Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Tick tock motherfuckers!

Republican obstruction dressed up as bipartisanship. Again.

Historically it was a little unusual for the president to be an incoherent babbling moron.

Some judge needs to shut this circus down soon.

I really should read my own blog.

New McCarthy, same old McCarthyism.

Republicans do not pay their debts.

Second rate reporter says what?

Let’s not be the monsters we hate.

You can’t love your country only when you win.

Perhaps you mistook them for somebody who gives a damn.

A dilettante blog from the great progressive state of West Virginia.

Sitting here in limbo waiting for the dice to roll

Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

When I decide to be condescending, you won’t have to dream up a fantasy about it.

You cannot shame the shameless.

… pundit janitors mopping up after the GOP

Wow, you are pre-disappointed. How surprising.

Let us savor the impending downfall of lawless scoundrels who richly deserve the trouble barreling their way.

Meanwhile over at truth Social, the former president is busy confessing to crimes.

And now I have baud making fun of me. this day can’t get worse.

John Fetterman: Too Manly for Pennsylvania.  Paid for by the Oz for Senator campaign.

“Squeaker” McCarthy

It’s always darkest before the other shoe drops.

You are here: Home / Politics / GOP Death Cult / Tuesday Evening Open Thread: Lest We Forget

Tuesday Evening Open Thread: Lest We Forget

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And frankly, I don’t think A.J. Delgado’s personal involvement in the Trump campaign is incidental to her argument. Sure, she truly believes fighting dirty is the only way to ‘win’ in the present moment, but a slightly smarter person might’ve figured out by now that All-Is-Fair politics only works for the mostly male, mostly white, almost always monied individuals already at the top of the political food chain!

It’s hard that we Democrats always have to be the grownups, but the alternative is so much worse.

Reader Interactions

167Comments

  1. 1.

    debbie

    Sean Patrick Maloney calls bullshit on the GOP’s smug assumption they’ll win the midterms

    For OH, if he happens by:

    “We’re making a bet on substance,” Maloney says, before adding a colorful adage: “What’s the old saying — any jackass can kick down a barn, it takes a carpenter to build one. It’s harder to build it than to kick it down. And so we’re the party that’s going to build the future.”

  2. 2.

    japa21

    Sometimes, being the grown up is hard. Even harder when you see a bunch of “kids” ruining the world and can’t stop them.

  4. 4.

    Baud

    One thing the GOP had been successful at is persuading a lot of people on our side that the GOP’s type of chest-beating machismo style is highest form of political power, and that the only way we can succeed is to beat them at their own game. As a result, you have this division where half of us try to mimic the GOP, and the other half overcompensates in the other direction by being tentative and indecisive. We need to learn to develop and pursue our own style that represents our values, not theirs.

  5. 5.

    Poe Larity

    So basically we decided the threaded comments argument is divided by pragmatic surrender monkeys and card carrying antifas.

    This is probably an after effect of Phish banning mosh pits.

  7. 7.

    Betsy

    Great take, Anne Laurie.

    There’s been a lot of ink spilled lately on the topic of people being insulated from the consequences of their actions. I think the electoral college and gerrymandering are two examples of that insulation from consequences.  And it’s linked to what you point out, white male power privilege. It can’t work forever.

    I’d like to get into the other side of being insulated from the consequences of one’s own actions. The flipside of it is this for the working and the poor:  when people work hard and try to do well, and the system erodes their hard work. Through a combination of wage suppression, poor social safety net, poor risk management as a community, which of course is the only way that risk can really be managed.

    We are laying the ground for failure at all levels. On the one hand we failed to reward people for their dedication and hard work, and on the other hand the system fails to hold  people accountable who are at high enough levels or who have arbitrary power.  The accountability could be At the ballot box or elsewhere.

    Accountability. It’s the opposite of nihilism.

    Republican columnists always like to talk about moral hazard. It’s all just projection

  8. 8.

    trollhattan

    Our part-time Kardashian and wannabe governor has some competition. Larry Elder, everybody!

    California workers currently earn a minimum of $13 or $14 an hour, but Larry Elder says he’d get rid of a legal baseline altogether.

