Thursday’s Forum
Steven L. Taylor
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Thursday, December 18, 2025
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38 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.
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Heavens to Betsy-
All those images at AOL. Steven, where’s the Nazi like garb?
I usually get up early (about 5am), make coffee, feed the dog, make lunches for wife and daughter, and sit down at the laptop to read the news and a few sites.
I knew Trump was going to make a speech last night. You wouldn’t know it from much of the news. I viewed Memeorandum to get a quick overview of what may be important and it wasn’t mentioned until way down in the scroll. Top news was healthcare and Congress, Republican disfunction, Dan Bongino, Susie Wiles. No Trump. Still have read if he said anything of significance. Which is significant in itself.
BTW, we are suckers for Christmas movies. Watched Love Actually again. One of those movies that are popular with many except for the critics. Don’t care. Will probably watch White Christmas and It’s a Wonderful Life again also even though we can probably recite the entire dialogue.
So, gaslighting it was. I saw someone on BlueSky refer to it as the Festivus Speech, because it was a steady stream of airing of grievances.
I did not watch live, no use in doing that to my blood pressure.
@Jen: I wonder what percentage of the population is going: Hey, it’s the holidays. We don’t want to see your face or hear your voice. GTFOH.
Texas has a competitive electricity market. The huge demand in electricity from these data centers will drive electrical prices higher for all Texans. For just 37 jobs at an average of $150K or $5.5M per year. There is already a lot of grumbling bubbling up.
$2.1-billion data center set to break ground in North Texas
Precious little Republican reaction to Jack Smith’s damning testimony, yesterday.
I guess they were all just so excited by that amazing speech. Very Gettysburg-like, don’t you think?
Or maybe they were just so excited by the new, eloquently written, plaques in the WH.
https://apnews.com/article/trump-plaques-presidential-walk-fame-e6b496f68862f4b678bbe608a0efde95?utm_source=copy&utm_medium=share
Faculty are leaving Austin’s anti-woke university over ideological differences
The article goes on but the following quotes from the article made me snort my coffee:
Pretty snarky for a mainstream newspaper article.
We Pined for the Comforts of Home. We Got Tube Socks and Old Candy for Christmas Instead
…
Steven,
This is the second time you have made these idiotic insinuations about me. I have defended myself once already to your personal attacks. Now put up proof I am some kind of Trump apologist or supporter and not just a critic of your writing OR SHUT UP.
@Scott:
I used to find White Christmas to be just boring, well into my 20s. Then something switched around age 30 and now its my favorite, a must watch every Christmas. As I’ve aged, I’ve become a song and dance man.
A couple of years ago the kids put on “8-Bit Christmas” on HBO. The trailer looked meh. It’s great! Has the makings of a family classic. If you haven’t seen it, add it into your rotation. Another potential classic, last year’s “The Holdovers” with Paul Giamatti. Just fantastic.
@Neil Hudelson: Yep. The Holdovers was great. Plus watching with the grand children: Charlie Brown Christmas, Elf, etc. My DIL is addicted to Hallmark Christmas movies. The kind all filmed in Canada and employing most of the Canadian acting community.
@Scott: Somebody cracked – Hallmark movies, fifty actors, twelve locations, one plot.
Robert Farley at LGM links and excerpts a detailed NYT Magazine story on how Epstein acquired his wealth. No mention of the CIA or Mossad, just a handsome, charming grifter and gullible rich people. In fact, the story is so unexceptional one has to assume there’s a lot more of this sort of thing going on.
Update from rehab: This is a very nice place I’m in for at least the next month. The food could be better, but that’s a minor complaint. (I have to say the kitchen made a wonderful tuna melt for my lunch yesterday.)
I saw the surgeon last Monday, and he removed the staples and told me I no longer needed to wear the brace. Yippee!
I’ve been pondering two big ideas. I need to find time to post them here.
One is that unproductive activities can make loads of money. That is, actions that produce little or nothing valuable can nevertheless generate large amounts of wealth. This is not a good thing.
Second is that perhaps private healthcare, at least as far as hospitals, labs, and insurance go, should be a non-profit activity exclusively. This would tend to lead to government hospitals, labs and insurance.
I’ll try to post more later. Hell Week marches on.
That $1,776 bonus? He’s taking it from already-allocated funds and just slapping his name on it.
(Pro tip: Renaming funds you were already receiving is not a bonus.)
@Jen:
Oh, FFS. Trump has less than no shame.
@gVOR10:
That is a good article, here’s a gift link.
