Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Sadly, media malpractice has become standard practice.

Dear Washington Post, you are the darkness now.

We are builders in a constant struggle with destroyers. let’s win this.

There are consequences to being an arrogant, sullen prick.

Republican obstruction dressed up as bipartisanship. Again.

“Everybody’s entitled to be an idiot.”

It’s not hopeless, and we’re not helpless.

When the time comes to make an endorsement, the pain of NYT editors will be palpable as they reluctantly whisper “Biden.”

Speaking of republicans, is there a way for a political party to declare intellectual bankruptcy?

Battle won, war still ongoing.

“Why isn’t this Snickers bar only a nickel?”

Trump’s legal defense is going to be a dumpster fire inside a clown car on a derailing train.

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

If you still can’t see these things even now, maybe politics isn’t your forte and you should stop writing about it.

Please don’t feed the bears.

There are no moderate republicans – only extremists and cowards.

Never give a known liar the benefit of the doubt.

There are a lot more evil idiots than evil geniuses.

In after Baud. Damn.

Baby steps, because the Republican Party is full of angry babies.

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

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

Innocent people don’t delay justice.

You’re just a puppy masquerading as an old coot.

You are here: Home / Economics / C.R.E.A.M. / Friday Morning Open Thread: (Still) Proud to Be A Democrat

Friday Morning Open Thread: (Still) Proud to Be A Democrat

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Quite a difference from the last administration’s Friday doc dumps, eh?

More good news:

Ask me, it’s not hard to imagine why David ‘Citizens United Not Timid’ Bossie and Corey ‘Anger Management Issues’ Lewandowski might have a little trouble with the standard security clearance paperwork…

… The freeze announced on Wednesday pertains only to appointees who have not yet been sworn in or have completed all the required paperwork, the people said. Several new board members, including Earl Matthews and Anthony Tata, were sworn in on Jan. 19 after pressure from the White House to push through as many appointees as possible before President Joe Biden’s inauguration. But others, including Lewandowski and Bossie, were still undergoing a lengthy financial disclosure and security clearance process that normally takes weeks or months, according to the people familiar…

(Heck, that photo makes them both look like guys you wouldn’t get on an elevator with… )

Reader Interactions

243Comments

  2. 2.

    Baud

    MJ keeps going off on Trump’s hold on Republicans.  It’s not Trump. It’s the unapologetic white identity he embodies.

  3. 3.

    debbie

    Wah, wah, wah. McConnell and Co.: Not so much fun being on the receiving end of your own methods, is it?

  10. 10.

    SFAW

    @Baud:

    I thought the $15 minimum wage would poll higher.

    I imagine it’s because a lot of the benefit(s) would go to those people, and we can’t have that, can we?

    ETA: Apropos of that: the numbers Klain posted are bullshit — they probably did not adjust appropriately for whether RWMFs and Rethug politicians like the proposals. Because their feelings and delicate sensibilities are much more important than everyone else’s, or so I’ve heard.

  11. 11.

    OzarkHillbilly

    Reconciliation “would be like declaring war around here,” one GOP senator said

    “Cry me a river,” Murphy said

  12. 12.

    Matt McIrvin

    @Baud: People have been very successfully propagandized into believing that raising the minimum wage will destroy millions of jobs and wreak all sorts of havoc.

  14. 14.

    p.a.

    @Baud: Wonder if min wage workers are difficult to poll?  Methodology issue, + the “undeserving poor” p.r. of Reagan-to-present Reich wing.

  15. 15.

    SFAW

    @Baud:

    I’m a little surprised (well, technically, amazed) that it polled so well. The refs have been worked on that issue at least as long as the Rethugs have been puling about the “left-wing media.”

    ETA: I’ve never heard of “ProtectOurCare,” which apparently is who did the polling. I have no idea if they are “legit” (so to speak), or if they were push-polling, or what. I’m hoping their methodology and population set were/are appropriate.

  16. 16.

    NotMax

    We are not taking executive action in lieu of legislation: we are taking executive action to fix what Trump broke in the executive branch

    From the ridiculous to the sublime.

  17. 17.

    p.a.

    LOTS of studies out there that higher wage =/= lower employment: border area employment rates between states and even counties w different min wages.  Right-wing counter studies usually use poorly designed (purposefully) area studies; Seattle as an example.

  19. 19.

    SFAW

    @p.a.:

    LOTS of studies out there that higher wage =/= lower employment:

    I don’t know if it’s been “lots,” but there have certainly been studies showing that. But some large percentage of RWMFs still believe anthropogenic global warming is a hoax, despite all the evidence to the contrary; they’ll continue to believe what the RWMF “thought” leaders want them to believe re: minimum wage. I expect that will continue until long after a very large percentage of them qualify as minimum-wage employees.

  21. 21.

    Scout211

    I watched Frontline’s “American Carnage” last night and found it well done.  I forgot that in first big speech  (inaugural address, maybe?) he had used that very phrase to divide the nation.  So the show was able to begin with his smearing of the Obama years as “American carnage” and ended the show with the January 6th insurrection as Trump’s actual American carnage.  There were some  satisfying parts of the report, like showing the cowardly capitulation of many republicans in Washington.  It was a difficult show to watch but well done, I thought.

  22. 22.

    O. Felix Culpa

    The tired old trope that higher wages => fewer jobs has been trotted out for decades and it’s no more true now that it was in the 60’s when I first heard it. Curiously, business is still around and hiring (absent the pandemic) despite the heavy hand of government forcing the noble small businessman and jerb creator to give “those people” a few more coins so they can eat and have a roof over their heads

    ETA: Oddly, that argument doesn’t seem to apply to CEO salary and benefits. Not sure why.

  24. 24.

    Eural Joiner

    @OzarkHillbilly: really enjoyed Dan’s stuff…but they do run very long. Fortunately he has a very engaging style to keep you hooked. (Didn’t see it on the list you posted, but one of my all time fav podcasts was his series on the fall of the Roman Republic…something like six hours but absolutely amazing!)

  25. 25.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @O. Felix Culpa: I don’t know of any place around here that pays minimum wage. I suppose they exist, but Walmart pays over $10/hr and I have seen McD’s advertising jobs at $10.25/hr “to start”.

  29. 29.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @NotMax: Yeah, I checked it out. I’ll be giving it a try, maybe at lunch today.

    eta: I’ve always been a sucker for history, so I gotta say thanx.

  30. 30.

    Leto

    @NotMax: I’ve watched a number of his videos previously and he’s pretty good. Keeps them relatively short (avg about 12 mins), packed full of info, but the bow-tie man… I know the Doctor said, “Bow-ties are cool” but to paraphrase a blog favorite: “The bow-tie can’t be redeemed!” :P

  31. 31.

    SFAW

    @OzarkHillbilly:

    Yeah, I checked it out. I’ll be giving it a try, maybe at lunch today.

    And here I was, thinking that you could use it at night, since you have trouble sleeping.

    [Ducks head, waiting for inevitable “HISTORY HATER!!” brickbats.]

