There's the general prestige and being the main character every day, but also it's certianly the case that Senate staffers (illegally) do much work for their bosses that they should not be doing. You can't possibly hire elder care staffers who are going to be that attentive to your needs.
That's the kind of thing that happens slowly and then all at once, but leaving the Senate would mean, for some of these people, essentially losing their necessary appendages.
Thursday, September 14, 2023
Are We All Unpaid Dem Operatives Or Not
Biden's pretty old. In an ideal world Biden would not running for president again. In an ideal world Biden would not be president, even though he's been a lot better than the last two Dems.
That's not the same thing as saying "Biden should drop out," just that a reordering of of the universe would be preferred (much as many reorderings of the universe was be preferred).
But Biden isn't going to drop out. Even if I thought he should drop out, nothing I write in my little blog would make that happen. If I had a column in one of our premier prestige periodicals, nothing I would write there would make him drop out, either.
I could write numerous articles about how he SHOULD drop out because he's old and faltering or whatever, but what would that achieve? It would communicate to large numbers of people that I, an important person with an important outlet, think a priority right now, in year of our Gritty 2023, was to warn the country about the old man who needs to drop out. Probably something to that?
A certain set of centrist dipshits have moved on from the Lab Leak and hating trans people (briefly) to write about Biden needs to drop out. Hey, go crazy, guys, but centrist dipshits *also* love to lecture The Left about how everything twitter user CastroChavez69 tweets is going to hurt the electoral chances of Democrats.
Generally, centrist dipshists love to prove how reasonable and savvy they are by echoing right wing talking points (also because they agree with them) and, I suspect, to the extent The Discourse matters, that's often a lot more damaging than what some lefty shitposters write in obscure journals of opinion.
It's a bit like how "defund the police" was the most damaging thing in the history of electoral politics, which is why James Carville had to go on TV and angrily express that point 417 days in a row. Who, actually, is doing the damage here?
That's not the same thing as saying "Biden should drop out," just that a reordering of of the universe would be preferred (much as many reorderings of the universe was be preferred).
But Biden isn't going to drop out. Even if I thought he should drop out, nothing I write in my little blog would make that happen. If I had a column in one of our premier prestige periodicals, nothing I would write there would make him drop out, either.
I could write numerous articles about how he SHOULD drop out because he's old and faltering or whatever, but what would that achieve? It would communicate to large numbers of people that I, an important person with an important outlet, think a priority right now, in year of our Gritty 2023, was to warn the country about the old man who needs to drop out. Probably something to that?
A certain set of centrist dipshits have moved on from the Lab Leak and hating trans people (briefly) to write about Biden needs to drop out. Hey, go crazy, guys, but centrist dipshits *also* love to lecture The Left about how everything twitter user CastroChavez69 tweets is going to hurt the electoral chances of Democrats.
Generally, centrist dipshists love to prove how reasonable and savvy they are by echoing right wing talking points (also because they agree with them) and, I suspect, to the extent The Discourse matters, that's often a lot more damaging than what some lefty shitposters write in obscure journals of opinion.
It's a bit like how "defund the police" was the most damaging thing in the history of electoral politics, which is why James Carville had to go on TV and angrily express that point 417 days in a row. Who, actually, is doing the damage here?
Wednesday, September 13, 2023
Freak Show Entry
I try not to focus too much on this stuff, but, christ, learn how to behave.
U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert was escorted out of a Sunday night performance of the “Beetlejuice” musical in downtown Denver, accused by venue officials of vaping, singing, recording and “causing a disturbance” during the performance.Excellent timing with the beat sweetener, Politico.
In an incident report shared with The Denver Post on Tuesday afternoon, officials with Denver Arts & Venues wrote that two patrons were asked to leave the city-owned Buell Theatre during the performance of the touring Broadway show. They previously were issued a warning during the intermission regarding behavior that prompted three complaints from other theatergoers, the report says.
Lauren Boebert: Rabble-rouser in D.C., public servant back home https://t.co/Kyf585a7WO
— POLITICO (@politico) September 13, 2023
If Alabama
If the Supremos make clear that some of their rulings are optional, then states and the executive branch should embrace it.
For the Alabama appeal, the Supreme Court will probably need to respond quickly. The state has represented that it must finalize its congressional districts by early October. If the court blesses Alabama’s conduct and allows the state’s defiance to stand — either after briefing and oral argument or by issuing a stay on the “shadow docket” and allowing the state’s discriminatory map to remain in place, as it did in an earlier stage of this very litigation — it will be announcing to the world that its opinions need not be heeded. If that happens, defiance by other political actors, both left and right, can be expected, and will be justified.Though I expect Democrats will continue to behave like good little boys and girls and expect to be rewarded (in heaven, perhaps).
"Fully Autonomous"
Running a point to point shuttle autonomously is probably not a problem. Running an autonomous bus on a completely separated right of way is probably not a problem (and, hell, if that's how you convince electeds who hate public transit but love gadgets to build such things, fine). But running a bus on most normal city streets? Just another example of taking neato technology and trying to apply it to the hardest problems.
I ride buses most days, but nobody asks me to make these decisions.
A fully autonomous bus is now in regular service in Scotland. It still has employees, two in fact.Most people who make these decisions never actually do things like "ride a bus." If they did they'd know how hard it is to be a fucking bus driver.
I ride buses most days, but nobody asks me to make these decisions.
