A brown person dared to criticize the Trump Administration's inadequate response to Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico. Trump responded with racial-tinged invective, implying that Puerto Ricans are lazy moochers who want everything done for them.
At least Dubya feigned concern for the people of New Orleans after Katrina. His response still sucked, but he knew enough not to be a dick about it. Trump? Congenitally incapable of not being a dick.
Thanks, Republicans.
Saturday, September 30, 2017
Friday, September 29, 2017
Good Book
Kurt Anderson has a new book out that probably explains our current world in better and more depressing ways than most.
Basically, Americans have a long history of delusional thinking, and Trump is the culmination of that. We tend to believe the narratives that make us feel better about ourselves and our lot in life. Conspiracy theories, "one weird trick," and Fake News are all part of a long trend in American thought and culture.
I'd be interested to see if things are that much worse, or whether we are just more aware of the downside of bunkum more than we were.
Basically, Americans have a long history of delusional thinking, and Trump is the culmination of that. We tend to believe the narratives that make us feel better about ourselves and our lot in life. Conspiracy theories, "one weird trick," and Fake News are all part of a long trend in American thought and culture.
I'd be interested to see if things are that much worse, or whether we are just more aware of the downside of bunkum more than we were.
These Men Are Cowards, Donny
The main reason you don't have to punch Nazis is because they are laughably inept and a tiny subset of a minority movement.
Thursday, September 28, 2017
Tell Us What You Really Think...
Americans don't seem to care for Donald Trump.
As usual, men - especially white ones - are hanging with the ignorant blowhard. My favorite number is this one: by 59%-37%, Americans believe Trump is dishonest. That means that 37% of Americans think that a man who couldn't pass a fact check on the color of the sky is in fact honest.
The decline of America will be traced to the decline in understanding of objective reality.
As usual, men - especially white ones - are hanging with the ignorant blowhard. My favorite number is this one: by 59%-37%, Americans believe Trump is dishonest. That means that 37% of Americans think that a man who couldn't pass a fact check on the color of the sky is in fact honest.
The decline of America will be traced to the decline in understanding of objective reality.
Taxes
Donald Trump rolled out his tax plan. Needless to say, it is a huge giveaway to the rich. I know it would hurt us by rolling back deductions of state taxes. Meanwhile, it's a massive giveaway to corporation. It's worth noting that corporate America is sitting on close to $2 trillion in case reserves, so it's not like a lack of capital is thwarting their plans.
Repealing Obamacare was about ideology and pleasing their big donors. Many Republicans had to realize that they could pay a price for taking away health care from people, yet they still tried to repeal it.
Cutting taxes on the rich is literally the only thing that truly excites the institutional Republican Party. I doubt John McCain's scruples on regular order will cause him to withhold his vote. Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski aren't going to worry about the long term effects of a deficit busting tax cut.
This plutocratic giveaway is going to happen. It will make our country's finances worse.
Thanks, Republicans...
UPDATE: OK, not all Republicans. Bruce Bartlett will acknowledge the problem.
Repealing Obamacare was about ideology and pleasing their big donors. Many Republicans had to realize that they could pay a price for taking away health care from people, yet they still tried to repeal it.
Cutting taxes on the rich is literally the only thing that truly excites the institutional Republican Party. I doubt John McCain's scruples on regular order will cause him to withhold his vote. Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski aren't going to worry about the long term effects of a deficit busting tax cut.
This plutocratic giveaway is going to happen. It will make our country's finances worse.
Thanks, Republicans...
UPDATE: OK, not all Republicans. Bruce Bartlett will acknowledge the problem.
Wednesday, September 27, 2017
Christianism
In our course, we define "fundamentalism" as the use of religion as a political ideology. (There are other ways to define it.) We therefore speak of Islamists as people who want Islam to be the governing ideology of their country.
Roy Moore is a a Christianist. He believes that America is a Christian country, under the Christian God's law for Christians. He rose to prominence, because he was a judge who doesn't seem to understand the Constitution.
Roy Moore is almost certainly going to be the new GOP Senator for Alabama. Now, we can mock Alabama Republicans for nominating a conspiracy minded nutcase who thinks that Illinois and Indiana are under sharia law, but this is a continuing problem. First, Moore will win the votes of Republicans, because he's the Republican nominee. He's manifestly unworthy of being a US Senator, as he was bounced off the bench twice for his extremist views. But he's a Republican, and Alabama is a Red State.
That's the other problem. We have become two separate nations - one secular and progressive, the other religious and regressive. (Yes, there are progressive Christians, but at this point, evangelical Christianity is less a theological position than a cultural and political one.)
Roy Moore is running against a very qualified and even heroic civil rights figure. He should lose. But he almost certainly won't.
And the more Roy Moores we have in our government, the worse we are as a country. The harder it will be to properly understand the issues we face and come to a wise solution.
Roy Moore - like Donald Trump - is the logical endpoint of the decay of the party of Lincoln and Teddy Roosevelt into a rage-fueled tantrum against the 21st century. And as long as we have the electoral and political system that we have, they will have an outsized voice in our government.
Roy Moore is a a Christianist. He believes that America is a Christian country, under the Christian God's law for Christians. He rose to prominence, because he was a judge who doesn't seem to understand the Constitution.
Roy Moore is almost certainly going to be the new GOP Senator for Alabama. Now, we can mock Alabama Republicans for nominating a conspiracy minded nutcase who thinks that Illinois and Indiana are under sharia law, but this is a continuing problem. First, Moore will win the votes of Republicans, because he's the Republican nominee. He's manifestly unworthy of being a US Senator, as he was bounced off the bench twice for his extremist views. But he's a Republican, and Alabama is a Red State.
That's the other problem. We have become two separate nations - one secular and progressive, the other religious and regressive. (Yes, there are progressive Christians, but at this point, evangelical Christianity is less a theological position than a cultural and political one.)
Roy Moore is running against a very qualified and even heroic civil rights figure. He should lose. But he almost certainly won't.
And the more Roy Moores we have in our government, the worse we are as a country. The harder it will be to properly understand the issues we face and come to a wise solution.
Roy Moore - like Donald Trump - is the logical endpoint of the decay of the party of Lincoln and Teddy Roosevelt into a rage-fueled tantrum against the 21st century. And as long as we have the electoral and political system that we have, they will have an outsized voice in our government.
Tuesday, September 26, 2017
The Signal And The Noise
Michael Scherer has a nice rundown of Trump's long standing grandstanding on the flag and his ability to use divisive wedge issues to distract and divide his opponents. There is a lot of talk about whether this is deliberate or just an impulse that Trump falls into when things get tough. In other words, as the American Shitburger Act 5.0 and Luther Strange go down to likely defeat this week, Trump is distracting people with this NFL stuff. OR.... When Trump gets in a tight spot, he impulsively reaches into his distraction bag of tricks. It's a cause and effect question.
The real issue of course is that Donald Trump is President of the United States. He has a job to do. Actually he has two jobs.
As President, Trump is Head of State. That means his job is to represent the WHOLE country. Polling finds that Americans believe by 2 to 1 that Trump is dividing the country rather than uniting. Dividing is his schtick. He's been doing it for years (the article mentions how he used huge flags to attack zoning board ordinances). The problem is that dividing can no longer be his first impulse.
He's making America worse.
His second job is Head of Government. He has to run the Executive Branch and work with the Congress to run the government. If anything, he's worse at that. With the American Shitburger Act 5.0 going down in flames and Puerto Rico on the verge of a crisis that might be Katrina on steroids, Trump is off tweeting about NFL player protests? And, oh, yeah. North Korea.
During the first few months of unforced errors, many wondered what would happen when a crisis not of his own making would confront Trump. He is now facing a complete failure of his legislative agenda (though much of that falls on McConnell and Ryan), an American territory facing a crushing crisis and a potential nuclear war.
Again, keep an eye on the Puerto Rico issue. If there is a mass exodus from the island, millions of Puerto Ricans could move to the US baring a massive grudge against the GOP. If they settle in Florida, that could have major electoral ramifications.
The real issue of course is that Donald Trump is President of the United States. He has a job to do. Actually he has two jobs.
As President, Trump is Head of State. That means his job is to represent the WHOLE country. Polling finds that Americans believe by 2 to 1 that Trump is dividing the country rather than uniting. Dividing is his schtick. He's been doing it for years (the article mentions how he used huge flags to attack zoning board ordinances). The problem is that dividing can no longer be his first impulse.