  33. 33.

    O. Felix Culpa

    @OzarkHillbilly:  Exactly. Even the evil mega-corps recognize they have to pay a relatively decent wage to attract and keep workers. They can absorb $15/hour and have done so in various locations already.

  36. 36.

    SFAW

    @Leto:

    I know the Doctor said, “Bow-ties are cool”

    Depends on the wearer. For example, Fucker Carlson wearing them was not cool. The Doctor, on the other hand …

    but to paraphrase a blog favorite: “The bow-tie can’t be redeemed!”

    Hater

  37. 37.

    SFAW

    @O. Felix Culpa:

    Atrios used to say — maybe still does —  in response to businesses whining about not being able to hire good talent “Gee, if only there were some way to hire quality workers, like PAYING THEM MORE MONEY.”

  38. 38.

    Geminid

    @O. Felix Culpa: Too many people see the economy as a zero-sum game, and do not understand that a thriving working class makes for a more prosperous middle class. And a more prosperous upper class, for that matter.

  40. 40.

    NotMax

    @debbie

    From your link:

    Representative Kevin McCarthy was stuck with an “extremely large” check after having lunch at Mar-a-Lago, aides have confirmed.

    The House Minority Leader had enjoyed a sumptuous five-course lunch with one other person, but when the check arrived his dining companion had vanished.

    The check, which amounted to more than seven hundred dollars, raised eyebrows among the congressman’s staff.

    “Even if you count all the Diet Cokes, that was a lot,” one staffer said.

  41. 41.

    MJS

    Perhaps a few more people would be supportive of an increase in the minimum wage if they were told (over and over again, because they need to hear things many times before it sinks in) that such an increase results in significant decreases in public assistance. Of course, many of them don’t believe there should be such a thing as public assistance, so … never mind.

  42. 42.

    Leto

    @SFAW: Personally I like bow-tie’s but as you mentioned, Fucker Carlson is an eternal user as is George Will. They seem to be issued in the reich wing youth starter kit and it just rankles.

  43. 43.

    Jay

    @OzarkHillbilly:

    both Walmart and MickeyD’s rely on Social Services like “Food Stamps” for their employees to survive.

    many “fight for $15” proponents like to point out that the $15 when they started, when adjusted for inflation, would be $18.40.

    Here, despite “lefty” governments, the minimum wage, if it kept up with inflation, when I started working, would be $17.40.

  44. 44.

    Baud

    Frankly, I bet a lot of people oppose a minimum wage increase simply because Democrats are for it.

  47. 47.

    satby

    @SFAW: Well, as someone who is right now trying to hire good talent in jobs that start well above the prevailing wage here ($12 vs $10) there’s a bit more to it than that. But the minimum wage does need to go up, it’s ridiculously low.

  48. 48.

    PST

    It’s nice that sunrise is getting noticeably earlier every day now. I was just out walking the dog on a clear, cold day here in Chicago. There is a gorgeous pale full moon still hanging in the western sky. Maybe I’m starting to notice more of the everyday joys of life with Biden at the helm.

  49. 49.

    MJS

    @Baud: Republican Step 1 – oppose because Democrats support. Step 2 – decide why you oppose it (Note – lies and incorrect information are mandatory for this step).

  50. 50.

    Baud

    Johnson & Johnson’s coronavirus vaccine was 72 percent effective in the first data from a late-stage U.S. trial, the company said Friday. But the vaccine’s efficacy fell to 52 percent against a virus variant first identified in South Africa.

  54. 54.

    Baud

    Johnson & Johnson’s Covid-19 single-shot vaccine was shown to be 66% effective in preventing moderate and severe disease in a global Phase 3 trial, but 85% efficacy against severe disease, the company announced Friday.

    The vaccine was 72% effective against moderate and severe disease in the US, the company said.

  56. 56.

    Amir Khalid

    @NotMax:

    I have trouble believing that Mar-a-Lago would charge only US$100 for five courses for two. Borowitz needs to use more plausible numbers.

  60. 60.

    SFAW

    @satby:

    Sorry, I meant “legit” in the sense of valid polling methodology.

     

    I used to be able to write clearly, I guess old-fart-ism is setting in more than I thought. Wait, where was I?

  61. 61.

    Geminid

    @NotMax: I read that McCarthy visited Mar-A-Lago intending to enlist trump’s help in winning a Republican House majority in 2022. So I kind of like the way trump stuck McCarthy with the check. The message may be that trump’s support is grudging and conditional. But it could be just be a typical act of petty churlishness.

  63. 63.

    Baud

    Can you take more than one vaccine? I would take J&J now and the other one when there’s more available.

  64. 64.

    SFAW

    @Geminid:

    Too many people see the economy as a zero-sum game, and do not understand that a thriving working class makes for a more prosperous middle class.

    Even noted fascist Henry Ford knew that. You’d think today’s fascists might have absorbed a little of that.

  66. 66.

    Immanentize

    @OzarkHillbilly: Have you watched “Drunk History?”. A total hoot.  And (mostly) accurate.

    They are on comedy central….  Or were when the Immp was recuperating.  We watch many of the 70! Episodes.

    ETA Looks like they are on Hulu now.

  71. 71.

    debbie

    @rikyrah:

    89% to 90%.

    Noravax is the one I’m interested in. I believe that’s in the upper 80% range.

    ETA: I’m interested in it because it’s supposed to be better against the variants.

    ETA: I have a doctor’s appointment this morning and plan on grilling her about the different choices and the differences between them.

  72. 72.

    O. Felix Culpa

    @Baud: A true fact, which is hidden/ignored/lied about by those who want to keep the working class poor and hungry. The minimum wage would be phased in, so no sudden shock to more vulnerable businesses.

    @SFAW: Another true fact. But every reasonable person knows that paying those people more makes them lazy. //

    @Geminid: So many true facts! More (or any) disposable income for people on the margins means — they can spend more! They can meet the basics of life, take care of their health, and maybe have a few nice things, which they buy from a…business!!! The economy grows and no underpants gnomes needed to complete the formula.

  73. 73.

    SFAW

    @satby:

    I think Atrios was talking about (among other things) shit jobs that nobody wants to do, and also mid-level skilled labor or semi-skilled knowledge workers being paid minimum wage (or similarly low amounts. In other words, businesses trying to pay what they want, not what the work is/was worth.

  77. 77.

    karen marie

    @Geminid: Part of the problem is that people currently making $15/hour – like an EMT in New York State I used to know – are angry that fast food workers should be paid the same as them. Amazing that it doesn’t occur to my former friend and her collewgues to unionize and demand better money. It’s easier to simply punch down

     

    @Geminid: It’s Borowitz, not real.

  80. 80.

    SFAW

    @NotMax:

    impossible to believe Dolt 45 is ever charged for eating there.

    I have no trouble believing he doesn’t get charged when he’s alone. But when there’s someone he can grift off of, and get that someone to pay Fuckhead’s way? And don’t forget to add in the 75 percent “tip”/”service charge” [which doubtless goes into his pocket].

