Archive for September, 2020
A Great Man Just Died. You Never Heard Of Him
I wouldn’t have known of him either but for…wait, I’m getting ahead of myself. His name was Robert S. Graetz. He was a white pastor to an all-Black congregation. He was a civil rights champion, and willingly risked physical harm to make a difference. Fair use prevents me from quoting the entire NYTimes obituary, but […]
DL Open Thread: Tuesday, September 22, 2020
Rethugs Have Votes To Confirm Supreme Court Justice. Cory Gardner signs his political death warrant rather than doing the right thing. Biden Doesn’t Mention Supreme Court Vacancy At Campaign Stop. Most feckless Democrat of all the feckless Democrats. More proof of his fecklessness. Need Encouraging News? Absentee Ballot Requests Is (Are?) Your Manna. Explains why […]
Hey, Chris Coons, the Journos Are Onto Your Game
Sen. Chris Coons said something in a Fox News appearance that caught the attention of William Saletan of Slate. Saletan tweeted: Sen. Coons (D) says he’ll appeal to his close relationships with Republicans: “I’m going to be working this weekend, this week, to reach across the aisle and see if I can’t persuade some friends […]
Song of the Day 9/21: Bob Mould, “Siberian Butterfly”
Bob Mould released this a couple of week ago to preview his new album, “Blue Hearts,” due out Friday. It’s a throwback to his Hüsker Dü days — fast, loud and short. Bob’s look has changed, of course, but he’s the rare aging rocker who hasn’t mellowed.
DL Open Thread: Monday, Sept. 21, 2020
The Stark Difference Between US And European Energy Companies. Euro companies divest themselves of oil fields, reduce emissions, and commit themselves to renewable energy. US companies? Oil oil oil. The Two Most Likely Trump Supreme Court Choices: Barbara Lagoa. Amy Coney Barrett. My imaginary money’s on Lagoa. Why? Florida. She may have an ethical issue, […]
How do extreme Republicans win over public opinion in policy fights?
Whether it is the Supreme Court, or tax sanity, Republicans win policy fights because they are always consistent, while democrats are always muddled and muddy in terms of strategy and desired outcomes. It has nothing to do with the merit of the contending arguments. Take an issue such as gun sanity. Republicans messaging is always […]
Song of the Day 9/20: Bruce Springsteen, “Letter to You”
Bruce Springsteen dropped a new single Sept. 10, the title track to an upcoming album with the E Street Band recorded live in Springsteen’s home studio, no overdubs, in just five days last December. When I heard it the day it was released I was underwhelmed. It’s mid-tempo, soft-rocking and musically basic, nothing rousing or […]
DL Open Thread: Sunday, Sept. 20, 2020
Trump To Announce Supreme Court Nominee This Week. The process makes it very difficult to even reach a vote by Election Day. Meaning, the process must be done away with. There’s no point in pointing out hypocrisy and inconsistency. The rules are whatever Trump and McConnell want. As well as…. David Frum offers a glimmer […]
Song of the Day 9/19: AI/DC, “Great Balls”
This is a few months old but I just found it the other day, and I still crack up when I listen to it. Back in May some YouTuber who goes by Funk Turkey fed all AC/DC’s lyrics into a computer program that spit out a “new” AC/DC song that, despite having total nonsense for […]
DL Flashback: ” Q: Is Cathy Cloutier Pro-Choice Or Anti-Choice? A: BOTH!”
I first posted this in October of 2012. In the wake of RBG’s death, the post’s point is even more salient today: Cathy Cloutier will say anything to win the support of certain groups of voters. Even when they are on diametric opposite sides of the same issue: Some things I simply cannot make up. […]
The Crushing Reality of Zoom School
“Are you muted?”
The first thing my five-year-old learned in kindergarten, set up at a tiny desk in the corner of our dining room, is to always stay muted. It’s probably the wrong thing to teach a child, but not everyone remembers, and then life bleeds in. Zoom school becomes a portal into worlds you never see as a parent making awkward smalltalk at pickup.
You can hear a mom working a job doing collections for medical billing. Call after call.
A dad who calls his sister on speakerphone. They fight most days.
Grandparents asking how long it’s going to take. There are babies wailing.
Our RBG Has Died
She tried so hard to make it through to the end of the Trump years. Some of the most salient writing on her passing: Justice Ginsberg’s History Of Striking Dissents. RBG’s Thwarted Vision For America. The Stakes For America. Dems’ Choice: Go Nuclear. Yes. This. Rethugs: It’s All About The Supreme Court Now. Yep, get […]
Song of the Day 9/18: Twisted Sister, “We’re Not Gonna Take It”
Let’s say you have two aging rock stars, one a legendary Irish R&B singer, the other a Long Island hair-metal has-been. If I told you one was a virulent anti-masker, which would you think was more likely to be the selfish asshole? If you picked Dee Snider of Twister Sister, sorry, we don’t even have […]
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