He's making America worse.
His second job is Head of Government. He has to run the Executive Branch and work with the Congress to run the government. If anything, he's worse at that. With the American Shitburger Act 5.0 going down in flames and Puerto Rico on the verge of a crisis that might be Katrina on steroids, Trump is off tweeting about NFL player protests? And, oh, yeah. North Korea.
During the first few months of unforced errors, many wondered what would happen when a crisis not of his own making would confront Trump. He is now facing a complete failure of his legislative agenda (though much of that falls on McConnell and Ryan), an American territory facing a crushing crisis and a potential nuclear war.
Again, keep an eye on the Puerto Rico issue. If there is a mass exodus from the island, millions of Puerto Ricans could move to the US baring a massive grudge against the GOP. If they settle in Florida, that could have major electoral ramifications.
Richard Rorty's Lecture
There is a nice piece over at Vox about a lecture/book Richard Rorty gave 20 years ago about the potential rise of Trumpian politics. He gives different names to the same forces that I've been calling Liberals and Leftists. He uses the phrases Reformist Left vs Cultural Left. The Reformist Left is a liberal constitutional left that seeks to make pragmatic reforms to the system in an incremental way. It defines the Democratic Party from 1932-1964. The Cultural Left is based around identity politics and the idea of oppressed groups advocating for their proper place at the American table.
His main point is that the Cultural Left is a political loser. This is largely the case Bernie Sanders made, in his focus on economic conditions over issues of race and gender. Clinton did run hard on those issues, though her policies were ultimately very similar to Sanders'.
What Clinton failed to do - and Rorty's essay predicts this - is tell a story about America. She microtargeted messages at various groups, which you do, but failed to integrate that into a compelling narrative that America can tell about itself. Obama did that, Bill Clinton did that, too ("I still believe in a place called hope."). I've felt that Democrats do best when they nominate charismatic candidates, but perhaps it is less the personal sparkle of the person and more the ability of the candidate to create a compelling vision of America that can speak across lines of class AND race.
Luckily, the piece does note that we are perhaps over-reading the election of Trump, which was fluky and influenced by any number of factors that have little structural or long-term consequences. Hillary Clinton and her unpopularity won't be on the ballot again; Trump is bad at being president; the Republicans are bad at doing government. It is unclear whether Trump represents a trend or an end point to the politics of white racial grievance. My opinion is that he's an end point, but we just don't know.
The "liberal world order" that America inculcated after the Second World War and has nurtured and developed after the Cold War is under siege. Germany elected a startling number of far right members to its new Bundestag this weekend. But an assault is not the same as a victory.
It will be incumbent on the Reformist Left to work with the Cultural Left to launch a counterattack based around a shared vision of America.
His main point is that the Cultural Left is a political loser. This is largely the case Bernie Sanders made, in his focus on economic conditions over issues of race and gender. Clinton did run hard on those issues, though her policies were ultimately very similar to Sanders'.
What Clinton failed to do - and Rorty's essay predicts this - is tell a story about America. She microtargeted messages at various groups, which you do, but failed to integrate that into a compelling narrative that America can tell about itself. Obama did that, Bill Clinton did that, too ("I still believe in a place called hope."). I've felt that Democrats do best when they nominate charismatic candidates, but perhaps it is less the personal sparkle of the person and more the ability of the candidate to create a compelling vision of America that can speak across lines of class AND race.
Luckily, the piece does note that we are perhaps over-reading the election of Trump, which was fluky and influenced by any number of factors that have little structural or long-term consequences. Hillary Clinton and her unpopularity won't be on the ballot again; Trump is bad at being president; the Republicans are bad at doing government. It is unclear whether Trump represents a trend or an end point to the politics of white racial grievance. My opinion is that he's an end point, but we just don't know.
The "liberal world order" that America inculcated after the Second World War and has nurtured and developed after the Cold War is under siege. Germany elected a startling number of far right members to its new Bundestag this weekend. But an assault is not the same as a victory.
It will be incumbent on the Reformist Left to work with the Cultural Left to launch a counterattack based around a shared vision of America.
Monday, September 25, 2017
Missing The Point On Purpose
The anger and outrage about NFL players taking a knee during the anthem is certainly the topic du jour. It became a topic, because Trump made it so with his asinine comments in Alabama - comments that got whoops and cheers from his "base."
Needless to say, social media has taken its half-assed take on this. The most confusing response I've heard is that players who take a knee are disrespecting veterans.
Where the hell does that come from? Is it because veterans love the flag more than other people? OK, I love my kids more than other people, but if other people don't love me kids more than I do, that's none of my concern. Is it because veterans fought for the flag? Who fights for laundry? You fight for the Constitution and the principles that made this country unique. Nothing is more American than protesting peacefully. It's literally right there in the Bill of Rights, topic #1.
If you want to say they are disrespecting the country as a whole, OK. I'll agree with you there. Yes, by taking the knee, players are disrespecting a country that cares more about their posture during an anthem than about the unnecessary killing of African Americans by police. Sadly, by missing the point on purpose, we are talking about the flag, the anthem, free speech...but not about the racism that is at the heart of this protest.
The people who are upset over this are also upset when protesters march in the streets, when they block traffic, when they shout down white supremacists. Are you really upset with the protest? Or are you upset with the idea that - contrary to the sanctities we toss about on MLK Day - we really are a nation with a serious race problem. A problem that was largely invisible to white Americans until cell phones allowed us to film a man being choked to death for selling loosies, a child shot for playing with a toy gun, a man shot sitting peacefully in his car, a woman dying after being arrested for no obvious reason, and on and on and on.
It is much easier to retreat behind empty pieties about the flag than to have an honest discussion about the fact that black people in this country are far too often killed because the color of their skin presents a threat to some police officers.
Needless to say, social media has taken its half-assed take on this. The most confusing response I've heard is that players who take a knee are disrespecting veterans.
Where the hell does that come from? Is it because veterans love the flag more than other people? OK, I love my kids more than other people, but if other people don't love me kids more than I do, that's none of my concern. Is it because veterans fought for the flag? Who fights for laundry? You fight for the Constitution and the principles that made this country unique. Nothing is more American than protesting peacefully. It's literally right there in the Bill of Rights, topic #1.
If you want to say they are disrespecting the country as a whole, OK. I'll agree with you there. Yes, by taking the knee, players are disrespecting a country that cares more about their posture during an anthem than about the unnecessary killing of African Americans by police. Sadly, by missing the point on purpose, we are talking about the flag, the anthem, free speech...but not about the racism that is at the heart of this protest.
The people who are upset over this are also upset when protesters march in the streets, when they block traffic, when they shout down white supremacists. Are you really upset with the protest? Or are you upset with the idea that - contrary to the sanctities we toss about on MLK Day - we really are a nation with a serious race problem. A problem that was largely invisible to white Americans until cell phones allowed us to film a man being choked to death for selling loosies, a child shot for playing with a toy gun, a man shot sitting peacefully in his car, a woman dying after being arrested for no obvious reason, and on and on and on.
It is much easier to retreat behind empty pieties about the flag than to have an honest discussion about the fact that black people in this country are far too often killed because the color of their skin presents a threat to some police officers.
Sunday, September 24, 2017
Saturday, September 23, 2017
Dialogue
Here is an interesting long form piece in the WaPo about a meeting between an anti-Islamic protester and Muslims in Texas.
A lot of anger has been expressed on both sides that has its roots in epistemological closure. One side has its information, the other has its information. There is simply no overlapping agreement on facts. What was interesting about the piece was how - even though they couldn't break through some of the less grounded beliefs of the anti-Muslim activist - the simple act of talking actually seemed to make a difference.
This is another reason why Nazi punching is really not that helpful. During the "Mother of All Rallies" (the same time as the Juggalo march), Black Lives Matter showed up to counter-protest. The leader of the pro-Trump rally invited a spokesman for BLM to talk. Few were moved.
But not all.
Several people afterwards came up and engaged the speaker, challenged him respectfully. A few even admitted to having their minds changed a little.
Because of the self-reinforcing narratives that come with epistemological closure, it can be very hard to use facts to dissuade someone who is truly invested in their belief systems, but it is not impossible. And it is exhausting to try and convince millions of Americans that, no, sharia law is not a threat to you in any way, shape or form. That's just a dumb argument to have to have.
In the end, however, it might be our best hope.