  81. 81.

    Baud

    It would be helpful to our cause of we had a theory about how the minimum wage should be set.  Otherwise, numbers seem arbitrary.  Obviously, at some sufficiently high level a minimum wage would be harmful to the economy.

  82. 82.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @Baud: BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA…. gasp….. wheeze…. Geez, ya tryin’ to kill me here?

    No, it’s just damn near full employment. There is a Menard’s distribution center just outside of town and they always have a “Now Hiring” banner out front. From what I hear they can’t keep good people on because they treat their employees like shit, and if folks don’t have to take it, they won’t.

  83. 83.

    Immanentize

    @O. Felix Culpa: also — the cost of the meager increases will be spread across all the consumers the industry serves.  The business owners are not gonna eat that cost.

  87. 87.

    PST

    @debbie: I stopped to read the Cicely Tyson interview. It was a great one. I had forgotten how, professionally speaking, she was such a late bloomer. Her words made me think of my mother-in-law, who is also 96 and similarly sharp and full of memories. If you are going to have long lives like theirs, it sure is wonderful to do it with your wits intact. It was sobering, though, to think how fragile life is at that age even for those in apparent good health.

  89. 89.

    SFAW

    @karen marie:

    It’s easier to simply punch down.

    That’s how Rethugs/RWMFs have succeeded so well — they have convinced people that it’s the people lower on the economic ladder who are the TRUE ENEMY WHO IS/ARE HOLDING THEM BACK!!!

    Well, them and the Lie-berals.

  93. 93.

    Just Chuck

    @MJS: Hell, the R’s don’t usually even bother with step 2.  Step 1 is  typically the only reason they need.  See Cleek’s Law.

  94. 94.

    satby

    @SFAW: our entire system is geared to not paying what a job is worth at both ends. We decided grocery store cashiers and workers were essential (they are) but they’re on the bottom economically. Most companies could run for years without a CEO, and they get millions. 

  96. 96.

    sanjeevs

    One of the WSJ Opinion writers was fuming that the Democrats might overturn the Byrd rule. I didn’t know this was an option up it sure looks interesting

     

    The Senate unanimously adopted his rule, which essentially puts the Senate parliamentarian in charge of deciding whether items in reconciliation bills are truly budget-related. The Byrd rule protects against the majority using reconciliation as an end run around the legislative filibuster.

    And don’t Democrats know it. Even as the two senators vow never to bust the filibuster, their Democratic colleagues are plotting instead to bust the Byrd rule. Progressive groups are ramping up pressure on Democrats to load the Biden agenda into reconciliation bills, then simply overrule the parliamentarian when she finds them in violation of the Byrd rule.

  98. 98.

    Betty Cracker

    @MJS: I was arguing with a Trumpy aunt about minimum wage before the election (FL had a minimum wage hike as a ballot initiative), and when I pointed out that companies like Walmart build public assistance provided to workers into their business model, that seemed to land with her. No idea how she voted, but the initiative passed by  more than 60%, so lots of Trumpkins voted for it.

  99. 99.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @Jay: both Walmart and MickeyD’s rely on Social Services like “Food Stamps” for their employees to survive.

    Ummm…. Yes…. I know this… So do most folks who frequent this establishment.

    My point was only that here in my corner of Misery, both are already paying far more than the Federal minimum wage. (30+%) so most of the caterwauling against raising it to $15 is just “free market” bs.

  100. 100.

    O. Felix Culpa

    @Baud:

    at some sufficiently high level a minimum wage would be harmful to the economy.

    Well, yes, in some galaxy far, far, away in some time that is not now and never has been, that could happen. But we’re not anywhere close to that level and none of the proposals approach it, so I’m not prepared to lose sleep over that eventuality just now.

  102. 102.

    Ken

    @SFAW:  I’ve never heard of “ProtectOurCare,” […]. I’m hoping their methodology and population set were/are appropriate.

    “Total oppose” for the pandemic relief plan was 26%, so they may be very slightly undersampling the crazification factor segment.

  105. 105.

    Baud

    @O. Felix Culpa:

    I’m not saying we’re close to that level. I just think we’d be in a stronger position if we had a solid economic theory about what the level should be.

  108. 108.

    satby

    @Immanentize: Well, when a business (let’s say an eye doctor) gets a set reimbursement from insurance for an eye exam (let’s say $40) which requires both the doctor’s time and a technician’s (semi-skilled position@$12/hr) time (say 1/2 hour each), plus the office overhead (equipment, utilities, supplies, etc), how do costs get passed on? And most insurance coverage agreements dictate you can’t charge more than the reimbursement rate.

    Yeah, those are all actual figures. It’s not a simple problem. And I’m a supporter of ^ the minimum wage, but that’s an example of why people would struggle with it.

  109. 109.

    Immanentize

    @NotMax: It might save some lives if they laid off the twoallbeefpattiesspecialsauce-lettucecheesepicklesonions-onasesameseedbun

  110. 110.

    O. Felix Culpa

    @Baud: I don’t know how the $15 minimum wage level was chosen, but I don’t think the people opposing it are doing it out of a lack of knowledge, economic or otherwise. I’m not opposed to strong theoretical/technical underpinnings of an amount, I just don’t think it actually matters much in selling policy.

  112. 112.

    Immanentize

    @satby: I know how it works — they get passed on to me because I get a bill from the eye Doctor for what insurance doesn’t cover.  Just like the dentist.

    The example where the costs can’t be passed on is solved by additional tests, billing for anything more than, say, the physical you went in for (ear giving you trouble? Let me look and bill the insurance extra), more tests, and kick backs for promoting products.  That and scale.

  114. 114.

    HinTN

    Yo, @OzarkHillbilly:

    I can not watch due to the fact that our internet is on satellite and anything longer than 20 mins just locks up.

    Try Nomad or one of those other “via cell service” provides. I’ve had Dish (Exeed) and HughesNet and this is better. My service ain’t great but a friend can stream two separate HD teevee things at good moments and one any time.

  116. 116.

    NotMax

    re: the article linked above at #1, noticed one of those quoted within goes by the nym “Captain RedorDead.”

    For any alive during (or aware of) the 1950s, a fundamentally mind boggling construction.

  117. 117.

    Geminid

     

     

    @Betty Cracker: The success of the recent California Proposition 22, which undermines employment rights of gig workers, is an interesting counterpoint to the Florida minimum wage referendum. Just as many Florida trump voters supported the minimum wage hike, many California Biden voters supported Proposition 22.

  118. 118.

    O. Felix Culpa

    @HinTN: I had HughesNet when I first moved to my new-ish location in the boonies. Terrible. And expensive. My whole village celebrated with champagne when our senator helped extend broadband to our rural area through a federal program. We need more of that throughout the country.

