Better Late Than Never Weekend Open Thread

by wj

I have to do something to fend off my irritation (akin to the Count’s irritation with the Republicans) at seeing nothing but basketball all over my TV. So I’m looking at baseball . . . even though the season hasn’t started yet.

As ever, 538 is the place to start:
http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/bored-with-balance-in-baseball-2016-could-be-your-year/

Perhaps I’m just prejudiced, because they are saying that the Cubs may be playing their best baseball in decades. Mostly, I’m an A’s fan. But it would be so wonderful if the Cubs finally broke the jinx** and won it all . . . .

** You know you have a problem when you go out on Opening Day, and when the first pitch is called a ball, one of your fans yells: “Wait ’til next year!” 😉

444 thoughts on “Better Late Than Never Weekend Open Thread”

  1. Cool.
    I’d love it if the Cubs took it all.
    Except for this. It would be something along the lines of an extremely rare celestial alignment event of Nostradomic proportions.
    It would happen in October, just before the election.
    What would that portend for who gets elected? Yikes!!!
    What kind of stock market indicator would it be?
    Would the lava dome building under Yellowstone finally go kablooey in synchrony?
    As in, well, the Cubs won, so might as well blow up the world cause it ain’t going to get any better than this.
    Or, maybe it would happen during the bottom of the ninth in a tied seventh game of the World Series between the Cubs and whomever, just to continue the jinx and once and for all halt the Cubs chances at a title.

    Reply
  2. Cool.
    I’d love it if the Cubs took it all.
    Except for this. It would be something along the lines of an extremely rare celestial alignment event of Nostradomic proportions.
    It would happen in October, just before the election.
    What would that portend for who gets elected? Yikes!!!
    What kind of stock market indicator would it be?
    Would the lava dome building under Yellowstone finally go kablooey in synchrony?
    As in, well, the Cubs won, so might as well blow up the world cause it ain’t going to get any better than this.
    Or, maybe it would happen during the bottom of the ninth in a tied seventh game of the World Series between the Cubs and whomever, just to continue the jinx and once and for all halt the Cubs chances at a title.

    Reply
  3. Cool.
    I’d love it if the Cubs took it all.
    Except for this. It would be something along the lines of an extremely rare celestial alignment event of Nostradomic proportions.
    It would happen in October, just before the election.
    What would that portend for who gets elected? Yikes!!!
    What kind of stock market indicator would it be?
    Would the lava dome building under Yellowstone finally go kablooey in synchrony?
    As in, well, the Cubs won, so might as well blow up the world cause it ain’t going to get any better than this.
    Or, maybe it would happen during the bottom of the ninth in a tied seventh game of the World Series between the Cubs and whomever, just to continue the jinx and once and for all halt the Cubs chances at a title.

    Reply
  4. Cubs win.
    Then a booger-flicking six-year old becomes President, as Republicans just barely fail to boost the God-addled Cruz into the job, the only guy who could boost the American death toll over and above Trump’s.
    http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2016/03/a-random-sampling-of-obsessions-of-12.html
    Less than Mao, the both of them, so they’ll stand up well in future body count discussions with imbeciles.
    http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2016/03/a-random-sampling-of-obsessions-of-12.html
    I look forward to State dinners at the Trump White House, now covered in fake gold leaf, when Trump fills his gob with peas and mashed potatoes and opens it and flashes the mess at his enemies in the cheap seats.

    Reply
  5. Cubs win.
    Then a booger-flicking six-year old becomes President, as Republicans just barely fail to boost the God-addled Cruz into the job, the only guy who could boost the American death toll over and above Trump’s.
    http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2016/03/a-random-sampling-of-obsessions-of-12.html
    Less than Mao, the both of them, so they’ll stand up well in future body count discussions with imbeciles.
    http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2016/03/a-random-sampling-of-obsessions-of-12.html
    I look forward to State dinners at the Trump White House, now covered in fake gold leaf, when Trump fills his gob with peas and mashed potatoes and opens it and flashes the mess at his enemies in the cheap seats.

    Reply
  6. Cubs win.
    Then a booger-flicking six-year old becomes President, as Republicans just barely fail to boost the God-addled Cruz into the job, the only guy who could boost the American death toll over and above Trump’s.
    http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2016/03/a-random-sampling-of-obsessions-of-12.html
    Less than Mao, the both of them, so they’ll stand up well in future body count discussions with imbeciles.
    http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2016/03/a-random-sampling-of-obsessions-of-12.html
    I look forward to State dinners at the Trump White House, now covered in fake gold leaf, when Trump fills his gob with peas and mashed potatoes and opens it and flashes the mess at his enemies in the cheap seats.

    Reply
  7. Something occurs to me. The last time the Cubs won a World Series was 1908. The next Presidential election (1912) was the one where the Republican Party split because the populists were unhappy with the way big business was running the party.
    So the Cubs winning might be an omen of some kind….

    Reply
  8. Something occurs to me. The last time the Cubs won a World Series was 1908. The next Presidential election (1912) was the one where the Republican Party split because the populists were unhappy with the way big business was running the party.
    So the Cubs winning might be an omen of some kind….

    Reply
  9. Something occurs to me. The last time the Cubs won a World Series was 1908. The next Presidential election (1912) was the one where the Republican Party split because the populists were unhappy with the way big business was running the party.
    So the Cubs winning might be an omen of some kind….

    Reply
  10. New Supreme Court nominee… total meltdown of major political party… and all my favourite sites have decided this is the moment to become obsessed with baseball and basketball. How exactly am I supposed to waste time now?

    Reply
  11. New Supreme Court nominee… total meltdown of major political party… and all my favourite sites have decided this is the moment to become obsessed with baseball and basketball. How exactly am I supposed to waste time now?

