Friday’s Forum

FILED UNDER: Open Forum
James Joyner
About James Joyner
James Joyner is Professor and Department Head of Security Studies at Marine Corps University's Command and Staff College. He's a former Army officer and Desert Storm veteran. Views expressed here are his own. Follow James on Twitter @DrJJoyner.

Comments

  1. CSK says:

    Assuming that Biden wins, what do you want to bet that Trump refuses to attend the inauguration?

    4
  2. Mikey says:

    @CSK: I hope he doesn’t. He lacks the necessary dignity.

    2
  3. drj says:

    Lindsey Graham is on board with the GOP-controlled PA legislature appointing electors to override the popular vote.

    This is not happening, but Graham looks absolutely desperate.

    A prime example of a complete moral surrender and sell-out.

    I can totally see where all the rumors that someone got him by the balls are coming from. Wouldn’t even be surprised if these rumors were true.

    3
  4. OzarkHillbilly says:

    AFP news agency
    @AFP

    Replying to
    @AFP
    #UPDATE More than 120,000 #coronavirus cases reported in the US in the past 24 hours, smashing a daily record set the day before, according Johns Hopkins University.

    The country reported 123,085 new infections and 1,226 more deaths

    Strap in boys and girls, It’s going to be a bumpy ride.

    1
  5. OzarkHillbilly says:
  6. Scott says:

    Philadelphia Police Take Man Into Custody in Connection With Plot to Attack Vote-Counting Center: Reports

    Philadelphia police took at least one man into custody Thursday night in connection with an alleged plot to attack the city’s convention center where the swing state’s presidential votes are still being counted, according to reports.

    An armed group is said to have driven a Hummer up from Virginia with violent intent. No one was reported injured, and police did not identify the suspect or provide details about the alleged plot. Video showed the suspect being taken away in handcuffs and police retrieving a large gun.

    Prediction: There is a going to be a lot of similar stories this weekend like this. Question is whether this country is ready to deal with the right wing terrorism threat it faces. Also, will police actually take this seriously also?

    3
  7. CSK says:

    @Mikey:
    Are you suggesting that that lumbering, obese, surly presence wouldn’t add a certain je ne sais quoi to the occasion?

    If you are, you’re right.

    2
  8. charon says:

    Covid has not hurt Trump with most Republicans who have been persuaded by their media bubble it is not much of a problem. Perhaps at the margins a few are aware at how fubar the administration’s handling has been. It may well be an electoral plus with those worried that Democrats might shut down their jobs or restrict other activities.

    Posted this yesterday to a dead thread, repeating:

    https://nypost.com/2020/11/05/counties-with-covid-19-surges-overwhelmingly-voted-trump-report/

    The Associated Press looked at 376 counties with the highest number of new COVID-19 infections per capita — and found that 93 percent of them went for Trump, a rate above areas that were less severely hit by the virus.

    Most of the counties were rural areas in Montana, the Dakotas, Nebraska, Kansas, Iowa and Wisconsin, according to the AP analysis.

    Polling also showed that voters who differed on Trump vs. Biden were also split on whether the pandemic is under control.

    Among Trump supporters, 36 percent said the pandemic is completely or mostly under control, while 47 percent believed it was somewhat under control, according to AP VoteCast, a nationwide survey of more than 110,000 voters.

    Meanwhile, 82 percent of Biden backers surveyed said the pandemic is not at all under control.

    –– ADVERTISEMENT ––

    When asked what they believed was the top issue facing the nation, about half of Trump voters said the economy and jobs. Less than a quarter cited the pandemic, the survey found.

    That was in sharp contrast to Biden supporters, with about 60 percent saying the pandemic was the most important issue.

    The following people are seriously afraid of Democrats’ response to Covid:

    When asked what they believed was the top issue facing the nation, about half of Trump voters said the economy and jobs.

