Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

I like you, you’re my kind of trouble.

So it was an October Surprise A Day, like an Advent calendar but for crime.

Conservatism: there are some people the law protects but does not bind and others who the law binds but does not protect.

If you’re pissed about Biden’s speech, he was talking about you.

If you tweet it in all caps, that makes it true!

… riddled with inexplicable and elementary errors of law and fact

Seems like a complicated subject, have you tried yelling at it?

If senate republicans had any shame, they’d die of it.

A lot of Dems talk about what the media tells them to talk about. Not helpful.

Only Democrats have agency, apparently.

Reality always lies in wait for … Democrats.

People are complicated. Love is not.

Happy indictment week to all who celebrate!

They fucked up the fucking up of the fuckup!

Schmidt just says fuck it, opens a tea shop.

Proof that we need a blogger ethics panel.

Hot air and ill-informed banter

“Everybody’s entitled to be an idiot.”

We’ve had enough carrots to last a lifetime. break out the sticks.

Make the republican party small enough to drown in a bathtub.

JFC, are there no editors left at that goddamn rag?

Let’s delete this post and never speak of this again.

Roe isn’t about choice, it’s about freedom.

This has so much WTF written all over it that it is hard to comprehend.

You are here: Home / Economics / C.R.E.A.M. / Tuesday Morning Open Thread: Our “New” Not-Normal

Tuesday Morning Open Thread: Our “New” Not-Normal

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When it comes to apportioning blame for the #TrumpShutDown, let’s not forgot those two stalwart standardbearers. Catherine Rampell, at the Washington Post, paper of record for the company town whose monopoly industry is national politics:

… Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.) are responsible for the completely avoidable three-day federal shutdown that Congress moved to end on Monday. They will likewise be responsible for the catastrophe coming in a few weeks if Congress can’t get its act together to raise the debt ceiling.

McConnell and Ryan, after all, not only lead the majority party. They also control the legislative agenda. They determine which bills come up for a vote and when. And they knew far in advance the drop-dead deadlines for keeping the government funded.

They also knew the Democrats’ conditions for cooperating.

But McConnell and Ryan chose to do nothing. Worse than nothing: They frittered away their precious time and political capital on policy pursuits that were totally irrelevant. Worse than totally irrelevant: actively destructive…

… The only thing McConnell and Ryan felt any urgency to work on was stuff their donors care about. They focused on that, and orchestrated more stopgap budgetary measures in their spare time. Monday’s, in fact, represents the fourth stopgap 2018 funding bill, with this one set to expire on Feb. 8. It does, at least, include a six-year reauthorization of CHIP.

Don’t get me wrong. Trump has not exactly been helpful in brokering a deal on budgets, health care, immigration or other major policy issues. When he has gotten involved, he’s often struggled to remember what’s existing law, what his own positions are and how the legislative process even works.

McConnell and Ryan have no such excuse. Collectively, they have served five decades in Congress. They know Congress’s arcane procedures and obligations and, again, they set the agenda. To date, that agenda has not included a single serious budget deal…

Never let it be forgotten: Trump is the GOP, and the GOP is Trump. For all their wide-eyed protestations of innocence, he’s the (figure)head of their party because he represents everything they want, in its grossest and most obvious form.

Reader Interactions

186Comments

  1. 1.

    satby

    Well, Good morning to everyone! I’m up at the crack of dark because I have a handyman coming to replace my ancient water guzzling toilets today along with what feels like a million things to finish before I leave tomorrow morning.

    I so look forward to pretending I’m Canadian while I’m overseas. Not.

  2. 2.

    ThresherK

    @satby: I can prep you on the Montreal Expos, and Canadian football, as needed.

    –

    That Danziger toon is approaching a.Thomas Nast in appearance and great visualization. Always has been good, but this levels up.

  3. 3.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @satby:

    I detest the last 24 hours before leaving on a trip. So stressful. But once you’re on your way it will be wonderful! Travel safely, have a great time, and don’t forget your jackal playmates!

    P.S. Lots of photos and descriptions for Alain, please.

  4. 4.

    Sab

    If it’s not too late, I’d suggest getting taller toilets (higher seat height.) We are none of getting younger.

  5. 5.

    opiejeanne

    @ThresherK: I had to explain to my kids who Thomas Nast was because that’s not something that was in the history books when they were in school. They loved the story about Boss Tweed being identified in Spain using one of Nast’s cartoons.
    Nast had a lot of flaws, but that is a story that should be told.