    “For somebody who’s never run a business to tell business people… ‘I’m going to jack up your price of labor, and you’re going to deal with it,’ to me, it’s offensive,” said Elder, a longtime conservative talk radio host and leading candidate to replace Gov. Gavin Newsom in the recall election this fall.

    “The ideal minimum wage is $0.00,” he added. [This was once legal in thirteen or so states, wasn’t it Larry? How’d that go?]

    During a wide-spanning interview with McClatchy’s California editorial boards on Tuesday, Elder expounded on his plans for governing California, which he argues are based on “common sense” principals that “Joe and Joan Sixpack” can agree with.

    He said minimum wages are burdensome on businesses and cut down on jobs. Current California law requires a $14 minimum wage for employers with 26 or more employees and $13 for employers with less than 26 employees.

    “Why two people who are adults can’t determine what the price of labor ought to be, is beyond me, and why a third party feels it is his or her business to interfere with that is also beyond me,” he said.

    Elder, who grew up in Los Angeles, has for decades shared his conservative views via a nationally-syndicated radio show and newspaper columns. After entering the recall race in July, Elder quickly became the leading candidate, outpacing fellow California Republicans who have been campaigning for months.

    Unlike former San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer or Assembly Kevin Kiley, R-Rocklin, Elder has no elected governing experience ⁠— but argued that a government background isn’t strictly necessary for running California.

    “There was a gentleman who came out of Hollywood, who was not on talk radio for 27 years, as I have been, was not on every major market in California from Sacramento down to San Diego, was not a syndicated columnist for some 23 years, as I am… he came out of Hollywood, and became a pretty good two-term governor and a pretty good president,” Elder said. “I’m not comparing myself to Ronald Reagan, what I am saying is that sometimes political experience doesn’t tell you anything.”
     https://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article253231758.html#storylink=cpy

    I’m not Ronald Reagan, but just think of Ronald Reagan.

  9. 9.

    Baud

    I do think we give up too soon when Dems are in power though.  I’m hoping 2022 breaks the trend.

  10. 10.

    Kent

    There actually aren’t that many GOPers who win competitive races.  Sure they win the governor’s races and senate races in places like TX.  But that’s TEXAS.   Democrats do pretty decently when we have 50/50 races like what happened in the Georgia senate races.  We won the governorships in WI, MI, and PA which are the current big swing states.  And now have the senate seats in WI and PA to win.

    The problem is that the design of the country produces too many safe GOP seats relative to the size of the population.  I don’t know what you do about that.  Gerrymandering makes it worse.  But it would still be there without gerrymandering due to the composition of the 50 states.

  11. 11.

    debbie

    @Baud:

    I think we need to get all Republican on their asses. What they will do if they return to power genuinely frightens me.

  13. 13.

    piratedan

    @mrmoshpotato: it’s also a take that you see repeated on a LOT of MSM when it comes to framing stories and and deciding on what actually constitutes as being newsworthy.

    I’m weary with watching each and every issue being framed thru a GOP lens and then left hanging with a sense of foreboding and doom.. If the problem is being  ACTUALLY  addressed by Dems, then it’s either too much, too little, won’t be bi-partisan, will piss off MAMnaughts and the only people referenced for comments will be the GOP and their supporters.

    no credit for recognizing a problem, no credit for trying to fix the problem and lets go to the GOP to comment on the fact that there really is no problem and even if there was an issue, its obvious that the Dem solution is wrong because it doesn’t involve either tax cuts or racism or random cruelty.

    and they listen to that and just blink and pivot to the next issue….

  15. 15.

    Kent

    @Baud: I don’t think we give up. I think too many Dem voters are dipshits when it comes to off-year elections.  And I don’t know how you fix that.

  19. 19.

    JMG

    Ronald Reagan was a past President of the Screen Actors Guild when he ran for Governor of California. He had way more experience in elective politics than many Republicans who invoke his name as an ultimate outsider.