  9. charon says:

    This dude seems to be the Georgia Whisperer.

    https://twitter.com/EricTeusink

    Might as well also link the Nevada Whisperer:

    https://twitter.com/RalstonReports

  10. Teve says:

    Lucianne.com already has multiple articles about how Democrats stole the election.

  11. Scott says:

    @CSK: @Mikey: @CSK: What? And miss the opportunity to compare crowd size?

  12. Teve says:

    @GuardianUS

    Steve Bannon banned by Twitter for calling for Fauci beheading

    2
  13. Kathy says:

    @CSK:

    How can Pessimus attend, when he’ll be holding his own “real winner” inauguration?

  14. Teve says:
  15. charon says:

    https://twitter.com/bradheath/status/1323827431178948615

    Here’s one you wouldn’t expect: President Trump is doing better this year than he did in 2016 in counties with high COVID-19 death rates.

    We have relatively complete data for six counties in Wisconsin. All are small and have voted overwhelmingly Republican before, but are doing so by an even bigger margin this year.

    President Trump – who swept rural, White America by an unprecedented margin four years ago – is doing even better in those places this year

  16. Teve says:

    ‘Don’t call them fascist, that’s going too far.” -dumbass Teve all year

    4
  17. OzarkHillbilly says:

    Who will win the Presidential Cup?

    Sammy J
    @sammyjcomedian

    ·
    Nov 5
    It’s down to the wire in the nation that stops a race.

    Thanks for watching this year! See you in 2021.

  18. Jim Brown 32 says:

    Im told the White House Voter Fraud hotline number is 1-800-HER-EMAIL.

    Thank You— I’ll be here all week.

    5
  19. OzarkHillbilly says:

    Greta Thunberg
    @GretaThunberg

    ·
    16h
    So ridiculous. Donald must work on his Anger Management problem, then go to a good old fashioned movie with a friend! Chill Donald, Chill!

    Donald J. Trump
    @realDonaldTrump
    · 22h
    STOP THE COUNT!

  20. Teve says:

    Literally every post on Gateway Pundit is about how Democrats are committing election fraud.

    ETA: except the one about how Trump got more votes than Obama.

  21. CSK says:

    @Scott:
    Oh, he can do that without attending the event.
    @Kathy:
    I can see him doing that. Where? At Mar-a-Lago?
    @Teve: @Teve:
    They must be suicidal. Or are they planning armed revolt?

    1
  22. SKI says:

    AOC tweeted a counterpoint to the claims that the “Woke Left” cost centrist Dems their seats:

    There are folks running around on TV blaming progressivism for Dem underperformance.

    I was curious, so I decided to open the hood on struggling campaigns of candidates who are blaming progressives for their problems.

    Almost all had awful execution on digital. DURING A PANDEMIC.

    Underinvestment across the board. Some campaigns spent $0 on digital the week before the election. Others who spent did so in very poor ways.

    If I spent only $12k on TV the week before an election & then blamed others after, you’d ask questions. That’s how it looks seeing this.

    Ideology + messaging are the spicy convos a lot of people jump to but sometimes it’s about execution and technical capacity.

    Digital execution was not good, polls were off, ironically DCCC banned the firms who are the best in the country at Facebook bc they work w progressives!

    Also, the decision to stop knocking doors is one people need to grapple with and analyze.

    @IlhanMN and @RashidaTlaib never stopped and may very well have helped delivered a Biden Presidency bc of it https://t.co/5nweAADmIF?amp=1

    There are swing seat Dem incumbents who cosponsored the Green New Deal, Medicare for All, etc and if I’m not mistaken every single one won re-election.

    So the whole “progressivism is bad” argument just doesn’t have any compelling evidence that I’ve seen.

    When it comes to “Defund” & “Socialism” attacks, people need to realize these are racial resentment attacks. You’re not gonna make that go away. You can make it less effective.

    How do you make it less effective? Invest in year-round deep canvassing. Data shows that this kind of work helps blunt the force of racial resentment at the polls.

