Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

He seems like a smart guy, but JFC, what a dick!

The GOP is a fucking disgrace.

Republicans don’t want a speaker to lead them; they want a hostage.

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

Happy indictment week to all who celebrate!

The Supreme Court cannot be allowed to become the ultimate, unaccountable arbiter of everything.

… pundit janitors mopping up after the GOP

An almost top 10,000 blog!

Black Jesus loves a paper trail.

Let there be snark.

We cannot abandon the truth and remain a free nation.

Somebody needs to explain to DeSantis that nobody needs to do anything to make him look bad.

The next time the wall street journal editorial board speaks the truth will be the first.

Whoever he was, that guy was nuts.

… gradually, and then suddenly.

A sufficient plurality of insane, greedy people can tank any democratic system ever devised, apparently.

Spilling the end game before they can coat it in frankl luntz-approved dogwhistles.

Too often we hand the biggest microphones to the cynics and the critics who delight in declaring failure.

Republicans seem to think life begins at the candlelight dinner the night before.

Authoritarian republicans are opposed to freedom for the rest of us.

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

Today’s GOP: why go just far enough when too far is right there?

Anyone who bans teaching American history has no right to shape America’s future.

Republicans can’t even be trusted with their own money.

You are here: Home / Civil Rights / Late Night Open Thread: Prince of Reavers, Picking Through the Rubble

Late Night Open Thread: Prince of Reavers, Picking Through the Rubble

by | 94 Comments

This post is in: , , ,

Like most of us, I descend from countless generations of reavers… or, more honestly, people who survived the reavers and their ‘desire for more cows‘. (People who invented that word, long before Firefly.)

Reavers are parasites who think they’re kings, like the Apartheid Princeling Bitchboy here. After all, reaving’s an honorable tradition in his family…

Most parasites hate sunlight, so:

Reader Interactions

94Comments

  3. 3.

    zhena gogolia

    OT, the new season of The Crown has been getting negative reviews, but we are really enjoying it. I think Imelda Staunton is the best of the three Elizabeths. The episode we watched tonight, “Gunpowder,” is superb.

  4. 4.

    JaySinWA

    I don’t see many ads on Twitter after turning off the ad blocker and blocking a few bad actors, but tonight I saw an Apple ad. I was a bit surprised. It could be an old one resurrected to fill space as has been reported by other companies, I suppose.

    I wonder if the move to block twitter from the Apple Store and Google Play is going anywhere.

  5. 5.

    bbleh

    I assume Deep Thought — like, many dissertations, and maybe even conferences or something — has been put into how we might prevent the destruction of valuable social resources — imperfect, yes! but valuable in many respects — by charismatic people who inherit great wealth but never mature emotionally.  If so, I’d be interested to know if they have any conclusions other than “well … nah.”

  6. 6.

    RSA

    the goal of every reasonable twitter user should be to bankrupt elon musk’s twitter.

    This seems unreasonable to me.

  9. 9.

    Jackie

    More off-topic news:

    ”Democratic Rep. Mary Peltola on Wednesday became the first Alaska Native to win a full term in Congress, securing reelection along with Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski, Democratic Rep. Mary Peltola on Wednesday became the first Alaska Native to win a full term in Congress, securing reelection along with Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski, who both defeated challengers endorsed by former president Donald Trump after state officials finished a final round of vote-counting. Both defeated challengers endorsed by former president Donald Trump after state officials finished a final round of vote-counting.

    🥳👏🏻👏🏻🥳👏🏻👏🏻🥳

    https://www.washingtonpost.com/elections/2022/11/23/alaska-election-results/

  10. 10.

    Leto

    That thread from the former intern reads exactly the same as when people describe Trumpov’s operations. Imagine that.

    @JaySinWA: Someone should contact Tim Apple about it.

  12. 12.

    Martin

    @JaySinWA: We’ll see. If people do want to see it banned, then they have to lean really hard into breaking moderation. Failing to have a minimally adequate moderation system is how you get banned, and Truth Social has managed it. Twitter has a large enough user base to break it, but the users need to up their game.