  6. 6.

    opiejeanne

    This is what I was yammering about earlier today, an excerpt from WaPo:
    “In their effort to continue dismantling Obamacare, the Republican continuing resolution does not include funding for community clinics and private hospitals that care for large numbers of low-income patients,” Rep. Karen Bass (D-Calif.) told me. The impact of this budgetary slight was made plain by one of her constituents in an email she shared with me.

    Wanted to touch base about CR that doesn’t include health Center funding. St. John’s will lose 10% of our budget ($8.4 million a year). We’ll have to close 6 of our 15 clinics in your district.

    It’s also self defeating to fund CHIP but not health centers since most kids with CHIP receive their care at community health centers. So they may have CHIP but they won’t be able to access services because their Health Center is closed.

    https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-partisan/wp/2018/01/22/republicans-claim-to-be-saving-childrens-health-insurance-theyre-actually-hypocrites/?utm_term=.305d7c1b63b9

  7. 7.

    mai naem mobile

    I wonder if Kelly isn’t trying to get fired. Even subconsciously. Even for a racist asshole, it sounds like a super toxic environment. Also having been a general he’s probably used to having ordera followed. He could be out marching in his KKK rallies while making $5K for ‘consulting services’ phone calls like Reince Priebus. Who needs to put up with Dolt45’s shit?

  10. 10.

    NotMax

    A tsunami alert has been issued after an 7.9-strength earthquake was recorded off the coast of Alaska in the US.
    [snip]
    The US National Weather Service said the alert was in effect for areas including California and the coasts of British Columbia and Alaska.

    Anchorage has issued an extreme warning, saying there is “extraordinary threat to life or property”. Source

  13. 13.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @?BillinGlendaleCA:

    For Kelly, it’s not just babysitting Trump; it’s also dealing with Jarvanka.

    Somewhere (here? Digby?) in the last couple of days, I read a rumor that Ivanka has been tasked with searching for Kelly’s replacement.

    ***
    Changing topics: any news from Ozark? It’s been a long week. I know he doesn’t have internet access on his phone, and I just keep hoping that all is as well as possible with his son.

  15. 15.

    NorthLeft12

    That cartoon is exactly what millions of Americans wanted when they voted for Deadbeat Donald. This is their political wet dream come true.

  16. 16.

    NotMax

    And on the other side of the big blue marble –

    Authorities here will cut the water and electricity supplies within the eight-kilometer danger zone to compel residents not to go back to the area as volcanologists said the threat of a big bang from Mayon Volcano may occur at anytime.

    Ed Laguerta of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said the volcano’s historical data would show that a very loud and destructive explosion is always possible, similar to what happened during its eruption in 1984.
    [snip]
    Since the hazardous eruption that occurred at 12:43 p.m. on Monday and prompted authorities here to hoist Alert Level 4, two more ejections of pyroclastic density current or PDC (composed of ash, gases and lava) were recorded at 4 p.m. and 4:15 p.m.

    The ashes swept towards the towns of Guinobatan, Polangui,Oas and Ligao City and went as far as Iriga City in the nearby province of Camarines Sur.

    This was followed by degassing that shots ashes some 500 meters up from the Mayo summit and five episodes of lava fountaining between 9:37 p.m. on Monday up to 5:25 a.m. the following day. Source

    At least 16 people skiing on the slopes of a volcano in central Japan were injured by flying rocks during a surprise eruption and a subsequent avalanche Tuesday, and one person later died.

    Six skiers, including the man who died, were among 30 Japanese soldiers who were participating in ski training when they were buried by the avalanche about a half hour after the volcanic eruption, fire department and defence officials said.
    [snip]
    The ski area’s gondola was suspended after the eruption and about 80 skiers took refuge at a gondola station at the top of the ski slope, according to Tobe, the fire department official.

    A military helicopter airlifted the first group of eight skiers to safer ground, according to footage shown by NHK public television. The rescued skiers, wearing helmets, were handed a bottle of tea each and escorted into a cabin.

    The slopes were filled with volcanic ash and rocks and rescuers were considering whether using snowmobiles to reach the stranded skiers was safe. Source

  18. 18.

    satby

    @rikyrah: Good morning and thanks! I worry less about what happens in the trip and more about what happens at home while I’m gone ?

    @SiubhanDuinne: I know he said he’d be out of touch, but I hope everything is as good as can be and his son is recovering.

  22. 22.

    NotMax

    Also, a trade temblor.

    US slaps ‘America First’ tariffs on washing machines and solar panels
    [snip]
    …China and South Korea, whose manufacturers will be most heavily affected, criticised the move.
    [snip]
    The first 1.2 million imported large residential washing machines in the first year will have a 20% tariff imposed on them, while there will be a 50% tariff on machines above that number.

