The Oregon Standoff Is Just Getting Weirder, Missing Obama, and The Meaning Of Life Without Parole

By db

February 9, 2016 11:32 a.m.

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February 9, 2016

The Gist: Hopes that arrests of the ringleaders would lead to a quick, peaceful resolution to the ongoing takeover have diminished as the holdouts still at the refuge dig in.

Even David Brooks Says He’ll Miss Barack Obama

The Gist: The conservative New York Times columnist waxed poetic for the outgoing president, saying we’ve “taken too much for granted” under his administration.

Bush: I’d ‘Eliminate’ The Supreme Court’s Citizens United Ruling

The Gist: Though the GOP presidential candidate’s campaign has been largely funded by a super PAC, Bush called our campaign financing system “ridiculous” and said he wished he could “eliminate” it.

From The Reporter’s Notebook

Ted Cruz reportedly sent out a mailer telling recipients that it had a “check enclosed,” but the envelope merely contained a request for a campaign contribution. The mailer made headlines, but TPM’s Caitlin MacNeal said it’s not clear that the Texas senator’s tactics will impact his chances. After he sent out mailers to Iowa voters suggesting that they had committed a “voter violation,” he won the Iowa caucus.

Agree or Disagree?

Josh Marshall is concerned that Bill Clinton’s attacks on Bernie Sanders are “about to get painful.” Marshall said Clinton should learn from all the things “he never should have said” about Barack Obama in the 2008 election and be very careful about how he goes after Sanders.

Say What?!

“Let’s have, you know, decent wholesome entertainment, and not use it as a platform to attack the people who, you know, put their lives at risk to save us.”

– Ironically, Giuliani called for more “wholesome” entertainment during the Super Bowl—an event where men run at full speed directly into one another.

BUZZING: Today in the Hive

From a TPM Prime member: “Liberals are supposed to be a bit more analytical than what I’ve been seeing in these anti-HRC posts. I, personally, have been listening to Bernie on talk radio for many years, and I like nearly everything he says. But in political practice, I don’t think a lot of it will work. And if Bernie were nominated, I think the electoral map would look only a little bluer than the McGovern map. But all that aside, PLEASE lets not resort to repug tactics against our own candidates. And, I hope we don’t have repug trolls in the Hive.”

Related: Bill Maher: “fuck yeah” Sanders is ready to be president!

Have something to add? Become a Prime member and join the discussion here.

What We’re Reading

Does a life sentence without parole ever make sense? (The New Yorker)

Looking back, the decision to shut down Grantland doesn’t feel wrong. (ESPN)

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