For those concerned about John Gruber and the Affordable Care Act, Scott Galupo at AmCon observes that the full text of his comments show that Gruber was describing a counterfactual to the Halbig scenario. If a guy says ‘my crazy neighbor thinks I stole her TV’, you do not get to leave out the first part and call it a confession. It’s the usual James O’Keefe scam, part eleven million.
It seems worth noting that Galupo’s short bit represents the best and most authoritative answer to the Gruber business that I have seen. Maybe I should read more (or watch the damn video myself) but it seems weirdly common to look there for the clearest, most convincing and snark-free take on whatever topic*. I still think it is perhaps impossible to put a more authoritative lid on the life and work of Charles Murray than Ron Unz did in 2012. Not bad for a magazine ostensibly dedicated to the destruction of everything that a hippie like me holds dear.
(*) With plenty of exceptions of course including but not limited to the question of Pat Buchanan, whose discordant tone continues to remind me of Gilbert Gottfried at the Algonquin Round Table reading select passages from Fifty Shades of Gray.
Baud
Giving Dems control of the House makes this issue go away forever. Just saying.
HinTN
Good God, man. elliptical pontificatin’ wears me out. And good on you for havin’ the gumption to go after it.
HinTN
@Baud: Yes, we all can dream.
dmsilev
Lest you think Tim F. is joking, youtube.com/watch?v=5K1RcKJVbHA
Kropadope
@Baud: More easily done than said.
Baud
@HinTN:
Yeah, but we should never forget the lesson of 2010.
Omnes Omnibus (the first of his name)
@HinTN: Why is it a dream not a possibility?
gbear
Good excuse to post a Richard Thompson video. He released a new CD this week that’s getting great reviews. I love his version of this song.
Baud
@Omnes Omnibus (the first of his name):
It’ll be a heavy lift, but I choose to be hopeful.
Tommy
Totally off topic, but just watched the 3+ minute new trailer for the Walking Dead. Wow. Wow. Wow. Epic.
huffingtonpost.com/2014/07/25/walking-dead-season-5-trailer_n_5622006.html?utm_hp_ref=tv&ir=TV
trollhattan
@gbear:
Oh boy, did not know about this. What a banner week–new Richard Thompson and Jenny Lewis. Yay!
Tommy
@Baud: I am hopeful as well. But over at Daily Kos they break down a lot of district races and I just don’t see how we win back the House until we have another Census and we redistrict. I know we all know this here, but some of these districts are drawn in a manner I am not sure we can ever win them.
Omnes Omnibus (the first of his name)
@Baud: As do I.
Baud
@Tommy:
We’ll need to boost turnout and will need crossover votes from disaffected Republicans. Like I said, heavy lift.
schrodinger's cat
@Omnes Omnibus (the first of his name): Count me among the cautiously hopeful, as well. I think the Republicans are going to self immolate over the immigration issue. We can already see that happening.
ETA: Besides, indulging in a constant pity party is draining.
Omnes Omnibus (the first of his name)
@Tommy: We don’t have to win every district. We need to flip a bunch gerrymandered districts where the GOP has thin majorities. Gerrymandering is a two edged sword. It can get you a lot of wins, but that is at the expense of having very thin majorities in those wins.
@schrodinger’s cat:
You may have noticed that I have been banging that drum for a while now.
Tommy
@Baud: It is heavy lifting but I think possible. I often note my parents are life long moderate Republicans. My mom voted for Obama twice. Only time in her 70 years on this planet voting for a Democratic.
Fox Noise and even MSNBC seem to want to think my parents are unique. I really find that hard to believe. I have to think there are a lot more people out there like my parents. We need their votes!
Baud
@schrodinger’s cat:
That stuff pisses me off as much as firebaggery does.
Litlebritdifrnt
All I can say is wow when I revisited the thread when I told you about my husband cutting down my maple tree, talk about dissecting my marriage. If my husband had wanted to hurt me in the way that you all discussed he wanted to he would have deliberately run over one of the cats or “accidentally” chain sawed one of the dogs to death, he certainly wouldn’t have cut down a tree.
As it is I heard from Dr. Tom (the Ag. Agent) and he tells me that more than likely the tree will regrow from the stump, but just in case I got some hormone rooting powder today so that I can attempt to grow some cuttings from the cut down branches. I do not know if it will work but it is worth a try.
Seriously guys, some of you made my husband out to be a monster, when in reality he is the sweetest, most loving husband on the planet, who would move heaven and earth for me. The fact that he doesn’t know the difference between a weed and a plant is not his fault, when we were doing the same type of thing in the back yard, I did the spray paint thing, I spray painted the trees that were absolutely not to be cut down. He stuck to that plan. In hindsight I should have done the same in the front yard, I should have got the spray paint can and marked the trees that were not to be touched.
I absolutely hate that you guys think that my husband is a vindictive son of a bitch who would cut down a tree to somehow punish me.
Kropadope
@Litlebritdifrnt: Internet commenters can be a little overwrought. /understatement
Villago Delenda Est
@Kropadope: I am deeply offended by your remark, sir.