    Reply
  12. New Supreme Court nominee… total meltdown of major political party… and all my favourite sites have decided this is the moment to become obsessed with baseball and basketball. How exactly am I supposed to waste time now?

    Reply
  13. When it comes to baseball, prediction is hard, especially about the future. So I hear.
    Frex, it looked for a while that the Red Sox would win the World Series in every year with a Russian Revolution.
    Then they fell out of sync. Oh well.

    Reply
  14. When it comes to baseball, prediction is hard, especially about the future. So I hear.
    Frex, it looked for a while that the Red Sox would win the World Series in every year with a Russian Revolution.
    Then they fell out of sync. Oh well.

    Reply
  15. When it comes to baseball, prediction is hard, especially about the future. So I hear.
    Frex, it looked for a while that the Red Sox would win the World Series in every year with a Russian Revolution.
    Then they fell out of sync. Oh well.

    Reply
  16. Hey, Adam, it’s an Open Thread. Just start spouting off and see what response you get. (No doubt we all have opinions on those subjects as well. 😉

    Reply
  17. Hey, Adam, it’s an Open Thread. Just start spouting off and see what response you get. (No doubt we all have opinions on those subjects as well. 😉

    Reply
  18. Hey, Adam, it’s an Open Thread. Just start spouting off and see what response you get. (No doubt we all have opinions on those subjects as well. 😉

    Reply
  19. Open thread? Okay:
    What’s happened to dimming your highbeams for on-coming drivers? Or for the driver you’re tailgating?
    Now that we’ve fooled the sun into staying up later, by means of the never-fails practical joke called “daylight savings time”, I’m hoping to do less driving in the dark on two-lane roads. So I might, possibly, avoid shooting one of the many, many a$$holes who seem to have proliferated this past winter here in the Boston suburbs.
    What the hell is going on? Is it possible that recent-model cars are coming equipped with supposedly self-dimming headlights that don’t quite work right, and I am being blinded by oblivious morons rather than arrogant jerks? Is it possible that cellphones, combined with stalk-mounted instead of the old-style foot-mounted dimmer switches, are to blame? (If so, is there an app for that?) Whatever it is, the blinding-high-beam problem is getting worse and worse.
    Is it just me, or what?
    –TP

    Reply
  20. Open thread? Okay:
    What’s happened to dimming your highbeams for on-coming drivers? Or for the driver you’re tailgating?
    Now that we’ve fooled the sun into staying up later, by means of the never-fails practical joke called “daylight savings time”, I’m hoping to do less driving in the dark on two-lane roads. So I might, possibly, avoid shooting one of the many, many a$$holes who seem to have proliferated this past winter here in the Boston suburbs.
    What the hell is going on? Is it possible that recent-model cars are coming equipped with supposedly self-dimming headlights that don’t quite work right, and I am being blinded by oblivious morons rather than arrogant jerks? Is it possible that cellphones, combined with stalk-mounted instead of the old-style foot-mounted dimmer switches, are to blame? (If so, is there an app for that?) Whatever it is, the blinding-high-beam problem is getting worse and worse.
    Is it just me, or what?
    –TP

    Reply
  21. Open thread? Okay:
    What’s happened to dimming your highbeams for on-coming drivers? Or for the driver you’re tailgating?
    Now that we’ve fooled the sun into staying up later, by means of the never-fails practical joke called “daylight savings time”, I’m hoping to do less driving in the dark on two-lane roads. So I might, possibly, avoid shooting one of the many, many a$$holes who seem to have proliferated this past winter here in the Boston suburbs.
    What the hell is going on? Is it possible that recent-model cars are coming equipped with supposedly self-dimming headlights that don’t quite work right, and I am being blinded by oblivious morons rather than arrogant jerks? Is it possible that cellphones, combined with stalk-mounted instead of the old-style foot-mounted dimmer switches, are to blame? (If so, is there an app for that?) Whatever it is, the blinding-high-beam problem is getting worse and worse.
    Is it just me, or what?
    –TP

    Reply
  22. Tony — I don’t think it’s just you. This has been irritating me for years. I’m guessing there are several factors, not excluding overlap with your suggestions:
    1. Based on my kids’ experience in driver’s ed (okay, > 10 years ago now, but still), driver’s ed classes spend most of their time trying to scare kids into driving safely instead of actually teaching them how to do it.
    2. Cellphones.
    3. Assholes. (Especially the ones that tailgate at all with lights on, never mind with their highbeams on. Why don’t you design us a system we can use to flash messages out the rear window: “Dim your lights, a$$hole!” I’ve seen bumper stickers that are related in my mind: “The closer you get, the slower we go.” That is actually a rule I live by, although I’ve calmed myself down a lot in fear of becoming a victim of road rage. Now I don’t tap my brakes to make that point, I just gradually slow down……
    4. In Maine, at least, last time I heard, they had (some years ago) removed headlight alignment from the annual inspection, so alignment just doesn’t get done any more. That’s why there are so many cars that seem like one headlight is on highbeam and the other isn’t.
    Grrrrrrrrr.

    Reply
  23. Tony — I don’t think it’s just you. This has been irritating me for years. I’m guessing there are several factors, not excluding overlap with your suggestions:
    1. Based on my kids’ experience in driver’s ed (okay, > 10 years ago now, but still), driver’s ed classes spend most of their time trying to scare kids into driving safely instead of actually teaching them how to do it.
    2. Cellphones.
    3. Assholes. (Especially the ones that tailgate at all with lights on, never mind with their highbeams on. Why don’t you design us a system we can use to flash messages out the rear window: “Dim your lights, a$$hole!” I’ve seen bumper stickers that are related in my mind: “The closer you get, the slower we go.” That is actually a rule I live by, although I’ve calmed myself down a lot in fear of becoming a victim of road rage. Now I don’t tap my brakes to make that point, I just gradually slow down……
    4. In Maine, at least, last time I heard, they had (some years ago) removed headlight alignment from the annual inspection, so alignment just doesn’t get done any more. That’s why there are so many cars that seem like one headlight is on highbeam and the other isn’t.
    Grrrrrrrrr.

