Weekend Open Thread: Holiday Weekend with Junior Varsity Writing
[guest post by JVW]
Earlier this month Dana got the ball rolling on the extended Weekend Open Thread post, so now that a four-day weekend is standard ’round these parts (Patterico’s Pontifications is becoming the Holland among political blogs, thanks in large measure to me) I’ll get the weekend started and look forward to recommencing with everyone on Tuesday (or Wednesday, maybe Thursday).
Item Un – Who Is Winning the Debt Ceiling Debate?
If you read conservative media, and even if you take the look at the snivley bleating of some lefty academics, it is emphatically the GOP. Not only did the somewhat surprising passage of a House bill increasing the debt limit in return for spending rescissions and caps catch the Democrats and media (excuse the redundancy) off-guard, but it highlighted the fact that the Biden Administration and Democrat Congressional leadership hadn’t even bothered to come up with a back-up plan. After weeks of insisting they would accept nothing but a clean bill raising the debt ceiling with no conditions and assuming that their media allies would help sell the narrative of recalcitrant Republicans dragging the nation to the brink of fiscal ruin, Dems are hit smack in the face with separate polls from both CNN and Fox suggesting that three in five voters agree that spending cuts ought to be part of any increase in the debt limit. Even Democrats are close to an even split on the question. This is a reversal from the Obama years when polling around debt ceiling negotiations consistently showed the public siding with the Obama Administration and Democrats over Congressional Republicans.
What accounts for the switch in perception this time around? One clear factor has to be that Barack Obama was eloquent and glib and could at least explain his position in a consistent and plausible (if demagogic) way, whereas Joe Biden is grouchy and oafish, continually stumbling for words and derailing his own train of thought. But writing at NRO, Noah Rothman sees another huge factor at work: Americans’ ongoing struggles with inflation. Unfortunately for the progressives, nearly two-and-one-half years into the Biden Administration a majority of Americans — and ominously for the Democrats a sizable majority of independent voters — refuse to believe that this inflation was caused solely by pandemic and supply-chain based problems the administration inherited in 2021. They now see the reckless spending of the Democrats over the past two years as being a contributor to the problem, perhaps even a major one. It will be a long hard slog to June 1, but likely a bit longer for the Biden/Schumer/Jeffries troika than it will be for the two Republican Micks staring across the table at them. (If I understand things, I get to use that slur for the sake of irony since I’m Irish. At least this is what Dave Chappelle and George Lopez have told me.)
Item Doi – Gavin Newsom Prepares for a National Run
Joel Kotkin explains how the gelatinous governor is positioning himself to a party obsessed with environmental doomsdayism and the grievances of racial and sexual minorities, yet still a bit worried about killing the goose which lays the golden eggs:
Many conservatives may see Gavin Newsom as the epitome of the progressive Left, with some even calling his policies “communist.” But the policy preferences of the California governor (whose presidential ambitions are evident) represent something more plausible and thus more dangerous: a blending of Peronist income redistribution coupled with the fanatically “green” authoritarian agenda embraced by the state’s dominant tech oligarchy, public-employee unions, and climate activists.
[. . .]
Newsom goes beyond Perón by adding race-based welfarism to his agenda. He has embraced reparations proposals (though he is apparently not yet willing to fund them) that could cost upwards of $640 billion, even though California was never a slave state. Newsom, born with the curse of “white privilege,” has been a firm backer of racial quotas, and he has already pledged to replace Senator Dianne Feinstein with a black woman, even though blacks make up barely 5 percent of the state’s population.
The whole piece provides an interesting insight into what cheerleaders have hailed as “California Capitalism,” but which otherwise is simply progressive oligarchy with the hopes that nobody notices the growing chasm between the very wealthy and the working poor, while the growing numbers of the desperately destitute have the good sense to keep hidden out of sight lest they spoil the beach party.
Item char ( तीन ) – One Washed-Up Elderly Politician Comes to the Defense of Another
The once inevitable next President of the United States, Hillary! Rodham Clinton, while being interviewed by Charlotte Alter of Time, gave a rousing — no, a robust — well, perhaps mundane — ok, maybe a somewhat feeble defense for her old friend Dianne Feinstein, who is under increasing pressure to stop cosplaying as a United States Senator, and gave a impassioned — no, half-assed defense of elderly politicians in general:
“Let me say a word about my friend and longtime colleague Dianne Feinstein,” [Her Clintonic Majesty] continued. “First of all, she has suffered greatly from the bout of shingles and encephalitis that she endured. Here is the dilemma for her: she got reelected, the people of California voted for her again, not very long ago. That was the voters’ decision to vote for her, and she has been a remarkable and very effective leader.”
I actually find myself agreeing with Her Frumpiness about Sen. Feinstein being duly reelected at the age of 84 and therefore we Californians deserve the ill representation from her that we happily voted for. Naturally, the First Lady/Senator/Secretary follows this up with a broadside against those mean ol’ Republicans who won’t let Chuck Schumer replace Sen. Feinstein on the Judiciary Committee with a alert Democrat, ignoring the idea that perhaps California voters don’t perhaps prefer to be represented by a non compos mentis Senator to decide weighty legal issues on behalf of our state’s residents. In any case, America’s Cybersecurity Queen then brought the Boomer sense of entitlement to the forefront:
When I asked her again about the broader question of whether Democrats have allowed their leadership to get too old, she pushed back. “I do not believe in broad questions about age,” Clinton, age 75, said, adding that she also didn’t believe in term limits. “If you don’t want to vote for somebody, don’t vote for them. But don’t impose some artificial check on the voters. I don’t buy this whole debate. And frankly, a lot of the people pushing it, I don’t understand what their real agenda is, because part of it is a bank shot against Joe Biden. And I think Joe Biden has done a very good job.”
The fact that Hillary Clinton thinks that Joe Biden has done a very good job tells me that (1) life is pretty good for a retired bureaucrat, cattle-futures trader, and corporate pep-talk giver out in Chappaqua, (2) she thinks that America was overdue for high inflation, incompetent stewardship, and overseas embarrassment, or (3) the only other President she can still remember is Donald Trump. I will always be grateful for the fact that she never became President (why do I find myself with the sudden urge to knock on wood?).
Item ceathair – The — ahem, ahem — “Failure” of Ron DeSantis’s Campaign Launch
A technical glitch which I guess led to a reduced audience size and a change to the format certainly isn’t how anybody would want to launch their Presidential campaign, but the incessant hot takes from the media that this disastrous and glitch-filled event which crashed and burned and might derail his embarrassing campaign which is melting upon contact with reality anyway. Much of this sniping came from the lefty media, naturally, as well as full-throated Trumpists, predictably; but there were also some concerns expressed by those who otherwise would like to see Governor DeSantis as the eventual GOP nominee. So how will we know if the DeSantis campaign, which has now been endorsed by 150 former Trump Administration officials, is truly legit?
Well, the DeSantis campaign raised $8.2 million in the first 24 hours after the announcement. It took Donald Trump six weeks to raise his first $9.5 million
Item kuhlanu – More Bad CNN Polling for the President
As I was drafting these items, a new CNN poll just dropped (how I love using trendy slang favored by the kids; I find it to be on fleek) suggesting that the up again/down again fortunes of Joe Biden are currently on a low cycle. His approval rating has dropped to 35%, the lowest of any President at this point in his first term ever, and now 66% of Americans say that it would be a “setback” or a “disaster” if he were to be reelected. I wonder if a debt ceiling deal with Republicans would boost his fortunes, allowing him to be seen by moderates as a conciliator, or would doom him with progressives as a traitor. Going back to Item Un, it would seem that whoever told President Biden to eschew negotiations with House Republicans did the Chief Executive no favors.
Obviously there is an opening for a competent Republican who can keep the election issues centered around the manifest failures of Joe Biden and not about any perceived mistreatment the candidate or his party has experienced in the past. Perhaps it’s time for Hillary Clinton, who will turn 77 just before Election Day 2024, to update her wardrobe.
Item chhah ( छह ) – Pride Month: Maybe Billion Dollar Corporations Should be Careful about the Company They Keep
As if Bud Light’s disastrous decision to celebrate a very effeminate 26-year-old male actor who carries on in the persona of an exceptionally frivolous 15-year-old girl probably wasn’t fully vetted, two other companies have said: “Hold my beer!” (no, that’s too trite in this case) “Oh yeah? Watch this!”
I: Target hires a company headed by a satanist to create a line of Pride merchandise. Really thought that one through there, guys. Nothing says “our LGBTQ friends should be a part of the mainstream” quite like associating them directly with the Father of Lies. Many Target stores are choosing not to prominently display the Pride merchandise, which has the LBGTQ lobby up in arms, and Target finds itself in the unenviable position of angering both sides of the debate (sound familiar, Anheuser-Busch?).