    If you’re always running away from convos about race, then the only ppl owning it are GOP. You’ll lose.

    10
  23. Teve says:

    I just watched a clip of Kayleigh McEnany saying that Trump wants all vote counted whether it takes three hours three days three weeks or three months.

    I started to write some more stuff here but then I deleted it. You guys know what I would’ve said.

  24. SenyorDave says:

    Headline for the ages:
    Steve Bannon’s Twitter Account Suspended After Calling for Execution of Dr Fauci and FBI Director Wray
    https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/steve-bannon-twitter-account-suspended-013048763.html

    1
  25. Teve says:

    I’ve said here once or twice, I used to wonder what the fuck was wrong with German people in the 30s? I don’t wonder that anymore. 70 million Americans just looked at four years of Donald Trump and said more of that please.

    12
  26. Teve says:

    (I can feel Dr. Taylor staring at the back of my neck)

    3
  27. CSK says:

    Knowing, as we do now, that Melania refused to move into the White House in 2017 until Trump had renegotiated her pre-nup, how long will it be before she serves him with divorce papers?

    She has her kid. Her parents are here. She’ll probably be able to demand and get a reasonable chunk of change in her settlement. If Trump is truly broke, she can ask for and receive a multi-million dollar book advance for a ghost-written tell-all. Wisely invested, that’ll keep her in style.

    Why should she stay married to a…loser?

    6
  28. Mikey says:

    Biden now leads in Pennsylvania. It’s over. He’s won.

  29. Kylopod says:

    Decision Desk HQ just declared Biden the winner of the presidential election.

    1
  30. Mikey says:

    @Kylopod: I never in all my life imagined I would be ecstatic to the point of tears over “President Joe Biden,” but here we are.

    5
  31. Scott says:

    @Mikey: You’re not alone. I surprised myself at how emotional I just got.

    2
  32. Kathy says:

    @CSK:

    I can see him doing that. Where? At Mar-a-Lago?

    No, at the White House. He’ll be easy to spot. Just look for the sullen Orange crybaby chained to the resolute desk.

  33. gVOR08 says:

    @drj:

    I can totally see where all the rumors that someone got him (Graham) by the balls are coming from.

    He has balls?

  34. mattbernius says:

    @drj:

    I can totally see where all the rumors that someone got him by the balls are coming from. Wouldn’t even be surprised if these rumors were true.

    The thing is, they are probably not. This is who Graham always was.

  35. Jax says:

    Is it petty of me to feel like I really, really, REALLY need a Biden/Harris Fuck Your Feelings shirt now? I mean, surely some enterprising t-shirt maker has some coming hot off the press….

    4
  36. OzarkHillbilly says:

    @Jax: Not at all petty:

    Craig Robinson
    @IowaGOPer

    I get that the media elites hate the president but realize that over 68 million Americans voted for him, in what has to be one of the closest contest in modern presidential history. While you gleefully celebrate his demise you are also insulting those who supported him.

    Lyz Lenz
    @lyzl

    Hi Craig, Iowa media person here. You all LITERALLY put my face in an attack ad and I got an email threatening to shoot me and I lost my job. Also, the head of the Iowa GOP screamed in my face and I got bomb threats afterwards.

    When I emailed the head of the Iowa GOP to let him know how his attacks put me and my children’s lives at danger, NO ONE REPLIED. So SPARE ME the decency talk.

    I had to keep my small children off YouTube for weeks so I wouldn’t have to explain why there is an ad calling their mom “unprofessional & crass.” My kid wants to start a podcast and because of the HATE your party spews I’m afraid for her life.