  20. 20.

    zhena gogolia

    @piratedan:

    no credit for recognizing a problem, no credit for trying to fix the problem

    This is the NYT in a nutshell. “Problems for Biden on the horizon” is now their template headline. The latest was Biden isn’t going to be able to do anything about climate because all the good guys left during the TFG regime. Maybe true, but at least give him credit for trying!

  21. 21.

    Kathleen

    @piratedan:  You described the dynamic perfectly and it’s obscene. Every time I think my contempt for them can’t go any lower they create a whole new level.

  27. 27.

    trollhattan

    From a viewer perspective, it’s a real challenge to make the open water swim marathon exciting.

  29. 29.

    Kathleen

    @Betsy: I hope you don’t mind if I piggyback off of your comment, but I just wanted to let any Ohio BJ’er’s on the thread that DeWine and the Commission are holding their first  meeting on Friday and we can view it on Ohio Channel link below. Here are the details:

    When: Friday, August 6, 9AM
    Where: Senate Finance Hearing Room, Ohio Statehouse

    This is a public meeting. You are welcome (and encouraged) to attend. For those who can’t be there in person, the meeting will be streamed live on the Ohio Channel.

    The Ohio Redistricting Commission is the group of seven who will craft Ohio’s new House and Senate district maps, and potentially have a role in creating Ohio’s Congressional maps as well.

    This first meeting of the commission will be mostly administrative — but it is still very important. We will learn who will be on the commission, and what their plan is for public hearings and more.

    House and Senate leadership from both parties will make appointments to complete the commission. One appointee each made by President Matt Huffman, Speaker Bob Cupp, Minority Leader Kenny Yuko and Minority Leader Emelia Sykes will join the Governor, Auditor, and Secretary of State. It’s important for us to know the members of the commission so we can begin to exert pressure where it counts.

    We are eager to learn the schedule for public hearings! Public participation and transparency are key components of the redistricting reforms passed with our help in 2015 and 2018. As soon as we know the schedule for hearings around the state, we will blast the information out to one and all so as many as possible can show up. Please stay tuned, and watch your email!

  39. 39.

    Elizabelle

    @Baud:  @ Zhena:

    July 28th.  The day the Capitol Police Officers kicked off the January 6th Select Committee investigation.  Doesn’t that day seem like it was weeks ago?

    I’ve phoned, texted and emailed Subaru Diane a few minutes ago.  Will let you know if/when I hear anything.  Phone went straight to voicemail.

  41. 41.

    H.E.Wolf

    @Baud: I do think we give up too soon when Dems are in power though.

     
    …for certain values of “we” (definitely not including you!).

    A good example of NOT giving up is the collaboration between Four Directions and Fair Fight Action, coming to a Balloon Juice zoom event in a few minutes. (Email WaterGirl for the link.)

  43. 43.

    Roger Moore

    @Baud:

    I don’t think the indecisiveness on the Democrats’ part is an overreaction to the GOP.  I think it’s a reaction to the nature of the Democratic party.  We are much more of a diverse coalition than the Republicans are, and we’re also more of a bottom-up organization rather than a top-down one.  That means we have to spend a lot more time on consensus building than the Republicans do, which looks like hesitation to people who expect a dictator rather than a coalition leader.

  45. 45.

    sab

    @Anyway: My husband can barely swim and finds them fascinatiing. I was a mediocre swim team member, and think swimming is the most boring spectator sport known to man ( except cricket).

  46. 46.

    A Ghost to Most

    Meh. Christian supremacists have been telling me to “grow up” for 50 years, but they’re the ones who believe in magic and sky fairies.

  48. 48.

    JWR

    Speaking of stupid politics, I listened to an interview yesterday on the CA recall effort. I don’t know much about the guy being interviewed, but he reminded me how close, timewise, this stupid recall really is. I just hope Newsom wins handily, so the rest of us can take up the ridiculous recall rules and change them for the better. Here’s a bit of the introduction:

    Then, with polls in California indicating that the recall vote for the removal of Governor Newsom scheduled for September 14 is close within the margin of error, meaning Newsom could be succeeded by one of 46 other hopefuls, many of them crackpots who could be elected with as little as 20% of the vote or less, we speak with Larry Gerston, Professor Emeritus of Political Science at San Jose State University.