@Sleeping Dog:
Here’s today’s episode
‘Don’s Best Friend’: How Epstein and Trump Bonded Over the Pursuit of Women
So, the Republiqan government cannot, and honestly will not, lift a finger to keep people from either going broke or doing without healthcare. But they will, most eagerly, screw trans minors over, and drive many to suicide.
You will die from lack of care or suffer hardship by paying a lot more fo coverage than you used to. But mindless, pointless cruelty will prevail, never fear. Your prejudices are on top. Who cares about anything else.
Reverend Jeremiah Wright meant something else, I know, but I think it’s still related. In any case, he was correct. God damn America.
On the other hand, why should God do that? Americans already did it to themselves.
This is why some people get so frustrated with Democrats..
R – Steve Hilton 18%
R – Chad Bianco 17%
D – Eric Swalwell 17%
D – Katie Porter 13%
D – Tom Steyer 6%
D- Xavier Becerra 3%
D – A. Villaraigosa 3%
D – T. Thurmond 1%
D – Betty Yee 1%
——
You have seven Dems – five who have ZERO chance of being elected statewide, who are sucking up enough votes that the two GOP candidates will win the primary and we will have two Republicans vying for the Governorship*
We could, very easily, get a MAGA Republican as the governor if a bunch of these morons don’t get out of the race.
Fucking idiots.
* California has a jungle primary. Top two, regardless of party go to a run off. Usually, it’s two Dems, but this year, five Dems with zero chance have chosen to help a MAGA Republican get elected. Again… Fucking idiots.
@EddieInCA:
Country over party, that’s one thing. Country over personal political ambition, that’s something else.
@EddieInCA: When is the primary?
Some people “run” in the “primary” just to boost name recognition or impress a girl or whatever, and then drop out when the day to actually vote gets closer, because as fun as campaigning is, getting 3% of the vote is an ego crush.
ETA: June 6th. I think everyone gets to play around until April or so. I’m not a fan of the Jungle Primary (we have them in Washington), but it’s likely harmless.
This totally does not have scam and payoff written all over it: the El Taco media company, owner of Pravda Social, is merging with a fusion power company.
That’s like a candy company merging with Boeing.
Worse yet, they intend to build “the world’s first utility-scale fusion power plant” next year.
That’s like GM announcing they’ll release a time machine next year.
Come, had this been published on April 1st, everyone would spot the spoof piece.
@EddieInCA:
Yeah, my irony meter might break if 2 R’s end up on the Cali gov ballot.
@Sleeping Dog:
That was indeed interesting. Thanks.
The board of the Kennedy Center, all Trump stooges, has voted to rename the place the Donald J. Trump Center.
I am not kidding.
@Scott:
@Scott:
@Neil Hudelson:
I’ll suggest adding A Wish for Wings that Work, just for grins and giggles. Cheesy animation, but I enjoy my annual viewing.
@CSK:
If the last Taco term made it hard to distinguish between actual news and The Onion, this one makes it hard to tell the news apart from The Onion By and For Morons,
In theory, he cannot rename the Kennedy Center without an act of Congress. In practice, 1) he’ll change all signage to brag of his latest desecration and 2) the fixer court will let him.
@Kathy: @Kathy:
“”the world’s first utility-scale fusion power plant” next year.”
Call me doubtful. Maybe I should start a virtual company called Super Complex Alchemy Metals and try to get some Trump fanboy money.
I’ll have to set up a glitzy website stating “We will be able to convert lead to gold next year”.
It’s often best to just let the man purge his insecurities. No need to attend or respond.
@Scott O:
But Ek Taco is the greatest alchemist ever!
He managed to turn a good economy into shit.
Police have found the Brown Univ. suspect, dead of a self inflicted gunshot wound in a storage facility in Salem, NH.
@Bill Jempty:
All I have asked you to do is make an actual argument, which you did not do. The truth is it is impossible to know what your point is.
That you are minimizing the symbolism is indisputable. If you have a cogent defense for your position, make it.
And I would kindly ask you to be more civil. If you want to have a conversation, have one. But this is not the way to do it. If you can’t take pushback on your comments, don’t make them.
It would also be helpful if you could keep specific discussions under the appropriate posts if you want timely responses.
@CSK: Good luck and I hope all goes well!
@Steven L. Taylor:
Thank you!
@Bill Jempty: You’ve been banned before, on a free site. Dr. Taylor does not have to put up with your bullshit if he doesn’t want to.