Sunday’s Forum
Steven L. Taylor
·
Sunday, May 26, 2024
·
42 comments
OTB relies on its readers to support it. Please consider helping by becoming a monthly contributor through Patreon or making a one-time contribution via PayPal. Thanks for your consideration.
About Steven L. Taylor
Steven L. Taylor is a Professor of Political Science and a 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
‘Shame and betrayal’: sexual abuse within the spiritual healing industry comes to light
Scandalous behavior that has dogged the Catholic church is becoming increasingly common in shamanic healing circles
Say what??? I am shocked, shocked I tell you!
And so the inevitable rears it’s ugly head. Everything that is old, is new again.
The Guardian ha a wrap up of how Orangefuhrer fared with the Libertarians.
It kind of reminds me of the old saying, “the enemy of my enemy is my friend.” But also, to paraphrase, “If you eat with crazies, use a very, very long spoon.”
Jack Smith wants a gag order for Trump.
I love how the strong and tough warriors of the law enforcement caste become weak and scared little cowards when criticized.
@Paul L.: What criticism?
@Kathy: I read that Magats were disappearing campaign literature for other candidates and taking front row seats reserved for delegates. Royally pissed off a lot of legit conventioneers.
Trump was deflated, weak and pathetic in his desperation. Not such a tough guy without his highly orchestrated and astroturfed rallies, is he?
@Paul L.: Wah.
trump whines more than a 3 yr old. He’s so bad somebody needs to put him in timeout in the corner. He’s the biggest WATB I’ve ever had the displeasure of being exposed to. He’s so completely inadequate he has to have sycophants like you stand up for him. Never in his entire life has he been in a fight he couldn’t get lawyers to fight for him.
Funny how you seem to think trump should get a Get out of Jail Free Card for all his blatant criminalizing. If he didn’t want to do the time he shouldn’t have done the crimes. I know, what a novel idea!
PS: stealing classified documents should be the one thing every American should be able to agree on. If you don’t, than I have to wonder what Putin has on you? And ftr, he’s not a president anymore. hasn’t been for almost 4 years. private citizens don’t get to hold such documents.
pss: for a self described billionaire he sure does rattle the begging cup an awful lot. How much have you sent him?
@OzarkHillbilly:
Since you seem to expect a cogent answer to your question, would you be interested in a bridge I’ve for sale in one of NYC’s boroughs? I’ll let it go cheap 😉
Actually the gag order request is to keep Orangefuhrer from making false, outrageous, and stupid claims, such as the FBI was sent to Mar a Lardo to kill him.
Well, I guess this thread is done now
@Paul L.: ATF Fast and Furious, IRS targeting of Tea Party groups and Carter Page FISA/Crossfire Hurricane, More Wahs from the past. Paul, I have 2 words for you: Grow up.
@just nutha: I’m just bored.
I watched every minute of Trump speech at the Libertarian convention last night. Calling it a dumpster fire would be an insult to dumpster fires. It was glorious in it’s awfulness. The DNC should just run that on a loop. Trump was all over the place, and you could see his little brain trying to figure out what was going on because the crowd was against him – REALLY against him – and that doesn’t happen often. In trying to garner a few libertarian votes, he came across as a pathetic, begging, desperate politician – and a weak one at that.
He turned against the audience, and they just turned on him even more. The few Trump supporters in the audience were drowned out by the boos.
Additionally, RFK Jr., took a blowtorch to Trump on Saturday. He was brutal, with facts. It was, like I said, glorious.
It was a good day for Joe Biden.
@OzarkHillbilly: “What criticism?”
What Trump-fan Paul calls “criticism” is the blatant lies spread by MAGA-freaks that the FBI was sent to Mar-a-Lago to assassinate Trump, who was saved only by the fact he was in New Jersey at the time.
@wr:
Apparently neither Paul L. nor the rest of the MAGA crowd have been apprised of the fact that the use of deadly force clause is boilerplate in any law enforcement warrant. That’s why cops–federal, state, and municipal–carry guns.
Oh, and by the way, pro golfer Grayson Murray was kulled by the Covid vax. Right, MAGAs?