    Reply
  24. Tony — I don’t think it’s just you. This has been irritating me for years. I’m guessing there are several factors, not excluding overlap with your suggestions:
    1. Based on my kids’ experience in driver’s ed (okay, > 10 years ago now, but still), driver’s ed classes spend most of their time trying to scare kids into driving safely instead of actually teaching them how to do it.
    2. Cellphones.
    3. Assholes. (Especially the ones that tailgate at all with lights on, never mind with their highbeams on. Why don’t you design us a system we can use to flash messages out the rear window: “Dim your lights, a$$hole!” I’ve seen bumper stickers that are related in my mind: “The closer you get, the slower we go.” That is actually a rule I live by, although I’ve calmed myself down a lot in fear of becoming a victim of road rage. Now I don’t tap my brakes to make that point, I just gradually slow down……
    4. In Maine, at least, last time I heard, they had (some years ago) removed headlight alignment from the annual inspection, so alignment just doesn’t get done any more. That’s why there are so many cars that seem like one headlight is on highbeam and the other isn’t.
    Grrrrrrrrr.

    Reply
  25. It’s not just the highbeams with me. Anyone else irritatated by the increasingly bright LED sidelights ?
    Notably on some of the more expensive German models.
    Of course this might also be a function of older eyes being more susceptible to glare.

    Reply
  26. It’s not just the highbeams with me. Anyone else irritatated by the increasingly bright LED sidelights ?
    Notably on some of the more expensive German models.
    Of course this might also be a function of older eyes being more susceptible to glare.

    Reply
  27. It’s not just the highbeams with me. Anyone else irritatated by the increasingly bright LED sidelights ?
    Notably on some of the more expensive German models.
    Of course this might also be a function of older eyes being more susceptible to glare.

    Reply
  28. I have a harder time telling if they’re highbeams or just super-bright new-fangled headlights these days.
    Tony P., foot switches? I had a car with one of those. It was built in 1968. Did you go stright from an 8-track player to an iPod in the last couple of years, too?

    Reply
  29. I have a harder time telling if they’re highbeams or just super-bright new-fangled headlights these days.
    Tony P., foot switches? I had a car with one of those. It was built in 1968. Did you go stright from an 8-track player to an iPod in the last couple of years, too?

    Reply
  30. I have a harder time telling if they’re highbeams or just super-bright new-fangled headlights these days.
    Tony P., foot switches? I had a car with one of those. It was built in 1968. Did you go stright from an 8-track player to an iPod in the last couple of years, too?

    Reply
  31. @Nigel — I’m with you on the LEDs. In fact, I don’t even get why they’re allowed.
    I remember foot switches….. 😉
    And I don’t have an iPod. (Yet?) It’s been a while since I had a car with a tape player, but I do still play CDs. My kids were happy when, at the point when I bought a new car three years ago (first time ever buying a brand new one, probably the last as well), the exact one I wanted wasn’t on the lot, and we made a deal where I ended up with a car that did have a USB port, unlike the model I had wanted. Not that my kids are in the car with me much, but for long trips they like to have more options.

    Reply
  32. @Nigel — I’m with you on the LEDs. In fact, I don’t even get why they’re allowed.
    I remember foot switches….. 😉
    And I don’t have an iPod. (Yet?) It’s been a while since I had a car with a tape player, but I do still play CDs. My kids were happy when, at the point when I bought a new car three years ago (first time ever buying a brand new one, probably the last as well), the exact one I wanted wasn’t on the lot, and we made a deal where I ended up with a car that did have a USB port, unlike the model I had wanted. Not that my kids are in the car with me much, but for long trips they like to have more options.

    Reply
  33. @Nigel — I’m with you on the LEDs. In fact, I don’t even get why they’re allowed.
    I remember foot switches….. 😉
    And I don’t have an iPod. (Yet?) It’s been a while since I had a car with a tape player, but I do still play CDs. My kids were happy when, at the point when I bought a new car three years ago (first time ever buying a brand new one, probably the last as well), the exact one I wanted wasn’t on the lot, and we made a deal where I ended up with a car that did have a USB port, unlike the model I had wanted. Not that my kids are in the car with me much, but for long trips they like to have more options.

    Reply
  34. Well, as for the Cubs, I recall reading a science fiction novel a few years ago that was set around the year 2215 and mentioned for scene-setting, “The Cubs had recently completed their third century without a World Series win.” You never know.

    Reply
  35. Well, as for the Cubs, I recall reading a science fiction novel a few years ago that was set around the year 2215 and mentioned for scene-setting, “The Cubs had recently completed their third century without a World Series win.” You never know.

    Reply
  36. Well, as for the Cubs, I recall reading a science fiction novel a few years ago that was set around the year 2215 and mentioned for scene-setting, “The Cubs had recently completed their third century without a World Series win.” You never know.

    Reply
  37. I can get the significant lack of enthusiasm for Hillary on the part of some Democrats, and indeed the hatred emanating from some Republicans.
    But the hatred from some Democrats ?

    I’m sure a lot of it is misogyny – you can find that anywhere on the political spectrum. But there’s also a perception that Clinton is pragmatic to the point of having no fixed principles at all, or that she’s establishment for the sake of establishment (yes, those two are in some contention with each other). She’s also extremely elitist and more than a little condescending, if not outright patronizing. If you go left of the center left, she’s something of an archetype of centerist liberal politics: lukewarm support on social issues, erratic and tepid lip service on fiscal issues (often coupled with staunchly pro-capital policies), and hawkish foreign policy, all wrapped up in a holier-than-thou, run-along-and-let-the-grownups-Do-Politics, that’s-nice-dear 1% Ivy-League elitism.

