Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

You cannot shame the shameless.

Dead end MAGA boomers crying about Talyor Swift being a Dem is my kind of music. Turn it up.

I did not have this on my fuck 2022 bingo card.

Michigan is a great lesson for Dems everywhere: when you have power…use it!

Nothing says ‘pro-life’ like letting children go hungry.

Is it irresponsible to speculate? It is irresponsible not to.

You don’t get to peddle hatred on saturday and offer condolences on sunday.

Let there be snark.

This country desperately needs a functioning Fourth Estate.

This year has been the longest three days of putin’s life.

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

I have other things to bitch about but those will have to wait.

It’s always darkest before the other shoe drops.

… gradually, and then suddenly.

Every day Vance writes another chapter in the book called “Worst VP Pick Ever”.

Never entrust democracy to any process that requires Republicans to act in good faith.

How any woman could possibly vote for this smug smarmy piece of misogynistic crap is beyond understanding.

There are a lot more evil idiots than evil geniuses.

“Everybody’s entitled to be an idiot.”

Let me eat cake. The rest of you could stand to lose some weight, frankly.

There is no compromise when it comes to body autonomy. You either have it or you don’t.

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

Hi god, it’s us. Thanks a heap, you’re having a great week and it’s only Thursday!

Let the trolls come, and then ignore them. that’s the worst thing you can do to a troll.

You are here: Home / Open Threads / Saturday Open Thread: History Matters

Saturday Open Thread: History Matters

by | 120 Comments

This post is in: 

Another Scott posted a link to this in an earlier thread.

I didn’t know these details about the history of the Supreme Court.  Did you?

.

.

.

And this, on the history of the filibuster.

We need to stop having conversations about the filibuster and the Supreme Court on Republican terms.

History matters.

Reader Interactions

120Comments

  7. 7.

    Baud

    Another interesting historical tidbit.

    The right to petition Congress was much more robust until the slave owners shut it down because they didn’t want to deal with petitions about slavery.

  8. 8.

    Betty

    I hope all Democrats grasp what is at stake. The media will play up Republican hissy fits over these issues so it will take serious determination to do what is required.

  9. 9.

    Barbara

    @WaterGirl: Yeah it’s right there in the Constitution, no territory can become a state unless a certain percentage of its population is employed in logging, mining and manufacturing.

  13. 13.

    Baud

    @WaterGirl:

    It’s definitely shaped our system in ways that are not obvious on their face.

    Indian law is still suffering from the effects of Jacksonian era racism.

  15. 15.

    Mike R

    @WaterGirl: Goons like Cotton, Cruz and Hawley aren’t embarrassed they know what they are pitching to the base is bull.  They just don’t care, as long as the rank and file are buying the tripe, their base is dumber than a box of rocks.  They for sure don’t care what we think, they are reasonably sure we will never vote for them.  Now Ron Johnson, that may not be an act, his performances academy award level stuff if it is an act, my thought he is too dumb to know he is embarrassing himself.

  16. 16.

    trollhattan

    Meanwhile.

    Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro has approved a cut to the environment ministry budget a day after he vowed to boost spending to tackle deforestation.

    At a US-led climate summit, he promised to double the money reserved for environmental enforcement and to end illegal deforestation by 2030.

    But the budget signed off on Friday did not include his spending pledge, or additional proposals made by Congress.

    His government has weakened protections and wants to develop protected areas.

    Critics say the president’s promises on Thursday were linked to a controversial deal Brazil is negotiating with the US to receive financial aid in return for protecting the Amazon, the world’s largest rainforest, and other areas.

    Mowing down the Amazon rainforest for cattle and profit has an accelerating effect on global warming. Bolsonaro is a big fan of all three.

  19. 19.

    WaterGirl

    Just a reminder…. Balloon Juice turns 20 in January, and I am starting a collection of links for the occasion.  So if you have links to any of the classic threads – when John brought Lily home, faxing credenzas, Red Kitten’s baby being born, etc, please send links to me by email.  thanks.

