Friday’s Forum
Steven L. Taylor
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Friday, October 20, 2023
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50 comments
About Steven L. Taylor
Steven L. Taylor is a Professor of Political Science and a College of Arts and Sciences Dean. His main areas of expertise include parties, elections, and the institutional design of democracies. His most recent book is the co-authored
A Different Democracy: American Government in a 31-Country Perspective. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Texas and his BA from the University of California, Irvine. He has been blogging since 2003 (originally at the now defunct Poliblog).
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Hàppy Friday everyone.
Coming up on 0200 hrs. Back patio, cigar and Buffalo Trace taking the edge off the neuropathy buzz.
Thinking about the news for this past week, the one recurring thought in my mind is, “really people, WT freaking F?”
Getting really tired of the shenanigans involved with the current release of the homo sapien software. Very buggy, customer support sadly lacking, and the subscription fees are getting absolutely ridiculous.
@Flat Earth Luddite: Seriously. Though now that you mention it, thinking of Trumpism as malware might be a more useful framing than the usual political one…
For the second Sunday in a row, except for MSNBC, there are no Democrats scheduled on the Sunday shows. Is there a strategy I don’t understand?
Well, that’s obviously the work of the latest covid vaccine implanting 5G worms in the hardware. Better double the daily dose of Ivermectin.
@Scott:
Don’t interrupt your opponent when they’re busy making mistakes? Don’t put your people in a position where the hosts can demand “Why aren’t you Democrats fixing this?”
Let’s see, invite a boring DEM who will just restate the obvious, or bring in a bunch of grenade throwing lunatics and instigate a fire fight on live TV? Seems obvious the latter will be the ratings winner.
@Scott:
“Is there a strategy I don’t understand?”
The audience for the Sunday morning shows skews old and well-off, both of which favor Republicans. As a result, the guest list has been Republican leaning for decades. I would be willing to bet that if there were a list of who has appeared the most on these shows this millennium, the only Democrat in the top 20 would be Joe Lieberman.
In other words, just another day’s work for the so-called liberal media.
British political news:
Conservatives thrashed in two by-elections in safe seats.
Tamworth saw a swing of 24%
Mid-Bedfordshire has never been taken by Labour before; last had a non-Con MP back in 1931; a Liberal, back when a mainstay of politics was still the Liberals and the Conservatives slugging it out in middle-class constituencies.
OK, reduced turnouts in bad weather probably mean a lot of Con. voters sat on their hands, but the likely Labour turnout would also be down, and a large number of grumpy ex-Tories who could not be bothered either way.
I’d guess that Tamworth will be Con but marginal at the next general, Mid-Beds Labour might hold given they’ve got a couple of thousand Lib-Dem votes to mine.
Also some saying: “But Tories only lost because Reform (formerly Brexit Party, formerly UKIP) snaffled votes on the right…”
And? So?
That makes it worse for the Conservatives, because some of those votes are gone for good, and trying to win them with a hard right pitch will only lose them more votes elewhere.
See Con MP Danny Kruger:
= Trussonomics Mk2 plus rev up culture war.
Labour Party HQ fall about laughing and say “yes please, please try that out.”
IT’S THE ECONOMY, STUPID!
Contra some overly online-activists and the Kruger types, the UK is not the USA; people just don’t care very much about “culture issues” because there isn’t the underlying culture: evangelicals, centuries long racial legacy, guns, anti-federalism etc.
Illegal migration gets some traction, but there the Tories are trapped by their right, who are addicted to performative nastiness, while the pragmatic majority, can see that a deal with the EU on pre-processing can better deal with “small boats” than pandering to Breiters over threats to leave the European Court of Human Rights.
Conclusion by the estimable Ian Dunt:
Tent-pegs, I tells ‘ee. 🙂
@Moosebreath: I did laugh out loud at the Fox News guests: McConnell, Gen Keane, Gingrich? Was this a rerun from the 2000s?
Is anyone else watching season 2 of Loki?
Here the eps drop on Thursdays. This means I stream it as soon as I get home, then make dinner, and totally forget about the Thursday NFL game.
How are you feeling, CSK?
Here’s a question that has been bugging me all week:
Imagine a sentient, rational species without self-destructive impulses (ie not humanity) with technology advanced enough to travel between stars at will.
Would they manage to just go on and on forever*, or would they inevitably go extinct at some point? If the latter, how?
*Naturally evolving into a myriad forms as they go along. Ongoing human evolution is a frustrating subject.
