Outside the Beltway

TGIF Tabs

Steven L. Taylor
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  • This isn’t really a policy answer.

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27 responses to “TGIF Tabs”

  1. Rick DeMent Avatar
    Rick DeMent

    Looks like Georgia officials ae going to charge the Patents of the Apalachee Highschool shooter like they did in Michigan.

    The father of Apalachee High School shooting suspect Colt Gray has been arrested and charged with murder, after allegedly buying his 14-year-old son an AR-style rifle as a Christmas present.

    Colin Gray, 54, faces four counts of involuntary manslaughter, two counts of second-degree murder and eight counts of cruelty to children, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

    Linky

    4
  2. charontwo Avatar
    charontwo

    Vulnerable Republicans worry Johnson’s spending plan increases shutdown risk

    During a private, 30-minute call with GOP lawmakers Wednesday, Johnson laid out his plan to quickly pass a spending bill that would punt the current Oct. 1 shutdown deadline into March. He’s also going to attach legislation that would require proof of citizenship to register to vote. It’s the exact strategy pushed by House conservatives, and will almost certainly be rejected by the Democratic-controlled Senate.

    The “proof of citizenship” is the so-called “SAVE” legislation that Trump is pushing for, the poison pill the GOP wants to attach to any continuing resolution. The functional equivalent of a poll tax. We maybe heading into another of these now perennial stupid shutdown dramas.

    3
  3. Franklin Avatar
    Franklin

    Gee, thanks Vance. Both of my parents were deceased when my last kid was born. Wouldn’t it have been kinda weird to leave the stroller in the cemetery?

    8
  4. Kylopod Avatar
    Kylopod

    I disagree that it’s like 2016. Trump hadn’t quite taken over the GOP yet, and there was much more resistance to Trump from within the party than there would be today. When the Access Hollywood tape broke, there was pretty widespread condemnation by party leaders and officials, with some (like Speaker Paul Ryan) rescinding their endorsement. Today, with him as an insurrectionist, adjudicated rapist, convicted felon, and more, the entire party is devoted to defending him at every turn and spreading the most egregious lies and conspiracy theories.

    Part of the reason is that in 2016, most people didn’t think Trump was going to win, and, whether they said so outright or not, the party was thinking ahead to how they were going to rebuild after his supposedly inevitable defeat. Now, pretty much everyone accepts that Trump could win. Then there’s the fact that he’s taken over the entire party apparatus, the RNC literally run by his daughter-in-law, and everyone who once put up any resistance–including latecomers like Liz Cheney–have either left or been expelled. He may not achieve his goal of becoming dictator of America, but he is already the dictator of the Republican Party. This is anything like 2016.

    11
  5. Mikey Avatar
    Mikey

    @charontwo:

    We maybe heading into another of these now perennial stupid shutdown dramas.

    Every single one of which has been the Republicans’ fault.

    9
  6. Jen Avatar
    Jen

    Vance’s “answer” isn’t one. What if there’s no family nearby? What if the family nearby cannot or will not help out? What if the extended family members are still working themselves and can’t provide free daycare?

    Vance has said that his MIL has helped out a bunch…it’s that Republican thing where they assume their own experience is transmissible to everyone else, seamlessly. Their lack of imagination that anyone, anywhere, might have differing circumstances is annoying AF.

    7
  7. Mikey Avatar
    Mikey

    If you think Vance’s “answer” on child care was devoid of substance, you should hear Trump’s.

    If Biden had rambled on for two minutes like that, stories decrying his obvious mental decline would be front page of the NYT and WaPo and leading every national newscast. But it’s Trump, so you probably didn’t even hear about it until just now.

    6
  8. Steven L. Taylor Avatar
    Steven L. Taylor

    @Kylopod: That’s fair. Still, I was thinking as much about the way the stories are being covered as anything else.

    1
  9. Steven L. Taylor Avatar
    Steven L. Taylor

    @Mikey: I saw it on Twitter and should have thought to include it.

    But, your assessment is correct.

    2
  10. de stijl Avatar
    de stijl

    @Jen:

    Vance has a lot of opinions about kids: about those who can’t have them or decide not to, how to raise them, who should provide daycare.

    One could surmise, given his repeated on-going obsession, he’s perhaps a bit of a eugenics aficionado. It would be irresponsible not to speculate.

