Patterico's Pontifications

1/1/2021

Hello, 2021, You *Have To Be* Better Than Your Predecessor! (Open Thread)

Filed under: General — Dana @ 9:36 am



[guest post by Dana]

I don’t know anyone who isn’t happy to have turned the page on a spectacularly crap year (yet I did have a few personal brights spots here and there). One of those bright spots has been the pleasure and privilege of being a guest contributor here for yet another year. So thank you, Patterico, for the continuing opportunity to opine, rage, and rant at your site. And thank you, JVW and Patterico, for your friendship and encouragement behind the scenes. Also, thanks to commenters who have offered positive feedback on posts that I have written. You have no idea how much it is appreciated. Thanks, too, to those who politely challenged me because you made me think through things more carefully. Iron sharpens iron. Finally, to those rare goobers who were just stinkers about my posts, well, I even hope to see you around here in 2021. But maybe with better manners…

Anyway, consider this a fresh open thread. Share about anything you’d like. But if it’s a report, please include a link.

I’ll start: Don’t fret, but cleaning out the debris of 2020 will take just a wee bit longer than necessary:

Two Republican members of the House of Representatives tell CNN that they expect at least 140 of their GOP colleagues in the House to vote against counting the electoral votes on January 6 when Congress is expected to certify President-elect Joe Biden’s victory.

Let these elected officials be forced to stand up and be exposed by their vote. We have a right to know. And we will remember that this is to whom they have chosen to sacrifice their integrity and hitch their wagons:

Oh, I see January 6 is shaping up to be a super fun day in America. President Trump re-tweeted this earlier this morning. [Heh. I really don’t think this is about ‘Calvary’ and the resurrection of Christ, but rather ‘cavalry,’ as in an army of true believers *in Trump*]:

–Dana

79 Responses to “Hello, 2021, You *Have To Be* Better Than Your Predecessor! (Open Thread)”

  1. Good morning! The sun is shining here on a crispy cold blue-skied winter day and I’m feeling hopeful.

    Dana (cc9481)

  2. New Year’s Day has been postponed by 20 days at the minimum.

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  3. Heh.

    Dana (cc9481)

  4. Happy New Year, Dana!

    I like all your posts even if I don’t always say so or feel a need to put in my own two cents.

    However, the Greeks have a superstition that what you do on New Year’s Day, you will do the rest of the year, and I’d like to avoid that, if you know what I mean. So here’s a story about Australia changing one line in its national anthem from “We are young and free” to “We are one and free” in order to be more inclusive of its indigenous population.

    I thoroughly approve. I think it’s long overdue, actually. I remember one time I was applying for a tourist visa to Australia. There was a question on whether I had any criminal convictions. I had to answer “No”. I didn’t know it was still a requirement.

    nk (1d9030)

  5. Thanks, nk, you’re sweet to say that.

    Also, couldn’t it also be said that changing “young and free” changing to “one and free” is more inclusive because it’s no longer ageist?

    Dana (cc9481)

  6. Happy New Year!

    We are supposed to get rain this week. My boss has not yet called me in a panic about the new semester. I have many Christmas cookies in my cookie tin. And my sheets are in the wash, I turned my mattress, and I moved my bed and swept under it. So I’m pretty happy with this fine (kinda foggy actually) New Year’s morning.

    Nic (896fdf)

  7. Wow, mighty productive 2021 you’ve got going there, Nic! Impressed.

    BTW, how are you feeling about Gov. Newsom’s call to open the schools for in-person learning by March? I was surprised to see CTU not entirely against it, and in fact, most reasonably adopted a wait-and-see more details attitude.

    Dana (cc9481)

  8. Yes, that too. 😉

    nk (1d9030)

  9. Unfortunately, that was my go-to, nk, because I’m now a woman of a certain age. Heh.

    Dana (cc9481)

  10. “Peter Navarro releases 36-page report alleging election fraud ….”

    I’m working on a 72-page report alleging Trump is suffering from advanced senile dementia. Twice as long = twice as good.

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  11. I have more evidence, too.