    Reply
  38. I can get the significant lack of enthusiasm for Hillary on the part of some Democrats, and indeed the hatred emanating from some Republicans.
    But the hatred from some Democrats ?

    I’m sure a lot of it is misogyny – you can find that anywhere on the political spectrum. But there’s also a perception that Clinton is pragmatic to the point of having no fixed principles at all, or that she’s establishment for the sake of establishment (yes, those two are in some contention with each other). She’s also extremely elitist and more than a little condescending, if not outright patronizing. If you go left of the center left, she’s something of an archetype of centerist liberal politics: lukewarm support on social issues, erratic and tepid lip service on fiscal issues (often coupled with staunchly pro-capital policies), and hawkish foreign policy, all wrapped up in a holier-than-thou, run-along-and-let-the-grownups-Do-Politics, that’s-nice-dear 1% Ivy-League elitism.

    Reply
  39. I can get the significant lack of enthusiasm for Hillary on the part of some Democrats, and indeed the hatred emanating from some Republicans.
    But the hatred from some Democrats ?

    I’m sure a lot of it is misogyny – you can find that anywhere on the political spectrum. But there’s also a perception that Clinton is pragmatic to the point of having no fixed principles at all, or that she’s establishment for the sake of establishment (yes, those two are in some contention with each other). She’s also extremely elitist and more than a little condescending, if not outright patronizing. If you go left of the center left, she’s something of an archetype of centerist liberal politics: lukewarm support on social issues, erratic and tepid lip service on fiscal issues (often coupled with staunchly pro-capital policies), and hawkish foreign policy, all wrapped up in a holier-than-thou, run-along-and-let-the-grownups-Do-Politics, that’s-nice-dear 1% Ivy-League elitism.

    Reply
  40. Based on my kids’ experience in driver’s ed (okay, > 10 years ago now, but still), driver’s ed classes spend most of their time trying to scare kids into driving safely instead of actually teaching them how to do it.
    I suspect that a significant part may be that driver’s ed classes always seem to be daylight only. So new drivers never actually get taught about how to use their lights properly. And the fact that newer models have lights that come on automatically when it gets dark means that they can be totally ignorant about how their lights work.

    Reply
  41. Based on my kids’ experience in driver’s ed (okay, > 10 years ago now, but still), driver’s ed classes spend most of their time trying to scare kids into driving safely instead of actually teaching them how to do it.
    I suspect that a significant part may be that driver’s ed classes always seem to be daylight only. So new drivers never actually get taught about how to use their lights properly. And the fact that newer models have lights that come on automatically when it gets dark means that they can be totally ignorant about how their lights work.

    Reply
  42. Based on my kids’ experience in driver’s ed (okay, > 10 years ago now, but still), driver’s ed classes spend most of their time trying to scare kids into driving safely instead of actually teaching them how to do it.
    I suspect that a significant part may be that driver’s ed classes always seem to be daylight only. So new drivers never actually get taught about how to use their lights properly. And the fact that newer models have lights that come on automatically when it gets dark means that they can be totally ignorant about how their lights work.

    Reply
  43. erratic and tepid lip service on fiscal issues (often coupled with staunchly pro-capital policies)
    Of course, Sanders (that self-proclaimed socialist) is on record as being staunchly in favor of private capital-based companies. Which doesn’t sound much like socialism to me.
    He just wants to regulate their excesses a bit more than most Democrats. Especially including Clinton. Even the “far left” in America is pretty darn right wing by most countries’ standards.

    Reply
  44. erratic and tepid lip service on fiscal issues (often coupled with staunchly pro-capital policies)
    Of course, Sanders (that self-proclaimed socialist) is on record as being staunchly in favor of private capital-based companies. Which doesn’t sound much like socialism to me.
    He just wants to regulate their excesses a bit more than most Democrats. Especially including Clinton. Even the “far left” in America is pretty darn right wing by most countries’ standards.

    Reply
  45. erratic and tepid lip service on fiscal issues (often coupled with staunchly pro-capital policies)
    Of course, Sanders (that self-proclaimed socialist) is on record as being staunchly in favor of private capital-based companies. Which doesn’t sound much like socialism to me.
    He just wants to regulate their excesses a bit more than most Democrats. Especially including Clinton. Even the “far left” in America is pretty darn right wing by most countries’ standards.

    Reply
  46. I think I’ve mentioned that the Republican Party in California was among the first (outside the South anyway) to go down the far right rathole. But there are indications that we might also be leading the way back to sanity. Here’s the new Republican leader in the California Assembly, taking his caucus on a field trip to a shelter for homeless mothers:
    http://www.contracostatimes.com/breaking-news/ci_29663046/new-gop-leader-sacramento-wants-give-poor-people
    Mayes, 38, believes he can make his party relevant in this ultrablue state by moving away from social issues like gay marriage and abortion, and focusing instead on quality of life issues like housing affordability and the need for middle-class jobs. **
    How long before the Republicans in Congress catch up…?
    ** I do have to say that California isn’t so much an “ultra-blue” state. This, after all, is a state where Ronald Reagan was governor. But it is one where the GOP has run far away from the population. (Less than 28% of the population are registered Republicans any more.)

    Reply
  47. I think I’ve mentioned that the Republican Party in California was among the first (outside the South anyway) to go down the far right rathole. But there are indications that we might also be leading the way back to sanity. Here’s the new Republican leader in the California Assembly, taking his caucus on a field trip to a shelter for homeless mothers:
    http://www.contracostatimes.com/breaking-news/ci_29663046/new-gop-leader-sacramento-wants-give-poor-people
    Mayes, 38, believes he can make his party relevant in this ultrablue state by moving away from social issues like gay marriage and abortion, and focusing instead on quality of life issues like housing affordability and the need for middle-class jobs. **
    How long before the Republicans in Congress catch up…?
    ** I do have to say that California isn’t so much an “ultra-blue” state. This, after all, is a state where Ronald Reagan was governor. But it is one where the GOP has run far away from the population. (Less than 28% of the population are registered Republicans any more.)