  21. 21.

    WaterGirl

    @sab: It is Tom Cotton, but I have to tell you that I watched the whole thing 3 times just to get to see the response by Mondaire Jones.  It was so good.  Totally worth seeing Tom Cotton for several seconds.

  22. 22.

    L85NJGT

    I see the Missouri legislature refuses to adhere to Missouri constitution, and fund voter approved Medicaid expansion. Next stop, federal court.

    If this governance stuff is just a suggestion to the Boll weevils, then yes, nine is just a number.

  25. 25.

    Another Scott

    A few things that strike me about Rep. Jones:

    1. He’s only been in office since January.
    2. He perfectly illustrates the benefits and importance of diversity in groups.  He brings new and important perspectives.
    3. He shows the importance of history, and being able to understand and recall the meaning of history – it’s not just a bunch of boring dates where dead white guys did things.

    Thanks, WG.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  26. 26.

    Ken

    @WaterGirl: It had that facelift a couple of years ago.  Thanks for all your work, by the way.

    How about having a timeline of the blog as part of the celebration?  Any other facelifts or provider changes, a list of when front-pagers joined and left, when we hit the thousandth post or millionth comment (have we?), that sort of stuff.

  27. 27.

    cain

    @WaterGirl:

    Yeah, I never really figured it out until the last 12 years. They’ve finally revealed themselves and continue to go down the path as the middle class grows in minorities communities.

    These assholes want to pull a political Tulsa on the country.

  29. 29.

    cain

    @Mike R:

    What they’ve learned is that they can boldly do anything they want as long as they are unapologetic – the base is happy to accommodate them and even give them money because their job is fuzz up reality by throwing bullshit everywhere.

    The real failure is that 24 hour news is not up to the job of being real journalists. Ultimately GOP shit is what makes them money not Democratic and so market forces is what drives this behavior. They even got all your 24 hours news nicely subdivided for you – MSNBC for the left leaning, CNN for centrist, FOX for the crazy and you got OANN and others – because the right is willing to give money to any grifter they see.

  31. 31.

    cain

    @Goku (aka Amerikan Baka):

    I think it’s probably time to start putting some serious pressure on Brazil. That asshole needs get kicked out. He’s going to single handedly destroy a unique ecosystem, but also increase climate change for all of us.

    I would be interested in having the rainforest and many others in a world trust to protect the planet. We would pay Brazil handsomely to maintain its pristine state. A billion or two a year and we could possibly make sure it is directed towards financial incentives for farmers and the like.

  32. 32.

    MomSense

    This is one of the last weekends before my folks come back to Maine so my kids’ band is here for a rehearsal / jam session in the barn.  2 guitars, keyboards, sax, base, and drums.  They’re setting up now and it’s going to get loud soon.
    The bass player brought his dog and he is a little thing but already bossing everyone around.  They have an EP coming out soon and a bunch of gigs starting next month and they need to practice.
    Barn doors are open, strong breeze off the ocean and everyone is either vaxxer or partially vaxxed.
    I’m in charge of knitting and sitting on the porch in a rocking chair.

    They’re warming up to Hey Joe now.

  33. 33.

    TinRoofRusted

    @Another Scott: as I mentioned yesterday he is my Rep and I could not be more thrilled.  Nita Lowey was an excellent Congressperson but she was ready for retirement. Mondaire to me represents everything good about the US and NY for that matter.  He is the son of a Haitian immigrant who graduated from his local high school, went to Stanford and then Harvard and has mostly worked in public service since.  He has a bright future and I look forward to voting for him for many years to come for whatever office he wants.

  34. 34.

    cain

    @Baud:

    I saw an old movie “Thunderheart” starring Val Kilmer who ludicrously is cast as “half-Sioux” – it does a really good job showing the sheer poverty of the reservations. There was some Lakota mysticism involved as well.