    My advice would be to upload episodes of Apple TV shows like Ted Lasso and Severance. Twitters copyright strike system seems to be struggling pretty badly.

  15. 15.

    bjacques

    Mark Zuckerberg: Move fast and break things!
    Also Zuck: No! Not like that!

    Jack Dorsey: Something something accelerationism
    Also Jack: Hey, not so fast!

    Emo Musk: Shitposting is freedom!
    Also Emo: …except when it’s about me!

    Peter Thiel: (Oh, just let Death have the last word, like she always does)

    They love disruption when it’s not them getting disrupted (see Gavin Macinness), but now it’s their turn, through users telling off, if only by proxy, every boss, cop, or landlord whose shit they had to swallow, every dictator whose ass we had to kiss in the name of realpolitik. On Twitter, we’re giving edgelords, concern trolls and the dirtbag left a run for their money. *That* wasn’t shitposting—*this* is shitposting.

    Fire is a beautiful thing, for however long it lasts, and if the Twitter bonfire consumes Emo’s other fortunes (Tesla, Space-X) along with it, so much the better.

  17. 17.

    HumboldtBlue

    I stayed woke on my cooking last night and stirred up some refried beans. It’s the best bean dish I have made, and my beans and hocks are legendary.

  19. 19.

    Gravenstone

    @Jackie: I’m not sure many non-MAGA Republicans would vote for a MAGA speaker candidate, just as multiple MAGAts are currently being vocal in their intent not to support McCarthy. I foresee quite the shitshow trying to even elect their speaker.

  20. 20.

    Gravenstone

    Anyone else seeing rough parallels between the crew at SpaceX tasked with trying to steer Musk’s ego into making non-detrimental decisions and the self appointed “guardians” who thought they could do similar with Trump?

  24. 24.

    kindness

    It doesn’t matter which Republican becomes Speaker.  It will be short lived as the egos there all think they should be king.  And they will act upon it accordingly.  The Kreskin in me sees a few cycles of Rinse & Repeat before they figure it out.

  25. 25.

    James E Powell

    @Alison Rose:

    Stefanik is a closer to the MAGA core of the Republican house delegation than McCarthy. They view him like they viewed Boehner, not really with them & a potential barrier to their horrible goals.

    They will depose him at the first sign of weakness.

  26. 26.

    Chetan Murthy

    @kindness:

    the egos there all think they should be king.

    I’m shocked, truly I am, that a party whose core philosophy denies the existence of collective action problems, might have a problem …. acting collectively, putting the welfare of the collective  (the Party) ahead of the welfare of individual members.  Shocked, I am.

  27. 27.

    Kay

    Turns out “crime!” wasn’t an effective message for Republicans after all and switching from the economy to crime when gas prices came down was a mistake: 

    Why? Well, despite the GOP’s crime offensive, the economy and inflation remained the top issue on the minds of voters. In fact, the national exit poll of 18,571 respondents found a plurality of 31% citing inflation as their top issue. Republicans won these voters by a margin of 71% to 28%. Crime, however, finished a distant third place, tied with gun policy at 11% (27% of respondents felt abortion was the most important issue). Furthermore, crime voters supported the GOP at a much lesser rate, 57% to 41%, than those concerned with inflation. This dynamic is even more pronounced when you look at the individual races, like the PA Senate race. In that contest, an exit poll found that the 28% of voters who said inflation was their top issue supported Oz (72% to 27%), while the 11% who cited crime actually narrowly favored Fetterman (51% to 49%).

    More on this:

    Come Election Day, voters set the record straight. Republicans tried to distract voters from flawed GOP candidates, Trumpism and abortion bans with their go-to move. But crime ultimately didn’t change the topic; it just reminded voters of the scary, misleading and divisive tone that made them reject Republicans in the first place. The next time Republicans try this — and there will be a next time — we should not be so quick to assume it will be effective. 

    The only place it seems to have been effective is New York.

  28. 28.

