Althouse: "Mayor Bill de Blasio grew hoarse shouting over the cranked-up crooning of Frank Sinatra tunes playing in the Trump Tower lobby as he tried to promote his 'Green New Deal.'"

May 14, 2019

"Mayor Bill de Blasio grew hoarse shouting over the cranked-up crooning of Frank Sinatra tunes playing in the Trump Tower lobby as he tried to promote his 'Green New Deal.'"

"The mayor had planned a press conference outside the tower that houses president’s Manhattan residence, but Mother Nature forced him to relocate the event into some very unfriendly territory—the gilded building’s public lobby. 'Had the weather cooperated we would have been outside,' the mayor admitted. The atrium is one of several privately-owned, public spaces in the city that are created in exchange for loosening height restrictions. Trump Tower staff turned up the dial on the PA system just moments before the mayor entered the 5th Avenue building. Tony Bennet[t]’s 'Stranger in Paradise' and Frank Sinatra’s 'I’ve Got You Under My Skin' blasted through the speakers during the event. Trump supporters joined in the noise heckling the mayor with a steady stream of 'Boos' and 'You s—ks' as he tried to shout over the din."

The NY Post reports.

Very funny.

I love "Had the weather cooperated...." You know the weather is not enough. We need the whole climate to cooperate.

And I love that the mayor could move his event into Trump Tower because the city had extracted this access and Trump gave it to get more height to his building. Then the mayor moves his event inside and music — a kind of indoor weather — is rained down upon him, and it's somebody's idea of what sounds Trumpian — Tony Bennett and Frank Sinatra.

By the way, the character who sings "Stranger in Paradise" — in the musical "Kismet" — is the Caliph. In the movie, that's Vic Damone:

ADDED: Video of de Blasio's non-paradise:

89 comments:

paminwi said...: And having Trump supporters and de Blasio protesters riding up and down on the escalators behind him was an especially wonderful visual.
I smiled at the whole thing from beginning to end.; 5/14/19, 10:41 AM
Big Mike said...: This de Blasio fella is a little bit light in the “able to plan ahead for contingencies” category, isn’t he?; 5/14/19, 10:43 AM
CWJ said...: I love this. Is this the same green new deal that proposes elimination of all skyscrapers? The irony of the mayor coming to Trump's doorstep to demagogue pulling down his "house" only to have to seek shelter inside it is rich. God has a sense of humor.; 5/14/19, 10:44 AM
Robert Edick said...: "Under my skin." Perfect!; 5/14/19, 10:47 AM
daskol said...: Even if this event had succeeded, deBlasio would look like a little ankle-biter nipping at the heels of the powerful.

Not to pull a Pauline Kael, but almost nobody I know cops to voting for this fool. That can't be right, but he's been so embarrassing that even a guy I know who worked in his administration during the first terms swears he didn't vote for him second time around. He's good for occasional comic relief, but I am looking forward to his disappearance from our public life. He's most useful as a reminder of what can happen when one party has an iron grip on the city's politics. Unless some charismatic outsider comes to our rescue (are you listening Howard Schultz? Come back to Brooklyn!), we'll be lucky to get a machine hack as our next mayor, as we'd have been better off with one (like, say, Mark Green) these last deBlasio years.; 5/14/19, 10:48 AM
Nonapod said...: "his 'Green New Deal'"

I thought it was AOC who came up with the GND concept? Or does de Blasio have his own version? If so, what's in it? I want to know. How much lower will the sea levels be? How many unicorns have been promised to each citizen? And since there won't be air planes, can we exchange our unicorns for pegasus? Will everyone get a hat made of candy as well as free college, free healthcare?; 5/14/19, 10:48 AM
Gunner said...: At least they are still some sane people in New York. If they all moved to the Midwest, the Dems would never win the electoral vote again.; 5/14/19, 10:59 AM
Charlie said...: "He seems likable enough", said no one, ever.; 5/14/19, 11:01 AM
Automatic_Wing said...: He found a way to ruin Groundhog Day, so it's no surprise he screwed this up, too.; 5/14/19, 11:05 AM
Michael K said...: Another worthy addition to the clown show.; 5/14/19, 11:07 AM
Fernandinande said...: Or does de Blasio have his own version? If so, what's in it?

A tax on people driving into Manhattan and something about buildings with over 25,000 sq-ft - less glass?

And
The OneNYC 2050 initiative, which would see the city go fully carbon neutral by 2050, tackles climate change by shutting down useless government websites, like ours:

https://onenyc.cityofnewyork.us/
504
The page request was canceled because it took too long to complete; 5/14/19, 11:08 AM
Larry J said...: The Green New Deal, or more accurately, the Green Leap Forward, is stupid on stilts.; 5/14/19, 11:11 AM
TJM said...: Hard to believe that New Yorkers (allegedly soooooooooooo sophisticated) would fall for a moronic, charlatan like De Blasio; 5/14/19, 11:21 AM
Bay Area Guy said...: Funny! Much better than SNL.

Problem - if this socialist clown (DeBlasio) ever got power, he would wreck our institutions, and we'd end up like Venezuela. No longer funny.; 5/14/19, 11:31 AM
Mike Sylwester said...: I live near Manhattan. In this area, it did rain all day yesterday.; 5/14/19, 11:31 AM
bagoh20 said...: You'll notice that the protest and pro-Trump signs are all hand-made, while the leftist signs seem to be mass produced by some capitalist pig.; 5/14/19, 11:33 AM
wild chicken said...: "Another worthy addition to the clown show."