II: The Los Angeles Dodgers decide to invite The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, a group of gay and trans men who paint their faces grotesquely and dress in nun’s habits, to be honored on field during next month’s Pride Night. Some Dodgers fans point out that despite pretending to be some sort of organization centered around “community service,” “ministry,” and “outreach,” the sisters’ public facing indicates they are much more about frivolous fashion shows, crazy parties, and utterly predictable political grandstanding. Furthermore, their alleged altruism, such as it is, appears to be limited to tossing a few bucks collected from their events at various en vogue LBGTQ charities, along with providing weblinks to organizations which actually do the hard work of providing a tangible service. Even an unabashedly reverent profile of the group in the Dog Trainer struggles to define what “ministry” they provide beyond chatting up troubled boys and men at their numerous social functions. By that standard, most drunks perched on barstools are performing a ministry, but I digress. In any case, having second thoughts, the Dodgers disinvite the group and issue apologies to their fans. Then having third thoughts, and amid an alleged avalanche of complaints from advocates, the Dodgers re-invite the group to the event and apologize to the LGBTQ community. I don’t know who in Dodgerland gave the club the idea that the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence were anything other than a politicized group of debauched attention-seekers, but the Dodgers walked themselves right into the trap. Again, a half-hour of research (and not just reading their self-serving press releases) before inviting this group would have served the club’s community relations team very well, but perhaps in these stupid days the team knew exactly who they were dealing with and thought it would be a lot of fun to bring them into the Chavez Ravine spotlight, screw the Catholic fans.
All three instances show what happens when a corporation does not do its due diligence when determining how to navigate the choppy waters and rocky shoals of contemporary political disagreements, and the perils of trusting social media and mindless “influencers” as a valid source for who can appeal to a broad swath of your potential market base. I have very little sympathy for any of those three corporations for being this lazy and stupid.
Item Seven – Remembering Those Who Served, and Those Who Sacrificed
I attended the Armed Forces Day Parade in Torrance last Saturday, the first time I had done so in my 27 years living here. I am very chagrined that it had taken me so long. When I was in middle school playing my baritone horn, I marched along with my bandmates in my hometown’s Armed Forces Day parade, so seeing young musicians failing to keep in marching step brought back some sentimental memories. My friend and I situated ourselves at the start of the parade route, which gave me the opportunity to lustily boo Ted Lieu and to half-heartedly boo Maxine Waters as they drove by in their chauffeured vintage convertibles.
But the most poignant moment of the parade was the passing through of some of our nation’s last surviving World War II veterans, many of whom rode in vintage military vehicles. I thought about my grandfather, who served stateside in the army during the War, and my two great-uncles who saw combat in Europe, one of whom was killed in action over Ploesti, Romania almost 80 years ago. I hope the Los Angeles Daily News will indulge me in publishing below the two pictures I have linked to above (more pictures of the parade including — warning! — of Rep. Lieu can be found here). They and their fallen comrades-in-arms deserve to be held in our hearts this weekend, and I’m not ashamed to report that I choked up as they drove by, knowing that the day will soon come when we will not be able to honor them while they are still living.
Have a peaceful and safe Memorial Day, everyone.
– JVW
Item chhah ( छह ) (Tish! That’s Hindi!
As happyfeet once said: “There’s gold in them there heels!”
He was responding to my Springsteen song lyric quote, “All them golden-heeled fairies in a real b!tch fight” way back when Ted Cruz’s attendance at a gay-hosted fund-raiser caused a similar tempest in a Sangria pitcher.
LGBTQ has money and leisure; and ball parks, department store, and beer companies want some of it. Why let Colorado get all of it? Makes sense, right?
They should have read Aesop. A dog snatched a piece of meat from a butcher and ran away with it until he came to a river. He saw his reflection in the water and, thinking it was another dog, he tried to snatch the piece of meat “that dog” had in his mouth. You can guess what happened (or you can Google the whole story).
nk (c7a1b0) — 5/26/2023 @ 8:01 amLGBTQ has money and leisure; and ball parks, department store, and beer companies want some of it. Why let Colorado get all of it? Makes sense, right?
Absolutely. I have no problem with outreach to the LGBTQ community in principle, but I think billion dollar corporations should be way more careful in how they screen the people they plan to use — and yeah, I think “use” is the accurate way of looking at it — as conduits to that community.
CNN and other exemplars of the left want everyone to believe that Target is being — uh, you know — targeted simply because they chose to offer LGBTQ merchandise. But Target has sold that sort of merchandise in past years without this sort of kerfuffle. What’s different about this year is that they have decided to emphasize the “T” part of that alphabet soup, and that they have made the ill-conceived decision to partner with the transgendered satanist to create the merchandise. Just as Bud Light chose to use the effeminate man who likes to cosplay as a teen girl, and the Dodgers decided to use the faux nuns who think you can party away social issues. It’s unbelievable how tone-deaf all this bowing and scraping makes these corporations.
JVW (a82b4c) — 5/26/2023 @ 8:16 amI’ve always liked the idea of the four-day work week.
Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 5/26/2023 @ 8:57 amNeither Feinstein nor Biden are Boomers.
Kevin M (213cd6) — 5/26/2023 @ 9:08 amRe: “Failure” of Ron DeSantis’s Campaign Launch:
The debacle certainly reflects poorly on Twitter as a reliable platform and Elon Musk. I guess laying off 80% of your staff will have consequences. Now his chief engineer has resigned.
Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 5/26/2023 @ 9:09 amThe Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, a group of gay and trans men who paint their faces grotesquely and dress in nun’s habits
Let’s not neglect the heresy thing either. The Dodgers have spent some time trying to get LA’s Hispanic residents to forget about Chavez Ravine, and offending Catholic fan (and especially socially conservative immigrant Catholic fans) by having gay men dress as nuns doesn’t seem like the best path forward.
Kevin M (213cd6) — 5/26/2023 @ 9:18 amNeither Feinstein nor Biden are Boomers.
True, though Hillary is a very early Boomer (born 1947) so it’s natural that she would have some affection for Pres. Biden (born 1942) and Sen. Feinstein (born 1933). Her Clintonic Majesty probably envies San Fran DiFi in a way, since instead of marrying a political operative and glomming on to his career to enhance her own, Sen. Feinstein married a succession of wealthy men and launched her political career all on her own.
JVW (baec84) — 5/26/2023 @ 9:18 amI’ve always liked the idea of the four-day work week.
I did once, too. Now I’m working on the 7-day weekend. It can get hard to know what the day of the week is sometimes.
Kevin M (213cd6) — 5/26/2023 @ 9:26 amWhen I heard about the Perpetual Indulgence show, I wondered whether this was the first in a series, and, if so, which religious group would be next for the Dodgers. Evangelicals? Mormons? Jews? Muslims?
And why anyone on the team thought this would bring fans to watch baseball games.
Jim Miller (0e46f9) — 5/26/2023 @ 9:43 amThat parade reminds me of my uncle who passed earlier this year. A Marine Colonel, he commanded a squadron of Chinooks in Vietnam, then became a Marine One pilot for Johnson and Nixon. He finished out commanding the (now gone, along with the giant blimp hangers) Marine Helicopter Station in Irvine.
In later years he would send me the most incredible hard right screeds, but no one is perfect had I think that he developed a distrust of political leaders while in Vietnam.
Kevin M (213cd6) — 5/26/2023 @ 9:48 am6, the best outcome for that game date is that based gringos sell their tickets to the even worse of the cholo/cholas wing of the fan base and something worse than Disco Demolition and Ten Cent beer night occur with the Perpetual Grace crew becoming punching bags.
urbanleftbehind (547b67) — 5/26/2023 @ 9:48 amIt’s a myth that the residents of Chavez Ravine were booted out for a stadium.
Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 5/26/2023 @ 9:51 amThe real concern for the Dodgers, though, is not the Catholic fans. It’s the LA Times and how they would inevitably portray the Dodgers as gay-bashing bigots to their well-heeled but politically Left Westside season ticket holders.
Kevin M (213cd6) — 5/26/2023 @ 9:51 amIt’s a myth that the residents of Chavez Ravine were booted out for a stadium
The public housing thing was a fig leaf. The plan all along was to lure a major league team in the new jet age.
Kevin M (213cd6) — 5/26/2023 @ 9:53 amThis early in a campaign I generally prefer betting markets to polls, for predictions. (The more bettors, the more I like them.) Here’s what one market was saying quite recently.
And here’s why the proprietor of the site where I found that thinks that — at 40-1 — Nikki Haley is a good bet. Not that he expects her to win, but that he thinks she has more than a 2.5% chance to do so. (You can find my thoughts on that question if you search through the comments.)
For the record: I have no money on any of the candidates, and last made an election bet in 2004. (I won a cup of coffee.)
