It’s wild to me how people crawled over my 60 mins interview with a fine-toothed comb to find any word or reason to claim I’m unfit for the job, yet here Kevin McCarthy (the GOP Leader!) is a bumbling, sloppy, dishonest mess & his mediocrity is accepted as a matter of course. https://t.co/zx7qlhW9dh
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) September 30, 2019
Monday, September 30, 2019
Drag Him
Following The Worms Around The Brain Maze
I admit I'm having a hard time following this story because it's all taking its cues from Trump's mushmelon.
Saint Rudy Of 9/11
House Dems are subpoenaing Rudy for some documents. The important question is when Rudy goes "lol no" do they know how they are going to respond?
A Lot Of Crimeing Is Okay
That's the precedent being set by Pelosi by limiting impeachment.
In some ways Trump shaking down everybody to stay in his stupid hotels seems like the most inconsequential of his crimeing, but it's also one that's clearly in the constitution. In addition, while the US has all kinds of corruption in politics, the simple "put a big sack of money on the desk" kind has arguably not been so dominant, at least in federal politics. Leaving that door open is... a problem.
In some ways Trump shaking down everybody to stay in his stupid hotels seems like the most inconsequential of his crimeing, but it's also one that's clearly in the constitution. In addition, while the US has all kinds of corruption in politics, the simple "put a big sack of money on the desk" kind has arguably not been so dominant, at least in federal politics. Leaving that door open is... a problem.
The Good Republicans
I'm not one to imagine there was some era of Good Republicans, but is true that there were usually a couple senators who would occasionally do the right thing, and not just in "pretend to be concerned" sense.
I don't know if Joe Biden (and others) believe this idea that they've all been mesmerized by that mastermind Trump, and once Trump is gone they'll all be back to being a reasonable again. The first part about Trump is ridiculous, and the "again" part also is.
I don't know if Joe Biden (and others) believe this idea that they've all been mesmerized by that mastermind Trump, and once Trump is gone they'll all be back to being a reasonable again. The first part about Trump is ridiculous, and the "again" part also is.
But If You Can't Solve Parking Lots
They might be a hard problem, but if you can't figure them out you can't have robotaxis. Sure you can have niche applications of automated vehicles which are probably more neato than commercially viable (maybe the latter, too), but not useful robotaxis.
Anyway my bigger point is whatever happens with automated vehicle technology generally, the focus on "robotaxis" was always absurd, both as a technological issue and as the idea that it was the path to riches for companies like Uber. Making them kinda sorta work in a geofenced bit of a slice of suburbanish Phoenix or newer California after a years-long dedicated effort is very different from creating something which can adapt to the mean streets of San Francisco or Philadelphia.
And more realistic applications, such as fixed or semi-fixed route shuttle systems in lower density environments, while more likely to be technologically feasible, aren't much more likely to be something communities are going to invest in. Sure drivers are expensive, but so are roboshuttles, and demand for these things is likely to be too low in most places where people they imagine they should be for the same reasons systems with drivers have low demand in these places. What if a bus was more like a taxi is always the fantasy, and the idea is that if you make them driverless this is for some reason more possible, but it still doesn't make any sense.
Anyway my bigger point is whatever happens with automated vehicle technology generally, the focus on "robotaxis" was always absurd, both as a technological issue and as the idea that it was the path to riches for companies like Uber. Making them kinda sorta work in a geofenced bit of a slice of suburbanish Phoenix or newer California after a years-long dedicated effort is very different from creating something which can adapt to the mean streets of San Francisco or Philadelphia.
And more realistic applications, such as fixed or semi-fixed route shuttle systems in lower density environments, while more likely to be technologically feasible, aren't much more likely to be something communities are going to invest in. Sure drivers are expensive, but so are roboshuttles, and demand for these things is likely to be too low in most places where people they imagine they should be for the same reasons systems with drivers have low demand in these places. What if a bus was more like a taxi is always the fantasy, and the idea is that if you make them driverless this is for some reason more possible, but it still doesn't make any sense.
Just Like Any Other President
I can imagine the conversations in newsrooms when Trump became president. They aren't all that stupid. "How are we supposed to cover this freak show of a man?" And the answer they came to is "we cover it like we cover any other presidency." But that's not what they've done, even if they think it is. They aren't covering Trump as they would've covered Obama or even George W. Bush. Pretending everything is normal is not normal coverage. Normally "tan suits" are enough to cause a freakout.
The AP simply ignores Trump’s civil war threat and his call for Schiff to be tried for treason. https://t.co/eTn9AjaYp2 pic.twitter.com/OlW74vufT8
— Dan Froomkin (@froomkin) September 30, 2019
Sunday, September 29, 2019
There's A Little Green Man In My Head
I don't know if it's good that the president is completely losing it (you know where to find him), but I will point out that it has been trivially easy this entire time to make him lose it.
Nobody Puts "Party Over Country"
I hate this cable news brain saying. Nobody has that much allegiance to a "party" and concepts of "country" or "national interest" are too vague and abused to be meaningless, and in practice are usually closer to "what's good for General Motors is good for America" than "wow what if people didn't worry about paying for cancer treatment for their kids."
Mitch McConnell doesn't put "party over country," he uses political power to get what he wants in ways some people find distasteful and other people cheer.
If people are bad it isn't because of party allegiance. They might be concerned with their individual fortune as it is linked to various things, but nobody cares about The Party. They're bad people who are using and maybe abusing power. This is dumb.
...adding that this is just another version of "The problem with Washington is TOO MUCH PARTISANSHIP" which is about 3 centimeters away from "The problem with Washington is TOO MUCH DEMOCRACY." Bad people who are bad is the problem.
Mitch McConnell doesn't put "party over country," he uses political power to get what he wants in ways some people find distasteful and other people cheer.
If people are bad it isn't because of party allegiance. They might be concerned with their individual fortune as it is linked to various things, but nobody cares about The Party. They're bad people who are using and maybe abusing power. This is dumb.
...adding that this is just another version of "The problem with Washington is TOO MUCH PARTISANSHIP" which is about 3 centimeters away from "The problem with Washington is TOO MUCH DEMOCRACY." Bad people who are bad is the problem.
No Issues At All Here
Nothing I can think of.
A military official formerly in charge of all White House communications for the U.S. Army at Mar-a-Lago was sentenced to three years of probation on Friday after he made false statements to a federal agent during a child pornography investigation.
Richard Ciccarella — a non-commissioned officer who told federal agents he was in charge of communications at President Donald Trump’s Palm Beach resort — became a target of an investigation after he uploaded photos of a young girl to a seedy Russian website between 2017 and 2018, according to court documents.
Saturday, September 28, 2019
And His Hair Was Perfect
Trump keeps expressing that his Ukraine conversation was "perfect." I'm not entirely sure what he means but he thinks each moment of his existence is perfection.
Parking Lots Are Hard
At 5mph (assuming everyone is going 5mph, which of course they aren't) the chance of absolute catastrophe is minimized (though your toddlers don't have crash bumpers), but there's no greater evidence that adolescent genius Elon Musk is an idiot that he thought they'd be the easy first step in his much touted "full self driving" project. Aside from the low speed, they actually magnify everything difficult about driving in the real world. Nonstandard or nonexistent lane markers, imperfect or nonexistent or nonstandard signs, large numbers of pedestrians who have no defined paths of their own, etc... etc... The also highlight how much the ability to navigate such spaces, even at 5mph, even with people being relatively behaved drivers, depends on various nonverbal communication methods which exist between drivers even if imperfectly. The eye contact. The wave. The light flash. The slight pull forward-then-stop to make clear you are stopped. Also you know things even the best robot driver likely can't, especially as parking lots are infinite in their variety and unmapped, such as the fact that there's a good chance someone's going to be entering the parking lot suddenly and you'd better be aware of that particular point.
Musk is unleashing his supposedly better "smart summons" which allows you to supposedly push a button and have your car find you in a parking lot. Even as advertised it's more limited than this. It has to be fairly close, you have to hold the button at all times for it to move, and you're supposed to keep an eye on it and take your finger off the button for sudden braking (your only option if things go wrong).
It is not going to go well.
(people are posting videos of actual crashes but as I don't want to help them torpedo their insurance claim I won't repost them)
Musk is unleashing his supposedly better "smart summons" which allows you to supposedly push a button and have your car find you in a parking lot. Even as advertised it's more limited than this. It has to be fairly close, you have to hold the button at all times for it to move, and you're supposed to keep an eye on it and take your finger off the button for sudden braking (your only option if things go wrong).
It is not going to go well.
So, @elonmusk - My first test of Smart Summon didn't go so well. @Tesla #Tesla #Model3 pic.twitter.com/yC1oBWdq1I
— Roddie Hasan - راضي (@eiddor) September 28, 2019
(people are posting videos of actual crashes but as I don't want to help them torpedo their insurance claim I won't repost them)
Waiting For Morning Joseph
I know I'm not inside their heads, but as a long time Watcher of Democrats, I do think they are constantly waiting for the Nonpartisan Referee (the Marshal of the Supreme Court, or a Republican FBI Man, or some Respected By Both Sides Teevee Pundit, or David Brooks, or the Washington Post Editorial Board) to make a judgment on the outcome of the game without ever bothering to go play on the field. Gotta suit up at least. They started to and suddenly everything is different!
This Is Excellent News For John McCain
It always is.
Executive Director of the McCain Institute Kurt Volker resigned from his position as the U.S. Special Envoy for Ukraine Friday, following reports he collaborated with Ukraine and President Donald Trump.
An ASU official confirmed Volker's resignation Friday, and said the University could not speak about his future at ASU because the University does not comment on personnel matters.
Friday, September 27, 2019
FALL FUNDRAISING FUNSTRAVGANZA DAY FINAL
Give me all your money instead of nasty "NYTMike."
