The 1990s - Georgia
Tuesday, February 28, 2017
The Shite of the Union
I know it's my job to watch these things, but I think I will be outsourcing that to you, my volunteer laborer commenters.
Great Moments In Wingnuttery
If you believe fully-taxpayer funded feminist study degrees are a higher priority than a fully-funded military you might be...a progressive
— Amanda Carpenter (@amandacarpenter) February 28, 2017
The internet tells me she got a BA in Communications Studies from a state university.
Not that there's anything wrong with that.
The Endless Cynicism Awaits
I alternate between despair and optimism when I see some of The Kids Today having faith in our great Democratic party and its great politicians. Hopefully I'm just an old bitter cynic!
Those Bedfellow Aren't Just Strange
Back in the glorious Iraq war days, Little Tommy Friedman would blather on and on about how he didn't support *this* war, but he supported Tom Friedman's war, which was some other war in Iraq fought for some other reason by some other people in some other way over on Earth-2 somewhere, but that therefore he also supported *this* war because it was the Iraq war which he supported. It's like his support for any bill or treaty with "free trade" in it. He might object to the details in theory, but in practice he still supports it because it says "free trade" and like "war in Iraq" that's just a thing he supports because he does.
The charter school/school choice "movement" has been a bit like that. Take a germ of an idea which might sound good to some liberals (and might even be a good idea!) - allow some additional flexibility in large urban school districts, given parents some options about where to send their kids, perhaps to specialty schools. Then add in for profit schooling, public money spent on religious schools, union busting (a feature for many self-styled liberals, too, I know), forced closure of so-called "underperforming" neighborhood schools under a formula which ensures they'll all eventually be closed and their replacement with for-profit charters, financial devastation of the public schools which are left behind due in part to favorable funding formulas for the charters, inevitable corruption scandals of the for-profit schools, etc. Of course all of this is happening in "urban schools" where "those kids" can be the guinea pigs in a grand experiment because affluent white suburban people will flip their shit when it's their turn. Hey, it's still "school choice" much as it is "free trade" or "war in Iraq," but it long ago ceased to be anything that a liberal (or any decent person) should support. Still they soldier on.
Eventheliberals mostly aren't too outspoken about this stuff anymore, preferring to just go silent on the subject, but a lot of them still support, if more quietly, the "school choice" movement because if it is called "school choice" it's gotta be good, amiright?
The charter school/school choice "movement" has been a bit like that. Take a germ of an idea which might sound good to some liberals (and might even be a good idea!) - allow some additional flexibility in large urban school districts, given parents some options about where to send their kids, perhaps to specialty schools. Then add in for profit schooling, public money spent on religious schools, union busting (a feature for many self-styled liberals, too, I know), forced closure of so-called "underperforming" neighborhood schools under a formula which ensures they'll all eventually be closed and their replacement with for-profit charters, financial devastation of the public schools which are left behind due in part to favorable funding formulas for the charters, inevitable corruption scandals of the for-profit schools, etc. Of course all of this is happening in "urban schools" where "those kids" can be the guinea pigs in a grand experiment because affluent white suburban people will flip their shit when it's their turn. Hey, it's still "school choice" much as it is "free trade" or "war in Iraq," but it long ago ceased to be anything that a liberal (or any decent person) should support. Still they soldier on.
Eventheliberals mostly aren't too outspoken about this stuff anymore, preferring to just go silent on the subject, but a lot of them still support, if more quietly, the "school choice" movement because if it is called "school choice" it's gotta be good, amiright?
ACTUALLY, Segregation Was Just What Black People Wanted
That's part of what DeVos's gibberish is expressing. HBCUs gave black people a choice! (the only choice, but factschmacts) and they CHOSE to segregate themselves and this was wonderful!
Increased segregation is part of the goal of the school choice movement, because exclusionary zoning designed to maintain racial segregation has proven to be an imperfect tool for achieving it, especially in larger districts, as occasionally overachieving uppity black people manage to buy into their white utopias and rub their dirty elbows with their darling ivory spawn, and sometimes poor white people get left behind with the black poors.
It is an egalitarian vision, really. Rich AND poor white people should both be allowed the benefits of segregation. It's what black people want, too, after all!
Increased segregation is part of the goal of the school choice movement, because exclusionary zoning designed to maintain racial segregation has proven to be an imperfect tool for achieving it, especially in larger districts, as occasionally overachieving uppity black people manage to buy into their white utopias and rub their dirty elbows with their darling ivory spawn, and sometimes poor white people get left behind with the black poors.
It is an egalitarian vision, really. Rich AND poor white people should both be allowed the benefits of segregation. It's what black people want, too, after all!
Pioneers
I guess we're now learning that "school choice" advocates just want everybody to be as fucking stupid as they are.
From now on I will be starting from that fact.
A key priority for this administration is to help develop opportunities for communities that are often the most underserved. Rather than focus solely on funding, we must be willing to make the tangible, structural reforms that will allow students to reach their full potential.
Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) have done this since their founding. They started from the fact that there were too many students in America who did not have equal access to education. They saw that the system wasn’t working, that there was an absence of opportunity, so they took it upon themselves to provide the solution.
HBCUs are real pioneers when it comes to school choice. They are living proof that when more options are provided to students, they are afforded greater access and greater quality. Their success has shown that more options help students flourish.
From now on I will be starting from that fact.
Monday, February 27, 2017
Of Course Safety Is An Issue Until They Work
And they don't work.
The rest of the article is about how Uber kept lying to San Francisco. But, hey, lets throw lots of free public infrastructure at them because FUTURE.
Why did Uber launch the self-driving in pilot in San Francisco if it knew it was in violation of the law? A likely scenario was that Uber didn’t want to disclose its disengagement rate — the number of times the vehicle forced the human driver to take control because it couldn’t safely navigate the conditions on the road — or any accidents to the DMV, and by extension the public. The company referred questions about the emails to comments made by Levandowski in a call with reporters last December.
The rest of the article is about how Uber kept lying to San Francisco. But, hey, lets throw lots of free public infrastructure at them because FUTURE.
That Did Not Occur To Me - And Therefore Anyone - Before
Trump is the extreme version of this.
But we all do it a bit sometimes in less extreme versions. Sometimes that person you're arguing with is an idiot, but sometimes they're actually someone who has thought through a particular issue quite a bit and disagrees with you because of that. In other words, sometimes we're wrong. Except me! I'm always right. It comes with the pundit license.
"We have come up with a solution that's really, really I think very good," Trump said at a meeting of the nation's governors at the White House.
"Now, I have to tell you, it's an unbelievably complex subject," he added. "Nobody knew health care could be so complicated."
But we all do it a bit sometimes in less extreme versions. Sometimes that person you're arguing with is an idiot, but sometimes they're actually someone who has thought through a particular issue quite a bit and disagrees with you because of that. In other words, sometimes we're wrong. Except me! I'm always right. It comes with the pundit license.
What's It All About Then?
If you had a few hundred billion to spend on federal programs, what would you spend it on? I don't need ironclad accounting, just a roughly appropriate scale of spending (you know, don't say you'd spent the first $5 on free college for all).
I know we all mostly agree on the relatively costless nonevil stuff, but how would you spend the big bucks? Prioritize!
I know we all mostly agree on the relatively costless nonevil stuff, but how would you spend the big bucks? Prioritize!
Immigrants I Like And Those Other People
It's a little bit like abortion in that there's no non-horrific way (except in immigration's case maybe convictions of serious crimes, and even that can be pretty horrific to be honest) to have the government decide which are naughty and which are nice.
There's no way to write a "people like Carlos because I like him" clause into the law. There just isn't. Decide it's ok to aggressively transport longtime residents away, and you're going to be rounding up a lot of people who are "that nice immigrant I know" to somebody.
WEST FRANKFORT, Ill. — Ask residents of this coal-mining crossroads about President Trump’s decision to crack down on undocumented immigrants and most offer no protest. Mr. Trump, who easily won this mostly white southern Illinois county, is doing what he promised, they say. As Terry Chambers, a barber on Main Street, put it, the president simply wants “to get rid of the bad eggs.”
But then they took Carlos.
...
“I think people need to do things the right way, follow the rules and obey the laws, and I firmly believe in that,” said Lori Barron, the owner of Lori’s Hair A’Fairs, a beauty salon. “But in the case of Carlos, I think he may have done more for the people here than this place has ever given him. I think it’s absolutely terrible that he could be taken away.”
There's no way to write a "people like Carlos because I like him" clause into the law. There just isn't. Decide it's ok to aggressively transport longtime residents away, and you're going to be rounding up a lot of people who are "that nice immigrant I know" to somebody.
Trump's America
This kind of thing could be motivated by genuine anti-semitism, or simply vandalism aimed at an "acceptable" target, but either way...
When Silver, 50, of Cherry Hill, N.J., heard about the vandalism at the Jewish cemetery that occurred overnight Saturday, she rushed to her loved ones' graves.
What she saw when she arrived was worse than she imagined — tombstone after tombstone, story after story, was toppled to the ground — including those belonging to her mother and great-grandmother.
Sunday, February 26, 2017
Sunday Evening
Not sure if I've seen any Oscar movies this year. That isn't a boast.
...ok I saw Fences on stage, but not the movie.
...ok I saw Fences on stage, but not the movie.
Spice Spice Baby
SPICEY is getting FEISTY.
