Interesting that the reason Pence gives for not endorsing Trump has nothing to do with Jan 6.
His assessment that Trump’s agenda is contrary to the conservative principles they worked on in 2016-2020 just might give some pause to voters who say that they really liked Trump’s prior policies.
The media seems to be ignoring the reason for his refusal to endorse.
It’s hard not to be disgruntled with the US justice system right now. We’ve had a very quick hearing and resolution in the Fanni Willis hearing – about the prosecutor and her proclivities for sexytime – not the defendant who tried to overthrow an election, adjudicated. SCOTUS delays the trial in DC for what, 6 to 9 months on a ridiculous immunity claim. Eileen Cannon continues her fuckery in the documents case. Then there’s the last minute document dump in the NY hush money case, delaying that trail. We have the blatant political fuckery by Hur in the Biden documents case. I mean, when all the evidence suggests rank obstruction in the pursuit of justice in favor of possibly the worst human who’s ever lived, it makes you really wonder what is happening here. It really seems like there is serious legal adjudication issue with the judges and judicial expediency with this very serious issue of an obviously criminal former president being held to account in the courts of law in this country. So frustrating, so disgusting.
With that, I’m off politics for the day. I may just get drunk today, St. Paddy’s and all. It happens. I am an O’Conner after all.
@clarkontheweekend: This is just a time honored tradition of conservative political actors getting molly coddled by the judicial and political system going all the way back to 1846.
The lead of any story about the decision in Trump v. Anderson should be that the Court has unanimously ruled that an insurrectionist who attempted to overthrow a presidential election will remain on the presidential ballot. As far as it goes, that statement is accurate. But the brazenness with which the majority exercised its power to reach a decision in flagrant contradiction of the Constitution’s plain meaning has deeper significance. It offers final proof, if any more were needed, that textualism and originalism, the doctrines on which conservatives have long based their judicial philosophy, are nothing but instruments of right-wing activism to produce prearranged outcomes.
(Paywalled, so I can only read, and link, the first few paragraphs.)
I’ve assumed since it was issued that the Supremes would overturn CO on barring Trump from the ballot, so I was surprised at how pissed I was when they did it. Part of it is what I see conservatives complaining about. The GOP Supremes are Pharisees, they’ve loudly proclaimed themselves the most faithful of all the faithful to originalism and textualism. Then, in the event, they go all squishy and apply a consequentialist standard. Not just a consequentialist standard, but that the chaos of different rules state-by-state is unacceptable. Right after having imposed exactly that chaos on abortion in Dobbs. (You know, Roberts, there’s an easy solution to that chaos thing. Look at the plain text and rule Trump ineligible nationwide.) I’m pissed they won’t play by their own rules. I’m pissed at the offhand, “’cause we said so”, attitude. I’m pissed at the “liberal” justices for not doing anything effective about it. I’m pissed that after years of taking advantage of congressional inaction to arrogate power to themselves instead of leaving open the possibility of a national suit to bar Trump they foreclosed that by handing the ball to congress, pretending there’s a prayer in hell congress would do anything. But mostly I’m pissed that the Constitution says officials who broke an oath by supporting insurrection cannot again hold office, and, as Wilentz says, the Federalist Society said, “Yes they can.”
Yes, the U. S. “justice” system is proving itself not just inadequate to the situation, but an accessory. I’m reminded of how lightly Hitler was handled by German courts after the failed Beer Hall putsch, how pre-war Japanese courts handled RW army officers who assassinated political figures, and Rachel Maddow’s recent book, Prequel on how the U. S. failed to deal with wannabe RW insurrectionists, some paid by the German Nazi government. There is a huge RW bias in the system.
Former UK prime minister Liz Truss’s recent attempt to ban transgender women from female spaces ran out of time and will now not be debated after MPs joined forces to “talk it out” for five hours, including discussing ferret name choices.
I’ve tried to remain blissfully ignorant of Kategate, but a regular reader of Kevin Drum, famed inventor of Friday cat blogging, showed the proper way to photoshop a family picture. B. Kliban would approve.
