Tuesday’s Forum
Steven L. Taylor
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Tuesday, February 20, 2024
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53 comments
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.
Widow of Haiti’s president indicted in his assassination, along with ex-prime minister and former police chief:
Wild. Details in the link are absolute bonkers.
These six young people died by gun violence. Now their AI-generated voices are sending gun control pleas to lawmakers
I’ve been banging on this for a while. It’s coming, people. And most of these goons are out of Texas.
Satan’s laughing with delight.
Trump allies prepare to infuse ‘Christian nationalism’ in second administration
UK special forces blocked resettlement applications from elite Afghan troops
Whatever objection would the SAS raise against having their brothers in arms resettle in the UK?
Oh.
Last night I went to a bingo fundraiser for my buddy’s Ducks Unlimited chapter. I won in the 10th round, the prize of which was anything I wanted from “The Gun Table.” So…yay? I guess? I hunt a bit, but have no interest in having an expansive gun collection. But also I know the monetary value, and FU I won so I’m gonna get my prize.
Turns out they only had one gun left. A single-shot, .22 scoped rifle with a tripod. According to the guy running for the gun table, it’s for kids.
I’m calling it my “Lil’ Tyke’s First Sniper Rifle.”
@Neil Hudelson: HA!
CBS headline this morning said essentially: “Biden raises $42 million in January. Voters have raised concerns about his age.”
Just once I’d like to see a headline that didn’t say “Here’s why this is bad for Joe Biden” after he accomplishes something incredible, such as raising the most money in U.S. History for a presidential candidate at this point in the cycle.
@Tony W:
I can’t wait for the headline proclaiming how winning a second term is bad for Biden.
There is a precedent. After all, winning a first term was the worst thing that ever happened to Lardass A. Drumpf. So far it has wounded what he cherishes most: his money.
The Daily Wire is calling for the execution of doctors who treat trans teenagers. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfVWZkGtVHI&t=53s).
I really don’t think I’m being all that hyperbolic in referring to a trans genocide.
@Tony W: I’ve been thinking about how different trumpers are from we Never-Trumpers, and how it plays out politically.
trumpers – never want to be exposed to anything negative about Sneaker Boy and will automatically ignore anything that even faintly speaks ill of their idol. They will, however, voraciously snap up anything negative about his enemies, real or perceived.
Never-Trumpers – have a morbid fascination with negative narratives and gloom and doom scenarios about the candidates we support, or stories that talk about Trump’s strengths.
Net effect: The exact same articles, “Dems in disarray”, “Biden should step down”, “Trump making inroads with young AA men”, get heavy clicks from both sides. The algorithms push them to the top and the clicks (and ad revenue) keep coming.
@MarkedMan:
Well, I’m a Never-Trumper, and I freely admit to a gleeful fascination with stories about how awful Trump is.
@Tony W: I am something of a broken record about this, but right wing threats against journalists and politicians are happening more and more and it is warping coverage. It didn’t start with the yam, but he sure took it to another level.
David French wrote about his personal experience with this just yesterday in the NYTs. He is not alone, by any stretch.
Can’t look like you’re giving any good coverage to Biden without some disclaimer or the magat mobsters may threaten to kill your dog or kidnap your kids.
@Neil Hudelson:
I saw you post that on Twitter and had so many questions. Now, most of them are answered.
I guess it’s on-brand for the event. They do great work (and it’s a great example of how hunters can be some really wonderful partners in conservation and environmental protection).
I know this is more than a week old, but one detail about the special election in New York is that it was a counterexample to the phenomenon which Republicans have used heavily to push the stolen-election narrative: namely, the red mirage. There was a blue mirage in this election, due to Queens counting its votes much more quickly than Nassau County: when the race was first called for Suozzi, he held a nearly 20-point lead. By the time counting was finished it had shrunk down to 7.7–still solid, and significantly better than polls before the race had predicted, but much less than his lead initially.
According to the “logic” of 2020 election deniers, this proves there was massive voter fraud in favor of the Republican. Everyone knows that in a legitimate election, the vote percentage between the two candidates must stay absolutely the same throughout the entire vote-counting process, or else something is up.
