Thanks to bus schedules, and TSA taking a whopping 10 minutes, I’m at my gate 3 hours early. Already had breakfast and a couple beers. Now… 1:45 to waste.
Just in case anyone doubted that electing politicians who are focused on things like owning the libs and following people into bathrooms to see whether or not they have a willy would have major negative impacts on all kinds of real world outcomes, here’s a data dive from Kevin Drum regarding life expectancy state by state. It shows that the best American states do worse than their European counterparts, with only Hawaii coming close to the European average, while the worst of the American states are are more in line with places like Russia, Azerbaijan, and Iraq. Mississippi, to absolutely no one’s surprise, sits at the bottom with an average life expectancy 9 years less than Hawaii.
In the real world, you tend to get results on hard problems only when you focus on them. A corollary to that is you can tell what things are important to the voters and politicians in a state by what they get results on. Red states in general, and trump states in particular spend almost all of their legislative effort on enforcing a social hierarchy by stoking resentment between groups. Given their level of effort it is no surprise that they have created a population seething with anger, envy and belligerence.
It’s hard to say much about it without spoilers. I’ll try, but you may want to skip this.
It’s not quite a retelling of 1984 from Julia’s point of view, although Julia is the protagonist and narrates the book in first person. the story is far different in many ways, beyond style and focus. We get far less political and social analysis of a totalitarian dictatorship, for one thing, though we get more examples of what I call O’Brien’s Maxim: you exert power over others by making them suffer. There are three very horrific scenes on that score.
We also get an inside look at the Inner Party, which I should say nothing more about.
That’s about it. more would require spoilers.
I did find the narrative too descriptive, and some bits too repetitive. the structure can be a bit confusing, too, as the narrative does not quite proceed in a straight chronological line. the main story itself does, but there are frequent flashbacks, giving the backstory slowly and in pieces that do not advance chronologically.
Over at Political Wire I see Tim Scott is setting up for a prez run. At first blush that seems Quixotic, but I imagine his real goal is the veep slot. I can see the bumper sticker now, “TRUMP/TOKEN 2024”. Same slot Haley’s running for.
If things hold, we should have a short week with relatively light work. We get to leave at midday on Thursday, and the day off on Friday.
Assuming no surprise work gets in the way of the long weekend, I may just make tomato soup and white rice. I love it, but it’s so much work, that I need to really be well-rested before tackling it.
Interesting piece over at TheHill about the Republican difficulties with Gen Z. TL:DR summary: Republican leadership, even the youngest of them, continue their decades long view of their problem with blacks/hispanic/women/etc/etc/etc: “We don’t need to listen to them since they have nothing to teach us. Instead we must be more respectful and earnest when we are explaining to them why they are wrong.”
And so is Donald Trump, which might mean she has no shot at being his VP pick. Trump doesn’t want loudmouthed competition; he wants someone quiet and subservient who’ll do his bidding.
At first blush that seems Quixotic, but I imagine his real goal is the veep slot. I can see the bumper sticker now, “TRUMP/TOKEN 2024”. Same slot Haley’s running for.
In 2016 Jeb spent millions in ads attacking fellow Floridian Rubio. I suspect we’re going to see something similar between the two South Carolinians–possibly even more so given the central importance of their state’s primary. Granted, the situation isn’t quite the same: My sense is that Jeb didn’t take Trump seriously until it was too late, so he thought he could safely ignore him and focus on knocking out his “real” rival. That said, if Haley and Scott are both auditioning for Trump veep, each has incentives for trying to destroy the other. And this time, one of them hasn’t even been in office in years, so it’s not like the two have to work together anytime soon.
I hate to say it, but in an attention economy, that works. It may not get anything done, but it got her reelected.
The #1 reason she got reelected is because her district is overwhelmingly Republican. They’d reelect moldy bread if it had an R after its name. That’s why the strategy hasn’t worked out quite as smoothly for her twin, Lauren Boebert.
…but yes, Beethoven’s 6th was the first to really catch my interest. I thought its use in the movie Soylent Green was extremely effective.
I’m pretty sure I first heard it in that movie, or at least first noticed it.
The scene is extremely effective, considering the audience is seeing things it knows and has seen many times. perhaps it’s the juxtaposition of the nature film and orchestral music, with Sol’s slow death and the violence and squalor that permeates the rest of the movie.
It comes before the big reveal of what Soylent Green is.
@Kylopod: Trump/TrumpJr, because there is no stupider possible ticket.