    By the third year, these will drop to 16% and 40% respectively.

    Figures suggest that in 2010, 1.6 million washing machines were imported to the US.

    Meanwhile, the tariff increase on imported solar cells and modules in the first year will be 30%, falling to 15% by the fourth year, although 2.5 gigawatts (GW) of imported cells – enough for about 11.5 million panels – will be allowed in tariff-free annually. Source

  26. 26.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @opiejeanne:

    I assume David has seen this, but in case he hasn’t you might want to flag it for him. Maybe he can do a post on it later.

    Gods, I hate these people….

  28. 28.

    NotMax

    @opiejeanne

    Per the same linked article.

    Shares in Whirlpool rose 2.5% on the news, and it immediately announced it would employ 200 more people. Shares in US solar panel manufacturers also went up.

  30. 30.

    gene108

    @NotMax:

    Thank goodness solar panels will be more expensive. They are putting coal miners out of work, and therefore unAmerican, even though they were invented here.

    Making Samsung and LG washing machines accomplishes what exactly? It’s not like the Whirlpool-Maytag washers are all built in America anymore. Plus, if the Korean washers get more expensive, this just gives the big box stores license to jack up prices on domestic washers.

    God, I hate Trump and his supporters.

  31. 31.

    Arm The Homeless

    @NotMax: The Chinese own American solar conglomerates. They’ll make money either way because America abdicated the PV market about the time Reagan was ripping the panels off the White House roof.

    This is another stab at the us renewables markets. You may not be able to bring coal back, but you can hobble a sector that competes with it.

  32. 32.

    gene108

    @Betty Cracker:

    The scale the guy is standing behind is driving me nuts. I know it is to measure height, but why is 69 above 70? I don’t get the purpose of having 70 on the left be below 69.

  37. 37.

    satby

    @NotMax: Whirlpool is headquartered in Benton Harbor, MI. They’ve stayed pretty committed to that city as it’s struggled. There’s also Bosch in ST.Joseph MI, though that’s just a facility, not an HQ.

  42. 42.

    Thoughtful David

    So, the question is, against what will the Chinese retaliate? They’re not stupid; they’ll pick something that hurts us a lot. They will likely pick some US manufacturing sector that’s very weak, so they can kill it off for once and all. (Carrier?)
    You don’t win trade wars. They’re like a toothpaste tube: squeeze one place and they bulge out in another.

  43. 43.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    @Baud: Nope, it was done with the NX500. The problem with phone cameras is that you’d have the same problem I had when I shot the bridge in Pasadena sunset. Obviously as the sun sets, the ambient light goes from lots to very little and the camera has to compensate, so I tried to let the camera meter the light for me. That runs into problems when you have things like cars passing by or street lights coming on, the camera tries to compensate for the increased light and you either end up with flicker(for cars) or the rest of the picture gets really dark(street lights). So you really have to do it manually or have a camera that does “ramping”(automatically increasing the exposure over the time of the shot). A cell phone can’t do that since it relies on auto metering for hyperlapse.

  45. 45.

    Quinerly

    @satby: Have a great day! Happy travels! Looking forward to “hearing” about some of your days in Alain’s “On the Road.”

  46. 46.

    Mustang Bobby

    @satby:

    I so look forward to pretending I’m Canadian while I’m overseas. Not.

    Worked for me in 1971 when I went to Europe. It helped that I was the solo U.S. citizen with a group of 20 Canadians. They adopted me, sewed a Canadian flag on my luggage, taught me to add “eh?” and put the “boat” in “about.” Never did get a taste for poutine, but just try to keep a box of Tim-bits safe when I’m around. Sorry.

  47. 47.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @gene108:

    Pretty sure one is metric and the other is English. They’re not meant to relate to each other numerically, but to provide separate indications of height.

    ETA: Metric on viewer’s left, inches on right.

  48. 48.

    Adria McDowell

    @mai naem mobile: Rumor mill has it that Mrs. Kelly wanted him to quit back in November. He’s a few months late, if true, so maybe there is pressure from the missus to leave anyway.

