Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Washington Post Catch and Kill, not noticeably better than the Enquirer’s.

Someone should tell Republicans that violence is the last refuge of the incompetent, or possibly the first.

It’s a good piece. click on over. but then come back!!

Some judge needs to shut this circus down soon.

Teach a man to fish, and he’ll sit in a boat all day drinking beer.

They are not red states to be hated; they are voter suppression states to be fixed.

Since we are repeating ourselves, let me just say fuck that.

Do we throw up our hands or do we roll up our sleeves? (hint, door #2)

“The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits.”

Insiders who complain to politico: please report to the white house office of shut the fuck up.

Roe is not about choice. It is about freedom.

“Facilitate” is an active verb, not a weasel word.

They are lying in pursuit of an agenda.

Tide comes in. Tide goes out. You can’t explain that.

People really shouldn’t expect the government to help after they watched the GOP drown it in a bathtub.

Do not shrug your shoulders and accept the normalization of untruths.

I did not have this on my fuck 2025 bingo card.

Black Jesus loves a paper trail.

The media handbook says “controversial” is the most negative description that can be used for a Republican.

“Everybody’s entitled to be an idiot.”

I might just take the rest of the day off and do even more nothing than usual.

Trump should be leading, not lying.

This really is a full service blog.

Incompetence, fear, or corruption? why not all three?

You are here: Home / Elections / Biden-Harris 2020 / Sen. Kamala Harris Speech

Sen. Kamala Harris Speech

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This is good. You can rewind and go back and listen from the beginning.

I believe we need, and will try to be the one to offer, a bit of positive political news several times a week about Biden-Harris and any of the Senate/Congressional campaigns and positive voting news.

Send me your links to any good political news you want to share.

Open thread

Reader Interactions

176Comments

  2. 2.

    Tom Q

    Every time she speaks, it reinforces why I was behind her for the presidential nomination, and why I couldn’t be happier about her spot on the ticket.

    Republicans know how potent a candidate she is.  She scares them not just for now, but for down the road.

  4. 4.

    LuciaMia

    It’s just amazing that the current Republican Party doesnt collapse under the sheer weight of bile, contempt and lies.

  5. 5.

    Mike in DC

    She’s a very strong asset for Biden’s campaign.  She should give a major speech at least twice a month.  Once a week is also good.

  8. 8.

    Princess

    This speech has an audience of one, and I bet it will land.

    Trump Can. Not. cope being criticized in public in front of everyone by a woman, especially a Black woman. Being called a failure, being called scared and weak. They’re hoping it will enrage him and throw him off tonight.

  13. 13.

    Ken

    It’s not exactly good news, but I’m happy that the RNC has had lower ratings than the DNC on every night so far.  As Princess said above, that’s going to irritate him no end.

  14. 14.

    Wapiti

    That was a very good speech. I think a lot of jackals are watching it all the way through before jumping into comments. I certainly did.

  16. 16.

    zhena gogolia

    @Wapiti:

    I’m too nervous to watch anything as tornado warnings flare all around us.

    I thought if I moved to Connecticut from Missouri I wouldn’t have to worry about tornadoes any more. I spent half my childhood in the basement.

  17. 17.

    Percysowner

    Good news from Ohio Absentee ballot requests flooding Ohio elections boards like never before

    The money quote

    A Dispatch/Gannett Ohio survey of Ohio’s 88 county boards of elections found that, as of late last week, they had received at least 400,000 absentee ballot request — far more than would be expected in a typical presidential election. Some counties already have received more than they did for the entire 2016 general election.

    So Trump’s war on absentee voting if failing in Ohio. I guess that’s why he’s moving on to “the people who count the votes are corrupt”.

  18. 18.

    Yutsano

    @Ken: Did you see his face during the Third Lady’s speech? I can guandamntee you as soon as he was out of camera range he yelled his head off* at her.

    *yes I wish this was literally true.

  19. 19.

    raven

    Football

    https://www.si.com/.amp-michigan/college/michigan/football/michigan-football-wolverines-jim-harbaugh-warde-manuel-big-ten-2020-season-postponement-cancelation?__twitter_impression=true

    While there wasn’t a uniformed agreement between Power 5 power-brokers, our sources both in Chicago and Ann Arbor said the expectation was that once the Big Ten made its announcement, the Pac 12 would immediately follow (as it did) and then the ACC would follow suit too, putting tremendous pressure on the SEC and Big 12. The Big 12 would go next, and then the SEC, with nothing left to play for, would reluctantly give in.

    So why the ACC third? Because many of the universities within the conference are esteemed educational schools, led by the same academic minds that populate the Big Ten. Particularly Duke, North Carolina, Virginia, Georgia Tech and even Florida State (surprisingly, the No. 18 public university nationally) were supposed to be in lockstep with the Big Ten and wield enough power to force the entire ACC into following the Big Ten’s lead.

     

     

  23. 23.

