I Can't Even Make A Collie Stay

Life is weird.

Saturday Evening

I think tomorrow is... I have no idea.

Happy Hour?

Here ya go! Hic.

I Was Wrong

I used to believe that we needed our own lunatics to balance their lunatics. I was wrong.

InCels

As for Groundhog Day... you can't fake being better, but you can work on being better.

Controversial Opinions

There are two movies which were better than they should have been, but yet... could still be remade better!


Galaxy Quest.

Groundhog Day.

It Should Be Free

And everyone should take it. It's a great way to see the Statue of Liberty for free!

But also the reasons that it is free are bad.

Which Airline Should I Avoid This Week

Joke because they are all bad so we have to boycott the one with the outrage of the week, and most of us don't even have that luxury because you can't get there from here otherwise.

Great Britain's Worst Humans

Amber Rudd.

Morning Thread

Footnotes

I have not heard much about Sarah Palin recently. I'm glad of that. I wish I hadn't heard much from the journalists who promoted her as the next big dictator. We all gotta eat. Weird they eat so well.

The Price Of The Big Bucks

One thing I thought was the case, back in my naive days, was that the people in charge resigned when their charges fucked up. Your responsibility, the buck stops here, whatever. Just what are you being paid for? In part, insurance against your resignation when inevitably something which isn't entirely your fault goes haywire.

I was such a silly boy.

Be The Change You Want To Be

It's a tiny thing and I don't want anyone to pat me on the back for this, but I've made a conscious point to, on balance, pick women or people of color (or both - crazy!) as authors for the next books I read. Not always, of course. Don't worry, white dudes, we will still have plenty of your books with us. I am not a voracious novel reader, but I read a bit, and while I'm not one to deny that The Classics have their merits, most us don't read only those. Some things I read these days I think are Very Good Literature and some things are Fun Crap, and that's the way things are with most fiction we consume and making a slight effort to read things by women and people of color means that, at the very least (though not just), the Fun Crap might tell me stories about things I am not entirely familiar with.

Friday Evening

When your much needed and deserved nap is ruined by waking up to the startling wrong idea that it 5:30 AM, not 5:30 PM.

Bye Pat (PA-07)

Watch them go.

WASHINGTON — U.S. Rep. Pat Meehan resigned from Congress Friday, leaving months after it was revealed that he had secretly used taxpayer funds to settle a sexual harassment accusation.

He'd already announced that he wasn't going to run again.

The Silencing Of Conservatives By The Liberal Media

When will it end???

Developing: "Mass firings" at @RedState today. It's about money and politics. Source says "they fired everybody who was insufficiently supportive of Trump." https://t.co/h1aBVTlFHI

— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) April 27, 2018

A Neverending Series of Self-Owns

It's petty and trivial, but we need a bit of fun with our pointless hobbies, and we must remember that being obsessive politics and news junkies is a mostly pointless hobby. One does not actually need to follow the latest bullshit from the latest pundit to be a well-informed citizen to know who to vote for. Actually most of us should spend 10% of the time we spend on the stupid shit we follow and use it to learn about local politicians whose names we learn 15 minutes before we head to the voting booth.

Still it is our hobby, and we have to find the fun of it. The one fun we do have is observing how stupid most conservatives are. They live to Own The Libs, and in fact "whatever owns the libs" drives most their policy preferences (of the rabble, not elites), but most of the time when they're OWNING US we're just laughing at them.

The racism and homophobia and misogyny does piss us off. You got us there, cons. Congrats.

Gotta Get Down On

Normal blogging to resume for a few days at least.

You Know Who

Is awake and tweeting. Maybe he'll do another call in interview this morning. Something to look forward to.

Late Night

Another busy day for me.

Thursday Evening

enjoy

Maybe This Sucky Blog Has Been Good For Something After All

This is incredible. https://t.co/O0oEisXEeJ pic.twitter.com/ro04fnHdcR

— Osita Nwanevu (@OsitaNwanevu) April 26, 2018

Yes I know it's mostly been a certain president

Incoming

Apparently there's a Cosby verdict (so not another hung jury). Exciting!!!

