nitwits) think all must be done to stop Bernie Sanders. A repeat of the 2016 primary campaign and the cheating by the DNC to tilt the scales in favour of their candidate Hillary Clinton. All that had to be done was to send the invitations for her crowning. All is being repeated as I read many commentators of renown and the leading contributors to the establishment media. For the sake of the American people and for the fate of Europe, I hope the Bernie movement has enough momentum to carry Sanders into the Democratic Convention with a large lead in delegates.

He is the man to beat, and fixing the game will not be tolerated by the voters, whether they are Democrats, Independents or voted for Der Trumpf the last time. Let the primary campaign run it's course, don't move the goal posts.

Let the voters decide ... America is supposed to be a democracy. Bernie is attracting large crowds, and a vigorous campaign with many volunteers knocking on doors on his behalve.

Moderate Democrats Should Join Forces If They Want to Beat Sanders | Washington Monthly |

If Nader had not been in the race, the vast majority of those votes would have gone to Gore, the argument goes. He may have run as a champion for progressive values, but he ultimately set progressives back by putting a conservative in the White House.

Unfortunately, Joe Biden, Michael Bloomberg, Pete Buttigieg, and Amy Klobuchar are all playing the Ralph Nader role in the 2020 Democratic primary. Each of them is unintentionally causing something they are trying to prevent--the ascendance of Bernie Sanders as the party's nominee.

[Damn ... this is such a losers mentality similar to the attack ads by the Dems4Israel lobby group - Sponsored by AIPAC - Oui]

It's not their fault, really. None of these above candidates could know that in a crowded field--in which Sanders was not the perceived frontrunner--their bids would boost Sanders. But that is what's happening now. After coming in a close second in the Iowa caucuses and winning the New Hampshire primary, Sanders is surging in the polls and holds a sizable over all of his rivals.

But a closer look at the early states that have voted shows that he's not exactly winning ...

[Skip this part as these "arguments" don't hold water and are not worth to be quoted - Oui]

The campaigns could also merge their staffs, resources, and ground games to the extent possible. Combining Biden's resonance with black voters, Klobuchar's Midwestern appeal, Buttigieg's campaign strategy, and even Bloomberg's billions to support one candidate would create an extremely formidable campaign. Of course, all of these candidates can spend weeks or months arguing over who deserves to lead the ticket, but this is not the time for selfishness.

...
The historical evidence cuts in favor of nominating a more moderate candidate.

...
It wouldn't have been an easy choice, but in hindsight, it may have been the right one. Of course, leadership entails doing what's difficult, especially when it is hard.

The moderate Democrats running for president are at a similar crossroads now. If Pete, Amy, Joe, and Mike truly believe that any one of them would be a better nominee than Sanders, they must decide whether they'd rather let things play out on their own and watch Sanders win, or set their egos aside and join forces so that one of them has a real chance.

Analyzing the Nevada primary where the voters changed corners and allegiance in the caucus. The bigger winner in the 2nd and up to the final vote was Bernie Sanders, far ahead of Biden and Buttigieg. The losers were Warren and especially Klobuchar and Steyer lost out. I assume the Steyer votes changed to Sanders and Klobuchar votes went to Buttigieg and Biden. Is there a record of first round voters who did not participate in the next rounds once their candidate didn't meet the threshold?

○ Senator Bernie Sanders to stump in S.C. following caucus win

Sanders's brand of socialism isn't about economic planning.

It's about an ethic of solidarity with those the system is failing, not those for whom it's working.

[_link]

— Vox (@voxdotcom) February 24, 2020

New Post: Bernie Says No to AIPAC saying it offers platform to bigots. It Calls Him "Odious" and "Shameful" [_link]

— Tikun Olam (@richards1052) February 24, 2020

Nevada election workers gagged by state Democratic Party

Doesn't ewarren have experience teaching contract law?

The irony in all this is that to escape from the clutches of the baby boomer leadership of the democratic party, millennials are supporting a guy who is a pre-boomer.

Another possibility would be to find a 50-ish left winger in the Senate, but they don't seem to exist...

