Friday’s Forum
Steven L. Taylor
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Friday, June 19, 2026
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31 comments
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About Steven L. Taylor
Steven L. Taylor is a Professor Emeritus of Political Science and former College of Arts and Sciences Dean. His main areas of expertise include parties, elections, and the institutional design of democracies. His most recent book is the co-authored
A Different Democracy: American Government in a 31-Country Perspective. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Texas and his BA from the University of California, Irvine. He has been blogging since 2003 (originally at the now defunct Poliblog).
Follow Steven on
Twitter and/or
BlueSky.
Because the airline lounge isn’t enough. The discerning traveler deserves the right to splurge on a private terminal.
This a service offered to poor millionaires, not to the Epstein class. After all, the latter have their own planes, and aren’t required to wait on an airline’s schedule. What I find really galling is the government enables this, by having TSA and immigration screening facilities there.
The rich have always had it better, naturally. Emirates’ first class lounge at Dubai is pretty much the whole upper floor of the terminal, complete with gates to access your flight. Lufthansa has a first class terminal in Hamburg, complete with rubber ducks. Or just look at the menus on the Titanic for each class.
Still, as air travel gets worse for everyone else, the rich can still have an easier time of it. At some point, one things pitchforks won’t be enough.
Back in March 1980, at Lackland AFB, I lined up with all the other Air Force recruits to get my air gun inoculations. It was expected, no one thought twice, and you just did it. Now you get a choice to avoid your shots because of “religious convictions”.
Hegseth and radical Christians are undermining our defense readiness and posture.
Scores Fall Ill at Air Force Base After Hegseth Makes Flu Vaccine Optional
What other orders are going to be challenged because of “religious freedom and medical autonomy”?
Yesterday, I listed several instances of tentative Senate pushback on Trump/Hegseth military policies. Here are two more. I hope it is start of a strong trend.
Senate advances effort to investigate use of JAG officers as immigration judges
Senate eyes Hegseth travel cuts without probes into Iran school bombing, boat strikes
It’s a start.
I am curious about what folks think about the bipartisan Protect College Sports Act pushed by Senators Cruz and Cantwell.
I’m kind of indifferent to college sports and just believe that money has corrupted the old intent of college sports to support the entire mental and physical development of young adults in a college environment.
Support and opposition seems to have boiled down to rich vs. not so rich conferences.
It also doesn’t address gambling which, like money, is an existential threat.
@Kathy: Yes, it galls me just to pay extra for TSA Pre-check or Clear. Even though I can afford it. Never mind even more privileges for the wealthy. Forcing all people to mingle in the world is a good societal thing.
@Scott: We have a very good friend who travels a LOT internationally for business. She’s in sales for a very specialized product/technology. Her job is already very physically taxing…I don’t think she could do it without Global Entry.
Which is a long way of saying I see the need and benefit for those who travel frequently.
The peroxide dump into the Reflecting Pool has caused small sheets of blue paint to float to the surface. Once again, “Only I can fix it” has screwed the pooch – this time with $14M of our money.
The World’s Greatest Negotiator has apparently had second thoughts about his “deal.”
So, back to square one I guess.
While the mutilation of the Reflecting Pool is infuriating, the memes about it are pretty damn funny. The Creature from the Black Lagoon, Luke’s X-Wing sunk in the mire on Dagobah, the mayor from Jaws declaring the pool open…
We all need to laugh.
@Jen:
—Leonard Cohen, “The Future”
@Jen: El Taco is going to taco on his taco? Hoocoodanode?
@Jen: As was the case with COVID, the more Trump talks about “the deal” the more obvious it is that he doesn’t have even a nodding acquaintance with the details, or the significance of the details. He’s left it to JD to carry the water, and Vance’s media appearances are full of absurdities and contradictions – all delivered with JD’s customary smugness. Trump claims Iran is desperate while the IRGC laughs and goes about it’s toll booth plans for the Strait of Hormuz.
@Scott: During WW I as many American soldiers died of the flu than enemy action. Ensuring a combat ready military is an essential part of being Secretary of Defense (or War). Major downtime due to preventable disease is not manly, Mr. Hegseth. https://www.army.mil/article/210420/worldwide_flu_outbreak_killed_45000_american_soldiers_during_world_war_i
Per NBC, Trump claims Giorgia Meloni BEGGED Trump to have her picture taken with him. Meloni calls “bullshit” on that claim.
ETA: No one believes Trump. See http://www.rawstory.com/stringr/trump-meloni-dispute/
@Scott: I really love how precisely aimed this stuff is: They are going after Hegseth’s travel budget unless he (etc, etc). It seems like the not-so-bright senators are usually the ones getting all the press, but the quiet ones know exactly where the buttons are.
@Scott: There are still a number of college sports that do serve that purpose. They are not the spotlight programs, but are things like wrestling, gymnastics, tennis, lacross, field hockey, and so on.
The big ticket sports actually pay for this, which is why I’m willing to tolerate them, even if I no longer pay much attention to them. I did when I was in school, but now I don’t. The likelihood of severe injury is another reason I don’t tune in. I don’t want to feed that demon, either.