    Kay

    And she would know whether the crime panic worked for Republicans – these are the candidates she worked for:

    Margie Omero is a principal at GBAO, a Democratic polling firm that this election cycle worked with Govs. Tony Evers (Wis.) and Laura Kelly (Kan.), Sen. Raphael Warnock (Ga.), and with incoming Gov. Tina Kotek (Ore.) and incoming Sen. John Fetterman (Pa.). 

  29. 29.

    NaijaGal

    @Jackie: Was just coming here to post that she won (gift New York Times link about the race).  That means a significant number of Alaskans picked her as their number 2 choice when they voted for Begich! Fascinating.

  31. 31.

    Poe Larity

    Is there any federal agency that can investigate potential H-1B abuse? Can you just fire everyone else and keep mostly H-1s and no one has cause to do anything?

  34. 34.

    Kay

    @James E Powell:

    The herd effect is just wild:

    Through July and August, all three networks were mentioning crime about as much as they did in the first half of the year. In late September, though, mentions on Fox News began to soar. In the middle of October, mentions began to rise on CNN and MSNBC, too, in part as a reflection of the increased discussion of crime on the campaign trail.

    Nothing at all justified this increase in coverage. Obviously crime hadn’t gone up from August to September and polls didn’t justify it either- people still said abortion was way ahead of crime as an issue.

  35. 35.

    Martin

    @Leto: If you want Apple to pull the app and to hurt Twitter ads, targeting Apple’s content is the way to go. Apple was a top 5 Twitter advertiser.

    I mean, if Apple pulls the app, Twitter has a really difficult path. Apple is the bellwether for app/content safety. Media outlets will react to that.

  37. 37.

    BruceFromOhio

    @Poe Larity: ​

    Is there any federal agency that can investigate potential H-1B abuse?

    Yes, the Department of Labor:

    The intent of the H-1B provisions is to help employers who cannot otherwise obtain needed business skills and abilities from the U.S. workforce by authorizing the temporary employment of qualified individuals who are not otherwise authorized to work in the United States.

    Well, ok then. But …

    Can you just fire everyone else and keep mostly H-1s and no one has cause to do anything?

    Yes, for a time. DoL is bound by law and regulation. Bitchboy feels he is not, and has an army of lawyers on retainer ready to hone the arguments, and a cadre of H1-B holders clinging to the closest rafts.

  38. 38.

    HumboldtBlue

    @Leslie:

    They’re ridiculously basic, I’ve just never made them and never used lard in a bean dish before and that and the jalapeños, onion etc, it was as good as I’ve had. I did learn a lesson, though, and that’s after soaking them overnight they don’t need a long boil, I let mine get a bit too mushy, I like a little more bite to the bean.

  41. 41.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    @Jackie: Excellent, I see the GOP is following the Tories and having their own hunger games leadership crises.  These will be political career deaths I full approve off.

  43. 43.

    Redshift

    I was going to say McCarthy will be like Paul Ryan, elected Speaker because he’s the only one stupid enough to take the job, and to not realize it’s going to be a shitshow. But it looks like they have multiple people who are that stupid this time around.

    There will definitely people from day one trying to stab him in the back and take the job. The only question is whether, like much of the TFG administration, they’ll be too incompetent to figure out how to do it.

  45. 45.

    James E Powell

    @Jackie:

    This was expected, but hearing it announced officially causes my heart to soar like a hawk. Many are happy that Palin, Trump’s choice, lost. I am celebrating the win.

  49. 49.

    Citizen Alan

    @Gravenstone:  IIRC, in 2001, the house changed hands overnight when the republicans pissed off Jim jeffords so much that he switched parties.  Are there 3 or 4 moderate republicans who might be so revolted at the thought of being subservient to MTG for the next 2 years that they are open to going independent? Or is it lick spittle cowards the whole way down?

  51. 51.