    2
  11. charontwo Avatar
    charontwo

    @Mikey:

    I could not understand what he was saying, but there is a transcript in the replies:

    https://x.com/MeidasTouch/status/1831782932522098764

    Donald Trump was asked today if he would commit to prioritizing legislation to make childcare affordable, and if so, what specific legislation he would advance.

    This is an unedited transcript of his response:

    Well, I would do that, and we’re sitting down, and I was, somebody, we had Senator Marco Rubio, and my daughter Ivanka was so, uh, impactful on that issue. It’s a very important issue. But I think when you talk about the kind of numbers that I’m talking about, that, because, look, child care is child care is. Couldn’t, you know, there’s something, you have to have it – in this country you have to have it.

    But when you talk about those numbers compared to the kind of numbers that I’m talking about by taxing foreign nations at levels that they’re not used to — but they’ll get used to it very quickly – and it’s not gonna stop them from doing business with us, but they’ll have a very substantial tax when they send product into our country. Uh, those numbers are so much bigger than any numbers that we’re talking about, including child care, that it’s going to take care.

    We’re gonna have – I, I look forward to having no deficits within a fairly short period of time, coupled with, uh, the reductions that I told you about on waste and fraud and all of the other things that are going on in our country, because I have to stay with child care. I want to stay with child care, but those numbers are small relative to the kind of economic numbers that I’m talking about, including growth, but growth also headed up by what the plan is that I just, uh, that I just told you about.

    We’re gonna be taking in trillions of dollars, and as much as child care, uh, is talked about as being expensive, it’s, relatively speaking, not very expensive compared to the kind of numbers we’ll be taking in. We’re going to make this into an incredible country that can afford to take care of its people, and then we’ll worry about the rest of the world. Let’s help other people, but we’re going to take care of our country first. This is about America first. It’s about Make America Great Again, we have to do it because right now we’re a failing nation, so we’ll take care of it. Thank you. Very good question. Thank you.

    3
  12. Joe Avatar
    Joe

    @charontwo: Da’F–k?
    I heard a clip of his speech to whoever yesterday. Every word was slightly slurred. It was surreal.

    2
  13. charontwo Avatar
    charontwo

    @charontwo:

    Scroll down the replies to that, come to this:

    https://x.com/mrsivyarias/status/1831826707793519096

    I just asked AI to analyze it:

    In the best interest of time, here are the key takeaways:

    The transcript you provided appears to reflect a speaking style that is somewhat disorganized, with several incomplete thoughts, tangential ideas, and repetitions.

    Key Observations:

    1. Disorganized Thought Process:

    The speaker jumps from one topic to another, sometimes without clear transitions. For instance, the initial discussion on child care quickly shifts to foreign taxation and then loops back to child care, which might indicate difficulty in maintaining focus on a single issue.

    2. Repetitive Phrasing:

    etc., etc. until this:

    Possible Inferences:

    Cognitive Decline:

    While the transcript might reflect some disorganization and difficulty articulating ideas, these symptoms could also be consistent with early cognitive decline, though this is speculative. Cognitive decline, especially related to aging, can affect the ability to organize thoughts, concentrate, and communicate clearly.

    Stress or Fatigue:

    Public speaking under stress or fatigue can lead to these kinds of disjointed statements. People may lose track of their thoughts or use filler words when trying to respond on the spot.

    Normal Age-Related Changes:

    If the speaker is older, some of these characteristics could reflect normal age-related changes in cognitive function, such as slower information processing or retrieval, without necessarily indicating a serious mental health concern.

    Conclusion:

    The speaking pattern suggests some disorganization and difficulty maintaining a clear, linear argument. This could be due to several factors, including speaking style, age, cognitive function, or stress. For a formal assessment, professionals would need to evaluate the speaker across various contexts, including cognitive testing and other health evaluations.

    Quoted at length because I understand a lot of you all refuse to be able to access Twitter so can not follow the link.

    4
  14. charontwo Avatar
    charontwo

    @Joe:

    I don’t hear real well and always use closed captions if available.

    Between that and lack of patience I never listen to podcasts.

    1
  15. Matt Bernius Avatar
    Matt Bernius

    @Mikey, @Steven L. Taylor, @charontwo, @Joe:
    Sweet baby Jeebus?! Could you all please stop commenting on stuff as I’m writing the post about it! It’s just unfair!

    (I hope you all caught the /s at the end of that sentence)

    I’ve just spilled a lot of pixels on that which are sure to delite most of our readers and lead to others calling me a “Trump Deranged Liberal Apologist because whatabout….”