Last week, after Spicer became aware that information had leaked out of a planning meeting with about a dozen of his communications staffers, he reconvened the group in his office to express his frustration over the number of private conversations and meetings that were showing up in unflattering news stories, according to sources in the room.
Upon entering Spicer’s second floor office, staffers were told to dump their phones on a table for a “phone check," to prove they had nothing to hide.
We Won!!!!
Ok winning is less important than the turnout.
Guess all the Delaware Berniebros decided to vote.
In the most expensive special election in Delaware history ― a contest to decide which party controls the state Senate ― Democrat Stephanie Hansen was on track to annihilate her Republican rival on the back of extraordinary turnout.
The last time her opponent, John Marino, ran in this district, in 2014, he lost by just 2 points. Hansen’s 58-42 percent victory over Marino on Saturday ensured that Democrats will maintain control of the state Senate. It also notched a big Donald Trump-era win for a new generation of Democratic activists shocked into action by the November election.
Guess all the Delaware Berniebros decided to vote.
Saturday, February 25, 2017
Shit People
You have to be pretty fucking evil to enjoy breaking up families like this.
Morale is up, they say! So much fun.
If we can't change the policy, we can make these shit people feel like shit people that they are.
Two officials in Washington said that the shift — and the new enthusiasm that has come with it — seems to have encouraged pro-Trump political comments and banter that struck the officials as brazen or gung-ho, like remarks about their jobs becoming “fun.” Those who take less of a hard line on unauthorized immigrants feel silenced, the officials said.
Morale is up, they say! So much fun.
If we can't change the policy, we can make these shit people feel like shit people that they are.
Existential
If you're betting your taxi business on self-driving cars, time to fold.
In August, Kalanick laid out the stakes of his competition with Google to Bloomberg: “The minute it was clear to us that our friends in Mountain View were going to be getting in the ride-sharing space, we needed to make sure there is an alternative [self-driving car], because if there is not, we’re not going to have any business.”
Building their own self-driving car “is basically existential for us”, he added.
Shit People
ICE isn't the FBI, which you sort of understand (right or wrong) gets away with bigfooting state and local police. They don't necessarily have very much elite law enforcement training, which as I understand it the FBI does. Not that such training makes you a perfect human being, of course, but it at least gives you a framework to operate in (or not).
Assholes.
Assholes.
Santa Cruz police: Homeland Security misled city with ‘gang’ raids that were immigration related
Police chief says department will no longer work with Department of Homeland Security
Is This Who They Thought They Voted For?
I know President Trump is basically the same as Campaign Trump. This is no surprise to some of us, though it is a surprise to all the journalists who wrote "pivot" stories every single day after he had won the nomination and "time to be presidential" stories after the election. I just wonder if man who endlessly whines about the size of his yuge fingers on twitter is really what people thought they were getting.
There are certain personality types that seem to gravitate towards each other in a way I don't really understand. I get the narcissists can be charming but I don't get how they often seem to find each other charming. I thought they'd always want to kill each other. I get that we have a lot of whiny old white dudes who have people in their lives who put up with their particular brand of whining, but I don't know why other whiny old white dudes like them. It's weird.
Maybe the millions of people who voted to MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN should have their own rally. It would be the biggest of them all!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 25, 2017
There are certain personality types that seem to gravitate towards each other in a way I don't really understand. I get the narcissists can be charming but I don't get how they often seem to find each other charming. I thought they'd always want to kill each other. I get that we have a lot of whiny old white dudes who have people in their lives who put up with their particular brand of whining, but I don't know why other whiny old white dudes like them. It's weird.
Morning Thread
Which scandal will the topic of the bobble head shows this weekend. Reince trying to squash the FBI investigation into Russia? The President at Mar a Lago again this weekend? Or, maybe, Dems in disarray at their yearly meeting.
Friday, February 24, 2017
Lies and the Lying Liars
As I keep saying, I don't think safety per se is the issue. If they work, they'll be safe enough. It's tautological almost. Making them safe isn't the challenge. Making them work is.
I never believed all their "human error" bullshit. And no this isn't evidence that they won't work, it's just evidence that Uber can't be trusted. They still won't work.
...adding, someone in a position to know a bit more about this stuff than I do emailed me once to explain what it was all about. Roughly, it's this:
Everybody has an interest in keeping the con going...until it's over.
But even though Uber said it had suspended an employee riding in the Volvo, the self-driving car was, in fact, driving itself when it barreled through the red light, according to two Uber employees, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they signed nondisclosure agreements with the company, and internal Uber documents viewed by The New York Times. All told, the mapping programs used by Uber’s cars failed to recognize six traffic lights in the San Francisco area. “In this case, the car went through a red light,” the documents said.
I never believed all their "human error" bullshit. And no this isn't evidence that they won't work, it's just evidence that Uber can't be trusted. They still won't work.
...adding, someone in a position to know a bit more about this stuff than I do emailed me once to explain what it was all about. Roughly, it's this:
In fact, Sebastian Thrun, who founded Google’s self-driving car project and is now the chief executive of the online teaching start-up Udacity, said last year that the going rate for driverless car engineering talent was about $10 million a person.
Everybody has an interest in keeping the con going...until it's over.
SHUT UP AND ACT!!!!!!!!!
Oscar weekend, which means some celebrities will probably say mean things about Trump which will be "controversial" and make Real America OH SO MAD and they will never buy any movie tickets again, or something.
I have no idea if celebrities are capable of having a positive influence in this fashion. Some probably have a sophisticated understanding of politics and political discourse and some don't. Who cares? They have a big platform, and if they want to use it they should. Even Oscar nominee Scott Baio should be allowed to speak. And it's silly that it's a CONTROVERSY. The same people who lament that we just don't talk enough about politics will get upset when people talk about politics. Pundits with no expertise in anything get Very Mad Indeed when other people with no obvious expertise express opinions instead of listening to them.
I have no idea if celebrities are capable of having a positive influence in this fashion. Some probably have a sophisticated understanding of politics and political discourse and some don't. Who cares? They have a big platform, and if they want to use it they should. Even Oscar nominee Scott Baio should be allowed to speak. And it's silly that it's a CONTROVERSY. The same people who lament that we just don't talk enough about politics will get upset when people talk about politics. Pundits with no expertise in anything get Very Mad Indeed when other people with no obvious expertise express opinions instead of listening to them.
Escape From Paris
Trump cites "Jim," "a friend," "a pretty substantial guy," who says you can't visit Paris anymore cos it's too dangerous.
— Greg Krieg (@GregJKrieg) February 24, 2017
I'm not sure why Americans want to believe this stuff about Europe. The murder rate of Paris is about 1/5 the overall US murder rate, equivalent to the murder rate of Arlington, TX. The only real explanation is that nostalgia for a time when Europe was whiter than it is now is a helluva hallucinogenic drug.
Indeed
Most of the rest of the state just sees Philadelphia as a source of raw material for its prisoner manufacturing industry.
The city's own politicians aren't always perfect (far from it!), but the state controls many of the important things (schools) and the constitution limits what the city can do with respect to taxes.
Mayor Kenney on Thursday slammed as "racism" a Pennsylvania state senator’s suggestion that inner-city students should not be encouraged to attend college but instead steered toward vo-tech programs.
"It’s racism, and it should be called out to be racism,” he said in leveling the criticism against Sen. John Eichelberger of Blair County, which includes Altoona. "And you can see what we’re up against.”
The city's own politicians aren't always perfect (far from it!), but the state controls many of the important things (schools) and the constitution limits what the city can do with respect to taxes.
Thursday, February 23, 2017
Career
One thing I find mindbogglingly weird is the number of people who clearly see some very important jobs - mayor of a major city or governor of a major state (cough Christie cough) as simply a stepping stone to greater things. Sure life is long and we are all motivated by concerns a few months off, but I don't know how you can assume that kind of responsibility and then not too long into your run just say "ah, fuck it, who cares, where's my next job?" Especially since I would wager that a pretty good way to enhance your future career chances is to be a good and popular governor, not the most unpopular one in the history of the planet. I know failing upwards is isn't hard to do in wingnutland, but you probably shouldn't be such a failure.
Why Don't Millennials Buy Houses?
The need for credentialing has gone up, the cost of credentialing has gone way up. Students (not just law students!) enter the workforce with one mortgage and people expect them to get another right away. Easy to do if you cut back on Starbucks purchases.
But The Women Will Make Them Do The Right Thing
It's long been a part of the press narrative about powerful Republican men. Oh, yes, they're a bit harsh, but the women in their lives might soften them just a bit. It's a weird mix of things. Bizarre assumptions about gender and gender dynamics (women are "nicer" and they have soft influence on their menfolk), implicit (but not explicit) acknowledgement that the men are, in fact, assholes (they are but you don't need to contrast them to imaginary versions of women in their lives to make that case), and, of course, a perpetual Lucy/football dynamic on the issues. Maybe this time Ivanka will make him do the right thing!
I have no idea if a Dictator Ivanka would be kindler and gentler than a Dictator Trump, but nobody else does either. There's certainly no reason to believe that a)she's better/nice/smarter and b)has or will use influence successfully.
I have no idea if a Dictator Ivanka would be kindler and gentler than a Dictator Trump, but nobody else does either. There's certainly no reason to believe that a)she's better/nice/smarter and b)has or will use influence successfully.