I get cranky, but my real point with the New York Times is that if you like their product give them money, but don't give them money because you think it's your civic duty to do so. Giving money to the New York Times for the sake of journalism is like giving money to Harvard for the sake of higher education. Maybe they both do good things, maybe they are both in the net good institutions, but even though they like your money they are the last ones that actually need it. I mean give it to Princeton instead of Harvard (don't give it Princeton, either, but you get the point). Still if you like the crosswords or whatever else, pay the bill.
That doesn't mean you should give it to a dumb blog instead, but even a really shitty right wing local newspaper is probably going to cover issues that wouldn't otherwise get covered. Someone should tell you about the plan to close the local elementary school at least. Mainstream national news coverage from big media institutions isn't going to disappear. Less mainstream less national coverage (especially the latter) will. "I pay for journalism because it's important" isn't a wrong idea, but the New York Times is the wrong place to funnel this sentiment.
I get cranky, but my real point with the New York Times is that if you like their product give them money, but don't give them money because you think it's your civic duty to do so. Giving money to the New York Times for the sake of journalism is like giving money to Harvard for the sake of higher education. Maybe they both do good things, maybe they are both in the net good institutions, but even though they like your money they are the last ones that actually need it. I mean give it to Princeton instead of Harvard (don't give it Princeton, either, but you get the point). Still if you like the crosswords or whatever else, pay the bill.
That doesn't mean you should give it to a dumb blog instead, but even a really shitty right wing local newspaper is probably going to cover issues that wouldn't otherwise get covered. Someone should tell you about the plan to close the local elementary school at least. Mainstream national news coverage from big media institutions isn't going to disappear. Less mainstream less national coverage (especially the latter) will. "I pay for journalism because it's important" isn't a wrong idea, but the New York Times is the wrong place to funnel this sentiment.
Obama People Are Big Hypocrites So Checkmate Libs
The first rule of the New York Times is that you cannot criticize the New York Times.
So the federal government did one thing which was maybe bad (going after illegal leakers to the press), and a newspaper, which is not the federal government, did a totally different thing (potentially outing a whistleblower who tried to do things through legal means and was prevented by illegal acts of his superiors) WHICH WAS NOT BAD SO STOP SAYING THAT, and all of our critics worked for the Obama administration (you guys did not know this, but I did! I think), so checkmate libs!
Often with this fucking newspaper their particular misdeeds don't even matter that much, it's that you frequently get windows into their totally broken fucking brains and realize "these are not the people who should be ruling our discourse."
Much of the criticism of us yesterday came from Obama administration folks. Here are their stats and their legacy on this issue: https://t.co/DQncy536Bh https://t.co/892PyH49ZV
— Michael S. Schmidt (@nytmike) September 27, 2019
So the federal government did one thing which was maybe bad (going after illegal leakers to the press), and a newspaper, which is not the federal government, did a totally different thing (potentially outing a whistleblower who tried to do things through legal means and was prevented by illegal acts of his superiors) WHICH WAS NOT BAD SO STOP SAYING THAT, and all of our critics worked for the Obama administration (you guys did not know this, but I did! I think), so checkmate libs!
Often with this fucking newspaper their particular misdeeds don't even matter that much, it's that you frequently get windows into their totally broken fucking brains and realize "these are not the people who should be ruling our discourse."
MAGA Brain
There were a couple years when every utterance and crayon-scrawled facebook posting by Sarah Palin was treated by the media as the deliverance of some sort of holy tablets, instead of the 180 proof gibberish that they always were. And then they didn't.
Never especially optimistic, but maybe it's time to treat the brain worms guy as just a guy with brain worms who happens to be a president who loves crimes.
Never especially optimistic, but maybe it's time to treat the brain worms guy as just a guy with brain worms who happens to be a president who loves crimes.
Thursday, September 26, 2019
This Stuff Is Unacceptable
Like Pareene I have no illusions that elite accountability is going to make a comeback. Bygones. Look forward. Time to move on. The nation needs to heal. NPR will drum these into our heads until the end of days. The talent there makes a shitload of money, too.
And the reason for impeachment isn't to shave a few more points off of Trump's approval rating. I think serious investigations and hearings can do this, contrary to fears that we might make the MAGAs mad and then, um, something. But it isn't the point.
The point is to highlight all the things that are unacceptable in our too powerful executive and, to the extent that this Congress can, draw some lines.
As I've said repeatedly, "impeachment" wasn't the only way to do this, but failing to do it in other ways, combined with Barr's increasing suggestions that anything but impeachment (and soon even that) is just illegitimate behavior by Congress, made it more inevitable.
The man has spent years doing obvious crimes and bragging about them. Sternly worded tweets and pleas for Republican Daddies to save us were never going to be enough. Gotta use the power.
Limiting it to one thing and getting off the table as fast as possible isn't going to be enough.
And the reason for impeachment isn't to shave a few more points off of Trump's approval rating. I think serious investigations and hearings can do this, contrary to fears that we might make the MAGAs mad and then, um, something. But it isn't the point.
The point is to highlight all the things that are unacceptable in our too powerful executive and, to the extent that this Congress can, draw some lines.
As I've said repeatedly, "impeachment" wasn't the only way to do this, but failing to do it in other ways, combined with Barr's increasing suggestions that anything but impeachment (and soon even that) is just illegitimate behavior by Congress, made it more inevitable.
The man has spent years doing obvious crimes and bragging about them. Sternly worded tweets and pleas for Republican Daddies to save us were never going to be enough. Gotta use the power.
Limiting it to one thing and getting off the table as fast as possible isn't going to be enough.
Assuming there is no chance of the Republican Senate convicting Trump, and I still don’t think there is, an impeachment vote on one solitary scandal amounts to a vote of censure: a weightless illusion of accountability, and a chance for members of our political class to say that our system worked as intended when it really has not done so for some time now. Censure only humbles a person with respect for the system. Trump isn’t terrified of the prospect of an eternal asterisk in his Wikipedia entry labeled “impeached.” He’s terrified that people will actually find out every rotten thing he and his kids have been up to.
And In Other News
Spot the obvious problem with this video.
(trick question as there are two)
Where have you parked your Tesla?
— Tesla (@Tesla) September 26, 2019
But also, who cares?
Our Smart Summon feature means your car collects *you* from the parking lot. pic.twitter.com/boEtjJlY1V
(trick question as there are two)
What's It For
Things change by the minute, but there's still a sense that enough Dems just want us to get past this bit of narrow ugliness and move on.
In lieu of justice, what I would like is answers. I would like the full story, a complete and detailed account of everyone’s involvement in everything. The whistleblower’s complaint is in large part an explanation of how dedicated the White House is to avoiding public disclosure of malfeasance. The fact that we are able to read it today is proof that impeachment is not a goal in and of itself, but a tool for ferreting out the truth. It should convince any skeptic that an impeachment inquiry should be wide-ranging and inclusive of all the president’s most serious scandals, from his apparent family history of tax fraud, to his ongoing abuse of office for self-enrichment, to his well-documented attempts at obstruction of justice.
The New York Times counts twelve active congressional investigations into White House misconduct. The speed with which the Ukraine scandal has unfolded, and the administration’s panicked acquiescence to disclosure demands once House Democrats made impeachment semi-official, should be a blueprint for getting to the bottom of all of those things.
Almost Lunch Thread
Had a car errand to run this morning. What did I miss?
..."Yes I do think my readers are stupid. Now stop complaining and subscribe!!!!"
..."Yes I do think my readers are stupid. Now stop complaining and subscribe!!!!"
I deleted a tweet I wrote last night that didn't give the full picture of the story I helped report yesterday with 9 colleagues on voters' reaction to impeachment. There were a range of views from all over the country. It wasn't focused on swing voters https://t.co/LtBqS62Gq2
— Sabrina Tavernise (@stavernise) September 26, 2019
That Fucking Newspaper
Even worse than the BBC's Brexit vox pops.
Ah, yes, the American swing voter. The MAGA mom. The woman who voted for Trump in 2016 and Republicans in 2018. The guy with the Robert E. Lee portrait. The woman who went to 23 Trump rallies.
I talked with six swing voters today. Impeachment repelled every one of them. This could cost Dems at polls. Great Iowa and Colorado insights from @tripgabriel and @jackhealyNYT https://t.co/wAHW77oyXV
— Sabrina Tavernise (@stavernise) September 26, 2019
Ah, yes, the American swing voter. The MAGA mom. The woman who voted for Trump in 2016 and Republicans in 2018. The guy with the Robert E. Lee portrait. The woman who went to 23 Trump rallies.
Wednesday, September 25, 2019
Fall Fundraising Funstravaganza Day 5
Forgot about day 4. Yesterday was a bit busy.
2 millionth contributor gets a lifetime supply of nugs!
2 millionth contributor gets a lifetime supply of nugs!
Clown Show
According to my deep reporting on twitter, the White House sent their impeachment talking points to House Democrats (mistakenly) and then asked for them to be recalled.
A lesson in the extreme difficulty of unshitting the bed.
I'm sure Trump is surrounded by only complete idiots at this point, and also that he's just randomly raging at people to DO SOMETHING.
A lesson in the extreme difficulty of unshitting the bed.
I'm sure Trump is surrounded by only complete idiots at this point, and also that he's just randomly raging at people to DO SOMETHING.
Who Hates Him
Though it's not a transcript it is quite damning. Even more damning than I would have expected a real transcript to be!
President brain worms thinks it's great, though. Either the people who work with him are as dumb as he is or after hours of him raging they just said, "ah, fuck it, this is great for you, Mr. President. Release it, asshole."