@CSK: Because Princess Kate is lying dead, devoured by corgis, and the palace staff is running around frantically to all the shelters trying to find another princess they can pass off as Kate.
Meanwhile, everyone is being told that she has gone to a farm in the country, where there are big fields for her to run along, and sheep for her to herd. And they ain’t buying it.
Hmmm. I have read that Prince Andrew and Sarah F. took custody of the corgis upon QEII’s death. Did they set them on Kate as an act of vengeance for Andrew getting the heave-ho from the royal circle?
If there is one thing sure to get my blood up, it’s truncating quotes to eliminate context or caveats. I get pissed when anyone does it. Here is Wilentz later in the piece:
In good old originalist style, the majority drives the point home by plucking out a quotation from Senator Lyman Trumbull, who in 1869 told his colleagues that, because the Constitution “provides no means for enforcing” the disqualification of candidates, it was being widely violated in the South. It was necessary, then, to pass a “bill to give effect to the fundamental law embraced in the Constitution.”
[. . .]
As for the Trumbull quotation, as the liberals note, the majority omits his further remark that the Fourteenth Amendment can disqualify an insurrectionist on its own and that no additional legislation is needed to do so, only legislation to provide “a more efficient and speedy remedy” for carrying out the disqualification. The entire constitutional and political history of the Reconstruction Amendments, including all five sections of the Fourteenth Amendment, makes clear that they came into effect immediately upon ratification. In legal jargon, they were “self-executing.”
I would have preferred Wilentz (or his editors) provide the full quote about self-execution. But having SC Justices pull this crap is, and I don’t think I’ve used this phrase unironically in my life, a mortal sin for an intellectual.
Kyle Rittenhouse is promoting a body armor, magazine pouch, trauma pad, and hydration pouch kit allegedly designed by him and manufactured by an Arizona company called Armored Republic.
@Just nutha ignint cracker: I’m actually hoping that Kate is at a meditation retreat, is avoiding all media, and will return and discover that her staff has followed her “I am not to be disturbed under any circumstances” to the letter.
I know someone who went on a monthlong retreat in March 2020, with no newspapers, or news, electricity, or anything. Groceries were dropped off, and the group made their own food, etc., and the whole thing is a great way to unplug and relax.
There was emergency contact, if needed, but there was nothing deemed to be an emergency.
They were surprised by the pandemic at the end of the month. They’ve always said it was like entering an alternate universe rather than coming back.
I like to tell people my testicles went to live on a farm upstate. When I tell that joke in person I try to keep my face sincere but blank and make my eyes as crazy as possible. Watching the mental gymnastics people go through experiencing that is delightful.
In other news, estoy alive! That party last night was phenomenal. I thought Ms. Landry was going to start a little slow and then work her way up. I was wrong. She started hard and went harder as the night went on. The whole place was going absolutely nuts the whole time. I checked out at 4:30 am.
I spent a little bit of time in Brooklyn today and LOVED it. I had to leave after buying a sequin jumpsuit, an awesome butterfly hair clip and a pair of dice earrings. Now I’m stuck at LaGuardia while United keeps delaying my flight. At this point I’m going to have to do my makeup in the plane lav cause I’ll be late for the next rave.
I like to tell people my testicles went to live on a farm upstate. When I tell that joke in person I try to keep my face sincere but blank and make my eyes as crazy as possible. Watching the mental gymnastics people go through experiencing that is delightful.
In other news, estoy alive! That party last night was phenomenal. I thought Ms. Landry was going to start a little slow and then work her way up. I was wrong. She started hard and went harder as the night went on. The whole place was going absolutely nuts the whole time. I checked out at 4:30 am.
I spent a little bit of time in Brooklyn today and LOVED it. I had to leave after buying a sequin jumpsuit, an awesome butterfly hair clip and a pair of dice earrings. Now I’m stuck at LaGuardia while United keeps delaying my flight. At this point I’m going to have to do my makeup in the plane lav cause I’ll be late for the next rave.