    Reply
  48. I think I’ve mentioned that the Republican Party in California was among the first (outside the South anyway) to go down the far right rathole. But there are indications that we might also be leading the way back to sanity. Here’s the new Republican leader in the California Assembly, taking his caucus on a field trip to a shelter for homeless mothers:
    http://www.contracostatimes.com/breaking-news/ci_29663046/new-gop-leader-sacramento-wants-give-poor-people
    Mayes, 38, believes he can make his party relevant in this ultrablue state by moving away from social issues like gay marriage and abortion, and focusing instead on quality of life issues like housing affordability and the need for middle-class jobs. **
    How long before the Republicans in Congress catch up…?
    ** I do have to say that California isn’t so much an “ultra-blue” state. This, after all, is a state where Ronald Reagan was governor. But it is one where the GOP has run far away from the population. (Less than 28% of the population are registered Republicans any more.)

    Reply
  49. Even the “far left” in America is pretty darn right wing by most countries’ standards.
    As far as I can tell, there is no meaningful ‘left’ in the US. Sanders can call himself whatever he wants, but as you note, he’s not a socialist by any measure that would be recognizable anywhere else in the world.
    Obama and Clinton (both Clintons) are, by global standards, somewhere between dead center and center-right.
    Whether that’s good, bad, or indifferent is another whole set of questions, but as a point of fact, the American ‘left’ is basically a sideshow. A curiosity. It’s non-existent in electoral politics beyond a handful of extremely rare local examples.

    Reply
  50. Even the “far left” in America is pretty darn right wing by most countries’ standards.
    As far as I can tell, there is no meaningful ‘left’ in the US. Sanders can call himself whatever he wants, but as you note, he’s not a socialist by any measure that would be recognizable anywhere else in the world.
    Obama and Clinton (both Clintons) are, by global standards, somewhere between dead center and center-right.
    Whether that’s good, bad, or indifferent is another whole set of questions, but as a point of fact, the American ‘left’ is basically a sideshow. A curiosity. It’s non-existent in electoral politics beyond a handful of extremely rare local examples.

    Reply
  51. Even the “far left” in America is pretty darn right wing by most countries’ standards.
    As far as I can tell, there is no meaningful ‘left’ in the US. Sanders can call himself whatever he wants, but as you note, he’s not a socialist by any measure that would be recognizable anywhere else in the world.
    Obama and Clinton (both Clintons) are, by global standards, somewhere between dead center and center-right.
    Whether that’s good, bad, or indifferent is another whole set of questions, but as a point of fact, the American ‘left’ is basically a sideshow. A curiosity. It’s non-existent in electoral politics beyond a handful of extremely rare local examples.

    Reply
  52. What does that even mean, a “meaningful ‘left'”?
    Perhaps, a group on the left which is actually “left” in the sense that the rest of the world uses the term. And which has any significant influence on politics or public policy. (Compare, for ecample, the Labour Party in the UK. Now that’s a meaningfully “left” party.)

    Reply
  53. What does that even mean, a “meaningful ‘left'”?
    Perhaps, a group on the left which is actually “left” in the sense that the rest of the world uses the term. And which has any significant influence on politics or public policy. (Compare, for ecample, the Labour Party in the UK. Now that’s a meaningfully “left” party.)

    Reply
  54. What does that even mean, a “meaningful ‘left'”?
    Perhaps, a group on the left which is actually “left” in the sense that the rest of the world uses the term. And which has any significant influence on politics or public policy. (Compare, for ecample, the Labour Party in the UK. Now that’s a meaningfully “left” party.)

    Reply
  55. You might want to be more specific about policy, and what that policy would mean in the US, wj. Perhaps the fact that people can’t even begin to articulate that has a lot to do with people’s perception that a “meaningful left” doesn’t exist.
    In fact, I think most Democratic presidents and presidential candidates would have (for example) signed legislation that would have raised taxes (especially on the wealthy) in order to expand public services, and more of a safety net to the middle class and less advantaged people. The problem is that the people who support those measures don’t vote in off-year elections. Sad, huh? Has nothing at all to do with the absence of whatever it is that you or russell mean by “meaningful left”. But maybe you didn’t mean that.

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  56. You might want to be more specific about policy, and what that policy would mean in the US, wj. Perhaps the fact that people can’t even begin to articulate that has a lot to do with people’s perception that a “meaningful left” doesn’t exist.
    In fact, I think most Democratic presidents and presidential candidates would have (for example) signed legislation that would have raised taxes (especially on the wealthy) in order to expand public services, and more of a safety net to the middle class and less advantaged people. The problem is that the people who support those measures don’t vote in off-year elections. Sad, huh? Has nothing at all to do with the absence of whatever it is that you or russell mean by “meaningful left”. But maybe you didn’t mean that.

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  57. You might want to be more specific about policy, and what that policy would mean in the US, wj. Perhaps the fact that people can’t even begin to articulate that has a lot to do with people’s perception that a “meaningful left” doesn’t exist.
    In fact, I think most Democratic presidents and presidential candidates would have (for example) signed legislation that would have raised taxes (especially on the wealthy) in order to expand public services, and more of a safety net to the middle class and less advantaged people. The problem is that the people who support those measures don’t vote in off-year elections. Sad, huh? Has nothing at all to do with the absence of whatever it is that you or russell mean by “meaningful left”. But maybe you didn’t mean that.