Will the Democrats apologize after seeing what was said on the call with the Ukrainian President? They should, a perfect call - got them by surprise!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 25, 2019
President brain worms thinks it's great, though. Either the people who work with him are as dumb as he is or after hours of him raging they just said, "ah, fuck it, this is great for you, Mr. President. Release it, asshole."
Not A Transcript
Journalists regularly do things like "take notes" and also "record conversations and then have them transcribed" and know the difference but it's all so confusing.
The article+headline refers to it 6 times as a transcript before that 12th paragraph.
President Trump told his Ukrainian counterpart to work with the U.S. attorney general to investigate the conduct of Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden and offered to meet with the foreign leader at the White House after he promised to conduct such an inquiry, according to a newly-released transcript of the call.
...
The transcript, in keeping with White House practice, is a memorandum of a telephone conversation and is not a verbatim account of the conversation. The text reflects the notes and memories of officials in the Situation Room. A disclaimer in the transcript warns that a number of factors “can affect the accuracy of the record, including poor telecommunications connections and variations in accent.”
The article+headline refers to it 6 times as a transcript before that 12th paragraph.
PRESIDENTIAL HARASSMENT
I find this to be Trump's funniest regular tweet. I get that the nurturing of outrage about constant victimhood is a key appeal for segments of the conservative movement, but that has to be a little inclusive. WHITE MALE CHRISTIANS ARE HARASSED. "WE" ARE HARASSED. Even DONALD TRUMP IS HARASSED as MAGAs identify with Trump, the man.
But PRESIDENTIAL HARASSMENT is, well, it's the president.
But PRESIDENTIAL HARASSMENT is, well, it's the president.
Morning Thread
I don't think the he's too stupid to understand what he did was against the law is going to fly. Just a thought.
Tuesday, September 24, 2019
America's Mayor
Not actually working for the USG, by the way.
“Rudy — he did all of this,” one U.S. official said. “This s---show that we’re in — it’s him injecting himself into the process.”
Several officials traced their initial concerns about the path of U.S.-Ukrainian relations to news reports and interviews granted by Giuliani in which he began to espouse views and concerns that did not appear connected to U.S. priorities or policy.
The former New York mayor appears to have seen Zelensky, a political neophyte elected president of Ukraine in April and sworn in in May, as a potential ally on two political fronts: punishing those Giuliani suspected of playing a role in exposing the Ukraine-related corruption of former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort, and delivering political ammunition against Biden.
Don't Walk It Back
WaPo says:
Don't want anybody, a few hours from now, being like "oh, actually, it's a committee to form a committee."
I know I'm skeptical, but why go with a clear message when a muddled one is so much...um.. more muddled?
BREAKING NEWS
Pelosi to announce formal impeachment inquiry of Trump
Don't want anybody, a few hours from now, being like "oh, actually, it's a committee to form a committee."
I know I'm skeptical, but why go with a clear message when a muddled one is so much...um.. more muddled?
He Admitted The Crimes To Lester Holt
Remember that? Long time ago. It was an SNL joke. Then...nothing happened. The Dems didn't have the House then so of course nothing happened. Still, that moment happened. And numerous other moments, often on teevee or the twitter box.
Point being... that there should be impeachment hearings to make the case to the public is clear. There should be no doubt that the right vote is to vote to impeach based on what we already know.
I don't know how you start this (if they are) without knowing that, but....
The Democrats!
Point being... that there should be impeachment hearings to make the case to the public is clear. There should be no doubt that the right vote is to vote to impeach based on what we already know.
I don't know how you start this (if they are) without knowing that, but....
The Democrats!
Are They Gonna Do It
I've said all along that impeachment, while seemingly deserved, was arguably not strictly necessary (I'd take the other side of that argument, but..). But then Barr came in with "LOL Congress can't even speak to witnesses unless we approve it no matter who they are unless they're impeaching (and probably not then)" or some shit like that and... well, what are you going to do about it?
Solar Shingle
I started paying attention to Elon Musk because of his stupid hyperloop and fake and dangerous self-driving cars that will be here any day now, 6 weeks, a year, tops, but basically he's generally a huckster. His "solar shingles" looked neat when he unveiled them but, as he often does, he promised a technology before it existed. Though in this case it wasn't simply a prototype that wasn't quite ready for mass production. It was nothing. A fake.
In October 2016, Musk whipped up solar-product excitement by unveiling a “solar roof” on the old set of ABC’s “Desperate Housewives.” The roof integrated solar cells with shingles, which were to be sold through Tesla stores and available for commercial deployment.
The shingle Musk held turned out to be fake, but that was not widely known when Tesla shareholders voted to acquire SolarCity in November, 2016.
Only Realistic Path
I don't what the Democrats are going to do, but their failure to come out of the box running in January, or at least the second the Mueller report dropped, due to I think general lack organization and laziness in the first instance and cable news brain in the second (or, simply, we thought Mueller would save us but he didn't convince the NYT and CNN so shruggy), has made impeachment the only sensible option. If they'd decided to stand up to the bullying - essentially saying 'cut this shit out' by actually demanding people obey subpoenas and answer questions - they probably could have forced them to behave enough that the "delay until election season" strategy would work.
The answer to "what're you going to do about it?" was, too many times, "absolutely nothing."
The answer to "what're you going to do about it?" was, too many times, "absolutely nothing."
Nobody Understands The UK Political System
But their Supreme Court just told Boris that shutting down parliament was unlawful and it has to come back in session.
Fun times.
Fun times.
Monday, September 23, 2019
Totally Normal President
Gotta wait to see what all the facts are.
President Trump told his acting chief of staff, Mick Mulvaney, to hold back almost $400 million in military aid for Ukraine at least a week before a phone call in which Trump is said to have pressured the Ukrainian president to investigate the son of former vice president Joe Biden, according to three senior administration officials.
Fall Fundraising Funstravaganza Day 3!
Thank you for your support.
Gonna get that Nobel prize with your help.
Gonna get that Nobel prize with your help.
Waiting For The Moment
Basically the Democrats want a video of Trump killing a guy with his bare hands, followed by a phone call to Putin where he says,"here is my bank account where you can the deposit the ten million we agreed to."
Then then they want all the Wise Old Men Of Washington (who are almost all Republicans, it's weird) to agree that Trump must go, and for Mitch get get on board, and then it just happens all very easily and requires no work.
Leadership!
Then then they want all the Wise Old Men Of Washington (who are almost all Republicans, it's weird) to agree that Trump must go, and for Mitch get get on board, and then it just happens all very easily and requires no work.
Leadership!
Green Lanternism
Presidents have immense perfectly legal power. It is frustrating that people pretend otherwise.
Without signing a single new law, the next president can lower prescription drug prices, cancel student debt, break up the big banks, give everybody who wants one a bank account, counteract the dominance of monopoly power, protect farmers from price discrimination and unfair dealing, force divestment from fossil fuel projects, close a slew of tax loopholes, hold crooked CEOs accountable, mandate reductions of greenhouse gas emissions, allow the effective legalization of marijuana, make it easier for 800,000 workers to join a union, and much, much more. We have compiled a series of essays to explain precisely how, and under what authority, the next president can accomplish all this.Much in our system prevents action and spreads blame around, but presidents do have power so stop saying they don't.
Almost Nobody Actually Gets Cancelled
But the belief that "people being mean to powerful people on twitter" is worse than the holocaust is a common one among powerful people who think everybody should be an adoring fan.
SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP
I am quite sure that the belief of the Dem leadership is they just have to ride this shit out until the primaries start and then "oh well, election is here, can't possibly do anything now just vote you losers it's up to you!!!"
We have elections every two years. We have presidential elections every 4, and that process basically takes up 2 years. The window for doing anything about anything is apparently very small.
We have elections every two years. We have presidential elections every 4, and that process basically takes up 2 years. The window for doing anything about anything is apparently very small.
Stranded
I'm trying to imagine this happening in the US with hundreds of thousands stranded in various places in the world and whether it would even occur to anybody to do anything to help get people home.
The UK Civil Aviation Authority announced at about 2am that Thomas Cook Group has ceased trading with immediate effect, with all flights and holidays cancelled.
Peter Fankhauser, the chief executive of Thomas Cook, said the tour operator’s
collapse was a “matter of profound regret” as he apologised to the company’s
“millions of customers, and thousands of employees”.
The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) said the government had asked it to launch a repatriation programme over the next two weeks, starting on Monday and running to Sunday 6 October, to bring Thomas Cook customers back to the UK.
Dozens of charter planes have been brought in from as far afield as Malaysia to assist with the mass airlift.
Transport secretary Grant Shapps said all customers currently abroad with Thomas Cook who are booked to return to the UK over the next two weeks will be brought home as close as possible to their booked return date, in “the biggest peacetime repatriation in UK history” and asked for patience from travellers as the returns were sorted out.
Sunday, September 22, 2019
So What Are You Going To Do About It
I probably posted this before but I remember some Obama person (forget who) complaining that when Mitch made clear that he wasn't going to do anything with Garland that this was basically the angle reporters took. And, ok, I get that it's maddening when that is the angle, but while the press deserves criticism for always treating Republicans as the protagonists in The Politics Story - sometimes flawed, but always the center of the story - sometimes you can't really blame them. Obama didn't get outraged on behalf of Garland, so it was ridiculous to expect the press to get outraged on his behalf.
Scary
SHIT IS GONNA GET REAL
Potentially significant. In new letter to lawmakers, PELOSI says if the admin fails to turn over whistleblower complaint, the investigation will enter “a whole new stage” pic.twitter.com/nsY8qbDtAo
— Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) September 22, 2019
FALL FUNDRAISING FUNSTRAVAGANZA DAY 2
Read for free or consider if this is worth a few milky coffee drinks! Your choice!