    Read it here: https://drjjoyner-cmlud.wpcomstaging.com/wheres-the-line-between-paraphrasing-and-sanewashing/

    3
  16. charontwo Avatar
    charontwo

    @Jen:

    Vance’s answer is a lot of words designed to obscure the actual correct answer:

    “We prefer not to do anything at all.” It’s the functional equivalent of what “thoughts and prayers” do for mass shootings.

    7
  17. Mister Bluster Avatar
    Mister Bluster

    I’m sure that JD Vance will favor giving grandma and grandpa extra votes on election day for their child care services. Maybe the grandparents can use the extra ballots to ensure that the Trump/Vance ticket never gets near the Oval Office.

    My grandmother on my mothers side died when I was very young. I have been told that I met her but I have no memory of that encounter. Her husband who smoked like a chimney died of emphysema when I was 12 or 13.
    When my mom was institutionalized while suffering from schizophrenia in the early ’60s my brother (8) and sister (6) and I (13) along with our father lived with his parents, both in their ’70s, and my dad’s sister, for at least a year.
    It was a stressful situation for all.
    (It just struck me that at that time my grandfather was younger than I am today. A concept that I find it difficult to wrap my head around.)

    3
  18. Scott Avatar
    Scott

    @Mister Bluster: Yes, it is an unrealistic nonsensical response. My Dad’s parents were already deceased when my parents married and my Mom had parents that were unhealthy enough that we took care of them when I was a child. So much for that idea.

    3
  19. just nutha Avatar
    just nutha

    On the “not a policy answer” on the JD Vance quote, I disagree. The policy is clear: No, there is nothing we can or will do on child care expense. You’re on your own.

    5
  20. Kathy Avatar
    Kathy

    “You must have lots of children, or you’re a comunistsocialist and hate America! And you must do it on your own. We won’t help you get a living wage. We won’t help you to pay for child care. We won’t even help you with a child tax credit. Any of that would be socialisum!!1!!!!11!! We won’t help you to pay for assisted reproduction, in fact we will ban IVF because ABORTION11!!11!!1. We will help by banning contraceptives. What are you going to do, stop having sex with your spouse you PERVERT!!1!!”

    3
  21. Erik Avatar
    Erik

    The obvious solution Vance has in mind is that girls will get married and have kids by their late teens, so grandmothers, being still in their early 40s, will still be young enough to help. As an added bonus the grandmothers will also still be in practice for changing diapers since their youngest will only be a couple years out of them. (I wish this were as sarcastic as I intended it to be, but maybe I’m too on the nose)

    6
  22. Steven L. Taylor Avatar
    Steven L. Taylor

    @Matt Bernius: It is aubject worthy of ongoing and repeated attention!

    1
  23. Steven L. Taylor Avatar
    Steven L. Taylor

    @Erik: It is the vision that he is cleaving to, whether he consciously realizes it or not.

    2
  24. Just nutha ignint cracker Avatar
    Just nutha ignint cracker

    @just nutha: It occurred to me later that typical conservative responses to questions about problems with childcare have centered around admonitions that people who can’t afford to raise their children shouldn’t be having any. Should Vance’s comment be taken as seeing The Right as needing to shift toward the center? What will the MAGAts think?*

    *Trick question. The MAGAts generally don’t seem to do much thinking in any meaningful sense of the word. If they did…
    …nope, not gonna go there. Wouldn’t be prudent.

    2
  25. Stormy Dragon Avatar
    Stormy Dragon

    Maybe there’s an uncle/aunt who wants to help a little bit more…

    You mean the childless cat people who serve no purpose in society? /sarc

    3
  26. de stijl Avatar
    de stijl

    We’re going to lose herd immunity to easily preventable stuff in my lifetime and I likely have about 10 to 15 years left.

    Even if they are less than 10% of the total pop, anti-vaxxers might doom us all.

    4
  27. DrDaveT Avatar
    DrDaveT

    Maybe Grandpa and Grandma want to help a little bit more.

    Harris should be all over this. What kind of world does J.D. Vance live in, that grandparents would routinely be both available to care for little kids full-time and capable of doing so? No jobs, no disabilities, no other major health issues — but young enough to be effective caregivers — but also not employed? And not preoccupied with caring for their aging parents?

    Sounds like “trust kiddies” to me. J.D. says, if you’re not wealthy, suck it up — but don’t stop having babies! Just don’t expect any help. Because America.

    3

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