Jim Miller (0e46f9) — 5/26/2023 @ 9:56 amNow, it wasn’t exactly the Dodgers they were trying to lure. When the time came, both the Dodgers and the Giants chose to come west, and Walter O’Malley geve the Giants owner his choice of LA or SF. He chose SF because it had better restaurants and civic attractions and the Dodgers got LA.
Kevin M (213cd6) — 5/26/2023 @ 9:58 amUh-huh.
Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 5/26/2023 @ 9:58 amNow you’re sounding like SF.
Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 5/26/2023 @ 9:59 am40-1 — Nikki Haley is a good bet
Tim Scott has a better chance than Nikki, and he’s at 130-1. Of course Donald Trump has to leave the contest before either of them has a chance. But still, if Nikki is a good bet at (now) 30-1, Scott is a screaming steal at 130-1.
Kevin M (213cd6) — 5/26/2023 @ 10:03 amNow you’re sounding like SF.
Perhaps. Here’s the official detail of the Dodgers/Giants move to the West Coast.
Kevin M (213cd6) — 5/26/2023 @ 10:12 amAs quoted in my post 12, the residents were removed in 1950. The Dodgers didn’t move to LA until 1957.
Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 5/26/2023 @ 10:27 amOh, here’s a fun update to Item chhah ( छह ): Anyone want to guess who served as an officer in the Washington DC chapter of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence?
Give up?
Sam Brinton.
JVW (459359) — 5/26/2023 @ 10:38 amSAD!
TrumpWorld reacts:
Related:
And:
Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 5/26/2023 @ 11:04 amThis is leading up to Trump getting executed for sedition
Sadly, he can only be executed for Treason.
Kevin M (213cd6) — 5/26/2023 @ 11:06 amA Debt Ceiling Deal?
……….
It would impose caps on discretionary spending for two years, though those caps would apply differently to spending on the military than to nondefense discretionary spending. Spending on the military would grow next year, as would spending on some veterans’ care that falls under nondefense discretionary spending. The rest of nondefense discretionary spending would fall slightly — or roughly stay flat — compared with this year’s levels.
The deal would also roll back $10 billion of the $80 billion Congress approved last year for an I.R.S. crackdown on high earners and corporations that evade taxes, though that provision was still under discussion……..
……….
As the deal stood on Thursday, the I.R.S. money would essentially shift to nondefense discretionary spending, allowing Democrats to avoid further cuts in programs like education and environmental protection, according to people familiar with the pending agreement.
………
But people familiar with the developing deal said that negotiators had agreed to fund military and veterans’ programs at the levels envisioned by President Biden in his budget for next year. They would reduce nondefense discretionary spending below this year’s levels — but much of that cut would be covered by the shift in the I.R.S. funding and other budgetary maneuvers. White House officials have contended those shifts would functionally make nondefense discretionary spending the same next year as it was this year.
All discretionary spending would then grow at 1 percent in 2025, after which the caps would lift.
……..
Another provision of the deal seeks to avert a government shutdown later in the year, and would attempt to take away Republicans’ ability to seek deeper cuts to government programs and agencies through the appropriations process later in the year.
……..
Maybe Not:
Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 5/26/2023 @ 11:23 amWhatever deal Biden and McCarthy strike will pass quickly. Some people will be unhappy. That’s life.
Kevin M (213cd6) — 5/26/2023 @ 11:32 amNot for awhile:
Plus Congress is out of town for the Memorial Day holiday; The House is not scheduled to be in session until June 5th.
What a wasted opportunity by McCarthy. He is retreating, rather than building, on the debt ceiling increase the already House passed.
Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 5/26/2023 @ 11:46 amShould be: …..the House already passed.
I hope he gets canned.
Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 5/26/2023 @ 11:48 amAs quoted in my post 12, the residents were removed in 1950. The Dodgers didn’t move to LA until 1957.
Rip, believe it or not, it’s what people believe that matters, not actual facts. Try to convince black folks that “picnic” isn’t white words for “lynching” or some other folks that Proctor & Gamble isn’t a nest of Satanists.
Kevin M (213cd6) — 5/26/2023 @ 11:53 amShould be: …..the House already passed.
Yeah, a few other zealots are banging on that theme, too.
Kevin M (213cd6) — 5/26/2023 @ 11:54 amHouse rules require 72 hours for lawmakers to review legislation before a vote
Rules are made for overriding.
Kevin M (213cd6) — 5/26/2023 @ 11:55 amI’ve certainly seen that here.
Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 5/26/2023 @ 11:58 amNot from you, of course.
Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 5/26/2023 @ 11:59 am@22
Of course he is.
Every day, you’d think we’d hit rock bottom and every day I’m reminded that, yes, it can get much worse.
whembly (d116f3) — 5/26/2023 @ 12:13 pmYesterday, while grocery shopping, I saw two signs that said: “Semi Bird for governor” and, underneath that, “Republican”. Since the election is in November 2024, I noted that the candidate was an early Bird, and resolved to look them up when I got home.
And when I did, concluded that Semi Bird is an interesting candidate.
Jim Miller (0e46f9) — 5/26/2023 @ 1:44 pmUh-oh:
The problem for Team Biden here is two-fold:
1) He’s now going to have to shore up his left flank to stave off challenges from Kennedy & Williamson, when what I think he really wanted to do is try to pivot towards the middle and play the warm grandfatherly role who just wants all of his family to get along. The debt deal is a great indicator of this; he desperately needs a deal, polls seem to be set against his bargaining position, yet he is going to enrage the loud left if he capitulates any further than he already has.
2) His team has almost certainly been praying that he could run a front porch campaign where he stays “working” in the White House instead of going out on the campaign trail, and just has a couple of carefully stage-managed appearances each day. But the more unpopular he becomes, the more he and his team are going to find it necessary to get him out in front of crowds, and there’s no way of knowing what kind of weird stuff might come out of his mouth or where he might shuffle off to when he’s placed in unfamiliar venues.
JVW (7fdc49) — 5/26/2023 @ 2:10 pmNot from you, of course.
Sometimes I believe wrong, but I can be swayed by facts. Not usually by polls, though.
Kevin M (213cd6) — 5/26/2023 @ 3:26 pm8 percent back author Marianne Williamson
Talk about dreamcasting.
Kevin M (213cd6) — 5/26/2023 @ 3:30 pmhttps://www.latimes.com/politics/story/2023-05-26/debt-ceiling-deadline-is-extended-to-june-5-later-than-previously-estimated-yellen-says
Kevin M (213cd6) — 5/26/2023 @ 3:37 pmEvery day, you’d think we’d hit rock bottom and every day I’m reminded that, yes, it can get much worse.
How bad could it get? A contest.
My entry: President Biden, during a televised news conference, unzips his fly and takes a leak on the floor.
Kevin M (213cd6) — 5/26/2023 @ 3:39 pmRIP Ed Ames (95):
Rip Murdock (1992c1) — 5/26/2023 @ 6:47 pmRFK Jr. Is authoritarian conspiracy theorist.
Rip Murdock (1992c1) — 5/26/2023 @ 6:51 pmComedy gold!
Rip Murdock (1992c1) — 5/26/2023 @ 7:01 pmWilliamson didn’t make it to the NH primary last time, and I don’t think Junior will be there also.
Rip Murdock (1992c1) — 5/26/2023 @ 7:05 pmI think that there will be a lot of money on Junior. Not to win, of course, but to make Biden look bad. Bad enough to drop out and open the contest.
Kevin M (213cd6) — 5/26/2023 @ 8:09 pmRFK Jr. Is authoritarian conspiracy theorist.
Contrast this with Bernie (“The Banks are Coming!”) Saunders or AOC.
Kevin M (213cd6) — 5/26/2023 @ 8:10 pmKevin M (213cd6) — 5/26/2023 @ 3:37 pm
This reminds me of the Henny Youngman bit about a doctor.
felipe (5e2a04) — 5/26/2023 @ 8:17 pmCulture wars bring out the entertainers: “If this ain’t a PetsMart, what’s with all the groomin’ here.”
Paul Montagu (8f0dc7) — 5/26/2023 @ 10:44 pmThe whole ongoing endlessly repeating debt ceiling debacle seems like a cop-out to me. It’s for grandstanding, not for serious people. If they want to not raise the debt ceiling, then they need to fix the budget. This is just someone throwing a tantrum and threatening to not pay their credit card bill because they are mad at how much it is, when the actual solution is to stop putting stuff on the credit card and pay down the amount due. The 115th congress under Trump had unified Republican control of government and deficit spending only increased. Don’t cry to me now about the debt ceiling. Either fix the originating problem or don’t.