  51. 51.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    Oh dear, my reply to Baud is in the penalty box because I said a bad word talking about the amount of light. Ok, I’ll remove the bad word:

    Nope, it was done with the NX500. The problem with phone cameras is that you’d have the same problem I had when I shot the bridge in Pasadena sunset. Obviously as the sun sets, the available light goes from lots to very little and the camera has to compensate, so I tried to let the camera meter the light for me. That runs into problems when you have things like cars passing by or street lights coming on, the camera tries to compensate for the increased light and you either end up with flicker(for cars) or the rest of the picture gets really dark(street lights). So you really have to do it manually or have a camera that does “ramping”(automatically increasing the exposure over the time of the shot). A cell phone can’t do that since it relies on auto metering for hyperlapse.

  55. 55.

    JPL

    @gene108: The tariff on parts is up to fifty percent. I own a LG washer and hope that it continues operating.
    They got their tax cuts, what more do they need..

  56. 56.

    Thoughtful David

    @Baud:
    Yes, that too. My point was that this ain’t over, and the US will likely end up in the losing end.

  60. 60.

    Baud

    Jeez, Joe is saying the Dems won yesterday. I give up.

    P.S. I gotta remember to change the channel from Rachel before going to bed.

  62. 62.

    JPL

    Melania will no longer be accompanying the president to Davos. One wonders if she will be traveling to NYC instead. hmmm

  65. 65.

    danielx

    @mai naem mobile:

    He did say at one point that nobody in his career had ever spoken to him as Trump has. Which is quite something, since I would wager that as a Marine officer with decades of experience that he’s been treated to some pretty salty criticism at some point. To do him some justice in his current role, he is the only person who has imposed some slight measure of discipline on the West Wing.

  66. 66.

    NotMax

    @JPL

    Hell, would anyone in the vicinity of being in his or her right mind voluntarily choose to be stuck on a plane with him for 8+ hours?

  67. 67.

    Jeffro

    Rampell’s awesome – probably #1 in terms of columnists that I share, retweet, etc. even more than K-thug

  69. 69.

    Baud

    Drum

    To summarize, then, I have no idea who won. But I do know this: the fact that we’re so obsessed with this is just a bit of fresh evidence that H. sapiens as a species is little more than a modestly souped up version of P. troglodytes. For chimps, knowing precisely who won and who surrendered in every encounter—and therefore who outranks you—is vitally important and has been bred into the species by millions of years of evolution. A few hundred thousands generations later, it still controls human society. The only difference between chimps and humans is that they do it with screeching and feces flinging, while we do it with Twitter and cable news. I think their way is probably more dignified.

  72. 72.

    David ??Merry Christmas?? Koch

    @NotMax: Good thing Alaska isnt part of the United States.

    I mean, they’re surrounded by water. Big water. Ocean water.

  73. 73.

    danielx

    @Baud:

    The only difference between chimps and humans is that they do it with screeching and feces flinging, while we do it with Twitter and cable news.

    Has Drum attended a meeting of the House Freedom Caucus lately?

  74. 74.

    Immanentize

    @danielx: Why would Kelly leave? He has huge power, he gets to enact his own America First vision, and all he had to do is put up with shithead. And who really wants him out? Steve Miller because he is too soft on immigration, maybe. Jarvanka for restricting access? Trump for understanding WTF is going on? But we know not one of those will actually pull the trigger. (See, Sessions, A.G.)

    So the only reason I can imagine Kelly leaving is the one you suggest — he feels disrespected, poor little Johnny Kelly. Fighting to keep his honor clean, my ass.

  76. 76.

    David ??Merry Christmas?? Koch

    @JPL: Word on the street is she’s having an affair with the head of security of Tiffany’s, which is literally located next door to her apartment.

  78. 78.

    Quinerly

    Good piece on Christopher Wray
    ://www.lawfareblog.com/power-and-integrity-fbi-chris-wray-stands-president-and-attorney-general

  80. 80.

    David ??Merry Christmas?? Koch

    Kelly is a high class muscle man for Big Business, for Wall Street and the bankers. In short, he’s a racketeer, a gangster for capitalism.

  82. 82.

    Kay

    In a series of experiments, mostly with Americans, psychologists in Germany found that not only were conservatives more nostalgic — even in a nonpolitical domain — but that nostalgia was the key to their hearts. They endorsed criminal-justice reform, gun control, diversity, and fairness at levels similar to liberals when these issues were presented as a return to the past rather than the present or future. In one example, “participants viewed a genuinely vintage comic strip featuring Superman defending social diversity to a group of schoolchildren” and “were either told that the comic was in its original form and communicated ‘old-fashioned values’ (past condition) or was being modified to reflect ‘modern-day values’ (control condition).” In the control condition, conservatives “strongly rejected the message.” In the past condition, “they equally supported the prodiversity message as liberals,” even though the message itself was the same.