    TaMara (HFG)

    Did anyone else see that the orange disease wants Biden to take a drug test before the debates? Said that’s why he’s better on his TV appearances. I’d go looking on Twitter but it’s a black hole for me these days.

    Projection much? You first, disease boy, you first.

  25. 25.

    yellowdog

    @Princess: Do you think his bootlickers let him watch it? Don’t  want to get the cranky toddler overexcited before his big night.

  26. 26.

    Martin

    @raven: Yeah, that’s straight up the ranking of the various Div I major conferences in terms of academic seriousness. I use the Big 10 and Pac 12 as academic benchmarks. I would never consider using the SEC.

  28. 28.

    WaterGirl

    @TaMara (HFG): The speculation I saw was that since Trump and cocaine (etc) were trending, Trump was trying to turn it around on Joe.

    My personal theory is that Trump can never be wrong about anything, so if Biden didn’t suck, then he must have used drugs, which means that Trump wasn’t wrong… because Biden cheated.

    I have decided that Trump’s emotional age is 8.  Still young enough for tantrums, but old enough to be very, very mean.

  29. 29.

    raven

    @Martin: No but the SEC has improved greatly in the 35 years I’ve been here mostly by importing faculty from the ACC and Big Ten. That’s how I got here (not me but my ex).

  30. 30.

    Ken

    @Percysowner: I guess that’s why he’s moving on to “the people who count the votes are corrupt”.

    Meaning he just accused both of my parents (one Democrat, one Republican) of corruption.  Not that they’re being election judges this year.

    I hope the tens of thousands of people who regularly serve as election judges notice that remark.

  31. 31.

    Mike in NC

    Fat Bastard will be apoplectic that a nasty woman wouldn’t sing his praises like the spineless governor of South Dakota did.

  32. 32.

    Ohio Mom

    Somewhat OT:
    Days ago I decided my mood wasn’t hardy enough to actually watch any of the RNC. Instead, I’m keeping up with it through threads here and YouTube’s from Trevor Noah and Stephen Colbert.

    I found out that I have company: Colbert couldn’t bear to watch last night either (though his writers obviously did). Both Noah and Colbert have given up on joking, they are on fire.

  33. 33.

    Betty Cracker

    @raven: I know this has nothing to do with your point, but since that quote mentioned that FSU is “surprisingly” ranked at #18 among public universities, I am compelled to point out that Florida is ranked #7. True story (saw it on Twitter, so it must be): an FSU freshman’s dad was driving him up the peninsula to start college, and when they passed through Gainesville, the dad told the kid, “If you were smarter, we’d already be there.”

  36. 36.

    cain

    The translator seems quite angry.

    The speech was fine. I kind of started feeling distracted towards the end. I think it could have been shorter.

  37. 37.

    raven

    @WaterGirl: Sure didn’t. I know BJ has taken a decided anti-football stance and that’s fine but the idea that the Big and Pac 10 conferences were somehow above all this is bullshit.

  39. 39.

    Ken

    @Yutsano: Did you see his face during the Third Lady’s speech?

    No, I’ve somehow managed to miss every night of the Republican convention.  I did hear that her speech was a little wooden. Are you accusing her of sabotage? If so, from reports, there’s a lot of it going on.

  41. 41.

    mrmoshpotato

    @LuciaMia:

    It’s just amazing that the current Republican Party doesnt collapse under the sheer weight of bile, contempt and lies.

    There’s a 40-year+ foundation of bile, contempt and lies with the Russthuglican party.

  42. 42.

    cain

    @Ken:

    It’s not exactly good news, but I’m happy that the RNC has had lower ratings than the DNC on every night so far.  As Princess said above, that’s going to irritate him no end.

    Oh, it’s the kiss of death. To have lower ratings will make him boiling angry. He will definitely be yelling at people and blaming them.

    The fundraising email will probably have a whining tone about how they should have watched the RNC and look at what you’ve done.

  44. 44.

    raven

    @Betty Cracker:

    University of Georgia Rankings

    • #50 in National Universities (tie)

    • #24 in Best Colleges for Veterans (tie)

    • #40 in Best Undergraduate Teaching (tie)

    • #104 in Best Value Schools

    • #38 in Most Innovative Schools

    • #159 in Top Performers on Social Mobility (tie)

    • #16 in Top Public Schools

  45. 45.

    Martin

    @WaterGirl: No. Universities are now trying to reconcile their NCAA commitments with their broader campus safety plans. How do you agree to play football when the entire rest of the campus is remote?

    The presidents are pissed to be in this spot. And because of how the divisions work, giving up your spot in the division on principle means you’ll never get it back – some other university will be desperate enough for that slot to take it, even at the expense of their students.

    It will be interesting to see how this plays out, particularly the Pac 12.

  48. 48.

    Miss Bianca

    @TaMara (HFG): Is he suggesting he’s also going to get drug-tested? No? Then STFU, Donnie – Biden’s not your goddamn minimum-wage employee you get to force to pee in a cup.