Nic (896fdf) — 5/27/2023 @ 12:13 amNewsom/AOC 2024. Center and left. Bobby kennady jr. now at 25% in polls and DNC has pissed off democrats in Iowa and New Hampshire over South carolina going first. As for bud light some executive decided to empress everyone with how he was with it! Coors owner 30 years ago was anti-gay and his beer was boycotted in gay bars. As I said in earlier post playing toss the stick of lit dynamite has problems. This happens when you get your job for who you know instead of what you know. This is bane of capitalism. Sometimes nepotism works and sometimes it doesn’t. Take hunter biden please!
asset (1736e2) — 5/27/2023 @ 1:57 am@46 you mean like desatan.
asset (1736e2) — 5/27/2023 @ 1:58 am“debt ceiling debacle seems like a cop-out to me”
Yeah it’s performative theater on steroids. You can’t meaningfully address the deficit/debt until you
1. Have a plan that is shared sacrifice. Both side of the ideological divide give up something and everyone in the electorate is invested.
2. Shared pain means that both sides have to actually talk like adults. This means that both sides will need to set aside playing politics to accomplish something meaningful.
3. The electorate has to actually reward those who compromise and penalize those that obstruct. If someone who even talks to the other side is immediately primaried, nothing will ever get accomplished. If a Republican who considers a tax or a Democrat who considers changes to Medicare are excommunicated by a short-sighted base, then nothing will change.
4. The media often drives #3 to engage the us-vs-them game and get eyeballs. You can’t get people to act like adults if there is always a camera, microphone, or Twitter feed there demanding drama and red meat. 24/7 quest for “news” makes it daunting for politicians to exercise good faith.
5. Voters must get educated on what drives our debt and socialized to the idea of shared sacrifice. This discussion can’t be driven by ideological media that is invested in keeping us divided and paralyzed. No one would run their personal budget like we do our government budget, leveraged to the hilt and hamstringing future generations. We need to see this as immoral.
6. It is too easy for current representatives to dole out pork, subsidies, and tax breaks to buy votes. The government needs some flexibility to deal with crises and recessions, but otherwise a mechanism is needed to automatically get us on the right glide path through shared sacrifice, meaning across-the-board cuts and across-the-board tax increases. Every new spending initiative should trigger immediate taxes and cuts so the electorate can immediately feel the tradeoff. Right now, there is nothing that forces discipline.
That’s a lot to fix. The incentives are set that none of this will happen. We prefer to play politics because it’s easy and in the end, there is no sacrifice. We can pretend that we are disciplined but never have to actually demonstrate any. AllahNick is correct. We are fighting about changing our speed from 55mph to 54mph. We are arguing about minutia to score political points and not do much substantive. It’s theater without the car chase.
AJ_Liberty (6f4c21) — 5/27/2023 @ 4:55 amThe 115th congress under Trump had unified Republican control of government and deficit spending only increased. Don’t cry to me now about the debt ceiling.
Unless you have 60% of the Senate, there is no way to make any changes. The Spending Party has no reason to budge. You CAN refuse to fund the government, or a president can veto said funding, but the Spending Party owns the “responsible” press and the effort gets spun into “throwing grandma into the snow.”
But you know that and posted this anyway.
Kevin M (213cd6) — 5/27/2023 @ 8:19 amThe real way to end this crap is for every president to relentlessly veto continuing resolutions. Make Congress do its job rather than spend all its time investigating the other guys and/or grandstanding.
Kevin M (213cd6) — 5/27/2023 @ 8:26 amWilliamson didn’t make it to the NH primary last time, and I don’t think Junior will be there also.
There’s a huge difference between running against 20 other Democrats in an open primary and being only one of two or three challengers to the incumbent President. I’m sure Crazy Hippy Chick and Nutcase Bobby Jr. can raise enough money to stay in it well into 2024.
JVW (367e4d) — 5/27/2023 @ 10:00 am@Kevin@53 They didn’t even try and, in fact, made it worse.
Nic (896fdf) — 5/27/2023 @ 12:00 pmIf their polling numbers hold (or improve) six months from now I’ll agree; but then again I’ve always believed that Biden won’t be the nominee anyway. He’ll either be impeached or withdraw for “health reasons.”
Rip Murdock (cf544f) — 5/27/2023 @ 12:47 pmI look forward to their campaign finance reports in the next few months.
Rip Murdock (cf544f) — 5/27/2023 @ 12:49 pmQuestion: what do we think of the “fewer assholes” comment section?
Patterico (b68558) — 5/27/2023 @ 1:25 pm@60 “Question: what do we think of the “fewer assholes” comment section?”
Gee, that’s a loaded question. It would be nice to have more diversity, but I’m not sure how to grow participation. I suspect that some of the performative ones that were banned might not long-term help with attracting new participants. It’s good seeing DRJ participate more. I’m not a big fan of visceral tribalists who just want the comment section to look like Redstate. The Dispatch comment section has ideological diversity and it’s civil. The wingnuts can’t dominate and distract.
AJ_Liberty (5f05c3) — 5/27/2023 @ 1:54 pmFrom the same article:
Rip Murdock (cf544f) — 5/27/2023 @ 2:19 pm…………
When I am president, the drug cartels using Chinese labs and Mexican factories to kill Americans will cease to exist,” (Senator Tim) Scott vowed. “I will freeze their assets, I will build the wall, and I will allow the world’s greatest military to fight these terrorists. Because that’s exactly what they are.”
………….
………..(L)isted in order of their RealClearPolitics polling average for the past month, here are the top six 2024 GOP presidential candidates talking in their own words about using the U.S. military in Mexico to fight fentanyl-dealing drug cartels……..
Donald Trump (53.6%)
Ron DeSantis (19.4%)
My question to the candidates would be what would they will do when the cartels retaliate against Americans here as the currently do in Mexico: bombings, assassinations, and just plain old massacres of civilians.
Rip Murdock (cf544f) — 5/27/2023 @ 2:59 pmSpeaking of assholes everyone has one. Bobby kennedy jr. like bernie sanders in 2016 is a vessel for the 60%+ of democrats who don’t want joe biden to run. He doesn’t have the following that bernie had ;but makes up for it with far more democrats discontent.
asset (387802) — 5/27/2023 @ 3:07 pm“Question: what do we think of the “fewer assholes” comment section?”
I think having a diversity of opinion is useful and that everyone can be a jerk sometimes, but if someone never contributes anything to a conversation other than parroting the latest talking points or being a jerk to other people, they aren’t really contributing to the conversation.
Nic (896fdf) — 5/27/2023 @ 3:44 pmI’m glad DCSCA is gone. But he was the only one I literally could not stomach — he nauseated me — and blocked with the script.
Even Haiku I could simply ignore. The worst part of any of them was the temptation to retort at their level.
nk (bfca40) — 5/27/2023 @ 4:21 pmLink for post 59:
Are the Anti-Trump GOP Forces Starting to Implode?
Rip Murdock (cf544f) — 5/27/2023 @ 4:29 pmBreaking-
Rip Murdock (cf544f) — 5/27/2023 @ 5:42 pmShocking:
Paxton will face a trial in the Senate, where his wife will be one of the jurors.
Rip Murdock (cf544f) — 5/27/2023 @ 6:13 pmWhew.
Paul Montagu (8f0dc7) — 5/27/2023 @ 7:10 pmCan someone in Congress step up and kill the debt ceiling law?
American people get rolled.
Rip Murdock (cf544f) — 5/27/2023 @ 7:20 pmComedy Gold:
DeSantis’s Twitter Space.
DeSantis campaign launch
Rip Murdock (25822e) — 5/27/2023 @ 7:43 pmWhat A Surprise (Not!)
Rip Murdock (25822e) — 5/27/2023 @ 8:00 pmRIP:
George Maharis (94)-Star of Route 66.
Bill Lee (94)-Jazz bassist (playing with Bob Dylan, Simon & Garfunkel, Aretha Franklin and Duke Ellington) and father of Spike Lee.
Chas Newby (81)-fill-in bassist who rejected a full-time gig with the Beatles.
Rip Murdock (25822e) — 5/27/2023 @ 9:35 pmQuestion: what do we think of the “fewer assholes” comment section?
It’s a bit quiet. While I am glad that DCSCA is gone, some of the others were mostly peaceful. I don’t think any of the others were without redeeming value — they presented points I heartily disagreed with, but now it’s more like one hand clapping.
And what nk said.
Kevin M (2d6744) — 5/27/2023 @ 9:56 pmCan someone in Congress step up and kill the debt ceiling law?
Sure. Let’s take the brakes out of the car. What could go wrong?
Kevin M (2d6744) — 5/27/2023 @ 9:57 pm“Giving money and power to Congress is like giving whiskey and car keys to teenage boys.”