Saturday, September 21, 2019
What's It All About Then
I don't think it's ageist to suggest that after a certain point "sipping wine in Italy" has a bit more allure than "desperately trying to save the world."
I'm 47 and I'm tired of trying to save the world. Give me all of your money to make me less tired!!! (joke, ok not joke)
I'm 47 and I'm tired of trying to save the world. Give me all of your money to make me less tired!!! (joke, ok not joke)
Remember When
Philadelphia resident Melissa Dunphy wrote the Gonzales Cantata. Sadly, nobody recalls the attorney scandal.
You don't recall.
You don't recall.
Saturday Afternoon
Nobody likes my taste in music. My taste in music is good! You are all dumb. Even Yuja doesn't return my calls. Very sad.
Give me all your money!
Give me all your money!
FALL FUNDRAISING FUNSTRAVAGNZA
Remember the internet? It ain't what it used to be. A lot of reasons for that. A big one is that google and facebook ate all the advertising money. I suspect they're going to kill the golden goose but not soon. This dumb blog is not golden, but despite how it looks I do spend a lot of time here and while I wish advertising would pay the bills (it used to) it no longer does. Advertising is liberating. Dumb assholes pay you money to hawk t-shirts or whatever. Asking people to pay is much more stressful. I've always hated it. But still this isn't charity. I eat. But if you value this dumb blog and are the kind of person who pays for other similar things, consider giving a bit here. My local NPR executive makes almost a million bucks a year so whenever I feel bad about begging for money...
Friday, September 20, 2019
Late Night
Rock on.
Left to right (upside down first shot)
Trevor Rabin is 65
Jon Anderson is 74
Alan White is 70
Tony Kaye is 74
Chris Squire is dead, would be 71
Left to right (upside down first shot)
Trevor Rabin is 65
Jon Anderson is 74
Alan White is 70
Tony Kaye is 74
Chris Squire is dead, would be 71
Fit To Hissy
I think the Rules Of Political Journalism are dumb and bad. Journalists shouldn't cover every Republican hissy fit as if it was a good faith event. However... Democrats can't complain too much if they don't even throw their own hissy fits for legitimate reasons.
Chimpeachment
I was never really on board with the "impeach Bush" movement because for a variety of reasons too long for the margin of this blog post I got why it just wasn't going to fly (a big reason was Dem complicity in too much which is not good but whatchagonnado). Which is not to say that I agreed with the general lack of oversight and "look forward" sentiment.
But for a lot of reasons also too long for the margin of this blog post, including the "impeachment is the only way to hold anyone who has ever even looked at the president accountable" view voiced by our great and wonderful Attorney General, it's gotta happen.
Like many things which "gotta happen" including that winning lottery ticket it won't actually happen, but...
But for a lot of reasons also too long for the margin of this blog post, including the "impeachment is the only way to hold anyone who has ever even looked at the president accountable" view voiced by our great and wonderful Attorney General, it's gotta happen.
Like many things which "gotta happen" including that winning lottery ticket it won't actually happen, but...
With Great Power Blah Blah Blah
I pick on Pelosi because she's the only Dem who really has power at the moment. And she does *have power*. When the Dems are locked out of power completely they genuinely have the excuse that they can't do much more than sternly worded tweets (née letters). Then they mobilize people, ask for campaign contributions, run on doing stuff and... well, do it.
Generations
All of these lines are somewhat arbitrary but they do have somewhat agreed on definitions.
The oldest boomers are about 74.
The oldest millennials are about 38.
Xers are a myth.
The oldest boomers are about 74.
The oldest millennials are about 38.
Xers are a myth.
Thursday, September 19, 2019
Rich People Are Dumb (Or Lying As They Talk Their Book)
LOL.
Ellison, who sits on the board of Tesla (TSLA), and considers Elon Musk a close friend, also asserted that Tesla could roll out a ride-sharing service with autonomously driven cars at prices two-thirds below what Uber charges, while also ensuring people get to their destinations safely.Robotaxis are coming any day now. Six months, a year, tops, depending on regulatory approval.
Good Thing It's Friday
Is a thing I thought, before thinking another thing, which was that the first thing was wrong.
Here's one for your MIND.
Here's one for your MIND.
Information Flow
When I am in charge of that for the next Democratic president, I will ban all David Brooks columns from the Oval Office.
Well At Least There Is The Power Of The Purse
Haha, no.
I got nothin'.
Pelosi has been firm in telling her caucus that Democrats needed to back a “clean” funding measure, and so far, many progressives and Latino Democrats have agreed to hold their fire for later this fall, unwilling to block the bill and take blame for a shutdown.And then in November after the election [voice in earpiece: there is no election] I mean, um, in November things will be different because, um?
I got nothin'.
Stop Bothering
If Democrats can't even manage to game out what to do when they, say, subpoena someone and they don't respond appropriately, just stop bothering at all. Are we gonna hold the guy in contempt or not? Pretty simple, really. Have a plan. And if you aren't going to hold them in contempt, every time you don't you signal that people can show up in a mankini and sing the greatest hits of Snow instead of testifying and lol nothing matters.
I guess the only plan is they reduce the witness to a blubbering pile of goo like in some ridiculous courtroom drama... I CONFESS I CONFESS!!! I HELPED TRUMP DO ALL THE CRIMES!!!
Which won't happen, and even if it does the NYT headline will be:
I guess the only plan is they reduce the witness to a blubbering pile of goo like in some ridiculous courtroom drama... I CONFESS I CONFESS!!! I HELPED TRUMP DO ALL THE CRIMES!!!
Which won't happen, and even if it does the NYT headline will be:
Confession of Trump's Crimes Creates A Dilemma For DemocratsWhich would be ridiculous, but I have to admit, not actually wrong.
Wednesday, September 18, 2019
Pelosi's Going To Be So Mad
One more thing she's going to have to work to ignore.
The whistleblower complaint that has triggered a tense showdown between the U.S. intelligence community and Congress involves President Trump’s communications with a foreign leader, according to two former U.S. officials familiar with the matter.
Trump’s interaction with the foreign leader included a “promise” that was regarded as so troubling that it prompted an official in the U.S. intelligence community to file a formal whistleblower complaint with the inspector general for the intelligence community, said the officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.
When Winter Comes The Gorillas Simply Freeze To Death
What could go wrong.
Leach says scientists are worried that the invaders could alter the ecology of forests, killing off some species. "We're also starting to see early indications of displacement of other insects, and, as a result, displacement of birds as well," she says.
What could stop them? Leach mentions a idea that seems a little crazy at first. Maybe, if the problem came from China, the solution could, too.
You see, in China, the lanternfly has natural enemies that hold it in check. They are tiny wasps, so small you barely see them.
Scientists from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, working with colleagues from China, have brought two of these wasps to the U.S. under tight security. The wasps are under quarantine in a couple of USDA labs.
Communicate True Things Clearly To Readers/Viewers
Really is something that should have priority over the weird conventions of Bothsides and faux-objectivity.
But I've said this, like most things, a million times since I have been blogging and here we still are.
But I've said this, like most things, a million times since I have been blogging and here we still are.
What's It All About Then
I don't imagine a golden age of conservatism - either here or in the UK - but the degree to which the current leaders are completely incurious and incompetent is staggering. They were evil before, but now evil and lazy and dumb.
Boris Johnson expressed surprise to his advisers during lunch with Jean-Claude Juncker as he was informed about the scale of checks still needed on the island of Ireland under his alternative plan for the Irish border, according to EU sources.
The two-hour lunch in Luxembourg was said by both sides to have been “positive” but EU officials conceded the advantage for them had been in being able to spell out the problems directly to the prime minister. “It seems to have helped the penny drop,” said one diplomatic source.
During talks with Juncker and the EU’s chief negotiator, Michel Barnier, the prime minister was shown in detail how allowing Northern Ireland to stick to common EU rules on food and livestock, known as sanitary and phytosanitary measures (SPS), would still fail to avoid checks on the vast majority of goods that cross the Irish border.
Gotta Eat, Drink, and Breathe
I'm always a bit puzzled that rich people don't care much about the food supply (or air or water). I don't care how much you only eat at the fanciest restaurants or get your ribs from artisanal pork resorts, unless you put yourself in a bubble, money doesn't really let you escape contamination. Sure rich people tend not to live next to superfund sites, but they do eat, drink, and breathe.
There are two big changes at the heart of the new regulations.
One is the increasing delegation of inspection responsibilities to local plant employees, who are not obligated to have undergone any particular training in food safety or regulatory compliance.
The other is an increase in “line speeds.” Faster line speeds mean that more pigs can be killed each minute, which increases capacity for the slaughterhouses but also makes some inspection tasks much harder to carry out. In September, the Trump administration approved faster line speeds for poultry. The administration is also looking into reforming the regulations for beef.
Our Failed Media Experiment
Corey Lewandowski:
BARRY BERKE: Did you hear that sir? That was you saying, on MSNBC, you don't ever remember the president ever asking you to get involved with Jeff Sessions or the Department of Justice in any way, shape, or form. That wasn't true, was it sir?CNN:
COREY LEWANDOWSKI: I heard that.
BERKE: And that was not true, was it?
LEWANDOWSKI: I have no obligation to be honest with the media 'cause they're just as dishonest as anybody else.
COMING UP: Former Trump campaign manager @CLewandowski_ LIVE on @CNN's @NewDay at 8amET on yesterday's contentious hearing and impeachment.
— Javi Morgado (@javimorgado) September 18, 2019
Tuesday, September 17, 2019
Pariahs
I chuckled when people kept saying the post-Trump life of Trumpkins would be difficult due to all the shunning.