    The visuals were haunting both of the land and abject poverty. There was a bit of moralizing as well. I thought it was a good flick for the most part. But it’s interesting to watch it after all that has been happening in the past 25 years.

  35. 35.

    cain

    @Mike R:

    I was reminded of an old Danny Kaye movie called the Inspector General and in the opening scene there was a musical piece of him being a literal snake oil salesman and then getting a bit of a conscious. That’s not what today’s hucksters have.

    Check it out – https://youtu.be/IP5MACISYHA?t=601

    ETA Also, Danny Kaye is awesome – give you a nice pep for your Saturday :-)

  36. 36.

    Ken

    @WaterGirl: I was trying to come up with some contest ideas too, but all I could think of was guessing the number of comments about the willow.

  38. 38.

    MomSense

    @Rob:

    For gigs they play a variety of things.  They’re all music nerds so they have a big repertoire.  The EP is original music written by a good friend of theirs so they are the band for his songs.  I think they are sort of merging because they play 4-5 of my son’s songs (one is a blues rumba) and their lead singer has been writing.  As soon as it is released I’ll share the link.  All I have now are a couple of drop box links with two of the singles.

  39. 39.

    MomSense

    The neighbors are all coming out and setting up their lawn chairs.  The woman across the street is in her 80s and she’s already dancing.

  41. 41.

    JoyceH

    You know, I’ve seen people complain that Biden appointing a commission to study the Supreme Court issue is just a way to table the matter, but I really don’t think so. I think what he’s doing is starting to build a consensus and a rationale for expanding the court. There are good reasons for expanding the court that are completely non-partisan. The Supreme Court has just become too small to function effectively in a nation with a population this large. The appeals courts directly below the Supreme Court have rosters than range from 10 judges to 29 judges. So I think the plan is to gather the facts and promote the notion that the Supreme Court is too small for such a large and technologically advanced nation, which could pick up some support from people who might not buy into ‘we must expand the court because it’s too conservative’.

  43. 43.

    WaterGirl

    @JoyceH: I think that was a great decision on Biden’s part.

    First he promised it while running, so why not deliver?

    More importantly, he did NOT charge the commission with making a recommendation!

    He asked for pros and cons and other information, so Biden has clearly left the decision-making up to him.

    So there won’t be delays about what to include and what the Rs and Dems can agree on.  Everything can go in there, Joe and his advisors will look at the totality of the information, and look at what’s happening in real life, and make a decision.

    Seems really smart to me.

  44. 44.

    guachi

    If the organization of your government is such that the racists win then change how your government is organized. Probably a good rule to live by.

  45. 45.

    JoyceH

    @WaterGirl:  While they’re at it, they might want to split the 9th circuit into 2. That’s the court with 29 judges, and it has double the population of any other circuit court. It’s the west coast and the next level inland – it’s enormous! When did they set those boundaries, pre-Gold Rush?!

  47. 47.

    James E Powell

    @JoyceH:

    I think what he’s doing is starting to build a consensus and a rationale for expanding the court.

    Biden knows we get nowhere without doing this first.

  50. 50.

    WaterGirl

    @guachi: You are active military, correct?

    So you can say whatever you like on blogs as long as you’re not posting as Private First Class or Major so-and-so, right?  You can be as political as you want, privately?  As long as you’re not a white supremacist?

    Just curious what the rules are.

  52. 52.

    FelonyGovt

    @TinRoofRusted: I just looked up Rep. Jones to see where his district is, since I’m originally a New Yorker, and I saw that he is exactly my daughter’s age, born in May of 1987. Yikes. But that’s wonderful.

  53. 53.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @JoyceH: I think broad judicial reform is a much better approach than the start-at-the-top “Expand the Court!”

  56. 56.

    Rob

    @JoyceH: ​
     

    I think what he’s doing is starting to build a consensus and a rationale for expanding the court.

    I hope you are right!