— slight paraphrase of PJ O’Rourke
Kevin M (2d6744) — 5/27/2023 @ 10:00 pmWhat we need is a spending limitation amendment. Limit spending to a percentage of the last 5 year’s average GDP. It still might have a deficit, but as long as there is no cap on spending, there will ALWAYS be a deficit. They spend every new tax dollar twice.
Kevin M (2d6744) — 5/27/2023 @ 10:03 pmDCSCA is gone? While we disagreed especially on ukraine I learned information from him. I try to be civil even when others are not ;but in my 74 years I realize that everyone is not like me and I need to accept others so they can accept me.
asset (23d23b) — 5/28/2023 @ 1:24 amJVW,
I like your posts, and JVW definitely does not stand for Junior Varsity Writing to me.
P needs someone to do weekend posts.
DRJ (fd3827) — 5/28/2023 @ 8:05 amFile under “things no longer heard” -or- “did you say ‘this cannot be borne!’?”
The comment section is much more peaceful to read, and feels like an “unclinched fist” rather than “one hand clapping” – if only because I am not sure this site ever felt like “two hands clapping.”
I do not say that two or more commenters did not have a productive conversation that “hit it out of the park” – which certainly happened on more than one occasion. Only that, now there is less distraction, which means, for remaining commenters, there is no place to hide mediocre thoughts, which by contrast to the noise, enjoyed a relative elevation. Further, some commenters might have benefited from the “confederacy of dunces” at which they bristled and punished with wit – I took guilty pleasure in reading some of the razor ripostes that resulted.
The ripostes will be missed, the offenders – not so much.
felipe (70468a) — 5/28/2023 @ 8:35 amSad!
More
Statement of Facts
Rip Murdock (25822e) — 5/28/2023 @ 8:48 amItem Un – Who Is Winning the Debt Ceiling Debate?]
Sometime in the last week, Biden realized that, if they ever reached the X-date he would lose the debate. Either his bluff would be called, or he’d be blamed for any disaster (which it was unlikely he would let happen)
So he had to settle. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen moved the X-date up to June 5 (and those who suppose it’s being manipulated are almost certainly right)
What the DEm original plan was, I don’t know, but they could have raised the debt ceiling in December, It was maybe trying not to lose votes in a general election.
Plan B or Plan C was a discharge petition.
They settled last night, with details unannounced till today. It was the simplest solution.
Nothing much changes, A few Republican policy positions get a nod – mainly work requirements for some government aid, environmental review reforms, caps of sorts on appropriations, and cutting back on an increase IRS spending.
Republicans will be allowed, or even encouraged, to claim they won the debate.
Sammy Finkelnan (c005bf) — 5/28/2023 @ 8:57 amKevin M (2d6744) — 5/27/2023 @ 10:03 pm
No, no no no. This prejudges the outcome of debate. And how woud you calculate GDP?
What we need isa “source of funding” amendment Every dollar that goes out must be tied ttoa source of revenue, which may include borrowing. There has to be a lot of if-not-enough-money-comes-in defaults which slso may be subject to change. Abolish the federal budget. The only test of anything is reality.
Sammy Finkelnan (c005bf) — 5/28/2023 @ 9:02 amYou’ve got to leave thema way out. Or throughly defeat them. Maybe they can retire with their profits.
Sammy Finkelnan (c005bf) — 5/28/2023 @ 9:05 amThe newbill could theoreticaaly faile to pass Congress like TARP.
But that would be a political disaster for Biden.
HE cannot reach the X-date
Mayybe Janet Yellen can add a few days. If they reach June 15, the coast is clear till late July at least.
Anotherworry (not real and not insurmountable)
A failed Treasury auction.
The Fed will simply have to buy the bills or notes.
Sammy Finkelnan (c005bf) — 5/28/2023 @ 9:08 am“While I am glad that DCSCA is gone, some of the others were mostly peaceful.”
Yes, the others you could have an occasional conversation with. But NJRob, JF, and Haiku rarely budged an inch from the hyper-partisan line. Perhaps that’s the reality of the GOP these days: conspiracies, hate the libs, fascination with populism and authoritarianism, and an obsequious attention to Trumpism. The GOP now disagrees AND is disagreeable.
The trio of doom weren’t here because they appreciated Patterico’s point of view…they were here just to mock it. It’s a bit tiresome and to a certain degree disrespectful. It’s not that Patt shouldn’t see any criticism, but how you deliver it and the style of your delivery matters. I think he values smart and good-faith criticism. Otherwise, isn’t it just trolling and doesn’t it sidetrack discussions? Why should Patt pay for a site for individuals to peddle conspiracies and pro-Russian propaganda that he detests? I can’t think of a reason.
AJ_Liberty (b7b267) — 5/28/2023 @ 9:09 amJust Say No:
Rip Murdock (25822e) — 5/28/2023 @ 9:11 amVery well said.
felipe (70468a) — 5/28/2023 @ 9:17 amIs this bill’s R support limited to the CA and NY/NJ-Firtzpatrick of PA portion of the Rdelegation?
urbanleftbehind (2cc899) — 5/28/2023 @ 9:21 amOops, I pressed submit too soon.
There is one very honorable reason to pay for a forum for others to lie at will:
“I do not agree with your speech, but I will defend, with my life, your right to say it.”
Yes, yes, we all know the response of “my money, my rules” said every [internet] dictator ever.
Our host is most honorable and deserving of respect. I have witnessed his great mercy when he un-banned everyone; a fine moment, not to be forgotten. But he is still a man with every right to say “enough!” I am confident he will, again, pardon every offender because of his witness to the Truth:
“..as we forgive those who trespass against us.”
felipe (70468a) — 5/28/2023 @ 9:27 amMy thought —
I think Republicans will be dealing with populists for a long time to come and it isn’t a bad thing to engage with them. But the banished rarely engaged and probably won’t should they come back. A shame because I think two in that group have the capacity and one of those two might have drifted back to showing the willingness.
Appalled (fee5f8) — 5/28/2023 @ 10:15 amComedy Gold!
If that’s true, then he wouldn’t need any Democratic votes to pass it.
Rip Murdock (71ad11) — 5/28/2023 @ 10:27 amI’m enjoying it.
BuDuh (eaef9b) — 5/28/2023 @ 10:29 amIf there is nothing in the debt agreement for Democrats, why should they vote for it:
Rip Murdock (dcb14c) — 5/28/2023 @ 10:40 am@Rip@96 I have a theory that there are fairly normal things that most of the fairly normal congress people want to do but they can’t just do them because the crazypants people in their party have convinced their voters that whatever minor thing is A Violation of Every Value that Good People have Ever Held. And so they have to wait for the other party to “force” them to do it and then grouse and complain while they do it in order to save face.
Nic (896fdf) — 5/28/2023 @ 11:01 amfelipe,
Patterico has been very patient. He never asked people to change their opinions, only to give reasons for their opinions and to acknowledge there are other points of view. Think of how much time Patterico has spent writing posts and lengthy comments — always acknowledging other credible points of view — only to have the same commenters mock, troll, snipe, or call him names.
I think many of those commenters are nice people in real life. We saw that through the years. But now they come here in anger to disrupt/troll or change the subject, apparently because they disagree with the opinions they read here. Disagreement is fine here. You know that. But coming here to be disagreeable is not.
DRJ (fd3827) — 5/28/2023 @ 11:29 amAlso, it’s hard to make a credible defense of things happening in GOP politics. It’s much easier to attack critics than to debate.
DRJ (fd3827) — 5/28/2023 @ 11:32 amNew weekend posts might help. We commenters are more likely to focus on each other unless there are new topics introduced.
DRJ (fd3827) — 5/28/2023 @ 11:38 amDRJ (fd3827) — 5/28/2023 @ 11:29 am
I agree with you completely, DRJ. I’m glad you pointed out what I omitted.
felipe (70468a) — 5/28/2023 @ 11:51 amI think we all miss what we once had, both here and in America. Some blame Trump and some blame the Democrats. The blame list is probably endless. But how we deal with it is our choice, and I like how most people here make their choice.
DRJ (fd3827) — 5/28/2023 @ 11:57 amYou are always clear and kind, felipe.
DRJ (fd3827) — 5/28/2023 @ 11:58 amRelated:
Rip Murdock (dcb14c) — 5/28/2023 @ 12:03 pmSo what happened with Haiku, Rob and JF. I saw the DCSCA announcement but I missed the others.
DRJ (fd3827) — 5/28/2023 @ 12:04 pmPeople can change what is discussed on the weekend open threads by posting articles introducing new topics. Lord knows I’ve tried.
Rip Murdock (dcb14c) — 5/28/2023 @ 12:07 pmNever mind. Found it.
DRJ (fd3827) — 5/28/2023 @ 12:11 pmI know, Rip. I introduced the open thread posts here. My goal was to find stories that were not posted on and that interested commenters. But IMO open thread posts were never good at getting people to discuss topics with each other.