FBI Follies
I'm not entirely surprised the FBI does this stuff, but I am surprised that no one actually thinks it's so embarrassing that they shouldn't tout it when they do.
Compassion
Alan Colmes died. Kind of a weird reminder that there was a time when Fox pretended to be "Fair and Balanced." They didn't put much effort into pretending, but they put in just enough effort that other news outlets gave them a seat at the big boy table.
I clicked through some comments to Fox's announcement of this, and one of the responses was something like "wrong politics, but obviously a very caring and compassionate man." And I realize being caring and compassionate is a weird part of conservative self-identity, part of the Real America is Great, so we are Great, so we are Compassionate. I'm not sure what conservatives even claim to be caring and compassionate about anymore, and whatever else one thinks of, say, Hannity and O'Reilly it's hard to think "they exude compassion" is really what even their most deluded fans thing.
And this is what the shit people at ICE are up to.
America is Great and Good and We are Great and Good and Jesus was Caring and so are We. Just ignore what we do.
I clicked through some comments to Fox's announcement of this, and one of the responses was something like "wrong politics, but obviously a very caring and compassionate man." And I realize being caring and compassionate is a weird part of conservative self-identity, part of the Real America is Great, so we are Great, so we are Compassionate. I'm not sure what conservatives even claim to be caring and compassionate about anymore, and whatever else one thinks of, say, Hannity and O'Reilly it's hard to think "they exude compassion" is really what even their most deluded fans thing.
And this is what the shit people at ICE are up to.
An undocumented woman in desperate need of brain surgery has been forcibly removed from a Texas hospital — and her relatives in New York fear she could lose her life, a family representative said early Thursday.
America is Great and Good and We are Great and Good and Jesus was Caring and so are We. Just ignore what we do.
Wednesday, February 22, 2017
A Voice For Blogging
"Asshole New Jersey sports fan on the radio" seems like a good gig for Christie, but no one is going to want to listen to him.
Baby In Chief
Certainly not all kids/parents, but I have come across parents who have the same approach with their children.
The key to keeping Trump’s Twitter habit under control, according to six former campaign officials, is to ensure that his personal media consumption includes a steady stream of praise. And when no such praise was to be found, staff would turn to friendly outlets to drum some up — and make sure it made its way to Trump’s desk.
...
The in-person touch is also important to keeping Trump from running too hot. One Trump associate said it’s important to show Trump deference and offer him praise and respect, as that will lead him to more often listen. And If Trump becomes obsessed with a grudge, aides need to try and change the subject, friends say. Leaving him alone for several hours can prove damaging, because he consumes too much television and gripes to people outside the White House.
Ted Leo Needs Food, Badly
Not really (I hope) but the music industry is all kinds of messed up this days (though good for consumers in a lot of ways, if not the artists), and pre-paying to support making an album is a good way to make sure we get the good stuff and they keep eating. Ted's good people and a lot of fun live.
Here's Ted with Aimee Mann as The Both.
.
...more from Ted.
Here's Ted with Aimee Mann as The Both.
.
...more from Ted.
Conservative Principles
One of my least favorite liberal tics is to grant there was some time when American conservatism was some sort wrong but noble affair, and to appeal to various horrible things as some deviation from those principled norms. The American conservative movement (which while not identical to the Republican party, it has been latched onto its face planting its eggs in its body Alien-style for decades) has carried the banner of white nationalism, bigotry, contempt for the poor, corporate immunity, environmental destruction, rigid unequal gender roles, homophobia, xenophobia, "law and order" policing, state discrimination, the military state, perpetual global war, support for worldwide dictators, American "empire" in its various manifestation, etc. That isn't to say all Republicans (or even conservatives) have been that bad, or that team D has been pure(certainly not!), but these are all things which are deeply in the DNA of the conservative movement. I mean, ok, Teddy Roosevelt started the national park system, but I don't think your appeals to "conservatism used to be about conservation!!!" are really going to win any converts.
Liberals imagine they catch conservatives in some violation of their own supposed principles all the time. This is only proof that conservatives have successfully conned a lot of liberals. They haven't conned themselves.
Liberals imagine they catch conservatives in some violation of their own supposed principles all the time. This is only proof that conservatives have successfully conned a lot of liberals. They haven't conned themselves.
Everybody's A Messican
Unless you catch them crossing the border, so you don't let them cross the border, you don't actually know.
They all look alike, at least the ones we care about getting rid of it, so what's the difference.
As for this:
Well, fuck you. Obama was shit on this stuff no matter how many excuses his administration made. That Trump will be way worse does not excuse it.
In a call with reporters Tuesday morning, DHS officials confirmed they were working on a plan to send migrants who had entered the United States from Mexico back to Mexico, even if they were not citizens of that country.
...
However, former senior Mexican and American immigration officials said it could very well create new security problems along the border, as authorities in each country push unwanted migrants back and forth.
They all look alike, at least the ones we care about getting rid of it, so what's the difference.
As for this:
“Anyone who complained about Obama as the deporter-in-chief,” said David Martin, formerly DHS’s principal deputy general counsel, “is unfortunately going to get a taste of what it’s like when someone is really gung-ho.”
Well, fuck you. Obama was shit on this stuff no matter how many excuses his administration made. That Trump will be way worse does not excuse it.
President Obama attempted to focus enforcement efforts on immigrants who had been convicted of serious crimes, and on those who were caught while or shortly after illegally entering the country. Still, his administration deported record numbers of immigrants, most of whom had only been accused of minor crimes and immigration violations.
Tuesday, February 21, 2017
Plenty Of Conservative Assholes Left
They publish right wing assholes because the books sell and they don't care who is harmed by them. When there was talk of a Simon&Schuster boycott a lot of people were like "wahhhh what about the good authors why do you want to hurt them" which is the kind of argument that applies to literally every consumer boycott. Of course, even a successful boycott would be unlikely to hurt author sales. Few people know or care who is publishing their book. It could hurt the reputation of the individuals involved with the publisher, making those cocktail parties uncomfortable, and more importantly it could hurt the reputation of them with the vast marketing apparatus for new books which is important, as well as encouraging other new authors to look elsewhere.
Abusive racism and sexism are fine because they sell, and advocating an absurdly low statutory age of consent is not, presumably because it doesn't.
Abusive racism and sexism are fine because they sell, and advocating an absurdly low statutory age of consent is not, presumably because it doesn't.
Make America Great Again
There was a time when the US was a bit ahead of the rest of the world (or close enough). We had shiny new highways and houses, the latest consumer appliances, a general sense that "things just worked." Modern technology and infrastructure (good and bad) came here first. America was rich! We were, and things looked that way, too.
And then...
And then...
Our Heroes
One of the appeals of Milo types is they appeal to the people who wake up every morning and think, "wouldn't it be great if being a complete horrible asshole was really attractive?" He's seemingly* successful, with lots of money and sex (that he's gay also means he isn't a competitor for most of his fans), and he achieves it all by punching down while making it appear if he's punching up (trans college students actually run the country!). Makes being a bully sexy, heroic, and well-compensated.
Not the hero we need, but for some reason the hero that many people want.
*I say seemingly because I have no idea, but it's the image he projects.
Not the hero we need, but for some reason the hero that many people want.
*I say seemingly because I have no idea, but it's the image he projects.
Prediction
This should be paired with my "sun will likely rise in East tomorrow" prediction, but here it is: The GOP budget bill will cut taxes on rich people bigly, will be filled with fanciful and completely made up economic projections to justify how it will balance the budget (who cares, but people pretend to), and all the "deficit hawks" will praise it for its responsibility.
Because even "deficit hawks" don't care about the deficit. Just tax cuts.
Then, of course, the instant Democrats appear to be about to assume control, once again Teh Deficit and Teh Debt will dominate the conversation as the biggest problems ever, problems which can only be solved by more tax cuts.
Because even "deficit hawks" don't care about the deficit. Just tax cuts.
Then, of course, the instant Democrats appear to be about to assume control, once again Teh Deficit and Teh Debt will dominate the conversation as the biggest problems ever, problems which can only be solved by more tax cuts.
Because Black People Are Stupid
Racism is nothing new - including the belief in the inferiority of the black "race" - but decades of your "liberal media" (hi Andrew Sullivan! Hi New Republic! Hi Will Saletan! Hi Slate!) pushing books and articles about "scientific racism" (or "racial realism") have made racists think they're on pretty solid ground in thinking that black kids just can't be helped, that it isn't worth spending any money to bother to educate them. Best to save it for the prisons they'll be sent to (conveniently located in rural communities) later.
Pennsylvania systematically and deliberately underfunds schools in areas with people of color, and a lot of the money in Philadelphia gets siphoned off, according to state law, to for profit charter grifters (not all charters are bad, of course, but the charter law is designed for grifters).
But in a town hall meeting last week, Eichelberger reportedly made a comment about urban public education with particularly alarming overtones. According to a report in a local newspaper, the senator thinks too many dollars are wasted trying to get minority kids into college -- when what a lot of them need is vocational training.
Here's how his remarks were reported in the Cumberland County-based Sentinel newspaper:
He then moved into a critique of Pennsylvania’s “inner city” education programs, positing that money was being misspent on pushing minority students from high school into college instead of into vocational programs.
“They’re pushing them toward college and they’re dropping out,” Eichelberger said. “They fall back and don’t succeed, whereas if there was a less intensive track, they would.”