A lot of anger has been expressed on both sides that has its roots in epistemological closure. One side has its information, the other has its information. There is simply no overlapping agreement on facts. What was interesting about the piece was how - even though they couldn't break through some of the less grounded beliefs of the anti-Muslim activist - the simple act of talking actually seemed to make a difference.
This is another reason why Nazi punching is really not that helpful. During the "Mother of All Rallies" (the same time as the Juggalo march), Black Lives Matter showed up to counter-protest. The leader of the pro-Trump rally invited a spokesman for BLM to talk. Few were moved.
But not all.
Several people afterwards came up and engaged the speaker, challenged him respectfully. A few even admitted to having their minds changed a little.
Because of the self-reinforcing narratives that come with epistemological closure, it can be very hard to use facts to dissuade someone who is truly invested in their belief systems, but it is not impossible. And it is exhausting to try and convince millions of Americans that, no, sharia law is not a threat to you in any way, shape or form. That's just a dumb argument to have to have.
In the end, however, it might be our best hope.
Friday, September 22, 2017
The Wages Of Fear
Alabama's future Senator, Roy Moore, is a classic example of the Bible-humping theocons that populate so much of the Republican party. His act is based on the old script of rot and decay at the heart of the Republic. In Moore's mind, this decay is caused by sexual activity. When you give/get a blow job, Baby Jesus sends a hurricane.
Moore is best understood as a Christianist. If an Islamist is someone who wants to see Islam used as a governing ideology, a Christianist wants the same for Christianity. And not the mellow, "love-thy-neighbor" Christianity either; the fire and brimstone kind.
Trump will go to Alabama to campaign for Luther Strange to try and derail a guy who will likely be a huge embarrassment for the establishment GOP if he gets elected. But Trump and Moore are both products of the same withered stalk: America is a hellscape because X.
Trump's legendary rhetoric about inner cities being dystopian wastelands awash in crime ("Carnage!") is well documented. Moore is pitching the same thing. Trump blames the collapse of Murican civilization on the "blacks and browns" whereas Moore blames it on "teh gheys and atheists."
The central fact that both are wrong on almost all points seems lost. America is not a hellscape. Crime is at the lowest level it's been in decades. Two things, however, give their message resonance. First, the stagnation in working class wages has people worried; second, the opiod epidemic has people terrified. Those things are real.
Crime-racked cities with black people rioting in the streets is not.
I do worry that the constant negative beat of both Fox News and any local news broadcast only reinforces the idea that things are worse than they appear.
Right wing populism and authoritarianism requires a society to believe it is in the process of collapse. Quite a few left wing radicals will echo the idea that society is collapsing. To me this shows a lack of historical literacy or global perspective.
If we don't reverse it, we are doomed.
Moore is best understood as a Christianist. If an Islamist is someone who wants to see Islam used as a governing ideology, a Christianist wants the same for Christianity. And not the mellow, "love-thy-neighbor" Christianity either; the fire and brimstone kind.
Trump will go to Alabama to campaign for Luther Strange to try and derail a guy who will likely be a huge embarrassment for the establishment GOP if he gets elected. But Trump and Moore are both products of the same withered stalk: America is a hellscape because X.
Trump's legendary rhetoric about inner cities being dystopian wastelands awash in crime ("Carnage!") is well documented. Moore is pitching the same thing. Trump blames the collapse of Murican civilization on the "blacks and browns" whereas Moore blames it on "teh gheys and atheists."
The central fact that both are wrong on almost all points seems lost. America is not a hellscape. Crime is at the lowest level it's been in decades. Two things, however, give their message resonance. First, the stagnation in working class wages has people worried; second, the opiod epidemic has people terrified. Those things are real.
Crime-racked cities with black people rioting in the streets is not.
I do worry that the constant negative beat of both Fox News and any local news broadcast only reinforces the idea that things are worse than they appear.
Right wing populism and authoritarianism requires a society to believe it is in the process of collapse. Quite a few left wing radicals will echo the idea that society is collapsing. To me this shows a lack of historical literacy or global perspective.
If we don't reverse it, we are doomed.
Thursday, September 21, 2017
A New Refugee Issue
Puerto Rico has been absolutely leveled by Hurricane Maria. It was already in a free-floating economic crisis, and now they are likely going to be suffering a long, slow recovery. Schools, hospitals, roads, homes...all destroyed.
Surprisingly few people understand that citizens of Puerto Rico are also citizens of the United States. Many of them have extended family in the US, and they are likely to flee here as their country wallows in the misery that the combination of poverty and a natural disaster can bring.
It is with sickening certainty that I predict that Fox News and Trump supporters will double down on the Wall as a response to American citizens coming to America.
Surprisingly few people understand that citizens of Puerto Rico are also citizens of the United States. Many of them have extended family in the US, and they are likely to flee here as their country wallows in the misery that the combination of poverty and a natural disaster can bring.
It is with sickening certainty that I predict that Fox News and Trump supporters will double down on the Wall as a response to American citizens coming to America.
Breathtaking
Even a cursory scratching of the surface of the American Shit Sandwich Bill 5.0 shows a callous disregard for the lives and health of American citizens. What is incredible - when you read the linked article - is how craven the supposed GOP moderates are when it comes to their "red lines." They routinely said that "If the bill doesn't have X, it won't win my vote." Well, Graham-Cassidy doesn't have all those Xs and it's still getting votes.
The most un/believable quote comes from Chuck Grassley.
“You know, I could maybe give you 10 reasons why this bill shouldn’t be considered,” he told local reporters this week. “But Republicans campaigned on this so often that you have a responsibility to carry out what you said in the campaign. That’s pretty much as much of a reason as the substance of the bill.”
How do you justify stripping millions of Americans of their health care coverage in order to validate your content-free splenetic whinging about Obamacare? At what point do you grow the fuck up and admit it was a lot more complicated than you implied on "Fox and Friends" during your inevitable anti-Democratic circle jerks?
In our system of government - as opposed to a parliamentary system - the legislature has to actually share in the responsibilities of governing. In a parliamentary system, the government - the prime minister and her cabinet - write the legislation and the majority passes it, because in order to become prime minister, you have to have a majority. In our system - as we saw for the last six years - we can have divided government that makes it possible for the majority in Congress to avoid their governing responsibilities. The GOP has gone so far down the opposition party path that they literally cannot be bothered to understand THEIR OWN LEGISLATION.
This is professional and civic malpractice on a colossal scale. At the moment, I would say the best hope of saving the Republicans from themselves rests on the same three Senators who saved us the last time - Collins, McCain and Murkowski. We could see Portman and maybe Capito join them, if it looks like a lost cause.
But McCain isn't voting against the bill, he's voting against the process - the lack of "regular order.
The important thing will be to wrest control of Congress away from these buffoons as soon as humanly possible.
The most un/believable quote comes from Chuck Grassley.
“You know, I could maybe give you 10 reasons why this bill shouldn’t be considered,” he told local reporters this week. “But Republicans campaigned on this so often that you have a responsibility to carry out what you said in the campaign. That’s pretty much as much of a reason as the substance of the bill.”
How do you justify stripping millions of Americans of their health care coverage in order to validate your content-free splenetic whinging about Obamacare? At what point do you grow the fuck up and admit it was a lot more complicated than you implied on "Fox and Friends" during your inevitable anti-Democratic circle jerks?
In our system of government - as opposed to a parliamentary system - the legislature has to actually share in the responsibilities of governing. In a parliamentary system, the government - the prime minister and her cabinet - write the legislation and the majority passes it, because in order to become prime minister, you have to have a majority. In our system - as we saw for the last six years - we can have divided government that makes it possible for the majority in Congress to avoid their governing responsibilities. The GOP has gone so far down the opposition party path that they literally cannot be bothered to understand THEIR OWN LEGISLATION.
This is professional and civic malpractice on a colossal scale. At the moment, I would say the best hope of saving the Republicans from themselves rests on the same three Senators who saved us the last time - Collins, McCain and Murkowski. We could see Portman and maybe Capito join them, if it looks like a lost cause.
But McCain isn't voting against the bill, he's voting against the process - the lack of "regular order.
The important thing will be to wrest control of Congress away from these buffoons as soon as humanly possible.
Wednesday, September 20, 2017
Oh, Yeah. Call Your Senator
Providing your Senator is a Republican and not ethically vacant. If such a person exists.
The latest iteration of the American Shit Sandwich Act is perhaps the worst yet. And, still, it has perhaps the best chance of passing.