@CSK:
The bigger legal issue is that attorney Todd Blanche appears to have intentionally misquoted the text in their initial legal motion. He left out the “only” in “only when necessary” with no indication like an ellipsis that the text was altered and failed to provide additional contextualizing content about the conditions under which deadly force could be used. That’s not a good move for an attorney to do (as it’s a lie of omission).
Of course, said lie of omission would have gone unnoticed except Trump decided to run with the accusation that Biden attempted to have him assassinated.
That said, lying in a case like this can be protected under the First Amendment… except there is evidence to support why it should be restricted. Smith also has pointed out that the last time Trump made these accusations, one of his followers attached an FBI field office.
This could be a huge headache for the Trump team in so much as if Smith’s request is granted it’s a loss. And if it isn’t, this is something they can appeal to the 11th circuit who is most likely going to overrule Canon again. And each overruling moves her a step closer to being taken off the case.
It’s a prime example of political strategy being at odds with legal strategy.
I wish I had time to write a blog post about this, but that won’t happen today. I also expect that Lawfare and others will have good explainers on Tuesday when people return to work.
@mattbernius:
Also I think it’s best we ignore example 127932 of our most performative anti-police poster continuing to be a dripping simp for the most pro-Police and weaponising the Justice Department candidate ever (with an actual track record of successfully doing it in office too).
Let’s face it, they don’t even have the intellectual consistency and honesty of the average delegate to the Libertarian National Convention. Sad.
@mattbernius:
Trump’s also endangering the lives of anyone in law enforcement. Didn’t Ricky Shiffer try to shoot up the Cincinnati FBI office after the Mar-a-Lago raid?
Trump is claiming that Biden instructed the DOJ to have the FBI assassinate him.
@Paul L.:
Trump doesn’t “criticize”; he slanders. There’s an unsubtle legal distinction between the two.
@CSK:
Nonsense. Everyone knows that stochastic terrorism through random radicalization of lone actors only works with muslims…
@DrDaveT:
Trump also lies about people consistently.
Finally watched a clip of the former guy speaking, for whatever reason, at the Libertarian Party National Convention. It was as advertised.
But what’s the deal with with the circled “A” anarchy symbol in the graphics behind the speaker? I can’t even begin to make sense of that in the context of an (organized?) political party.
I’m watching Dune part II in stages. Like all Villeneuve movies, it’s a cinematographer’s dream,a nd slower than an arthritic snail who’s taking their time.
Unless, of course, the Fremen simply can’t speak out in the open without an extended shot of the desert. It might be a religious thing or something.
@CSK:
Yes, Smith specifically cites that incident in the filing.
More details on that attack:
https://apnews.com/article/fbi-cincinnati-armed-man-b4701596a0eb9770e3b29e95328f5704
@CSK:
And Trump’s lawyers are arguing that Biden would have absolute immunity if he did so, so I don’t see why that would be a problem.
@Gustopher:
I know. Oddly, that contradiction never seems to occur to the MAGAs.
@Paul L.:
A reference to the endless whining of liable rapist and Epstein-bestie groomer Trump, over the election he lost to Biden by millions of votes?
Somehow, the orange fascist is still crying that voters rejected his failed presidency in 2020. Even after his own judges and party officials rebuffed the sore loser election lies with which he incited the deadly Jan 6 terror attack — a treasonous crime whose leaders should be jailed for life, at a minimum.
@Kathy:
Snails can’t get arthritis, can they?
Anyway, after Dune Part 1 bored me, I rewatched the David Lynch Dune, and discovered that I didn’t hate it. There was a story, most of the moments in the film were telling the story, characters sort of had emotions, and Captain Picard with long hair was no weirder than Aquaman in the desert.
It was a lot like Flash Gordon, but with worse music.
I just wish Lynch realized he needed Queen to do the soundtrack. I’m not sure he realized he was creating such an amazingly cheesy movie though.
@Gustopher:
Beats me. Is there even a catalog of snail afflictions, or only one of which parasites they carry?
Anyway, I use the phrase to denote something advancing very slowly. Like when scrolling through a long, long spreadsheet, Excel has two speeds: 1) arthritic snail, 2) faster than light.