I want as many people as possible to be engaged in sports, for the purpose of fitness, for emotional and social development as well. We need to understand what it means to participate in a “team sport”.
@Scott:
60% skipping the vaccine? That’s a lot more than religious objections. That’s basically not even trying to get people to get the vaccine.
Ah, eugenics*. Is there nothing it can’t solve?
*: This stems from the belief that “only sick people get sick” one of the great eugenics slogans.
James Carville is predicting Trump will quit the presidency in 2027. I don’t put too much faith in dramatic predictions from professional pundits who need big audience numbers, but I think he is onto something here. Repubs have been protecting and deflecting for Donnie all along, and if the Dems get even one house of Congress, you can bet the committees will be an endless parade of all of Trumps failings, incompetency, and corruption. Trump is only in this for the adulation* and when that goes south I think there’s a good chance he will pardon his family and associates and resign. Or perhaps just refuse to show up.
*I have to do a mental double take whenever I hear someone talk about Trump’s agenda or his policies or his goals. Trump has no agenda and no policies, and his only goasl have to do with how much attention he is getting.
Testing
@Jen: The first comment in your Blue Sky reference hits the nail on the head. “So more market manipulation for the next 60 days. Got it.”
From Timothy Snyder’s substack. He’s discussing the MOU. This was too good not to pass on:
@Charley in Cleveland:
Have some experience with commercial epoxy floor coverings:
If hydrogen peroxide triggered the peal it was uncured epoxy. I suspect something else. Some epoxies are designed to cure in water, but they are expensive and weaker than most epoxies so it’s highly unlikely they used one of those. The one they used was all but certainly the kind used to re-surface concrete/plaster pools and those are about the same as what is used for max durability commercial floor coverings, which demand the concrete be absolutely dry. Had a project that was delayed because the floor covering people kept coming back, checking the moisture contend of the substrate, finding the barest trace of moisture in their instruments, say: “Nope, not today!” and leaving. Drove us half nuts for nearly two weeks. We finally brought in flame throwers (the kind used to dry roofs and such before re-surfacing with hot tar) and lightly toasted the entire slab a couple hours before they were due to test. That did the trick. FWIW.
High probability the contractor of that pool, a known shady outfit, cut some corners. That epoxy never cured properly, and now a great big spotlight will be on that no-bid contract to a political donor.
All this winning, there seems no end to it.
Had an unusual day. We are staying in Estoril (Shtoo-reel) and we occasionally walk down from our lofty height to the beach and walk the boardwalk to Cascais (Cush-Caish) which is a very nice and easy walk with many ocean-front cafes where one can drink beer and eat sardines. One does. Today we emerged into Cascais in the midst of a massive Harley-Davidson rally. Thousands of hogs. And quite a few motorcycles, too. (rimshot) Average age of riders easily mid-60’s and no one less than middle-aged. One chapter came all the way from Estonia, which is a long ass ride.
Depending on your tastes you will be either pleased or appalled that the thong bikini is very much in vogue. Walking with one’s wife for half an hour behind bare butt cheeks requires the kind of attention-discipline one learns if one hopes to stay married. And regardless of our individual tastes, I think we can all be pleased that the banana hammock has been entirely replaced by trunks. No male ass was visible.
Europeans used to laugh at Americans wearing trunks at the beach. But then they also sneered at baseball caps and the baseball cap now dominates, though, thankfully they are not worn backward.
Heading for 48 hours in Porto on Monday to look at stuff, drink Port and eat a dish so disgusting I can’t believe it’s not an American thing: the Francesinha, think a double Croque Monsieur topped with an egg and swimming in gravy. Lovely, easy-going people, the Portuguese, but when it comes to food they are not the French or the Italians or the Basque or the Greeks.
ETA: Or the Chinese, or the Japanese, or the Mexicans.
Today’s Reflecting Pool update: workers have been observed pumping the algae-ridden water out using hoses, into drains around the perimeter of the pool.
However, according to a user on BlueSky who claims to work in the water treatment industry, if they are refilling the pool using city water, the problem is just going to keep coming back because one of the treatments is basically yummy yummy food for algae.
Incredible.
Hey, have we seen Jax recently?
@Michael Reynolds:
Maybe not. I’m given to understand most of the American Harley riders attending trailer their bikes to Sturgis.
@gVOR10: That’s true in the US, but most European motorcyclists ride their bikes. Trailers are not as extensively used over there.
@Michael Reynolds:
No. I hope nothing is preventing her from checking in here.
@Scott:
The intent is to return the players to indentured servitude. Limit their ability to make money from their celebrity and restrict them from selling their talent to the highest bidder.
@gVOR10: Puts a different slant on, “I took my Hog for a ride.”
In World Cup news, Paraguay’s Miguel Almirón was sent off with a straight red card for covering his mouth during a verbal confrontation with an opposing player during their match tonight against Türkiye. This is the first time a player has been sent off under the new rule during a World Cup match. From NYT, the governing body
Paraguay is now trying to maintain a 1-goal lead in the second half while playing one man down during the late west coast match.