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  58. Well, why don’t they?
    I vote, so can only guess what other people are thinking. And my guess, from what I read on blogs, is that people are pretty clueless about the fact that we have three branches of government, and that Congress makes the laws. That seems pretty apparent by the “disappointment’ that Obama couldn’t make a single payer system happen, but maybe Bernie can. Things like that lead me to believe that people don’t think very carefully about how the country (or the Constitution, which they’re always talking about) works.

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  59. Well, why don’t they?
    I vote, so can only guess what other people are thinking. And my guess, from what I read on blogs, is that people are pretty clueless about the fact that we have three branches of government, and that Congress makes the laws. That seems pretty apparent by the “disappointment’ that Obama couldn’t make a single payer system happen, but maybe Bernie can. Things like that lead me to believe that people don’t think very carefully about how the country (or the Constitution, which they’re always talking about) works.

    Reply
  60. Well, why don’t they?
    I vote, so can only guess what other people are thinking. And my guess, from what I read on blogs, is that people are pretty clueless about the fact that we have three branches of government, and that Congress makes the laws. That seems pretty apparent by the “disappointment’ that Obama couldn’t make a single payer system happen, but maybe Bernie can. Things like that lead me to believe that people don’t think very carefully about how the country (or the Constitution, which they’re always talking about) works.

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  61. people are pretty clueless about the fact that we have three branches of government, and that Congress makes the laws.
    Maybe they slept thru high school Civics class. (Do they even have that as a graduation requirement any more?)

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  62. people are pretty clueless about the fact that we have three branches of government, and that Congress makes the laws.
    Maybe they slept thru high school Civics class. (Do they even have that as a graduation requirement any more?)

    Reply
  63. people are pretty clueless about the fact that we have three branches of government, and that Congress makes the laws.
    Maybe they slept thru high school Civics class. (Do they even have that as a graduation requirement any more?)

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  64. wj: Civics, or Government, something like that.
    And if you think that State legislatures (that set graduation requirements from HS) would let kids off the hook without a round of indoctrination, you’re dreaming.
    IMO, for most of them it’s just “one more thing from school to be forgotten PDQ, like Algebra”.

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  65. wj: Civics, or Government, something like that.
    And if you think that State legislatures (that set graduation requirements from HS) would let kids off the hook without a round of indoctrination, you’re dreaming.
    IMO, for most of them it’s just “one more thing from school to be forgotten PDQ, like Algebra”.

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  66. wj: Civics, or Government, something like that.
    And if you think that State legislatures (that set graduation requirements from HS) would let kids off the hook without a round of indoctrination, you’re dreaming.
    IMO, for most of them it’s just “one more thing from school to be forgotten PDQ, like Algebra”.

    Reply
  67. “What does that even mean, a “meaningful ‘left'”?”
    what I mean by it is, briefly, a social and political force that is favorable to labor.
    in most of the world, that would be sort of left-ish, which kind of makes my point. and realistically, even that degree of poltically left orientation hardly exists here.
    something as modest as advocating for a liveable minimum wage is a big deal, here.
    folks who argue from a more thorough-going critical economic and social analysis are utterly out of the mainstream.
    by international standards, the political spectrum in the US runs from a kind of technocratic middle ground, to plainly reactionary.
    I’m not saying that’s a good thing, or a bad thing. I am saying it’s a thing.

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  68. “What does that even mean, a “meaningful ‘left'”?”
    what I mean by it is, briefly, a social and political force that is favorable to labor.
    in most of the world, that would be sort of left-ish, which kind of makes my point. and realistically, even that degree of poltically left orientation hardly exists here.
    something as modest as advocating for a liveable minimum wage is a big deal, here.
    folks who argue from a more thorough-going critical economic and social analysis are utterly out of the mainstream.
    by international standards, the political spectrum in the US runs from a kind of technocratic middle ground, to plainly reactionary.
    I’m not saying that’s a good thing, or a bad thing. I am saying it’s a thing.

    Reply
  69. “What does that even mean, a “meaningful ‘left'”?”
    what I mean by it is, briefly, a social and political force that is favorable to labor.
    in most of the world, that would be sort of left-ish, which kind of makes my point. and realistically, even that degree of poltically left orientation hardly exists here.
    something as modest as advocating for a liveable minimum wage is a big deal, here.
    folks who argue from a more thorough-going critical economic and social analysis are utterly out of the mainstream.
    by international standards, the political spectrum in the US runs from a kind of technocratic middle ground, to plainly reactionary.
    I’m not saying that’s a good thing, or a bad thing. I am saying it’s a thing.

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  70. to my eye, safety nets are liberal, not left. those two things are not synonymous.
    an example of a policy that has a left, rather than a liberal, orientation would be a mandatory legal requirement for labor representation in corporate governance.
    which exists, for example, in germany.
    and none of that is the same as socialism. socialism involves public ownership of the means of production.
    hope that clarifies what I’m talking about.

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  71. to my eye, safety nets are liberal, not left. those two things are not synonymous.
    an example of a policy that has a left, rather than a liberal, orientation would be a mandatory legal requirement for labor representation in corporate governance.
    which exists, for example, in germany.
    and none of that is the same as socialism. socialism involves public ownership of the means of production.
    hope that clarifies what I’m talking about.

    Reply
  72. to my eye, safety nets are liberal, not left. those two things are not synonymous.
    an example of a policy that has a left, rather than a liberal, orientation would be a mandatory legal requirement for labor representation in corporate governance.
    which exists, for example, in germany.
    and none of that is the same as socialism. socialism involves public ownership of the means of production.
    hope that clarifies what I’m talking about.

    Reply
  73. as another simple example, it appears to be basically impossible for American policy makers to imagine what a productive, market based economy might look like outside the capitalist model.
    that’s what I mean when I say there is no meaningful left in the US.

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  74. as another simple example, it appears to be basically impossible for American policy makers to imagine what a productive, market based economy might look like outside the capitalist model.
    that’s what I mean when I say there is no meaningful left in the US.