It gives him a VP that he can control, and sets up a dynasty — the kid taking over the family business. He likes nepotism, why not go for it? Everyone who wasn’t related to him in his last administration eventually turned on him.
I don’t know if that would work. Trump is so openly contemptuous of Junior that Junior would be even more of a laughingstock than he already is.
Forget Eric and Tiffany; they’re not even on Trump’s radar. Ivanka has bailed on him in a futile effort to regain the toehold she had in Manhattan money circles.
I’d put in cameras because Benito doesn’t want any.
And because this is a historic, unprecedented event. It should be documented as fully as current technology and the law allow. So cameras, recorders, reporters, members of the public, etc. should be present.
@Kathy: I’d have been happy with spoilers about the inner party given that I’m not likely to read the novel and that Orwell’s inner party was murky because we all understood Stalin (or at least believed we did) back in the day, so he didn’t need to elaborate.
Well, Trump is planning to hold a press conference at Maga-Lardo tomorrow at 8:15 pm., so if the judge gags him AND grants press access to the arraignment, then it’s going to be a really bad day for Donnie.
I have wondered ever since Trump’s odd digression into a question of cutting off kids from the will who are bad that it was about Ivanka and Jared. I suspect they have refused to let him wet his beak in the Saudi money.
At the Mob museum in Vegas (well worth the visit, BTW), you get to see some of the depravity and cruelty we all know criminal gangs engage in. One of the last exhibits consists of family photos of several high-ranking, wealthy mobsters.
I found those photographs disturbing because they are so ordinary. Were they not captioned, and were several gangsters and bosses not identified, they could be any rich family in any country. Graduation photos, dinner parties, vacations, family portraits, wedding, etc.
The descriptions of Inner Party life reminded me of those photos.
@CSK: Trump/Kushner? He did broker the amazing ME peace deal that Trump’s administration accomplished. And I would assert that he’s even stupider than Junior as well. It may well be the dream ticket everyone’s been waiting for. Lots of people are saying just that, in fact.
A new SSRS/CNN poll showed 60% of Americans approve of the indictment vs only 38% who disapprove. Approval includes 62% of independents, 62% of women, 58% of men, 82% of blacks, 71% of Hispanics, 51% of whites, and majorities of every age group.
A new ABC/Ipsos poll showed 45% agree with the indictment vs only 32% who disagree, again with more independents siding against Trump.
Polling also shows more Americans than not think politics played a role in the indictment, and the support level shows that is moot. Politics plays a role in everything. So what?
MAGA and its media enablers said the indictment would rally voters to Trump’s side. They were wrong, just like they were wrong about the Red Wave. The establishment continues to be out-of-touch with the American people.
What leads me to suspect this is ruthlessness is a key feature of Trumpism. A brand of ruthlessness that can easily encompass screwing dear old dad if there was profit in doing so.
@Sleeping Dog:
The established procedure in NY is NOT to allow cameras in the courtroom. But since Trump has already attacked the judge, the judge may be disinclined to follow precedent.
@CSK: I’m more inclined to think that Jared, true to his vulture capital upbringing, aligns wherever the money is on a day-to-day basis. Same with Ivanka. She may have “rinsed” her hands of daddy, though.
There is some crazy shit going on in Tennessee’s House tonight. Apparently three Democratic members of the House acknowledged the massive student anti-gun protest at the Tennessee Capitol this weekend, and in response, the Republican Speaker has introduced resolutions to expel them. The Speaker made the utterly idiotic claim that the protest was worse than January 6.
Tennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton (R) is threatening to expel three Democratic members of the state House after they acknowledged and supported a public protest over lax gun laws and the deadly school shooting at Covenant School, a Christian elementary school in Nashville, Tennessee. The shooting took place one week ago today, March 27th. The shooter shot and killed three children and three adults before being killed in a firefight with police officers. Thousands descended on the capitol building three days later demanding greater restrictions on firearms.
That protest is at the center of plans to expel the three members.
The protests included no injuries, no property damage and no arrests. But when protestors entered the House gallery three members – Reps. Gloria Johnson, D-Knox, Justin Pearson, D-Memphis, and Justin Jones, D-Nashville – stood up and chanted with the demonstrators. Johnson told reporters on Monday that she and her colleagues were “tired of our voice not being heard.” “We decided between bills, we are going to walk up, we’re going to acknowledge the people outside surrounding this building, in the rotunda, and we’re going to speak to their issue and tell them that we are with them.”