Well Katy bar the door, because Montana Gov Bullock just jumped in too!

He's great, a complete cypher!; 5/14/19, 11:39 AM
Yancey Ward said...: How big were the clown cars in the motorcade that DeBlasio took to get there?; 5/14/19, 11:48 AM
Tina Trent said...: @Bagoh Capitalist pig union. All Democrat signage has to be union made. They charge many times more than ordinary sign shops. Luckily the left is rolling in corporate cash.; 5/14/19, 11:48 AM
bleh said...: Amazing. Bill de Blasio is such an idiot. He got lucky in 2013 and won in a crowded Democratic primary because (1) Anthony Weiner self destructed and (2) his son Dante's afro was used very effectively in campaign ads to siphon some of the black vote from Bill Thompson.; 5/14/19, 11:50 AM
daskol said...: Hard to believe that New Yorkers (allegedly soooooooooooo sophisticated) would fall for a moronic, charlatan like De Blasio

He won the primary because his main contender was a screechy, machine hack who sucked at electoral politics. He won the mayor's race because it's a one party town, and unless charismatic outsiders join the race, we wind up with whoever wins the Dem primary. GOP ran the former chair of the MTA: a competent, zero charisma public servant with a terrible lisp.; 5/14/19, 11:50 AM
daskol said...: Thompson didn't have a chance, nor did Ted Liu. Weiner was in the race for a hot minute and surged to the top of the polls because we were that desperate. It was DeBlasio or Quinn.; 5/14/19, 11:52 AM
bleh said...: "It was DeBlasio or Quinn."

Disagree. At first it was going to be Weiner, and then it was de Blasio versus Thompson. And de Blasio narrowly avoided a run-off with Thompson.; 5/14/19, 12:00 PM
Birches said...: You'd have to have a heart of stone not to laugh at that added video. I'm guessing most of the protesters aren't huge Trump fans. They just hate DeBlasio that much.; 5/14/19, 12:06 PM
daskol said...: Thompson had a late surge when people were getting desperate, and did well as expected with minorities, but Quinn was the establishment's choice. Wiener would have won if he hadn't self-destructed.; 5/14/19, 12:09 PM
Birches said...: Shows the sorry state of NYC politics that a guy who just got out of prison probably would have been the mayor of NY if he could have managed to keep his pants on.; 5/14/19, 12:11 PM
tcrosse said...: Instapundit has pointed out that it's a bad sign when a Mayor concentrates on Climate Change rather than on stuff like fixing potholes and plowing snow.; 5/14/19, 12:13 PM
Fernandinande said...: https://onenyc.cityofnewyork.us/

It's back from the dead and therefore even more useless.

++

New York City will lead a just transition to achieve carbon neutrality and adapt the city to withstand and emerge stronger from the impacts of climate change.

20. Achieve carbon neutrality and 100 percent clean electricity

21. Strengthen communities, buildings, infrastructure, and the waterfront to be more resilient

22. Create economic opportunities for all New Yorkers through climate action

23. Fight for climate accountability and justice

++

I don't think anyone would argue with a strong, resilient building.; 5/14/19, 12:16 PM
rehajm said...: Or does de Blasio have his own version? If so, what's in it? I want to know.

Over his fan club I managed to hear blah blah blah blah of the pedal assist bikes, so its clearly a sophisticated undertaking of great scientific rigor.; 5/14/19, 12:21 PM
Freder Frederson said...: Let's see if I have this right? If leftists disrupt or shout down a conservative, it is an affront to liberty and the first amendment. On the other hand,if trump supporters, with the complicity of building management (who have a legal alresponsibility to host these events), disrupt an event, it is amusing to no end and the commie got what he deserved.

Is that about right?; 5/14/19, 12:43 PM
Nonapod said...: Good lord, that thing reads like a 13 year old girl's dream journal. It's just a list of blue sky wishes and hopes with no realistic, feasable plan.

Over his fan club I managed to hear blah blah blah blah of the pedal assist bikes, so its clearly a sophisticated undertaking of great scientific rigor.

How can they hope to reduce green house gas emissions to 0 by 2050 with all those useless meatbags in his fan club constantly emitting all that CO2 through their holes?

But who knows? Maybe de Blasio has made a deal with some sort of magical Rumpelstiltskin-like being who can spin straw into gold? Or pension obligations into solar panels.; 5/14/19, 12:46 PM
Yancey Ward said...: "Is that about right?"

Well, Freder, those are the rules the Right is forced to live with, so, welcome to the party, pal.; 5/14/19, 12:53 PM
Francisco D said...: Freder,

If lefties had a sense of humor (like they did when I was one of the flock) their protests would be a lot more effective.

Oh, and no speaker was assaulted or threatened.; 5/14/19, 12:55 PM
Curious George said...: The only thing greater than Trump supporters is Trump himself.; 5/14/19, 12:58 PM
RichardJohnson said...: Recall that Bill de Blasio, whose parents named him Warren Wilhelm Jr., was a big supporter of the Sandinistas.How the Sandinistas Shaped Bill de Blasio.
Many liberals soft-pedal their love of big government. They avoid using the s-word, of course, but they go further, using hard cases to justify policies that shift power away from the people and toward the government.