  120. 120.

    evodevo

    @p.a  Yeah, they are…the ones I personally know don’t vote…they move too often to get registered to vote, and they don’t have the time to deal with it…multiple part-time jobs and a chaotic dysfunctional family life pretty much drain their initiative….POCs have seen, especially over the last 4 years, what damage a white supremacist regime can do to their lives and so are WAY more motivated than their white trash neighbors

  121. 121.

    Soprano2

    Speaking of hiring, our manager has been trying to hire servers and is having a terrible time. I think a lot of people who previously worked as servers have decided that working in the restaurant industry right now is too risky, so they’re doing other things until COVID is over. I can’t blame them at all, you’ve got do to what you’ve got to do to make money and stay safe. We have one server whose boyfriend is paying a lot of her bills; my manager says she’s calling in “sick” more now. We run extremely thin on help, so it causes a problem. We had another server who we caught stealing from us (she voided 8 cash tickets on one night because she had a party that didn’t tip her very well, which means she kept the cash), so of course we had to fire her. It’s hard to find good people, that’s for sure.

    So, my experience donating convalescent plasma was that I cannot give blood or donate plasma now, or probably ever. I was so disappointed, I wanted to do it to help. They ask a bunch of questions, of course, and then explained the procedure and set me up in a bed. I was fine until they put the needle in my arm. I didn’t have any anxiety other than the natural apprehension about being stuck with a needle, but the needle stick wasn’t bad. About 30 seconds later, though, I started to feel light-headed. Then I broke out in a cold sweat, and everything started seeming brighter and also further away. One of the workers said I looked “extremely pale”, and they asked if I wanted them to start the procedure! I said no, you’d better take the needle out before I pass out. I’m convinced I was about 30 seconds from becoming unconscious. My mind was trying to tell my body “It’s OK, you’ll be OK”, and my body was screaming “NO NO NO GET IT OUT NOW!!” I asked for orange juice – I really didn’t think about it, but normally I would never drink that liquid sugar. I guess my brain knew that my body needed it. They put cold compresses on my forehead and neck, and in about 10 minutes I was back to normal, but that was one scary experience! When I described it to one friend, she said it sounds like I had a vasovagal reaction. She said it happens to her a lot. I’ve gotten a little bit light-headed before when I had a blood draw, and once a long time ago when I was getting some liquid magnesium, but I have never had anything like that happen to me before. I swear, I was afraid I was going to start to hallucinate! It was similar to how my husband describes his low blood sugar episodes, except it happened really fast.

  124. 124.

    satby

    @Immanentize: Ok, maybe your eye doctor has a different contract with insurance providers. We’re prohibited from charging more than the coverage for a basic exam to be able to be a provider. We can charge for additional things like retinal photos, but the doctor isn’t going to order unnecessary crap to pad the bill, which has more to do with her ethics than economic math.

    I’m not trying to work out this problem here*, just demonstrating the basic math that can make some small business owners opponents of the minimum wage hike. * I just would do cash only. Because I haven’t even factored in the staff that spend hours of time chasing insurance companies to PAY the covered services.

  125. 125.

    satby

    @Immanetize  The example where the costs can’t be passed on is solved by additional tests, billing for anything more than, say, the physical you went in for (ear giving you trouble? Let me look and bill the insurance extra), more tests, and kick backs for promoting products.  

    All of which is technically unethical as unneeded, and inflates medical costs, which the ACA is supposed to be trying to stabilize. Seriously, your answer is to vary from best practices to pad the bill?

  127. 127.

    PST

    @O. Felix Culpa:

    So many true facts! More (or any) disposable income for people on the margins means — they can spend more!

    True. Moreover, those earning the least not only have the highest marginal propensity to spend, they are the most likely to spend locally. Someone has already pointed out that the fascist Ford knew that the road to riches for him was a factory parking lot full of the Model Ts made there.

  128. 128.

    Betty Cracker

    @Soprano2: I agree with your friend; it does sound like a vasovagal reaction. In my teens and early 20s, I used to keel over about once a year or so for unknown reasons, and that’s what the diagnosis was, though we never identified a trigger. The onset was exactly as you describe. Several other female family members also experienced it, and we all “grew out of it” somehow.

  129. 129.

    Matt McIrvin

    @Soprano2: I’ve fainted like that when giving blood. And also when having the old-style glaucoma test where they poke your eyeball with a stick, for some reason. It seems to just be a reaction some people have.

  130. 130.

    What Have the Romans Ever Done for Us?

    @rikyrah: There’s now four other vaccines – Moderna and Pfizer are 95% effective in preventing disease – I think that’s the rate for any symptoms whatsoever. I think both are somewhere near 100% effective at preventing moderate to severe disease.

    Then there’s Astrazeneca and Novavax just released Phase 3 trial results too. Astrazeneca I haven’t followed as closely but Novavax is marginally more effective than J&J but not as good as Pfizer and Moderna. It sounds like it might be easily tweaked for newer strains though and also sounds like it’s pretty easy to manufacture at scale which is huge. It and J&J are miles better than not getting vaccinated. I think both Novavax and J&J were more effective than the overall effectiveness at preventing severe disease (like 85% or more effective at preventing hospitalization), and nobody who got either vaccine died so they were 100% effective at preventing death.

    The South African cohort effectiveness shows only about 50% effectiveness overall but 60% or better for HIV negative participants – having HIV made the vaccines less effective for reasons that should be obvious. It’s unfortunate but people who are immunocompromised are not going to get as good a protection from vaccines.

    IMO what is going to happen is they will roll all these vaccines out and anyone should get whatever one they can get the soonest, and then eventually hopefully everyone will have access to Moderna or Pfizer at a later date.

  131. 131.

    What Have the Romans Ever Done for Us?

    @Baud: Yes they are saying there should be no problem doing that – getting one vaccine (whichever you can get ASAP) and then another shouldn’t pose any safety issues.

  133. 133.

    sdhays

    @SFAW: Just to accentuate your point, there are literally Republicans dying of COVID-19 saying something to the effect of “I don’t have COVID-19. It’s a hoax!!” – right before they’re put on the ventilator for the last time.

  137. 137.

    SFAW

    @OzarkHillbilly:

    I live in a cell service hole.

    Pure luxury! When we were kids, we had to dig our own hole for cell service. With our bare hands! With broken fingers (if were were lucky enough to have fingers!)

  138. 138.

    NotMax

    @Leto

    An attempt to turn it into Comedy Central or SNL. IMHO it demeaned the format. Might have worked as a ‘one last thing’ outro but the placement was needlessly discordant.

  139. 139.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @O. Felix Culpa: My Senator/Rep killed broad band when Obama tried to expand it here.

    Question for the Jackaltariat: All of a sudden I can’t copy paste comments here, (I can from other websites) Anybody else seeing this little bugaboo?

    ETA: and now that I have commented on it, I suddenly can. Guess I scared the piss out of what ever it was and it’s gone back into hiding.

  142. 142.

    JPL

    This is from Bloomberg

    In the more than 44,000-person study, the J&J vaccine shows particularly effectiveness in stopping severe disease, preventing 85% of severe infections and 100% of hospitalizations and deaths

  143. 143.