The Atlantic Festival will open next Tuesday with Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi in conversation with The Atlantic’s editor in chief Jeffrey Goldberg, kicking off three full days of events from September 24-26, 2019, at the Harman Center for the Arts and venues across Washington, D.C.’s Penn Quarter neighborhood. Also just announced: Kirstjen Nielsen, former Secretary of Homeland Security; and Disney CEO Bob Iger in conversation with Laurene Powell Jobs, founder and president of Emerson Collective, which is the majority owner of The Atlantic.
A Tribute To Cokie Roberts
A great piece at NPR.
Political journalist George Will, who worked with Roberts on ABC's This Week, said Roberts was not just born to the political class but was a natural inhabitant.
"She liked people on both sides of the aisle and had friends on both sides of the aisle," Will told NPR. "If you don't like the game of politics, I don't see how you write about it well," he said. "She liked the game of politics and she understood that it was a game."
...
Will said that although Washington is a "town of short leases," with people constantly coming and going, Roberts represented the permanent Washington, a kind of figure who was constant through decades of political change: "The Washington not often denounced by people who denounce Washington because they don't know it exists," Will said. "Cokie represented the durable, ongoing Washington that is a custodian of the manners of the city and the sociability of the city that makes it really function."
All Options Are Off The Table
Aside from not actually doing anything to confront the grifter corruption in the White House (or anything else), the leadership keeps loudly announcing that they aren't going to do anything.
What could go wrong?
What could go wrong?
Why Would You Think That
And why would you say it out loud to Politico.
caveat that these "sources" could be anybody, but.. All signs do point to Democrats wanting to win because Republicans lose, which is basically what every non-presidential election in my lifetime has been like. Hopefully they pants themselves and we can trip over the finish line.
For three years I have been trying to popularize the phrase #LearnedHelplessness among Democrats.
— Jeff Hauser (@jeffhauser) September 17, 2019
Here's @playbookplus providing the latest support for my thesis. pic.twitter.com/axKVcunt3A
caveat that these "sources" could be anybody, but.. All signs do point to Democrats wanting to win because Republicans lose, which is basically what every non-presidential election in my lifetime has been like. Hopefully they pants themselves and we can trip over the finish line.
LOL ANYTHING GOES
I remember when the press would run detailed discussions about the legal nuances of the concept of Executive Privilege and what would or wouldn't legitimately fall under it. Now Trump just says anyone who talks to me, the executive, ever about anything has to shut their piehole if I tell them to. Congressional subpoenas? hahaha.
And, ok, but what are the Democrats going to do about it? They don't have infinite power, but I keep wondering if they've gamed it out at all? And so far the answer is no.
The only possible game is that both sides are deliberately running out the clock which is about to run out.
And, ok, but what are the Democrats going to do about it? They don't have infinite power, but I keep wondering if they've gamed it out at all? And so far the answer is no.
Mr. Lewandowski, please answer the question.
LOL No.
Thank you for your time and service, Mr. Lewandowski.
The only possible game is that both sides are deliberately running out the clock which is about to run out.
Monday, September 16, 2019
"Level Of Sophistication"
Our sophisticated reporters eat that one up every time.
“This attack had a level of sophistication we have not seen before,” a congressional source said.
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) September 16, 2019
US officials said there was extremely compelling evidence showing the origination point of the strikes, and one official with direct knowledge described that evidence as imagery.
Sure They're Incompetent And Evil
But let me go on Fox and suggest they could run a war against a country 4 times the size of California and the population of Germany perfectly well.
Also, love our troops, who have a great leader, Donald Trump.
Sen. Chris Coons: "This may well be the thing that calls for military action against Iran, if that's what the intelligence supports." pic.twitter.com/qnUZ341EZ7
— Bobby Lewis (@revrrlewis) September 16, 2019
Also, love our troops, who have a great leader, Donald Trump.
WE WILL NEVER STOP FIGHTING FOR YOUUUUU
You can't hype the Trump administration as corrupt and working for Putin and then turn around and say "well we can't risk angering conservative voters by trying to do anything about it."
Why do people think we're wimps? Mystery.
Why do people think we're wimps? Mystery.
Just Tell Us Who To Shoot
I try to avoid Trump tweets, but this one is special even for him.
One thing I find fascinating is basically everybody who works in DC in any capacity has been dreaming of war with Iran for decades and somehow they can't make it happen. I don't quite understand the desire for war in Iran (I've heard all the explanations and none of them make any sense to me, even from the perspective of the "crazy people want to bomb everybody"), but I admittedly also don't understand how they haven't managed to make it happen.
Saudi Arabia oil supply was attacked. There is reason to believe that we know the culprit, are locked and loaded depending on verification, but are waiting to hear from the Kingdom as to who they believe was the cause of this attack, and under what terms we would proceed!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 15, 2019
One thing I find fascinating is basically everybody who works in DC in any capacity has been dreaming of war with Iran for decades and somehow they can't make it happen. I don't quite understand the desire for war in Iran (I've heard all the explanations and none of them make any sense to me, even from the perspective of the "crazy people want to bomb everybody"), but I admittedly also don't understand how they haven't managed to make it happen.
Age Is A Funny Thing
I was a young music listener when The Cars were popular. The funny thing is that Led Zeppelin was by that time, while still popular, a Dinosaur Rock band, and The Cars were a hip MTV band, and Robert Plant was born in 1948 and Ric Ocasek in 1945. Led Zeppelin is just an example. All those dinosaur rock guys just got popular before the ones that followed them did, even though the ones who followed them were often about the same age.
Sunday, September 15, 2019
How Is This Newspaper Real
Tweet since deleted.
Something is wrong with the people who go to work at the New York Times.
For posterity. pic.twitter.com/CHmWHk6qih
— Brian Beutler (@brianbeutler) September 15, 2019
Something is wrong with the people who go to work at the New York Times.
Saturday, September 14, 2019
Friday, September 13, 2019
The Rabid Lambs Of The Internet
More elites complaining about blogofascism people being mean to them on twitter.
For years I never really understood this but recently somebody explained it to me. I though they were all just sensitive souls, whose life of privilege had previously shielded from such things. There is that, too, of course. But it isn't simply that they're not used to hearing criticism, it's that they show up on the twitter thinking they're going to be met by adoring fans, and then they say something stupid and realize a lot of people really can't fucking stand them. But you like me, you really like me!!! nope.
For years I never really understood this but recently somebody explained it to me. I though they were all just sensitive souls, whose life of privilege had previously shielded from such things. There is that, too, of course. But it isn't simply that they're not used to hearing criticism, it's that they show up on the twitter thinking they're going to be met by adoring fans, and then they say something stupid and realize a lot of people really can't fucking stand them. But you like me, you really like me!!! nope.
If Only People Just Stop Saying Mean Things
I started writing a longer post, but... people are gonna have billions of bucks to say mean things about their political opponents and they're going to do it.
In that contrast resides something that deserves more attention about the Biden age issue. The question isn’t merely whether Biden has the stamina for a grueling campaign, or whether Biden will be able to handle debates with Trump.
It’s also whether Biden or indeed other Democrats are prepared for the massive onslaught of absolutely brutal and distortive attacks that Trump and his propaganda apparatus will wage on this particular front — attacks that you can be certain will include all sorts of shamelessly propagandistic media manipulation and outright disinformation tactics.
Joe
I just can't stop imagining a debate between Trump and Biden and absolutely no one having any idea what either them is saying.
What's This Dumb Blog For
Often people often give me credit for things which I probably don't deserve. Jokes or phrases (sometimes the kids call them "memes") that I probably just "popularized" to the extent that a sucky blog can, rather than invented, though most of the time I don't even know.
Still I at least help contribute to the idea that merely playing defense on Social Security is neither smart politically (this is so obvious that I get enraged that some dumb blogger has to explain it) nor on the merits. Politicians don't always mean what they say or do what they say they will do, but 17 years of this dumb blog and I've at least played some role in helping to make sure that it's going to be quite difficult for any prominent Democrat to play footsie with the "cut Social Security" crowd.
This isn't new for Warren, either, though some specifics are. From 2013:
Also, too, offense is the best defense and we shouldn't clap too loudly when Democrats give us the absolute bare minimum we should expect from Democrats. I don't really mean this as a knock on any particular politician, including Obama, but quite often Obama did things and his people wondered why people didn't clap louder and it was like... we voted for a Democrat, doing completely basic Democrat things shouldn't require applause. Simply stopping the evil plans of the Republicans is less than the bare minimum when they are in power.
Still I at least help contribute to the idea that merely playing defense on Social Security is neither smart politically (this is so obvious that I get enraged that some dumb blogger has to explain it) nor on the merits. Politicians don't always mean what they say or do what they say they will do, but 17 years of this dumb blog and I've at least played some role in helping to make sure that it's going to be quite difficult for any prominent Democrat to play footsie with the "cut Social Security" crowd.
This isn't new for Warren, either, though some specifics are. From 2013:
That is why we should be talking about expanding Social Security benefits — not cutting them. Senator Harkin from Iowa, Senator Begich from Alaska, Senator Sanders from Vermont, and others have been pushing hard in that direction. Social Security is incredibly effective, it is incredibly popular, and the calls for strengthening it are growing louder every day.
Also, too, offense is the best defense and we shouldn't clap too loudly when Democrats give us the absolute bare minimum we should expect from Democrats. I don't really mean this as a knock on any particular politician, including Obama, but quite often Obama did things and his people wondered why people didn't clap louder and it was like... we voted for a Democrat, doing completely basic Democrat things shouldn't require applause. Simply stopping the evil plans of the Republicans is less than the bare minimum when they are in power.
Playing to Win
Joe Biden loves Barack Obama. His best friend. I believe that. It's also a bit weird, but I'll let that go. He also truly believes that the reason that Republicans wouldn't work with him, the reason Republicans were mean to him, was because he was black. It is true that the election of a black president caused brains to snap a bit more than usual than whenever a Democrat is elected president, but only a little bit. I remember the Clinton years. Neoliberal sellout Jimmy Carter is history's greatest monster. They weren't elected, but I remember the Gore and Kerry campaigns.