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  12. Trump is also re-tweeting a clip from OANN wherein the reporter alleging that there is a mountain of evidence for voter fraud too. Maybe that’s where Navarro heard it

    Dana (cc9481)

  13. @7 He’s both right and wrong. Primary school kids would, indeed benefit at a much increased percentage for in person learning. And they do seem to pass the virus on less than secondary level students. Elementary classes also would have an easier time with the physical safety measures needed (they generally only see 25-30 students who could reasonably remain in a self-contained pod, while secondary regular meet with 150-175 who generally proceed to interact with the rest of the students in the school), but also a more difficult time with the emotional ones (can you see a 1st grade teacher complying with 6 ft of distance?). So at the elementary level the benefits may indeed outweigh the risks.

    The logistics are a continuing problem. No district’s HVAC systems are up to the task of proper air filtering and most windows don’t open. The supplementary filter systems my district bought for each classroom are meant for a smaller area than the classrooms (WHICH THEY WERE TOLD GOING IN, they said the bigger ones were too expensive and teachers should just put it near their desks. Grrr, the teachers had figured out that possible solution, but, you know, were actually worried about their students who weren’t getting the better filtered air). Many districts also have safety protocols requiring doors to be closed and locked during class time. Most schools aren’t set up to segregate students into small pods and the bathrooms are shared by all students and there is no way make that not happen. There is also a student safety issue of what to do with sick kids. If we have a student show up symptomatic, even if we segregate the symptomatic students from the other students, there isn’t a way to segregate them from eachother, so someone with a cold might end up with close exposure to someone with covid due to separating out symptomatic kids into the same place. There’s also the difficulty of trying to simultaneously teach students via distance learning vs students in person. There are different needs that it’s impossible to meet if they are teaching both groups at the same time. What could very well end up happening is that the kids might be present in the classroom but still essentially doing distance learning and then what is the point?

    There is also genuine fear on the teacher’s part. There isn’t enough PPE. Most districts have had no testing available at all. The confidence that suddenly there will be enough PPE and readily available testing is low. There isn’t enough space. There’s also the feeling that districts aren’t really concerned with safety and are more interested in meeting only the bare minimum standard possible to get teachers back into the classroom (and parents off their backs) and once the unions acquiesce to that then they are stuck, regardless of how bad things get. Frex, even with the new stay at home order, schools that opened with exemptions are still operating, even though we are all being told that basically it’s too dangerous to even go to the grocery store. There are some teachers looking at that and concluding that nobody cares if they live or die. Which, yes, is more a self concern than anything else, but they didn’t sign up for that and some people have more physical courage than others. There isn’t any trust on the teacher’s part that anyone really cares about their safety, some are just dealing with that idea with less anxiety than others.

    Having all the teachers vaccinated will help with some of the fear factor, but the concerns about the students will continue, because they still won’t be vaccinated and they will continue to be endangered by the logistics problems.

    Linda Darling-Hammond is also being silly by saying the school year will be extended. That would take a hell of a lot of money that no-one is going to provide. We are all on 10 month contracts (summer isn’t a vacation, it’s a lay-off) and nobody is going to be willing to increase school staff pay by 20% in order to extend the school year.

    (none of this, btw, is “the state is going to give teachers $450 extra per student” which is a thing I’ve been seeing some places online)

    Sorry about the novel. 😛

    Nic (896fdf)

  14. I’m active in the Brandon Sanderson fan community, a lot of whom came to Sanderson fandom from Robert Jordan fandom.

    So I woke up today to the news that Jordancon (the annual Robert Jordan fan convention) has been postponed from April to an undefined time in late summer.

    This was inevitable. This is the right decision. And it’s still a kick in the teeth reminder that this nightmare isn’t over yet.

    aphrael (4c4719)

  15. Navarro collected all the different allegations that were made.

    This is it:

    https://bannonswarroom.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/The-Immaculate-Deception-12.15.20-1.pdf

    If you were to believe something like that, the ballot fraudsters didn’t settle on one or maybe two methods of ballot fraud but no, they tried everything – which is unreal. It loses credibility simply because of the wide variety of alleged frauds.