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  75. as another simple example, it appears to be basically impossible for American policy makers to imagine what a productive, market based economy might look like outside the capitalist model.
    that’s what I mean when I say there is no meaningful left in the US.

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  76. Several of the Nordic countries have more economic freedom than the US. And the president of Denmark objects to Denmark being called a socialist country. He says it’s a capitalist country.

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  77. Several of the Nordic countries have more economic freedom than the US. And the president of Denmark objects to Denmark being called a socialist country. He says it’s a capitalist country.

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  78. Several of the Nordic countries have more economic freedom than the US. And the president of Denmark objects to Denmark being called a socialist country. He says it’s a capitalist country.

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  79. capitalism with a very strong safety net that works for everyone.
    I think most Democrats who think of themselves as “left” support this, and don’t think it’s crazy. I certainly don’t.
    In terms of labor rights, if “left” means “labor”, then sure – we don’t have a labor party. We have a social safety net, and “government can do infrastructure’ party. I vote for that party, the Democrats, and have always considered myself to be on the left. Not that I object to union, and labor rights, but I’m not a protectionist.
    Are Trump’s trade policies “leftist”?

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  80. capitalism with a very strong safety net that works for everyone.
    I think most Democrats who think of themselves as “left” support this, and don’t think it’s crazy. I certainly don’t.
    In terms of labor rights, if “left” means “labor”, then sure – we don’t have a labor party. We have a social safety net, and “government can do infrastructure’ party. I vote for that party, the Democrats, and have always considered myself to be on the left. Not that I object to union, and labor rights, but I’m not a protectionist.
    Are Trump’s trade policies “leftist”?

    Reply
  81. capitalism with a very strong safety net that works for everyone.
    I think most Democrats who think of themselves as “left” support this, and don’t think it’s crazy. I certainly don’t.
    In terms of labor rights, if “left” means “labor”, then sure – we don’t have a labor party. We have a social safety net, and “government can do infrastructure’ party. I vote for that party, the Democrats, and have always considered myself to be on the left. Not that I object to union, and labor rights, but I’m not a protectionist.
    Are Trump’s trade policies “leftist”?

    Reply
  82. Trump has proposed slapping a 45 percent tariff on Chinese exports to America. I.e., 45% sales tax on anything from China. Another one of those “cut your nose to spite your face” deals.

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  83. Trump has proposed slapping a 45 percent tariff on Chinese exports to America. I.e., 45% sales tax on anything from China. Another one of those “cut your nose to spite your face” deals.

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  84. Trump has proposed slapping a 45 percent tariff on Chinese exports to America. I.e., 45% sales tax on anything from China. Another one of those “cut your nose to spite your face” deals.

    Reply
  85. The problem with that article, which I have now gotten on every social media feed I have plus a few emails, is that it is one dimensional. It doesn’t talk about the economics of providing that safety net in the us, it just assumes the underlying economic factors are equivalent. That allows him to assume the outcome would be equivalent. It also doesn’t address, other than pretty flippantly, that Finland is in a full lown recession,Sweden is in the throes of arguing about the extent of their safety net due to the even higher tax burden their and the challenge they have that their children (over 50%) want to emigrate to somewhere else because they have limited opportunity at home.
    Everything is good as long as you only look at the good part. I’m curious, if its so great there, why he is here and a US citizen.

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  86. The problem with that article, which I have now gotten on every social media feed I have plus a few emails, is that it is one dimensional. It doesn’t talk about the economics of providing that safety net in the us, it just assumes the underlying economic factors are equivalent. That allows him to assume the outcome would be equivalent. It also doesn’t address, other than pretty flippantly, that Finland is in a full lown recession,Sweden is in the throes of arguing about the extent of their safety net due to the even higher tax burden their and the challenge they have that their children (over 50%) want to emigrate to somewhere else because they have limited opportunity at home.
    Everything is good as long as you only look at the good part. I’m curious, if its so great there, why he is here and a US citizen.

    Reply
  87. The problem with that article, which I have now gotten on every social media feed I have plus a few emails, is that it is one dimensional. It doesn’t talk about the economics of providing that safety net in the us, it just assumes the underlying economic factors are equivalent. That allows him to assume the outcome would be equivalent. It also doesn’t address, other than pretty flippantly, that Finland is in a full lown recession,Sweden is in the throes of arguing about the extent of their safety net due to the even higher tax burden their and the challenge they have that their children (over 50%) want to emigrate to somewhere else because they have limited opportunity at home.
    Everything is good as long as you only look at the good part. I’m curious, if its so great there, why he is here and a US citizen.

    Reply
  88. i suspect that attitudes towards emigration are different in Europe than in the US. it takes serious effort for most Americans to visit a different country. Europeans, not so much.

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  89. i suspect that attitudes towards emigration are different in Europe than in the US. it takes serious effort for most Americans to visit a different country. Europeans, not so much.

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  90. i suspect that attitudes towards emigration are different in Europe than in the US. it takes serious effort for most Americans to visit a different country. Europeans, not so much.

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  91. “Everything is good as long as you only look at the good part.”
    You mean Sweden and Finland aren’t Shining Cities on The Hill either?
    There’s always sell-side Wall Street.
    There’s no “”left” left here because it’s been hammered forever for refusing to follow the dictum wholesale that the United States is exceptional, so shut up.
    Now the message from the right is “everything in America sucks” but will soon be TERRIFIC once we get back to only looking at the good parts and the left and the center shut up again, only from now on with a sucker punch.
    Like the man said, next time he might have to kill.