Pennsylvania systematically and deliberately underfunds schools in areas with people of color, and a lot of the money in Philadelphia gets siphoned off, according to state law, to for profit charter grifters (not all charters are bad, of course, but the charter law is designed for grifters).
Still Dreaming
Let's take a look at how my favorite construction site is doing.
Maybe they thought President's Day was today?
Maybe they thought President's Day was today?
Tuesday Morning
Can't get to my computer at the moment so a phone post is the best I can do. What is going on?
Monday, February 20, 2017
It Isn't True, But You See The Point Anyway
I suppose we all have a tendency to believe things that support our worldview, but this worldview is, you know, wrong.
I think it's perfectly fine for people to want to shut down immigration to the US. I don't agree, but it is a valid policy choice (though abusing the hell out of human beings in pursuit of that policy choice is a different story). I don't doubt that racism is generally a big part of that desired choice, but it still is the kind of policy choice which elected governments are supposed to decide. The weird fantasies people have about scary brown people are pathological. Immigrants just aren't rampaging across the country raping all the good white women and shooting all the good white men. Why do people want to believe that?
I think it's perfectly fine for people to want to shut down immigration to the US. I don't agree, but it is a valid policy choice (though abusing the hell out of human beings in pursuit of that policy choice is a different story). I don't doubt that racism is generally a big part of that desired choice, but it still is the kind of policy choice which elected governments are supposed to decide. The weird fantasies people have about scary brown people are pathological. Immigrants just aren't rampaging across the country raping all the good white women and shooting all the good white men. Why do people want to believe that?
How Democrats Lost By Winning
Okay there hasn't been a lot of winning lately, but next time (optimism!) there is it will likely inspire a bunch of think pieces along those lines, especially if they win by winning the support of the wrong kinds of voters, and you know who I mean.
I'm not going to make excuses for losing, but the entirely electoral system is rigged against Dems at the moment (electoral college, senate, gerrymandering in the House, and that's even before we get to blah voter suppression), and even so... the Dems don't do so badly in federal elections (the Senate is close, no matter what Trump says the electoral college loss wasn't great, and even the House isn't that bad considering how bad the gerrymandering was because you know, the Dems won the majority of votes cast for all of those things).
Still, they lost by losing, and I bet next time they'll lose by winning, because no matter what, Real America just does not support them. And by Real America, I mean some imaginary white guy in his imaginary pickup truck who knows black people get all the good stuff but who is NOT RACIST so STOP SAYING THAT.
I'm not going to make excuses for losing, but the entirely electoral system is rigged against Dems at the moment (electoral college, senate, gerrymandering in the House, and that's even before we get to blah voter suppression), and even so... the Dems don't do so badly in federal elections (the Senate is close, no matter what Trump says the electoral college loss wasn't great, and even the House isn't that bad considering how bad the gerrymandering was because you know, the Dems won the majority of votes cast for all of those things).
Still, they lost by losing, and I bet next time they'll lose by winning, because no matter what, Real America just does not support them. And by Real America, I mean some imaginary white guy in his imaginary pickup truck who knows black people get all the good stuff but who is NOT RACIST so STOP SAYING THAT.
The Swedish Hellhole
President Pigfucker is trying to justify his remarks about Sweden by suggesting it's a scary place with BAD IMMIGRANTS causing BAD PROBLEMS.
You hear these tales regularly from Americans who don't know anything. The Muslims have taken over! Hide your women! Even the most poverty-stricken immigrant neighborhoods in Europe are, by US standards, fine. The lack of guns and freeish health care tend to take the sting off the crime and poverty. I'd happily live in any of them. Years ago I spent a couple of months in one of those horrible immigrant neighborhoods in a major European city, warned away even by locals who said it was VERY DANGEROUS. It wasn't. The presence of poorer brown people does not actually make a neighborhood unsafe. Without guns, there are limits to what "unsafe" actually means.
Anyway, not denying that most places have poverty and associated problems, or that immigration can create tensions. Every country has their own unique brand of nationalistic race-linked identity, and while I won't defend the racism in our country I think "we" at least sometimes have a more sophisticated understanding of it and better language for discussing it than other countries often do. But I'd be quite happy to spend a few months in the worst urban hellhole in Europe, wherever that is, as long as I had decent enough public transit access.
You hear these tales regularly from Americans who don't know anything. The Muslims have taken over! Hide your women! Even the most poverty-stricken immigrant neighborhoods in Europe are, by US standards, fine. The lack of guns and freeish health care tend to take the sting off the crime and poverty. I'd happily live in any of them. Years ago I spent a couple of months in one of those horrible immigrant neighborhoods in a major European city, warned away even by locals who said it was VERY DANGEROUS. It wasn't. The presence of poorer brown people does not actually make a neighborhood unsafe. Without guns, there are limits to what "unsafe" actually means.
Anyway, not denying that most places have poverty and associated problems, or that immigration can create tensions. Every country has their own unique brand of nationalistic race-linked identity, and while I won't defend the racism in our country I think "we" at least sometimes have a more sophisticated understanding of it and better language for discussing it than other countries often do. But I'd be quite happy to spend a few months in the worst urban hellhole in Europe, wherever that is, as long as I had decent enough public transit access.
If Only There Was Some Solution To This Problem
Gonna filet this tilapia.
Lisbon is nice. Cute Trolleys! But austerity bites.
All Lisbon Needs Now Is for Locals toSpend Like TouristsHave More Fucking Money.
Lisbon is nice. Cute Trolleys! But austerity bites.
Sunday, February 19, 2017
Your Liberal Media
For no particular reason other than the obvious, I am regularly reminded of this piece by Richard Cohen, who was actually the Washington Post's premier "liberal" columnist for years, written in 2013.
I sometimes think I have spent years unlearning what I learned earlier in my life. For instance, it was not George A. Custer who was attacked at the Little Bighorn. It was Custer — in a bad career move — who attacked the Indians. Much more important, slavery was not a benign institution in which mostly benevolent whites owned innocent and grateful blacks. Slavery was a lifetime’s condemnation to an often violent hell in which people were deprived of life, liberty and, too often, their own children. Happiness could not be pursued after that.
Steve McQueen’s stunning movie “12 Years a Slave” is one of those unlearning experiences. I had to wonder why I could not recall another time when I was so shockingly confronted by the sheer barbarity of American slavery. Instead, beginning with school, I got a gauzy version. I learned that slavery was wrong, yes, that it was evil, no doubt, but really, that many blacks were sort of content. Slave owners were mostly nice people — fellow Americans, after all — and the sadistic Simon Legree was the concoction of that demented propagandist, Harriet Beecher Stowe. Her “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” was a lie and she never — and this I remember clearly being told — had ventured south to see slavery for herself. I felt some relief at that because it meant that Tom had not been flogged to death.
Stunned Into Silence
The news reports keep coming in from Sweden. The death toll is up to zero in this tragedy.
Saturday, February 18, 2017
Saturday Evening Thread
#notallorangecritters:
Orange cat: "Trump has destroyed the reputation of us orange critters by breaking the world. How can I ever hold my head up again?"
Grey cat: "Don't worry, mate. #notallorangecritters."
Orange cat: "And I do have nine lives, unlike those poor humans."
Grey cat: "Four. Four lives left."
Orange cat: "Four? I count at least five left."
Grey cat: "Remember how you jumped from the neighbor's roof to attack his van and missed?"
Orange cat: "That was Trump attacking Mexico."
Small Pleasures
At least we got the humiliation of Chris Christie.
New Jersey Gov. Christopher Christie is still looking for the bottom as Garden State voters disapprove 78 - 17 percent, including 53 - 39 percent among Republicans, of the job he is doing, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today.
Kinda Thought It Was A Disaster
But nobody listens to Atrios.
Got my tombstone all picked out.
We now take a break from your regularly scheduled scandals to bring you some not-so-breaking news: austerity was as big a disaster as its biggest critics said it was.
That, at least, is what economists Christopher House and Linda Tesar of the University of Michigan and Christïan Proebsting of the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne found when they looked at Europe's budget-cutting experience the last eight years. It turns out that cutting spending right after the worst crisis in 80 years only led to a lower gross domestic product and, in the most extreme cases, higher debt-to-GDP ratios. That's right: trying to reduce debt levels sometimes increased debt burdens.
Got my tombstone all picked out.
Friday, February 17, 2017
A Twitterval In Three Acts
(think that's 4:32 EST, since deleted)
I would hope that our leaders would never believe that any American desires to make another American an enemy. Let's dial it back.
— Chuck Todd (@chucktodd) February 17, 2017
The FAKE NEWS media (failing @nytimes, @NBCNews, @ABC, @CBS, @CNN) is not my enemy, it is the enemy of the American People!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 17, 2017
Make Them Deny It
Leaked draft orders don't mean that policy is about to be implemented. People write up all kinds of crazy proposals, presumably. But the leaks mean either a) someone wants it to be at trial balloon to see if it flies b) someone wants to shoot down the trial balloon before it leaves the ground. The White House has quickly denied this one, but denial doesn't make the story untrue. It just means they aren't yet ready to announce it, and may never be if enough shit is kicked up.
And some plans sit on the shelf for just the right moment.
(AP) -- The Trump administration is considering a proposal to mobilize as many as 100,000 National Guard troops to round up unauthorized immigrants, including millions living nowhere near the Mexico border, according to a draft memo obtained by The Associated Press.