    Sammy Finkelman (b78e49)

  16. I read a chunk of that Navarro report. It’s intellectually dishonest and filled with previously discredited garbage and sketchy spreadsheets. Trumpalistas love it!
    And here’s some good news

    The Senate on Friday voted to turn a $741 billion defense authorization bill into law over President Trump’s objections, delivering the first successful veto override of his presidency in the waning days of his administration.

    It has stronger restrictions against pilfering emergency monies for wall construction, and it does nothing on Section 230. It’s pretty much a slap in Trump’s, left-handed and then right-handed.

    Paul Montagu (77c694)

  17. 13, no complaints from me and it’s time a “third party” of tome, as the alternatives to Messrs Finkleman and Ghost, emerge!

    Re you and #7, I simply attribute it to Newsom getting a friendly bloc to take one for the team in hopes that much is forgotten by voters by the time a recall election is held.

    urbanleftbehind (023c24)

  18. Here’s the roll-call on the veto override.

    Cruz, Cotton and Hawley all showed where their loyalties are.

    A number of liberal Dems also voted to sustain the veto.

    Dave (1bb933)

  19. @17 If people want to know how the school system works, I’m willing to tell you, at length. 😛

    Nic (896fdf)

  20. Having all the teachers vaccinated will help with some of the fear factor

    This, of course, leads to the question of whether teachers will be required to receive a vaccine, and how the unions will deal with such a demand. Further, it will also have to be decided whether students can be compelled to be vaccinated as well. While California no longer accepts exemptions for philosophical/religious reasons, I wonder if making Covid vaccines mandatory will open up that pesky can of worms again.

    One thing that elementary students have over middle/high schoolers, though, is that they have a much stronger inclination to please and follow their teachers and the classroom/school rules. So, on one hand, protocols will be more readily followed in primary grades. On the other hand, though, the impulsivity and lack of focus of that particular age group will have to be overcome. It will no doubt be difficult. I suspect it would be similar to the repetition involved in learning the migration pattern of the classroom with new students. But private schools have been doing it with success. Fewer bodies than a public setting, but certainly having success at it.

    Dana (cc9481)

  21. Heh:

    Guests who paid four-figures for tickets to President Donald Trump’s annual New Year’s Eve party were left to party with his personal attorney Rudy Giuliani, his two adult sons and various figures from the conservative media — none of whom wore masks — after the President made a last-minute decision to ditch the event and return to Washington.

    No official explanation for the President’s early departure from Mar-a-Lago was given, though he remains consumed with efforts to overturn the election results and tensions are ratcheting up in the Persian Gulf ahead of the one-year anniversary of the US killing of Iran’s top general.

    I really don’t think he is nearly as concerned about the Persian Gulf as trying to overturn the election. Sadly

    Dana (cc9481)

  22. Lin Wood tweeted “Pence will be in jail awaiting trial for treason. He will face execution by firing squad. He is a coward & will sing like a bird & confess ALL.” https://twitter.com/LLinWood/status/1345067881319587840

    There’s a lot of rambly context and Lin Wood tries hard to qualify his comments so he’s never really saying anything.

    I’m reading this to mean that if Pence doesn’t give the election to Trump, that’s proof he’s a traitor.

    I wonder why Trump fans don’t ever blame Trump for selecting so many traitors for high office. But I also wonder why anyone would want to work for Trump, knowing at some point they will have to betray their principles or be crucified.

    Incidentally, I think that’s what happened to Comey. I think Comey was willing to do Trump a few favors, announcing the Hillary investigation at the best time for Trump, and then Comey decided he wouldn’t keep doing that stuff, and neither were willing to disclose the previous corruption.

    Dustin (4237e0)

  23. There is a developing story in LA District Attorney’s office:

    Union representing deputy district attorneys sues GascĂłn over enhancements policy

    The union representing Los Angeles County deputy district attorneys on Wednesday sued Dist. Atty. George Gascón, alleging that the dramatic changes he has brought to the nation’s largest prosecutorial office have defied state law and forced rank-and-file prosecutors to violate their oaths of office.