    I just love that there’s a genuinely vintage comic strip where Superman defends social diversity to a group of schoolchildren.

  87. 87.

    gene108

    @SiubhanDuinne:

    But it is 2.54 centimeters to an inch. 69 inches equals 175.26 centimeters or 1.75 meters.

    70 centimeters is 27.56 inches.

    The numbers on the left cannot be metric.

  88. 88.

    JCJ

    @NotMax:
    Oh my goodness! Chickenman! I loved that back in my youth. You caused a long dormant part of my brain to start firing.

    Buck buck buck buuuck!

  89. 89.

    Proudgradofcatladyacademy

    @Sab:
    This.x 1000. Either more squats are in order or I need to advocate for higher toilets here at the rented dollhouse I live in.

  91. 91.

    ThresherK

    @Kay: Great tie-in. We libs have been giving that neat Superman piece a second life for a few years now. Nice to have the Man of Steel on the good side.

  92. 92.

    Matt McIrvin

    @Mustang Bobby: I’ve always made absolutely clear where I’m from… and what I think of US politics. The first time I went abroad was to London in 1986, and I remember it was the first time some of the kids I talked to knew there were Americans who didn’t love Ronald Reagan.

  93. 93.

    Matt McIrvin

    …I also remember somebody (Noel Maurer?) saying the attitude towards Americans in the countries where he’s been seems to be different from what it was during the Bush years: back then, people basically assumed that anyone from the US they met was pro-Bush and they tended to blame them, but these days, nobody assumes that about Trump. The attitude is more pity than resentment.

  95. 95.

    Lapassionara

    @Kay: nostalgia is a heck of a drug.

    Good morning, all. If Ozark checks in, can someone with the power put the info on the front page? I keep thinking I have missed it, since I have to work long stretches of time.

  97. 97.

    David ??Merry Christmas?? Koch

    kkk leaders started stabbing each other over who’s more racist

    That economic anxiety is bad.

  98. 98.

    Kay

    @JPL:

    It’s one of the “race to the bottom” efforts that I think people will notice. They take it for granted that food is safe to eat, but of course it hasn’t always been and doesn’t have to be. I imagine you would eventually end up with two tiers, because higher income people will demand safe food. You’ll have the crap, iffy food at low prices and safe food for those who can afford it.

  99. 99.

    Frankensteinbeck

    @JPL:
    When I heard Trump talking about regulations, I was stunned by the seething hatred in his tone. The man usually just rambles. I can only assume it’s because he resents the restrictions he’s faced as a con man and crooked real estate developer. Whatever the reason, removing all regulations on business is personal and important to him.

  102. 102.

    Kay

    @Frankensteinbeck:

    He’s specifically spoken out against public health inspections, which is not hard to figure out, since he’s regularly cited for poor food handling practices in those awful resorts. “Warm” walk in coolers. Yuck. Very elegant.

  105. 105.

    MJS

    @Kay: Can you imagine eating at one of his establishments? The guy lives on fast food, so there’s no way he’s springing for quality food and ingredients to serve his marks. Hell, he was so jazzed up about a piece of pedestrian chocolate cake he had to mention it when he talked about his feckless, phony bombing of a Syrian airport.

  106. 106.

    Kay

    Women and independents drive advantage for Democrats ahead of the midterm elections

    Oh, yay! “Independents” The people who don’t know how a numerical majority works. They say things like “I just believe he’s ….a strong leader”. They may as well flip a coin. Most overrated group of voters on the face of the planet.

  110. 110.

    gene108

    @MJS:

    Trump is someone, whose taste buds developed and got stuck in the 1950’s. Saw one report he served guests at Mar-a-Lago iceberg lettuce wedge salads, with blue cheese dressing. Literally, just a wedge of iceberg lettuce with dressing.

    Like so much of Trumo’s outlook on life, his taste in what passes for elegant food is stuck in the past.

  112. 112.

    Kay

    @NOW1SOLAR
    14h14 hours ago
    More
    As a solar company, we are devastated to learn Trump has imposed a 30% tariff on solar panels virtually killing the solar industry. Solar employs more people than coal and oil combined. today’s decision will cause the loss of roughly 23,000 American jobs this year.

    I knew it was more than coal because almost anything is “more jobs than coal” but I wouldn’t have guessed oil and coal combined.

  113. 113.

    Jeffro

    @JPL: Oh good. All that E coli prevention and stuff was cuttin’ into their god-given right to make big, fat, juicy, vermin-ridden, disease-spreading profits.