The Republican party, from Mitch McConnell on down to that nice old racist at the diner, does not believe that anyone with a D after their name has a right to be president, and much of Official Washington - even the supposedly nonaligned part - basically agrees with them. Bill Clinton was "not my president" and the day after election day 2008 every pundit rushed to their computers and to the TV studios to reassure us that what Barack Obama's election proves, most importantly, is that America Is A Center Right Nation. Miraculously, the American People are right where Official Washington is! Amazing.
Joe Biden believes that he is the only candidate who will be treated "fairly," that his good friends, those fine people in the Republican party, wouldn't possibly be mean to kindly old white Uncle Joe.
The presidency is a big prize and Republicans play to win. I'm not always sure what game Democrats are playing, but they should at least understand the game that Republicans are.
The Republican party, from Mitch McConnell on down to that nice old racist at the diner, does not believe that anyone with a D after their name has a right to be president, and much of Official Washington - even the supposedly nonaligned part - basically agrees with them. Bill Clinton was "not my president" and the day after election day 2008 every pundit rushed to their computers and to the TV studios to reassure us that what Barack Obama's election proves, most importantly, is that America Is A Center Right Nation. Miraculously, the American People are right where Official Washington is! Amazing.
Joe Biden believes that he is the only candidate who will be treated "fairly," that his good friends, those fine people in the Republican party, wouldn't possibly be mean to kindly old white Uncle Joe.
The presidency is a big prize and Republicans play to win. I'm not always sure what game Democrats are playing, but they should at least understand the game that Republicans are.
How It's Gonna Play
After debate commentary is the purest evidence that the people who are paid the most and pretend to be the most sophisticated of politics understanders have skills and interests which should lead them to write B-List movie reviews for their neighborhood circular, which they would also be very bad at.
That these theater critics are often packaged as - and seem to believe that they are - just neutral observers, referees calling balls and strikes and pinocchios, makes it more maddening.
That these theater critics are often packaged as - and seem to believe that they are - just neutral observers, referees calling balls and strikes and pinocchios, makes it more maddening.
Okay Then
I can't cope.
Linsey Davis: Mr. Vice President, I want to talk to you about inequality in schools and race. In a conversation about how to deal with segregation in schools back in 1975, you told a reporter, “I don’t feel responsible for the sins of my father and grandfather. I feel responsible for what the situation is today, for the sins of my own generation, and I’ll be damned if I feel responsible to pay for what happened 300 years ago.” You said that some 40 years ago, but as you stand here tonight, what responsibility do you think that Americans need to take to repair the legacy of slavery in our country?My response to the legacy of slavery is the black (POOR) parents are bad and need to play their record players and also Maduro.
Joe Biden: Well, they have to deal with the … Look, there is institutional segregation in this country. And from the time I got involved, I started dealing with that. Redlining, banks, making sure that we are in a position where—
Look, we talk about education. I propose that what we take is those very poor schools, the Title 1 schools, triple the amount of money we spend from $15 to $45 billion a year. Give every single teacher a raise to the equal of … A raise of getting out of the $60,000 level.
No. 2, make sure that we bring in to the help with the stud—the teachers deal with the problems that come from home. The problems that come from home, we need… We have one school psychologist for every 1,500 kids in America today. It’s crazy. The teachers are required—I’m married to a teacher. My deceased wife is a teacher. They have every problem coming to them.
Make sure that every single child does, in fact, have three, four, and five-year-olds go to school. School! Not day care, school. We bring social workers into homes of parents to help them deal with how to raise their children. It’s not that they don’t want to help. They don’t know what— They don’t know what quite what to do. Play the radio. Make sure the television—excuse me, make sure you have the record player on at night. The phone—make sure the kids hear words. A kid coming from a very poor school—er, a very poor background will hear 4 million words fewer spoken by the time they get there.
Davis: Thank you, Mr. Vice President.
Biden: No, I’m going to go like the rest of them do, twice over, OK? Because here’s the deal. The deal is that we’ve got this a little backwards. And by the way, in Venezuela, we should be allowing people to come here from Venezuela. I know Maduro. I’ve confronted Maduro. No. 2, you talk about the need to do something in Latin America. I’m the guy that came up with $740 million to see to it those three countries, in fact, change their system so people don’t have to chance to leave. You’re all acting like we just discovered this yesterday! Thank you very much.
Thursday, September 12, 2019
Have You Tried Looking At His Twitter?
If you're gonna bullshit people get better at it.
Pelosi gets testy with a reporter who asks her about House Dems' mixed messaging on impeachment, says the American people "understand that impeachment is a very divisive measure. But if we have to go there, we'll have to go there. But we can't go there unless we have the facts." pic.twitter.com/9JtDvqdZ7X
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) September 12, 2019
Little Things
I'm all for SUPERTRAINS but there are lots of little projects (electrification, double tracking, bridge repairs, also just RUNNING MORE EFFING TRAINS) that can improve our rail network.
We had some pretty super trains that weren't actually SUPERTRAINS by modern standards back in the day. New York to Chicago in <16 hours back in the good old days. 60 MPH average speed. Top speed is sexy, but average speed is what matters... If only there had been more shovel ready projects.
The federal government has signed off on Virginia’s plans to expand the number of railway tracks between D.C. and Richmond, which will mean more passenger train capacity, increased reliability and a slight uptick in train speeds in the future.
The DC2RVA high speed rail project would add a third track along the stretch between the two cities, and a fourth track from Alexandria to Long Bridge, which connects Virginia and D.C. over the Potomac River.
We had some pretty super trains that weren't actually SUPERTRAINS by modern standards back in the day. New York to Chicago in <16 hours back in the good old days. 60 MPH average speed. Top speed is sexy, but average speed is what matters... If only there had been more shovel ready projects.
Crazy Ideas
Not so sure I'm on board. Seems nuts.
Warren’s plan goes quite a bit further. It includes the cost-of-living adjustment, the minimum monthly benefit, and an across-the-board benefit hike. But that across-the-board jump comes to $200 a month immediately for every current and future recipient, along with several other changes focused on women, caregivers, people with disabilities, and people of color. The $2,400 a year extra for everyone is nearly double what the Larson/Sanders plan gives to its poorest beneficiaries.
An independent analysis from Mark Zandi of Moody’s estimates that the Warren Social Security plan would increase average benefits by almost 25 percent for the lower half of income earners. It would lift 4.9 million seniors out of poverty, slashing the senior poverty rate by over two-thirds. And once it kicks in, it would steadily and modestly grow the economy by putting more money in the hands of seniors who are likely to spend it. “The plan results in a much more progressive Social Security system,” Zandi writes.
THERE ARE CAREERS AT STAKE
A depressing thing is realizing how much of what goes on in politics is about the careers of people and their networks. Obviously someone on a campaign payroll is working for a campaign. That's fine. People need jobs. But there's the broader candidate orbit, including media figures (not just people working for the media, but the kinds of people who contribute or write opinion pieces).
It's a team sport.
It's a team sport.
Wednesday, September 11, 2019
A Little Bit Of Bread And No Cheese
Nothing to worry about.
The reliance of medical supplies on cross-Channel routes “make them particularly vulnerable to severe extended delays”, the report says, with some medicines having such short shelf lives they cannot be stockpiled. A lack of veterinary medicines could increase the risk of disease outbreaks, it adds.
On food supplies, supplies of “certain types of fresh food” would be reduced, the document warns, as well as other items such as packaging.
It says: “In combination, these two factors will not cause an overall shortage of food in the UK but will reduce availability and choice of products and will increase price, which could impact vulnerable groups.”
Later, it adds: “Low income groups will be disproportionately affected by any price rises in food and fuel.”
Oh Dear
Time for another blogger ethics panel.
It's an old joke, and for those who don't remember, there was a time when journalists were obsessed with the ethics-free zone of the INTERNET and had important panels on the ETHICS OF BLOGGING which were mostly about trying to impose "ethical standards" which didn't exist in journalism generally or anywhere else for that matter. One journalist said to me something like, "I think readers should be aware of potential financial conflicts of interests bloggers." Which, I mean, sure, but I responded, "does this apply to your op-ed contributors currently?" Would have to have a 10 page disclosure for some of these people.
Basically they were really really mad that they couldn't call a manager.
It's an old joke, and for those who don't remember, there was a time when journalists were obsessed with the ethics-free zone of the INTERNET and had important panels on the ETHICS OF BLOGGING which were mostly about trying to impose "ethical standards" which didn't exist in journalism generally or anywhere else for that matter. One journalist said to me something like, "I think readers should be aware of potential financial conflicts of interests bloggers." Which, I mean, sure, but I responded, "does this apply to your op-ed contributors currently?" Would have to have a 10 page disclosure for some of these people.
Basically they were really really mad that they couldn't call a manager.
Tell Us About It Grandpa
The last of the Vietnam war drafts was in 1972, the year I was born. I was 18 in 1990 (advanced math). The Vietnam War might as well have happened in another century to me. After 9/11 "we" went to war in Afghanistan, then Iraq, and then apparently everywhere, but the trauma of 9/11 day in the elite narrative mostly involves a bunch of pundits reminiscing about how they watched Rudy Giuliani wander around NYC on their TV screens, and retweeting Ari Fleischer's annual George Bush fan fiction.
I have no idea what The Kids Today make of all of this.
I have no idea what The Kids Today make of all of this.
The Summer of the Shark
"When it comes to my brother, there's one thing I know for sure. He kept us safe." - Jeb Bush.
Get A Load Of This Guy
Mr. President, SIRRAH, you are a BIG DISAPPOINTMENT TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE.