..guilty on all 3 counts.

Not Too Late

For a lunch thread.

The Rot At The Top

I'm pretty squeaky clean I think (I don't mean I'm a perfect human being, but there aren't any bodies buried on the roof deck), but if a president called me up to appoint me to a position which would entail massive scrutiny I would politely run away screaming. I'm about as much of a public figure as I can stand, and even if there's nothing more than a few suspect Twinkie wrappers in my trash, I still don't want people going through my trash.

Anyway, as Ryan said in the link below, elites just don't seem to think they can fall very far, no matter what they do. I think Harvey Weinstein will remain dead, but it is almost inevitable that some of other recently disgraced will have successful comebacks, and certainly true that many more of them are trying to.

Bye Doctor Ronny

I guess the mystery is why he didn't get out while the going was still good.

WASHINGTON — The White House withdrew the nomination of Dr. Ronny L. Jackson, the White House physician, to lead the Veterans Affairs Department on Thursday after lawmakers went public with a torrent of accusations leveled against him by nearly two dozen current and former colleagues from the White House medical staff.

....Cooper:

What this tends to demonstrate is that the incredible corruption of the Trump administration — acting Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Mick Mulvaney recently basically admitted to taking quid pro quo bribes while he was in Congress — is a window into a much larger galaxy of corruption and malfeasance at the top of the American elite. Most people in Jackson's position simply are not used to being subject to accountability of any kind. Even President Obama, whose vetting process was infamously extensive and slow, apparently tolerated astounding misbehavior from his own dang doctor.

If people in the running to work for Trump had a lick of sense, they would surely see the risk here, and pick this time for a long vacation, early retirement, or to start that carpentry business they've always wanted. Even if your own history is in order, it's a near certainty that Trump will flip out and fire you after a few months anyway.

Morning Thread

Late Night

Various things interfering to make my blogs much less mighty these days.

Afternoon Thread

er...evening

WeWhat

I never paid much attention to it but I never quite got the WeWork business model.

WeWork began business by leasing office space and renting desks to New York’s creative set, with unusual work perks such as microbrews on tap and a “community manager” who programs events such as book clubs and Ping-Pong tournaments. It now has 234 locations across 22 countries, company documents show, with a portfolio of short-term co-working spaces, mainly leased from landlords on long-term rental agreements.

Lease flexibility, a major perk for potential WeWork tenants, also poses one of the company’s biggest risks. The company is subject to "mismatched terms" when it takes 10- or 20-year office leases from landlords and then offers companies month-to-month rental options, according to Fitch.

Now I think I get it - attract a bunch of money by marketing itself to investors as a some sort of new economy thing (hip millennial working spaces with Ping-Pong and beer!!!), and use that money to go long on a massive portfolio of commercial real estate leases. Then hope for the best!

Could work. Will work for some people, as is always the case when money is sloshing around.

I Do!

When one of my dear readers gives me the gift of a modest flat in London, not too far out from the center, I will move there.


The right wing fantasy of London and Sweden (and Paris and wherever they decide to talk about next week) as being horror zones because a bunch of brown people live there is bigoted and also...false. It could be bigoted and true if people were as bigoted as Tucker Carlson, but it isn't. The problem with London is that too many people want to live there. Which is why one of you needs to buy me a flat.

They Lie About Everything

Mnuchin is rich. Really really rich! Also, he does not care about the things you yokels care about because he lives in the greatest only city in the world!

“People in Kentucky took this stuff very seriously. Being a New Yorker, I don’t have any interest in watching the eclipse,” Mnuchin said according to the Washington Post.

As a New Yorker, he took it so seriously he had a military jet take him there.

Which One Is That Again

I keep confusing all of the details of the various killing sprees. You know, "was that the waffle house guy or was that the...".