    We are your neighbors. I am a human being. We go to the same bars. I literally attended the same churches as like half your candidates in this area. We’ve lived through fake media attacks not just by Trump but by YOU and YOUR party. And you want to lecture about decency?

    lol love all the Iowa conservatives who are like “oh my I had no idea what was going on.” But then are gaslighting me like “oh but also proof, please?” like I haven’t written about this and like it’s not right there in Jeff Kaufmann’s tweets.

    literally any reporter in this state who has ever reported anything decent has had the Iowa GOP outrage machine come after them, you know what NOT THIS WEEK, CRAIG

    In 2016 a GOP lawmaker suggested a “suck it up buttercup” bill targeting protesters and that guy was re-elected, but sure sure I’ll suddenly care more about your feelings

    So yeah, fuck all their feelings.

    12
  37. Mike in Arlington says:

    @OzarkHillbilly: The thing is that liberals ARE thinking about the half of the country that didn’t vote for Biden. Hell, I remember that discussion going on in 2016 when we all thought Hillary was going to win.

    What I also remember is how poorly Trump and his gang comported themselves after the 2016 election, by being “poor winners”, a term I had never really thought of before. And that is how they governed.

    I don’t think Biden should follow in their footsteps because that’s no way to govern, at least if you want to build something that lasts.

    1
  38. OzarkHillbilly says:

    @Mike in Arlington: Biden won’t. He’s a much better man than I.

    4
  39. Kathy says:

    Moving on from politics, plenty of other threads for that today, the A380 can be pronounced dead now. Sure, Airbus ended production earlier this year, but there was a glimmer of hope for a second-hand market.

    Thus far, this market was made up of one plane, leased by wet-lessor airline Hi-Fly. This week they announced they’re returning the A380 to their lessor when the lease runs out. Thus ends the second-hand market.

    Add the pandemic-caused lower demand for travel, and a BIG plane with lots of seats to fill looks as attractive as week-old roadkill.

    Interjet is also near death. Last weekend and Monday, it operated no flights at all, due to a lack of money to pay for fuel (they pre-pay for it; all jet fuel in Mexico’s commercial airports is handled by a government entity called Airports and Auxiliary Services Agency).

    Maybe they do have money for fuel, but chose to cancel all those flights using lack of funds as a pretext, due perhaps to really low load factors. It’s possible, but it’s also not good at all. I haven’t heard whether flights resumed since Tuesday.

    It’s too bad. I really like Interjet. They had generous legroom and fewer fees than the competition. Their newer planes of the A320/1neo family, all since repossessed, were coming out with seat back screens and WiFi.

    While they were having some financial difficulties before this year, we can add Interjet, as well as all its employees, as another victim of COVID-19.

    1
  40. Jen says:

    @Teve:

    I just watched a clip of Kayleigh McEnany saying that Trump wants all vote counted whether it takes three hours three days three weeks or three months.

    Did it just dawn on this illustrious brain trust that military votes remain uncounted?

    Also, apparently Trump is considering firing Defense Secretary Esper and CIA director Haspel today. We’re entering dangerous territory here, I think.

  41. Bill says:

    @Steven L. Taylor:

    Out of respect for your long-term participation here, I will just move on.

    This is the continued crap* I have come to expect from you. Yesterday you posted something as if it were your own thesis when it wasn’t and without acknowledging how strongly you dismissed it only days early. My thesis had no basis you said. You were wrong and you won’t say it. That is Donald Trump like behavior, you know that.

    *- Some months backs you countered my lack of faith in 2016 polls by writing a whole about them. People are still saying in recent days they were wrong/weak on the state wide level and pollsters were wary or hedging in regards to this year’s polling.

  42. Mikey says:

    @Jen: FWIW there has already been some reporting Esper would resign anyway.

    There was a rumor Trump would also fire FBI Director Wray and replace him with some sycophantic lickspittle like Grenell, but apparently that’s not happening.

  43. CSK says:

    I could be wrong–it would be far from the first time–but I can see Captain Donald Ahab refusing to engage in any governing whatsoever from now until January 20, 2021 while he tries frantically and futilely to harpoon the election results.

    2
  44. Jay L Gischer says:

    @SKI: That is a side of AOC I hadn’t seen before. I’m impressed.