Jordan has lost the vote again, and they are only in the Gs.
eta: Now down by 19, no 21 GOP votes.
@Kathy:
From what I’m seeing in Hollywood-related media, the answer is no. Disney+ has screwed the Marvel pooch. Also the Star Wars and Indiana Jones pooches. Pixar is at least showing life signs, though I’m pretty sure we’re still going to need the paddles. (Charging… Clear!) I’m not at all surprised that Loki is failing, I predicted it. In Season One they basically destroyed the character, turning the God of Mischief into an easily-replaceable mope in a tedious, jeopardy-sapping multiverse story.
Greed, shitty writing, greed, intellectual constipation, greed, ham-fisted DEI, and greed may have played a part. When they started announcing a dozen new Marvel shows a year every competent writer watching knew it wouldn’t work.
@Jen:
Not terrific, but they’re cutting me loose from surgical rehab today. i’ll go to my sister’s place, Gotta use a walker.
Thank you for asking.
@CSK:
Get better!
Now 24.
@CSK: Almost anyplace is better than the hospital. Sorry about the walker.
@Kathy:
What Michael said.
I watched The Mandalorian season one, lost interest in watching season two. Just blah writing.
Watched Loki season one, lost interest in season two. He was a schlub.
Watched Andor season one, really liked it but, after the writers strike, season two probably won’t be until 2025.
I had the Disney+, Hulu, ESPN+ package and they just jacked the price up 30%. I’ve pulled the plug on that package.
@CSK:
My wife did the walker thing for a couple weeks after hip replacement. It being LA then Vegas in mid-summer we did our recovery walking in malls and casinos. You’d think we Boomers would have found a way to make walkers cool but no, there isn’t a really a cool-looking walker. Given the huge cohort of old farts approaching there’s a branding opportunity. Nike walkers? Adidas walkers?
@Arnold Stang:
It may help I’d seen little of Loki before the series premiered.
But he’s beside the point. As are Sylvie, and Mobius*, and not-Kang, etc. What I find endlessly fascinating is the TVA.
*I like how Mobius can go on irrelevant tangents and still not lose focus on what matters. I’m very much like that sometimes at crunch time.
@Michael Reynolds:
My mom had knee replacement surgery earlier this year. She moved from walker to cane to nothing in only a few months.
Vegas life: my balcony is line of sight and very much within hearing of the When We Were Young Festival. Green Day, Blink 182, the Offspring, and about 30 more bands for two days. Since this is very much my music, no problem. Someone’s over there warming up now. But what happens when it’s rap? Or pop?
Chesebro has just pled guilty (RawStory).
…so who’s next to flip?
@Scott:Maybe no Democrats want to have to field questions such as
or
@Grumpy realist:
It’s the lawyers who are flipping. If Benito were rational, he’d be worried.
Do you suppose El Cheeto would flip in order to put that awful, awful Rudy away? 😀
@Grumpy realist:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2023/10/20/chesebro-guilty-plea-trump-georgia/
So both people who succeeded in seeking an early trial have now pleaded out.
@charontwo:
“So both people who succeeded in seeking an early trial have now pleaded out.”
They decided to go for the first-mover advantage in getting good deals for their plea bargain.
@Grumpy realist: I love the sound of falling dominoes in the morning.
@Kathy: I rewatched the first season and am now caught up with the second (although I didn’t check to see if the third ep had dropped last night). I really like it. I like many of the smaller superhero show, like Moonknight, Werewolf by Night, the first few seasons of Agents of SHIELD, Agent Carter, Wanda Vision and even She Hulk. Basically anything that is not 25 superheroes, endless fan service and 20 big budget special effects scenes stuffed into a 5 pound bag.
@charontwo: This is a bigger deal than Powell’s plea. Cheseboro was closer to Trump than Powell and will have a better knowledge of what Trump knew and was told. Furthermore, Cheseboro is less of a crazy than Powell and will likely be a much better witness on the stand. Although the plea agreement provides for probation, with Cheseboro facing a possible 5 year prison sentence if he reneges on his agreement to cooperate, Fani Wilis’ boot is firmly on his throat. He will sing like a canary in a cage.
@Michael Reynolds:
I’m not sure failing to resuscitate a long dead property is really “screwing the pooch” as that’s pretty much expected.
I haven’t bothered watching the new one, but I have heard that they killed off Shia LaBeouf offscreen, which is the best way to do things — he’s dead and he didn’t get paid.
He was also killed offscreen in a Transformers movie.
More movies should kill him offscreen. Even if he wasn’t a character before, just have a card from a funeral with his picture on it sitting on a desk or something.