@MarkedMan: “Trump makes inroads with young AA men” reminds me that while black Americans are approximately 15% of the population, they make up 32% of the prison population. Our system has been manipulated to make sure black men can’t vote. Guess what party has fought the hardest against restoring voting rights to people who have served their time?
Is Trump going to champion this issue now?
On positive news, I was afraid the multi pot would drive my electric bill through the roof (that’s one reason I delayed endlessly getting one). But the latest bill came yesterday, and ti was about the same as the pre-multi pot ones. So the net effect is small at best.
That’s a good thing, because I think I figured out what I did wrong with the slow cooker function the previous times. Therefore I can perfect the slow goulash recipe and attempt it in two weeks or so.
I also want to try a slow cooked onion sauce…
In Alabama, only a college football coach can beat another college football coach in a senate race.
http://www.slate.com/news-and-politics/2024/02/senate-alabama-crimson-tide-nick-saban-tommy-tuberville.html
I’ll never understand the adoration Alabama accords its football coaches. I couldn’t tell you the names of the coaches at Harvard, UMass, or Boston College. I doubt 98% of the populace here could, either.
Lists such as this should be qualified with the caveat “as judged under present standards.”
And naturally they represent averages among all the people making judgments on past and current presidents.
But we all agree on who shows up at the very bottom.
@CSK:
It’s not just college and it’s not just Alabama. It’s the whole south. And it’s high school too. I did a feature film in Shreveport, Louisiana, about 15 years ago. I lived in a Residence Inn for 7 months. I arrived on a random Thursday. Friday night, I switch on the TV in my living room. The Shreveport area TV market covers what’s called “The ArkLaTex’, because that area covers South Arkansas, North Louisiana and East Texas. Of 7 “local” channels, 5 had HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL being televised. Five! I don’t know you can find one high school game in the entire Los Angeles metro area being televised on any Friday night.
It’s a different world.
@EddieInCA:
“Latex Ark” was right there.
I’m glad the people of Seattle had their priorities straight when referring to the area between Fremont and Ballard. It’s Free Lard (sometimes spelled Frellard, but always pronounced as Free Lard)
@CSK: For some reason or other I expect this to go absolutely nowhere.
@Neil Hudelson: Fun story! But I’d hold onto it for now. Might come in handy if the Orange Turd gets re-elected.
[EDIT: to be clear, I’m talking about protecting yourself from the “Christian” nationalists/fascists.]
It is currently 55 degrees in Chicago. The average high should be in the 30s. Over the next week the temp is projected to be in the 50s or 60s much of the week. That’s the average temp here for late April/May. This is freakishly bad.
@OzarkHillbilly:
What won’t go anywhere?
@Beth: In San Antonio, it is a sunny, mid 70s. I hope it is not too early but I’m starting to plant the spring vegetables in the starting pots. Because last spring they were burning out by mid June.
@EddieInCA:
Oh, I know. But Alabama seems to be a bit more extreme than the other southern states in its adulation of school football coaches. I mean, when teenaged girls refer to Nick Saban as “God,” that’s excessive.
Sometimes the universe throws you a good turn, and a huge weight gets lifted off your shoulders.
By weight, I mean really bad stress, plus longer hours at work, and pressuring and rushing lots of people who are simply doing their best under difficult, demanding conditions.
Sometimes.
@Beth:
Mexico City has milder winters. It’s common to need a coat and gloves in the morning. Then AC in the afternoon if you’re in a place that gets a lot of sunlight. Then a coat again after the sun goes down.
That’s normal. These past few weeks, except for a few cloudy days, it’s been 10-12 C in the early morning, rather than 5-7 C. Today I drove somewhere at 10 am, and the car was 29 C inside. Even in full winter sunlight, the usual would have been like 20-22 C.
It’s getting harder for deniers to dismiss it as an odd warm winter, when the past three or fourth were just the same.
Dynamite line-up for this week’s CPAC festival:
Donald Trump
Kari Lake
Matt Gaetz
Mike Lindell
Ken Paxton
Sebastian Gorka
Steve Bannon
@CSK: The recruitment of Nick Saban.
Well, teenage girls are just plain silly. Even God will tell you Nick Saban is a far better coach than god is.