The 11-page document calls for the unprecedented militarization of immigration enforcement as far north as Portland, Oregon, and as far east as New Orleans, Louisiana.
Four states that border on Mexico are included in the proposal — California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas — but it also encompasses seven states contiguous to those four — Oregon, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana.
And some plans sit on the shelf for just the right moment.
ICE Are Shit People
Mall cops on a mission (link to video).
An undocumented woman was detained by two agents as she exited a courtroom after asking for a protective order. Federal officials have said they took her into custody outside the courthouse.
But They Know Better
One of the recurring whispered themes is that Republicans in Congress are a bit concerned about Trump for various reasons. I have no idea what's in their little heads, but these sorts of anonymous quotes are just telling journalists what they want to hear and maintain the illusion that they are Very Serious when the Trump train goes completely off the rails. They can do a bit more than voice their concerns anonymously if they are really concerned.
I lived through the Clinton years. When Dems were "concerned" about the 867 investigations or anything else they ran to the cameras and insisted that their names be printed in bold fonts. This was pretty stupid for a variety of reasons, but they owned it.
I lived through the Clinton years. When Dems were "concerned" about the 867 investigations or anything else they ran to the cameras and insisted that their names be printed in bold fonts. This was pretty stupid for a variety of reasons, but they owned it.
Thursday, February 16, 2017
Not Gonna Last
It is very simple. Trump appoints a real president - Pence, a chief of staff, whatever - to handle things daily and then Trump gets to go on teevee and babble and look crazy and everything hums along (horrifyingly, but still humming) in the background.
But that can't happen because he'll watch cable news and get mad.
Not sure how this is sustainable.
..and no one is smarter than he is.
But that can't happen because he'll watch cable news and get mad.
Not sure how this is sustainable.
..and no one is smarter than he is.
WASHINGTON — President Trump, smarting from a series of crises, moved his surrogates aside on Thursday and assigned the rescue of his month-old presidency to the only spokesman he’s ever really trusted — himself.
For days, a frustrated and simmering president fumed inside the West Wing residence about what aides said he saw as his staff’s inadequate defense and the ineffectiveness of his own tweets. Over the objections of some top advisers who wanted to steer him away from confrontation, Mr. Trump demanded to face the media, determined to reject the narrative that his administration is sinking into chaos, scandal and incompetence.
Your Moment of Zen
This is probably my favorite part so far pic.twitter.com/n61y5I8UrN
— Rachel Riederer (@readerer) February 16, 2017
A Day Without CEOs
My point here was that if 75% of upper management of most large corporations stayed home one day, no one would notice...
People might even manage to get a bit of work done.
People might even manage to get a bit of work done.
Does No One Tell Him?
In the grand scheme of things, Trump's constant lying ("communicating things that are false," whatever) about his massive electoral college victory, which was not large by any standards including the ones he claims, is not important, but since he keeps saying it... does no one correct him? I mean, just hand him a list of the score from Reagan 1980 onwards?
I knew someone who used to regularly lie about where they worked so as it seem more prestigious. To be fair, this was like a 90% lie and not a 100% lie, but for everybody who actually knew this person it was cringeworthy when it was said. Why do you keep saying this thing people know is false? It's weird. What is wrong with you?
...a reporter just told him, he said "I was given that information. I don't know."
I knew someone who used to regularly lie about where they worked so as it seem more prestigious. To be fair, this was like a 90% lie and not a 100% lie, but for everybody who actually knew this person it was cringeworthy when it was said. Why do you keep saying this thing people know is false? It's weird. What is wrong with you?
...a reporter just told him, he said "I was given that information. I don't know."
Message: I Care
Occasional reminder - as much to myself as to you, dear readers - to get up off your asses and do something. Be the change you want to see (yes I know Gandhi didn't say it) and all that. Obsessively following politics is a hobby like any other, and unless you translate it into the occasional good work it is just a stress-inducing hobby. Not lecturing, just pointing out the obvious.
But What Will I Eat Today
A lot of restaurants are closed locally due to (often management blessed) immigrant walkouts.
A big problem with "general strike" type concepts is the truth is that the people least able to afford to leave work for the day are the ones most able to bring the system crashing down. This is, of course, the point, but it also places the burden of action on the wrong people...
A big problem with "general strike" type concepts is the truth is that the people least able to afford to leave work for the day are the ones most able to bring the system crashing down. This is, of course, the point, but it also places the burden of action on the wrong people...
Wednesday, February 15, 2017
What A Lonely Man He Was
Trump friend tells me decision for POTUS to hold big rally Sat in FL is part of his desire to "go to his people" and "bring back the crowds"
— Robert Costa (@costareports) February 15, 2017
I can't find them now, but I remember a couple of news reports during the transition where Trump's people were saying things like this, that he planned to relive some of that campaign fun by doing more rallies once he became president. Campaigning is fun. Presidenting isn't very fun.
Fever Swamps
It can be amusing, but otherwise we should hold back on the "some anonymous guy says another anonymous guy sent him an email saying Trump's going to quit tomorrow" type stuff. That type of stuff powered right wing nutters for years, and we don't have a William Safire type to push it into the mainstream (HILLARY CLINTON WILL BE INDICTED ANY DAY NOW), but I don't think it's especially helpful...
Bring The Boys Back Home
It's funny that we can look at this and have absolutely no idea "which side" we're going to be on. I mean, the moderate side, of course, but?
What Year Is It?
I honestly can't keep up. I think there was a giant scandal like 2 days ago that I've already forgotten about. I'm starting to think this is no way to run a country, especially since to a great degree the country (civil service) can run itself if you just let it.
Gotta clear my head for a bit. Have a video.
Gotta clear my head for a bit. Have a video.
LEAVE PUZDER ALOOOOOOOONE
Poor thing is tired of the "abuse" it seems and will withdraw.
Next time we'll get the special snowflake a safe space.
Next time we'll get the special snowflake a safe space.
Puzder
News is they might actually shoot down the nomination. *I* know why he's horrible (professionally, personally), but I haven't figured out why a few Republicans actually do. Anyone?
...hive mind on twitter says he doesn't hate Mexicans enough.
...hive mind on twitter says he doesn't hate Mexicans enough.
Meanwhile In Chris Christie's New Jersey
None of the plans to achieve prosperity through the very latest in visionary 1980s development are working.
My favorite New Jersey trope is some variation of "rich tourists visiting Manhattan will flock here!" ACTUALLY, they won't. They don't even go to Brooklyn.
ATLANTIC CITY (CBS) — There had been talk of the old Revel hotel casino partially reopening this weekend. But that won’t happen, and the reasons why depend on who you talk to.
Developer Glenn Straub made the prediction last month. But like several other suggested reopening dates, the President’s Day weekend will see what is now known as Ten shuttered. The latest delay?
My favorite New Jersey trope is some variation of "rich tourists visiting Manhattan will flock here!" ACTUALLY, they won't. They don't even go to Brooklyn.
Everybody's Full of Shit About Leaks
Eli Lake trying to defend Saint Petraeus.
And now:
Everybody constructs reasons for leaks they like and leaks they don't like. I can see crossed lines - like the NSA leaking details of a politician's personal life they obtained through their glorious surveillance vacuum, or a Vice President outing a CIA asset to take revenge on her husband - that would be clearly bad, but most "good leak/bad leak" rationalizations are pretty thin.
That is what it says in a damning statement of facts issued Tuesday by the Justice Department and signed by Petraeus as part of a plea agreement under which he faces a $40,000 fine. But viewing the Petraeus case in a vacuum -- a powerful and ambitious man falling from grace -- misses an important larger point: Leaking confidential and classified information is engrained in our political culture. The enforcement of laws against it is inconsistent, hypocritical and often enables excessive secrecy.
Lying to the FBI is a serious matter. Even some of Petraeus's staunchest defenders are disappointed in him. Representative Jason Chaffetz, the Republican chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, told me, "It's about time it came to a conclusion, but I am disappointed that he broke the law. I would have expected more from him." Chaffetz was one of the lawmakers who first publicly asked the FBI why it was taking so long in its investigation into the retired general.
...
For one thing, Broadwell did not end up disclosing any state secrets to the public. When Petraeus resigned, Obama himself said the circumstances of the retired general's affair did not damage national security. The Justice Department's own statement of facts says, "no classified information from the aforementioned black books" appeared in Broadwell's book, "All In: The Education of David Petraeus." It was even sold in 2012 at the CIA's book store.
...
"He gave those books to Broadwell so she could check her facts, the dates, that kind of thing," said Jack Keane, a retired Army general and one of Petraeus's closest friends. "I don't see how this is different than when other senior national security figures give notes and material to prominent authors."
For an FBI that has to enforce the law against the unauthorized disclosure of secrets in this environment, it must be maddening. But it is also part of the fabric of the national security state. Leaks are how the mid-level sends messages to the top level. Leaks are how senior bureaucrats and junior senators press favored policies and carry out grudges. Giving sympathetic authors access to state secrets is also how powerful generals and cabinet secretaries burnish their images.