This is just my opinion but: If you want in depth discussions, you need a post that focuses commenters on a specific topic or question. And it helps if it is a current topic, event, or issue in the news.
DRJ (fd3827) — 5/28/2023 @ 12:17 pmThere is too much content in an open thread post and comments to stimulate in depth discussion.
DRJ (fd3827) — 5/28/2023 @ 12:19 pmWhat we need isa “source of funding” amendment Every dollar that goes out must be tied ttoa source of revenue, which may include borrowing. There has to be a lot of if-not-enough-money-comes-in defaults which slso may be subject to change. Abolish the federal budget. The only test of anything is reality.
Unworkable.
Kevin M (2d6744) — 5/28/2023 @ 4:12 pmBut NJRob, JF, and Haiku
JF was indistinguishable from a bot. Haiku and NJRob were no more doctrinaire than some who are still here, just differently.
Kevin M (2d6744) — 5/28/2023 @ 4:17 pmI am confident he will, again, pardon every offender because of his witness to the Truth
I hope not. DCSCA was a spamming Putinbot who strove to annoy. JF was a Trumpbot who never triggered the interest-meter. He was just slumming here.
The others idk.
Kevin M (2d6744) — 5/28/2023 @ 4:22 pmAlso, it’s hard to make a credible defense of things happening in GOP politics.
Not all, but some is defensible. I think the Trump administration* was far better than the Hillary one would have been. Then again, I’m sad that 2016 wasn’t Romney’s re-election year. I have to grade Trump on a curve in a world that contains Harris and Schumer.
———
Kevin M (2d6744) — 5/28/2023 @ 4:27 pm* always excepting his last month or so.
I note that Trump only leads DeSantis among Republicans by 44-26 in CA, with undecided at 19%. And it’s a very very long way to the primary.
Silver lining department: The good thing about all these contenders entering the race now: they have plenty of time to exit and throw their support to Tim Scott.
Kevin M (2d6744) — 5/28/2023 @ 4:31 pmWho was banned?
NJRob (eb56c3) — 5/28/2023 @ 4:33 pmQuinnipiac University National Poll 5/24/23
Rip Murdock (25822e) — 5/28/2023 @ 4:33 pmPlease prove this allegation or retract it.
Thanks.
NJRob (eb56c3) — 5/28/2023 @ 4:34 pmI was in favor of Trump’s focus on illegal immigration and was glad he brought attention to that issue. I voted for him in the general election with the hope that he would keep his focus, and not just his rhetoric, on that issue. He had some successes, but most of it was big talk.
It was still good for Trump to change the debate but GOP governors are showing other states what it is like for the states that bear the heavy illegal immigration burden. In the long run, it may be the governors who really change the debate, not Trump.
DRJ (fd3827) — 5/28/2023 @ 4:37 pmIt’s a big move (+15) towards Trump in two and half months when back in February 2023 DeSantis was ahead of Trump 37-29.
Rip Murdock (25822e) — 5/28/2023 @ 5:01 pmI do not believe the strategy of sending more welfare needy to welfare states creates an awareness that will stem the tide. I do believe that those states will demand more money from the Feds and successfully blame the republicans Governors who made this more of a game than a solution.
I would have preferred the bus ticket Governors had the National Guard set up field tents in a semi harsh environment and placed all the illegals under lock and key. This way they could bill the Feds and secure the criminals, while still getting the same bad notoriety from the press.
BuDuh (99bc0a) — 5/28/2023 @ 5:05 pmFrom the same poll:
Rip Murdock (25822e) — 5/28/2023 @ 5:23 pmMore:
My emphasis.
Rip Murdock (25822e) — 5/28/2023 @ 5:29 pmWho was banned?
felipe (70468a) — 5/28/2023 @ 5:57 pmBahh! Youtube timing failed me. It was supposed to start with just a shot of the closed door. It’s like someone yelling out the punchline before the joke starts. – sigh-
felipe (70468a) — 5/28/2023 @ 6:13 pmI’m still here, probably due to the distinctions in the word fewer, and an overabundance of graciousness
steveg (dc969d) — 5/28/2023 @ 10:07 pmWhat is needed is a commenting system that allows people to respond directly to previous posts like Disqus, which is available in WordPress.
Rip Murdock (25822e) — 5/28/2023 @ 11:20 pm@93 republicans are populists. never trump/populists are a small shrinking minority who are backed by establishment donor class and their ideologs in conservative media. The meteor has hit and your waiting to go extinct and the varmints take over!
asset (d05b6b) — 5/29/2023 @ 1:05 am2024 campaign Republicans : Drag queens trannies with illegal aliens thrown in for good measure! Democrats : ABORTION! with insurrection thrown in for good measure and don’t you dare vote green party if we can’t keep them off the ballot like we did in 2020. Anybody disagree?
asset (d05b6b) — 5/29/2023 @ 3:29 amIt’s like someone yelling out the punchline before the joke starts. – sigh-
And the girl replied, “Just lucky, I guess.”
nk (6c45b4) — 5/29/2023 @ 3:48 amhttps://www.nbcnews.com/health/mental-health/marijuana-use-mental-health-young-adults-weed-rcna84984
Anyone who has watched the elevated level of drug abuse among young people exacerbated by the political class knew this was happening.
NJRob (eb56c3) — 5/29/2023 @ 6:23 am“The strongly conservative voters also are the most likely to have a favorable view of Trump, with 87% of them having a positive image of him,”
I would like this opinion chiseled into. What do those 87% think they are actually going to get with Trump that they can’t get with another candidate? Especially one with less baggage. If you are angry about culture war issues, then why wouldn’t DeSantis ring the bell? It’s got to just be personality and an insatiable appetite for drama. Those strongly conservative voters appear to really want the baggage. They want the candidate that will give them the most to emote about.
Sadly, it doesn’t seem like the Presidency is about finding that experienced leader…ala Ike….that can bring people together and potentially navigate us through tough times or crises. The adult in the room who could rise above party when necessary and put country above self. Now it’s about elevating a guy who lost a defamation suit against a woman making a credible sexual assault claim. About a guy who can’t stop lying about the 2020 election and that beautiful J6 day at the Capitol. Oh and he promises retribution and more unfocused rage. We want the adolescent tantrum….apparently.
It continues to stagger the mind how the party of Lincoln and Reagan prefer a likely felon…someone who thinks it’s wise to pull us out of NATO…over a conventional politician. There’s a ways to go with more shoes to drop, but it’s hard to respect a party that can’t clean itself up. People should be eager to start over and find someone inspirational. Yet here we are, following the ridiculous MTG’s into a deeper and deeper morass. Wake me when it gets better.
AJ_Liberty (1d11bf) — 5/29/2023 @ 6:40 amOne more for felipe: “What’s a place like this doing in a nice girl like you?” the doctor wondered.
nk (7aa282) — 5/29/2023 @ 6:44 amI am of the opinion that NJRob and the Colonel are two great people in real life who would not hesitate to help a stranger in need. By what evidence can my opinion possibly be informed? Their comments over the years towards their “enemies” and “friends.”
NJRob has consoled me when I shared my heartaches in a way that revealed his faith and great trust in G*d. I will not forget that. He has chosen the same side as I, which does not make him perfect, but rather, vulnerable to the great hatred of this world towards any who would chose to follow the way, the truth and the life.
This site is precious to me because I can express my love of G*D here without receiving the world’s hate in return. Our host has also shared his own faithfulness – what a blessing to us all.
I have witnessed Colonel Haiku forgive his enemies here. I was one of them. Since then, he has treated me with the gentleness of a family member who has read:
felipe (70468a) — 5/29/2023 @ 7:04 amnk (7aa282) — 5/29/2023 @ 6:44 am
HAHAHAHA! Totally laughing out loud!
felipe (70468a) — 5/29/2023 @ 7:06 amIt is sad that one considers someone who has a different opinion an “enemy.” I don’t consider anyone I disagree with an enemy; but it is apparent that some still here do so.
Rip Murdock (25822e) — 5/29/2023 @ 7:25 amHere’s one for nk!
Then she said, “he had a hat.”
felipe (70468a) — 5/29/2023 @ 7:27 amHeh!
nk (7aa282) — 5/29/2023 @ 7:44 amI bought a dizen la=xl eggs for $1.19 on Thursday This place normally has the cheapest price was before it was well over $2.
Sammy Finkelnan (d9196c) — 5/29/2023 @ 8:24 amfelipe,
My own experience with Haiku suggests to me he shouldn’t be banned. He’s willing to engage.
I’ve not really had much in the way of interaction with Rob. I think his revulsion towards the state of the culture is very sincere. The problem is that repairing the culture is not the work of government. The law of unintended consequences has a way of demolishing what Democracies tend to come up with.