When you read their lame-ass explanations for voting for the American Shit Sandwich 5.0 Act, it's pretty clear that they only care about fulfilling a promise to their whackaloon, Fox News base rather than taking care of American citizens or actual federal spending.
They are sociopaths.
Your democracy, America. Cherish it.
Also, thanks, Republicans.
The latest iteration of the American Shit Sandwich Act is perhaps the worst yet. And, still, it has perhaps the best chance of passing.
When you read their lame-ass explanations for voting for the American Shit Sandwich 5.0 Act, it's pretty clear that they only care about fulfilling a promise to their whackaloon, Fox News base rather than taking care of American citizens or actual federal spending.
They are sociopaths.
Your democracy, America. Cherish it.
Also, thanks, Republicans.
Things Are Moving On The Russia Story
While we are captured by the tales of misery and woe from Latin America as Mother Nature wrecks great destruction on Puerto Rico and Mexico. Those are legitimate and heartbreaking stories.
Meanwhile, Trump does a lampoon of a president at the UN, Iran takes the high road and Mueller seems to have Paul Manafort's ball in a vise. The case against Manafort seems to get more powerful and far reaching every day, so why has he not been frogmarched into a police station? One would have to think that they are working very hard to flip him.
Thanks, Republicans.
Meanwhile, Trump does a lampoon of a president at the UN, Iran takes the high road and Mueller seems to have Paul Manafort's ball in a vise. The case against Manafort seems to get more powerful and far reaching every day, so why has he not been frogmarched into a police station? One would have to think that they are working very hard to flip him.
Thanks, Republicans.
"Good At Politics"
For years, it was legitimate to say that while Republicans had no good policy ideas, but they were really good at politics. They could mobilize their voters and win elections.
Maybe it was their voters and not their skills.
Maybe you shouldn't piss off someone with a national megaphone and a compelling story.
Damn....
Maybe it was their voters and not their skills.
Maybe you shouldn't piss off someone with a national megaphone and a compelling story.
Damn....
Tuesday, September 19, 2017
Well, That's Not Creepy AF
Donald Trump wants to have a military parade in Red Square down Pennsylvania Avenue.
Trump has no consistent political ideology, but he has a reflexive respect for dictators for being "strong." He is clearly a guy who gives no shits about Madisonian checks and balances. That's why - given the supine nature of the Republican Congress - we are relying on the Courts to rein this doofus in.
Norms are important people.
Trump has no consistent political ideology, but he has a reflexive respect for dictators for being "strong." He is clearly a guy who gives no shits about Madisonian checks and balances. That's why - given the supine nature of the Republican Congress - we are relying on the Courts to rein this doofus in.
Norms are important people.
Monday, September 18, 2017
The Wheels Of Justice
Revelations that Paul Manafort has been wiretapped for some time certainly is a step forward in a story that has largely retreated from the front pages. With Trump's seeming endless appetite for controversy and norm-shattering behavior we have largely ignored this burbling teapot over at Bob Mueller's place.
The Russia story isn't dead yet.
The Russia story isn't dead yet.
Ah, Crap
ACA repeal isn't dead yet. Tough to see it Cassidy's bill passing the House, but we shall see.
This is why the debt ceiling deal works to Democrats advantage. With that off the table, Democrats can try and grind the Senate to a halt. Obamacare repeal has to be done by September 30th. Now they can play out the clock.
This is why the debt ceiling deal works to Democrats advantage. With that off the table, Democrats can try and grind the Senate to a halt. Obamacare repeal has to be done by September 30th. Now they can play out the clock.
Sunday, September 17, 2017
Saturday, September 16, 2017
Nancy Smash
Nancy Pelosi is the best Congressional leader of my adult life. She knows exactly when to push her caucus and when to let them run free. When she makes a legislative promise, she delivers. And she brooks no shit. Part of that comes from having a caucus that actually wants to run and fund the government, but she's also an adept herder of cats.
The "Pelosi is a failure" narrative is largely tied to Democratic reversals in the House from 2010 onward. The problem is that Democrats lost in 2010 because of the political landscape post-2008 and the usual piss-poor turnout of Democratic constituencies. This, in turn, led to partisan gerrymandering reinforcing the Big Sort of America into urban and rural camps.
In other words, Pelosi is being blamed for the weather.
Newt Gingrich and Mitch McConnell have, together, more or less destroyed Congress as an institution. Yet they aren't subject to the sort of harsh treatment in the mainstream press that Pelosi gets. I would argue that she would have a lot more favorable press if she were named Bill Pelosi. As Hillary Clinton plugs her new book, it's worth keeping in mind that female politicians are often held to a different standard. Which is, you know, bullshit.
The "Pelosi is a failure" narrative is largely tied to Democratic reversals in the House from 2010 onward. The problem is that Democrats lost in 2010 because of the political landscape post-2008 and the usual piss-poor turnout of Democratic constituencies. This, in turn, led to partisan gerrymandering reinforcing the Big Sort of America into urban and rural camps.
In other words, Pelosi is being blamed for the weather.
Newt Gingrich and Mitch McConnell have, together, more or less destroyed Congress as an institution. Yet they aren't subject to the sort of harsh treatment in the mainstream press that Pelosi gets. I would argue that she would have a lot more favorable press if she were named Bill Pelosi. As Hillary Clinton plugs her new book, it's worth keeping in mind that female politicians are often held to a different standard. Which is, you know, bullshit.
Friday, September 15, 2017
The Disenchantment Of The World
Increasingly, watching the Evangelical community rally around serial sexual assaulter, thrice-married, morally bankrupt Evergropenfuhrer Donald Trump is like watching the final twist in a movie where you can see it coming, but you still remain transfixed by the pivot.
As Jennifer Rubin - who is still considered a "conservative" blogger, but is really the only remaining Rockefeller Republican - notes that Evangelicals support discrimination towards LGBT peoples while claiming that they themselves are the real victims of persecution. What Conservative Evangelicals - and hence Trump supporters, since it's a single overlapping circle - are actually experiencing is a culture changing around them in ways they cannot control.
Generationally, young people are very tolerant of this new cosmopolitanism surrounding both race and sexual orientation/gender. The older, whiter, more rural Americans who call themselves Evangelicals are not. Their preferred status within American society has been eroding for years.
What distinguishes these people from other conservatives is the nature of their faith. While there was a conservative argument against marriage equality - why change an ancient institution - that argument has largely been laid to rest. Plenty of Republicans have shrugged and moved on. Turns out letting Adam and Steve get married was not a big deal after all, except to Adam and Steve.
But if you're an evangelical, you have religious authority that hasn't changed. The Constitution was expanded, the Bible was not re-written. In the past, I've describe the Republican Party as a sustained tantrum against the 21st century. Instead, it is perhaps more accurate to describe Conservative Evangelicals that way. Paul Ryan doesn't give a shit about marriage equality and even Orrin Hatch is fine with transgender soldiers.
Orrin Hatch and Paul Ryan are not the great mass of Republican voters, though. That's why Donald Trump ran circles around Jeb! and the Zodiac Killer. Not because he shared their faith, but because he shared their grievance - or at least pretended to.
It is fashionable for the unreflective, teenaged atheist to spout off about the Crusades or the Inquisition in denouncing faith. Frankly, both of those are political acts, clothed in the language of religion. What we are seeing among Conservative Evangelicals is really nothing more than politics in biblical terms.
It is corrosive; it is damaging and it is un-American.
As Jennifer Rubin - who is still considered a "conservative" blogger, but is really the only remaining Rockefeller Republican - notes that Evangelicals support discrimination towards LGBT peoples while claiming that they themselves are the real victims of persecution. What Conservative Evangelicals - and hence Trump supporters, since it's a single overlapping circle - are actually experiencing is a culture changing around them in ways they cannot control.
Generationally, young people are very tolerant of this new cosmopolitanism surrounding both race and sexual orientation/gender. The older, whiter, more rural Americans who call themselves Evangelicals are not. Their preferred status within American society has been eroding for years.
What distinguishes these people from other conservatives is the nature of their faith. While there was a conservative argument against marriage equality - why change an ancient institution - that argument has largely been laid to rest. Plenty of Republicans have shrugged and moved on. Turns out letting Adam and Steve get married was not a big deal after all, except to Adam and Steve.
But if you're an evangelical, you have religious authority that hasn't changed. The Constitution was expanded, the Bible was not re-written. In the past, I've describe the Republican Party as a sustained tantrum against the 21st century. Instead, it is perhaps more accurate to describe Conservative Evangelicals that way. Paul Ryan doesn't give a shit about marriage equality and even Orrin Hatch is fine with transgender soldiers.