Not de Blasio. He was demonstrating a deep commitment to socialism before Miss Ocasio-Cortez was even born.

He was such a huge supporter of Nicaragua’s Sandinistas in the 1980s that he not only raised money for them, he even traveled there to help provide aid.

“But he returned with something else entirely,” The New York Times noted in a 2013 profile of de Blasio, “a vision of the possibilities of an unfettered leftist government.”

Many young activists wind up tempering their enthusiasm over the years. Age brings knowledge, experience, and maybe a little wisdom. They discover that the feel-good promises of socialism aren’t nearly as workable in reality as they appear to be in theory.

Again—not de Blasio. Thirty years later, he doesn’t seem to have learned much at all.

“I have an activist’s desire to improve people’s lives,” he said in the Times profile. Which sounds nice until you realize that, like other socialists, he means to “improve” your life on his terms, leaving you with no real say in the matter.

Bill de Blasio, a.k.a Warren Wilhelm Jr., apparently had no problem with Sandinista support of Soviet imperialism, such as Sandinista endorsement of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. Nicaraguan Biographies/Cadre.
With FSLN comandantes Tomas Borge, Henry Ruiz, and Humberto Ortega, Hassan attended the March 1980 signing of the party-to-party agreement between the FSLN and the Communist Party of the Soviet Union in Moscow. Signed less than 3 months after the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, the joint public statement read in part: "The Soviet Union and Nicaragua resolutely condemn the campaign that the imperialist and reactionary forces have launched of building up international tension in connection with the events of Afghanistan, a campaign aimed at subverting the inalienable right of the people of the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan and other peoples of the world to follow the path of progressive transformation[s]."

Yup, the Soviets had a LOT of "progressive transformations" in store for Afghanistan, just like the Sandinistas had a lot of "progressive transformations" in store for Nicaragua. Mayor Bill loves him some "progressive transformations," fer shure.; 5/14/19, 1:35 PM
The Cracker Emcee Refulgent said...: "Let's see if I have this right? If leftists disrupt or shout down a conservative, it is an affront to liberty and the first amendment. On the other hand,if trump supporters, with the complicity of building management (who have a legal alresponsibility to host these events), disrupt an event, it is amusing to no end and the commie got what he deserved.

Is that about right?"

If only that was the reality. It's going to take a lot more than a little Ol' Blue Eyes to even gain parity with the sturmbannfuhrers of the Left.; 5/14/19, 1:35 PM
Lewis Wetzel said...: Fredersen wrote:
" . . . and the commie got what he deserved."
I hope I live to see the day a commie gets what he deserves.
For instance, Noam Chomsky and Howard Zinn should have died in one of Stalin's many, many forced labor camps.
Alas, there is no justice in this world.; 5/14/19, 1:40 PM
My name goes here. said...: Foreshadowing!; 5/14/19, 1:48 PM
RichardJohnson said...: Freder Frederson
the commie got what he deserved.

Considering Mayor Bill's support of the Sandinistas, who back in the day were big fans of Soviet imperialism, and in all their times in power have shown themselves to be corrupt autocrats who do not respect civil liberties, the answer is YES. A thousand time YES.

Shouting down opponents is rather mild for the Sandinistas. The Sandinistas prefer shoot-to-kill when it comes to dealing with protestors.Nicaragua using 'shoot to kill' strategy on protesters, Amnesty International says.; 5/14/19, 2:05 PM
Bob Loblaw said...: Hard to believe that New Yorkers (allegedly soooooooooooo sophisticated) would fall for a moronic, charlatan like De Blasio

It's the gibs economy. The power brokers don't care how effective the mayor is going to be, just how much sweet lucre he's going to direct their way. The mayor can distract the common folk by taking up issues over which he has no control (like Trump or AGW), and they'll forget about crime and filth on the streets until it gets really bad.

As far as sophistication... you have to chuckle at a city where everyone's been to Paris but nobody's been to a state that isn't on a coast.; 5/14/19, 2:16 PM
Bob Loblaw said...: Let's see if I have this right? If leftists disrupt or shout down a conservative, it is an affront to liberty and the first amendment.

The difference is the leftists are willing to pull fire alarms, phone in bomb threats, and physically attack conservatives. When De Blasio gets hit with a bike lock then we can start drawing equivalences.; 5/14/19, 2:18 PM
Jaq said...: Freder makes his best case for unilateral disarmament of the right. Unfortunately, we all live in Saul Alinsky’s world now. I look forward to the day Freder travels from campus to campus imploring students to let conservatives speak. One of Alinsky’s rules was that tactics should be fun, check. That opponents should be made to live by their own rules, check.; 5/14/19, 2:20 PM
RichardJohnson said...: Nobody
I look forward to the day Freder travels from campus to campus imploring students to let conservatives speak.

I suspect that is going to be a long wait.; 5/14/19, 2:37 PM
Ann Althouse said...: "Freder makes his best case for unilateral disarmament of the right...."