Professional Dems love to run Seinfeld campaigns.
Professional Dems love to run Seinfeld campaigns.
Morning Thread
I guess if someone paid me $1 million I would probably attend Politicon.
All right, let's make a deal. Wednesday, half off. $500,000 gets me there!
All right, let's make a deal. Wednesday, half off. $500,000 gets me there!
Tuesday, September 10, 2019
Is It Any Wonder That The Monkey's Confused?
Memory is a stranger.
“We have been in the midst of an impeachment investigation,” said Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), a member of the Judiciary Committee.
“No, we’re not in an impeachment investigation,” said a second lawmaker, Rep. Jim Himes (D-Conn.), a member of the House Intelligence Committee.
A third, Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.) said the House is investigating to determine “whether or not there should be an impeachment investigation.”
So Many Rich Donors
A problem in the world of progressive Big Non-Profit is that they rely on wealthy donors. Not just one idiosyncratic weirdo that you have to please but a lot of them, including corporate donors. It's pretty much impossible to advocate for a broad progressive agenda with so many masters. Always risking pissing some of them off.
John Flushed
One never really knows what is good news these days but John Bolton being kicked out of power can't be bad.
MAGA
I don't like the "WELL THEY VOTED FOR THIS" refrain because it's often applied to regions where of course not all people voted for "this" and also while smart voters like you and me knew better, during the campaign Trump said a lot of things and not all of them were actually bad, but...
Above my pay grade whether the USDA is bad (probably it is, in many ways, bad, as US ag policy is, in many ways, bad), but doubt this is a secret coup by soybean counters.
Instead of directing their anger at Trump, dozens of farmers interviewed by Reuters blasted the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and other Washington institutions they believe are thwarting his true agenda. Unsubstantiated conspiracy theories involving USDA staff are circulating in farm country and gaining traction online.
...
Trump voter Byron Heppler, a soybean and corn farmer from Calhoun, Kentucky, said he is open to considering other Republican candidates if any emerge. He said he believes USDA's research methods are flawed and he feels its employees want to unseat Trump, although he offered no evidence to back up those views.
Other disgruntled farmers have also alleged, without offering evidence, that federal agriculture employees are overestimating corn plantings as part of a plot to hurt Trump in the 2020 election. These farmers said they believe USDA employees are upset the administration is relocating hundreds of economists and other researchers to Kansas City from Washington.
Above my pay grade whether the USDA is bad (probably it is, in many ways, bad, as US ag policy is, in many ways, bad), but doubt this is a secret coup by soybean counters.
High Six Figures. 2 Columns Per Week.
Levitz is white and was mentioned several times in Douthat's (now corrected) piece. The actual writer is Zak Cheney-Rice, who is black.
Poor Ross can't see color. Or names.
Sooooo @DouthatNYT wrote a response to my husbands article but seems to think Eric Levitz wrote it. https://t.co/FdBoQY27Cj
— josie duffy rice (@jduffyrice) September 10, 2019
Poor Ross can't see color. Or names.
Monday, September 09, 2019
The Lamestream Media
I don't really care about Sarah and Todd Palin getting divorced, but it reminds me - as I am often reminded - of that 2 year or so period when Politico especially treated Sarah Palin as the most important politician in the country (reminder: she had just lost and some black guy was president and there was actually a lot going on). There was some mea culpa published at some point, but as with so much that our most highly paid journalists get wrong, she, and the coverage, just sort of faded away.
I bet even most of you, dear readers, have blocked it out, but my curse is to remember this stuff.
I bet even most of you, dear readers, have blocked it out, but my curse is to remember this stuff.
Shitshow And A Scam
These things would be funny except they're always used to derail useful things.
Today, Hyperloops still barely exist, limited thus far to experimental tracks that have yet to transport a person. But a growing number of people like Swartzwelter are invested, either financially or emotionally, in a Hyperloop future. The Hyperloop is still not close to reality, but whether out of deep concern for our environmental future, potential business opportunities, or sheer enthusiasm for the next great transportation innovation, its most fervent supporters feel it is closer than ever.
What Is Trump So Worried About
Is it the economy??? Is it the election??? Why is he acting out so much????
The brain worms are progressing and his usual obsessions (why don't people say enough nice things about me on teevee) are growing stronger and he's increasingly angry and confused as he is increasingly unable to understand what is going on around him.
Toddlers throw tantrums because they are confused and upset and don't have the words to explain it to themselves or to others. It isn't much more complicated than that.
The brain worms are progressing and his usual obsessions (why don't people say enough nice things about me on teevee) are growing stronger and he's increasingly angry and confused as he is increasingly unable to understand what is going on around him.
Toddlers throw tantrums because they are confused and upset and don't have the words to explain it to themselves or to others. It isn't much more complicated than that.
Who Are The Good Republicans?
Given the fantasy that the spell will break when Trump is out of office (I don't know if anybody believes this or if it is just marketing bullshit for the Morning Joe crowd and totebaggers), can anybody name them? And don't name someone who is like 85 and has been in the Senate since 1964. I'm sure you have spent many lovely hours in the Senate gym together, but...
Really, can *anybody* name them?
Really, can *anybody* name them?
Mika and Joe
Still bad people.
And then when Halperin’s pals Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski sought to collaborate with him on an online-only MSNBC broadcast analyzing the 2018 midterm elections, network brass shut down the entire plan. The failed scheme caused consternation within the building—“Everybody was going ‘WTF!,’” one MSNBC insider told The Daily Beast—and ultimately led to Halperin’s hostile call with Griffin.The bar needs to be a bit higher than "thinks Trump is bad."
Sunday, September 08, 2019
Honorable People Who Will Do Honorable Things
The Republican party is full of them, but somehow the nasty Trump has cast a spell on them! Break the spell!!
Not Even Sure What's Real Anymore
Just gonna pretend the yakety sax cat video is a joke. Maybe it is!
Saturday, September 07, 2019
Paper Fence
I am not naive enough to think that the Marshall of the Supreme Court was going to come and arrest Trump, or that any high ranking elites would ever suffer for anything, but I was naive enough to think that the Dems would offer up enough of a resistance (hashtag) to say, "cut this shit out." Instead they said, "keep taking our lunch money, please, Mr. President" and are less of a barrier to him than the Republicans were when they ran the House.
More and more crimes every day! The biggest crimes! The best crimes! And I just tweet them out!
More and more crimes every day! The biggest crimes! The best crimes! And I just tweet them out!
Owning The Libs
One thing about UK politics is that the Tories haven't quite figured out how to do their version of "owning the libs." Not in a consistent obvious fashion, anyway. Part of it's that a bunch of genuine upper class twits who went to Eton and Oxbridge can't quite pull off pretending they came from humble middle class backgrounds, like our Paul Ryans sorta can. And part of it is just that generally the culture war stuff doesn't have such a clear divide. The joke is that the tabloids there can spend 3 days creating outrage about something, and then the next 3 days creating outrage about the fact that anyone created outrage. So, yes, their right wing readers are a bunch of outrage junkies, but that they can flip between getting mad a schoolteacher for being gay (or whatever) and getting mad that anyone got mad at the poor schoolteacher 3 days later, makes it a bit harder to know where the consistent applause lines are.
Tosser
Just a righteous column mocking Boris.
For now, it feels remarkable to think that barely five weeks ago, the vast majority of Tory MPs were telling us Boris Johnson was the only possible answer to various questions. It turns out those questions were: “How would Dudley Dursley and Draco Malfoy’s baby look and behave?”, “What if you shaved the Honey Monster and put him in a suit for a court appearance?” and “Does anyone know the ancient Greek for shitting the bed?”.
Despite practising since boyhood, Boris Johnson’s entire demeanour is that of a man who has won a competition to lead the country for a day. He is Mike Bassett: England Prime Minister, yet wheels out jokes he’s done 437 times before as though he’s Frank Sinatra and reckons the crowd can’t wait to see him do My Way again. Johnson must be the only performer whose audience spends his gigs screaming: PLEASE, DO YOUR NEW STUFF.
Friday, September 06, 2019
Parked Vehicles
For a long time I said, about self-driving cars, that safety wasn't really the issue because, almost tautologically, if they work they'll be safe. I didn't bargain on Elon Musk.
“It’s not unique to Tesla,” said David Zuby, chief research officer at the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, which has studied how automated driver-assist systems perform. “We’ve seen evidence in our test driving of other systems with this kind of problem.”It isn't unique to Tesla, but Tesla is unique in overselling its products to consumers who want to believe.
The radars and cameras used to sense obstructions ahead each have their limitations and computer software that evaluates the data is still a work in progress, according to the experts and advocates. In many cases, they are better at tracking moving vehicles ahead than recognizing parked ones.
America's Dumbest Humans
Rich Lowry.
They're old now (me too!) but it's worth pondering when people like Lowry and Jonah Goldberg were like 15 years old and for some reason on our teevees all the time. It isn't that I object to younger people doing this stuff, it's just... why them? Why is Rich Lowry on my teevee telling me we have to invade Iraq? He can't find it on a map, either! I mean we know the answers, but they aren't good answers.
They're old now (me too!) but it's worth pondering when people like Lowry and Jonah Goldberg were like 15 years old and for some reason on our teevees all the time. It isn't that I object to younger people doing this stuff, it's just... why them? Why is Rich Lowry on my teevee telling me we have to invade Iraq? He can't find it on a map, either! I mean we know the answers, but they aren't good answers.
Sharpie Man
I try to keep "lol Trump is a big dum dum" posts to a minimum, as easy as they are, because as funny as he is (and I don't fault anyone for finding humor!), it's also... not funny. But Sharpie Man is something different. There is something indisputably not right with a man who did that. "Oh I'll just draw in a weird extra circle that looks absolutely nothing like anything else on the map and I'll get away with it."