@Gustopher: My experience as often as I can arrange it, long backpacking trips. GPS sends location & preselected message ‘I’m here & I’m fine’ to a few people. That’s my total experience with news for, say, 5 days at a time. Unbelievably relaxing.
If someone with no previous experience and perhaps a bit beyond the normal age for such things was curious about rave culture, what would be your suggestion for how to explore that sort of thing?
lol, I started way beyond the normal age. I was in my 40s when I started. Honestly, my suggestion would be to figure out wat broad genre you like (house/techno/drum&bass/ect), pick an event and just go.
The first rave I went to was Carl Cox. He’s primarily a techno DJ who’s been doing it for 40 years. He’s a master. I went and had zero idea what was going on, I just knew I loved it. Once I got serious about it now I have a pretty good idea of what’s going on.
Another way would be to download SoundCloud and find dj’s you like in there and start listening to their sets to get a feel for what you like and then go when one of them has a show in your neighborhood. Apple Music has decent DJ sets too.
lol, the problem is, once you embrace the culture, shit gets weird because the culture will embrace you in ways you wouldn’t find in other cultures. It’s extremely welcoming. I found a tribe that is so happy I’m part of it. It’s wonderful. It doesn’t matter that I’m in my 40s. There’s another guy who is slightly older than me and it’s like we’re just a couple of grey haired 20 year olds.
I’m super bummed because my flight has been delayed 3 times and I’m gonna be late for the function tonight.
On St Patricks Day, Ireland win the Six Nations.
Scotland made them work for it though.
17-13
Wonderful game.
The Scottish defensive game was very good. Meanwhile, in Lyon, France beat England, but it was close, 33-31, and even pessimistic me thought England might do it.
Another great match.
Lord, but I do love rugby!
Trump says some undocumented immigrants are ‘not people’
“I don’t know if you call them people,” he said at a rally near Dayton, Ohio. “In some cases they’re not people, in my opinion. But I’m not allowed to say that because the radical left says that’s a terrible thing to say.”
Washington Post
Interesting that the reason Pence gives for not endorsing Trump has nothing to do with Jan 6.
His assessment that Trump’s agenda is contrary to the conservative principles they worked on in 2016-2020 just might give some pause to voters who say that they really liked Trump’s prior policies.
The media seems to be ignoring the reason for his refusal to endorse.
It’s hard not to be disgruntled with the US justice system right now. We’ve had a very quick hearing and resolution in the Fanni Willis hearing – about the prosecutor and her proclivities for sexytime – not the defendant who tried to overthrow an election, adjudicated. SCOTUS delays the trial in DC for what, 6 to 9 months on a ridiculous immunity claim. Eileen Cannon continues her fuckery in the documents case. Then there’s the last minute document dump in the NY hush money case, delaying that trail. We have the blatant political fuckery by Hur in the Biden documents case. I mean, when all the evidence suggests rank obstruction in the pursuit of justice in favor of possibly the worst human who’s ever lived, it makes you really wonder what is happening here. It really seems like there is serious legal adjudication issue with the judges and judicial expediency with this very serious issue of an obviously criminal former president being held to account in the courts of law in this country. So frustrating, so disgusting.
With that, I’m off politics for the day. I may just get drunk today, St. Paddy’s and all. It happens. I am an O’Conner after all.
@clarkontheweekend: This is just a time honored tradition of conservative political actors getting molly coddled by the judicial and political system going all the way back to 1846.
@clarkontheweekend: Allow me to add, from NY Review of Books, historian Sean Wilentz
(Paywalled, so I can only read, and link, the first few paragraphs.)