That's what I've been calling "civility bullshit."; 5/14/19, 2:49 PM
Bob Smith said...: Ann Blythe. The Ann Blythe. Beautiful Ann Blythe. My day is complete.; 5/14/19, 2:58 PM
Infinite Monkeys said...: They may have turned up the music before he came in but I don't hear it while he's talking.; 5/14/19, 2:59 PM
Bilwick said...: In a little-known, deleted scene in KISMET, the Caliph learns that his choreographer is Gay, and so has him hanged in the public square.

So help me Allah.; 5/14/19, 3:14 PM
Freder Frederson said...: That's what I've been calling "civility bullshit."

And that is what I think I will call "civility bullshit bullshit". All along, your commenters (and you) have claimed that disrupting free conservative speech demonstrates that the civility argument is bullshit because, of course, the left doesn't really care about either civility or free speech, but simply use it as a tool to suppress conservative speech. The implication being (not directly stated by you but certainly by many of the commenters here) that shouting down free speech shows disdain for liberty and the first amendment.

But here we are and the shoe is on the other foot. Now, your commenters are all for playing blaring music (which is especially egregious since the Trump Tower was legally required to accommodate the Mayor) and shouting down DeBlasio is fine and all in good fun. And instead of explaining how this is different than what liberals do, the later commenters just reinforced my point (that you are a bunch of hypocrites who will sacrifice your definition of free speech as long as the hippies are the victim). Sure, bring up isolated instances of violence by the left to obfuscate the point (and on the day after yet another Mosque arson in this country), but when did I ever advocate the use of violence to suppress speech? (I know you will be desperate to claim I did, but don't waste your time, you won't find such a statement by me, in fact what you will find is me saying exactly the opposite.); 5/14/19, 3:21 PM
Freder Frederson said...: I look forward to the day Freder travels from campus to campus imploring students to let conservatives speak.

I suspect that is going to be a long wait.

Tell you what, I'll do it as long as you accompany me advocating for someone as vile as Alex Jones on the left (and honestly you'll have to think of someone for me, cause I can't think of anyone) to have unfettered free speech on campuses. I'll take care of the Ann Coulter hecklers, you have to stop the conservative hecklers.; 5/14/19, 3:25 PM
Jaq said...: And instead of explaining how this is different than what liberals do,

Why explain something we don’t believe? It’s the same. And I really love your use of the word “isolated.” This was an “isolated” incident too. See how easy it is to use that word? You can express some opinion that it isn’t isolated that it’s “widespread” but is it really? Don’t tell me “*clearly* it’s not an isolated incident!

but when did I ever advocate the use of violence to suppress speech?

How did this become all about you, Freder?; 5/14/19, 3:31 PM
Jaq said...: https://www.businessinsider.com/list-of-disinvited-speakers-at-colleges-2016-7

Maybe this is a “teachable moment” for lefties... ha ha ha ha! Nope, if they could learn, they wouldn’t be lefties. Please note that Alex Jones is not on the list.; 5/14/19, 3:46 PM
RichardJohnson said...: Nobody: I look forward to the day Freder travels from campus to campus imploring students to let conservatives speak.
RichardJohnson: I suspect that is going to be a long wait.

Freder Frederson: I'll take care of the Ann Coulter hecklers, you have to stop the conservative hecklers.

When you state "you have to stop the conservative hecklers," that implies that I am to stop conservatives who are heckling speakers. Therefore, your statement that you will "take care of the Ann Coulter hecklers" implies that you will take care of/stop
Ann Coulter-like or Ann Coulter supporters who are heckling speakers.

Consider Bing Search: campus speech disrupters. or Antifa. It is rather obvious that campus speech disrupters/hecklers come primarily not from Ann Coulter supporters, who are on the right, but from the left. For confirmation, you might do well to remember what happened to Charles Murray at Middlebury College.

"I suspect that is going to be a long wait." You have proven me correct.; 5/14/19, 3:51 PM
Marty said...: Freder gets as earnest as Comrade LLR pretending to seek common ground with his fellow commentariat but as is often the case in lefty-land, doesn't really try. He half-heartedly pretends this "isolated" (h/t Nobody) incident is the moral equivalent of leftists regularly driving non-leftist speakers off campus.

The actual point of what happened is that de Blasio got his arrogance turned completely around on him. He was going to take it to the Man by doing his presser outside Trump Tower; instead the weather (gotta love it) didn't cooperate and so the idiot goes inside where he no longer controls the environment! Still at the mercy of the Man!

You have to have a heart of stone or Stalinism not to appreciate the delicious irony.

C+ for effort, Freder.; 5/14/19, 4:27 PM
RichardJohnson said...: Sure, bring up isolated instances of violence by the left to obfuscate the point...

Point one. You are the first person thus far to bring up violence/violent in this thread. That would imply to me that YOU are the one doing the obfuscating.

Point two. The treatment of Mayor Bill DeBlasio, a.k.a. Major Warren Wilhelm was undoubtedly impolite, but only a damned liar would call it violent. Compare apples to apples, apples to oranges. Compare speech disruption to speech disruption. Or, as you would put it, heckling.

Just look at lefty disruption of speeches. My previous comment had a Bing Search for "campus speech disrupters." As that Bing Search had over 42 million hits, the conclusion is that campus speech disruption is rather common.