    While it’s understandable that Patrick might want to avoid discussing a controversial subject related to his work, the bit about “the union representing deputy district attorneys” piqued my curiosity, since “deputy district attorney” is exactly the job title of our host, based on 15 seconds of Google research.

    Has Patrick been packing a union card all this time?!

    Dave (1bb933)

  24. Dave, that story blows my mind. I don’t expect to hear from our host about it directly.

    Dustin (4237e0)

  25. I think (and this is just a guess) that the vaccine will probably be voluntary for the teachers, but I don’t think there would be too much backlash if it were mandatory unless there is a medical issue because we already have mandatory TB testing and if you get some kind of work related open wound you are required to have a tetanus shot. The idea of required jabs is already in the culture. For next school year, if the vaccine is readily available, I suspect it will be required for students, but, again, that’s a guess and not due to any insider info.

    Elementary kids are certainly more willing to follow directions, so the PPE part would probably be easier for them, but kids have NO concept of personal space OMG.

    Private schools also have the advantage of a student body more likely to be compliant to direction at all levels

    Nic (896fdf)

  26. @23 I spent part of recent weeks listening to a DDA friend rant about the tendancy of voters to elect unqualified people (public defenders and non-trial attorneys) to the DA’s office. He thought the removal of enhancements is monumentally stupid and that it was funny that Gascone got hoist on his own petard when he had to partially rescind that order.

    And yes, the DDAs are union members. 😛

    Nic (896fdf)

  27. A number of liberal Dems also voted to sustain the veto.

    You get the same mix on the House side.

    Lee, Paul, Kennedy and Braun also opposed it on the Trump side. Sanders and a few others opposed it because they always do.

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  28. This, of course, leads to the question of whether teachers will be required to receive a vaccine, and how the unions will deal with such a demand.

    In California, students are required to get normal vaccines to attend public schools. I think that the “out” will be that the vaccine is experimental. Still, they should go to the back of the line if they refuse.

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  29. That particular exchange between Donald Trump and Jared Kushner (in which Trump says he is going to lose) has been denied to the New York Times. Although apparently not Trump saying he wants to handle this like Mexico and not test anyone until they come in sick.

    Sammy Finkelman (b78e49)

  30. There is a 90-day period after taking office before a recall can be mounted against an elected official in CA. I expect that such an effort will begin on Day 91 wrt Gascon, and he is handing the campaign ammunition every time he talks.

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  31. The reason they are not getting the vaccine out is because they are trying to create an order of priority – a logistical impossibility. Better would be first come first serve, with priority only coming into play if a particular distribution point is oversubscribed one day. People could also be put on standby.

    Imagine if somebody tried to distribute airline seats this way.

    Sammy Finkelman (b78e49)

  32. There was a directive last spring that all UC employees were required to receive flu shots.

    It does not seem to have been enforced (I didn’t get one because going to a medical office or hospital seemed riskier than forgoing the vaccination).

    I have no essentially no face-to-face contact with other people, and wear a mask anytime I step outside my apartment.

    Dave (1bb933)

  33. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/30/arts/television/dawn-wells-dead.html

    Ms. Wells, for one, reprised her role as Mary Ann in three reunion TV movies: “Rescue From Gilligan’s Island” (1978), “The Castaways on Gilligan’s Island” (1979) and “The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan’s Island” (1981).

    In 1982, she did the voices of both her character and Ms. Louise’s movie star for “Gilligan’s Planet,” an animated spinoff series. And she went on to play Mary Ann in episodes of at least four other (unrelated) shows: “Alf” (1986), “Baywatch” (1989), “Herman’s Head” (1991) and “Meego” (1997). “Gilligan’s”-themed episodes had a certain camp value.

    I knew about the first movie, but not the rest. Four episodes in other series’s? Exactly what was the plot?

    Sammy Finkelman (b78e49)

  34. For people who are already wearing masks, avoiding crowds, washing their hands, and fortunate enough to be able to stay home, for the most part, it doesn’t seem that a flu shot is necessary.

    Dana (cc9481)

  35. This interactive map shows where less than 50% of school children are not vaccinated. I think that there will be an enormous push back from parents to vaccinate their kids with a Covid vaccine. Aside from the standard objections, they will cite that it was rushed and that there has not been enough time to study/minimize side effects.