Catharsis. After near impeachment, Nixon was pardoned by Ford ... a grave error in judgement.

After the Republican Senate "pardoned" the evils of Trump, the American voter will have a chance to overrule a failed U.S. Congress by voting for integrity in November 2020!

Dalhi Myers was originally a Joe Biden supporter.

But she joined our campaign because we have the enthusiasm, the excitement and the energy we need to defeat Donald Trump.

Together, let's defeat the most dangerous president in modern history. pic.twitter.com/sd0siNhGXA

— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) February 24, 2020

The Democratic elites still in a Cold War mindset ... hey guys, Communism of the Soviet Union fell with the Berlin Wall in 1989. Putting up new walls like Republican firebrands of the Tea Party and Donald Trump? Tell the Floridians the US wishes to open borders, not only to the best baseball players, but to all Cuban people. The era of planned assassinations of the Cuban leadership have gone, the gambling casino's and mob protection rackets are outdated today.  

Buttigieg responded:

"So, this is part of what I'm getting at. When I say that in our one shot to defeat Donald Trump, we should think carefully about the consequences of nominating Senator Sanders. I don't want as a Democrat to be explaining why our nominee is encouraging people to look on the bright side of the Castro regime when we are going into the election of our lives. We need to stand against dictatorship everywhere in the world."

Buttigieg on Sanders's Castro comments: "I don't want to be explaining why our nominee is encouraging people to look on the bright side of the Castro regime while we're going into the election of our lives."

— Chelsea Janes (@chelsea_janes) February 25, 2020

Anderson Cooper tells Rep. Mucarsel-Powell that President Obama said the same thing about Castro as @BernieSanders. pic.twitter.com/2agG37sYse [_link]

— Waleed Shahid (@_waleedshahid) February 25, 2020

○ Democrats hammer front-runner Bernie Sanders over his Fidel Castro defense | CNBC |
○ Fact-checking Bernie Sanders' claim on Cuba literacy under Castro

Bernie Calls AIPAC "Platform of Hate," It Calls Him "Odious," "Shameful" | Tikun Olam |

Godwin's Law says, essentially, that any rancorous argument will eventually come down to one party accusing the other of being Nazis.  We've just discovered that it holds true in political punditry as well.  Two of MSNBC's stalwart media personalities, Chuck Todd and Chris Matthews, have resorted to bizarre historical comparisons of Bernie Sanders and his supporters to Nazi "Brownshirts" and the Nazi invasion and conquest of France in 1940.

MSNBC's Chris Matthews likens Sanders victory in Nevada to Nazi Germany overrunning France in 1940: "It's too late to stop him ... it's over" pic.twitter.com/6GJetLoDkq

— Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) February 22, 2020

○ Team Bernie Blasts Chuck Todd for Segment Likening Supporters to 'Brown Shirts' | The Daily Beast |

Chris Todd faced a certain degree of criticism for his Brownshirt comment.  But perhaps because he was only quoting a right-wing blogger (approvingly) and not speaking the offending word himself, he had a certain level of defense.  However, Matthews can claim no such cover when he announced to his audience on caucus night that the primary race for president was over.  He then quoted the French general charged with defending France during the Nazi invasion, who told a stunned Winston Churchill, that the battle was over and France had been overrun.  The MSNBC pundit then went on to compare Sanders' steamrollering over his opposition to the Nazi blitzkrieg which overran France.  Let's also not forget that the self-same Matthews earlier made the equally daft claim that should Sanders win the presidency, there would be executions "in Central Park" as there were supposedly "under Castro" (this claim is obviously absurd and invented).

○ Bernie Sanders says he's proud to be Jewish. Will Jewish voters care? | The Forward |

"Bernie Staffer Mocked Warren's Looks, Pete's Sexuality." Folks, if you support Bernie, we don't win with this kind of shit. And it sinks to Trump's level. So knock it off! If you don't, we'll have to win in spite of you, not because of you. [_link]

— Tikun Olam (@richards1052) February 25, 2020