    SFAW

    @Dorothy A. Winsor:

    It sounds as if the side effect for that second dose are much stronger (exhaustion, fever up to 102),  so I’m planning to go to bed for a day or two if I have to

    Mrs. SFAW had a similar reaction to her second dose of the Pfizer vaccine.

  144. 144.

    NotMax

    @Dorothy A. Winsor

    Mom’s doc suggested she take an antihistamine prior to going for the second shot in February.

    Cannot speak to it as effective advice other than to pass it along.

  145. 145.

    Jay

    @OzarkHillbilly:

    I get that. We, ( the Orange Despot), are paying more, because people arn’t willing to die for minimum wage.

    but’s “funny” how worked up the talking heads get about a $0.15 boost for the working class who think that a $140 million dollar boost for the CEO is fine.

  147. 147.

    O. Felix Culpa

    @OzarkHillbilly: Sheesh. The extent to which racists will harm their own constituents because of *economic anxiety,* and their constituents REWARD them for it is mindboggling. My condolences.

  149. 149.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @SFAW: HA! At least you could get cell service! Here we still use tin cans and a string!

    Which to be honest, wouldn’t be much worse than the AT&T land line I am forced to use now. There was a period of about a year where we could not call our neighbor (and vice a versa) without getting  high pitched feed back on the line. If we needed to talk to each other about something we had to drive over and knock on doors.

  152. 152.

    O. Felix Culpa

    @OzarkHillbilly: When I first moved to my little house on the high desert I had no cell reception at all, so was forced to get a landline. Now, weirdly, my cell reception has improved for no discernable reason and my landline quality has deteriorated massively. I’d get rid of it except that I’m afraid my cell connectivity might disappear as mysteriously as it came.

  153. 153.

    WaterGirl

    @Jay: Get ON an elevator with.  Maybe it’s a woman thing and you don’t understand?

    There are also men who women will not be alone in a stairwell with.  I used to work with one of them.

  154. 154.

    Ken

    @OzarkHillbilly: Question for the Jackaltariat:

    I’m also having intermittent problems with the comment box, and others reported it last night. Might be Firefox-specific.
    In my case, when I hit “Reply” or “Edit”, the comment box “Visual” tab is blank and not editable. I’m typing this in the “Text” tab.​

  155. 155.

    PPCLI

    As usual, the media stenographers have the memories of goldfish. Using reconciliation is a “declaration of war”? Not only did the Republicans use reconciliation for their big tax cuts for 1%ers bill, but they completely cut the Democrats out of any input into the process:

    They didn’t even show the Democratic representatives the bill until a few hours before the vote.

    If I recall correctly, the Republicans didn’t accept any Democratic amendments at all.

    There wasn’t a single Democratic vote in favor of the bill, in either the House or Senate. Not one. And yet the Republicans were in no way troubled by the absence of “bipartisanship” that they are now whining about. (They didn’t even get all the Republicans on board.)

    The bill was loaded with provisions that were intentionally punitive against Democratic states, for example the near elimination of the deduction for State/Local taxes. (I thought that it was a bad thing for “money to be taxed twice”, to use the rhetoric of Republicans on the estate tax.)

    And that’s just a partial list. Any citation of a Republican talking about “declaring war” and “unity” and “bipartisanship” and so on that doesn’t mention the open hostility of the Republican actions on the tax bill is committing journalistic malpractice.

    And of course, that’s just talking about the tax bill. Never mind Merrick Garland, Barrett, etc. The Republicans were the ones who declared a particularly war in the first place, and the Democrats have been playing defence for years.

  156. 156.

    Subsole

    @Matt McIrvin: Also bear in mind raising the minimum over 4 yrs is a different proposition from raising it,  like, tomorrow.

    A lot of people seem to think that stuff goes into effect immediately. Flip a switch and poof.

  157. 157.

    Betty Cracker

    @O. Felix Culpa: I delayed our move to the boonies by a couple of years by insisting that I wasn’t moving anywhere without broadband. (A reasonable position since I work at home and really do need it.) When the mister and I first viewed our future swamp compound, I was sure the realtor was mistaken about broadband because it really is in the middle of nowhere, but sure enough, blazing fast connectivity. My theory is a cable exec has a winter house out here. Otherwise, I can’t account for it.

  158. 158.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @O. Felix Culpa: It was in 2010. As part of the ’09 stimulus package were a number of infrastructure projects in rural areas. A crew came thru laying a big circle of pipe thru this part of the county for fiber optics. I went up and talked to them for a bit and got the info that our electric coop was putting it in. So I went to their web page to see what info I could get on the project and that’s where I learned everything else. My wife got as excited as the Woofmeister does when I grab the frisbee.

    Then of course the 2010 midterms happened. And the pipe remained empty. When I went back to see when they were going to finish it, the web page was gone. Then the creek flooded and tore the pipe out of the ground there, where it began to wag back and forth in the current. And still does to this day.

    The Repubs could have easily passed the money to put in the cable, but that would have made Obama look good and they were determined to never let that happen.

  159. 159.

    SFAW

    @OzarkHillbilly:

     where we could not call our neighbor (and vice a versa) without getting  high pitched feed back

    You sure it wasn’t just your neighbor keening after he realized it was you on the line?

  163. 163.

    evodevo

    @SFAW: ​
      LOLOL – on the other hand…true story from the hills of KY – our analog TV antenna was mounted in a tree, way up a hillside, with that old style “ladder” wire going down to our house. I, at 10, was the designated “clearer” for the line, because the least twig/leaf/etc on the line would short it out. So, I was up there at least once a week, climbing an almost vertical loose dirt hillside trying to bring us a clear signal, which was almost impossible…this was the norm for ALL the households in the county until the advent of cable in the mid to late Sixties in small town KY – WELCOME TO THE COUNTRY!!

  164. 164.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @O. Felix Culpa: The AT&T techs tell us AT&T isn’t putting anymore money into landlines than is required by law. Basically they are just letting it wither. We don’t have much choice but to have it in case there is an emergency.

  166. 166.

    Central Planning

    @OzarkHillbilly: I’m a big fan of Hardcore History. It feels well researched and I like the style of his delivery.

    @OzarkHillbilly: If it’s in your budget and your service area, the Calyx Institute offers memberships that include unlimited 4G from Sprint/TMobile for $40-$50/month depending on your plan. A co-worker in Nebraska signed up with them and said it was a game changer for his family – both for work and his kids’ distance learning.

    ETA: I recently paid for a 3-month membership to try out the unlimited 4G at my inlaw’s house. They have super shitty DSL and always have problems with it. We’ll see what happens.

    ETA ETA: @Ken: I’ve been having this problem today too. Reloading the page seems to help. Firefox on Mac Big Sur here.

  167. 167.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @Ken: I just started having that issue myself. When I clicked over to the text box I got a weird code around the person I was trying to reply too.

  168. 168.