    “socialism” is a racial attack? It can be, but in all cases? However, “don’t run away from race”, instead do year-round “deep canvassing” – Oh yeah. I completely endorse that.

    Also, invest in digital seems like a no-brainer these days. But then, I live in Silicon Valley.

    4
  45. Bill says:

    @Bill:

    I repeat: do you think you sound like someone who would receive an answer in a reasonable fashion?

    Answer my question- ‘Care to say you were wrong?’. You’re acting like a bully who just got caught. So much malfunctioning from someone who is supposed to be smart.

  46. Jen says:

    AOC is right in some cases, wrong in others. I’m sure that in some R-leaning districts, like Spanberger’s, it DID hurt.

    It’s going to be a while before we understand exactly what happened on a district-by-district level, but making a blanket statement either way–Progressives helped! Progressives hurt!–is premature.

    There is no One True Message that is perfect for every Dem candidate in every Dem district. I would have thought that people would understand that by now.

    2
  47. Monala says:

    @Mike in Arlington: I saw a cartoon with a woman in a Biden-Harris shirt glaring at a man in a MAGA hat and Trump shirt and saying, “If Biden wins, you’re going to get it!”

    In the next frame she smiles and says, “You’re going to get healthcare! You’re going to get Covid relief! You’re going to get infrastructure jobs!”

    4
  48. Monala says:

    Hmm, “Keep on rockin’ me, baby” is trending on Twitter. Wonder why? 🙂

  49. OzarkHillbilly says:

    @Jen: I would have thought that people would understand that by now.

    Most people will look for somebody, anybody else, to blame just so they don’t have to look in the mirror. It’s easier.

    2
  50. OzarkHillbilly says:

    Heh:

    TPM Livewire
    @TPMLiveWire

    Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney (D) calls for Trump to put on his “big boy pants” and “congratulate the winner” just as losing candidates have done in the past

    1
  51. @Bill:

    This is the continued crap* I have come to expect from you

    Ok, so you want to bring this over from yesterday’s forum to increase your audience, cool. Here is the essense of my responses over there.

    I will repeat: do you think you sound like someone who would receive an answer in a reasonable fashion?

    If you had done this:

    @Steven

    Indeed, sans recessions and pandemic, he probably would have been re-elected.

    So, does that mean you have changed your mind from the other day?

    I would have answered and we could have had a conversation about it.

    Why in the world should I engage someone who is yelling at me?

    Meanwhile, I gave you the benefit of the doubt and asked if you intended to be belligerent, and you responded with more belligerence.

    3
  52. Mu Yixiao says:

    Interesting observation on the drive home.

    One of the farm houses I pass every day has had a Trump 2020 sign in their yard for months. I think the last one had the tagline “God, Guns, Glory”*

    On the drive home this afternoon, the Trump sign was gone–to be replaced by “In this house we believe…“**

    I know for sure it was a Trump sign this morning, because I was counting Biden vs Trump yard signs.

    * It was red on blue and really hard to read. I saw “God, Guns, G….” so I’m guessing on the last part.
    ** I’m not sure which variation. I was zipping by pretty fast.

  53. OzarkHillbilly says:

    @Mu Yixiao: My guess would be a prankster replaced their trump sign with the “We Believe…” sign.

    1
  54. Mu Yixiao says:

    @OzarkHillbilly:

    That could be…. rather dangerous around these parts.

  55. OzarkHillbilly says:

    @Mu Yixiao: Stealing/changing political signs is as old as democracy.

  56. Mu Yixiao says:

    @OzarkHillbilly:

    It’s deer-gun season.

    The signs are in wooded farmland.

    Accidents happen.

    (Yes, I’m joking)

  57. Jen says:

    I understand the need for certainty, but every hour that goes by without these races being called is increasing the danger. Two nuts have been arrested in Philly with guns, ammo, and QAnon crap in the car. They’d driven up from Virginia.

    Also, no legit news organizations are reporting this, but weird news item circulating about Putin having Parkinson’s and getting pressure from his family to step down.