I’ve assumed since it was issued that the Supremes would overturn CO on barring Trump from the ballot, so I was surprised at how pissed I was when they did it. Part of it is what I see conservatives complaining about. The GOP Supremes are Pharisees, they’ve loudly proclaimed themselves the most faithful of all the faithful to originalism and textualism. Then, in the event, they go all squishy and apply a consequentialist standard. Not just a consequentialist standard, but that the chaos of different rules state-by-state is unacceptable. Right after having imposed exactly that chaos on abortion in Dobbs. (You know, Roberts, there’s an easy solution to that chaos thing. Look at the plain text and rule Trump ineligible nationwide.) I’m pissed they won’t play by their own rules. I’m pissed at the offhand, “’cause we said so”, attitude. I’m pissed at the “liberal” justices for not doing anything effective about it. I’m pissed that after years of taking advantage of congressional inaction to arrogate power to themselves instead of leaving open the possibility of a national suit to bar Trump they foreclosed that by handing the ball to congress, pretending there’s a prayer in hell congress would do anything. But mostly I’m pissed that the Constitution says officials who broke an oath by supporting insurrection cannot again hold office, and, as Wilentz says, the Federalist Society said, “Yes they can.”
Yes, the U. S. “justice” system is proving itself not just inadequate to the situation, but an accessory. I’m reminded of how lightly Hitler was handled by German courts after the failed Beer Hall putsch, how pre-war Japanese courts handled RW army officers who assassinated political figures, and Rachel Maddow’s recent book, Prequel on how the U. S. failed to deal with wannabe RW insurrectionists, some paid by the German Nazi government. There is a huge RW bias in the system.
Liz Truss’s bid to ban trans women from sports runs out of time after MPs discuss ferrets instead
I’ve tried to remain blissfully ignorant of Kategate, but a regular reader of Kevin Drum, famed inventor of Friday cat blogging, showed the proper way to photoshop a family picture. B. Kliban would approve.
@gVOR10:
It escapes me why this photo business has become “a major scandal,” as I’ve heard it described.
@CSK: Because Princess Kate is lying dead, devoured by corgis, and the palace staff is running around frantically to all the shelters trying to find another princess they can pass off as Kate.
Meanwhile, everyone is being told that she has gone to a farm in the country, where there are big fields for her to run along, and sheep for her to herd. And they ain’t buying it.
J. D. Vance is Trumpier than Trump:
http://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2024/03/15/mr-maga-goes-to-washington-00147054
@Gustopher:
Hmmm. I have read that Prince Andrew and Sarah F. took custody of the corgis upon QEII’s death. Did they set them on Kate as an act of vengeance for Andrew getting the heave-ho from the royal circle?
@CSK: I heard Carole Baskin fed Catherine to the Corgis. So.
Sounds legit.
@DK:
Isn’t Baskin busy being sued for defamation?
@gVOR10:
If there is one thing sure to get my blood up, it’s truncating quotes to eliminate context or caveats. I get pissed when anyone does it. Here is Wilentz later in the piece:
I would have preferred Wilentz (or his editors) provide the full quote about self-execution. But having SC Justices pull this crap is, and I don’t think I’ve used this phrase unironically in my life, a mortal sin for an intellectual.
Damn them.
Kyle Rittenhouse is promoting a body armor, magazine pouch, trauma pad, and hydration pouch kit allegedly designed by him and manufactured by an Arizona company called Armored Republic.
It’s going for the low, low price of $999.
@DK: Wouldn’t it be more likely that Carole Baskin fed Kate to lions and tigers?
@Just nutha ignint cracker: I’m actually hoping that Kate is at a meditation retreat, is avoiding all media, and will return and discover that her staff has followed her “I am not to be disturbed under any circumstances” to the letter.
I know someone who went on a monthlong retreat in March 2020, with no newspapers, or news, electricity, or anything. Groceries were dropped off, and the group made their own food, etc., and the whole thing is a great way to unplug and relax.
There was emergency contact, if needed, but there was nothing deemed to be an emergency.
They were surprised by the pandemic at the end of the month. They’ve always said it was like entering an alternate universe rather than coming back.