    Jesus. The brass-bound gall of these people.

  49. 49.

    raven

    @Martin:

    “I don’t want to call it arrogance but there was a surprising lack of awareness from the presidents that there would be such significant pushback when they voted to postpone the 2020 season,” a source in Big Ten HQ shared. “I think you also have [Commissioner] Kevin Warren who is so eager to please his bosses still early in his tenure that he just sort of went along with them, without really being an advocate for the athletic directors and the football programs.

     

    “It was like he didn’t know where his loyalties lie – is it with the presidents or is it with the ADs, coaches and players? In theory, all of those entities should be pulling in the same direction but there was, as we’ve all seen, incredible disconnect between the philosophies of the presidents and that of their coaches and athletes and, in some cases, athletic directors.”

  50. 50.

    Calouste

    @WaterGirl: Who would that test be administered by? If the test is going to be done by someone from the shitgibbon’s sphere, it’s going to be tampered with to show that Biden used drugs, if it’s someone else the shitgibbon is going to scream that the results were falsified. There is no neutral.

  51. 51.

    Roger Moore

    @Ken:

    As Princess said above, that’s going to irritate him no end.

    Hopefully it’s also a sign that voters are more interested in what the Democrats have to say.

  53. 53.

    Martin

    @zzyzx: Biden should agree on the condition they also do a Narcissistic Personality Inventory, and an F-Scale, and all results be publicly released.

  56. 56.

    gene108

    @raven:

    The Big 12, and most prominently Texas, which didn’t want to lose ground to the SEC powers while already trying to play catch-up, pushed forward too.

    From your link.

    Same goes for the ACC. Clemson, FSU, and Miami (FL) all share a state with a rival SEC school.

    Wake Forest, Duke, UNC-Ch, and NCSU all regularly compete against South Carolina and Georgia for recruits in North Carolina.

    If Swofford (ACC commissioner) wanted to push the schools into not having a football season, I think he could’ve done it. I also do not see him as the type to leave money on the table, if he does not have to.

  57. 57.

    Calouste

    I just saw an online ad (static, no video) from Amazon to boost their environmental credentials, and the text was along the lines of “‘Time is running out to take action’ – carbon footprint reducer Joe B.”

    I wonder if we’ll see another ad with “I don’t really care, do you?” – Mel T.

  59. 59.

    Roger Moore

    @TaMara (HFG):

    Did anyone else see that the orange disease wants Biden to take a drug test before the debates?

    Honestly, I think Biden should go along with drug testing as long as the same rules apply to both candidates.

  60. 60.

    Ken

    @raven: incredible disconnect between the philosophies of the presidents and that of their coaches and athletes and, in some cases, athletic directors.

    Say what you want about completely ignoring the pandemic, at least it’s a philosophy.

    Hmm, doesn’t have the punch of the original.

  61. 61.

    Martin

    @raven: It’s astonishing to me that anyone thinks that athletic directors should have equal authority to academic decisions.

    The NCAA can’t both argue that athletics are an enrichment to academics and simultaneously argue that it should supercede academics.

    Further, it’s astonishing that anyone believes that football directors should have veto authority over all other athletics. We postponed 14 athletic seasons, but one is demanding they should be an exception.

    College football has lost the plot. Burn it down. Let them come back when they understand their place in the world, and let it serve as a warning to basketball.

  62. 62.

    laura

    I’ll say it again – there will not be a debate. Not between Biden and trump and not between Harris and Pence. President cornered rat is building himself and escape hatch because Biden will hand him ass on TV like he did Paul Ryan. Harris will hand Pence his ass without a doubt. This bullshit about drug testing is ludicrous and why the interviewer didnt ask about his missing taxes and refusal to provide them to the American public. And that’s why there will not be a debate.

    Also, if anyone merits drug testing its trump junior if his gaked-out performance the other night is any indication.

    Hurrumph!

  65. 65.

    Fleeting expletive

    And what the hell was up with that prison matron outfit? Is it her abysmal level of taste or was it a message to the proletariat that they are through playing, and to expect discipline from the she-wolf of Alcatraz?

  66. 66.

    Jeffro

    @Martin: Biden should just call trumpov a flailing fucking idiot and be done with it.

    “Candidate who are winning…or those who have anything at all to offer to the American people…don’t flail around trying to get opponents to take drug tests, fer Pete’s sake.”

    Drop it on him, Uncle Joe!  Tell the country it’s just more malarkey ;)

  67. 67.

    catclub

    @Calouste: Who would that test be administered by? If the test is going to be done by someone from the shitgibbon’s sphere, it’s going to be tampered with to show that Biden used drugs,

    That comes from the same  instruction manual on testing  that says you cannot count deaths as a fraction of population – only death rate for those who test positive.

     

    I went to the barber. wackaloon in the chair was saying that Trump should appeal to the supreme court to have Biden declared mentally incompetent. huh?

  68. 68.