And now:
.@EliLake: We trust the @NSAGov & @FBI to use these powers to catch criminals & terrorists, but that should not interfere in our politics. pic.twitter.com/bPMDB9dr9k
— Fox News (@FoxNews) February 15, 2017
Thank you to Eli Lake of The Bloomberg View - "The NSA & FBI...should not interfere in our politics...and is" Very serious situation for USA
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 15, 2017
Everybody constructs reasons for leaks they like and leaks they don't like. I can see crossed lines - like the NSA leaking details of a politician's personal life they obtained through their glorious surveillance vacuum, or a Vice President outing a CIA asset to take revenge on her husband - that would be clearly bad, but most "good leak/bad leak" rationalizations are pretty thin.
Tuesday, February 14, 2017
Means Empty Seats Both Ways
A good time to consider that international vacation.
Higher ed fallout is going to be bigly.
President Trump’s travel ban targeting nationals of seven Muslim-majority countries may not have held up in court, but it appears quite successful at keeping plenty of other people out of the United States.
Trump’s order brought with it a swift decline in the number of worldwide tourists and travelers looking to visit the United States, say people in the tourism industry. Some say it could be as damaging to the US tourism sector as the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks.
Higher ed fallout is going to be bigly.
Gimme Some Of That Eff You Money
And I'll save you a lot of money to tell you it ain't worth it.
Two staffers that Bloomberg spoke to called it “F-you money,” and the accumulated cash allowed them to depart Google for other firms, including Chris Urmson who co-founded a startup with ex-Tesla employee Sterling Anderson, and others who founded a self-driving truck company called Otto which was purchased by Uber last year, and another who founded Argo AI which received a $1 billion investment from Ford last week.
In 2015, Google’s parent company Alphabet lost a mind-boggling $3.5 billion on “other bets” like the self-driving project, and lost another billion dollars in the last quarter of 2016 alone. The company has a lot of projects in the “other bets” category, so not all can be blamed on self-driving cars, but the decision to spin off the project into Waymo could make the financials look a bit better.
How Long
As I've said, I can't see Trump being in office for 4 years. Whether or not the world would be a better place with President Pence is debatable.
I don't see anything bringing down the administration, no matter how horrible or corrupt, even if Dems take power in 2018/2019. I just think Trump gets more and more miserable, spending less and less time at the White House, but unable to tear himself away from his fading portrait on cable news. What reason he gives for resigning I do not know. I just imagine that at some point Kellyanne and Spicey will tell us, "Trump was never the president. That is a fact. Period." Then we all move on to the next stage of our insanity.
I don't see anything bringing down the administration, no matter how horrible or corrupt, even if Dems take power in 2018/2019. I just think Trump gets more and more miserable, spending less and less time at the White House, but unable to tear himself away from his fading portrait on cable news. What reason he gives for resigning I do not know. I just imagine that at some point Kellyanne and Spicey will tell us, "Trump was never the president. That is a fact. Period." Then we all move on to the next stage of our insanity.
Speaking Of Bad Management
Dumb mistakes can always happen, but it doesn't seem like they're even trying to be competent, or that they even know what competence is.
WASHINGTON — The White House has posted inaccurate texts of President Trump's own executive orders on the White House website, raising further questions about how thorough the Trump administration has been in drafting some of his most controversial actions.
A USA TODAY review of presidential documents found at least five cases where the version posted on the White House website doesn't match the official version sent to the Federal Register. The differences include minor grammatical changes, missing words and paragraph renumbering — but also two cases where the original text referred to inaccurate or non-existent provisions of law.
Not Even Trying
Yes Trump is in charge, but you get the sense that none of his underlings have any idea that running the presidency is hard work. I mean, sure, they might put in their 16 hours or whatever, but managing things isn't "managing things." Getting stuff done requires doing stuff, not "doing stuff."
Sympathy For The Staff
I get being sympathetic about people who, say, work for an asshole senator. Most of those people don't earn very much. They aren't exactly high up in prestige. While "working for a senator" sounds impressive, a lot of those people are in their 20s and basically doing a shitty office job that happens to be in one of Senate office buildings. We all gotta eat, and to some degree their shitty boss isn't much different than the shitty bosses that anyone can have. It's a job, maybe the start of a career. Not actually that glamorous.
But I don't think that applies to high profile people working in the White House. They aren't just cogs in a crappy machine. They are the machine operators. In various places you see journalists expressing sympathy for how hard it must be to work for Trump. I'm sure it is hard to work for Trump. And I'm sure it's easy to write that resignation letter and get the fuck outta there, too. We aren't talking about the grunts in the White House mail room, we're talking about pretty senior people.
And deeply messed up senior people, if this is how they're proceeding.
They aren't captive teenagers dealing with an abusive daddy. They're adults who have made conscious career choices, and hitched themselves to the most important person in the world. Any hint of sympathy makes me want to puke.
But I don't think that applies to high profile people working in the White House. They aren't just cogs in a crappy machine. They are the machine operators. In various places you see journalists expressing sympathy for how hard it must be to work for Trump. I'm sure it is hard to work for Trump. And I'm sure it's easy to write that resignation letter and get the fuck outta there, too. We aren't talking about the grunts in the White House mail room, we're talking about pretty senior people.
@marcambinder They're afraid to tell him the truth. They worry that he lacks the capacity to handle and process information reasonably.
— Marc Ambinder (@marcambinder) February 14, 2017
And deeply messed up senior people, if this is how they're proceeding.
@marcambinder They compete for his transient affection by throwing each other under the bus and repeating his obvious false claims.
— Marc Ambinder (@marcambinder) February 14, 2017
They aren't captive teenagers dealing with an abusive daddy. They're adults who have made conscious career choices, and hitched themselves to the most important person in the world. Any hint of sympathy makes me want to puke.
Monday, February 13, 2017
The Mail is Black
I'm tired of this novel.
No one could believe this Omarosa subplot.
The acting attorney general informed the Trump White House late last month that she believed Michael Flynn had misled senior administration officials about the nature of his communications with the Russian ambassador to the United States, and warned that the national security adviser was potentially vulnerable to Russian blackmail, current and former U.S. officials said.
The message, delivered by Sally Q. Yates and a senior career national security official to the White House counsel, was prompted by concerns that Flynn, when asked about his calls and texts with the Russian diplomat, had told Vice President-elect Mike Pence and others that he had not discussed the Obama administration sanctions on Russia for its interference in the 2016 election, the officials said. It is unclear what the White House counsel, Donald McGahn, did with the information.
No one could believe this Omarosa subplot.
Conflict and controversy seem to follow Omarosa Manigault, who stirred up plenty of both as a reality-TV star and a longtime associate of President Trump.
Manigault, who is now a communications official in the Trump administration, got into a heated argument with a White House reporter just steps from the Oval Office last week, according to witnesses. The reporter, April Ryan, said Manigault “physically intimidated” her in a manner that could have warranted intervention by the Secret Service.
Ryan also said Manigault made verbal threats, including the assertion that Ryan was among several journalists on whom Trump officials had collected “dossiers” of negative information.
Fuck The Voters, They Don't Vote For Us Anyway
I admit I continue to be astonished by this sentiment, which is basically expressed in the narrative of "it's the fault of democratic voters for not voting in midterms that Republicans are in charge." I mean, yah, okay, Dem voters are less likely to vote in midterms. They're younger and more mobile. Vote, stupid voters, vote! I agree. But there are people who are paid lots of money, and people who raise lots of money, in order to get people to vote. It's their job to get all of those sitting on their ass to vote.
Our leaders are perfect! It's the people who have failed them...
Um, ok.
Our leaders are perfect! It's the people who have failed them...
Um, ok.
Why They Won't Work
The same problem will impact the last 1000 feet almost anywhere, except suburban driveways and places specially built.
As long as you need the human help they're neat, not revolutionary, and certainly not meaningfully safety-enhancing in a way that people will tolerate.
This will be useless except for niche applications.
A lot of the players in this business hate that idea (a bunch are avoiding that kind of system) because people are godawful backups. They’re prone to dozing off, zoning out, goofing around. But if you want an autonomous car that can roam beyond a constrained geographical zone, or that can stay on the road in less than ideal weather conditions—and you want it this decade—you’re gonna need some human help.
As long as you need the human help they're neat, not revolutionary, and certainly not meaningfully safety-enhancing in a way that people will tolerate.
This will be useless except for niche applications.
Ford, though, is aiming to launch its first self-driving car with level four autonomy. This means its vehicles won't have a brake pedal, accelerator, or steering wheel and will be able to operate in a predetermined geographical area without human intervention.
Perhaps They Could Sell Some Of Those Participation Trophies
The Kids Today now demanding free food. Slackers.
West Chester University opened a student food pantry this school year, as did Rutgers-New Brunswick and Cabrini University. Montclair State University opened one last April, and Rowan University has one coming next month. Stockton University two years ago created a meal voucher program for students who could not afford food. Temple University and the College of New Jersey are exploring ideas.
Self-Described Liberals And Democrats Had Lots of Gay Friends
And it wasn't all that long ago when lots of them (including but not just large numbers of elected officials) weren't supportive of same sex marriage, and not just for calculating electoral reasons. I knew lots of people who would say things like, "yes, of course gay people should have full equal rights, but marriage is different..." because reasons. I suppose most self-described liberals/Democrats weren't supportive of anti-sodomy laws, but too many heterosexual happy ending romcoms and Disney Princess movies gave them a view of marriage that didn't include Adam and Steve. Few people ever really understood that whatever the cultural flaws of our conception of marriage (that it was heterosexual only was one of them), in the eyes of the state, marriage is mostly a legal arrangement which would be difficult to replace with some other don't-call-it-marriage legal arrangement which wasn't pretty much exactly like marriage but with a different name (and if you're hung up on the name, what is wrong with you? go back to kindergarten).