    ETA, I found the interview a bit over the top, but maybe it was intended to affect me that way. Also, I hate doom porn on left side blogs, and there I go with the doom pron. Sorry.

  50. 50.

    Cameron

    So…any ideas on how the voting rights acts will pass? Or eviction prevention? There have to be an assload of people in DC working on this, but I haven’t heard squat.

  55. 55.

    Roger Moore

    @JWR:

    Yeah, the California recall rules are just nuts.  I still think the Democrats were foolish not to settle on one big name candidate to put on the ballot.  I understand their basic point of view- they don’t want Democrats who are on the fence about Newsom to vote for the recall because there’s a safe option on the ballot- but it’s a really dumb, all-or-nothing approach to the election.  It didn’t work when Gray Davis was recalled, and I’m very worried it won’t work this time, either.

  56. 56.

    trollhattan

    @sab:

    TBF things picked up the last few hundred meters! And they’re all ambulatory after swimming a couple hours. Sheesh.

  57. 57.

    mrmoshpotato

    @piratedan:

    I’m weary with watching each and every issue being framed thru a GOP lens and then left hanging with a sense of foreboding and doom.. If the problem is being  ACTUALLY  addressed by Dems, then it’s either too much, too little, won’t be bi-partisan, will piss off MAMnaughts and the only people referenced for comments will be the GOP and their supporters.

    Yup.  The framing is absolute farce.  It would be hilarious if it didn’t have real life consequences.

  59. 59.

    trollhattan

    @JWR:

    Not making any predictions, myself. Last go there was no automatic ballot by mail and one candidate–Arnold–was known by everybody. Nobody on the ballot has name recognition, including that Jenner critter (despite the enormous ego that thinks otherwise).

    Should the recall succeed, virtually anybody could become governor.

  60. 60.

    Peale

    @JWR: on the plus side, the Dems in the assembly can neuter a wing nut slightly like the GOP did in North Carolina and Wisconsin. On the minus side, it’s tge Dems, so there will be enough of them who think it isn’t fair to do so, so that won’t happen.

    Anyway, I’ve said for years that it’s likely that California and New York will have GOP governors again long before Texas finally turns blue. Hopefully I’m proven wrong.

  61. 61.

    mrmoshpotato

    @Anyway:

    Yeah, I don’t get the swimming events – find them pretty dull.

    The 400 m hurdles OTOH was killer. WR!

    Bring on the SCUBA 400 m hurdles!

  63. 63.

    Earl

    @Betsy:

    There’s been a lot of ink spilled lately on the topic of people being insulated from the consequences of their actions. I think the electoral college and gerrymandering are two examples of that insulation from consequences.  And it’s linked to what you point out, white male power privilege. It can’t work forever.

    Except (I firmly) believe that the acceptance of gerrymandering by the Supreme Court is really because mostly only republicans do it.  Kevin Drum fwiw is in the same place.

    Want the politicians in black to ban it?  Impose costs on the home team, ie Republicans.  Take away the remaining seats in CA or NY; let’s have a 3 mile wide 150 mile tall sliver to throw some blue voters into formerly red districts.

    You either compete via the same rules or lose by unilaterally disarming.

  68. 68.

    Fair Economist

    @Roger Moore:

    I still think the Democrats were foolish not to settle on one big name candidate to put on the ballot. I understand their basic point of view- they don’t want Democrats who are on the fence about Newsom to vote for the recall because there’s a safe option on the ballot- but it’s a really dumb, all-or-nothing approach to the election. It didn’t work when Gray Davis was recalled, and I’m very worried it won’t work this time, either.

    In the 2003 recall election, the Democrats *did* have a single major fallback candidate (Cruz Bustamante), and the utter disaster that came out of that is probably the reason they’re so dead set on “Just Say No”.

  71. 71.