    Ruckus

    @WaterGirl:

    You give him more credit than I do. I consider his emotional age to be 4. And it’s’ a very spoiled, very bratty 4 yr old. He actually does know the language of an older, very spoiled, very bratty ass, and does know not to swear on TV, so it is possible that I’m not giving him enough credit at 4 yrs old. 8 still seems to be out of his reach.

  69. 69.

    Jeffro

    @Roger Moore: No matter the results (assuming they went to an independent lab) Biden would look weak for acquiescing, and trumpov would claim that any good Biden result or bad trumpov result was…wait for it, waaaaaait for it…

    …”FAKE TESTING!”

    Only way to win is not to play.

    Just call him a loser who has nothing to offer the American people…those of us who haven’t died from the pandemic, already, anyway.

  72. 72.

    TaMara (HFG)

    @Fleeting expletive: According to Rethug twitter, it was to own the libs, so we’d scream about it. Funny, how that didn’t happen because she’s so inconsequential. All though there was a lot of “I don’t care, do you?” replies, including from me.

  74. 74.

    catclub

    semi OT: I agree with the commenter who thought that Lincoln projects latest is not effective.

    It does not emphasize that all the bad things that the RNC speakers are complaining will happen if Biden is elected… are happening now and Trump is president, now.

  75. 75.

    Jeffro

    @catclub: That’s a new one.  Just go straight to SCOTUS and have his opponent declared mentally incompetent??

    Is that what a ‘winner’ does?

    If Uncle Joe’s that incompetent, shouldn’t trumpov be beating him like a rented mule?

    Who gets to take Biden’s place (with trumpov’s permission, of course)?

    This is all such an interesting theory of government here…can you go back to the barber or otherwise track the wackaloon down?  I really want to hear more about this “plan” of his.  =)

  76. 76.

    Cheryl Rofer

    Of course it’s to throw him off stride. The traditional role of the vice-presidential candidate is to take it to the opposition, and Kamala did a great job of that. She talked about the pandemic in a realistic way and how Trump had failed. She emphasized his incompetence and unwillingness to deal with it. She pointed out that Obama and Biden had left him an apparatus to deal with it and he dismantled it, and that he is trying to destroy the ACA.

    And, oh yes, she’s Black and a woman.

  77. 77.

    Mary G

    I am so tired

    CALIFORNIA
    California Senate Republicans under COVID-19 quarantine, not allowed in state Capitol
    The floor of the California state Senate, seen here on May 28, is now off-limits to several senators under quarantine.
    The floor of the California state Senate, seen here on May 28, is now off-limits to several senators under quarantine for COVID-19.(Associated Press)
    By MELODY GUTIERREZ, TARYN LUNA
    AUG. 27
    SACRAMENTO — Nearly every Republican in the California Senate was barred from the state Capitol on Thursday and required to vote remotely after contact tracing showed that a lawmaker who tested positive for COVID-19 had exposed the others.
    The state Senate abruptly canceled session on Wednesday after learning that Sen. Brian Jones (R-Santee) tested positive for the virus. Jones is now under quarantine orders along with Republican lawmakers he had personal contact with in recent days.

    “Unfortunately, the nature of the gathering that resulted in the exposures was such that virtually every member of the Republican Caucus is now unable to enter the Capitol without violating public health orders,” Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins (D-San Diego) said in a statement. “I know our Republican colleagues are disappointed not to be on the floor or in their offices today, but I also know they would never knowingly put the health and safety of others at risk.”

    Jones was in the Capitol this week before being tested along with several other lawmakers in recent days. Lawmakers of both parties met for a floor session Monday, while Senate Republicans, including Jones, met in person for a caucus meeting Tuesday. Some Republicans also met in person for a private gathering on Monday night.

    This is why we can’t have nice things.

    Kamala is killing it. Dear Dog, what a contrast to Dense.

    ETA Cleaned up the copy pasta. Also love the shade of “several senators” because the whole caucus is tiny.

  78. 78.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    @Ken: That’s a bit strange too that the RNC is such a snooze fest. One would think putting on a good show would be a no brainer in Trumpland (and no brain is how they roll there)

  79. 79.

    Ken

    @Martin: It’s astonishing to me that anyone thinks that athletic directors should have equal authority to academic decisions.

    Well, who gets paid more – the coaches or the deans?

  80. 80.

    Ken

    @Mary G: ” I also know they would never knowingly put the health and safety of others at risk.”

    Sounds like Toni Atkins is throwing a little shade there.

  82. 82.

    geg6

    @Martin:

    Exactly.  I saw a rant by James Franklin on local news the other night and I would have punched him in the mouth if I’d been in the room.  What an arrogant, disgusting asshole who cares nothing at all for his athletes and the rest of the student body, faculty and staff.  Fuck him and his stupid fucking game.  Just fuck him.

  84. 84.