Late Thread

Happy Hour Thread

get happy

Give The Dems Reliable Veto-Proof Majorities And

I know this is my regular cranky complaint and I certainly never mean it in a "both parties are the same" sense. Also, too, it's not going to happen this election cycle. But what would happen in 2019 if it did happen? What would have happened if President Obama had been effectively a benevolent dictator, with a compliant Congress rubber stamping everything he sent them?

I occasionally pay attention to politics and I literally have no idea.

I don't know what the aspirational Dem agenda is. I don't even know what the reasonable - Dems could win House and have slim Senate majority - compromise agenda is.

I suspect some commonsense solutions and bipartisan cooperation.

America's Worst Humans

Kevin Williamson.

And all this science he don't understand

I am genuinely curious how the little BBs floating around his walnut brain conspired to give him what appears to be genuine affection for Rocket Man.

BREAKING: Trump says North Korea wants meeting ‘as soon as possible,’ praises Kim Jong Un as ‘very open’ and ‘very honorable’

— AP Politics (@AP_Politics) April 24, 2018

A Meeting Of The Big Banks

For some reason, in 2018, our customers still can't quite figure out why transferring money electronically is not only not instantaneous, but can take some ambiguous amount of time for reasons only known to us. They are resorting to using "apps" on their "phones" to bypass the excellent services that we provide for them at low low prices with our always trustworthy brands.

How about we...innovate in this space? We will calls it Zelle. The kids will love that! Zelle.

People Who Disagree With Me Are All Naive Ridiculous Children

Sometimes it's even true! But my new commitment is to adopt this rhetorical tactic which is always used against people who suggest "maybe we can have nice things" or "war is bad, mmmkay?"

Fuck Greyhound

There was some ambiguity about whether Greyhound did or did not have a choice in the matter given that our "border" goes all the way to Missouri, but apparently not.

Border Patrol officers routinely board buses without a warrant, without specific people they’re targeting, up to 100 miles from the border — and ask passengers for their papers. Greyhound, the nation’s largest intercity bus line, lets the Border Patrol do it and doesn’t plan to stop.

Greyhound officials say they’re just complying with the law. But 10 ACLU state affiliates argue Greyhound has the right — and the responsibility to its passengers — to demand a warrant for Border Patrol officers to board its buses.

And, yes, I do take Greyhound sometimes. Not anymore.

You don't have to give a crap about immigrants and racism (I do!) to not want your bus boarded by a bunch of thugs demanding your papers, especially in a country where most people don't have, or certainly don't carry, any papers.

Only The Best People For This Administration

The very, very best. Bigly.

What's It All About Then

Oh.

Just In: 2 sources confirm to @nancycordes and @edokeefe Sen Vet Affairs Comm is reviewing allegations against Ronny Jackson which include a hostile work environment, excessive drinking on the job and improperly dispensing meds.

— Steve Dorsey (@steve_dorsey) April 24, 2018

Did He Contribute Money to a Democrat Once?

I have no idea what possible allegations Republicans could be concerned about at this point.

Republicans and Democrats on the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee are raising concerns about allegations involving Rear Adm. Ronny Jackson, President Donald Trump's nominee to lead the department of Veterans Affairs and are reviewing them to determine if they are substantial enough to upend his nomination.

Committee members have been told about allegations related to improper conduct in various stages of his career, two sources said.

Monday Evening

Tomorrow is...

The Lifestyles Of The Megarich

I've always been confused by the "I'm rich, so I have a big mansion" norm. Obviously if you're megarich you can have a big mansion and a cardboard box, too, if you're so inclined. Maybe the big mansion is just for the TV cameras and you spend most of your time in your beloved cardboard box.

But assuming the big mansion is basically "home," what do you use all of this space for? Again, I get that the money is so inconsequential to Jeff Bezos that he can have 50 of these things, but, you know, size isn't everything, and maybe a Porsche, or even just a Lexus, is a bit more enjoyable than a semi?

Unless you regularly have *large numbers of other people staying with you* (which I also don't get - buy the hotel across the street to put your pals up), what do you do with 25 bathrooms?