    Kay

    Brent Peabody
    @brent_peabody
    ·34s
    71k ballots were cast. ~21k are in, 50k more to go.
    Still, I’d *much* rather be Shontel Brown right now. #OH11

    She’s up, um, 20 :)

    I don’t think it’s as important as you-all do though – because it’s a House seat- and I’m not clear why national Democrats were freaking about it. I don’t think the particular ideology of a single seat means that much, except in intra-Party politics.

  76. 76.

    JWR

    @Cameron

    :So…any ideas on how the voting rights acts will pass?

    On last night’s PBS Snooze Hour, after saying that Biden had “declined” to extend the rent moratorium because of a court case, (which is true, but it’s Judy Woodruff, always with the negative spin against Democrats), she said that the John Lewis Voting Rights bill was pretty much dead in the water, which will force the Dems to carve out an even skinnier slice of the voting rights pie. I hope she’s wrong, but I’m so tired of Joe Manchin and whoever else is dictating policy, instead of working for the Democratic party, and not gumming up the works.​​
    ETA, or maybe it was the other voting rights bill.

  80. 80.

    Cameron

    @Kay: She said mean things! Maybe she does have a deep knowledge of e!ection/voting law, but she SAID MEAN THINGS!

  81. 81.

    HeleninEire

    @Baud:

    Hey you. I hope you are well. Saw your comment to me earlier. I answered but the blog went a bit crazy. May have been me answering quick. Anyway.

  82. 82.

    SiubhanDuinne

    It’s my birthday and I’ll hide if I wanna…

    Didn’t mean to give everyone a scare, but it’s nice to be loved! Thank you all for your concern. I’m mostly fine but am having a lot of pain the past week or so, so I’m taking kapow painkillers and napping at odd hours and commenting very little.

    • But the most important thing is … HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO OMNES OMNIBUS!!! ????
  87. 87.

    Elizabelle

    Ms. Duinne is in pain from a neck/back injury.

    She has not been in a fight.  Or shot.  Or crashed a stolen car.  Or so she says.  Hmmmm….

  89. 89.

    Kay

    @Cameron:

    I thought her campaign was dishonest. She really ran two campaigns- one for the Left and one for more disengaged Democrats and that’s a bit of a pattern on the Left in the Democratic Party- the marriage of convenience. It’s patronizing and awful. If the argument is they’ll win as Proud Progressives then they should stop running as mainstream Democrats for one audience and rebels for another.

    I don’t know what Nina Turner believes.

  90. 90.

    Just Chuck

    @JWR: IIRC, it was the other bill, and that Manchin is on board with the John Lewis Act. I think the other one had some dark money provisions that Manchin didn’t like, probably because he’s crooked as a pig ‘s pecker.

    Sinema will probably do whatever gets her more retweets.

  95. 95.

    Elizabelle

    @Baud:   I am thinking “Goodbye to Cheryl” should go into the Balloon Juice lexicon for “navel gazing.”

    Cheryl goes large.  It’s like Bye Felecia.

  96. 96.

    JWR

    @Roger Moore: ​

    I still think the Democrats were foolish not to settle on one big name candidate to put on the ballot. I understand their basic point of view- they don’t want Democrats who are on the fence about Newsom to vote for the recall because there’s a safe option on the ballot-

    Yes!, that would’ve been the smart thing to do instead of what you describe. We’ve got a LOT of talented pols here in CA, but I suppose the Dems thought having another challenger, perhaps from the Left!, might have played into the R’s hands by splitting the vote. I dunno.

  97. 97.

    Elizabelle

    @?BillinGlendaleCA:   I am realizing it was a telecon and not a Zoom or Facetime.

    And the woman admitted to being on drugs.  Allegedly over the counter. Allegedly.

    So ….

  98. 98.

    Roger Moore

    @Baud: 

    I was told California was ungovernable.

    California has actually succeeded in becoming more governable. Part of this is that the Democrats in the state legislature now have veto proof majorities, so the Republicans are no longer able to gum up the works. At least as important, it is no longer necessary to get a 2/3 majority to pass a budget. It turns out the ungovernability of California was a fixable problem.

  99. 99.