    Roger Moore

    @Calouste:

    IMO a lot of this is just Trump acting out, but I expect he’s also trying to undermine the debates.  His thought is that there are three ways things can go:

    1. Biden refuses his additional terms, which gives him an excuse to cancel and blame it on Biden
    2. Biden pushes back and makes counter demands (e.g. Trump is tested, too), in which case he can accuse Biden of being the unreasonable one
    3. Biden accepts and he gets to add more ridiculous demands
  85. 85.

    catclub

    @Jeffro: This is all such an interesting theory of government here…can you go back to the barber or otherwise track the wackaloon down? I really want to hear more about this “plan” of his. =)

     

    NO,.. and NO.

  87. 87.

    geg6

    @Enhanced Voting Techniques:

    Did you ever watch The Apprentice?  It sucked donkey balls mainly because Trump was just such an awful stiff.  And he also stiffly overacted.  Hard to do, but he did.  The best stuff is what Mark Burnett did with production and editing.  Otherwise, it sucked.

    And did you catch the Inauguration?  Another sucky Trump “entertainment.”  He knows nothing about how to entertain people.  Nothing.  Once again the press gives him talents for which he’s never shown any evidence.

  88. 88.

    HumboldtBlue

    @Martin: 

    College football has lost the plot. Burn it down. Let them come back when they understand their place in the world, and let it serve as a warning to basketball.

    It really has and if this pandemic is what pushes it to the breaking point and a better ore equal system replaces it fine, but if not, oh well, they can start club teams and play each other that way and actually have to earn it without the backing of the state or a university endowment.

  89. 89.

    zhena gogolia

    @geg6: 
    Amen. (Not that I ever watched The Apprentice. But I saw him do “Green Acres” with Megan Mullaly and he was mugging like a kid in a high-school play.)

  90. 90.

    Roger Moore

    @Mary G:

    Also love the shade of “several senators” because the whole caucus is tiny.

    AFAIK, cancelling the session is just being nice to the Republicans; the Democrats would easily still have a quorum if all the Republicans stayed home.

  91. 91.

    catclub

    @Roger Moore: mmmmaybe.  But if Trump is trailing he needs the debates.  Pelosi has said that if she is asked she will tell Biden to skip them. We put a lot of weight on her opinion.

  98. 98.

    lamh36

    @TaMara (HFG): that makes sense.

    I did wonder why they didn’t do it a time where there would have been a bigger audience, but considering this as an audience of 1 def makes sense

  100. 100.

    Another Scott

    @Martin: Dunno how it is these days, but the University of Chicago was a founding member of the Big 10 and left it with the option of rejoining.  Presumably other universities/conferences could have similar arrangements if they wanted to.

    FWIW.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  103. 103.

    Matt McIrvin

    @Ken: I’m actually surprised by that–I expected the RNC to have higher ratings since the Republican base is more likely to watch TV through traditional channels.

  104. 104.

    Roger Moore

    @catclub:

    Pelosi has said that if she is asked she will tell Biden to skip them.

    I agree with the people who think she’s trying reverse psychology.  Trump is looking for an excuse to skip the debates, but the hope is that Pelosi saying Biden should skip them will make Trump change his mind and agree to them.

  106. 106.

    Martin

    @Ken: All the more evidence that the NCAA rules should apply more universally. Coaches and conference employees should be paid no more than the highest paid player under them. TV revenues from sports should go directly into the financial aid pool, or better yet, nationally into a federal academic grant program.

    One things that universities really do put tremendous focus on is not operating by exception, and the way sports is monetized just throws that completely out the window. It is this constant source of damage to us institutionally, and this fight really goes to the core of that.

    My campus shut down an NFL training camp to protect students, but we’re expected to let our own sports teams play? That’s completely indefensible by the administration. They either yield to the NCAA and the division and get called out by every employee and student as hypocrites, or they effectively forfeit the sports program?

  107. 107.

    Ian

    @Roger Moore:

    No way.  Give a mouse a cookie theory.  They will find a competition that favors their guy and demand it.  In four years it will be who can do the most push ups?

    Drug tests should only be used in employment when there is an accident or the person’s job entails the health and safety of others.  Being on drugs does not mean one is any less capable of signing legislation, crafting policy, appointing staff, or most of the things we actually expect a president to do.  Tests for a profession should coincide with the requirements, not some arbitrary standard that some people think everyone must always be sober.

    Finally, who wants the president to be able to go around demanding we take drug tests for no reason?

  108. 108.

    Doug R

    I think the best response for Biden is to laugh and mention EVERY candidate since Nixon has released their tax returns, why is trump hiding?

  109. 109.

    Feathers

    @Martin: High school and college athletics should be burned to the ground. We should get rid of preferential college admissions for athletes. Sure, there are some kids who get into a school they might not have otherwise, but what you really are getting now is not very bright kids with moneyed parents who are spending a shit-ton of money on traveling teams, coaching, summer camps, etc. It was a leveling at one point, but it now is a way for rich kids to buy their way into college.