@Grumpy realist: @Kathy: As Campos or Lemieux said over at LGM; there is no possibility of a presidential pardon in the Georgia case.
@Kathy: @Michael Reynolds: Just started watching Bodies on Netflix. The same body turns up in 1890, 1941 and 2023 London in the same location and three unrelated inspectors investigating. It looks to be a great deal of fun as a six-part series
@Mr. Prosser:
I read about it the other day. it piqued my curiosity enough to get Netflix back, provided part 5 of Disenchantment is out already.
@MarkedMan:
I liked Moon Knight and She Hulk enough to want second seasons of each.
@Mr. Prosser:
And even Benito the Cheeto could figure out that shutting down the government, or going so far as defunding the DOJ and FBI, won’t stop a state prosecution in Georgia.
Just got back from my Friday afternoon booze run to the local grocery store. R.E.M’s “It’s The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)” was playing. I’ll just leave it at that.
News that seems to be rather going under the radar re Ukraine, due to the focus on the Middle East.
– Ukrainian forces have crossed the Dnipro near Kherson, and are apparently now around 10km from the river in places. That means they are past the marshland, and possibly have enough depth to move heavy units over and begin bridging operations.
– Ukrainian ATACMS (and other ranged weapons) strikes on Russian airbases at Berdyansk and Luhansk appear to have destroyed at least 14 (perhaps 20 or so?) Russian helicopters; a significant number given their losses so far.
– Russia seems to mounting a major offensive around Avdiivka. So far they appear to be making little ground and to be taking losses far higher than the Ukrainians have in their pushes.
– So far around 20 ships have made the grain run outbound from Ukraine ; the Russian blockade appears to have collapsed; they seem to be trying to compensate by missile strikes on port facilities.
Wow.
Multitasking or what:
In the New Zealand vs Argentina Rugby world cup semi-final, Jordan scores a hat trick!
LOL.
44-6: Argentina were taken to pieces.
Next up, tomorrow: England vs South Africa for the other final place.
I have a bad feeling about facing up the ‘Boks.
OTOH an All Blacks vs Springboks final would be epic.
If it does come to England against New Zealand, pray hard for England.
We’ve got some good attacking players, and a fairly solid pack, but the Kiwi defence is both hard and fast, and they are brilliant at the break-down.
@OzarkHillbilly:
I haven’t had COVID vaccine yet. Got the trifecta the other day (flu shot, tetanus vaccine, and shingles shot). Tried to get the covid at the same time but my doctor explained that the conflicting 5G signals (between covid and flu vaccines) would causing system errors requiring a hard reboot.
@Michael Reynolds:
So true, I found the walker so embarrassing I would only use in in the house or hospital, when on my own I summoned up every ounce I had to get between the car and those little places where shopping carts are stashed around the lot and faked it using a shopping cart. I fooled no one but myself…but it HAD to be done!
Wish me luck. Family is all arriving today. I’m not a hugger, so all this hugging bullshit is….bullshit. 😛
@Michael Reynolds:
I wish. I’m getting my pre-clearance for a hip replacement. The surgeon was talking a week or two of walker. They’re not terribly forthcoming, but they all talk like this is zip-pop routine. I hope that’s right.
@Jax:
At every family gathering, regardless of reason, I ask myself why I haven’t developed barbed/razor wire outerwear.
@Flat Earth Luddite: Better safe than sorry.
@Flat Earth Luddite:
I did Flu/Covid/RSV at once. Kicked my butt for a week. I do not recommend that mix.
@Arnold Stang:
False Flag makes another month of Hulu worth the money:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/express/wp/2018/01/28/false-flag-explores-how-people-arent-always-who-they-seem-to-be/
Florida’s “Don’t say gay” legislator is on his way to prison:
https://www.politico.com/news/2023/10/19/ex-florida-gop-lawmaker-who-sponsored-so-called-dont-say-gay-bill-sentenced-to-prison-00122618
@Liberal Capitalist:
Thank you all for warning me about this. I did COVID on a Thursday, flu the following Monday. No side effects at all, beyond very mild shoulder soreness. Might do RSV next month.
@gVOR10:
If it’s any reassurance my wife was given oxycodone and never touched them. She stuck to Advil. Granted she’s tough (married to me, she had a choice?) but aside from the awkwardness of it all she was walking a mile a day after about a week. And it was a thru-the-ass-cheek* job which is the harder way, as I understand it.*
*Apologize for the medical terminology.
** Poorly.