    Geminid

    @O. Felix Culpa: When 7th VA Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger debated Republican challenger and Clup for Growth champion Nick Freitas, they went after each other hammer and tongs on every issue but rural broadband, which they both agreed there should be more of.  I suspect substantial support for rural broadband will make it into some larger package passed by the new Congress. With borrowing costs close to zero, this is a good area for federal investments.

  169. 169.

    Platonicspoof

    @Baud: and others:

    I hope the poll questions about minimum wage always include the phase in period.

    Biden didn’t specify on Thursday a proposed timeline for reaching a $15 hourly minimum. He has previously voiced support for the Raise the Wage Act, which the Democratic-controlled House approved in 2019. That legislation, which went nowhere in the Republican-controlled Senate in the last Congress, called for raising the minimum wage in steps until it reached $15 in 2025, as well as gradually increasing the minimum wage for tipped workers and those with disabilities.

  172. 172.

    evodevo

    @OzarkHillbilly: ​
      Our AT&T landline keeps going dead because of squirrel chews and dead branches…and our ~one mile-long line isn’t accessible by their bucket trucks…they have to walk it on foot – the younger linemen are totally nonplussed and don’t know how to handle it lol

  173. 173.

    Ken

    @OzarkHillbilly: I’m seeing this in the Text box:

    <p data-mce-fragment=”1″><a href=”#comment-8061513″ data-mce-fragment=”1″>@OzarkHillbilly</a>: ​</p>&nbsp;

    Google says MCE is the TinyMCE Javascript WYSIWYG editor. I don’t recall seeing data-mce before, but then I rarely used the Text tab. However I’m pretty sure the &nbsp; is in the wrong place, it needs to be inside the <p> markup.​​

  175. 175.

    Scout211

    @OzarkHillbilly:

    The AT&T techs tell us AT&T isn’t putting anymore money into landlines than is required by law. Basically they are just letting it wither. We don’t have much choice but to have it in case there is an emergency.

    Yep.  We have lived out here in the boonies for 13 years.  Our landline has been out maybe 8-10 times during that period, sometimes due to weather, sometimes due to “switched wires” and sometimes due to who knows why.  They will not upgrade any wiring but they will repair it.  We do like the landline for emergencies and we don’t use VoiP because not only does our landline go out, so does our power (in addition to the PG&E “safety” outages during windstorms to prevent fires).

    We had Dish paired with satellite internet (WildBlue before it was Exeed, now something else) for our internet for several years.  But then a local set up a wireless network for customers.  We are able to use this because our house is on a hill and can get the signal (which he bounces from a large signal he purchases from the Bay Area).  It’s slow, it’s goes down a lot (he is also the only tech for 440 customers!) but it is so much better than satellite internet.  It’s unlimited and he never raises the price.  Cheaper, unlimited but slow and at times unstable.  But way better than satellite.

  176. 176.

    rikyrah

    Marjorie Taylor Greene’s greatest hits should be played in every swing district race. Make every vulnerable Republican be forced to defend her just like they try to tie our entire party to AOC and the Squad. Time to play chess, folks.— chris evans (@notcapnamerica) January 29, 2021

  177. 177.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    Has Marty Baron already left? Took a couple weeks off to get the retirement cottage ready? Look who’s already getting her “I was so upset I almost said something!” rehab/puff piece

    Matt Viser @mviser · 1h
    You don’t know Ronna. Inside the complicated life of Donald Trump’s GOP chair, Ronna McDaniel — Romney political dynasty heir, milkshake aficionado, casino blackjack player. via @jdawsey1 and @RoigFranzia. https://wapo.st/3t1Sk37

    James Hohmann @jameshohmann
    Ronna McDaniel says in an interview with @jdawsey1 &@RoigFranzia that the low point in her tenure as RNC chair came when she followed Trump’s lead and threw the RNC’s full support behind Roy Moore *after* allegations of sexual assault/misconduct.

    haven’t read it, ain’t a’gonna. Maybe Charlie Pierce will do a filleting.

  178. 178.

    NotMax

    Couldn’t for the life of me conjure the title the other day during discussion here about William Shatner. Memory shards just coalesced.

    For him as studly young actor, check out 1957’s The Defender on Prime. Also featuring an up and comer by name of Steve McQueen.

  180. 180.

    Dopey-o

    @Baud: 

    I’m not saying we’re close to that level. I just think we’d be in a stronger position if we had a solid economic theory about what the level should be.

    A good economic indicator that the minimum wage is getting too high:
    When working-class Americans achieve a 5% savings rate, instead of pouring 100% of their take-home pay into food, clothing and shelter.

  183. 183.

    Jeffro

    @Matt McIrvin:People have been very successfully propagandized into believing that raising the minimum wage will destroy millions of jobs and wreak all sorts of havoc.

    Exactly.  Propagandized over 40 years about this very thing.

  186. 186.

    Hoodie

    Obliquely relevant to the challenges facing Democrats, a story about the Covid response in South Korea.  1400 deaths in a population of 52 million, roughly equivalent to 9000 in the US. Yes, there are differences that might make Korea better able to control an epidemic, but they didn’t invoke anywhere near the restrictions we did.  Most of it was contact tracing and quick response to outbreaks.  Sad thing is that 92 percent of Koreans opted into a voluntary contact tracing app, while only 42 percent of Americans say they would use a voluntary contact tracing app.  Of course, you can bet that a good number of the 58% so worried about their precious personal information would mindlessly sign up with some hinky internet site that would transmit their precious personal information straight to Ukraine if they got a free trial or a chance to see some boobs.  Idiocracy was a prophecy.

    A former news guy at FOX gave an interview the other day in which he related that the thing you have to understand about platforms like Fox, Newsmax and OAN is that they are giving their audiences what they want.  He said when Fox would provide accurate information, like when they called Arizona for Biden, they got bombarded with emails and calls from irate audience members who threatened to quit watching the network unless it confirmed what they want to believe.  They’ve become junkies for this type of information, wanting ever more potent hits.

    Maybe this stuff does elicit some type of psychochemical gratification, and the Fox problem should be viewed as a public health/substance abuse problem, where the substance is media content.    This content can be addictive, and the most addictive stuff is the empty-calorie stuff that is not tethered to reality and feeds the craving without requiring much in the way of thought or investigation, both of which require work.   We’re thoroughly immersed in this stuff, most of it being generally harmless stuff like entertainment news.   However, a class of it is political in nature, because a lot of people get their kicks from that.  Some people predisposed to abuse appear to be particularly attracted to right wing stuff because of the paranoia and magical thinking,  not sure why that is but probably has to do with the same group tending to be more attracted to evangelical Christianity.  There is an almost endless supply of content to feed this addiction, unlike the days in which you had a morning paper, an evening paper, and three half-hour evening news programs.   Like other addictions, it can consume your life so much that you do things like ignore your own health.

  187. 187.

    O. Felix Culpa

    @Betty Cracker: Exactly an argument for rural broadband as economic stimulus for the boonies. I’m glad it worked out for you! How else would we get those otter, bird, and dreaded reptile pix?