    The other way that scholarships are a scam is that a team will announce they have 4 full scholarships for say, field hockey. Do they look through the field hockey team, see who needs it, and get them the money? No, they find the good players, and the ones whose parents most want to be able to say their kid got a sports scholarship and divide up the money. So the 4 full scholarships get split between 20 or more players, leaving students with a degraded academic experience and student loans to pay off, since the money that could have gone into their college fund was spent on sports training.

    So much of the bullshit around high school sports, putting athletes at the top of the student food chain and ignoring their wrongdoing, is justified through their potentially lost scholarships.

    When I took a course on white collar crime, one of my fellow students who had worked for a boiler room scammer, said that their recruitment came entirely from frat brothers, ex-military, and scholarship athletes. All of them knew about corruption and were down for it. Those who weren’t recognized that the joint was shady and split immediately. Which was also good for the boiler room, because they weeded out potential whistleblowers that way.

  110. 110.

    Kent

    @Betty Cracker:

    I don’t know under what rating, Florida comes out #7. Here’s the Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education’s US College top 60 public university rankings.

    In terms of conferences:

    Pac-12: 1- UCLA, 4 – UC Berkeley, 7 – Washington, 33 – Utah, 35 – Arizona, 40 – Colorado, 43 – Washington State, 59 Arizona State (and both Stanford and USC would be high in any rankings

    Big-10: 2 – Michigan, 8 – Purdue, 9 – Illinois, 13 – Wisconsin, 17 – Maryland, 21 Michigan State, 23 – Ohio State, 24 Minnesota, 27 – Penn State, 32 – Indiana, 34 – Rutgers, 38 – Iowa, (and Northwestern would be ranked high)

    By contrast…

    SEC: 12 – Florida, 18 – Texas A&M,  36 – Georgia, (with Vanderbilt highly ranked as well)

    Big-12: 11 – Texas, 54 – Oklahoma,

    ACC: 3 – North Carolina, 10 – Virginia, 14 – Georgia Tech, 25 – Pittsburgh, 26 – NC state, 27 – Virginia Tech, 48 – Clemson, 56 – Florida State (and Duke would be highly rated).

    https://www.timeshighereducation.com/student/best-universities/best-public-universities-united-states

    1 UCLA
    2 Michigan
    3 North Carolina
    4 UC Berkeley
    5 UC Davis
    6 UC San Diego
    7 Washington
    8 Purdue
    9 Illinois
    10 Virginia
    11 Texas
    12 Florida
    13 Wisconsin
    14 Georgia Tech
    15 UC Santa Barbara
    16 UC Irvine
    17 Maryland
    18 Texas A&M
    19 William & Mary
    20 United States Naval Academy
    21 University of Illinois at Chicago
    21 Michigan State
    23 Ohio State
    24 Minnesota
    25 Pittsburgh
    26 North Carolina State
    27 University of Connecticut
    27 Penn State
    27 SUNY Stony Brook
    27 Virginia Tech
    31 University at Buffalo
    32 Indiana
    33 Utah
    34 Rutgers
    35 Arizona
    36 Georgia
    37 Delaware
    38 Iowa
    39 SUNY Binghamton
    40 Colorado
    41 Massachusetts
    42 Colorado School of Mines
    43 Virginia Military Institute
    43 Washington State
    45 University of Colorado Denver
    46 George Mason
    47 Temple
    48 Clemson
    49 UC Riverside
    50 California Poly San Luis Obispo
    51 SUNY Albany
    52 Michigan Technological University
    52 Missouri University of Science and Technology
    54 CUNY City College of New York
    54 Oklahoma
    56 CUNY Hunter College
    56 Florida State
    58 Miami University Oxford Ohio
    59 Arizona State
    60 CUNY Bernard M. Baruch College

  111. 111.

    sdhays

    @Roger Moore: This is why I think there’s at best a 50/50 chance of there being any debates at all. Dump keeps making absurd demands. Earlier, it was reported he only wanted shitstains from Fox and OANN to be “moderators”, because anyone who might not be 100% in his corner makes him shit his pants.

    The trouble is, he needs the debates more than Biden does. Biden is already a former Vice President – he doesn’t need to be seen on a stage with the President and he’s already winning by every conceivable measure (the big asterisk is how successful the sabotage is going to be). It’s Dump who needs things to turn around, and typically, debates are one of the few potential chances to do that. So he’ll at least be under pressure to make the debates happen, but Dump melts under pressure, so who knows?

  115. 115.

    sdhays

    @Ian: I think the concerns about people being more corruptible – if you have a drug addiction, your supplier potentially has leverage over you, illegal drugs can eat up all your money and put you in a position where you’re under pressure to compromise your employer, blackmail etc.

    But it’s interesting that this practice is illegal in Europe, and they get along just fine.

  117. 117.

    Martin

    @raven: One of the ways some states allow public schools to handle funding intercollegiate sports is through student fees, which invariably get subsidized by state taxpayer backed grants, federal student loans, and institution endowment backed scholarships.