Orrin Hatch and Paul Ryan are not the great mass of Republican voters, though. That's why Donald Trump ran circles around Jeb! and the Zodiac Killer. Not because he shared their faith, but because he shared their grievance - or at least pretended to.
It is fashionable for the unreflective, teenaged atheist to spout off about the Crusades or the Inquisition in denouncing faith. Frankly, both of those are political acts, clothed in the language of religion. What we are seeing among Conservative Evangelicals is really nothing more than politics in biblical terms.
It is corrosive; it is damaging and it is un-American.
Thursday, September 14, 2017
Longman and Marshall: Who The Hell Knows?
As usual, Martin Longman says smart things on the Internet. On the idea that Trump can be trusted to follow through on what may or may not be a DREAM Act, he begins with this rock solid analysis:
It’s admittedly hard to read a man like Donald Trump. He isn’t consistent. His word is not good. His comprehension of some of the basics of our system of government is shockingly low. His understanding of history, both recent and distant, is horribly flawed. His grasp of what is easy and difficult doesn’t appear to exist. He beat all his political opponents without seeming to have a realistic and overarching strategy, but more through a series of tactical battles that involved as many big losses as big wins. He lives in the moment and doesn’t follow even a basic script. He’s driven by lower emotions and is blinded to larger concerns.
Tough to argue with any of that, and it is why trying to predict some aspects of Trump's actions is a fool's game. However, Trump is also very predictable, as Josh Marshall points out:
Trump remains the same narcissist and predator he’s always been. He will never change. But Trump is also profoundly needy. He craves attention, affirmation and praise. He rails at the “failing New York Times” but there may literally be no public institution whose approval and attention he’s craved more in his whole life. If Democrats can leverage his desire for praise and “wins” to save 800,000 Dreamers they should grab the chance. And I think they can and will do so with eyes wide open.
Again, that's solid analysis of Trump's motivations. I think Trump feels he got some good press for keeping the lights on until Christmas, keeping the US out of default and providing hurricane relief. The Presidency benefits from showing an ability to govern.
Since Trump is primarily a person of appetites and neuroses, good press is more important than ideological consistency. In fact, Trump has no discernible ideology in any traditional sense.
As Longman notes:
He’s recently learned through hard experience that he can’t rely on the Republicans in Congress to unite behind must-pass legislation, and now he’s relying on them to pass the DREAM Act. What if they can’t, or won’t?
Again, this is a solid read on both the reality in Washington and in Trump's head. The Republicans have given him nothing but defeats. Working with the Democrats gave him his first victory since the Gorsuch nomination. If Democrats and enough Republicans can pass a DREAM Act, why not take a victory?
Trump's very narcissism and ignorance about government may actually be able to result in some good legislation.
The question will be this: What if Trump and a bipartisan coalition pass a DREAM Act, an infrastructure bill and some tepid tax reform? Do his followers and the Hard Core MAGA types fall in line? Or do they brand him a RINO/Hidden Democrat and launch a civil war?
It’s admittedly hard to read a man like Donald Trump. He isn’t consistent. His word is not good. His comprehension of some of the basics of our system of government is shockingly low. His understanding of history, both recent and distant, is horribly flawed. His grasp of what is easy and difficult doesn’t appear to exist. He beat all his political opponents without seeming to have a realistic and overarching strategy, but more through a series of tactical battles that involved as many big losses as big wins. He lives in the moment and doesn’t follow even a basic script. He’s driven by lower emotions and is blinded to larger concerns.
Tough to argue with any of that, and it is why trying to predict some aspects of Trump's actions is a fool's game. However, Trump is also very predictable, as Josh Marshall points out:
Trump remains the same narcissist and predator he’s always been. He will never change. But Trump is also profoundly needy. He craves attention, affirmation and praise. He rails at the “failing New York Times” but there may literally be no public institution whose approval and attention he’s craved more in his whole life. If Democrats can leverage his desire for praise and “wins” to save 800,000 Dreamers they should grab the chance. And I think they can and will do so with eyes wide open.
Again, that's solid analysis of Trump's motivations. I think Trump feels he got some good press for keeping the lights on until Christmas, keeping the US out of default and providing hurricane relief. The Presidency benefits from showing an ability to govern.
Since Trump is primarily a person of appetites and neuroses, good press is more important than ideological consistency. In fact, Trump has no discernible ideology in any traditional sense.
As Longman notes:
He’s recently learned through hard experience that he can’t rely on the Republicans in Congress to unite behind must-pass legislation, and now he’s relying on them to pass the DREAM Act. What if they can’t, or won’t?
Again, this is a solid read on both the reality in Washington and in Trump's head. The Republicans have given him nothing but defeats. Working with the Democrats gave him his first victory since the Gorsuch nomination. If Democrats and enough Republicans can pass a DREAM Act, why not take a victory?
Trump's very narcissism and ignorance about government may actually be able to result in some good legislation.
The question will be this: What if Trump and a bipartisan coalition pass a DREAM Act, an infrastructure bill and some tepid tax reform? Do his followers and the Hard Core MAGA types fall in line? Or do they brand him a RINO/Hidden Democrat and launch a civil war?
Who The Hell Knows?
Maybe there's a deal to get the DREAM Act passed. Maybe there isn't (Trump is denying it.). Then again, maybe there is.
A few things ARE clear.
1) Trump, Schumer and Pelosi came to some sort of agreement on principles.
2) Trump likes this, because it makes him look like the "deal maker" he styles himself as. It also allows him to look like he's not a total racist.
3) He's fed up with following McConnell and Ryan's plans that seem to go nowhere.
4) If this really is true, and it really passes, this would indeed be a pivot of a sort from Orange Julius Caesar.
Very early yet, and maybe it's just Trump extricating himself from the mess he made with DACA, but this is a very interesting sign. I can already here the Wall Street Journal and Fox News say that Trump was a Democrat all along.
A few things ARE clear.
1) Trump, Schumer and Pelosi came to some sort of agreement on principles.
2) Trump likes this, because it makes him look like the "deal maker" he styles himself as. It also allows him to look like he's not a total racist.
3) He's fed up with following McConnell and Ryan's plans that seem to go nowhere.
4) If this really is true, and it really passes, this would indeed be a pivot of a sort from Orange Julius Caesar.
Very early yet, and maybe it's just Trump extricating himself from the mess he made with DACA, but this is a very interesting sign. I can already here the Wall Street Journal and Fox News say that Trump was a Democrat all along.
Wednesday, September 13, 2017
Harnessing The Market
Bernie Sanders just got a show-vote on his universal health care "bill." Meanwhile, China just made a big, big decision about cars. Neither of these required passage in Congress or signing by the President.
However, while I don't think America can make a jump to universal, single payer health care, I think that Brian Schatz's plan is a good idea, but I would include employer plans. Let Ford or GE buy Medicaid for their employees. They will save money and we will get closer to the day when the switch from Blue Cross to Medicaid is a formality involving about 10% of the population.
Similarly, while I despair of any even halfway decent policies from Hair Furor on climate change, the world isn't waiting. If Ford and GM want to sit out the EV revolution, then we need to start saving for another bailout. It's coming, and it's coming whether the US government acts or not. Markets are now global. If California follows suit, everyone will have to up their game when it comes to EV.
This shit might work.
However, while I don't think America can make a jump to universal, single payer health care, I think that Brian Schatz's plan is a good idea, but I would include employer plans. Let Ford or GE buy Medicaid for their employees. They will save money and we will get closer to the day when the switch from Blue Cross to Medicaid is a formality involving about 10% of the population.
Similarly, while I despair of any even halfway decent policies from Hair Furor on climate change, the world isn't waiting. If Ford and GM want to sit out the EV revolution, then we need to start saving for another bailout. It's coming, and it's coming whether the US government acts or not. Markets are now global. If California follows suit, everyone will have to up their game when it comes to EV.
This shit might work.
Democracy
The fair, impartial and untainted process of voting is critical for continued faith in our democracy. That is why the Russia probe is so important. Right now it doesn't look like Russia actually monkeyed with vote tallies, but if they did....?