    Amir Khalid

    There may finally be some movement on the post-election situation here. Barisan Nasional has changed its mind and signalled a willingness to work with Pakatan Harapan, which by itself would produce a simple majority in Parliament and Anwar Ibrahim as PM — if it happens. It’s not a done deal yet, and the parties in Sabah and Sarawak, the self-styled Borneo Bloc, have not yet indicated which of the Semenanjung (Peninsular) coalitions they want to align with. Stay tuned.

  52. 52.

    ian

    @Citizen Alan: Twas the Senate.  And Jeffords was kind of a putz about it, he announced, then waited until Bush tax cuts round 1 had passed then he switched.

    The culture war element of the Republican party disgusted him, but got to get those sweet, sweet, tax cuts.

  54. 54.

    Alison Rose

    @Amir Khalid: Dang, that’s pretty cool. I saw the USMNT play a friendly against Japan, in 2006 I think, in San Francisco, which was awesome because there were a ton of Japanese fans there. Yet the rivalry was like…fun and chill, almost. There was some good-natured razzing but nothing mean. Occasionally I find the rivalries between teams to be a little much.

    Except US vs Mexico, then we go HAM all day. :P

  55. 55.

    ian

    @Citizen Alan: Your guess is as good as mine.  They hate us more than they hate each other, I suspect that they won’t defect.  It also might not be a popular take here, but I also suspect that is why whoever they choose for speaker will get the votes they need.  They got the negative partisanship thing going for them strong enough to put aside internal faction wars.

  56. 56.

    Amir Khalid

    LATEST:

    His Majesty the Agong has appointed a Prime Minister, ending five days of uncertainty: Anwar Ibrahim. So it appears the Parliamentary majority will indeed be Pakatan, Barisan, and possibly the Borneo Bloc.

    The anarchy was fun while it lasted.

  57. 57.

    mrmoshpotato

    @Alison Rose:

    Occasionally I find the rivalries between teams to be a little much.

    Except US vs Mexico, then we go HAM all day. :P

    And what about those hosers up north?

  58. 58.

    karen marie

    In a strange way, I’m grateful to Melon Husk for turning twitter into a bigger shithole than it already was.  I’m starting to rebuild my life after realizing how much of it was sucked away from doing actual real life things.  It was way too easy to just scroll away the hours.  Now that’s gone, I’ve made bread twice in the last week, and tonight I made tomato soup, adding a bit of half and half and a spoonful of leftover pesto to the bowl.  That and a nice chunk of fresh I-made-this bread slathered in a thick layer of butter – wow.  Super nice!

  59. 59.

    Alison Rose

    @mrmoshpotato: Nah, we don’t really have a rivalry with them. Like, I was rooting for them for sure in their first match. I don’t root for Mexico :P

    And I’ll just say, part of the tension between the US and Mexico is that their fans have often treated our players like absolute shit. Some of the stories the guys have from Azteca are horrendous. Literally getting full bottles of beer and cups of piss thrown at them and stuff.

  61. 61.

    Jinchi

    @Jackie: Stefanik has a bit of a Liz Truss thing going on.

    Maybe the Republican House will cycle through Speakers as fast at the Brits go through prime ministers.

  62. 62.

    JWR

    He’s a tax cheat, too? Nooooo!

    (CNN) — Republican Herschel Walker is getting a tax break intended only for a primary residence this year on his home in the Dallas, Texas, area, despite running for Senate in Georgia.

    Publicly available tax records reviewed by CNN’s KFile show Walker is listed to get a homestead tax exemption in Texas in 2022, saving the Senate candidate approximately $1,500 and potentially running afoul of both Texas tax rules and some Georgia rules on establishing residency for the purpose of voting or running for office.

    $1500? Doesn’t seem worth it for a guy running for office not to have just followed the damn rules.

    @Citizen Alan:

    Or is it lick spittle cowards the whole way down?

    Yes.

    But srsly, that would certainly shake up their world now, wouldn’t it? :)

  65. 65.

    Kent

    @Gravenstone:@Jackie: I’m not sure many non-MAGA Republicans would vote for a MAGA speaker candidate, just as multiple MAGAts are currently being vocal in their intent not to support McCarthy. I foresee quite the shitshow trying to even elect their speaker.