    Kay

    @Cameron:

    The local Lefties have this “we’re wise like serpents” thing that is nails on a chalkboard to me. It’s just dishonest and manipulative and too clever. Our voters should be able to assume good faith- if you want to run ads about how close you were to Obama then don’t trash him to the Lefty audience.

  102. 102.

    zhena gogolia

    @Elizabelle: Thanks.

    On another topic:

    Joint Statement From Governor Lamont, Governor McKee, Governor Murphy, and Governor Wolf

    Posted on August 3, 2021

    Governor Ned Lamont of Connecticut, Governor Dan McKee of Rhode Island, Governor Phil Murphy of New Jersey, and Governor Tom Wolf of Pennsylvania today released the following joint statement:

    “We are appalled at the findings of the independent investigation by the New York Attorney General. Governor Cuomo should resign from office.”

  105. 105.

    HeleninEire

    @Baud: I agree. When I talk too much about my wonderful, very good, the bestest in the history of the world EVA bestest trip to Dublin in September I give you permission to say “OK Helen we get it.!” ?

  110. 110.

    Cameron

    @Kay: I’m not either a leftist or a progessive; as I’ve mentioned before, I’m closer to the Democratic Freedom Caucus than any other ideological position. I’m not a Turner supporter, but she must appeal to somebody. And,please, nobody do that lame ” must be Putin, dur-ur-ur. “

  117. 117.

    Kay

    @Cameron:

    Her career has been interesting. I myself think she feels she was treated poorly by the Ohio Democratic Party (she probably was) and that pushed her to the outside. I think it was pre-Bernie.

  121. 121.

    HeleninEire

    @SiubhanDuinne:

    Hello Darling. I sent you a FB happy birthday this morning.

    How do you describe big one? I think that’s for me next year. It’s a big one. I’m planning a huge trip.

  122. 122.

    Brachiator

    but a slightly smarter person might’ve figured out by now that All-Is-Fair politics only works for the mostly male, mostly white, almost always monied individuals already at the top of the political food chain!

    This is largely true in America largely as an accident of history, but is certainly false as a general rule.

    It’s hard that we Democrats always have to be the grownups, but the alternative is so much worse.

    Democrats have better policy, but Republicans are not wayward kids who admit that we know best and reluctantly give in. They are adults who have a radically different idea of what is right for the country. And they seem not to care how much harm is caused as they try to get what they want.

  124. 124.

    sralloway

    @SiubhanDuinne: So happy, and at the same time saddened at your discomfort, to hear from you. May your pain be reduced and may you continue to be a clear voice on BJ and elsewhere

    Also, too: Happy birthday.

  125. 125.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @HeleninEire:

    I will turn 80, that would be EIGHT-ZERO, in 2022. I’m hoping for/tentatively planning a big trip of my own next year, but there are a lot of variables to work out.

  126. 126.

    JWR

    @Just Chuck:

    Sinema will probably do whatever gets her more retweets.

    Too funny, but very true, I would bet. And thank you for the clarification! I’d thought Manchin had done a U-turn on America.

  129. 129.

    Cameron

    @Kay: BTW, I apologize if I came off as hostile.  You’ve forgotten more about politics (let alone Ohio politics) than I’m likely to know. I see some things that I think would work here in Florida, but I’m not a native and am almost certainly full of shit.

  131. 131.

    Geminid

    @Kay: I don’t think the ideology of one seat matters so much either. I just distrust Turner. This would be a bad time to have a disrupter in the Democratic Congressional caucus, and I think Turner intends to be one.

    There is something of a personality cult around Nina Turner, and I think it has gone to her head. Turner’s statements regarding the 2016 and 2020 Presidential elections make me believe that she simply does not want the Democratic Party, as presently constituted, to succeed. I think she would use this congressional seat as a stepping stone for a third party presidential run in 2024.

  132. 132.

    HeleninEire

    @SiubhanDuinne:

    I will be 60 next year. A BFD. I’ve found a tour that goes through Scotland (never been) and ends in London the morning of my birthday. I will fly to Dublin that morning and spend that day with my Dublin friends. Because I will never ever again not spend my birthday in Dublin. I love it there and them too much. Hey Join me!!