And instead of explaining how this is different than what liberals do, the later commenters just reinforced my point (that you are a bunch of hypocrites who will sacrifice your definition of free speech as long as the hippies are the victim)

During the 2016 campaign, there was a lot more lefty disruption of Trump speeches and rallies than there was righty disruption of Democrat speeches and rallies. It has continued on since then. Recall what a famous Democrat, Barack Obama, once said,"If they bring a knife to a fight, we bring a gun." As that famous Democrat was not in favor of turning the other cheek, why should Republicans turn the other cheek? If Democrats/lefties disrupt, perhaps Republicans/righties should return the favor. After all, that tactic was endorsed by no other than Barack Obama- except that Obama favored escalating the conflict.

A further point is that I do not get the impression that many big-time Democrat politicians have made a strong stance against lefty campus speech disrupters. Don't want to alienate part of your support, after all. Perhaps disrupting speeches/rallies of Democrat politicians will show them that their refusal to condemn campus speech disrupters has a price.; 5/14/19, 4:31 PM
RichardJohnson said...: Freder
And instead of explaining how this is different than what liberals do, the later commenters just reinforced my point (that you are a bunch of hypocrites who will sacrifice your definition of free speech as long as the hippies are the victim)
Recall that for the last 4 decades, Mayor Bill has been a very strong supporter of the Sandinistas. Recall that the Sandinistas used "turbas divinas" (divine mobs) against the opposition. Nicaragua and the Sandinistas.

Many people who today admire the Sandinistas also claim to admire the Civil Rights movement in America. They respect the way men like James Meredith, as well as little girls, braved angry Southern mobs, and stood up for their beliefs. These brave people, not the cowards in the lynch mobs, embodied the true progressive spirit.

In Nicaragua however, many Americans cannot see who the heroes are, and who the bullies are. Government-inspired youth gangs called Turbas Divinas(divine mobs) regularly brutalize the peaceful opposition in Nicaragua. One victim was the dissident Father Bismark Carballo. Posing as a parishioner in need of counsel, a young woman went to Father Carballo's house. A few minutes later, a Sandinista security agent, posing as the woman's husband, arrived Father Carballo's house, and supposedly caught the Father in flagrante delicto with the woman. The police arrived, and forced Father Carballo to undress. A turba mob, conveniently waiting outside, dragged Father Carballo naked and bleeding through the streets while Sandinista television cameras (also coincidentally in the neighborhood) filmed the whole thing. From a nearby van, Interior Minister Tomas Borge and Security Chief Lenin Cerna orchestrated all the players.

The government uses the Turbas frequently, especially to break up opposition political rallies. When Turbas Divinas sacked the headquarters of Alfonso Robelo's Nicaraguan Democratic Movement, the Sandinistas censored all news of the event. No wonder Robelo, like many other leader of the revolution against Somoza, concluded that armed rebellion against the Sandinistas was essential. Today, the Sandinistas make promises for Western consumption, about how the political process will be opened up. Then Daniel Ortega promises that when opposition politicians face the streets, they will have to face the turbas.

As Mayor Bill was a wholehearted supporter of the Sandinistas, he was at least acquiescent in the Sandinista use of "turbas divinas" against the opposition.Perhaps you could find Mayor Bill denouncing the Sandinista use of the "turbas divinas." I could not . All I could find was Mayor Bill telling us that the Sandinistas were the greatest thing since the invention of sliced bread. That Mayor Bill now gets heckled? When his beloved Sandinistas unleashed mobs on the opposistion? Heist on his own petard, I would say.; 5/14/19, 4:35 PM
Freder Frederson said...: Why explain something we don’t believe? It’s the same.

Well thank you for being so honest. You have once again reaffirmed my point. My point has and continues to be that some conservatives (including many on this blog who wrote outraged just a week or so ago when James Woods got his Twitter account suspended) do not believe in free speech any more than some liberals. Yet, apparently only conservatives are allowed to object to obnoxious speech by waving the constitution in the face of the hecklers.

Therefore, your statement that you will "take care of the Ann Coulter hecklers" implies that you will take care of/stop
Ann Coulter-like or Ann Coulter supporters who are heckling speakers.

Sorry if I was unclear but I meant exactly the opposite. I will defend Ann Coulter against hecklers. See, how generous I am. I have a much harder job defending Ann Coulter from hecklers than you will from the polite frat boys who will show up to politely protest the appearance of whoever Ann Coulter's equivalent is on the left (and again help me out because I can not think of an equivalent of Ann Coulter, Rush Limbaugh, Pat Buchanan or Sean Hannity, or a certified eugenicist like Charles Murray, on the left).; 5/14/19, 4:35 PM
Marty said...: OTOH, arguing with a lefty is generally a waste of time, particularly since it is a point of pride of the postmodernists to denounce Reason as the weapon of the oppressive white European patriarchy. If your interlocuter freely abjures the realm of Reason as a method for enhancing actual communication and finding common ground, then all you have left is Emotion, which essentially means whoever yells the louder wins.

This is the real basis of calling this nonsense "civility bullshit": it's Emotion seeking to masquerade as Reason, a rhetorical Trojan Horse just daring you to take it at face value.; 5/14/19, 4:39 PM
Freder Frederson said...: All I could find was Mayor Bill telling us that the Sandinistas were the greatest thing since the invention of sliced bread. That Mayor Bill now gets heckled? When his beloved Sandinistas unleashed mobs on the opposistion? Heist on his own petard, I would say.