Instead, we have the influence of money and fake news on political decision making. Republicans would have you believe that voting fraud is widespread, but there is literally zero evidence that it has happened. Hillary Clinton's new book is going to set off a wave of relitigating the 2016 campaign. (yay) She makes a claim that various voter suppression schemes cost her the election. She points to Wisconsin, using a disputed study, to suggest that voter suppression denied her 200,000 votes in the Badger State. More likely most of those "lost votes" came from African American voters who stayed home because she wasn't Obama. But if only 15% of those were suppressed, that would have been enough to toss Wisconsin her way. Michigan was even closer.
Secondly, we have gerrymandering. Some of it is a natural process of the "Big Sort" between cities and countryside. But some of it is done for racial and partisan reasons, which increasingly overlap. A partisan gerrymander is increasingly a de facto racial gerrymander. Yet the Supreme Court seems like it might be OK with that. That's why stealing that Supreme Court seat from Merrick Garland was so egregious.
We HAVE to fix it so that we are truly equal when it comes to voting. I will never have the economic power that the 1% have. But I have to think that my vote counts the same as David Koch's or any other American. In fact, the way we elect our President and Congress...that isn't remotely true. We raise barriers to some voters while privileging the votes in swing districts and swing states.
So since 2006, Democrats have won a plurality of votes in all three presidential elections and won the Electoral College twice. In the Senate, the few tens of thousands who elect Senator John Barasso of Wyoming have the same say as the millions who elected Kamala Harris. In the House in 2012, Democrats won 48.75% of the vote and Republicans won 47.59%, yet Democrats won 46.21% of the seats and Republicans 53.79%. In the last election, Democrats won 48.03% of the vote and 44.6% of the seats (Republicans won 49.11% and 55.4% respectively.)
This troubles me. I'm very troubled.
Instead, we have the influence of money and fake news on political decision making. Republicans would have you believe that voting fraud is widespread, but there is literally zero evidence that it has happened. Hillary Clinton's new book is going to set off a wave of relitigating the 2016 campaign. (yay) She makes a claim that various voter suppression schemes cost her the election. She points to Wisconsin, using a disputed study, to suggest that voter suppression denied her 200,000 votes in the Badger State. More likely most of those "lost votes" came from African American voters who stayed home because she wasn't Obama. But if only 15% of those were suppressed, that would have been enough to toss Wisconsin her way. Michigan was even closer.
Secondly, we have gerrymandering. Some of it is a natural process of the "Big Sort" between cities and countryside. But some of it is done for racial and partisan reasons, which increasingly overlap. A partisan gerrymander is increasingly a de facto racial gerrymander. Yet the Supreme Court seems like it might be OK with that. That's why stealing that Supreme Court seat from Merrick Garland was so egregious.
We HAVE to fix it so that we are truly equal when it comes to voting. I will never have the economic power that the 1% have. But I have to think that my vote counts the same as David Koch's or any other American. In fact, the way we elect our President and Congress...that isn't remotely true. We raise barriers to some voters while privileging the votes in swing districts and swing states.
So since 2006, Democrats have won a plurality of votes in all three presidential elections and won the Electoral College twice. In the Senate, the few tens of thousands who elect Senator John Barasso of Wyoming have the same say as the millions who elected Kamala Harris. In the House in 2012, Democrats won 48.75% of the vote and Republicans won 47.59%, yet Democrats won 46.21% of the seats and Republicans 53.79%. In the last election, Democrats won 48.03% of the vote and 44.6% of the seats (Republicans won 49.11% and 55.4% respectively.)
This troubles me. I'm very troubled.
Tuesday, September 12, 2017
Endogeneity
We were just talking about good old endogeneity in class the other day. Basically, in the social sciences especially but in human nature generally, there is a desire to understand why things happened in the past so that we can predict things about the future. Endogeneity is the difficulty in determining what caused what or whether there is any causal relationship at all.
Ta-Nehsi Coates wrote a provocative piece about Trump being the "first white president." Coates looks at Trump and sees the ascendancy of a man based entirely on his whiteness. Trump held no public office and has displayed a vulgarity and predatory nature throughout his public career. In Coates' analysis, this is the product of racism. He rightly notes that Trump's support did not come from "poor whites in Appalachia." It came from ALL sectors of white society.
Coates, however, notes but glosses over the fact that Trump's share of the white vote is roughly the same as Mitt Romney's. While Coates' analysis about the role race plays in American politics is almost entirely accurate, he falls into the trap of monocausality. Coates is probably America's best writer on racism. But that tends to force his explanation through that prism.
Thus, Coates can simultaneously be right about racism in the role of Trump and wrong.\
Josh Marshall responded, as usual, about as well as can be expected. What's more, he collected the responses of his readers that note other factors. Two noted the role that sexism played. Coates frames Trump's election as a rejection of the black president. But Obama wasn't on the ballot. Hillary Clinton was. And sexism was just as big a part of Trump's appeal to the Deplorables as was his racism. Another pointed to the narrow margin of victory and how candidates can be perceived.
My favorite response noted that there are simply too many factors to explain why Trump won. Yes, Trump benefited from racism. But he also benefited from excessive Republican partisanship. Plenty of Republicans voted for Trump because he had an R next to his name, not because he was a racist. Absent the Comey letter, Clinton likely wins and we wouldn't even be having this conversation.
The Democratic Party is no longer the party of the white South. It is no longer the party of white supremacy. That mantle has passed to Republicans. Trump has - as Coates - makes clear, laid that out more plainly that ever before. But the Republican party also has retrograde ideas on gender and sexual orientation. They are climate deniers. They are - in fact - out of step with a great many ideals that Americans profess to believe in. And yet they win elections, because of the way our elections work to privilege these white, rural enclaves.
Yes, Coates is right. But he's incompetely right.
Ta-Nehsi Coates wrote a provocative piece about Trump being the "first white president." Coates looks at Trump and sees the ascendancy of a man based entirely on his whiteness. Trump held no public office and has displayed a vulgarity and predatory nature throughout his public career. In Coates' analysis, this is the product of racism. He rightly notes that Trump's support did not come from "poor whites in Appalachia." It came from ALL sectors of white society.
Coates, however, notes but glosses over the fact that Trump's share of the white vote is roughly the same as Mitt Romney's. While Coates' analysis about the role race plays in American politics is almost entirely accurate, he falls into the trap of monocausality. Coates is probably America's best writer on racism. But that tends to force his explanation through that prism.
Thus, Coates can simultaneously be right about racism in the role of Trump and wrong.\
Josh Marshall responded, as usual, about as well as can be expected. What's more, he collected the responses of his readers that note other factors. Two noted the role that sexism played. Coates frames Trump's election as a rejection of the black president. But Obama wasn't on the ballot. Hillary Clinton was. And sexism was just as big a part of Trump's appeal to the Deplorables as was his racism. Another pointed to the narrow margin of victory and how candidates can be perceived.
My favorite response noted that there are simply too many factors to explain why Trump won. Yes, Trump benefited from racism. But he also benefited from excessive Republican partisanship. Plenty of Republicans voted for Trump because he had an R next to his name, not because he was a racist. Absent the Comey letter, Clinton likely wins and we wouldn't even be having this conversation.
The Democratic Party is no longer the party of the white South. It is no longer the party of white supremacy. That mantle has passed to Republicans. Trump has - as Coates - makes clear, laid that out more plainly that ever before. But the Republican party also has retrograde ideas on gender and sexual orientation. They are climate deniers. They are - in fact - out of step with a great many ideals that Americans profess to believe in. And yet they win elections, because of the way our elections work to privilege these white, rural enclaves.
Yes, Coates is right. But he's incompetely right.
Monday, September 11, 2017
Sunday, September 10, 2017
Irma
I spent a week in Tampa reading AP US exams. We stayed at a hotel across from the convention center right on the water. Down the street was an outpost of the Columbia Cafe. Even then, I was wondering what would happen if a hurricane came ashore there.
Fingers crossed, the storm might be weakening. I know people there and know people who have people there.
And here comes Jose....
Fingers crossed, the storm might be weakening. I know people there and know people who have people there.
And here comes Jose....
Saturday, September 9, 2017
Elections Matter
Chris Murphy has put forward a plan that I've liked in some form for a long time: Medicare buy-in for everyone. I actually prefer something closer to Brian Schatz's plan, which is Medicaid buy-in for all, but that would require taking Medicaid back from the states to really work. Sanders plan would be so disruptive that even if you could pass it, it would cause a backlash so severe that you'd have 2010 all over again.
A Medicaid/Medicare buy-in would cause private insurance to slowly wither on the vine as more people and companies transitioned to a cheaper, better form of insurance. Once you reach a critical mass, then you make it tax based rather than payroll based.