Link to a local reporter’s tweet with links to the motions to expel:
“We’ll have a mug shot. For the record, it will be the most manly, most masculine, most handsome mug shot of all time,” joked Hogan Gidley, a former Trump White House spokesman who still speaks regularly with Trump. “I can say that definitely, before having even seen it.”
I would hope New York law enforcement will ensure Trump has as little success as possible in making a spectacle of tomorrow’s events. And I REALLY hope the judge issues a gag order forbidding Trump from talking about any of it, and backs it with a credible threat of actual jail time.
I am not optimistic either hope will actually come true, but what’s life without hope?
Thanks to bus schedules, and TSA taking a whopping 10 minutes, I’m at my gate 3 hours early. Already had breakfast and a couple beers. Now… 1:45 to waste.
As “travel problems” go, I had worse.
(And where the hell is everyone this morning?)
@Mu Yixiao: Have a nice trip. Can’t say for the others, but I’m trying to sleep in today. First day of spring break.
@Mu Yixiao:
In my case, still lolling abed. I can’t speak for the others, of course.
Just in case anyone doubted that electing politicians who are focused on things like owning the libs and following people into bathrooms to see whether or not they have a willy would have major negative impacts on all kinds of real world outcomes, here’s a data dive from Kevin Drum regarding life expectancy state by state. It shows that the best American states do worse than their European counterparts, with only Hawaii coming close to the European average, while the worst of the American states are are more in line with places like Russia, Azerbaijan, and Iraq. Mississippi, to absolutely no one’s surprise, sits at the bottom with an average life expectancy 9 years less than Hawaii.
In the real world, you tend to get results on hard problems only when you focus on them. A corollary to that is you can tell what things are important to the voters and politicians in a state by what they get results on. Red states in general, and trump states in particular spend almost all of their legislative effort on enforcing a social hierarchy by stoking resentment between groups. Given their level of effort it is no surprise that they have created a population seething with anger, envy and belligerence.
And more “problems”. Computer mucked up my seat assignment, and all they had was a window seat left.
Or… I could upgrade to first class for $199. I didn’t pay for the initial ticket, so first class it is!
@Mu Yixiao:
Go for it.
@Mu Yixiao: Congratulations on the ticketing problem! Bon voyage.
@Mu Yixiao:
Semi-retired Luddite reporting for duty, gentle beings. Cat hairball alarm successfully snoozed. Safe travels!
During her 60 Minutes interview, Marjorie Taylor Greene told Lesley Stahl that Democrats, from Biden on down, are pedophiles.
I finished The Sisterhood over the weekend.
It’s hard to say much about it without spoilers. I’ll try, but you may want to skip this.
It’s not quite a retelling of 1984 from Julia’s point of view, although Julia is the protagonist and narrates the book in first person. the story is far different in many ways, beyond style and focus. We get far less political and social analysis of a totalitarian dictatorship, for one thing, though we get more examples of what I call O’Brien’s Maxim: you exert power over others by making them suffer. There are three very horrific scenes on that score.
We also get an inside look at the Inner Party, which I should say nothing more about.
That’s about it. more would require spoilers.
I did find the narrative too descriptive, and some bits too repetitive. the structure can be a bit confusing, too, as the narrative does not quite proceed in a straight chronological line. the main story itself does, but there are frequent flashbacks, giving the backstory slowly and in pieces that do not advance chronologically.
Over at Political Wire I see Tim Scott is setting up for a prez run. At first blush that seems Quixotic, but I imagine his real goal is the veep slot. I can see the bumper sticker now, “TRUMP/TOKEN 2024”. Same slot Haley’s running for.
Marjorie Taylor Greene is an attention whore.
If things hold, we should have a short week with relatively light work. We get to leave at midday on Thursday, and the day off on Friday.
Assuming no surprise work gets in the way of the long weekend, I may just make tomato soup and white rice. I love it, but it’s so much work, that I need to really be well-rested before tackling it.
@Mister Bluster:
I hate to say it, but in an attention economy, that works. It may not get anything done, but it got her reelected.
@gVOR08:
I’m waiting for it to get her sued for libel and/or defamation.
Interesting piece over at TheHill about the Republican difficulties with Gen Z. TL:DR summary: Republican leadership, even the youngest of them, continue their decades long view of their problem with blacks/hispanic/women/etc/etc/etc: “We don’t need to listen to them since they have nothing to teach us. Instead we must be more respectful and earnest when we are explaining to them why they are wrong.”