    For schools that do this, about ¼ of the student fees go to intercollegiate sports. It’s billions of dollars.

    Other schools don’t. Mine has a small student approved fee for club sports – intercollegiate intramural sports outside of the NCAA as well as eSports that aren’t audition based, but no fee for NCAA participating programs. NCAA sports need to self-fund because they aren’t actually open to all students.

    It varies a lot by state. Virginia is one of the worst abusers of that kind of NCAA sports funding. So it’s not a direct taxpayer support, instead its laundered through the student financial aid program.

  118. 118.

    Central Planning

    @Dorothy A. Winsor: I’ve been watching Colbert too. Knowing he’s doing it live makes me chuckle at the jokes even more, especially when there’s just the 2 or 3 other people in the room with him.

  119. 119.

    Feathers

    @Roger Moore: I think Biden should push back by saying, OK, but it’s daily and every day between now and the election. Would Trump pass that challenge?

    Edited to add: Better yet, ask for a hair test that would show long term drug use.

  122. 122.

    Kent

    @?BillinGlendaleCA: Ha.  I’m a UW-Seattle alum so the “University of Spoiled Children” is not my favorite institution.  That said, they are going to rate higher than the Big-12 privates on any objective ranking (Baylor and TCU) and they are going to rate higher than the SEC privates except for Duke (Wake Forest, Boston College, Miami, Syracuse).

  124. 124.

    sdhays

    @Feathers: You can’t play this game. Who is going to conduct Dump’s test? Every single “doctor” who has anything to do with him has been a liar.

    I’ll trust Dump’s drug tests when they’re conduct in prison where he doesn’t control who’s doing the testing (or who’s claiming they’re doing the testing).

  125. 125.

    Martin

    @?BillinGlendaleCA: They actually are ranked quite high. Some of that is earned – they have been investing quite aggressively on their academics. They also cheat. I busted them a number of years ago to US News.

    Should be noted, the rankings are all bullshit. I’ve busted half a dozen universities for such blatant cheating that it’s impossible US News wasn’t aware of it. They don’t really care until someone says something which might reveal that it’s basically all a scam. Everyone cheats to some degree – you work the rules to such an aggressive degree that the result makes no sense whatsoever. Just don’t blatantly break the rules.

    Consider that this is a news organization that failed at doing news. The only profitable part of the enterprise left is the rankings. They don’t know the first thing about education.

  126. 126.

    gwangung

    @Kent: Snodfart alum, and I have to agree…the University of Second Choice is a heavyweight and outweighs damn near any of the Big 12/SEC/ACC schools (excepting Duke).

  128. 128.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    @geg6: Never seen it, but I assumed the Apprentice was mostly cut scenes of Trump scowling, a few random “You’re fired!”s and the rest of was with people who were actually entertaining. . 

  132. 132.

    Kent

    @gwangung: And maybe Northwestern

    Until I went through added up all the highly rated public schools in the Pac-12 and Big-10 I didn’t realize how much they outclass the southern conferences.  I mean…duh.  but to see it on paper.   I think the only unrated school in the Big-10 is Nebraska and it is a newcomer.  The only unrated schools in the Pac-12 are Oregon and Oregon State and they are close behind the top 60, slotting in at 62 and 80, respectively.

  134. 134.

    Feathers

    @Martin: Whatever reform of college costs and financing happens, college sports need to become self-financing, at least at the Division I level.

    This whole mess we are in with college athletic scholarships began because we needed a way to subsidize the training of Olympic athletes while maintaining their amateur status. It has turned into a system which grinds up young bodies, damages the academic careers of more than it helps, and distorts our education system top to bottom.  All for the alleged benefit of 5% of the student body.

    What I would like to propose is a scholarship system run by the US Olympic Committee, but they are another hellhole of corruption and child abuse.

  135. 135.

    Hoppie

    @mrmoshpotato: Because I fly often, I often fly in the front cabin.  Many times, after an extended political discussion, I ask: Would you prefer to go back to the Reagan taxes, the Nixon taxes, or the Eisenhower taxes?  NOBODY has ever said they caught the gotcha, and most of them pick Ike.  Duh, can I hold you to that?

    One of my first political awarenesses was Rethugs ganging up on JFK for modest tax reductions!

  139. 139.

    Feathers

    @Hoppie: Yeah, people forget that the golden age they want to return to was one of high taxation and a fully funded government.

  140. 140.

    Martin

    @Kent: I’d put them ahead of Duke simply due to scale. USC is 3x their size. They have a broader academic reach and a broader research reach.

  141. 141.

    Chyron HR

    “Donald thinks I did so well in the debates because I was on drugs?  Mr. President, people aren’t saying your son and his mistress were high on cocaine Monday night because they did a good job.”

  144. 144.

    catclub

    @Roger Moore: yeah, that could be. I recently heard Rick Perlstein talking about the Reagan Carter debates. So being overconfident in how a debate will turn out can be … unfortunate.

  146. 146.