  188. 188.

    O. Felix Culpa

    @OzarkHillbilly: That’s a plausible explanation for our landline deterioration. I can well imagine that they’re not maintaining the lines. They’re barely keeping up with our broadband.

    @Geminid: Yes, I think rural broadband is becoming that rare issue with bipartisan support. The pandemic has highlighted the gross disparities, for schoolchildren as well as business.

  189. 189.

    Jeffro

    @NotMax:There are too many who see “$15/hour minimum wage” but read it as “$15 for a Big Mac.”

    Exactly.  The power & appeal of super-cheap fast food, ugh

  190. 190.

    Central Planning

    @OzarkHillbilly: If she thinks it’s a good idea, make sure she checks for the TMobile/Sprint coverage. If it’s shitty, no amount of unlimited data is going to help you.

  192. 192.

    Jay

    @WaterGirl:

    naw, it was a comment about how recently, there are some people who I would invite in, ( and I don’t share elevators in a time of covid) and the elevator would become suddenly, one of those Agatha Christie, locked door, murder mysteries.

  193. 193.

    Barbara

    @OzarkHillbilly: ​
      I listened to more Dan Carlin than I can stomach when my own kids were in high school. It’s not that he is boring or lacks knowledge, but he has a schtick, and the schtick is, “Accepted wisdom on this issue is all wrong and let me tell you why . . .” I found it to be really, really tedious.

  194. 194.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    Scott Gottlieb, MD @ScottGottliebMD
    1/2 The J&J vaccine turns in a fantastic result. We now have 3 highly effective vaccines. This vaccine showed sustained (and increasing!) immune protection over time, perhaps from a robust early induction of memory immune cells (CD4 and CD8). The protection was strong and durable

    2/2 This one shot vaccine was highly effective at preventing severe disease, even with new variants. The milieu of disease now is more complex; even in U.S. – trials done today are running into more mutated cases. Make no mistake: this is an important and wonderful development.

    That “sustained (and increasing!) immune protection is interesting. Gottlieb’s feed has a lot of interesting observations, almost all positive, about the J&J vaccine, even for a science dummy like me.

  195. 195.

    taumaturgo

    @O. Felix Culpa: Oddly, that argument doesn’t seem to apply to CEO salary and benefits. Not sure why.

    One group is deserving and entitled, the other group is inadequate, lazy, and unmerited.

  196. 196.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @taumaturgo: That cynicism is going to get you in trouble someday.  And sure isn’t going to help bring about the revolution – although, that might benefit you as you are likely to be first up against the wall when it does come.

  197. 197.

    Betty Cracker

    @rikyrah: I’d argue that’s basic checkers rather than chess, but I’m all for it. A Dem rep. from California has introduced a bill to expel MTG. They should add the Qbert lady who live-tweeted Pelosi’s whereabouts during the Capitol siege. Compile a list of HER greatest hits too and throw in a montage of so-called mainstream Republican Party leaders egging on the mob at the Capitol and the resulting violence and death, and boom, that’s a powerful ad.

  205. 205.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    So speaking of harassment in the work place; we have a bit of it going on at were I work, if not in the traditional fashion. One of my coworkers, call her Miss Succubus, is trying to sleep her way to the top. The problem is Miss Succubus chose the biggest wanker in the department as her latest conquest*, Mr Maximus Wanker has fight going with everyone, because that’s what wankers do. Miss Succubus feels she has to join in and support her latest meat puppet, . The whole thing came to a head because the QA inspector was calling Mr Maximum Wanker on some workmanship issue, instead of just correcting it, as per the wanker code instead he threw a fit, Mss Succubus jumped in started harassing the QA inspector, who is a woman, and the QA inspector went to HR, now HR and upper management are aware this less than professional work relationship and not to pleased

    So woman on woman harassment, the ladies are certainly breaking some glass cleanings. Lovely.

    * Likely because every other guy at work as the sense to get Miss Succubus is a good way to end up fired.

  206. 206.

    Uncle Cosmo

    Baud at #50 above: Keep in mind what “percent effectiveness” means: It’s a population measure across all those vaccinated. No individual is “52% protected against the SA strain” – 52% of all those vaccinated generate sufficient antibodies to Thuh Varss to keep from getting sick. I.e., either you’re protected by the vaccine or you ain’t.

    This means that antibody testing of the entire vaccinated population will be crucial. Because anyone inoculated who fails to develop antibodies is still at risk, and needs to (1) continue to keep exposure to the absolute minimum and (2) get inoculated ASAP with another vaccine that works in a somewhat different way to induce immunity. (And if that still doesn’t work…)

  208. 208.

    Geminid

    @karen marie: Well, I just read the story as presented by the commenter, and there was no byline. But you seem well intentioned, and I will keep your advice in mind.

  209. 209.

    Matt McIrvin

    @Jeffro: There are also inflation fears involved: I’ve heard more than one person say that raising the minimum wage will just cause inflation sufficient to bring the real minimum wage back down to the same level, as if this were some sort of accounting identity (it’s not).

  210. 210.

    Soprano2

    @OzarkHillbilly: My Senator/Rep killed broad band when Obama tried to expand it here.

    Ironically, I think our waste of space governor Parson mentioned expansion of broadband in his State of the State address. I guess when Obama wanted to do it, that was “socialism”, but when they want to do it that’s A-OK. I’m sure they’ll figure out a way to do it that makes sure their broadband contributors make out like bandits from it.

  212. 212.

    Uncle Cosmo

    @Uncle Cosmo: To finish this thought:

    Therefore, anyone who gets an opportunity to be vaccinated should seriously consider taking it, even if the specific vaccine’s population effectiveness is somewhat less than optimum. Especially if the wait for a more effective vaccine might be long. Because it might be effective for you!

  213. 213.

    Ruckus

    @Baud:

    This.

    It is important to remember that the political right has coalesced around trump, even as he’s been twice impeached and as he’s no longer in office and is deranged, lazy and stupid. The one other thing he is is a stone racist and has been for a long time. They have been waiting for a no apologies racist for the last 50 yrs. And one showed up. trump may not be as popular with all conservatives but with the rabid racists, his style is what they want. The really rabid racists, the white robe/hood devision, is behind him.

  214. 214.

    L85NJGT

    @Soprano2:

    The stimulus value is certainly overstated, but the copper wires are more costly to maintain, while providing worse service, so good riddance.

  215. 215.

    Just One More Canuck

    (Heck, that photo makes them both look like guys you wouldn’t get on an elevator with… )

     

    Heck, that photo makes them both look like guys I’d want to kick in the nuts

  216. 216.

    Ruckus

    @Baud:

    There is a large segment that is really, really past ready for the $15 min wage. A lot of the people making over that don’t think it’s as big a deal, because they may have made less than that at one time but moved on. Especially an old. I made $1.25/hr when I started working the then existing min wage. Most olds probably don’t realize the min wage has not really kept up with life, unless they are really political and if they are conservative, that concept that everyone has to go through what they did is strong.