    1
  58. OzarkHillbilly says:

    @Mu Yixiao: Deer season starts this wkend. I’ve been living out here for 20 years and nobody has taken a shot at me yet. Jus’ kiddin’… I hope.

  59. Kathy says:

    I’ve been mulling over my statement yesterday of the popular vote as irrelevant, along with ideas for changing the Electoral College.

    I should read the Constitution and figure it out, but as an idea, how’s this:

    Award 100 extra electoral votes to the candidate who wins more than 50.00000000001% of the national popular vote, but not for a candidate that wins a lower amount, from 50% downwards.

    Of course this is an end run of the EC, but only for those who win a majority. Leaving the EC as is for totals under 50% does allow for inversions (see 2000 and 2016 for recent examples), so some independent could screw things over again. I see it as a partial compromise.

    Next, and this can be done without an amendment, expand the House, but not to a set number. instead assign seats in the House on the basis of population, with the unit of population being the total number of people in the state with the smallest population.

    I hope this is clear. Let’s say the state with the smallest population, in the most recent census, is Wyoming with say 563,626. Then that’s how many people are represented in one House seat in every state. A state like California with, say, 37,253,956 would have 37,253,956/563,626 or 66.10 seats. We can round down decimals between 0.01 and 0.5, and round up from 0.51 to 0.99. So California gets 66, which is 13 more than it has now.

    I’ve ZERO notion how this would affect the political calculus, whether it would benefit one party or the other, but it sounds far more fair than the current system of dividing a fixed number of seats among an ever growing population (besides, all benefits of this kind are transient).

  60. flat earth luddite says:

    @drj:

    A prime example of a complete moral surrender and sell-out.

    Well, no, not at all. Unless you are presuming that at some point in his life he has demonstrated ANY morals or that he hasn’t always sold out to the idea of “mine mine MINE” and/oe “POWER!!!”

    Of course, I may be maligning the poor dear. Actually, I probably am. After all, there’s no proof that he bathes in the blood of innocents, and I haven’t seen a notarized copy of a contract with any Lord of the Underworld. So it may just be a co-inky-dink that he keeps his palsied, shriveled hands clutched around the reins of power and cackles like Emperor Palpatine.

    Sorry, not a good day at Casa Luddite. Done ranting for the moment. Gonna take my meds and go sit in the corner like a good boy.

    @gVOR08:
    @mattbernius:

    You both did better, and earlier, than I did. Kudos, gentlebeings. What can I say; late start to the day and waiting for the meds to kick in…

    2
  61. flat earth luddite says:

    Ok, once again my efforts to add an interweb link have landed me in the penalty box, so I’ll just suggest that for laughs go to the Bulwark today. Jim Swift had a link to the Washington state insurance commissioner race. I’d note that the R candidate did get 32% (way better than the candidate for governor did), but Mr. Patel did have a few interesting thoughts in his interview with Ballotpedia. Examples included:

    Q What qualities does this office possess that makes it a unique and important part of the state government and legal system?
    A. I have the ability to decipher classified information based on information that is publicly available and apply that information to run the Office of Insurance commissioner as efficiently as possible.
    Q. Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?
    A. Ronald and Nancy Reagan. I am running for office to be just like them.
    Q. Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?
    A. The Constitution of the United states of America.
    Q. What kind of skills or expertise do you believe would be the most helpful for the holders of this office to possess?
    A. I possess the ability to see into the Modern American Presidency in a way only Thomas Jefferson or Ronald Reagan would be able to view it.

    All this in an Insurance Commissioner.

    1
  62. flat earth luddite says:

    AAAARRRRGGGHHHH
    No edit function. Quote block didn’t stick.

    I am unworthy.