  133. 133.

    Brachiator

    @trollhattan:

    “For somebody who’s never run a business to tell business people… ‘I’m going to jack up your price of labor, and you’re going to deal with it,’ to me, it’s offensive,” said Elder, a longtime conservative talk radio host and leading candidate to replace Gov. Gavin Newsom in the recall election this fall.

    Elder freebases pure libertarianism and is trying to sell it as a candidate in the recall race. I have been hearing that tired nonsense that California needs a governor who can run the state like a business coming from various right wing pundits. This, along with god and guns, is their standard playbook offense.

    Conservatives are praying for low turnout and angry, highly motivated Newsom haters. The last successful recall was a weird political circus. Voters were giddy over the idea of being able to toss a governor out of office.

    I guess we are again coming around to the question of whether a significant number of voters will be the adults in the room or whether childish antics will prevail.

  134. 134.

    Yutsano

    @HeleninEire: ​
     Seattle to Dublin on Aer Lingus was dirt cheap last time I checked. Hmm…I’m gonna need some kind of backup vacation since my exploding digestive tract pretty much blew me going anywhere this year. Maybe we can do a meet-up in Dublin for your birthday?

  136. 136.

    Brachiator

    @Roger Moore:

    California has actually succeeded in becoming more governable. Part of this is that the Democrats in the state legislature now have veto proof majorities, so the Republicans are no longer able to gum up the works.

    California also had an excellent governor in Jerry Brown and a good one in Newsom who were able to direct the energies of a sometimes overly-enthusiastic state legislature.

  137. 137.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @HeleninEire:

    My trip is to visit all (well, as many as I can) of the islands surrounding the British Isles — can start anywhere, but trip would include Hebrides, Orkneys, Shetlands, Channel Islands, Isle of Wight, Scillies, Isle of Man etc etc. But I am always up for a get-together in London. And I’ve never been to Ireland. What time of year are we talking about for your birthday?

  139. 139.

    Quinerly

    @SiubhanDuinne: not a fan of these milestones. Had one in Feb myself. I still haven’t adjusted. Hope your day went well. Sorry about the pain. Hang in there.

  142. 142.

    Kay

    @Geminid:

    make me believe that she simply does not want the Democratic Party, as presently constituted, to succeed.

    You should believe that of Lefties because it’s true and they’ll tell you it’s true. It’s a marriage of convenience. I’m just not convinced she’s a reliable anything.

  143. 143.

    Brachiator

    @SiubhanDuinne:

    Happy birthday to you and Omnes.

    I sympathize with having to deal with stuff. I have been spending time at the local urgent care clinic being treated for an infection in my leg.

    Definitely zaps the joy out of things

  146. 146.

    Elizabelle

    @Yutsano:   Yeah.  I was researching some Europe flights recently, and Aer Lingus was inexpensive and — I hope — has good service.

    I heart and miss Norwegian Air, though.

  147. 147.

    Dan B

    @SiubhanDuinne: We crazed gardeners visited Ireland in the 1980’s.  We had dinner at Helen Dillon’s in Dublin – private residence – and then toured Mt. Stewart near Belfast.  That was the most amazing garden.  The air was filled with the scent of Eucalyptus, one section felt like being a bug on an oriental carpet, and the Gunnera by the big upper level pond was big enough to stand beneath.  The Gunnera in Costa Rica were not that huge.

    We had the garden to ourselves.

  149. 149.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Quinerly:

    I never mind the big birthdays, but I have to say being 79 seems simply preposterous.

    The pain in the neck is exactly that. I’ve had cricks before, from sleeping funny, but this one really caught me by surprise. It’s had me in tears of pain several times, and didn’t allow me to sleep at all a few nights ago. Then it improved slightly for a couple of days, but has now come back with a gleeful vengeance.

    In Sandra Boynton’s immortal words:

    First you shuffle, then you stoop. 
    Growing old is pigeon poop. 

  150. 150.

    Another Scott

    @SiubhanDuinne: Feel better soon.

    And Happy Birthday to you and OO!!