    Kent

    @Martin: Yeah, probably.  USC has really come on in the past couple of decades.   Vanderbilt is the only other private in a power 5 conference.  They really don’t belong in the SEC but should be in some sort of southern Ivy with schools like Miami, Rice, Emory, Washington U, and so forth.

  148. 148.

    Baud

    @Matt McIrvin:

    The proper response to stuff like that is “I’m not your monkey, I won’t dance for your amusement.” making a jerking off motion with your hand and wrist.

  150. 150.

    catclub

    @Matt McIrvin: i was amused to read the new (to me ) version of ‘Not my problem’ :  Not my circus, not my monkeys

     

    I cannot forget Douglas Adams’ discovery that invisibility is done with an SEP ( Someone Elses Problem) field.

  152. 152.

    TS (the original)

    @Roger Moore:

    Honestly, I think Biden should go along with drug testing as long as the same rules apply to both candidates.

    The world should never revolve around what Trump wants – and neither should Biden. Has there EVER been a drug test before a debate? isn’t there some sort of rules committee that organises the debate? They make the decisions not the imbecile in the White House.

  153. 153.

    Roger Moore

    @sdhays:

    The trouble is, he needs the debates more than Biden does.

    My gut feeling is that Trump feels he’s in a no win situation with debates.  He needs to catch up ground on Biden, but he knows in his heart that Biden is likely to crush him in a debate.  So he wants to weasel out of the debates and make it look like it’s Biden’s fault.  That way he avoids a disastrous debate and hopefully makes up some ground by making his opponent look like a coward.

  154. 154.

    Roger Moore

    @Feathers:

    Better yet, ask for a hair test that would show long term drug use.

    I’m not sure it’s safe to assume that whatever Trump does to his hair wouldn’t have an effect on the test.

  155. 155.

    Kent

    @TS (the original):The world should never revolve around what Trump wants – and neither should Biden. Has there EVER been a drug test before a debate? isn’t there some sort of rules committee that organises the debate? They make the decisions not the imbecile in the White House.

    Exactly.  If we are going to put pre-conditions on the debates, how about a MEANINGFUL one, like release of your tax returns and potential conflicts of interest?

  160. 160.

    Catherine D.

    @Another Scott: One of my favorite Second City routines: Football Comes to the University of Chicago.

    “If those were really lines, they’d be infinite. They’d go all the way out to the end of the universe and make the game very long and tedious.”

    Pretty much sums up football!

  164. 164.

    Ken

    @Roger Moore: I’m not sure it’s safe to assume that whatever Trump does to his hair wouldn’t have an effect on the test.

    “Mr. Trump’s hair shows no sign of drug use.  However, he is a Siberian yak, and is pregnant.”

  165. 165.

    Emma from FL

    @Jay: nope. Say what you will about Castro, he knew how to wear an uniform. She was cosplaying badly. The woman was a model. Surely she has a concept of clothes fit.

  170. 170.

    Sister Golden Bear

    @Kent: I’m a bit surprised Cal ranked at #7, although if it was for undergrad only I could see where it’s possible due to Cal’s often huge undergrad class sizes. And ranking UC Santa Party above UC Irvine seems bizarre.

    @gwangung: Cal alum and I agree, much as it pains me. I still had to disown my brother when he went there.

    @?BillinGlendaleCA:

    Trojans always cheat.

    QFT

  173. 173.

    J R in WV

    @lamh36:

    someone dropped a floral arrangement at my door and I was like…that must be a wrong number. I get home and what do I find at my doorstep…

    That is so sweet !!! Congratulations again on the new job/promotion AND on having such a great friend who would do that behind your back!!!

    It is Beautiful !!!

  174. 174.

    Bill Arnold

    @Ian:

    Drug tests should only be used in employment when there is an accident or the person’s job entails the health and safety of others.

    Problem is, it is strongly suspected that D.J. Trump abuses amphetamines, specifically Adderall – “equal parts racemic amphetamine and dextroamphetamine” and perhaps one or more other drugs with similar effects.
    What about Medications/Drugs as a Cause of Trump’s Large Pupils?
    Or if you prefer or are talking with a fundy:
    Demon Possession Facts
    Or both; that which (hypothetically!) timeshares the DJT host body might really like an amphetamine-amped brain. :-)

  175. 175.

    Captain C

    @Roger Moore:

    Honestly, I think Biden should go along with drug testing as long as the same rules apply to both candidates.

    Trump:  “Hey, Junior, come pee in this cup for me!”

    Lab tech, a day later:  “Holy $#!+!, I’ve never seen so much blow in a urine sample!  How is he even alive?!”

  176. 176.

    divF

    @Sister Golden Bear: I think that you misread the table – Cal was ranked #4.

    A possible tell on the rankings is that #1-#3 all have medical schools, and Cal doesn’t. If grant $$ generated is part of the ranking, that can make a substantial difference – medical schools operate at much larger scale when it comes to research funding than other academic units.

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