And when is Trump going to condemn state sponsored terror by Duterte, or the governments of Saudi Arabia or Egypt? He let the freaking Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia of on organizing a political murder. And to add insult to injury, the Crown Prince is literally going to behead the very people he ordered to murder Kishogi to cover his own ass.; 5/14/19, 4:39 PM
Marty said...: "Certified eugenicist"--see what I mean? How does one respond to such self-satisfied and intellectually dishonest opinion? Answer: why should one bother?; 5/14/19, 4:43 PM
Marty said...: And when is Trump going to condemn state sponsored terror by Duterte, or the governments of Saudi Arabia or Egypt? He let the freaking Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia of on organizing a political murder. And to add insult to injury, the Crown Prince is literally going to behead the very people he ordered to murder Kishogi to cover his own ass.

This is a perfect example of the pomo commitment to "whoever yells the louder wins."; 5/14/19, 4:46 PM
Jaq said...: Well thank you for being so honest. You have once again reaffirmed my point. My point has and continues to be that some conservatives (including many on this blog who wrote outraged just a week or so ago when James Woods got his Twitter account suspended) do not believe in free speech any more than some liberals. Yet, apparently only conservatives are allowed to object to obnoxious speech by waving the constitution in the face of the hecklers.

WTF? My point is that liberals are not going to change, so why disarm unilaterally? There have been studies done using game theory that seem to suggest that when dealing with an asshole using asshole tactics, if you don’t use the same tactics back sometimes, they never stop, seeing it as a structural advantage in their favor. Studies in fact suggest that there need to be a lot more incidents like this served up before lefties come to understand that they might be better off foreswearing a tactic.

It’s the same with using prosecutors to attack political opponents. Sure, in a perfect world it’s a bad idea, but in a world where your opponent has done it to you time (Ted Stevens) after time (Scott Walker) after time (Mueller) you had better retaliate or cede a structural advantage to your opponents.; 5/14/19, 4:54 PM
RichardJohnson said...: And when is Trump going to condemn state sponsored terror by Duterte, or the governments of Saudi Arabia or Egypt?

Golly gee whiz, Freder, you have been telling us for years how horrible Trump is. And now the best you can come up with regarding Mayor Bill is that Mayor Bill is just as bad as Trump. What a comedown.

Several points. Because of Saudi Arabia's oil, all US Presidents have been obligated to have somewhat civil relationships with the Saudis. Recall President Obama's bowing before the Saudi King. Or Dubya's kissing the hand of a Saudi King. As far as I can tell, no US President in his pre-Presidential days had any relationship at all with the Saudis. (Perhaps Bush the elder did.)

By contrast, as a private citizen in his 20s Bill DeBlasio/Warren Wilhelm was an ardent supporter of the Sandinistas. That was his choice; it wasn't an obligation coming from his job. Wiki: Bill de Blasio.

In 1988, he traveled with the Quixote Center to Nicaragua for 10 days to help distribute food and medicine during the Nicaraguan Revolution. De Blasio was an ardent supporter of the ruling socialist government, the Sandinista National Liberation Front, which was at that time opposed by the Reagan administration.[23] After returning from Nicaragua, de Blasio moved to New York City, where he worked for a nonprofit organization focused on improving health care in Central America.[23] He continued to support the Sandinistas in his spare time, joining a group called the Nicaragua Solidarity Network of Greater New York, which held meetings and fundraisers for the Sandinista political party.[23]

If Mayor Bill's support for the Sandinistas is equivalent to President Trump's dealing with the Saudis, then in his 20s, Trum would have joined some group with a name like Saudi Solidarity Network of Greater NY ( or some such name) (Sharia for All?), comparable to Mayor Bill's joining in his 20s the Nicaragua Solidarity Network of Greater NY.

In a nutshell: Trump deals with the Saudis because like other Presidents before him, he is obligated maintain a somewhat civil relationship with a big oil producer. As a private citizen in his 20s, Bill de Blasio decided that the Sandinistas were the greatest thing since sliced bread. No way in hell did Trump, in his 20s, decide that the Saudis were the greatest thing since sliced bread.

Once again, Freder looks at an apple and calls it an orange.; 5/14/19, 5:14 PM
RichardJohnson said...: Freder
Sorry if I was unclear but I meant exactly the opposite. I will defend Ann Coulter against hecklers.
Glad to hear that. Perhaps you should pause, read what you have written, and do some thinking about what you have written before you send off your comment.; 5/14/19, 5:21 PM
Yancey Ward said...: Just for shits and giggles, if I were controlling this blog, I would have deleted Freder's comments.; 5/14/19, 5:24 PM
Sam said...: classic NYC developer con: talk up the (obligatory) public nature of the amenity ("It's a democratic space, open to all") then once the permits are granted the race is on to privatize again. I dislike DeBlasio but I don't think this incident reflects well on the Trumps or their Organization.; 5/14/19, 5:52 PM
rcocean said...: sophisticated doesn't equal wise. If it was NYC wouldn't be so fucked up.; 5/14/19, 5:53 PM
rcocean said...: NYC mayors never get nominated. Even John Lindsey couldn't get the Democrat Nomination.; 5/14/19, 5:55 PM
rcocean said...: De blasio will go down with "Big Bill Thompson" was one the worst Big City mayors ever. Here's what the Tribune said about "Big Bill":