@Paul L.:
… and I love how … the same people who now assert that a president or former president has complete and total immunity from legal consequences are now Q-complaining that Biden sent federal agents to Mar-a-Lago to assassinate Donald Trump.
Well, Trump gathered a whopping 6 (write-in) votes at the Libertarian Convention.
Stormy Daniels got one.
@al Ameda:
I will say Paul has come out in the past and opposes that argument (much like he says he opposes Trump’s track record and proposals on protecting police and overall tough on crime approach).
@mattbernius:
Congratulations, Paul! Welcome to the LGBTQ+ (pronounced El-Gib-it-eh-qua, to rhyme with Québécois). I knew our community was very diverse politically, but I had no idea you were part.
Is this new? Have you gotten your discount codes for shopping this Pride Season yet? Check with the committee and they will hook you up if you haven’t.
The increasing attention corporate pride has gotten from certain unsavory groups means a lot of it is going below the radar this year, with less rainbow clothing, and more things like gutter cleaning (not a euphemism, get your mind out of the gutter!), so it’s not as festive, but a lot more practical.
And remember, the Q is for Queer, not Q Anon.
This piece by Matt Lewis is VERY good:
http://www.thedailybeast.com/magas-lies-about-a-deep-state-conspiracy-to-assassinate-trump-will-endure?ref=home
Many theories: 1) The movies suck, 2) Audiences can’t behave, 3) The strikes, 4) Wait for streaming. I’ll go with ‘all of the above.’ I’ve been amazed at how long theaters have hung in – I assumed home-viewing plus streaming would have killed them even before the strike. Why would I get in my car and drive to a place I have to be at a specific time, sit next to loudmouths, and eat shitty overpriced food, when I can stay home, run a show whenever I like, pause to go pee, sit with my wife in comfy chairs and eat better (and cheaper) food? And light up the Volcano and have a cocktail?
I don’t think the theatrical thing is coming back, except for rare event movies, and you can’t just manufacture 100 event movies a year. The little screen beats the big screen.
In the TV landscape it’s a different issue. Repeating myself, but a movie is a date, a TV show is a relationship. These 6-8 episode, maybe they renew, maybe they don’t shows are not what makes TV as TV work. They are neither a date nor a relationship. What’s huge in TV streaming? Shows with lots of episodes – old shows. Grey’s Anatomy, fucking Big Bang Theory, Suits. The streamers’ algorithms keep pointing me at shows and if they look interesting I check the number of eps before investing.
TV execs forgot what TV is there for. It’s there as comfort, as a reliable source of laughs or drama, as an extended family, a home. It’s meant to be a long-term relationship. Too often TV is a bad boyfriend/girlfriend: there for six weeks and gone.
@Kathy:
If you have Netflix check out “Ripley”. Somewhere between Vince Gilligan and Alfred Hitchcock in the cinematography/directing departments, which is to say masterful.
@Kathy: The second part was OK, not great. If you ignore the visuals, the story-telling was muddled (for example, why did the Emperor have to go to Dune himself?); the pacing was, as you said, glacial at times, for what they were depicting; the acting was so-so; and the plot changes didn’t really enhance the adaptation to film. It did a better job than earlier versions of depicting the start of the galactic jihad, however. Still, it feels as though, as good as the two -arts were, they did benefit from jumping over the low bar of the Lynch version.
@Michael Reynolds: Definitely, the movies suck, which is one of the reasons why people are happy to wait the short interval to catch them on streaming, to half-watch while exercising, doing the crossword, or cooking dinner. I’d like to see Hit Man in the theater, because I like going to the movies, but I’ll have to do it before June 7, when it appears on Netflix.
It’s also bizarre how little there is for families with kids to see on a holiday weekend. We were thinking of taking the grandkids, but there’s very little in the way of children’s fare, and what there is doesn’t exactly capture the imagination. (A Garfield movie?)
@Paul L.: I hope you have a good long weekend, Paul, doing something better than posting nihilistic snark on this blog. BBQ with family and friends? A museum? A long bike ride, if the weather permits where you are? So many possibilities.