Overseen by the Barnes Vanze architecture firm, the reno project covers 191 doors (many either custom mahogany or bronze), 25 bathrooms, 11 bedrooms, five living rooms/lounges, five staircases, three kitchens, two libraries/studies, two workout rooms, two elevators—and a huge ballroom. Read on for the highlights.

The article suggests they really do plan on having the DC center of socializing. If true, I supposed it makes some sense. Maybe? I still don't get it.

Deep Thought

When people argue that both sides are wrong, aren't they just saying there's a third side that they agree with?

Mind. blown.

Democrats In Red Places

One thing I think people are regularly confused about is just what kind of opposition such politicians face. There's a tendency to say (by reporters, bad consultants, pundits, etc.) that such Democrats have to be more "moderate" to win. Ok, that might be true for some issues, but it often isn't true about a lot of them.


Roughly speaking, "moderate" Dems aren't supposed to vote for "free ponies for all" because swing voters they face hate free ponies for all. But people actually like free ponies for all! Of course they do! Free ponies!

What really happens is that the Chamber of Commerce basically says, "if you vote for free ponies for all, we will spend a lot of money telling voters that you love Muslims and have 'San Francisco values' (whatever that means)." So those politicians vote down the Free Ponies bill, and sage pundits observe that, well, of course they did, because voters in West Virginia hate free ponies and much prefer tax cuts for rich people. After all, West Virginia is a red state!

The Big Money often wins on the issues by threatening (implicitly at least) to go against politicians for entirely unrelated issues. Failure to support free ponies is giving into blackmail, basically.

They Could Win By Winning

The perpetual fantasy is that some inexpensive neato technology comes along and solves the supposed "last mile problem" (which I am sick of hearing about, because it takes 20 minutes to walk a damn mile and the last mile problem is more of a last 5 miles problem usually so...). Even with this, nobody ever does the damn math. You know, conservatively, 100 people spill out of a philly commuter rail train at a moderately busy station during the afternoon rush hour. So you want 50 of them to hop in self-driving cars. The fantasy is these can be shared rides, but the logistics of that are not promising in this situation. And that fleet of cars needs to be back in half an hour for the next train. Multiply that by tens of train stations. And, well, this is a rush hour thing, mostly, so that fleet is going to sit idle or need something else to do (peak period use is always a problem no matter what transit mode we're talking about, but you can't just wish it away). It needs to be cheap and fast and convenient enough that people who likely already own cars because they live in a place where they need them, decide they'd rather do this than just drive the damn "last mile" in the morning and evening and pay the 2 bucks to park there all day.

It'll be neato, but not neat enough. And it won't be cheap.

Here’s another idea for Waymo, Uber, Cruise, and everyone else working on computer driving: Start a shuttle service for people in suburban towns, taking them home from the local train station. It’s an easy to way to solve the last mile issue, especially for people who don’t have cars—and will make the people in neighboring towns eager to have the tech, too.

The group of "people who live in the suburbs but don't own cars and yet can afford an extra taxi ride home every day" is...not very large.

Good Morning

Hopeful

I keep reading this and I do not understand it (WaPo).

Sunday Evening

I guess tomorrow is... Monday.

Can't Trust

The "Windrush scandal" - important in itself of course - also demonstrates that the Tories can't be trusted by the EU at a time when securing the rights of current EU residents of the UK (and, people in the UK seem to forget, the rights of UK residents in the EU) is an important matter in the Brexit negotiations.

A Complete Witch Hunt!

My critics are fools.

Poor Mittens

I admit I can barely remember...how did he win the 2012 primary?

West Valley, Utah (CNN)Mitt Romney did not win the Utah Republican Party's nomination on Saturday, meaning he must compete in a June primary election as he seeks to replace retiring US Sen. Orrin Hatch.

...

On the second round of voting, Utah state representative Mike Kennedy emerged in the lead with 50.88%. Romney came in a close second with 49.12%.