    Dana (cc9481)

  36. Aphrael,

    We agree on something else. Sanderson is a prolific writer who has written some of my favorite works of fantasy. I’m glad he keeps up the output and works at his profession when he could’ve lived off of royalties like some other writers have decided to do.

    NJRob (c3e97a)

  37. the Greeks have a superstition that what you do on New Year’s Day, you will do the rest of the year,

    Call me a skeptic, but I doubt that the book I’m reading will take quite that long. OTOH, it’s plausible that I’ll keep studying French towns on Google Earth all year. It’s great to have an addiction that doesn’t cost money or put on weight.

    Anyway, happy New Year, everyone. Get Ready For It. (The official video has scenes from Kingsman, but it sounds much better in a live performance. I realize that some people sniff at my musical taste, but let’s face it — my taste is impeccable.)

    Radegunda (b6cc34)

  38. I’m active in the Brandon Sanderson fan community, a lot of whom came to Sanderson fandom from Robert Jordan fandom.

    So I woke up today to the news that Jordancon (the annual Robert Jordan fan convention) has been postponed from April to an undefined time in late summer.

    To which I admit to having to google both Sanderson and Jordan…

    Dana (cc9481)

  39. I listened to the 2:39 mark, Radegunada, and I’m sorry to inform you that “impeccable” simply isn’t the correct adjective…*sniff*

    Dana (cc9481)

  40. Have the Twilight Zone marathon on one TeeVee… and TCM comedies on the other. There are surprisingly few movies on the ad-biz [pre MadMen TV series] so the Day/Hudson/Randall lark, ‘Lover Come Back’ catches the “character” of ‘Don Draper-types’ from that era with “just-a-touch” of great humor. Always enjoy it.

    DCSCA (f4c5e5)

  41. I’m reading this to mean that if Pence doesn’t give the election to Trump, that’s proof he’s a traitor.

    TBH, who doesn’t think Pence should be tried and executed for treason? (For the irony deprived, yes, I’m kidding.) Anyway, it puts Pence in good company. Among the other Benedict Arnolds Wood wants tried and executed for treason — by the military, because of course — are Chief Justice John Roberts, Mitch McConnell, Mark Meadows, Mike Lee, Lindsey Graham, and Tim Scott.

    Credit where credit is due, if we thought Wood was bringing the crazy in ’20, he must notice he’s still only the second least hinged of our president’s favorite lawyers, as he seems determined to raise the bar even higher in ’21.

    lurker (d8c5bc)

  42. @34: It would be nice to have some transparency on who chose to get a vaccine (flu and covid) and who blew it off.

    I’m thinking something like this adapted for vaccinations, maybe linked to a chip in your vaccine passport. I’m serious.

    beer ‘n pretzels (042d67)

  43. One of those bright spots has been the pleasure and privilege of being a guest contributor here for yet another year. So thank you, Patterico, for the continuing opportunity to opine, rage, and rant at your site. And thank you, JVW and Patterico, for your friendship and encouragement behind the scenes.

    That is something to be grateful for.

    DRJ (aede82)

  44. Credit where credit is due, if we thought Wood was bringing the crazy in ’20, he must notice he’s still only the second least hinged of our president’s favorite lawyers, as he seems determined to raise the bar even higher in ’21.

    lurker (d8c5bc) — 1/1/2021 @ 2:36 pm

    Whatever he’s doing, he’s really really doing it today. Good grief. I think a few of these fanatics are trying to stay at the front of the gravy train, bilking morons.

    Dustin (4237e0)

  45. Here’s the roll-call on the veto override.

    Lol. When the 13 Senators voting with Trump include Ted Cruz, Tom Cotton, Josh Hawley, Rand Paul, Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders, I think we’ve identified the bipartisan constituency I want no part of.