  63. Jax says:

    This has been an interesting race to follow in Utah. Owens was polling 4-5 percentage points ahead of McAdams, and the race has been neck and neck since Tuesday. Last night Owens was ahead, today McAdams has the lead.

    https://www.ksl.com/article/50044446/mcadams-reclaims-lead-over-owens-in-utahs-4th-congressional-district

  64. Just nutha ignint cracker says:

    @CSK: The needle on my DGAF meter just hit the peg so hard that the peg bent. Yow!

    1
  65. Just nutha ignint cracker says:

    @CSK: On my darker thinking days, I speculate that she should try to get his pension from being President signed over to her. It might not be much, but it’s possible that it really is all that he has. (It’s also possible that he doesn’t realize it.)

    1
  66. Bill says:

    Further dishonesty from Steven-

    I will repeat: do you think you sound like someone who would receive an answer in a reasonable fashion?

    If you had done this:

    @Steven

    Indeed, sans recessions and pandemic, he probably would have been re-elected.

    So, does that mean you have changed your mind from the other day?

    I would have answered and we could have had a conversation about it.

    Those are his own words. Where is his reply. Because I wrote exactly this yesterday afternoon before he ever once replied to me-

    Bill says:
    Thursday, November 5, 2020 at 16:22

    Steven L. Taylor says:
    Friday, October 30, 2020 at 16:27

    @Bill:

    Before the pandemic and the resulting hit it made to the United States economy and while Biden was the declared frontrunner for the Democratic nomination, I proclaimed around this blog multiple times that Biden would more than likely lose unless the economy went in the toilet.

    The problem with this hypothesis is that Biden was leading at roughly the same level before the economy went in the toilet.

    Care to say you were wrong?

    So where’s his reply. He’s been notified of this for hours.

    Steven’s word is worthless. He set the conditions and didn’t live up to it. Steven sure had time to take my thesis about the election and turn it into his own when he repeatedly dismissed it days earlier and not note where his new thesis came from. That is what mostly pisses me. Now he can’t live up to his own word.

  67. Just nutha ignint cracker says:

    @Jax: I was going to suggest that while it might be petty of you, that I could see why a person might do it anyway, but I see that Ozark already has that pretty well covered. 😉

    2
  68. Just nutha ignint cracker says:

    @Mu Yixiao: For me, that joke will never be funny. A high school classmate died in a hunting accident at 16 years old. The guy who fired at him thought it might be a person, but didn’t want to take the chance on missing a kill since the trip had been so quiet for him.

    But yeah, accidents happen–(just joking). 🙁

    1
  69. CSK says:

    @Just nutha ignint cracker:
    As of 2020, the presidential pension is $219,200 per year. That might, just might, cover Melania’s clothing expenditures for a few months. Nothing else, though.

    I’m hoping she goes for the multi-million tell-all book advance. And picks a ghost who really, really hates Trump’s guts.

  70. Just nutha ignint cracker says:

    @flat earth luddite: Got your back, zeeb. Here’s the Twitter post to your quote.I thought you left out the most entertaining part of it, though. The part where he was citing his qualifications because he was an autistic savant and wanted to hire the current Insurance Commissioner as his deputy commissioner to handle half of the job. Yikes!

    1
  71. Just nutha ignint cracker says:

    @CSK: You people live in a completely different world than I do. At $219,200 dollars a year, I’d be living overlooking the bay in Seattle and still banking $50-100k a year.

    1
  72. CSK says:

    @Just nutha ignint cracker:
    So would I. But Madame Trump’s tastes, while they’re not better than mine, are certainly more expensive.

    1
  73. @Bill:

    So where’s his reply. He’s been notified of this for hours.

    Steven has been offline enjoying a partial afternoon off doing a little hiking. I am not sure why you think I owe you anything.

    At any rate, consider yourself disinvited from the blog.

    I honestly hope that you are ok, as your behavior suggests something is wrong.

    Adios.

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  74. Jax says:

    @Steven L. Taylor: I couldn’t even figure out what he was mad about. Best I could tell was you changed your mind about something, and he thought you stole his idea?

    I hope he’s ok, too, he’s had a few aggro moments in the past, but nothing like this.