@Gustopher:
I like to tell people my testicles went to live on a farm upstate. When I tell that joke in person I try to keep my face sincere but blank and make my eyes as crazy as possible. Watching the mental gymnastics people go through experiencing that is delightful.
In other news, estoy alive! That party last night was phenomenal. I thought Ms. Landry was going to start a little slow and then work her way up. I was wrong. She started hard and went harder as the night went on. The whole place was going absolutely nuts the whole time. I checked out at 4:30 am.
I spent a little bit of time in Brooklyn today and LOVED it. I had to leave after buying a sequin jumpsuit, an awesome butterfly hair clip and a pair of dice earrings. Now I’m stuck at LaGuardia while United keeps delaying my flight. At this point I’m going to have to do my makeup in the plane lav cause I’ll be late for the next rave.
@Gustopher:
I like to tell people my testicles went to live on a farm upstate. When I tell that joke in person I try to keep my face sincere but blank and make my eyes as crazy as possible. Watching the mental gymnastics people go through experiencing that is delightful.
In other news, estoy alive! That party last night was phenomenal. I thought Ms. Landry was going to start a little slow and then work her way up. I was wrong. She started hard and went harder as the night went on. The whole place was going absolutely nuts the whole time. I checked out at 4:30 am.
I spent a little bit of time in Brooklyn today and LOVED it. I had to leave after buying a sequin jumpsuit, an awesome butterfly hair clip and a pair of dice earrings. Now I’m stuck at LaGuardia while United keeps delaying my flight. At this point I’m going to have to do my makeup in the plane lav cause I’ll be late for the next rave.
@Gustopher: My experience as often as I can arrange it, long backpacking trips. GPS sends location & preselected message ‘I’m here & I’m fine’ to a few people. That’s my total experience with news for, say, 5 days at a time. Unbelievably relaxing.
@Beth:
If someone with no previous experience and perhaps a bit beyond the normal age for such things was curious about rave culture, what would be your suggestion for how to explore that sort of thing?
Keep talking Donald….
Trump Promises There Will Be ‘Bloodbath For The Country’ If He Doesn’t Win Against Biden
@Stormy Dragon:
lol, I started way beyond the normal age. I was in my 40s when I started. Honestly, my suggestion would be to figure out wat broad genre you like (house/techno/drum&bass/ect), pick an event and just go.
The first rave I went to was Carl Cox. He’s primarily a techno DJ who’s been doing it for 40 years. He’s a master. I went and had zero idea what was going on, I just knew I loved it. Once I got serious about it now I have a pretty good idea of what’s going on.
Another way would be to download SoundCloud and find dj’s you like in there and start listening to their sets to get a feel for what you like and then go when one of them has a show in your neighborhood. Apple Music has decent DJ sets too.
lol, the problem is, once you embrace the culture, shit gets weird because the culture will embrace you in ways you wouldn’t find in other cultures. It’s extremely welcoming. I found a tribe that is so happy I’m part of it. It’s wonderful. It doesn’t matter that I’m in my 40s. There’s another guy who is slightly older than me and it’s like we’re just a couple of grey haired 20 year olds.
I’m super bummed because my flight has been delayed 3 times and I’m gonna be late for the function tonight.
@EddieinCA:
He’s gearing up for a Jan. 6 redux this coming November when he loses yet again.
@EddieinCA: You have to remember to take him seriously, not literally.
Many of his supporters don’t bathe, for instance, so bathing in blood is entirely out of the question.
On St Patricks Day, Ireland win the Six Nations.
Scotland made them work for it though.
17-13
Wonderful game.
The Scottish defensive game was very good.
Meanwhile, in Lyon, France beat England, but it was close, 33-31, and even pessimistic me thought England might do it.
Another great match.
Lord, but I do love rugby!
Trump says some undocumented immigrants are ‘not people’
“I don’t know if you call them people,” he said at a rally near Dayton, Ohio. “In some cases they’re not people, in my opinion. But I’m not allowed to say that because the radical left says that’s a terrible thing to say.”
Washington Post