Appalled (704076) — 5/29/2023 @ 8:50 amThe law of unintended consequences has a way of demolishing what Democracies tend to come up with.
Appalled (704076) — 5/29/2023 @ 8:50 am
You are right, and demolishing is also the word I would use.
felipe (70468a) — 5/29/2023 @ 9:22 amDeSantis A ‘No’
Rip Murdock (25822e) — 5/29/2023 @ 9:26 amI can’t tell who P banned other than DCSCA. Clearly, not NJRob because he is commenting and I am glad because, like many here, he is concerned about our culture. Col Haiku is a sporadic commenter like me, so we have to wait and see.
DRJ (4b2002) — 5/29/2023 @ 9:30 amI disagree about NJRob. While he may be concerned about our “culture”, his continual labeling of those who disagree with him on anything (which is just about everyone else) as “leftists” ( or worse) contributes to its coarsening.
Rip Murdock (25822e) — 5/29/2023 @ 9:50 amAppalled,
As Breitbart famously stated, “politics is downstream of culture.”
If we don’t fight for our cultural values, we lose our political ones as well.
NJRob (a42a35) — 5/29/2023 @ 10:39 amThank you for the kind words felipe.
NJRob (a42a35) — 5/29/2023 @ 10:39 amRip,
I call it like I see it. When someone posts bashing mainstream conservatives and Republicans and only supports Republicans who attack other Republicans, I don’t see them supporting our values or beliefs. What would you call it?
I don’t have a problem with aphrael who is a lefty and can disagree respectfully with him.
It’s those who claim to be a Republican, but primarily post remarks bashing them that get my ire raised.
NJRob (a42a35) — 5/29/2023 @ 10:43 amBetween now and the end of the primaries you’re going to see a lot of Republicans bashing other Republicans.
Rip Murdock (25822e) — 5/29/2023 @ 10:47 amI think all politicians deserve criticism.
Rip Murdock (25822e) — 5/29/2023 @ 10:48 amFox News Poll 5/24/23:
Poll
and cross tabs.
From the poll:
Rip Murdock (25822e) — 5/29/2023 @ 11:34 amFox Poll top lines.
Rip Murdock (25822e) — 5/29/2023 @ 11:36 am“As Breitbart famously stated”
And now Breitbart News is run by Steve Bannon who worked to elevate Milo Yiannopolous to cultural prominence and championed Trump’s reality-TV Presidency and the January 6th madness. It’s comfort with alt-Right memes would have its namesake rolling in his grave.
There’s also more than a degree of irony that someone who professes deep concern over cultural rot will undoubtedly continue to pull the lever for grab-em-by-the-pu$$y Trump if need be. Any cultural cause first and foremost needs authenticity. It also needs to put its money where its mouth is and actually create good culture. Except that’s hard. It’s easier to create an us-vs-them food fight and make bank on monetizing hate. The GOP needs to get back to believing in the importance of character and the Christian ethic. The current path is anything but.
AJ_Liberty (5f05c3) — 5/29/2023 @ 11:37 amSorry, Breitbart WAS run by Steve Bannon
AJ_Liberty (5f05c3) — 5/29/2023 @ 11:39 amThe difference being they’ll support their preferred candidate. Not so with those who only attack Republicans.
NJRob (a42a35) — 5/29/2023 @ 11:46 amAJ,
Are you going to providw evidence or retract your slur?
NJRob (a42a35) — 5/29/2023 @ 11:48 amIf McCarthy can’t whip the necessary Republican votes to pass the debt ceiling bill without the Democrats, he deserves to be booted from the speaker’s chair.
Rip Murdock (25822e) — 5/29/2023 @ 12:08 pmAs I recall I gave a vacation to DCSCA, JF, and Haiku. I don’t think I termed it as a ban for any of them, necessarily. I just wanted to see what it was like without their negativity and, in many cases, aggravating horseshit. Y’all want Haiku back, I can do that, I guess, but I got very tired of his passive-aggressive act. I don’t miss him, but if the commentariat here thinks he’s a positive presence, you’re welcome to let me know.
NJRob, you need to settle down. Every time I see you on here I see you being hyper-aggressive toward people like AJ Liberty and Paul Montagu, whom I consider to be great commenters with level heads and sensible views. It irritates me to see anyone be nasty towards them and I don’t see this as the sort of place where great commenters like them should have to face nastiness. I have shown, I think, that I’m perfectly happy to give vacations (which could well end up being permanent) to people who continually annoy me. Don’t be that guy.
Patterico (a59378) — 5/29/2023 @ 12:30 pmFWIW, Haiku told me he resented being called a Putin fan, and says he still has no faith in Trump. OK. He still seems perfectly willing to spread every lazy narrative that favors those two, but I’ll take him at his word that he doesn’t particularly like either one. It would be super interesting to watch him actually act like that were true. I’ve never seen it.
Patterico (a59378) — 5/29/2023 @ 12:32 pm@NJRob@137 There seem to be two things going on with mental health and marijuana usage. The first is self medicating- people with psychiatric disorders are using it to try to relieve the symptoms of their psychiatric disorder. The second is people with a potential psychiatric disorder using it and then activating that disorder. Regularly using anything recreationally that has psycho-active properties (including alcohol) is not necessarily the best idea.
Nic (896fdf) — 5/29/2023 @ 12:43 pmDCSCA, for his part, has reacted in moderation with this very weird combination of “hey buddy you take it all too seriously” with “you are like Putin in your suppression of dissent” and seems to be content with leaving multiple comments that combine these two incompatible thoughts. I continue to believe that he reminds me of Evangeline’s mother from Uncle Tom’s Cabin. She’s not a character I would have relished spending any time with in real life, and I am perfectly happy spending zero more time in the virtual company of DCSCA during the time I have left on this rock.
And frankly, I have no idea if anyone here is actually the sort of person who would vote for Donald Trump in the Republican primary, but if you are, a) there is something civically wrong with you, b) I’m not really interested in spending time reading what you have to say, and c) I am convinced that there is no argument for choosing him in a primary that I want to spend any part of what is left of my time here on this earth considering.
I agree with J.S. Mill that it’s important that literally any viewpoint be expressed, and we need to know how to counter any such viewpoint. But while we need to have free speech, and in the end those of us who believe the earth is roughly spherical need to know the arguments of the flat-earthers, it doesn’t mean that we have to spend some time every day in the company of flat-earthers, especially obnoxious ones. Being for Trump *in the primary* *at this point, post January 6* is the political equivalent of being a flat-earther. There are no doubt some very nice flat-earthers and some very nice people who would support Trump in the primary. I might enjoy drinking whiskey with such people or shooting the breeze about any number of non-political topics with them. But I have no interest in spending my time talking politics with people who would support Trump in the upcoming primary. (I express no opinion, and have no opinion, about whether the people I gave a vacation to fall within that category.) Talking politics with such people is the equivalent of banging your head against the wall. I have enough headaches already.
Patterico (a59378) — 5/29/2023 @ 12:43 pmRussian Media Watch:
Rip Murdock (25822e) — 5/29/2023 @ 12:46 pmPlease do your part to keep the atmosphere respectful, BuDuh. One thing that most of the people I gave vacations to recently share is the fact that it was not the first time. When I have moderated people before, my moderate finger gets very twitchy when I see them abusing their second, or third, of fourth chance.
Hopefully the fact that you are enjoying the absence of people like DCSCA means you want to avoid behaving the same way. I think that’s a good sign.
Patterico (a59378) — 5/29/2023 @ 12:48 pmRussia Responds:
Graham Responds:
Rip Murdock (25822e) — 5/29/2023 @ 1:01 pmI’m someone who used to post a fair amount, and then stepped away. That was because of the growing lack of civility and a weird faux-macho vibe that developed along with DJT’s ascendancy.
I do not care for bullies, ever. That’s my deal with DJT. Even if he can do good things, he simply cannot help acting in a way that works against the positive things. It’s a lack of self control and a weird bullying thing. Again: if he would have stepped away from the insulting tweets…just think. But he could not help himself.
Ugh.
Some of the people banned/moderated here are folks from whom I have still learned a lot.
One has been a serial troll for many many years, having a rich history of hard to believe and inconsistent back patting tales mixed with antisocial nonsense.
Ugh.
My opinion on this is as follows:
1. This is Patterico’s site, and he gets to make the rules. Period. I would bet hard cash if any of the banned folks wanted to create their own blog with their own rules, Patterico would happily share that information.
2. Insulting Patterico on Patterico’s site is, um, not wise.
3. I do believe in a Gresham’s Law of the internet: trolls can drive out decent posters. There used to be community here; I have had problems with which I needed to deal, and Patterio and a few others reached out on my behalf. But the growing din of trollery drowns out the good.