For Chicago Thompson has meant filth, corruption, obscenity, idiocy and bankruptcy.... He has given the city an international reputation for moronic buffoonery, barbaric crime, triumphant hoodlumism, unchecked graft, and a dejected citizenship. He nearly ruined the property and completely destroyed the pride of the city. He made Chicago a byword for the collapse of American civilization. In his attempt to continue this he excelled himself as a liar and defamer of character.; 5/14/19, 5:59 PM
narciso said...: the sandinistas executed somoza in Paraguay in 1980, (interesting an episode of magnum, had an associate being responsible for both his dispatching and sadat, in another two parter, it was a Russian trained hit team) they tried to kill eden pastora, with an argentine mercenary, from the montoneros, which lefty Daniel sheehan, misidentified as a company recruited Libyan, and hence the christics craziness of the late 80s, resurrected by gary webb in the 90s,; 5/14/19, 6:43 PM
narciso said...: ah khashoggi, cheerleader for qatars salafi selection, and the Houthi rebels that used drones perhaps from the one that iran shot down in 2012, and Obama did not press he return; 5/14/19, 6:47 PM
wildswan said...: "Freder
or a certified eugenicist like Charles Murray, on the left)."

Planned Parenthood was founded by Margaret Sanger, a member of the American Eugenics Society and other Society members such as Frederick Osborn and Henry Pratt Fairchild. It is carrying out a eugenic mission envisioned by its founders. As a result, the number of African-Americans in this country is diminishing both absolutely and relatively due to disproportionate numbers of abortions many of them performed at Planned Parenthood. African-Americans are about 12% of the population but about 34% of all abortions. Planned Parenthood supports the Democratic party with donations to campaigns and in return the Dems support Planned Parenthood. Is Murray or Planned Parenthood worse? As I was told when I first studied eugenics, they are two claws of one hand.

PS. If you know that Charles Murray is a eugenic society member, let me know your sources. Murray uses eugenicists but I have not been able to find that he is a eugenic society member. Remember, Harvard arrogance can achieve the same effect as understanding and knowingly adopting actual eugenic principles.; 5/14/19, 7:14 PM
Fen said...: No airhorns? What amateurs.

Order yours through the Althouse Amazon Portal today for only $18

Seriously. Time to play hardball.; 5/14/19, 7:23 PM
Fen said...: Freder: Let's see if I have this right? If leftists disrupt or shout down a conservative, it is an affront to liberty and the first amendment. On the other hand,if trump supporters, with the complicity of building management (who have a legal alresponsibility to host these events), disrupt an event, it is amusing to no end and he got what he deserved

No, you have it backwards.

And thank you for proving our point - you never complained about the 1,000+ times this was done to us, only when it is inflicted back on you do you recognize it is wrong. Thanks for confirming we have bombs on target.

And thank you for playing.; 5/14/19, 7:27 PM
Fen said...: Freder: Sorry if I was unclear but I meant exactly the opposite. I will defend Ann Coulter against hecklers.

Go on ahead then... actions not words. I expect to see you front and center at her next campus speech, shouting down the hecklers who threaten her with violence.; 5/14/19, 7:32 PM
wildswan said...: When rallies are held outdoors, the police separate counter-protestors into their own space at a distance. By moving indoors to a relatively small space, DeBlasio made separation impossible. The protestors weren't really noisier, they were more effectively noisy because DeBlasio wasn't in a conventional venue. He wanted to embarrass Trump and it didn't work and recoiled on him. Will the lefties ever learn? I don't think they will because they are convinced that they are better, brighter and more beautiful and that these facts should just be acknowledged and when people disagree, (and disagree very effectively in the case of Trump) it is so startling to lefties that they can't work out what to do in response. Except imprison a few innocent people.; 5/14/19, 7:32 PM
Fen said...: It's amazing how Democrats are mute when their radicals do horrible things in their name, but are so quick to cry foul when the other side retaliates in kind.

Jordon Peterson says, before you attempt to "fix" the world, clean up your own room.; 5/14/19, 7:34 PM
Fen said...: Freder do you really not understand that we only support this because we have tried every other way to stop your side from doing it and all the only tactic left to us to show you how it feels?

That's why your protests are falling on deaf ears.

"Court papers later revealed that Clanton struck at least seven people in the head, according to authorities. One person received a head laceration that required five staples to fix. Another was uninjured but had a piece of a helmet broken off. A third was struck across the neck and back, police wrote.