So, no, it's not incorrect to think that absent clear statements otherwise, a nice well-groomed conservative white guy who went to all the best schools and is extremely well qualified to be a Supreme Court Justice (tautologically because he's a nice well-groomed conservative white guy who went to all the best schools) would be either personally opposed to gay marriage or personally opposed to the unconstitutionality of outlawing it, because originalism or some such bullshit they hide behind.
Every time there's a conservative judicial nominee, the "liberal media" covers it in an amusing way. Essentially, it rushes to reassure liberals that, despite evidence, he's (Sandra Day O'Connor is no longer on the court) a really nice guy and perhaps not quite as evil as we think he is. Also, well-qualified! And, amazingly, has managed to keep his views on certain issues relevant to the potential job completely secret throughout his entire legal career! Tough trick, really, and one which "both sides" engage in. Want to be on the Supreme Court? Do your best to hide your legal views on important subjects throughout your entire legal career! Remain a mystery that can only be divined by reporters talking to your friends who assure them they're really nice people who might not be interested in adding to the sum total of human misery due to some fake adherence to arbitrary legal "philosophies."
So, no, it's not incorrect to think that absent clear statements otherwise, a nice well-groomed conservative white guy who went to all the best schools and is extremely well qualified to be a Supreme Court Justice (tautologically because he's a nice well-groomed conservative white guy who went to all the best schools) would be either personally opposed to gay marriage or personally opposed to the unconstitutionality of outlawing it, because originalism or some such bullshit they hide behind.
But here’s the rub: It’s not “everybody” else who has Gorsuch pegged as being like Scalia ― it’s Gorsuch who has willingly, unequivocally pegged himself that way. He gave a major speech about the importance of the late justice and his philosphy last year and, again, publicly adheres, like Clarence Thomas, to Scalia’s philosophy of originalism. Based on that and his decisions, the Times put Gorsuch on a chart as just to the right of Scalia, with only Thomas further to the right. And, much as Gorsuch’s gay friends would like to believe otherwise, Justice Kennedy is not an originalist. In fact, his sound rejection of originalism is what had him lead the court majority in ruling that gays are protected against discrimination in the Constitution, should not be criminalized, and most certainly have the right to marry.
Every time there's a conservative judicial nominee, the "liberal media" covers it in an amusing way. Essentially, it rushes to reassure liberals that, despite evidence, he's (Sandra Day O'Connor is no longer on the court) a really nice guy and perhaps not quite as evil as we think he is. Also, well-qualified! And, amazingly, has managed to keep his views on certain issues relevant to the potential job completely secret throughout his entire legal career! Tough trick, really, and one which "both sides" engage in. Want to be on the Supreme Court? Do your best to hide your legal views on important subjects throughout your entire legal career! Remain a mystery that can only be divined by reporters talking to your friends who assure them they're really nice people who might not be interested in adding to the sum total of human misery due to some fake adherence to arbitrary legal "philosophies."
Casual Corruption
It's funny what's accepted as just normal.
I get that for political purposes one hesitates to "blame the cops," but if they're a part to this...
tl;dr There's a late night closing ordinance which is being used against businesses it shouldn't be. There's a problem in that it should be more clear which businesses it does or doesn't apply to (like a nice certificate on the wall the cops can read), but the fact that it's being disproportionately used against Chinese restaurants suggests an additional problem..
There was a pattern: Officers issued 583 code-violation notices under the ordinance last fiscal year; 562 were to Chinese restaurants -- more than 95 percent. Many businesses had multiple tickets. Of the 158 ticketed, 142 were Chinese -- 90 percent.
...
He doesn't blame the cops. Oh expects the ordinance is being exploited by "connected people. Some ward leader, church member, Council staffer, civic-association president who can reach into the Police Department, is getting them to go out and have a Chinese take-out shut down," even if the block's not mostly residential. That can be hard to measure, and shouldn't be left to police to have to judge, Oh said.
I get that for political purposes one hesitates to "blame the cops," but if they're a part to this...
tl;dr There's a late night closing ordinance which is being used against businesses it shouldn't be. There's a problem in that it should be more clear which businesses it does or doesn't apply to (like a nice certificate on the wall the cops can read), but the fact that it's being disproportionately used against Chinese restaurants suggests an additional problem..
Sunday, February 12, 2017
Dead Man Walking
Someone should tell them that if they watch Morning Joseph they can get a few minute jump on the tweets.
Three weeks into the Trump administration, council staff members get up in the morning, read President Trump’s Twitter posts and struggle to make policy to fit them. Most are kept in the dark about what Mr. Trump tells foreign leaders in his phone calls. Some staff members have turned to encrypted communications to talk with their colleagues, after hearing that Mr. Trump’s top advisers are considering an “insider threat” program that could result in monitoring cellphones and emails for leaks.
The national security adviser, Michael T. Flynn, has hunkered down since investigators began looking into what, exactly, he told the Russian ambassador to the United States about the lifting of sanctions imposed in the last days of the Obama administration, and whether he misled Vice President Mike Pence about those conversations. His survival in the job may hang in the balance.
The Scariest Jobs Chart Ever
A reminder that for a lot of people the Obama years weren't better than the Bush years, economically (obviously that's a more complex issue than one stat can represent). That's not about blame - Obama inherited a recession - just that too many people fail to understand that The Great Recession was bigly.
There's Always Someone/Something Worse
I've seen a lot of "liberals are doing it wrong" kind of things about how DeVos was not the worst cabinet appointee therefore it was wrong and maybe even sexist to focus on her. Of course liberals don't get their marching orders from George Soros central (hey, George, your last check bounced), so it isn't as if there's some grand strategy involved. Grassroots opposition catches fire for reasons that central casting can't always determine. If I were your Resistance Leader I wouldn't have prioritized DeVos as the all things considered worst Cabinet nominee, but there was certainly the case to be made that she was both 1) bad enough and 2) most likely to be rejected.
If I could've picked one appointee to fail I would have chosen Sessions, but there was little chance a bunch of Republican senators would vote to block one of their own. There are a couple of others who are probably worse, all things considered, than DeVos as well, but good luck getting a grassroots campaign about the Treasury Secretary.
Kids. Education. Inexperienced billionaire twit with horrible confirmation hearing. People understand this stuff and how it affects them. It isn't that complicated.
If I could've picked one appointee to fail I would have chosen Sessions, but there was little chance a bunch of Republican senators would vote to block one of their own. There are a couple of others who are probably worse, all things considered, than DeVos as well, but good luck getting a grassroots campaign about the Treasury Secretary.
Kids. Education. Inexperienced billionaire twit with horrible confirmation hearing. People understand this stuff and how it affects them. It isn't that complicated.
Saturday, February 11, 2017
Your Moment Of Zen
“You are wrong to look at these crowds and think everyone wants $15 an hour. It’s all about identity on our side now.” -@jmpalmieri pic.twitter.com/083tDXhLPj
— Jeanette Sandernista (@JeanetteJing) February 10, 2017
WYSIWYG
I'd guess a lot of Trump voters thought his campaign act was just an act. And of course it was, to some degree. Any time you stand up in front crowds it is in act. Barry Bamz the orator was a complete act, a role he didn't like. That's not a criticism, just an observation. But I assume many of the people who thought his audition act was somehow appealing didn't actually think he would govern like that. We have some pretty strong culturally ingrained (if somewhat wrongheaded) concepts of what "presidential" is. W. certainly didn't always live up to that, but even he aimed for it. The rabid tweetmonster has to be causing some eyerolling even for his biggest fans.
America's Worst Humans
ICE agents.
Despite obvious individual and systemic problems, "normal" law enforcement have a legitimate place and police can and do serve an vital and necessary role in communities.
People who conduct racist searches and raids, tearing apart families and leaving children without parents? Not so much.
None of us carry around a document that could prove we are citizens or legal residents, and I bet most (or close to most) of us don't have one in our homes, either.
We all gotta eat, but only shit people could do that job.
Despite obvious individual and systemic problems, "normal" law enforcement have a legitimate place and police can and do serve an vital and necessary role in communities.
People who conduct racist searches and raids, tearing apart families and leaving children without parents? Not so much.
None of us carry around a document that could prove we are citizens or legal residents, and I bet most (or close to most) of us don't have one in our homes, either.
We all gotta eat, but only shit people could do that job.
Friday, February 10, 2017
Responsibility
It is true that anyone who wants to be president is basically nuts, but now we have someone who was both nuts enough to want the job and too stupid to know what it entailed.
If I were 70 and rich (replace "70" with basically any number you wish) I'd find other amusements to occupy my time, because I'm not nuts, at least in that way, and I'm smart enough to know that for most people, being president sucks.
If I were 70 and rich (replace "70" with basically any number you wish) I'd find other amusements to occupy my time, because I'm not nuts, at least in that way, and I'm smart enough to know that for most people, being president sucks.
Winning
All caps SEE YOU IN COURT bro is not going to be appealing the Muslim ban court decision.
I'm sure things will still be fucked up with CBP and they'll come up with some objectionable but less horrible ban next week, but for now...
I'm sure things will still be fucked up with CBP and they'll come up with some objectionable but less horrible ban next week, but for now...