    I keep thinking that on most any issue, if there was a way to make these slime bags live with the consequences of their own policy decisions – take away their health insurance, deport them, have their house flooded due to climate change, have one of their loved ones get shot up at a Vegas concert – it would change their minds toot suite. But no. I mean, Scalise DID get shot by a lunatic, and he’s just as pro-gun as ever.

    Whatever. Let’s just register the hell out of our voters this year and then ride the blue wave right the heck over their smug little faces…

  115. 115.

    Kay

    @Jeffro:

    What it is though is a slow degradation of quality of life. Daily life. You don’t have time to do all this work as a volunteer food safety hawk. You can’t inspect these places or figure out which producers won’t make you sick.

    When Christie wouldn’t accept federal infrastructure funds because Obama was offering them people said it would make longer commute times. That’s a DAILY degradation of peoples’ lives. It’s TIME, their free time. That’s a good argument against conservatism.

    My oldest son is a sort of centrist Democrat but he can get all worked up about how complicated health insurance is. He doesn’t want to understand the health insurance industry. I suppose he COULD, but he has other work to do and he works a lot! He wants it handled. He’s like “just give me the fucking national card and take it out with payroll taxes. Enough with this bullshit”. There’s this whole background mechanism operating that allows people to focus on what they want to focus on, because they aren’t busy home testing their pork chop.

  117. 117.

    Cheryl Rofer

    @Kay: Besides the volume, which is decreasing in the case of coal, both the coal and oil industries have been mechanizing to replace workers. I read something the other day about an oil rig that can “walk” from one site to another, so it doesn’t have to be disassembled and reassembled. Solar panels have to be installed on each house individually, no way to mechanize that.

  123. 123.

    gene108

    @Kay:

    It is deliberate. Get people thinking government cannot regulate food safety, or ease commuter congestion, and people quit pestering government to provide services and therefore force taxes to go up on the rich (who have all the money).

    I mean half the country thinks government cannot provide healthcare to people, despite examples from all over the world that it is possible.

    Modern conservatives want to turn America into a third world oligarchy.

  125. 125.

    gvg

    @Kay: Independents aren’t always the same thing. What I mean is, it changes with the time. When Bush was tanking the Iraq war and the republicans in Congress were having a bunch of corruption scandals, independents increased because it gained some disgusted former republican voters. Democratic registrations increased also and we got most of “those” independents at the polls then. I have never seen any facts about how many of them became regular democratic voters but I would like to. Its a way we gain in the long run.
    Never seen an analysis on where independents came form politically and what happens next plus at different times. IMO the republican party should be bleeding voters more than they are, but I don’t have enough facts.

  127. 127.

    JPL

    @Baud: Trump is so petty, donations probably played a large part in his decision. Of course, MSM will be all over that aspect of it.

  128. 128.

    Patricia Kayden

    @opiejeanne: So that will need to be addressed either before or during the next possible government shutdown over DACA. Republicans have made it clear that they could care less about poor Americans. It’s amazing that they then have the nerve to call themselves the Party of Family Values when they do so little to help poor children. It’s really all about the fetus for them.

  131. 131.

    Patricia Kayden

    @raven: Sorry to hear of Masekela’s passing. When I was a teenager and paid a lot of attention to the anti-Apartheid movement, I was introduced to the wonderful music of South African artists. Still have some of those songs on my playlist.

  132. 132.

    Cheryl Rofer

    This guy says the solar tariffs are only a speed bump.

  133. 133.

    gene108

    @Patricia Kayden:

    It’s really all about the fetus for them.

    Given the effort Republicans put into shutting down family planning clinics, which provide prenatal care, I wouldn’t say it is about the fetus.

  136. 136.

    Matt McIrvin

    @gene108: Their best argument against government services is really “you can’t rely on them because I hate you, and the next time I’m in power I will fuck them up deliberately to hurt you.” And it’s a pretty strong argument.

  141. 141.

    Jeffro

    @Matt McIrvin: Eh…I’m no expert, but I believe things like this usually get overturned. Technicalities usually don’t keep folks from running/voting. Still, whether these folks get kicked off or not, Dems really ought to make hay out of it. “Why do Republicans always, ALWAYS want to take away people’s rights to vote and run for office?”

  144. 144.

    Ceci n est pas mon nym

    @satby: All you have to do is speak a few words of not-English. They can tell you’re an English-speaker by your accent. “So are you English? Canadian? Australian? Ok, I give up, where are you from?”

    I’ve had a lot of exchanges like that.

  145. 145.