The felony charges against him were dismissed, and an allegation that he had caused serious bodily injury was stricken. A misdemeanor charge that Clanton wore a mask during the commission of the crime also was dropped."

https://www.berkeleyside.com/2018/08/08/eric-clanton-takes-3-year-probation-deal-in-berkeley-rally-bike-lock-assault-case

You should have clutched those pearls sooner. Now, the only response you deserve is:

LOL get fucked; 5/14/19, 7:45 PM
narciso said...: In other news
https://www.memri.org/reports/editors-iranian-irgc-affiliated-newspapers-iran-behind-fujairah-and-yanbu-attacks?fbclid=IwAR1DATwQNzZ7QPqFNnL49MFoGvvwvrOG73dz-DQDlXVnhS-3KeN7vmXlIZA; 5/14/19, 8:40 PM
Bruce Hayden said...: “If Mayor Bill's support for the Sandinistas is equivalent to President Trump's dealing with the Saudis, then in his 20s, Trum would have joined some group with a name like Saudi Solidarity Network of Greater NY ( or some such name) (Sharia for All?), comparable to Mayor Bill's joining in his 20s the Nicaragua Solidarity Network of Greater NY”

It is more than just oil. The Saudis are in a war for dominance in the Muslim world with Iran allied the Muslim Brotherhood (which Khassagi was an agent of). We have taken the side of the Saudis, believing that they are the best route to peace in the Middle East. Thanks to Trump’s son in law, to some extent, the Saudis are now working with the Israelis. And the Saudis are no longer funding Islamic terrorism around the world. It seems to be working.; 5/14/19, 8:46 PM
Danno said...: Not to brag or even remotely endorse her candidacy, but Amy Klobuchar announced her joining the race outside in a Minnesota snowstorm. This must mean DeBlasio is a wuss.; 5/14/19, 9:33 PM
Michael K said...: I see the Field Marshall is opining on middle east policies. Somebody write this down for posterity.

Meanwhile Warren Wilhelm Jr is trying to win hearts and minds.; 5/14/19, 9:41 PM
RichardJohnson said...: narciso, one of the more ironic Sandinista associations with violence has to do with Nora Astorga and Bernie Sanders. Nora Astorga's claim to fame is luring Somocista General Reynaldo Pérez Vega to her apartment, where he was killed in a botched kidnapping.

About a decade later, Nora Astorga gave a speech in Burlington. Mayor Bernie was duly impressed. When Nora Astorga died of cancer about not long after, Bernie had this to say. ‘Anyone Ever Seen Cocaine?’ What We Found in the Archives of Bernie Sanders’s Long-Lost TV Show.

Nora Astorga, the Nicaraguan ambassador to the United Nations who had recently visited Sanders, might have gotten cancer because of the “tremendous grief and suffering that’s going on in her own country” caused by the war.There is a video link of Bernie saying that.

I wonder if Bernie was aware of the femme FATALE aspect of Nora Astorga.

There is also a link to Bernie saying that Daniel Ortega wasn't a Communist. Bernie- fool or knave>; 5/14/19, 10:03 PM
narciso said...: Ah I do recall that, I think the circumstances with general vega were a little more embarrassing; 5/14/19, 10:46 PM
narciso said...: The provoking event the assasinstion of pedro Joaquin chamorro seems odd as well. But with Jimmy Carter in charge it was open season on us allies; 5/14/19, 10:51 PM
Robert Cook said...: "'Or does de Blasio have his own version (of a New Green Deal)? If so, what's in it?'

"A tax on people driving into Manhattan and something about buildings with over 25,000 sq-ft - less glass?"

The congestion pricing surcharge on cars who drive anywhere below 60th Street in Manhattan is not de Blasio's idea or plan. I think he was more or less against it, but now that it passed the state legislature, he has expressed some lukewarm support.

Such plans are in effect already in several cities in Europe, and a number of cities here in the states are considering them, too. The purpose is twofold: raise money via the surcharge to pay for fixing and modernizing the aging subway system, (which, public complaints about it notwithstanding, I find vastly improved over what it was back in the 80s when I moved here); and two, to discourage driving into the central business district, to reduce traffic congestion and gridlock, improve travel times, and reduce emission of pollutants. They want people to say "I'm not paying that!" and to use other modes of travel below 60th Street.

In the cities where it is already in place, London, Singapore, Stockholm, and Milan, it has worked very well and achieved the goals it was intended to achieve. The public in these cities all support it, even in Stockholm, where a majority of the public opposed it before it was implemented on a trial basis. They were so happy with the results that in a referendum vote when the trial period ended, a majority of the public voted to make the program permanent.; 5/15/19, 6:53 AM
Robert Cook said...: "If lefties had a sense of humor (like they did when I was one of the flock) their protests would be a lot more effective."

You can thank Abby Hoffman for the humor of the left in that era.

He's dead.; 5/15/19, 6:57 AM
Robert Cook said...: "Bill de Blasio, a.k.a Warren Wilhelm Jr., apparently had no problem with Sandinista support of Soviet imperialism, such as Sandinista endorsement of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan."

Hmmm....

Do you decry America's invasion of Afghanistan? (I do.)

If not, on what basis do you criticize Russia's invasion of Afghanistan?

(For the record, I think de Blasio is a grandiose asshole, who is delusional if he thinks he can win the Democratic nomination for President, much less the office itself).; 5/15/19, 7:02 AM
TJM said...: The people of New Yawk elected De Blasio mayor. Best evidence that New Yawkers aren't smart; 5/15/19, 10:13 AM
Robert Cook said...: "The people of New Yawk elected De Blasio mayor. Best evidence that New Yawkers aren't smart."

Or that the other choice was worse.

Isn't this what some people say to defend those who voted for Trump?

(I did vote for de Blasio in his first campaign for Mayor, but he appeared to be a good candidate. I did not vote for him on his second go-round.); 5/15/19, 10:44 AM