Open Threads

From Sarah Palin’s facebook page:

FOX News’ Glenn Beck is doing an extraordinary job this week walking America behind the scenes of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue and outlining who is actually running the White House.

Monday night he asked us to invite one friend to watch; tonight I invite all my friends to watch.

I’m beginning to think that she has a chance to be the Republican nominee in 2012. I’m also beginning to think that the 2012 Republican primary might be the most disturbing political event to happen in the western world since World War II. As an observer, I can hardly wait.

(h/t rumproast)

Update. This is a pretty good summary of the Republican 2012 primary:

I do think the most likely scenario, though, as said before, is that Romney will win because the Whackadoodle vote will be split. Romney will be the new McCain. And of course, nobody actually likes Romney and his vast hollow wasteland he calls a soul, just like people don’t like McCain, but he’ll win a plurality on the basis of being somehow less batshit insane than the other guys. Which is not to say that Republican primary voters are not batshit insane, it’s just that their votes are split on the precise form the insanity takes. If you could consolidate the batshit insane candidates and pool their votes, that monstrosity would win instead.

This was inevitablePost + Comments (193)

Megan McArdle will be putting her own smug, glibertarian spin on the perils of health care reform in 1 pm chat today.

It’s probably too early for a drinking game, so take a swig of whatever beverage you like every time you read “free market”, “innovation”, or “obesity”.

If you hear “Ayn Rand” or the name of any character in an Ayn Rand novel, finish the whole glass.

If you read “death panels” or “death books” (from McArdle herself, not a questioner), you have permission to euthanize yourself.

Update. Chopper has an interesting angle:

i’m sure she’ll say something about how under a government-run option ted kennedy would never have lived past the age of 50.

I doubt we’ll hear that, but be on the look out for inappropriate Ted Kennedy comments.

Update. Kill yourself twice — death books and death panels:

There’s a lot of confusion about the death panels. Most proponents of health care reform think of it as referring to the end of life counseling issue. Now, I will say that I recently read the VA’s end-of-life booklet, and I did find it rather creepily biased towards choosing to pull the plug. That may just be me, and I have no reason to think that this was intentional, but it does show that it really matters how you frame these issues.

But the core issue about “death panels” is something like the proposed IMAC board, which will assess Medicare treatments. If you look at Britain’s NICE, they use something called “quality adjusted life years” to decide whether treatment should be given or withheld. That means that the system is biased against treating old people and very sick people. That is good central allocation of resources, I suppose, but it legitimately worries people–and these are the kinds of worries I hear people expressing at Town Halls.

ChatPost + Comments (60)

I understand that only tourists and the hopelessly gauche wear shoes with more substance than the leather socks that Uma Thurman sported in Kill Bill. Honestly, it’s cool. The look beats suspenders and short broad ties on girls, photos of which I understand my wife will kill to suppress. Plus it gives people with collapsed arches (e.g., me) an entertainingly trivial reason to feel like an oppressed minority.

However. You can wear vulcanized shrink wrap, or you can cultivate winking retro cool with Converse All Stars. You cannot do both. Shrunk down designer form-fitting All-Stars do not look cool and they’re too expensive and obviously a la mode to pass for ironic anti-cool. Considering that the wide-sole form factor is a key part of the shoe’s image, shrinking an All-Star down makes you look like a victim of Chinese foot binding.

Also, restaurant toilets should have seats.

Also x2: The food is fantastic. If I do not gain weight on this trip my in-laws will be extremely disappointed.

Dear Everyone In FrancePost + Comments (45)

Why not?

Open ThreadPost + Comments (185)

Long day today, and this sums up my feelings:

Is there anything better than tomato sandwiches and iced tea for dinner? I think not.

Talk amongst yourselves.

BTW- Saw the Pilot for Warehouse 13 last night and thought it was a fun show. I’m going to try to catch a couple episodes On Demand.

Monday Night Open ThreadPost + Comments (107)

I have to admit that I didn’t see this coming, but in retrospect, it was obvious, especially after 8 17 years of obsessing about the Clenis. And, yeah, you can bet they’re going to demand visual evidence. This is almost too perfect.

It cuts like a knife, but it feels so rightPost + Comments (133)