The reason we didn't have a public option in the first place was because odious shitsucking troll Joe Lieberman killed it.
I still hate that guy.
A Medicaid/Medicare buy-in would cause private insurance to slowly wither on the vine as more people and companies transitioned to a cheaper, better form of insurance. Once you reach a critical mass, then you make it tax based rather than payroll based.
The reason we didn't have a public option in the first place was because odious shitsucking troll Joe Lieberman killed it.
I still hate that guy.
So Freaking Tiresome
The WaPo has the usual "Democrats in Disarray" article that practically write themselves at this point. The endless relitigating of the 2016 primary, the differing visions of what the Democratic Party should stand for, hell, even Nancy Pelosi gets bashed a bit. Pelosi has been - without a doubt - the best and most efficient Speaker of the House in decades. She isn't who you want in front of the cameras - I guess Paul Ryan is, for reasons I can't explain - but she's an absolute pro at delivering her caucus. Hell, even Gutierrez voted for the three month extension yesterday. All the whinging would-be insurrectionists voted for it, even as they carped to the cameras and the Bernie Bros.
As for whether getting Trump to sign a DREAM Act constitutes a win for Democrats or a win for Trump...I mean, how about a win for three-quarter of a million young people? As for who will get credit for it, whatever credit Trump gets from the center, he loses from the racist Right.
Legislate. Govern. That's your job. Don't echo the Republican legislative absolutism.
As for whether getting Trump to sign a DREAM Act constitutes a win for Democrats or a win for Trump...I mean, how about a win for three-quarter of a million young people? As for who will get credit for it, whatever credit Trump gets from the center, he loses from the racist Right.
Legislate. Govern. That's your job. Don't echo the Republican legislative absolutism.
Friday, September 8, 2017
Government Does It's Most Basic Job, Film At Eleven
The Trump-Schumer-Pelosi deal just sailed through Congress. It insures that the government stays open and doesn't default on its debt (for three months), funds hurricane relief and allows for other pressing matters to come to the fore.
It passed the House 316-90 and the Senate 80-17. The reason Trump made the deal is apparent in the numbers: All the "no" votes came from Republicans. They even booed and hissed after they passed the damned thing, like the children that they are.
I really hope Trump agrees to the deal that eliminates the debt ceiling altogether. Watching the Freedumb Caucuses heads explode will make great television.
It passed the House 316-90 and the Senate 80-17. The reason Trump made the deal is apparent in the numbers: All the "no" votes came from Republicans. They even booed and hissed after they passed the damned thing, like the children that they are.
I really hope Trump agrees to the deal that eliminates the debt ceiling altogether. Watching the Freedumb Caucuses heads explode will make great television.
Google Nation
Franklin Foer makes a good case that tech companies have outstripped the ability of states to regulate them. The same has been true of finance for years, but now it applies to Google, Apple, Amazon and others.
While his focus on AI will likely draw eyeballs, it's his broader critique of monopoly across the economy that should resonate. We need a new Clayton Anti-Trust Act for the new Gilded Age.
While his focus on AI will likely draw eyeballs, it's his broader critique of monopoly across the economy that should resonate. We need a new Clayton Anti-Trust Act for the new Gilded Age.
Could This Be Good News?
Trump and "Chuck and Nancy" might be close to a deal to eliminate the debt ceiling altogether.
The debt ceiling doesn't make any sense, as it's simply about spending money Congress has already appropriated. Get rid of it. Take the gun out of the nihilists hands.
The debt ceiling doesn't make any sense, as it's simply about spending money Congress has already appropriated. Get rid of it. Take the gun out of the nihilists hands.
Thursday, September 7, 2017
Oh FFS
Needless to say, some Democrats - on the Left - have a problem with the deal Schumer and Pelosi cut with Trump yesterday.
Their argument is that Democratic leadership should have tied the DREAM Act to the debt ceiling fight and forced the GOP to either protect the DREAMers or default on the debt.
This is basically Magical Pony Thinking, Jacobin-Style.
There are about 12 legislative days in the September calendar. In addition to raising the debt ceiling, passing a continuing resolution, reauthorizing the FAA and plugging holes in the CHIP, Luis Gutierrez wants to pass the DREAM Act? I don't fault his ardor, I fault his math.
Because this deal pushes the debt ceiling off until December, it allows the Democrat to push THAT reckoning off long enough to marshal votes for the DREAM Act of whatever comes next. Or, ideally, there are rumors that the next debt ceiling extension will be the last, by eliminating the debt ceiling altogether. If Congress appropriates the money, the debt will be paid. That makes sense and it would end this ridiculous game of chicken we play with America's credit every fall.
You can still use the government shutdown as leverage for DREAM.
You have given yourself an additional two months to get the Lindsay Graham and John McCain's on board with a return to regular order. And as Ro Khanna notes, copying Ted Cruz's legislative strategy should be the last thing Democrats do. The Democrats HAVE to be the party of responsible government. Holding a gun to the head of the American economy is not the behavior of the party of responsible government.
Nevertheless, in typical fashion, the Left has decided to wage war on the Liberals, because they didn't get everything they want yesterday.
Their argument is that Democratic leadership should have tied the DREAM Act to the debt ceiling fight and forced the GOP to either protect the DREAMers or default on the debt.
This is basically Magical Pony Thinking, Jacobin-Style.
There are about 12 legislative days in the September calendar. In addition to raising the debt ceiling, passing a continuing resolution, reauthorizing the FAA and plugging holes in the CHIP, Luis Gutierrez wants to pass the DREAM Act? I don't fault his ardor, I fault his math.
Because this deal pushes the debt ceiling off until December, it allows the Democrat to push THAT reckoning off long enough to marshal votes for the DREAM Act of whatever comes next. Or, ideally, there are rumors that the next debt ceiling extension will be the last, by eliminating the debt ceiling altogether. If Congress appropriates the money, the debt will be paid. That makes sense and it would end this ridiculous game of chicken we play with America's credit every fall.
You can still use the government shutdown as leverage for DREAM.
You have given yourself an additional two months to get the Lindsay Graham and John McCain's on board with a return to regular order. And as Ro Khanna notes, copying Ted Cruz's legislative strategy should be the last thing Democrats do. The Democrats HAVE to be the party of responsible government. Holding a gun to the head of the American economy is not the behavior of the party of responsible government.
Nevertheless, in typical fashion, the Left has decided to wage war on the Liberals, because they didn't get everything they want yesterday.
Best Take
Martin Longman explains what happened yesterday in perfect detail and summarizes everything just right.
So there.
And this is why I prefer blogs like his to cable news.
So there.
And this is why I prefer blogs like his to cable news.
Wednesday, September 6, 2017
Jeebus Voters
This is really interesting. Basically it explains why Evangelicals can support a moral dumpster fire like Donald Trump. It feels very "true."
What's interesting is the decline in White Evangelicals. Some of that is actuarial. They are older and older people die. Some of it is cultural. Younger people are just more tolerant of the Ghey and worried about climate change. One factor to keep an eye on that the article can't foresee is whether Trump's Reverse Midas Touch will further destroy the ranks of Evangelicals.
Are you there God, it's meMargaret Donald?
What's interesting is the decline in White Evangelicals. Some of that is actuarial. They are older and older people die. Some of it is cultural. Younger people are just more tolerant of the Ghey and worried about climate change. One factor to keep an eye on that the article can't foresee is whether Trump's Reverse Midas Touch will further destroy the ranks of Evangelicals.
Are you there God, it's me
Life Comes At You Fast...
So I was at school, welcoming new students and getting curious updates on my phone.
Apparently, Hair Furor has realized that he can't govern with the Republican majorities in the Congress, so he will need Democratic help to keep the country from falling apart.
Therefore, he has agreed to raise the debt ceiling and add three more month onto a continuing resolution that keeps the government open until Christmas.
As Martin Longman has predicted (and is now taking a victory lap) the entire GOP leadership from Trump to McConnell were staring into the abyss. They had a HUGE workload for September and the Far Right was barking mad about their demands. Ryan and McConnell (and whatever passes for adult leadership in the White House) knew they had a host of must-pass legislation and a restive group of Teanderthals ready to make a hash of everything. The only option to keep from defaulting on the debt and keeping the government functioning was to secure Democratic votes.
As Longman notes, McConnell and Ryan can shake their head ruefully as these votes pass and the government is funded because Trump is just such a loose cannon. In reality, they have to be relieved that they won't be overseeing a sovereign debt crisis and the collapse of the dollar.