  58. 58.

    guachi

    @WaterGirl: It’s not supposed to be partisan so something like “vote for democrats” is against the rules. But advocating policy is fine – tax the rich, add DC as a state, expand the Supreme Court.

     

    Personally, I don’t actually care if other members of the military advocate for or against a party. I’m on a First Class FB group and the partisan posts were hot and heavy last Fall.

    Opinions are good, IMO. Shows that you actually care.

  63. 63.

    WaterGirl

    @MomSense: It will be wonderful to have your dad back, I’m sure, but I supposed it will complicate the otherwise simple “let’s hang out at the farm.”  (or whatever you call it)

  64. 64.

    MomSense

    @WaterGirl:

    He already said he wants to have a party and get the band to play.  His great aunt, who was born here and lived here, was a musician and elementary school music teacher.  She was also chair of the local temperance society so she might not approve of all the songs about whisky.

  71. 71.

    WaterGirl

    @MomSense:  Yikes, that’s complicated.  A good reminder to all of us to live every day.  I would give a lot to have had one more day/week/month/year with my dad.  I’m glad you get time together.

  72. 72.

    Steve in the ATL

    @MomSense: one of my law school buds, whose family does not sell pecan logs, was the lawyer for the Dave Matthews Band and managed Hanson back when they had a career.  Are your boys ready to go big?

  77. 77.

    MomSense

    @Steve in the ATL:

    Of course I think so, but they have some really good songs and were playing three four nights a week before the pandemic.  The venues like them because they sell out. Mix of guys showing up to hear the guitars and lots of young women because the guys are all handsome.  I can send you some singles once I get them.

  79. 79.

    Ken

    @mrmoshpotato: I shall go edumacate myself.

    It is important to be aware of all Internet traditions.  There may be a quiz as part of the 20th anniversary celebration.

  82. 82.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @cain:

    Totally agree Danny Kaye was awesome. When I was a little kid we had an album of 78s (one song per side, and I think there were 10 or 12 discs in the album). I have many favourites from that whole album, but one thing I didn’t really appreciate until I was a lot older was what a phenomenal scat artist Danny Kaye was. Here are two examples from that long-ago collection that highlight his great scatwork:

    Dinah
    https://youtu.be/4MJswruiUjE

    Minnie the Moocher
    https://youtu.be/eC-W0dMbxww

  85. 85.

    BlueGuitarist

    @WaterGirl: thanks. In addition to the history, should be more widely known that (eta: Republicans in) Arizona and Georgia both increased the size of their state supreme courts about 5 years ago.

  87. 87.

    MomSense

    @BlueGuitarist:
    I’m partial to saying Dems have to unfuck  the courts – along with everything else. The R (in)justices are really out of step with most people.

  91. 91.

    Immanentize

    @MomSense: I so want to be hanging on the porch with you and listening to the band.  Sounds so damn normal.  By the way, the band line up is awesome for so many music directions.  Somehow bass plus sax made me think of Morphine….

    Thursday

    ETA I kinda collect versions of Hey Joe — Patti Smith’s is my fave.

  99. 99.

    Immanentize

    Because I can’t be in Maine — here is one more great rock group w/sax(es).

    Alejandro Escobedo. Teenage Luggage
    (The first song!  NPR tiny desk concert)

  105. 105.

    cain

    @WaterGirl:

    It was a good flick – definitely worth watching if you haven’t seen it in awhile. The guy who plays the reservation sheriff steals every scene he’s in. Always proving he’s about 3-4 steps ahead of the white guy.

  106. 106.

    cain

    @rikyrah:

    Indeed he does.. we are losing a lot of goodwill if we aren’t also seen helping the world – countries like India are suffering quite a bit and they should at least send whatever AZ we have to countries in need.

    Contracts be damned.

  107. 107.

    janesays

    We need to stop having conversations about the filibuster and the Supreme Court on Republican terms.

    Until Sens. Manchin and Sinema hear that message, our hands are tied.