The brain worms are winning.
It was Trump who used a black Sharpie to mark up an official National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration map, which he displayed during an Oval Office briefing on Wednesday, according to a White House official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations.Trump ordering his flunkies to doctor the map would also be bad, but bad in a different way, and they would have at least done a marginally better job.
“No one else writes like that on a map with a black Sharpie,” the official said of the map, which added Alabama into the hurricane’s potential pathway inside the loop of the marker.
The brain worms are winning.
Thursday, September 05, 2019
Sharpie Man
It is impossible not to conclude that the sharpie man is Donald himself, because as much as the subliterate lickspittles who work for him are the worst that humanity has to offer, even they can't have imagined that it would have been an acceptable thing to show to the press.
There's dumb, and there's thinking everybody else is dumb, and then there is... something is not right with that boy.
There's dumb, and there's thinking everybody else is dumb, and then there is... something is not right with that boy.
Brain Worms
The little buggers chomp slowly, but the man is worse now than he was 3 million years ago when he became president.
One For The Lawyers
Elon, you aren't supposed to admit that you're putting buggy software into 2 ton high speed semi-autonomous vehicles.
Still too buggy to be in wide EAP. Requires more testing. Hopefully, going to wide EAP next week.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 5, 2019
Unsafe At That Speed
Highway driving is largely the "easy" problem for various level of automated driving. Except for one thing - the speed. The speed is especially (but not just) a problem for what they call Level 2 or Level 3 systems, which in theory kinda drive themselves in some situations but still need "attentive" drivers. At 65mph you travel 475 feet in 5 seconds. The cars "see" about twice this (assuming flat, straight) so that's 10 seconds. There's a very small window of time to realize a) your Tesla is about to drive into a fire truck and b) react even if you are hands-on-the-wheels looking straight ahead at all times. If the car can't handle these situations, it is unrealistic to put blame on the driver because even a perfect driver isn't going to fix it.
This happened at a slower speed, but it isn't much different, and if the car can't handle the situation at a slower speed it isn't going to at the faster one.
This happened at a slower speed, but it isn't much different, and if the car can't handle the situation at a slower speed it isn't going to at the faster one.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) cited both driver error and Tesla's Autopilot design as the probable causes of a January 2018 crash, in which a Model S slammed into a parked fire truck at about 31 mph. According to the report, the driver was distracted and did not see the fire truck. But NTSB says that Tesla's Autopilot was also at fault, as its design "permitted the driver to disengage from the driving task."
The driver reportedly had Autopilot engaged and was following closely behind a large SUV or truck. The lead vehicle changed lanes to move around a fire truck that was parked in the lane ahead. The Tesla driver claimed he was drinking coffee and eating a bagel and did not see the firetruck. When the lead vehicle changed lanes, the Model S accelerated. About .49 seconds before the crash, the vehicle detected a stationary object in the road and displayed a warning, but it was too late.
We Hold These Truths To Be Self-Evident
Yes, sure, Jefferson, then why did you feel the need to spell them out. Huh? HUH?
Pretty sure even the most tuned out voter in America has, at this point, heard a "LOL MR. TRUMP YOU SAID MEXICO WOULD PAY FOR THE WALL" SICK BURN HIGH FIVE!!!!
People get that Trump is a buffoon. People also think politicians are all full of shit and corrupt. If you want to make the case that Trump is even more corrupt than that you gotta go on teevee and explain it and say what, in fact, you are gonna do about it (McCaskill is not in Congress at the moment, but those who are). That Trump is a buffoon and full of shit and corrupt in a normal politician way is self-evident. Don't need SICK BURNS about LOL MEXICO WALL. People get that much. The rest is not, actually, self-evident.
The Republicans managed to hold 876 hearings about things that were bullshit.
“Going to build a wall!”
— Claire McCaskill (@clairecmc) September 5, 2019
“ and Mexico is going to pay for it!”
Nope...Check that.
“ and our Military is going to pay for it!”
(Remember when Congress was controlled by Rs during Trumps first 2 years they did NOTHING on wall funding) https://t.co/6uSTJifR09 via @NYTimes
Pretty sure even the most tuned out voter in America has, at this point, heard a "LOL MR. TRUMP YOU SAID MEXICO WOULD PAY FOR THE WALL" SICK BURN HIGH FIVE!!!!
People get that Trump is a buffoon. People also think politicians are all full of shit and corrupt. If you want to make the case that Trump is even more corrupt than that you gotta go on teevee and explain it and say what, in fact, you are gonna do about it (McCaskill is not in Congress at the moment, but those who are). That Trump is a buffoon and full of shit and corrupt in a normal politician way is self-evident. Don't need SICK BURNS about LOL MEXICO WALL. People get that much. The rest is not, actually, self-evident.
The Republicans managed to hold 876 hearings about things that were bullshit.
GoNNA bE ciViL WAR
I saw this when Axelrod tweeted it and rolled my eyes.
No it wouldn't tear the country apart, in part because it would barely inspire Democrats to do anything but make some sassy tweets about it. Mr. McConnell, SIRRAH, the HYPOCRISY!
I remember somebody in the Obama administration complaining that when McConnell was refusing to deal with Garland, reporters were, instead of reporting on the NORMS VIOLATION, basically asking them...well, what are you going to do about it? Obama barely got mad about it. Whatever the flaws in reporting, you can't expect reporters to get mad for you. At the time everybody knew what the Obama people were going to do about Garland was... Nothing. Advantage, Mitch.
And, no, the people aren't going to take to the streets over a Supreme Court appointment. If they did half the Democrats would be on teevee rejecting this uncouth display of incivility. They don't want to lead and they don't want "the people" to do anything. They want Joe Scarborough to have an "at long last" moment and RESTORE THE NORMS AND CIVILITY.
In 2020 they can get mad at "the base" who they hate for not voting. Again.
If there is a SCOTUS vacancy next year and @senatemajldr carries through on his extraordinary promise to fill it-despite his own previous precedent in blocking Garland-it will tear this country apart.
— David Axelrod (@davidaxelrod) August 23, 2019
No it wouldn't tear the country apart, in part because it would barely inspire Democrats to do anything but make some sassy tweets about it. Mr. McConnell, SIRRAH, the HYPOCRISY!
I remember somebody in the Obama administration complaining that when McConnell was refusing to deal with Garland, reporters were, instead of reporting on the NORMS VIOLATION, basically asking them...well, what are you going to do about it? Obama barely got mad about it. Whatever the flaws in reporting, you can't expect reporters to get mad for you. At the time everybody knew what the Obama people were going to do about Garland was... Nothing. Advantage, Mitch.
And, no, the people aren't going to take to the streets over a Supreme Court appointment. If they did half the Democrats would be on teevee rejecting this uncouth display of incivility. They don't want to lead and they don't want "the people" to do anything. They want Joe Scarborough to have an "at long last" moment and RESTORE THE NORMS AND CIVILITY.
In 2020 they can get mad at "the base" who they hate for not voting. Again.
After both of this century’s Republican presidents came to power in corrupt fashion, and as popular vote losers, then set about stacking the judiciary, the case for reversing the GOP theft of the courts couldn’t be stronger. But that work won’t start by warning McConnell he’ll “tear this country apart”—a consequence he couldn’t care less about, and may actually excite him. It will only start by resolving to use power in turn to set things right.
We will know by the end of the year which Democratic faction prevailed, but we’ll look back on the bygone season as the moment the party reached a crossroads and chose a path.
Wednesday, September 04, 2019
Wednesday Night
Would hypothetical third term President Obama prefer PM Johnson or PM Corbyn?
Discuss.
Discuss.
A Blog About All The Dumb Stuff Trump Does
I could just point and laugh all day.
The President of the United States altered a National Hurricane Center map with a sharpie to falsely extend the official forecast toward Alabama so he didn't have to admit he was wrong in a tweet. https://t.co/i0CJcYV4yq pic.twitter.com/pR57IL6WfT
— Dennis Mersereau (@wxdam) September 4, 2019
The Thing That Makes America Special Is That We Do Love Children
A lot of the people involved in this have children and should know better. Did know better. Nobody could've known! I'm not a parent and I know.
Mr. President, tell us about your tweets!
A government watchdog report published Wednesday said immigrant children who were separated from their parents at the border by the Trump administration last year suffered increased post-traumatic stress and trauma.
Some unaccompanied immigrant children who end up at government facilities already experienced physical or sexual abuse in the countries they fled, or violence on the journey to the US, the report said. The trauma was only made worse by the "zero-tolerance" policy that led to thousands of children being systematically separated from their parents by immigration authorities in the spring of 2018.
Mr. President, tell us about your tweets!
Ticky Tacky
I spent time in various places but I mostly grew up in the suburbs, not just of the geography but of the mind. I think things were changing even then, but at the time kids still roamed around the neighborhood unsupervised. We put hockey goals in the street and pulled them aside when cars game. Bike riding wasn't a huge thing in my neigborhood, but people did it. I don't remember what school district policies were, but I think 3rd grade and up at least kids walked to school unsupervised, though I think soon after they got rid of the crossing guards and tightened the rules about that. Now parents even walk their kids to the bus stop.
Anyway, supposedly that's why people moved to the suburbs. One reason anyway. Your kids were "safe." Whatever the reality of safety concerns, all the stories of school lockdown drills and parents unwilling to leave their kids unsupervised even for a moment... take away the supposed freedom of safety, and it's all very isolating.
Anyway, supposedly that's why people moved to the suburbs. One reason anyway. Your kids were "safe." Whatever the reality of safety concerns, all the stories of school lockdown drills and parents unwilling to leave their kids unsupervised even for a moment... take away the supposed freedom of safety, and it's all very isolating.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)