    Jeffro

    @Matt McIrvin: Nah, they have to hide the hate…it’s always that government
    – costs more than the ‘free market’ (HALLOWED BE ITS NAME!)
    – works worse than the ‘free market’ (BLESSED ARE WE FOR THE FREE MARKET!)
    – benefits those people, not you

    I think we’d do well to point out (kind of per Kay’s example in #115) that people don’t have time to serve as their own food inspector, that the consequences of NOT inspecting food are too great, and that the cost to the consumer is actually very low – it’s the cost to producer, aggregated, that the producer is bitching about.

    We also do well when we point out how well these very basic government services work in other countries. We might do well to point out that, you know what: in other countries, this isn’t even something that sane people argue about. Even ‘moderate’ Repubs understand this – it’s only the hard Randians who think this is a good idea (which coincidentally always seems to line their pockets).

  146. 146.

    ? ?? Goku (aka The Hope of the Universe) ? ?

    From the FTFNYT, Penn Supreme Court orders a new congressional map drawn by Feb 15.

    WASHINGTON — Pennsylvania’s congressional district map is a partisan gerrymander that “clearly, plainly and palpably” violates the state’s Constitution, the State Supreme Court said on Monday, adding to a string of court decisions striking down political maps that unduly favor one political party.

    The court banned the current map of the state’s 18 House districts from being used in this year’s primary and general elections, and ordered that a new map be submitted to the court by Feb. 15. But the state’s Republican-dominated Legislature, which approved the current map in 2011, has already said it would try to overturn such a decision in federal court. That would set up another legal battle over gerrymanders in a year already filled with them.

    But an appeal to the federal courts would very likely fail, election experts said, because decisions based solely on interpretations of state law — as this one appears to be — are generally beyond the reach of federal judges.

    For the same reason, the state court’s decision has no direct bearing on a string of challenges to partisan gerrymanders that are already moving through the federal court system. Earlier this month, in fact, a divided panel of three federal judges left intact the same Pennsylvania House map that the state court threw out on Monday.

    If the state court ruling stands and the map is redrawn, the consequences could be serious for Republicans, who are already battling national political headwinds in their effort to maintain control of the House in the midterm elections this fall.

    Pennsylvania is a swing state that has backed governors, senators and presidential candidates from both political parties in the last two election cycles. But as the state’s map is now drawn, Republicans control 13 of the state’s 18 House seats. Outside experts say that a nonpartisan district map could move as many as three of those seats over to the Democratic column.

    The Pennsylvania ruling could also add some momentum to a clear movement in lower federal courts toward reining in the most severe partisan gerrymanders. Three-judge federal panels have already invalidated the district maps for the Wisconsin State Assembly and North Carolina’s congressional map, saying they are unconstitutionally tilted toward one party — in both cases, the Republicans. Each panel’s ruling broke new ground.

    The United States Supreme Court has stayed those decisions while it considers the Wisconsin case, and one from Maryland challenging a congressional map drawn by Democrats that eliminated a longtime Republican district.

  147. 147.

    Weaselone

    @Ceci n est pas mon nym:
    This is true. If you make a solid attempt at speaking the local language, the US drops right to the end if not completely off their list of guesses. Sometimes they’ll even toss in another country in Europe for good measure.

  148. 148.

    Matt McIrvin

    @Jeffro: I have literally seen Republicans respond to stories of Republican administrative incompetence with “see, why do you libs always trust the government?” Only we can save you from us! The exit door leads in.

  149. 149.

    Matt McIrvin

    @Weaselone: They know. They’re playing dumb to be polite, because there’s a 5% chance you’re Canadian and Canadians get really pissed off when people assume they’re from the US.

  150. 150.

    Amir Khalid

    @gene108:

    Saw one report he served guests at Mar-a-Lago iceberg lettuce wedge salads, with blue cheese dressing. Literally, just a wedge of iceberg lettuce with dressing.

    That was never elegant food, even in the past.

  155. 155.

    Quinerly

    @Steve in the ATL:ok, just seeing this and sent…sorry I forgot…I’ve been lounging around eating pistachios and drinking NM red wine. I let Poco take over the wheel. Don’t you dare tell anyone.?

  156. 156.

    Adria McDowell

    @Weaselone: I was mistaken for being German constantly– by actual Germans- without even saying a word. Was also mistaken for being French and Dutch. I am none of those things.

    Sometimes, it’s all in how you look, I guess.

  157. 157.

    Gin & Tonic

    @Amir Khalid: In recent years, the iceberg wedge has somehow become popular again, probably ironically, but you will see it in the types of places where 10 years ago they’d have given you the bum’s rush for suggesting it.