    How many non-MAGA Republicans are even left?  About two?  There was that one who won in eastern Washington.  Anyone else?

  66. 66.

    Princess

    Twitter is designed to be addictive so it’s hard to walk away from. Also, some people use it to create the revenue they live on. I get both of those things. So stay on it or leave it, do whatever you like. But the idea that by staying on it and shitposting about Elon, you’re somehow sticking it to the Man and bringing him down Is ludicrous. All you’re doing is helping him prop up his engagement figures for the remaining advertisers he has left. Remember: you’re the product.

  67. 67.

    David 🌈☘The Establishment☘🌈 Koch

    @Kay: you mean Critical Race Theory, the desexualization of Ms M&M, the possibility of transgender youth playing sports weren’t the leading issues?🧐

  69. 69.

    Geminid

     

     

    @Kent: Besides Newhouse in eastern Washington, Valadeo in central California won. They are the only two of ten House Republican impeachers left standing. Katko (NY), Upton (MI), Gonzales (OH) and Kinzinger (IL) retired, while Herrera Butler (WA), Cheney (WY),  Meijer (MI), and Rice (SC) fell in primaries.

    Besides Newhouse and Valadeo, there are some of new Reps who could said to have won in “non-MAGA” districts. These might include the 4(?) who flipped New York districts and Ms. Kiggans, who knocked Elaine Luria out in the coastal Virginia 2nd CD.

    There are also a few House veterans like Don Bacon (NE), who once again managed to hang on to a seat where the district went for Biden.

    These vulnerable purple district Republicans are not that many in total, but they are their party’s “majority makers,” as Pelosi called her purple district caucus members. They are the ones at risk if- or more likely when- House Republicans overreach to please their more numerous colleagues at the radical end of the caucus, like Gaetz an Greene. I don’t think the purple district Republicans can do much to curb the crazies in their caucus and most will likely lose their seats in the next cycle, I think.

  70. 70.

    TriassicSands

    I finally got around to reading the newspaper today and saw that both Peltola and Murkowski had won their races in Alaska.

    Congratulations to Peltola in what probably would have been considered a shocking victory a year ago. I hope she is able to convince Alaskan voters that Democrats can represent them better than mindless fascists. Time will tell.

    As for Murkowski, since no Democrat had a chance to win a statewide Senate race in the nation’s largest state, it is at least satisfying that another Trump-endorsed candidate was defeated and one of the few GOP senators willing to ever vote with Democrats will return to the Senate. Of course, she’ll caucus with Republicans and continue to routinely support the empty agenda of the GOP, but she is better than the alternative — another Trumpette.

    Overall, I’m relieved by this year’s results, but I can’t ignore the fact that margins were far too narrow to give me any confidence about the future.

  72. 72.

    JWR

    @Geminid: So what you’re saying is that it’s gonna get worse before it gets better. I suppose it’s better to know than not, and the sooner the entire party reaches for the elusive Peak Wingnut, the sooner the normies retake control.

    @TriassicSands: And then there’s Boebert. Right now she’s ahead 50.1% to 49.9%, a 554 vote margin. We’ll have to wait for the recount on that one, even though she’s already claimed the crown.

  75. 75.

    lowtechcyclist

    @Kay: ​
     

    Not your fault, but this is one of my pet peeves (statistics rant ahead – feel free to skip on by):

    like the PA Senate race. In that contest, an exit poll found that… the 11% who cited crime actually narrowly favored Fetterman (51% to 49%).

    Let’s see: you’d need a sample of roughly 4000 to make a 2% distinction, and since they’re making this distinction among 11% of the voting public, that means that their entire Pennsylvania sample would have to be on the order of 36,000 to say that one candidate was favored over the other by 2% of this 11%.

    So, bullshit. All they can say is that it wasn’t clear whether the voters who said crime was their most important issue favored one particular candidate over the other.

    I suppose they could weasel around it by saying they’re just talking about the preferences of the people who were polled, but that too is bullshit. The point of a poll is to make findings about the population that you’re sampling from. If your ‘findings’ are strictly about the sample, they’re meaningless and worthless.