Not sure about the consequences of allowing Capital One to acquire Discover, though overall I’m opposed to further consolidation.
It does remind me of this Futurama clip
@OzarkHillbilly:
Okay, thanks. I too don’t think Saban would be interested. But the notion that being a college football coach is the prime qualification for being a senator confounds me. Tuberville couldn’t even name the three branches of government.
@Kathy: It was really surprising to me to learn that the phone service I rent my Korean travel phone from takes Discover now. It was also fortunate because rental phone companies don’t take debit cards.
But if Discover is being acquired by Cap One, I guess I’ll cash out my Cashback and close the account. I mostly use my debit card anyway.
@CSK: Jeebus. That lineup looks like it came from the The Onion
@CSK: In Tuberville’s case, the prime qualifications were name recognition and being willing to run as a Republican.
ETA: I think that the jury is probably still out on whether the other guy can win as a Dem. We are talking ‘Bama after all. Slate is hoping that the wish into hand will fill before the sh!t into hand does just this once.
@Just nutha ignint cracker: I’ve had a Discover card for 25-30 years. That was when they were really the only ones doing cashback. When I saw the news, I was wondering if it was about time to close it.
@CSK:
I think it would be the prime qualification for being anything.
@MarkedMan:
It does, doesn’t it?
@Kathy:
In the deep south, yes. Elsewhere, no.
@Just nutha ignint cracker:
I wonder if it bothers them that Tuberville insists on being called “Coach” rather than “Senator.”
@CSK:
Elsewhere football is a sport, not a religion.
On other things, I was reading about one pot pastas (never made one), and I got a notion: cooking pasta with shredded potatoes, and very little water.
It’s tricky. usually pasta needs far less time to cook than potatoes. On the other hand, the smaller the potato piece (or the smaller the piece of anything), the faster it cooks. I should try cooking one shredded potato and see how long that takes.
Or I can just get some starch and eat it with a spoon 🙂
@Kathy:
“Elsewhere, football is a sport, not a religion.”
Well, certainly. I’ve suggested as much numerous times. Hence the equating of Nick Saban with God.
@CSK: Probably a lot less than voting for a Democrat would. Southerners are people who the GOP thought would vote for Hershell Walker after all.
@CSK: Saban is far smarter than Tuberville. “Politics? Fck that sht.”
@OzarkHillbilly:
Oh, I have no doubt that Saban is smarter than Tuberville. But most people are.
In news that will surprise nobody who has three functional synapses in their head:
DOJ: FBI informant said Russian intelligence involved in Hunter Biden story
Today I learned that the song “Hobo Humping Slobo Babe” has nothing to do with Slobodan Milosevic.
To be fair, I always suspected that it had nothing to do with Slobodan Milosevic, but never bothered to look it up before now, and Slobo meant nothing to me other than Milosevic. Apparently just Swedes getting English slang wrong. I’m still not sure what it is about.
Best Google result while trying to tie Milosevic to that song: Wikipedia for Milosevic, with the little warning text “missing: hobo humpin babe”
Bing had nothing useful.
@CSK: Uh yeah…
Smarter than Tuberville isn’t much of a bar to clear.
@Just nutha ignint cracker:
I was thinking that myself.
@Gustopher: Oh shit, I haven’t heard that song in decades.
Every time I think Trump can’t get any lower….
Trump Calls $354 Million Fraud Fine Against Him ‘A Form of Navalny’
Every single GOP candidate should be confronted with this quote by Trump. Every single one.
What a piece of shit.
@EddieInCA: My first thought was “oh, if only…”
@EddieInCA:
If he really believes this, I’m willing to help him reach Mr. Navalny’s state. Then he can say whether he still believes it. Or he could, if, you know.
Remember this is the same guy who compared getting laid and catching the clap to serving in Vietnam.
@EddieInCA:
What can you expect from someone who’s said that he’s been treated worse than any president in U.S. history?
I guarantee you that every single IVF firm and practice in Alabama is today looking at options for moving their operations out of state. Many will move to a state that doesn’t have this onerous ruling.
I’ll be the first to say, like I did after the Dobbs decision, “Come to California. You’re be welcome here.”