    Oh, and Loeffler and Perdue absenting themselves from the vote? Cowards.

    lurker (d8c5bc)

  46. Whatever he’s doing, he’s really really doing it today. Good grief.

    No kidding. If Notre Dame falls further behind, I may resort to Wood’s twitter feed for my popcorn distraction.

    lurker (d8c5bc)

  47. I think it’s safe to say that January 6 is also the Feast of Epiphany.

    nk (1d9030)

  48. No kidding. If Notre Dame falls further behind, I may resort to Wood’s twitter feed for my popcorn distraction.

    Pretty much how I expected it to go.

    The Cincinnati game was pretty decent, UC had UGA on the ropes, but played a terrible 4th quarter and gave the game away with penalties at the end. I don’t think UC is/was more deserving to get the 4th slot than Notre Dame, but this was the year to give them a shot if there was ever going to be a year to give the Sisters of the Poor a shot.

    Colonel Klink (Ret) (1367c0)

  49. Oh, and Loeffler and Perdue absenting themselves from the vote? Cowards.

    Lindsey Graham too.

    Interesting that Harris was there for the last vote of her senate career when she must have a pretty full schedule (she voted to override).

    Dave (1bb933)

  50. It’s convenient that Perdue has to isolate and cannot make it to the vote. He’s so isolated he can’t even answer questions about how he would vote, unable to take a stand.

    It’s hard for me to even take Loeffler seriously. Is she really in contention? I guess I had the same attitude about Trump.

    Dustin (4237e0)

  51. Harris will be a Senator until she resigns, even up to January 19 if she wants. Loeffler’s term is Isakson’s term and she will be there until an elected successor is sworn in. Perdue is getting a vacation after tomorrow and will not come back unless he wins the runoff.

    nk (1d9030)

  52. https://thepostmillennial.com/watch-mayor-de-blasio-dances-in-times-square-with-his-wife-after-shutting-down-annual-new-years-eve-party

    Leftists enjoying leftism. Showing once again that the rules that apply to the plebes don’t apply to their betters.

    NJRob (eb56c3)

  53. Leftists enjoying leftism. Showing once again that the rules that apply to the plebes don’t apply to their betters.

    “Rightists” would never do such a thing, would they Rob?

    Dave (1bb933)

  54. Yeah I agree with that take. De Blasio celebrating in Times Square is tone deaf. It’s like all these young folks posting images getting the vaccine. They know that on some level they are considered better than the rest of us, and they want to make sure we know it too. Austin has a similar problem with the mayor traveling to Cabo while demanding all bars shut down on New Years Eve. I don’t mind the shut down of the bars to be honest, but I do mind that the folks demanding all these hardships for employers and citizens can’t live the same way they want the rest to live.

    Dustin (4237e0)

  55. So, I just got a $1200 credit from Uncle Sam, direct deposit. If only they got the vaccine out that fast.

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  56. Imagine if somebody tried to distribute airline seats this way.

    From the Master Airline Seat Control Committee in D.C.

    “Short people in front!”

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  57. going to a medical office or hospital

    CVS, Walgreens, Pavilions…

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  58. A teacher who doesn’t use meth, and tells their students not to use meth, is best. (Biden)

    A teacher who occasionally uses meth, but (recognizing they shouldn’t) tells their students not to use meth, is flawed. (Newsom, deBlasio)

    A teacher who openly uses meth, and encourages their students to use meth too, is evil. (Trump)

    Dave (1bb933)

  59. To which I admit to having to google both Sanderson and Jordan…

    You won’t have long to wait until The Wheel of Time premieres on Amazon’s Prime Video.

    They can probably run that thing for over a decade if they try.

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  60. Dave,

    There’s the RPG matrix, where Trump is chaotic-evil (or lawful-good if you’ve had enough Kool-Aid)

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  61. 47, hopefully the “new” Gwinnett County Buford County crowd doesnt forget to vote whilst seeking out the Rosca de Reyes cakes.

    urbanleftbehind (023c24)

  62. I think, though, that a teacher who refuses the vaccine AND refuses to teach due to fear of Covid ought to be suspended.