  108. 108.

    aliasofwestgate

    @cain:  I’m hoping he’s working on changing that in the background right now.  Not making an announcement until the paperwork is ready to be signed for the changes so they can start redistribution ASAP.  Negotiating is a bitch, but i really hope they’re doing that as we speak.

  109. 109.

    WaterGirl

    @janesays: I disagree.  We can talk about the history of the filibuster and the history of supreme court changes and refute the  popular talking points as if both of those are sacred and have never been changed before.

  110. 110.

    WaterGirl

    @aliasofwestgate: I have no idea whether there is a legal way to do that or not.  Seems like maybe the defense production act might give them a way out, but I don’t really know about that at all.

    From the article, it sounds like Biden is ramping up production of the vaccines – I presume that new contracts don’t have to have the same terms as the old contracts.

  111. 111.

    Another Scott

    @WaterGirl:

    RollCall from April 5:

    […]

    The debate will come to a head over the next few weeks as Biden makes critical decisions about who owns the knowledge associated with COVID-19 drug inventions that could impact vaccine pricing and production for years to come.

    Vaccines are free to all Americans during the emergency pandemic period, and Biden says the country will have more than enough supply to vaccinate everyone currently eligible. But vaccines may not be free in the future should Americans need boosters, and a pending Trump-era proposed rule could take away the government’s ability to step in and reduce costs.

    “You’re going to see in a relatively short amount of time what is the position of the president of the United States on these issues,” said James Love, the director of Knowledge Ecology International, an activist group that wants Biden to take steps to lower the price of the vaccines by permitting generic drugmakers to make them.

    Biden will soon have to decide what to do about a rule proposed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology in the final weeks of Donald Trump’s presidency that could help drug companies maintain complete control over drug prices, even when taxpayer dollars have funded much of the research and development.

    The 1980 Bayh-Dole Act allows for the government to “march in” and issue a compulsory license for a federally funded invention if the invention is not available to the public under reasonable terms. Practically, this means the federal government could break patents for federally funded drugs or vaccines to authorize generic competition if regulators determine the price is exorbitantly high. Trump’s proposed rule would modify the Bayh-Dole Act in ways that weaken this ability by saying the government cannot use its march-in authority solely based on price. Comments on the proposed rule closed April 5.

    Some Democrats in the House and Senate are trying to block the rule. House Ways & Means Health Subcommittee Chair Lloyd Doggett, D-Texas, Sens. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., and Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., and 31 other House Democrats asked the Biden administration to withdraw the rule. The government has never before exercised its march-in rights, but these lawmakers said having the option was especially important during the pandemic because taxpayers invested in COVID-19 therapeutics and vaccines.

    […]

    COVID-19 drug and vaccine contracts vary on march-in rights. Moderna’s contract contains the standard march-in clause, and Novavax’s vaccine contract generally tracks with the Bayh-Dole Act, according to Knowledge Ecology International, a nonprofit group whose precursor organization was founded by consumer advocate Ralph Nader. Johnson & Johnson’s contract limits march-in rights to during the pandemic. Pfizer’s vaccine was developed entirely with private funds and prohibits the government from marching in.

    […]

    The government has various powers, but they have to be careful or there will be lawsuits that could delay things…

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  112. 112.

    CaseyL

    @cain: ​That is Graham Green, who I first noticed in Dances With Wolves, and whom I absolutely adore. I’ll watch just about anything he’s in – and have. He starred in this very strange eco-thriller, as a person who might be a hallucination, or a god, or an elemental spirit, who torments a land developer for most of the movie. (Clearcut, thanks, Wikipedia!)​

  116. 116.

    Ruckus

    @WaterGirl:

    When all you have is hate and bullshit, you use hate and bullshit.

    All they have ever had is hate and bullshit, so that’s all they have left.

  119. 119.

    Nora

    @Another Scott: He’s MY representative, and I couldn’t be prouder of him!  Not that I disliked Nita Lowey, my former representative, but really, Jones is a winner!

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