The worry was that Trump and the Teanderthals would demand that the debt ceiling increase would come with strings that Democrats couldn't stomach. And then there would be a default. And that would be a disaster.
Instead, we are going to get a clean debt ceiling increase, push the government shutdown until December and allow the Congress to work on other pieces of must-pass legislation, including the FAA, CHIP and potentially disaster relief (though Harvey relief appears to be covered in this deal).
It also decouples any shitty DACA patch that might have been attached to the debt ceiling. Now they will have to vote on a real DREAM bill.
Democrats were ecstatic and you can understand why. As for Republicans, they are furious. It will be interesting to see how much longer Congressional Republicans can stomach Trump. He's already "killing the brand." If he starts siding with Schumer and Pelosi to keep the government funded and DREAMers from being deported...why not impeach the SOB?
Apparently, Hair Furor has realized that he can't govern with the Republican majorities in the Congress, so he will need Democratic help to keep the country from falling apart.
Therefore, he has agreed to raise the debt ceiling and add three more month onto a continuing resolution that keeps the government open until Christmas.
As Martin Longman has predicted (and is now taking a victory lap) the entire GOP leadership from Trump to McConnell were staring into the abyss. They had a HUGE workload for September and the Far Right was barking mad about their demands. Ryan and McConnell (and whatever passes for adult leadership in the White House) knew they had a host of must-pass legislation and a restive group of Teanderthals ready to make a hash of everything. The only option to keep from defaulting on the debt and keeping the government functioning was to secure Democratic votes.
As Longman notes, McConnell and Ryan can shake their head ruefully as these votes pass and the government is funded because Trump is just such a loose cannon. In reality, they have to be relieved that they won't be overseeing a sovereign debt crisis and the collapse of the dollar.
The worry was that Trump and the Teanderthals would demand that the debt ceiling increase would come with strings that Democrats couldn't stomach. And then there would be a default. And that would be a disaster.
Instead, we are going to get a clean debt ceiling increase, push the government shutdown until December and allow the Congress to work on other pieces of must-pass legislation, including the FAA, CHIP and potentially disaster relief (though Harvey relief appears to be covered in this deal).
It also decouples any shitty DACA patch that might have been attached to the debt ceiling. Now they will have to vote on a real DREAM bill.
Democrats were ecstatic and you can understand why. As for Republicans, they are furious. It will be interesting to see how much longer Congressional Republicans can stomach Trump. He's already "killing the brand." If he starts siding with Schumer and Pelosi to keep the government funded and DREAMers from being deported...why not impeach the SOB?
Tuesday, September 5, 2017
Ignoramus
A number of reports suggest that Trump really doesn't know the extent and possible ramification of his actions. As I suggested the other day, perhaps Trump blunders into a scenario where he forces Congress to do it job. This will require Congressional Republican leaders to cut deals with Democrats in order to pass what is essentially the Dream Act. Republicans have boxed themselves in by complaining about Obama's executive overreach in creating DACA. But DACA covered their own shameful inaction.
Now, Trump has forced them to either pass the Dream Act with Democratic votes or watch communities being torn apart. You want to turn Texas and Arizona blue? Kill DACA and fail to pass the Dream Act.
So all we need now is competence in Congress.
Now, Trump has forced them to either pass the Dream Act with Democratic votes or watch communities being torn apart. You want to turn Texas and Arizona blue? Kill DACA and fail to pass the Dream Act.
So all we need now is competence in Congress.
Monday, September 4, 2017
Nothing To Add
Josh Marshall makes a very important point: Donald Trump can't even fake empathy. Admittedly, Trump is "not a politician" who has learned to fake empathy over years of running for office. But...damn! How can you flub the easiest of presidential tests: not being an asshole during a disaster?
DACA
There is at least some hints that Congress might actually, you know, do some of that legislating.
Not in September. September is going to be a triage unit of disaster avoidance. The debt ceiling has to be raised and some sort of new spending - even a continuing resolution - has to be passed. There is Harvey (and maybe Irma) relief to pass. And maybe we should find a way not to go to war with North Korea.
Hair Furor has announced that he will end DACA in six months. DACA stands for Deferred Action for Childhood Something That Starts With A. Basically, if you were brought to this country when you were a minor, you can stay as long as you go to school, have a job and don't do crimes. It is a perfectly sane policy implemented by Obama, because the GOP Congress wouldn't act on it.
Now, however, the GOP owns all policy outputs. Trump's decision to end DACA is heartless and cruel, unless the Congress can pass a bill instituting DACA into law (at this point it was an executive action). Since DACA has no real legal standing, this is an opportunity for the GOP to blunt some of their negative standing with people under 40. They can claim credit for making DACA into law.
Of course, the way they are going about it, with Trump threatening to deport a bunch of kids, means that they are unlikely to see any real benefit. Well played.
Here is a link to my former advisee, Chris Zheng's, Facebook page. At the link is a fundraiser for United We Dream. Consider throwing in some coin.
Not in September. September is going to be a triage unit of disaster avoidance. The debt ceiling has to be raised and some sort of new spending - even a continuing resolution - has to be passed. There is Harvey (and maybe Irma) relief to pass. And maybe we should find a way not to go to war with North Korea.
Hair Furor has announced that he will end DACA in six months. DACA stands for Deferred Action for Childhood Something That Starts With A. Basically, if you were brought to this country when you were a minor, you can stay as long as you go to school, have a job and don't do crimes. It is a perfectly sane policy implemented by Obama, because the GOP Congress wouldn't act on it.
Now, however, the GOP owns all policy outputs. Trump's decision to end DACA is heartless and cruel, unless the Congress can pass a bill instituting DACA into law (at this point it was an executive action). Since DACA has no real legal standing, this is an opportunity for the GOP to blunt some of their negative standing with people under 40. They can claim credit for making DACA into law.
Of course, the way they are going about it, with Trump threatening to deport a bunch of kids, means that they are unlikely to see any real benefit. Well played.
Here is a link to my former advisee, Chris Zheng's, Facebook page. At the link is a fundraiser for United We Dream. Consider throwing in some coin.
Sunday, September 3, 2017
Who The Fuck Is Mark Bray?
Mark Bray teaches at my alma mater. He is the current leading intellectual voice of antifas. He has a book!
Inevitably, I'm reminded of my forays onto Twitter to debate anarchists, Bernie Bros and perhaps some antifas supporters about how stupid antifas is as both a tactic and a strategy. What's dismaying about Bray is that he seems to embrace the ahistorical idea that we are slipping into fascism. He seems to take the Far Left position that anything to the Left of John McCain is fascism. The other book review at the above link is about the range from fascism to populism.
There is zero question in my mind that Trump represents a populist movement, rooted heavily in white working class resentment. His movement is quite old and quite rural. It represents the dying out areas of America, both literally and figuratively. Fascism is schematic; it has a plan. Populism is emotive; it responds to stimulae.
To look at Trump and see fascisms, or for that matter to look at 1500 tiki torch wielding morons and see Germany in 1933 seems to me to represent a real failure to learn real lessons from history.
Inevitably, I'm reminded of my forays onto Twitter to debate anarchists, Bernie Bros and perhaps some antifas supporters about how stupid antifas is as both a tactic and a strategy. What's dismaying about Bray is that he seems to embrace the ahistorical idea that we are slipping into fascism. He seems to take the Far Left position that anything to the Left of John McCain is fascism. The other book review at the above link is about the range from fascism to populism.
There is zero question in my mind that Trump represents a populist movement, rooted heavily in white working class resentment. His movement is quite old and quite rural. It represents the dying out areas of America, both literally and figuratively. Fascism is schematic; it has a plan. Populism is emotive; it responds to stimulae.
To look at Trump and see fascisms, or for that matter to look at 1500 tiki torch wielding morons and see Germany in 1933 seems to me to represent a real failure to learn real lessons from history.
Friday, September 1, 2017
Nice Message
Literally snatching kids' dreams.
Trump feels pressured to provide red meat to the Deplorables. They are the only ones sticking by him, so he's going to do some fan service. That means being heartless to children by ripping them from their homes and schools.
Remember that most of the Deplorables are "Evangelical Christians."
Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
Trump feels pressured to provide red meat to the Deplorables. They are the only ones sticking by him, so he's going to do some fan service. That means being heartless to children by ripping them from their homes and schools.
Remember that most of the Deplorables are "Evangelical Christians."
Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
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