DL Open Thread: Saturday, July 10, 2021
Biden Fires Anti-Union Head Of The Social Security Administration. The irony being, of course, that it was Trump who went to the Supreme Court–and won–when he ousted the head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Rethugs are now crying foul for Biden removing this guy:
Senator Sherrod Brown of Ohio, the chairman of the Senate Finance Committee’s Social Security subcommittee, called for Mr. Saul’s resignation in February. Mr. Brown said Mr. Saul had sought to issue regulations meant to reduce access to Social Security disability benefits — including denying benefits to an estimated 100,000 potential recipients who do not speak English fluently…
…a White House official said Friday that Mr. Saul had undermined Social Security’s disability benefits, terminated a telework policy at the agency and alienated federal employee unions over work force safety planning amid the pandemic.
That’s a political agenda right there.
Oh, Please, Let This Be True…: Trump and DeSantis hate each other, and their surrogates are airing out the laundry:
In recent days I spoke with a half dozen GOP insiders about the recent flare-ups between DeSantis’s and Trump’s camps. The sources agreed that DeSantis and Trump are on an inevitable collision course as the 2024 GOP field takes shape. “There’s going to be a blowup,” a prominent Republican said. “Trump fucking hates DeSantis. He just resents his popularity,” a Trump confidant told me. Asked for comment, Trump spokesperson Liz Harrington said: “Governor DeSantis has shown great respect.”
Part of Trump’s irritation with DeSantis is that Trump famously claims credit for anyone in his orbit who gains attention. “Trump tells people, ‘I made Ron,’” the prominent Republican said. “Trump says that about a lot of people. But in this case it’s actually true.” According to sources, then congressman DeSantis cultivated Trump’s support during the 2018 gubernatorial primary by hanging out at Trump’s Washington, D.C., hotel. “Ron basically ran his primary campaign out of the hotel. He buttonholed Trump supporters and his friends,” the prominent Republican said.
Robert E. Lee And Stonewall Jackson Meet Their Deserved Fate In Charlottesville. It just boggles the mind that all of these shrines to the Confederacy pollute the landscape more than 150 years after the Civil War.
Feel-Good Moment Of The Week. Nerds Rule! Not to mention, the name of the year: Zaila Avant-garde. She’s an athletic nerd:
The victory gave an extra polish to Zaila’s already remarkable résumé: Not only has she competed in spelling bees for two years, she already holds three Guinness world records for dribbling, bouncing and juggling basketballs. All before the ninth grade.
Just–wow.
What do you want to talk about?
“…spelling has always been a mark of intelligence.”
As someone who went through school with what would probably now be classified as a learning disability – I agree. Sadly.
Luckily spell check arrived to save my college career. As far as intelligence is concerned, I’m glad there is a deeper understanding of types of intelligence, but schools still look for and train a very narrow style of intelligence.
Sorry, but it doesn’t feel good to me. The spelling bee is perhaps the stupidest non-edible thing Americans have turned into a contest. Spellcheck exists — knowing how to spell is no longer a necessary skill. And I say that as a former copy editor.
Guiness records aren’t far behind. What say we stop celebrating people for stupid shit. Greta Thunberg she ain’t.
Methinks Alby doth protest too much, spelling has always been a mark of intelligence. Besides, I hate spell check, some day mankind will learn to live without it!
Toxic duo Marjorie Taylor Greene and Matt Gaetz were set to host an “America First” rally in Orange County on July 17, but when the venue found out who was behind the event, they canceled. The controversial House Representatives are apparently too extreme even for conservative Orange County.
“As soon as we found out who the speakers were we immediately canceled it,” Javad Mirtavoosi, general manager of Pacific Hills Banquet & Event Center, told The Orange County Register.
Here we are in the 21st century and we’re just now taking down the Confederate statues. We are so morally late to doing anything to renounce the crime of enslaving people that it discourages nearly all confidence that the nation will be able to respond to, if not completely offset altogether, future developing outrages. I fear what the USA is able to countenance and presently does.