    /end of statistics rant

  76. 76.

    NorthLeft

    @Kay: I am still gobsmacked that voters would actually trust/expect the Republicans to do anything about inflation, and to improve the performance of the economy.

    This myth that conservatives are much better with economic issues hopefully dies with all the bloody boomers and their younger siblings that believe it.

    Note: I am a boomer, and I have never believed the myth.

  77. 77.

    Geminid

    @TriassicSands: I would not bet on Murkowski routinely following the Republican agenda. She might, but she has defected some in the last few years and does not face a reelection until 2028.

    Murkowski announced she would vote for Peltola and evidently was not punished for that. That’s not too big a surprise;  registration, Independents are easily Alaska’s largest group of voters.

  78. 78.

    artem1s

    @NorthLeft: ​
     

    This myth that conservatives are much better with economic issues hopefully dies with all the bloody boomers and their younger siblings that believe it.

    The myth is that the GOP was ever fiscally conservative. They never gave a shit about ‘conserving’ money or resources except when it came to down punching on wimmenz, the poors or POC. They weren’t advocating living like Scrooge or Rockefeller as they hoarded up their billions. They have turned into a cult that worships greed, excess and frivolous spending on useless gold plated crap.

  79. 79.

    Geminid

    @JWR: I think the Republican House Caucus won’t get worse than it is because it’s already bad. The difference is that woth them in the majority, we now  get to see how bad.

    Between retirements and purple district victims of the 2018 blue wave, its “moderate conservative” component has shrunk to a fraction of its former self. Radicals from safe gerrymandered red districts dominate now, and they care little about their purple district colleagues.

    As to the future, I think it will take their party getting thrashed over several election cycles for the radicals to give the steering wheel back to the Chamber of Commerce types who used to call the shots. It may be a hollowed out party by then.

  80. 80.

    Kay

    @lowtechcyclist:

    I agree. But it still shows that even “crime voters” didn’t prefer the GOP on crime. They split the crime panic vote 50/50 with D’s.

    I think we sort of knew this from the DA races around the country. There was no overwhelming “throw out the reform prosecutors!” effect. It’s a mixed bag- in some places crime panic worked and in others it flopped. It flopped especially in PA, MI and WI.

  81. 81.

    Marmot

    @lowtechcyclist:

    … that means that their entire Pennsylvania sample would have to be on the order of 36,000 to say that one candidate was favored over the other by 2% of this 11%.

    Ahem. Two percentage points of this 11%. We now return to your regularly scheduled pedantry.

  82. 82.

    Geminid

    @Kay: Too much was made of Mr. Boudin’s recall. The “reform” prosecutors voters installed in the two large jurisdictions near me, Charlottesville and Albemarle County, have received scarcely any public pushback since taking office. I think both Boudin and San Francisco are outliers.

  85. 85.

    different-church-lady

    @Kay:

    Nothing at all justified this increase in coverage.

    Nonsense: complicity with the GOP in the service of more eyeballs justifies it.

  87. 87.

    artem1s

    @Geminid: ​
     

    give the steering wheel back to the Chamber of Commerce types who used to call the shots. It may be a hollowed out party by then.

    Don’t know about the rest of the country but here in OH it was the CoC types who are the biggest Cult45 stans. They aren’t rally goers or the kind that go on truck parades but they are definitely the type to throw a few bucks at the conspiracy minded to be cannon fodder at the insurrection.

  88. 88.

    Kay

    @Geminid:

    IMO, the crime panic was obviously bad faith because a good faith effort would look at the work of police instead of focusing solely on prosecutors or (ridiculously) members of Congress. 

    Members of congress are probably as far removed from “crime control” in specific jurisdictions as it is possible to be and still be in government.

    They’re never planning on looking at San Francisco police work (the quality)? They just threw out the prosecutor and the police then magically become… great? It’s bullshit.

  90. 90.