You mean the same boiler plate SW language used in the Biden search warrant of Joe’s house? Did Joe try to have himself assassinated????
@Michael Reynolds:
Bingo. My wife and I splurged and purchased a ridiculous sound system for our 70 inch Sony, and, damn, I enjoy movies and TV so much more in my house than in the movie theatre for the reasons you state. However, I’ve gone to see five movies in the past few years, and have enjoyed each experience: Maverick, Mission Impossible, Dune II, Oppenheimer, and Barbie. All on IMAX. If it’s an “event” movie, I’ll shell out for the IMAX screen near me. I do miss going to the movies on the big screen, but the shitty people, shitty food and drink, and hassle of going are no longer worth it to me.
I’d rather wait for the streaming services, or the screener from the DGA or PGA.
@EddIeInCA: “I do miss going to the movies on the big screen, but the shitty people, shitty food and drink,”
I have to say that as a lifelong moviegoer I am constantly amazed by people who complain about “shitty and expensive food” in theaters.
How long is a movie? Two hours? A long one two and a half? And another twenty minutes of trailers? And you can’t last that long without cramming your face full of overpriced food you don’t even like? Why not just eat before you go or after the show at someplace with food you like? Or even at home? Movie theaters are generally not restaurants, you’re not there for a meal. Watch the damn movie.
And for God’s sake, avoid the giant buckets of popcorn until you can figure out how to eat it without making so much noise you drown out the jets in Top Gun: Maverick.
@Michael Reynolds:
You remind me of a bit of dialogue in The Bad Batch:
Crosshair: I’m not going to like it, am I?
Omega: You don’t like anything.
My movie going experience has improved a lot since I started going only to premium theaters. Sound quality aside, people who pay more for their tickets tend to be more interested in watching the movie. Also less inclined to bring the baby along.Reserved sitting lets me arrive “late,” as in after the previews and ads have run their course. The lack of intermission means I eat and drink nothing, as I can’t hold off going to the restroom 2-2.5 hours after consuming even a medium soda or a coffee.
So, I tend to enjoy it.
The other thing is I only go to see movies that I can’t or won’t wait to see. Sometimes this ends in disappointment.
Lastly, I go alone, so it’s really cheap.
I agree new shows need longer seasons. Even when an 8-10 ep arc doesn’t feel like an overstretched movie or two-hour ep, the wait times between seasons is just too long.
There was an animated Green Lantern show that lasted for only one season. It ran for 26 half hour eps, but it told two arcs in that time, not one. This was lots better than the current prevailing model, if the show wasn’t anywhere near the best DC animation.
Or, there was The Good Place. A full 4 season arc show, with an interesting ending, even if I didn’t find it entirely satisfying. 50 eps in four years wasn’t bad. But I think that one was developed for network TV, and only then went into streaming.
I’m most satisfied with streaming when I can see a new ep every day. This doesn’t happen often, and doesn’t last long. A couple of weeks at most.
@wr:
Fair.
BUT… it’s got less to do with being hungry and more to do with force of habit. I’ve been going to movies for close to 60 years. My routine started as a kid around 8 years old, when I was sneaking into movies like Bullitt, The Odd Couple, Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang, and Oliver. My routine consists of a coke, popcorn, and a box of Junior Mints. That’s what I get for every movie, every time for 56 years. I cannot go to a movie theater to watch a movie without that combo. I’ve walked out of movie theaters that didn’t have Junior Mints. It’s part of my enjoyment. These days, I usually purchase the drink and popcorn in the theatre, but bring in my own Junior Mints. The sodas are gargantuan sized, as is the popcorn, which I hate. Just give me a regular sized drink and a small, small popcorn and I’m good. But that’s not an option. The smallest drink is 24oz. The smallest popcorn is the size of a small grocery bag, and for “Mission Impossible”, my ticket for the IMAX screening was $12. The popcorn and drink was $17. My Junior Mints cost me $.99 at DollarTree.
@Kingdaddy:
I dropped it for today in favor of ep. nine of Discovery. Cooking today took far longer than planned. On the plus side, the two turkey breasts I found came off really well. And I still have to finish this week’s ice cream.