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  75. Just nutha ignint cracker says:

    Interesting take on the election outcome The, to me anyway, money quote (or maybe only the first)

    But while everyone else waits on edge, the turmoil has conveniently meant more spoils for the rich. The same stock market that skyrocketed during deadly coronavirus waves and a collapsing economy has again perked up in this moment of extreme national division. “It looks likely that we’ll see a split Congress, which, based on history, has been the preference of the stock market,” one investor told CNBC, as though “the stock market” were a sentient thing that harbored finely wrought hopes and dreams. “Biden’s not going to be able to raise taxes—you get the Mitch McConnell handcuffs,” one former hedge fund manager told The New York Times. “So it’s kind of the best of both worlds.” In the absence of, say, any kind of meaningful health care reform, environmental protections, or new stimulus checks from a deadlocked Congress, it’s nice to know that the investor class has found a silver lining.

    Now I would normally inquire about the “what’s wrong with this picture” qualities of this yahoo’s viewpoint, but today, I will simply observe that his silver lining is that we’ll continue getting stuff without trying to pay for it–passing the cost onto Reynold’s kids, among others–and cut to my Sonny and Cher riff

    And the beat goes on (yeah, the beat goes on)/and the beat goes on (yeah, the beat goes on and on and on and on and [fade out]…)

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  76. @Jax: We had an interchange on another post, some of which was a bit of talking past one another. I didn’t think all that much of it, but at that time he said something about Trump would have been re-elected if the economy hadn’t tanked. I countered that Biden had been polling ahead of Trump before the pandemic-induced recession.

    Then yesterday I made a comment to the effect that Trump probably would have won without the recession. At the time, I will admit to being in the doldrums linked to the lack of repudiation of Trump. Bill jumped on that and wanted me to admit I was wrong. He posted several comments that I found really belligerent before I had a chance to respond.

    I almost responded in annoyance at his unnecessary (I thought, anyway) tone. I sincerely told him I would answer, but wanted to know if he really was intended to be belligerent (I try not to overreact to perceived tone in the comments, especially when I am coming in and out of a
    conversation during a busy day–often when I have, I have regretted it). Clearly, he intended the belligerence (because he brought more) and insisted I answer his question.

    I saw no point in engaging the substance of the conversation because he was basically yelling at me in a way that suggested that reasonable discourse was unlikely.

    The honest answer is that I am still digesting the results and what I thought yesterday is not fully what I think today. And, TBH, as evidence accrues, what I think tomorrow may be different still. We are in a dynamic situation.

    But more significantly, no one can definitively make a statement about a counterfactual. So, the way he was trying to box me in I consider problematic. I would have happily explained, save the ongoing belligerence.

    For some reason he decided I had stolen his idea, accusing me of plagiarism in not so many words. But, of course, musings about the effects of economics on electoral politics is hardly novel.

    Ultimately, my answer to his question is that I really don’t know what would have happened withoiut the economic downturn (and neither does anyone else). Yesterday my perception of the race was that it was close and, therefore, that a variable like the economy could have mattered. By the same token, the approval/disapproval never really moved the whole time, so maybe the economy didn’t matter either.

    At any rate, I know I can get prickly at times, and even get competitive in an argument, but I also would say that I have long engaged in the comments sections as much, if not more, than any other author here. Not only do I not think I deserve the level of vitriol and belligerence he directed at me, but life is also too short to unnecessarily put up with such online, let alone on my own blog.

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  77. Jax says:

    @Steven L. Taylor: I concur. The aggression was unnecessary. I enjoyed most of his comments, most of the time, but the last few days all I could think was WTF?! He got that aggressive when somebody called him Sweetie a while back, then he left for a while, and he was back to funny Bill.

    I hope he’s ok, like taking his meds and stuff. These are stressful times, and I know many other retirees whose regular medication is delayed thanks to the USPS. I can’t even get my daughter’s monthly asthma medication on time anymore.

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