    Is sharing it with him like having your birthday on Christmas Day?  Do you have to share presents??

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  151. 151.

    Elizabelle

    It’s Tony Bennett’s 95th birthday too.  Good company, with Subaru and Omnes.

  152. 152.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Brachiator:

    Oh, no. I’m sorry about the leg. Hope the urgent care people got it taken care of and that you’re on the mend now.

    Thank you for the birthday wishes.

  157. 157.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Dan B:

    That sounds incredible. Have you posted pictures, either in an OTR or one of the Sunday garden chats?

  158. 158.

    Elizabelle

    @SiubhanDuinne: 

    PD James. You lucky bug. Love her.

    I share a birthday with Michael Connelly (the Harry Bosch detective novels) and the late and missed Robin Williams.

  160. 160.

    Roger Moore

    @Brachiator:

    California also had an excellent governor in Jerry Brown and a good one in Newsom

    Jerry Brown was a genuinely fantastic governor.  I think I’ve said this point before, but Brown was able to make tough decisions as governor and stick to them.  Despite what the assholes on the other side of the aisle- and in the media- would have you believe, the hardest decisions aren’t cutting people off when times are hard.  Dumping on poor people is one of the easiest things to do in politics, because they don’t vote in their numbers, and doing it makes you look tough to the people who do vote.  The really hard decision is to say no to everyone’s pet project when times are good.  Brown was willing and able to put preparing for the next fiscal emergency ahead of doing all the fun stuff people had been waiting to do, and it served us remarkably well this past year.

  161. 161.

    Steeplejack

    Simone Biles (finally!) coming up on the balance beam after this gymnast and one more. This is on NBC broadcast network. They have been hoarding the video since early this morning.​

    ETA: Maybe coming up after this commercial. They seem to be editing their coverage.

  163. 163.

    Brachiator

    @Roger Moore:

    The really hard decision is to say no to everyone’s pet project when times are good.  Brown was willing and able to put preparing for the next fiscal emergency ahead of doing all the fun stuff people had been waiting to do, and it served us remarkably well this past year.

    Yep. Exactly.

  165. 165.

    smedley the uncertain

    @SiubhanDuinne: Happy Birthday.  I’m 83 on Thursday;  well into my 4th quarter and working on an overtime strategy. Keep on truckin …  See ya next year.

  167. 167.

    Hob

    @JWR:

    that would’ve been the smart thing to do instead of what you describe. We’ve got a LOT of talented pols here in CA, but I suppose the Dems thought having another challenger, perhaps from the Left!, might have played into the R’s hands by splitting the vote

    That’s exactly the fear, and that’s why it would not have been the smarter thing to do; I don’t know why you or anyone else thinks that it would have been, unless it’s just that a lot of people don’t understand how the recall vote works.

    The recall effort is driven by Republicans, and it’s likely that they’ll be doing everything they can to get out the vote for whatever horrible candidate they settle on. Between that and the kind of weird random “let’s do the opposite of the status quo” voters who also turn out for these things, we can’t count on their being as low as the typical percentage R’s get statewide in California. And because of how the stupid recall system works, Mr. Horrible (R) could get far less support than any candidate could win with in a regular election and still win.

    I’m sure everyone understands the typical kind of vote-splitting scenario, in an election that allows a plurality win with no runoff. Say the three candidates are D1, D2, and R. And the total of D1+D2 is more than R, but because of the split, R is more than either one of them and so R wins. Simple enough.

    But this is much worse than that. If D1 is “keep Newsom”, D2 is “replace Newsom with Ms. Acceptable (D)”, and R is “replace Newsom with Mr. Horrible (R)”… R could win even with far fewer votes than D1. Like, we could have 70% statewide support for keeping a Democrat, versus 25% for Horrible and 5% for random dogs and cats… but if 21% out of that 70% decide “eh, Newsom’s not that great, I like Ms. Acceptable”, Horrible wins.

    Having a high-profile fallback D candidate in this situation is incredibly stupid unless absolutely everyone loves that candidate and is working together very deliberately to make sure they’re all on the same page. How likely do you think that is?

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