  217. 217.

    J R in WV

    @Ruckus:

    I made $0.80 my first summer job, which was minimum wage at the time. Working for the family business, nights, proof reader vacation relief, every penny went into a saving account “For your college fund!” as opposed to being spent on Ace SF Double paperback books.

    I’m not a grammarian, nor a great speller, but I can tell when something looks wrong, “off” and look it up. Must have been OK, did it off and on for years in Jr Hi and HS.

  218. 218.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @Ruckus: I’d love to see a poll of what people think the minimum wage is, more or less than $10/hr, something like that

  220. 220.

    Kelly

    @OzarkHillbilly:The AT&T techs tell us AT&T isn’t putting anymore money into landlines than is required by law

    We have fast fiber optic to our house out here on a dead end gravel road several miles from town. Our service is via a phone Co-Op. After the Beachie fire any copper that was damaged was replaced with fiber. It’s good to own a local utility.

  221. 221.

    Fair Economist

    @PPCLI:

    As usual, the media stenographers have the memories of goldfish. Using reconciliation is a “declaration of war”? Not only did the Republicans use reconciliation for their big tax cuts for 1%ers bill, but they completely cut the Democrats out of any input into the process:

    They didn’t even show the Democratic representatives the bill until a few hours before the vote.

    If I recall correctly, the Republicans didn’t accept any Democratic amendments at all.

    There wasn’t a single Democratic vote in favor of the bill, in either the House or Senate. Not one. And yet the Republicans were in no way troubled by the absence of “bipartisanship” that they are now whining about. (They didn’t even get all the Republicans on board.)

    The bill was loaded with provisions that were intentionally punitive against Democratic states, for example the near elimination of the deduction for State/Local taxes. (I thought that it was a bad thing for “money to be taxed twice”, to use the rhetoric of Republicans on the estate tax.)

    And that’s just a partial list. Any citation of a Republican talking about “declaring war” and “unity” and “bipartisanship” and so on that doesn’t mention the open hostility of the Republican actions on the tax bill is committing journalistic malpractice.

    This is another comment I really, really wish I could tweet with a link.

  222. 222.

    cain

    @Betty Cracker:

    It probably landed with her because there was no fox news, right wing messaging around it. They have not received communiques from the borg on how to answer such questions. Once you start going down the path of real policy issues – they don’t have much to say about it.

  223. 223.

    Ken

    @J R in WV: every penny went into a saving account “For your college fund!” as opposed to being spent on Ace SF Double paperback books.

    Is this one of those situations where if you’d bought the books and kept them in good condition, you could now sell them for more than your college degree was worth to you?

  225. 225.

    There go two miscreants

    Late comment about the $15 minimum wage. I recommend the writings of Noah Smith. For those who read twitter, he’s @Noahpinion. He also has a new blog on substack, which you can get as an email newsletter as well: noahpinion.substack.com. He’s an economist, but in the social democrat mold. I have read him for years (he had an older standalone blog). He published a recent piece on why he believes the $15 minimum will work out OK.

    Also worth following/reading on twitter: @jdcmedlock. He bills himself as “Social democrat in the streets, market socialist in the sheets. Welfare, labor, and healthcare policy. ” Can be a bit cryptic at times but has interesting stuff.

  226. 226.

    gene108

    @Ruckus:

    When I got my first job, in 1991, the minimum wage had recently been raised to $4.25/hour.

    Thirty years later it’s $7.25/hour, and stuff is way more expensive than $3/hour hike will actually cover.

  230. 230.

    citizen dave

    @There go two miscreants: Have not read the whole thread (skipped to the end), but wanted to say I really appreciate these recommendations, especially as an old economist by schooling.  I don’t keep up with the “name” economists/blogs, but appreciate these types who I’m guessing I agree with.

  232. 232.

    sab

    @OzarkHillbilly: My brother-in-law in Louisiana said his landline was a lifesaver after Katrina. So we in Ohio kept ours for a couple of years (ATT) until we noticed that it went out every time it rained while our cellphone coverage was fine.

  234. 234.

    debbie

    @Geminid:

    Honestly, living in NYC in the 1980s and 1990s, it was pretty much a given that Trump was benefitting from the Russians, and it would have been foolishly naive even then not to think that the Russians weren’t taking advantage of the situation. But now we definitely have more specifics.

  235. 235.

    Geminid

    @debbie: The Craig Unger book American Kompromat is getting play. The Times of Israel just put up a story, and cited AP. If AP is carrying it, this story may show up in a lot of newspapers tomorrow. I’ve heard the allegations about trump laundering Russian money for a while. I’m hoping a federal grand jury can nail it down.

  236. 236.

    Jinchi

    @rikyrah:

    I’ve heard more and more personal stories of people who had to barricade themselves in offices like kids in a school shooting – rightfully fearing for their lives. What degree of willful ignorance is necessary to forget that and “move on”?

    Maybe the most disturbing part of that quote is that we all understand “like kids in a school shooting” and use it as a standard of how close to a massacre we came on Jan 6th.

    I remember after Sandy Hook thinking that Congress was certain to pass new gun legislation. If Republicans moved on from that, I don’t see why they wouldn’t shrug this off as well.

  237. 237.

    PPCLI

    @Fair Economist: Thanks, I appreciate that.

    I don’t do twitter (since if I did it at all I would do it all the time — I know my weaknesses!) But if you’d like to copy-paste the message and tweet it as a thread, feel free!

  238. 238.

    Kathleen

    @zhena gogolia: I saw an interview with the source and the author on a Narrative live stream. If you’re on Twitter I suggest you check out Lincoln’s Bible. She was also on the broadcast and has been studying Russian mob for years.

  239. 239.

    dnfree

    @Baud: Every time I see MJ I think it’s Mother Jones, because I never watch the one you mean. It usually  takes me several comments  by other people before I figure it out.

  240. 240.

    Just Chuck

    @sab: Weird, it’s usually land lines that get obliterated by natural disasters, and emergency cell towers are the first things to go up after.  Coverage from those is spotty, but at least existent.

  241. 241.

    J R in WV

    @Fair Economist:

    This is another comment I really, really wish I could tweet with a link.

    You can do that, use the time stamp to the right of  the poster’s nym. Copy link, paste it wherever you want to put it.

  242. 242.

    J R in WV

    @Ken:

    Is this one of those situations where if you’d bought the books and kept them in good condition, you could now sell them for more than your college degree was worth to you?

    Unfortunately, not. The Ace double paperbacks were high-acid cheapest possible paper, self disintegrated in just a very few years. Before I got out of college, actually. Fragmented pages, dissolved binding. Sad, they were golden age SciFi, made me who I am today.

    ETA: Obviously I did buy some of them, with my allowance.

  243. 243.

    J R in WV

    @debbie:

    There should never be any trust until those Republicans have retired.

    There should never be any trust until those Republicans have retired Gone to JAIL!!!

    Fixed that for ya~!

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