  158. 158.

    Patricia Kayden

    @Mustang Bobby: I grew up in Canada (Ontario) and have never had poutine. Not sure if it was even a thing where I grew up. Seems like it’s more of a regional food for folks in Quebec.

  159. 159.

    ixnay

    @Kay: And for some reason I thought getting on Medicare would entail fewer life-and-death, or at least bank-breaking, decisions.

  160. 160.

    Weaselone

    @Adria McDowell:
    I’m only reporting based on my own experience. If I was primarily speaking German, I would generally be tagged as a non native speaker, but assumed to be Canadian, Aussie or English. If speaking primarily English, I would be generally tagged directly as an American and occasionally as a Canadian. The difference was stark.

  163. 163.

    Gin & Tonic

    @Amir Khalid: You can apparently get an iceberg wedge for $20 at Morimoto in Napa. Here’s a rundown of places in San Francisco where you can get presumably elegant iceberg. I understand that from halfway around the globe you can’t keep up with the cutting edge in food here, so I’m trying to be helpful. Wouldn’t want you to embarrass yourself the next time you’re at Mar-a-Lago.

  164. 164.

    Ceci n est pas mon nym

    @Adria McDowell: I try to get by in the native language and am sometimes assumed to be European from sone other country (Germans thinking I’m Italian, French thinking I’m Spanish). Part of that is looks I think. I have Mexican heritage which registers to them as Mediterranean.

  166. 166.

    Mnemosyne

    I told everyone who was freaked out that Get Out was in the “musical or comedy” category at the Golden Globes to chill, and I was right.

    If nothing else, Jordan Peele gets to put “Academy Award-nominee” in front of his name for the rest of his career.

  167. 167.

    Adria McDowell

    @Ceci n est pas mon nym: I’m Puerto Rican and Irish, so I understand. I find it weird that Germans (and fellow Americans) mistook me for German- in Germany.

    Not that everyone in Germany is a blonde haired, blue eyed Aryan type.

  168. 168.

    Ruckus

    @JPL:

    They got their tax cuts, what more do they need.

    They didn’t need that of course, they don’t need any of the policies that they want. It’s that last word, want that drives them. As in what a 5 yr old wants for xmas or birthday. Of course it’s like what a spoiled rich brat wants for xmas or birthday, useless crap that they will attend to for maybe 2 minutes and then discard, but always wanting/demanding more.

  170. 170.

    Boatboy_srq

    @NotMax: Talk about a 1970s solution to a 2010s problem. There are nearly no domestic producers for household appliances. All the big US names moved their assembly offshore ages ago, and South Korean businesses have used Chinese fabrication for some time, so this will hurt Korea and Japan as much as anyone else. European manufacturers – Bosch, Smeg, Miehle and so on – would welcome their new-found economy, assuming Lord Dampnut doesn’t decide the US is not interested in European imports any more than Asian ones.

  172. 172.

    Another Scott

    @Immanentize: Speaking of Sessions, Reuters has a banner saying FTFNYT has a story that Mueller’s team interviewed the AG last week.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  173. 173.

    patroclus

    @Matt McIrvin: Uh no. Canadians don’t do really pissed off. Unless you’re talking hockey, ice dancing, Terry Fox or the Avro Arrow and Diefenbacher, all you’re really going to get is a polite denial of them being American with a slightly irritated tone of voice.

  177. 177.

    Amir Khalid

    @Another Scott:
    It does indeed, and I have just read the story. Even if it doesn’t say what JBS III was questioned about, not that I expected to learn that, it does suggest that JBS might find himself … preocupied, shall we say, come the time when der Scheißgibbon needs him to hide behind.

  178. 178.

    Amir Khalid

    @Boatboy_srq:
    Food manufacturers like to play word games in the ingredients list to obfuscate what they put in their product. I’ve mentioned before seeing a box of US-made granola that didn’t list sugar as an ingredient, but did list “dehydrated crystallized cane juice”.

  182. 182.

    Neldob

    @Kay: I have been watching a few 1940s movies and was surprised at how progressive they were, the few I saw.

  184. 184.

    Dan B

    Baud & others: see Juanita Jean’s for low down on the Dallas Dem’s. A staff member signed the candidate forms. The Repubs think the chair must sign the forms but the reg’s clearly state that any staff member may sign / certify. Dumb Repubs or ignorantly frivolous?

  186. 186.

    J R in WV

    @patroclus:

    Hoy… dude, what about curling??????? I’m thinking Canadians can really get hot about any ice-based sport, including curling.

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