@Mister Bluster:
And so is Donald Trump, which might mean she has no shot at being his VP pick. Trump doesn’t want loudmouthed competition; he wants someone quiet and subservient who’ll do his bidding.
@gVOR08:
In 2016 Jeb spent millions in ads attacking fellow Floridian Rubio. I suspect we’re going to see something similar between the two South Carolinians–possibly even more so given the central importance of their state’s primary. Granted, the situation isn’t quite the same: My sense is that Jeb didn’t take Trump seriously until it was too late, so he thought he could safely ignore him and focus on knocking out his “real” rival. That said, if Haley and Scott are both auditioning for Trump veep, each has incentives for trying to destroy the other. And this time, one of them hasn’t even been in office in years, so it’s not like the two have to work together anytime soon.
@gVOR08:
The #1 reason she got reelected is because her district is overwhelmingly Republican. They’d reelect moldy bread if it had an R after its name. That’s why the strategy hasn’t worked out quite as smoothly for her twin, Lauren Boebert.
@gVOR08:..that works…
Tell me something I don’t know.
Trump has demoted Joe Tacopina and replaced him with Todd Blanche, who formerly represented Paul Manafort.
Next day reply to @DrDaveT
I’m pretty sure I first heard it in that movie, or at least first noticed it.
The scene is extremely effective, considering the audience is seeing things it knows and has seen many times. perhaps it’s the juxtaposition of the nature film and orchestral music, with Sol’s slow death and the violence and squalor that permeates the rest of the movie.
It comes before the big reveal of what Soylent Green is.
@CSK: Trump fall guy of the week.
@Kylopod:
I wonder if Trump fired him by tweet.
@Kylopod: Trump/TrumpJr, because there is no stupider possible ticket.
It gives him a VP that he can control, and sets up a dynasty — the kid taking over the family business. He likes nepotism, why not go for it? Everyone who wasn’t related to him in his last administration eventually turned on him.
@Gustopher:
I don’t know if that would work. Trump is so openly contemptuous of Junior that Junior would be even more of a laughingstock than he already is.
Forget Eric and Tiffany; they’re not even on Trump’s radar. Ivanka has bailed on him in a futile effort to regain the toehold she had in Manhattan money circles.
According to ABC, Trump does NOT want cameras in the courtroom for fear it will turn into a circus. Since when does he NOT want a circus?
All I can figure is that he doesn’t want cameras in the courtroom because he won’t be able to lie about the proceedings afterward.
@CSK:
I’d put in cameras because Benito doesn’t want any.
And because this is a historic, unprecedented event. It should be documented as fully as current technology and the law allow. So cameras, recorders, reporters, members of the public, etc. should be present.
@MarkedMan: You, accurately, parody GOPs as saying
Everything will be fine as long as they know their place. /s
@CSK:
Whatever the established NY procedure is for cameras should be followed. Allowing a trump exception will only feed the circus.
@Kathy: I’d have been happy with spoilers about the inner party given that I’m not likely to read the novel and that Orwell’s inner party was murky because we all understood Stalin (or at least believed we did) back in the day, so he didn’t need to elaborate.
@Kathy:
Well, Trump is planning to hold a press conference at Maga-Lardo tomorrow at 8:15 pm., so if the judge gags him AND grants press access to the arraignment, then it’s going to be a really bad day for Donnie.
@Mister Bluster: I was going to say the same thing about your comment about MTG.
@CSK:
I have wondered ever since Trump’s odd digression into a question of cutting off kids from the will who are bad that it was about Ivanka and Jared. I suspect they have refused to let him wet his beak in the Saudi money.
@CSK: Did Blanche get Manafort off or something? Or is this about Tacopina asking to get paid?
@Just nutha ignint cracker:
Well,
MINOR SPOILER ALERT.
At the Mob museum in Vegas (well worth the visit, BTW), you get to see some of the depravity and cruelty we all know criminal gangs engage in. One of the last exhibits consists of family photos of several high-ranking, wealthy mobsters.
I found those photographs disturbing because they are so ordinary. Were they not captioned, and were several gangsters and bosses not identified, they could be any rich family in any country. Graduation photos, dinner parties, vacations, family portraits, wedding, etc.
The descriptions of Inner Party life reminded me of those photos.
@dazedandconfused:
That could be. All the more for Barron when the will’s probated.