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  63. Buford “Highway”, I meant.

    urbanleftbehind (023c24)

  64. 62, let the lines of current Barristas arriving for interview form at the carpool drop-off…and start whispering “PATCO, PATCO”!

    urbanleftbehind (023c24)

  65. Dance with your wife on New Year’s Eve? Yes!
    In Times Square? Dude!

    Egalitarianism is for losers and, besides, he is only New York City’s problem. Not that those poor people don’t have it tough enough already when the light at the end of the tunnel is … New Jersey.

    nk (1d9030)

  66. The arrogant tone-deafness of the political class knows no party lines. There are hugely inflated egos and entitled attitudes across the political spectrum. But DeBlasio might be in a class all his own, considering how he has handled the pandemic .

    Dana (cc9481)

  67. But DeBlasio might be in a class all his own, considering how he has handled the pandemic .

    Well, I’m not sure he’s been treated as a Republican would have been. Trump might have made a better mayor.

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  68. If Rudy could do it I’m pretty sure a bucket of fried chicken could do it.

    Dustin (4237e0)

  69. De Blasio danced with his wife. Giuliani paraded his mistress in front of his wife. Literally paraded. Next to him. In a New York City St. Patrick’s Day parade in which the Mayor marches.

    nk (1d9030)

  70. 69. Rudy’s a worse person. De Blasio’s a worse mayor. Or at least he’s worse than Rudy was. Hard to imagine anyone worse than Rudy would be now, though De Blasio sure is giving him a run for his money.

    lurker (d8c5bc)

  71. Trump Calls Georgia Senate Races ‘Illegal and Invalid’
    President Trump took to Twitter Friday evening to make the unfounded assertion that Georgia’s two Senate races are “illegal and invalid,” an argument that could complicate his efforts to convince his supporters to turn out for Republican candidates in the two runoff races that will determine which party controls the Senate.
    …….
    Some strategists and political science experts in the state have said Mr. Trump’s assault on Georgia’s voting system may be at least partly responsible for the relatively light Republican turnout in the conservative strongholds of northwest Georgia, where Dalton is, in the early voting period that ended Thursday.

    More than 3 million Georgia voters participated in the early voting period, which began Dec. 14. A strong early-voting turnout in heavily Democratic areas and among African-American voters suggests that Republicans will need a strong election-day performance to retain their Senate seats.
    ……..
    Dissing the election must be a new get out the vote strategy.

    Rip Murdock (45770e)

  72. I’d say Rudy was a lot better mayor.
    _

    New York Daily News
    @NYDailyNews

    NYC endured a 2020 crime surge straight out of hell: a 97% jump in shootings and a nearly 45% surge in murders, including 15 weeks straight of gunfire as COVID-19 ravaged New York.

    https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/nyc-crime/ny-nypd-closes-book-on-2020-20210101-hbaknpnvxfflvj432oum6s3ewe-story.html
    _

    harkin (8fadc8)

  73. @72. Check the polls on September 10, 2001… Rudy wasn’t all that popular. What a difference a day makes.

    DCSCA (f4c5e5)

  74. DCSCA,

    that’s because he made the city safe again so leftists could again whine that the big bad Republican was being mean. Versus prior to Giuliani when it was a violent hitholesa.

    People don’t seem to remember how decrepit and violent NYC was pre-Giuliani’s crackdown on minor crimes, using stop-and-frisk, and making Times Square safe enough to have investments come back to the city.

    Well they’re getting what they wished for. Good and hard.

    NJRob (eb56c3)

  75. DeBlasio is a worse person and a much worse mayor. He’s trying to destroy the city in the name of social justice. Look what he’s doing to the magnet schools in the city.

    NJRob (eb56c3)

  76. Trump Plans to Fight the Election Even After ‘Stop the Steal’ Rally Ends

    Many of Donald Trump’s most dogmatic supporters see a mass protest in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6—just two weeks shy of Inauguration Day 2021—as their last chance to disrupt President-elect Joe Biden’s win. But for the president himself, it’s just another day to complain.

    Two people familiar with the matter say that in recent days, Trump has told advisers and close associates that he wants to keep fighting in court past Jan. 6 if members of Congress, as expected, end up certifying the electoral college results.