My seconds will contact your seconds so that I might venture to obtain satisfaction on the field of honor for your remark.
Tommy
@Litlebritdifrnt: I didn’t see that thread, but it would seem a strange way to hurt somebody. I mean I love my trees, planted many of them myself. Love them. But if you wanted to hurt me there are many other things you could do that would be far more painful.
Kropadope
@Villago Delenda Est: At least you throw down in style.
Litlebritdifrnt
PS. I am getting an auto play video on the site that tells me how I can get a hairstyle that looks like I have dyed my hair blond and let my roots grow out for a couple of months. Apparently the style is known as Sombre, I would like to congratulate the person who came up with a name for “too fucking lazy to go back to the salon to get my roots done” that is one hell of a feat.
WaterGirl
@Baud: It’s like they used to say in the lottery advertisements in Illinois.:
You can’t win if you don’t play.
We surely cannot win the midterms if we have all decided we can’t win. Makes me CRAZY.
Omnes Omnibus (the first of his name)
@Litlebritdifrnt:
I thought it was called the Courtney Love.
WaterGirl
@Omnes Omnibus (the first of his name): Anyone who thinks they can accurately predict what’s gonna happen in the midterms – based on anything historical – is an idiot. It will be what we make it be based on voter turnout.
Amir Khalid
@dmsilev:
OMG, I want that audiobook! It’s probably the only way I could take in an author who wants to be Stephenie Meyer when she grows up.
Omnes Omnibus (the first of his name)
@WaterGirl: Remember how Walker was supposedly bulletproof in WI? Now he is tied with someone most of the state is just getting to know. I don’t know what will happen, but I don’t really feel like giving up in July.
WaterGirl
@Litlebritdifrnt: That’s so great that there’s a really good chance the tree will grow back!
Since it already has the root system of a grown-up tree, is it fair to assume that it will grow up to be a big tree a lot faster than if you planted a new little tree?
Mnemosyne
This line from the link cracked me up:
Roger Moore
@Litlebritdifrnt:
I agree with the poster who suggested that you were having trouble translating your husband’s statements from mannish. When a man calls you up in the middle of a meeting to ask if it’s OK to cut down a tree, this is subtle masculine code for admitting that he’s cut it down already and wants to know how much trouble he’s in. I would have thought that 2+ decades of marriage would have given you a better understanding of what men are really saying.
WaterGirl
@Omnes Omnibus (the first of his name): Nor do I. We’ve got to give the midterms our all.
edit: Maybe one of our secret weapons is the arrogance of all these smug republicans.
Roger Moore
@WaterGirl:
Along with surprise, fear, torture, an almost fanatical devotion to the Pope, and neat red uniforms?
Omnes Omnibus (the first of his name)
@Roger Moore: I do love Cardinal Biggles.
a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q)
@gbear: Isn’t that a hoot? There’s also an interview clip where he notes, chuckling, that Britney Spears never contacted him. There’s always a good excuse to post an RT video. From 2012, playing in The Mother Church.
WaterGirl
@Roger Moore: I feel like an idiot, but I don’t really get your reference.
Mnemosyne
@WaterGirl:
You probably know, but forgot. Here it is.
WaterGirl
@Roger Moore: Of course, duh!
Thanks, Mnemosyne.
Mnemosyne
@WaterGirl:
The best part is when Michael Palin starts cracking himself up after he knocks the hat askew on his head.
ETA: I work with someone who is my age (1 year younger) who has NEVER HEARD of “Calvin and Hobbes.” Seriously. And she did not grow up in a cave or a commune as far as I know.
MattR
@Roger Moore:
I don’t think there was any debate about this particular issue on that thread. The matter of contention was whether the husband had intentionally cut down a tree that he knew his wife wanted preserved. There were a whole lot of people who were sure they understood his real motivations and what it said about his respect for her and their marriage.
trollhattan
@Litlebritdifrnt:
Yeah, watched that particular brushfire take off and saw it would take a DC10 to extinguish. Just a couple folks with road flares can do a lot.
Don’t give it a further thought (but do feel free to take one free kick at hubby’s, uh, knee for being so very thick).
Another Holocene Human (now with new computer)
@Litlebritdifrnt: I know people who get a “style” like that naturally b/c they’re of Italian descent and their hair bleaches blond in the summer due to the sun and then when that New England fall hits the dark roots come in. Can be quite dramatic.
Another Holocene Human (now with new computer)
@MattR: I was skimming that thread and misunderstood all along, though that the utility crew had killed the tree due to miscommunication with the homeowners. Certainly puts another spin on it! The judgy stuff made sense if you were dealing with the city, county, or utility company tree crews. (IMO they’re all idiots anyway.)
Another Holocene Human (now with new computer)
@WaterGirl:
Yesterday’s perfectly punchable face caught on video would sure underline that notion.
Florida Republicans are almost like a meme. [Insert cute animal pic here.] Wins supermajority by exploiting Dem Party’s weaknesses. … Doesn’t know how to hold a coalition together.