@Just nutha ignint cracker:
I don’t know. It just happened this morning.
@CSK: Trump/Kushner? He did broker the amazing ME peace deal that Trump’s administration accomplished. And I would assert that he’s even stupider than Junior as well. It may well be the dream ticket everyone’s been waiting for. Lots of people are saying just that, in fact.
Polls show Americans support the Trump indictment, rejecting the establishment media’s right wing narrative and weaksauce hangwringing about prosecutorial overreach.
A new SSRS/CNN poll showed 60% of Americans approve of the indictment vs only 38% who disapprove. Approval includes 62% of independents, 62% of women, 58% of men, 82% of blacks, 71% of Hispanics, 51% of whites, and majorities of every age group.
A new ABC/Ipsos poll showed 45% agree with the indictment vs only 32% who disagree, again with more independents siding against Trump.
Polling also shows more Americans than not think politics played a role in the indictment, and the support level shows that is moot. Politics plays a role in everything. So what?
MAGA and its media enablers said the indictment would rally voters to Trump’s side. They were wrong, just like they were wrong about the Red Wave. The establishment continues to be out-of-touch with the American people.
@dazedandconfused: I didn’t know about that. I’ll have to reassess my prediction despite what absolutely everyone who matters is saying.
@Just nutha ignint cracker:
What leads me to suspect this is ruthlessness is a key feature of Trumpism. A brand of ruthlessness that can easily encompass screwing dear old dad if there was profit in doing so.
@Just nutha ignint cracker: Trump was reported to have privately referred to his son-in-law as “Woke Jared.”
@Sleeping Dog:
The established procedure in NY is NOT to allow cameras in the courtroom. But since Trump has already attacked the judge, the judge may be disinclined to follow precedent.
@Just nutha ignint cracker:
I think Kushner has, like Ivanka, washed his hands of Trump.
CNN is reporting that there are more than 30 charges in the indictment. https://www.cnn.com/2023/04/03/politics/what-to-know-trump-arraignment/index.html
If that is true, things get much more interesting as its unlikely that all 30 are related to campaign issues alone.
@mattbernius:
Unless it’s a single crime, committed multiple times with multiple documents.
According to what I’ve seen on the news of Trump arriving in NY, Melania did not accompany him.
@Mu Yixiao: Granddaughter’s day.
@CSK: Every accusation is a confession.
Better Call Saul!
I gotta’ go!
Bob Odenkirk is in town today. Maybe he can get me a get out of jail free card!
@CSK: I’m more inclined to think that Jared, true to his vulture capital upbringing, aligns wherever the money is on a day-to-day basis. Same with Ivanka. She may have “rinsed” her hands of daddy, though.
And just as with Lady MacBeth, the blood won’t come off.
@Just nutha ignint cracker: ” Trump/Kushner?”
It would be fun to have a veep who’s chased out of office on corruption charges faster than Agnew…
@OzarkHillbilly:
I don’t think it is blood that Benito leaves in his wake.
Or, rather, not just blood.
There is some crazy shit going on in Tennessee’s House tonight. Apparently three Democratic members of the House acknowledged the massive student anti-gun protest at the Tennessee Capitol this weekend, and in response, the Republican Speaker has introduced resolutions to expel them. The Speaker made the utterly idiotic claim that the protest was worse than January 6.
https://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/citing-jan-6th-speaker-wants-to-expel-members-who-joined-school-shooting-protest
Link to a local reporter’s tweet with links to the motions to expel:
https://twitter.com/ChrisDavisMMJ/status/1643021525904248833?s=20
The below is not satire. He actually said this.
How Trump Is Negotiating the Details of His Indictment to Maximize the Drama
I would hope New York law enforcement will ensure Trump has as little success as possible in making a spectacle of tomorrow’s events. And I REALLY hope the judge issues a gag order forbidding Trump from talking about any of it, and backs it with a credible threat of actual jail time.
I am not optimistic either hope will actually come true, but what’s life without hope?
@Mikey:..what’s life without hope?
George Carlin: The public sucks. Fuck hope.
Mister Bluster: As long as Hope is the waitress at Denny’s.
Judge won’t let news cameras broadcast Trump’s full court appearance.
CNN
@Mister Bluster: Totally looking forward to the gag order. With an actual gag. 😛 😛
@Mister Bluster:
Bummer.
I wonder if anyone is taking bets on covert cellphone video making it through anyway.