Lies and the Lying Liars
Sometimes overlooked is the fact that bad people are quite often bad people.
National security adviser Michael Flynn privately discussed U.S. sanctions against Russia with that country’s ambassador to the United States during the month before President Trump took office, contrary to public assertions by Trump officials, current and former U.S. officials said.
Flynn’s communications with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak were interpreted by some senior U.S. officials as an inappropriate and potentially illegal signal to the Kremlin that it could expect a reprieve from sanctions that were being imposed by the Obama administration in late December to punish Russia for its alleged interference in the 2016 election.
Jolly Old Pals
Saudi Arabia is quite likely the worst state in the world, perhaps second only to North Korea. You don't have to look for anecdotes - potential aberrations from the norm - to know this. The legal status of women in that society is enough, though not even the only issue. But we're all jolly old pals. Occasionally I read "great game" explanations for this which never actually make sense to me, probably because I'm not Very Serious enough. But as long as the anglosphere is their pals and extremely happy to sell them weapons I'm unlikely to listen to anyone talking about our noble humanitarian interventions.
Not that our own hands are clean on this, of course, but at least when we're doing the bombing we sort of own it. Letting others pay us (or the UK) for the privilege is even grosser.
Boris Johnson pressed Liam Fox to continue exports of weapons to Saudi Arabia after the bombing of a funeral in Yemen last October that killed over 140 people and was condemned by UN monitors.
Correspondence between the ministers shows that a month after the strike, Johnson, the foreign secretary, wrote: “I am aware you have deferred a decision on four export licence applications to supply the Royal Saudi Air Force with equipment which could be used in the conflict in Yemen.”
In the letter dated 8 November, Johnson advised the trade secretary it was right to proceed with the arms sales. “The issue is extremely finely balanced, but I judge at present the Saudis appear committed both to improving processes and to taking action to address failures/individual incidents,” he said.
Not that our own hands are clean on this, of course, but at least when we're doing the bombing we sort of own it. Letting others pay us (or the UK) for the privilege is even grosser.
Marmalade
Chris Matthews has spent decades doing nothing but covering politics, or at least that slice of it that he finds interesting. And it's still all about having Strong Daddy in charge.
There Is No 'We'
Sure sometimes activists (you know, people) get excited about a campaign and pour money into a probably unwinnable campaign. And, hey, sometimes the people "in charge" do much the same thing. The former at least has the advantage of getting people involved and excited about something, while they latter often involves throwing money at someone based on the the fact that they're proved their worth by being rich enough to throw money at themselves.
That isn't to say I think primarying Manchin is an especially good idea, but if the right candidate appears, why not? The DSCC and DCCC throw big money at losing campaigns every cycle, though not primaries. Winning is obviously the most important goal, but it isn't the only purpose for a campaign. And there is no lump of campaign resources (money) to be allocated. If people get excited about something they contribute, and it's not as if that money would go elsewhere.
Anyway, I guess I always see too much fretting about these things. If a candidate can get attention and raise money and get people involved, that's good, and not a waste of fixed resources.
That isn't to say I think primarying Manchin is an especially good idea, but if the right candidate appears, why not? The DSCC and DCCC throw big money at losing campaigns every cycle, though not primaries. Winning is obviously the most important goal, but it isn't the only purpose for a campaign. And there is no lump of campaign resources (money) to be allocated. If people get excited about something they contribute, and it's not as if that money would go elsewhere.
Anyway, I guess I always see too much fretting about these things. If a candidate can get attention and raise money and get people involved, that's good, and not a waste of fixed resources.
Thursday, February 09, 2017
Love Him
The funny thing is that it's easy for any Republican president to be pretty popular. I think the asymmetry is fading, but it's still the case the D-leaning people are willing to give Republicans the benefit of the doubt. The totebagger force is still strong. And, yes, they have to make their base happy, but that's also pretty easy. Their base loves to piss off liberals, but spend any time in the fever swamps and you realize they don't usually have any idea about what actually pisses off liberals. Grunt in the direction of those things, be a "kindler gentler conservative" on a couple of things which liberals like and which conservatives like until they realize liberals like them, and otherwise be conservative but not a complete asshole. Even George Bush almost pulled that off until the (lack of) competence thing caught up with them. I mean, I knew all the ways that administration was horrible, but your typical totebagger didn't.
You Can't Do It, My Friends
Immigration issue aside, I do get enraged at the regular newspaper articles about "worker shortages," especially for highly skilled jobs (and don't kid yourself into thinking a good produce picker isn't a high skilled job, even if it doesn't require a lot of highfalutin booklearnin') in the middle of nowhere. Want to attract good workers? Pay them. It's in all of those Econ 101 textbooks that otherwise rule our existence.
The Pinnacle of 1960s Futurist Architecture
I'm not really interested in the design of this building as a metaphor for Apple design generally, or vice versa, but it's an office park almost entirely shut off from its surroundings. Every other consideration is just confetti.
We Do Love Our Children
If you're kid growing up even with modest means, almost everything is "free" in that everything you need is provided for by other people. Still many people think being born in the lucky sperm club makes you a better human being, and those who weren't need to learn just how horrible and inferior they are because their parents are poor.
Rich kids don't need to learn this life lesson, because they earn their lunches through manipulation of reality due to their superior genes.
WASHINGTON — Rep. Jack Kingston (R-Ga.) wants kids to learn early in life that there’s no such thing as a free lunch. To make sure they absorb that lesson, he’s proposing that low-income children do some manual labor in exchange for their subsidized meals.
Rich kids don't need to learn this life lesson, because they earn their lunches through manipulation of reality due to their superior genes.
Let It Snow
So President pig fucker was pissed that Gorsuch said mean things about his tweets. Somebody apparently convinced pig fucker that Gorsuch DID NOT SAY THOSE THINGS SO STOP SAYING THAT SHUTUPSHUTUPSHUTUPSHUTUP even though it's been confirmed that he said them. I guess if Trump's lickspittles can keep convincing him of that the Gorsuch nomination remains, otherwise Trump will withdraw his name and Judge Wapner (still alive!) will be called in.
Though it suggests that Trump will always see his nominee as a made man. His judge. There to do the boss's bidding.
Though it suggests that Trump will always see his nominee as a made man. His judge. There to do the boss's bidding.
Wednesday, February 08, 2017
Happy Hour Thread
Only a few more hours of Wednesday crazy shit before we get to Thursday crazy shit. The crazy shit producers really need to think more about our crazy shit-life balance.
Obama Hotels
The idea that being president is going to improve your brand - or that of your family - is pretty ridiculous, no matter who you happen to be. About 20% of the population is guaranteed to actively hate you. Another 20% will probably strongly dislike you. That's 40% of potential customers gone, and any stores which sell your stuff are going to have to figure out how to deal with associating with your brand. Even the next 20% of people who might actually like you probably don't like you enough to overcome the idea that buying presidential-branded trinkets is somehow a bit off. And that's even before we get to various ways your products - especially hotels! - can be legally demonstrated against.
My point is that even for a relatively beloved president, by the standards of these things, it's probably not such a cunning plan.
My point is that even for a relatively beloved president, by the standards of these things, it's probably not such a cunning plan.
Racists
I'm not going to justify the profiling of Muslims in any way, though at least given the madness of the age (terror! terror! terror!) I'll allow that people can convince themselves that this is a security issue (again, not justifying, just that fear of terrorist acts committed by Muslims is the framework for so much of what we so it's predictable that people respond in this way). But the treatment of Latinos just shows this is purely about bigotry against brown people, and we have a security state that empowers this bigotry.
What To Do
To me the obvious problem with a potential (and now, you know, actual) Trump presidency was his obvious obliviousness about and unconcern with the basic unwritten norms of our presidency which are, sadly, a necessary important check on power abuses in our rather flawed constitutional system. It doesn't really have the power to hold back an out of control executive.
I didn't expect him to actually follow through on any of the "good" stuff he said in the campaign, but the specifics of policy aside, he might just bring down our entire system of government.
Happy Wednesday!
I didn't expect him to actually follow through on any of the "good" stuff he said in the campaign, but the specifics of policy aside, he might just bring down our entire system of government.
Happy Wednesday!
How Will Those Self-Drivng Cars Work
They won't, but to work better they need a lot of public investment.
Next time just ask me.
Pittsburgh has put up with Uber for a long time. The city stayed quiet as Uber gutted Carnegie Mellon for robotics talent in early 2015, and welcomed the Advanced Technologies Center it later set up. Pittsburgh wrote a letter in support of Uber when the company was fined $11.4 million for operating in Pennsylvania without permission. And in September, Pittsburgh opened its streets to tests of self-driving cars with real people, and played along with Uber’s hasty and elaborate press event.
From Uber, Pittsburgh wanted help winning the 2016 Smart City Challenge, a US Department of Transportation competition with a $50 million prize. In May 2016, Peduto asked Uber to spend $25 million on a new transit connection from Carnegie Mellon to the neighborhood where it would be testing autonomous vehicles. Uber not only refused, but came back with a laundry list of things that Pittsburgh could do to better accommodate Uber, among them access to bus lanes, designated pick-up and drop-off spots for self-driving cars, and “prioritization of snow removal” on self-driving car routes. “I would be voted out of office,” Peduto retorted at the time. “You aren’t offering anything back to the public.”
Next time just ask me.