"Advising"
I don't think MBS really heeds Tony Blair's "advice." Advising in this context generally means being paid for PR, or being paid, essentially, to look the other way. Every influential think tank in DC is swimming in money from horrible state actors and horrible rich entities, and while they might not all actively advocate for their interests, it does make sure they don't act against them.
Tom was promising that one too!:
But even Tom backed off, presumably because he isn't actually on the payroll.
But Blair’s post-Downing Street activities have always drawn criticism. He confirmed that he was — and still is — providing advice to the Saudi government, in spite of the brutal murder of the journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018.
He is unapologetic. “What’s going on in Saudi at the moment is incredibly important,” he said. “None of that takes away from the terrible crime of Khashoggi, of course not, but if you look what’s happening there, it’s a social revolution.Specifically, Blair is being paid to say things like, "if you look what’s happening there, it’s a social revolution."
Tuesday, September 12, 2023
Medical Bills
Even a senator...
Katherine Feinstein, the senator's daughter from a previous marriage who has power of attorney for her 90-year-old mother in legal matters, has argued her mother is owed millions in disbursements from Blum's estate and needs the money now to cover medical bills.
The Majesty Of AssLaw
To some degree - frayed a bit, lately - "we" are expected to believe from reporting on major legal cases that a) the judges are calling balls and strikes and b) the ruling can be predicted with near certainty based on which judge gets the case.
Point And Laugh
I appreciate Parker doing the work here, but after years of this "we" shouldn't have to constantly be refuting the Nates and the Matts and the Joshes and the Jons. They never admit error and then if the case against them is overwhelming just move on to the next bit of nonsense. And then, a few weeks later, they just return back to the old nonsense again!!!
Silver is self-evidently a buffoon, and yelling SHUT UP, NERD makes it clear there's no reason to take him seriously.
He doesnt take any of his critics seriously! Or hear them.
Silver is self-evidently a buffoon, and yelling SHUT UP, NERD makes it clear there's no reason to take him seriously.
He doesnt take any of his critics seriously! Or hear them.
Sure Why Not
I'm sure our sober, fair, objective, public interest-minded political journalists will clearly explain that this is a Seinfeld Impeachment.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., plans to endorse an impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden in an effort to seek bank records and other documents from the president and his son Hunter Biden, two Republican sources familiar with the speaker's intentions told NBC News.
Pregnancy Deaths
The fatality rate of pregnancy/childbirth is absolutely immense in the US.
The general fuckedupedness of our health care system doesn't help, either.
"Abortion is health care" is one of those concepts that was dismissed by Sensible Centrists for years because they are dumb and never listen. "Leaving it to the states" means death.
Yet more than 100 years after that landmark report, written by Dr. Grace Meigs, Americans are still dying of pregnancy and childbirth-related causes at rates far above many parts of the world. Even as maternal mortality declined globally by a third from 2000 to 2015, deaths rose in the United States. The racial disparity persists as well. Even when Black women have higher incomes, they are more likely to die from pregnancy and childbirth than white women are.It really isn't an issue that can even be hoped to be addressed in many states after Dobbs (the piece mentions, but downplays it). The state laws make providing appropriate medical care for women impossible, and the exodus of doctors and OB/GYN practices and the shuttering of maternity wards will continue.
The general fuckedupedness of our health care system doesn't help, either.
"Abortion is health care" is one of those concepts that was dismissed by Sensible Centrists for years because they are dumb and never listen. "Leaving it to the states" means death.
Along For The Ride
Related to this, it's quite obvious that political journalists* have an overpowering career interest in promoting the candidates that they cover
Team DeSantis wants Ron to win the primary, and then win the election, because then they get to be the celebrity journalists embedded in the presidency. Everyone wants Repbulicans to win because Republian administrations are more fun, filled with psychos who spend half their day leaking nonsense to those journalists.
There are the book contracts, too, though I am still waiting for someone to ask newspaper editors how they let their reporters hold back "scoops" for the books. One answer is that sources are more likely to agree to reveal something if it's not going to come out for 18 months, but obviously there's a bit of a problem of the journalists are more than happy with that arrangement, too.
*I try to distinguish "political journalists" from "journalists" because, you know, #notalljournalists. One change over 20 years has been how all news has been subsumed into political news. It doesn't really matter what your investigative journalist does on page A23 if Maggie Haberman doesn't talk about it on A1 (and on cable news and...). No golden era 20 years ago, of course, but the way in which everything falls under politics is different now (it was a slow evolution).
Team DeSantis wants Ron to win the primary, and then win the election, because then they get to be the celebrity journalists embedded in the presidency. Everyone wants Repbulicans to win because Republian administrations are more fun, filled with psychos who spend half their day leaking nonsense to those journalists.
There are the book contracts, too, though I am still waiting for someone to ask newspaper editors how they let their reporters hold back "scoops" for the books. One answer is that sources are more likely to agree to reveal something if it's not going to come out for 18 months, but obviously there's a bit of a problem of the journalists are more than happy with that arrangement, too.
*I try to distinguish "political journalists" from "journalists" because, you know, #notalljournalists. One change over 20 years has been how all news has been subsumed into political news. It doesn't really matter what your investigative journalist does on page A23 if Maggie Haberman doesn't talk about it on A1 (and on cable news and...). No golden era 20 years ago, of course, but the way in which everything falls under politics is different now (it was a slow evolution).
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