    “The way he sees it is: Why should I ever let this go?… How would that benefit me?” said one of the sources, who’s spoken to Trump at length about the post-election activities to nullify his Democratic opponent’s decisive victory.
    ………
    ……..[A]mong Trump’s most devoted followers the idea that he would continue fighting on, even after the 6th, is a no-brainer.

    “You can’t give up,” MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell, a Trump ally who has funded and spoken at several efforts to challenge the 2020 election, told The Daily Beast. “If these people [around the president] don’t end up standing up, they are just as bad as the people who tried to commit the crime.”
    ……….
    “God chose Donald Trump for eight years, not four,” he said, adding that “even if Biden is inaugurated, there’s no statute of limitations [on election theft]. Yes, I will keep investigating this, [even if he’s sworn in], and I’m not going to stop trying to get this out there to the American people.”
    ……….
    Trump diehards from across the country have organized their travel to Washington on “The Donald” forum. One of the hottest topics on the site is how protesters can bring guns to D.C., which would count as a local crime in nearly all circumstances under Washington’s strict gun laws. Others have talked about breaking into federal buildings or committing violence against law enforcement officers who try to stop them from storming Congress.

    “I’m thinking it will be literal war on that day,” one popular comment posted last Wednesday read. “Where we’ll storm offices and physically remove and even kill all the D.C. traitors and reclaim the country.”

    ……… Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio claimed in a post on conservative social media network Parler that some Proud Boys would dress in black to disguise themselves as left-wing “antifa” protesters.

    “Watch out, January 6 — you ain’t gonna know who the f—k it is standing beside you,” prominent Proud Boy Joe Biggs said in a video posted to Parler.
    ……….

    Rip Murdock (45770e)

  77. Proud Boys. I have also seen women on their busses. Are they … Volley Girls?

    And they might want to check out DC’s demographics, before they stray out of their free speech zones. Hint: It’s not like Portland.

    nk (1d9030)

  78. Cruz leads group of senators seeking to challenge Electoral College count
    Nearly a quarter of Senate Republicans are officially preparing to challenge President-elect Joe Biden’s Electoral College win on Jan. 6, a stunning development that demonstrates just how far some in the GOP will go to align themselves with President Donald Trump’s flailing claims that the election was stolen from him.
    …….
    In a statement on Saturday afternoon, 11 current and incoming GOP lawmakers said they intended to reject the electors from states where they claimed “unprecedented allegations of voter fraud, violations and lax enforcement of election law” arose until a 10-day audit of the election results in each state has been completed.
    …….

    The group of Republicans insisted their effort wasn’t an attempt to thwart Biden or overturn the election, but rather aimed to protect “election integrity.” Likewise, Hawley said he was not trying to overturn the election.
    …….
    The faction of GOP lawmakers includes Sens. Marsha Blackburn (Tenn.), Mike Braun (Ind.), Cruz (Texas), Steve Daines (Mont.), Ron Johnson (Wis.), John Kennedy (La.) and James Lankford (Okla.), as well as Sen.-elects Bill Hagerty (Tenn.), Cynthia Lummis (Wyo.), Roger Marshall (Kan.) and Tommy Tuberville (Ala.).

    Lankford, Johnson and Kennedy are all up for reelection in 2022, and the vote will effectively become a wedge issue within the Republican Party. Republicans who vote against Trump and allow the certification of Biden’s election could find themselves with primary challenges. Trump has already endorsed a primary challenge to Senate Majority Whip John Thune (R-S.D.).
    ……..

    Rip Murdock (45770e)

  79. NYC endured a 2020 crime surge straight out of hell: a 97% jump in shootings and a nearly 45% surge in murders, including 15 weeks straight of gunfire as COVID-19 ravaged New York.

    Number of shootings in New York City in 2018 and 2019 combined: 1,531
    Number of shootings in New York City in 2020: 1,531

    The rise in 2020 over 2019 is only 97%, and not 100% because the uptick in crime had already started, even though the bail reform law didn’t take effect until January 1, 2020. Some criminals and judges were anticipating it. (with some crimes, by postponing them)

    The number of shootings rose by more than the number of murders because a lot of the people handling guns are new to guns, and not good shots.

    Sammy Finkelman (b78e49)


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