    Geminid

    @artem1s: I’m just going by what I’ve seen in Virginia. In the years since the party realignment of the 1970s, the business elite called the shots and the professionals and lesser business owners who align with them went along. That coalition usually could win out in intra-party contests, and more often than not won in November.

    This has changed in the last two decades. The political evangelicals and radical conservatives who used to be junior partners in the coalition joined together and challenged the the establishment. A key point was Eric Cantor’s loss to Dave Bratt in the 2014. A waypoint before was the nomination for governor of bible thumper/tea party-crank Ken Cuccinelli instead of quintessential Chamber of Commerce Republican Bill Bolling, their stronger candidate.

    Waypoints after included the early retirements of two Chamber of Commerce-type congressman. Scott Rigel, owner of 6 auto dealerships in the prospering Hampton Roads area, announced that after two terms he would not run in 2016. In the southside 5th CD, wealthy developer Robert Hurt similarly retired.

    Hurt was in around 45 years old Rigel around 55. They could have held those seats well into this decade, but only if renominated. That would have been certain until 2010, but now, in order to win the nomination, they would have had to kowtow to the tea party cranks and placated the bible thumpers by mouthing hypocritical evangelical slogans. Hurt and Rigel never explained their decision to the public, but their friends at the Country Club were probably sympathetic.

    Another waypoint was the Republican candidate’s campaign for Governor in 2017. A former Washington lobbyist ran as a moderate conservative against Mark Warner. That was a good year for Republican Senate candidates and Ed Gillespie almost won.

    In 2017, though, Gillespie figuratively traded in his homburg for a tri-corner hat when he swung hard to the right to win the primary. He stayed right and moderate Democrat Ralph Northam beat him by 7 points that November.

    Trump may have turbocharged the “tea party” movement but I don’t think Trump was ever the choice of the Chamber of Commerce* component of the Virginia party. They knew better than to swim against the radical intea-party tide, but I think their support of Trump was a matter of expedience and not conviction.

    I think when the radical tide starts to ebb- and I think it will- the establishment element nationwide may be able reclaim the driver’s seat. That might not be until 2030, and by then the party’s excesses may have the party a salvage project.

     

    * By “Chamber of Commerce component” I mean the constellation of large and medium business owners and top managers, and the smaller business owners and managers who follow their lead; professionals- accountants, attorneys, civil engineers real estate agents and brokers etc. These two groups interact a lot professionally, and socially as well. Their ideology generally values economic development and social stability most of all, and discounts program and the cultural and social issues radicals hold dear. They tend to small-c conservatives, and hence are sceptical of the radicals’ politics.

  91. 91.

    Another Scott

    @Kay: [re-rant] Of course, the CNN exit poll says right there that people don’t vote issues, so saying “Inflation” or “Crime” or whatever was the “winning issue” misses the forest for the trees.

    Importance of party control of Senate to your vote

    Very important 74%
    Somewhat important 17%
    Not too important 5%
    Not at all important 3%

    Last I looked, 91% >>>> 31%.

    Don’t talk to me about data, The Narrative Must Be Satisfied!!1

    (groucho-roll-eyes.gif)

    [/re-rant]

    Seriously, in the Senate especially, whatever the campaign was about quickly becomes irrelevant. These people will be in office for at least 6 years, and they’re going to have to address a lot more than whatever the “hot button campaign issue” was. And no matter how passionate they are about their pet issue, they’re not king and getting anything done will be a struggle. And voters know that…

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  93. 93.

    cleek

    just FYI:

    Sheriff:

    Middle English shir-reve, “high crown official having various legal and administrative duties within a jurisdiction,” from late Old English scirgerefa “representative of royal authority in a shire,” from scir (see shire) + gerefa “chief, official, reeve” (see reeve).

     

    sheriffs still think they run the place.

  94. 94.

    Ruckus

    @Redshift:

    The only question is whether, like much of the TFG administration, they’ll be too incompetent to figure out how to do it.

    There really isn’t much of a question there. They won’t have too much trouble to figure out how to screw it up, they are masters at that.

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