4. Look at Ace. There is so much snideness and rude anger in his posts these days. The continual commentary on body weight makes me question Ace’s personal appearance (projection is rife among the angry). It makes me sad, honestly. I mean, he now insults AllahNick!
5. DJT brings out the worst in everyone. It’s really true. It’s right out of “Ghostbusters.”
6. There was a time, a few years ago, when some posters would get me really angry with nonsense, and other posters kindly calmed me down. You can see a little of that today, but we need more of it.
7. When in doubt, see #1.
Happy Memorial Day, folks. I raise my glass to those who sacrificed so I can tap a keyboard today.
Simon Jester (37f06e) — 5/29/2023 @ 1:01 pmFWIW, I support the vacations for DCSCA, JF, and Haiku. They rarely added to the discussion outside trolling other posters or repeating themselves ad nauseam. I can also think of one or two others, whose names I will keep to myself.
Rip Murdock (25822e) — 5/29/2023 @ 1:09 pm@132 The party of reagan when he wasn’t committing treason with Iran went to philadelphia mississippi in 1980 welcoming in to the republican party ignorant southern white trash democrat racists continuing another traitor’s southern strategy. (nixon) Populist took over the republican party that the republican party invited in. non populists are now a shrinking minority. How mant times must I point this out?
asset (ee5c8b) — 5/29/2023 @ 2:29 pmPatterico,
I’ve always responded to you with respect and taken your remarks kindly whether we agreed or not. But if you look above, AJ decided to take a cheap swipe at myself, Haiku and JF thinking we’d be unable to respond. I asked for evidence for his vulgar remarks.
No one here supports Putin and the “pro-Russian propaganda” that AJ claims and it’s the equivalent of calling someone a racist in that it tars them and their arguments with a stain that cannot be removed. I asked for evidence or a retraction. I don’t see that as unfair. It goes directly to your principal requirement that we must be able to properly restate someone’s opinion if we are going to state their beliefs.
Do you belief AJ’s remarks are in good faith and properly stating any of the “trio of doom’s” opinion of which he included me by singling the 3 of us out by name?
NJRob (846388) — 5/29/2023 @ 2:57 pmOliver Stone is a broken clock, and he finally landed on the correct time.
Paul Montagu (8f0dc7) — 5/29/2023 @ 3:11 pmI agree that there is a lot of self-medicating where people need real help. There is way too much casual abuse of psychoactive substances where people think it’s cool or normal. I just fear we are at another tipping point further damaging a young generation and destroying their lives because a few people wanted to get high and push their lifestyle as normal and healthy.
We need to reopen many different mental health facilities.
NJRob (846388) — 5/29/2023 @ 3:15 pm@NJRob@169 I wouldn’t argue with that. I’m hearing from parents that psychiatrists are scheduling 2 months out for their soonest appointment and the can only get into counseling once ever 3 weeks because of demand for psych/counseling services.
IDK how to actually get everyone back to a healthy lifestyle. One person is doing a job (for less equivalent money) that 2 or 3 people used to do, so they are exhausted and don’t have time to do actually healthy things and take shortcuts to feel better. We sit at desks all the time. At work, at home, all the time, in front of electronics. No one has time to go outside. A lot of us live in cities full of horrible environmental toxins, but that’s where the jobs are. Kids don’t socialize in person half the time, just on their phones (and having really nasty drama) and only have organized activities instead of sleep-overs or hanging out at their various houses. None of this seems particularly solvable.
Nic (896fdf) — 5/29/2023 @ 4:19 pmI did not catch that he had named you.
I’m sure he made his remarks in good faith.
We might disagree about the extent to which you support propaganda that happens to be pro-Putin. You’ll be pleased to learn that I am writing a giant piece on Substack about the Durham report and the Steele dossier. You might like some of my conclusions and hate others. But it was prompted in part by your citing it as proof of FBI malfeasance (which I think it is, but not quite in the way I think you think it is).
Patterico (a59378) — 5/29/2023 @ 9:16 pmAJLiberty: “But NJRob, JF, and Haiku rarely budged an inch from the hyper-partisan line.”
I think this is unquestionably true.
AJLiberty: “The trio of doom weren’t here because they appreciated Patterico’s point of view…they were here just to mock it.”
Possibly more the case with JF and Haiku…but all three regularly mock criticism of Republicans as being liberal inspired. I wonder, by insinuation, whether Patterico should also be viewed as a moby?
AJLiberty: “Why should Patt pay for a site for individuals to peddle conspiracies and pro-Russian propaganda that he detests?”
This was a general statement which I think is also unquestionably true. Why should P sponsor commentary that crosses his line? JF and Haiku tend to be a bit more conspiracy minded…but again…the comment was general, not specifically attributed to the trio of doom. As to Russian propaganda, that tends to hook in DCSCA predominately. Maybe JF a bit. Haiku not so much going from memory. I’m not sure what Rob’s view on Ukraine is. The entire comment was not intended to be solely about the trio of doom…with footnotes. Someone seems overly sensitive. Of course, that someone will turn and call me a liberal moby something. Ahhh, such beautiful day too….
AJ_Liberty (7d9e7f) — 5/29/2023 @ 10:20 pmAll I can about this news is HUH…
Paul Montagu (8f0dc7) — 5/30/2023 @ 11:52 amI haven’t had much time to comment and I haven’t wanted to put in “low information” comments. I took pattericos request to mean that the short/pithy/snarky comments weren’t desired so I stopped making them.
I think the comment section is better. I like that there’s more signal and less noise. The ppl he put on time out didn’t add much and they could mostly be replaced with a a script that repeated “I hate the left and I’m angry and bitter.” on a random schedule.
I’d suggest keeping DCSCA on ban.
Time123 (ab94c9) — 5/30/2023 @ 11:58 amShe’s not Putin’s type. But that is funny. I suggest canceling her US passport.
Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 5/30/2023 @ 1:59 pmThe House GOP Majority Gets Slimmer:
Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 5/30/2023 @ 2:38 pmAn arrest has been made in the murder of Eunice Dwumfour:
Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 5/30/2023 @ 3:30 pmThe X-date for the debt limit is at least June 6 because no repayment is scheduled till then. And the Treasury can roll over debt without adding to it. The problem could be interest payments, but it is not real.
The Social Security and Medicare have trust funds, which if redeemed reduce the debt.
Sammy Finkelman (1d215a) — 5/30/2023 @ 4:44 pmMs. Reade has had a, um, fondness for Putin for awhile.
The only question I have is whether Putin would let this useful fool into Russia. Seems like there’s already enough crazy in the Motherland.
Paul Montagu (8f0dc7) — 5/30/2023 @ 6:24 pmMore From Tara:
This will certainly enhance her credibility.
Rip Murdock (8ed0a2) — 5/30/2023 @ 7:29 pmEven More From Tara:
Rip Murdock (8ed0a2) — 5/30/2023 @ 7:48 pm@174 I hope DCSCA ban is not permanet. As a person who has been banned (mostly by liberal establishment ;but some conservatives too.) I know their is not many to speak up for them. While we disagreed on support for ukraine I am more tolerant because the anti-vietnam/iraq/afganistan liberal/left democrats in most cases support aid to ukraine (AOC was heckled for support) while a surprising large number of war mongering republican’s have turned into anti-war peace freak pacifists. Is it because as bruce springsteen sings we are not off to kill the yellow man. (or muslim)?
asset (9f38c3) — 5/30/2023 @ 10:12 pmChristie to enter the race with a splash.
Paul Montagu (8f0dc7) — 5/31/2023 @ 5:45 amChristie will correctly say that Trump is a liar with zero character, and Trump will correctly (for once) say that Christie is lucky to have 1% support.
176.
But not before the debt ceiling matter is over, and he will surely be replaced by another Republican in several months at the latest,
Sammy Finkelnan (c66955) — 5/31/2023 @ 8:10 amhttps://www.newser.com/story/335947/did-biden-outfox-mccarthy-vote-count-may-tell-the-tale.html
All McCarthy wants is a majority of Republicans to vote for the bill, or about 112 to 114.
Democratic Leader Jeffries is expecting him to get at least 150 Republicans, he stated. The only risk to McCarthy is a motion to oust him as Speaker and the question is:
Is there a secret deal for Democrats support him in that eventuality?
Sammy Finkelman (1d215a) — 5/31/2023 @ 2:17 pmI don’t see how Trump won’t see time in federal prison. Discussing and showing a top-secret document about invading Iran with people who have no clearance is criminally irresponsible and negligent.
Can the GOP please nominate someone who isn’t named Donald Trump?
Paul Montagu (8f0dc7) — 5/31/2023 @ 3:01 pmhttps://twitter.com/BerkeleyLaw/status/1663907466814341121
Commies hire commies… on the taxpayer dime.
NJRob (eb56c3) — 6/1/2023 @ 6:21 am