    Reply
  92. “Everything is good as long as you only look at the good part.”
    You mean Sweden and Finland aren’t Shining Cities on The Hill either?
    There’s always sell-side Wall Street.
    There’s no “”left” left here because it’s been hammered forever for refusing to follow the dictum wholesale that the United States is exceptional, so shut up.
    Now the message from the right is “everything in America sucks” but will soon be TERRIFIC once we get back to only looking at the good parts and the left and the center shut up again, only from now on with a sucker punch.
    Like the man said, next time he might have to kill.

    Reply
  93. “Everything is good as long as you only look at the good part.”
    You mean Sweden and Finland aren’t Shining Cities on The Hill either?
    There’s always sell-side Wall Street.
    There’s no “”left” left here because it’s been hammered forever for refusing to follow the dictum wholesale that the United States is exceptional, so shut up.
    Now the message from the right is “everything in America sucks” but will soon be TERRIFIC once we get back to only looking at the good parts and the left and the center shut up again, only from now on with a sucker punch.
    Like the man said, next time he might have to kill.

    Reply
  94. Not that I object to union, and labor rights
    The very essence of the historical Left since Marx is the role and/or place of labor in society.
    I’m curious, if its so great there, why he is here and a US citizen.
    Is this that old chestnut “love it or leave it” brought back to life? Some things just don’t change.

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  95. Not that I object to union, and labor rights
    The very essence of the historical Left since Marx is the role and/or place of labor in society.
    I’m curious, if its so great there, why he is here and a US citizen.
    Is this that old chestnut “love it or leave it” brought back to life? Some things just don’t change.

    Reply
  96. Not that I object to union, and labor rights
    The very essence of the historical Left since Marx is the role and/or place of labor in society.
    I’m curious, if its so great there, why he is here and a US citizen.
    Is this that old chestnut “love it or leave it” brought back to life? Some things just don’t change.

    Reply
  97. no, bobbyp, just a question I tend to ask since my college days. Several of my friends in college were Iranian and they spent hours at a time sitting in the student union talking about how America sucked and their country was better. So I took to asking them to explain why, since they obviously had a choice, were they here then.
    I did tread a little more lightly after one who complained the least explained he was here because returning would mean he would be executed.
    And now, my apologies. I jumped into this this morning but I am waiting on a plane to someplace warm where I promised myself I would take a break from all social media and blogs for a week. So, nevermind.

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  98. no, bobbyp, just a question I tend to ask since my college days. Several of my friends in college were Iranian and they spent hours at a time sitting in the student union talking about how America sucked and their country was better. So I took to asking them to explain why, since they obviously had a choice, were they here then.
    I did tread a little more lightly after one who complained the least explained he was here because returning would mean he would be executed.
    And now, my apologies. I jumped into this this morning but I am waiting on a plane to someplace warm where I promised myself I would take a break from all social media and blogs for a week. So, nevermind.

    Reply
  99. no, bobbyp, just a question I tend to ask since my college days. Several of my friends in college were Iranian and they spent hours at a time sitting in the student union talking about how America sucked and their country was better. So I took to asking them to explain why, since they obviously had a choice, were they here then.
    I did tread a little more lightly after one who complained the least explained he was here because returning would mean he would be executed.
    And now, my apologies. I jumped into this this morning but I am waiting on a plane to someplace warm where I promised myself I would take a break from all social media and blogs for a week. So, nevermind.

    Reply
  100. Are Trump’s trade policies “leftist”?
    Another one of those “cut your nose to spite your face” deals.

    When doctors, lawyers, accountants, hollywood, pharmaceutical companies, and Bill Gates are subjected to the same economic devastation as factory workers in the US have dealt with over the last several decades then the snark above could make some kind of substantial point.
    Otherwise, they simply reveal a preference for economic coddling of some classes of people over others, and do not manifest in any way, a real admiration for “free trade”.
    See Dean Baker for further elaboration of this point.

    Reply
  101. Are Trump’s trade policies “leftist”?
    Another one of those “cut your nose to spite your face” deals.

    When doctors, lawyers, accountants, hollywood, pharmaceutical companies, and Bill Gates are subjected to the same economic devastation as factory workers in the US have dealt with over the last several decades then the snark above could make some kind of substantial point.
    Otherwise, they simply reveal a preference for economic coddling of some classes of people over others, and do not manifest in any way, a real admiration for “free trade”.
    See Dean Baker for further elaboration of this point.

    Reply
  102. Are Trump’s trade policies “leftist”?
    Another one of those “cut your nose to spite your face” deals.

    When doctors, lawyers, accountants, hollywood, pharmaceutical companies, and Bill Gates are subjected to the same economic devastation as factory workers in the US have dealt with over the last several decades then the snark above could make some kind of substantial point.
    Otherwise, they simply reveal a preference for economic coddling of some classes of people over others, and do not manifest in any way, a real admiration for “free trade”.
    See Dean Baker for further elaboration of this point.

    Reply
  103. an example of a policy that has a left, rather than a liberal, orientation would be a mandatory legal requirement for labor representation in corporate governance.
    which exists, for example, in germany.

    It seems that Germany’s system doesn’t necessarily solve the problem of wealth inequality though.
    I wonder whether labor neutral social programs aren’t better suited to the modern economy. (And I am against protectionism for doctors and lawyers as well as manufacturing workers, although professional licensing in order to guarantee quality is certainly necessary – in case anyone chimes in to insist on that).

    Reply
  104. an example of a policy that has a left, rather than a liberal, orientation would be a mandatory legal requirement for labor representation in corporate governance.
    which exists, for example, in germany.

    It seems that Germany’s system doesn’t necessarily solve the problem of wealth inequality though.
    I wonder whether labor neutral social programs aren’t better suited to the modern economy. (And I am against protectionism for doctors and lawyers as well as manufacturing workers, although professional licensing in order to guarantee quality is certainly necessary – in case anyone chimes in to insist on that).

    Reply
  105. an example of a policy that has a left, rather than a liberal, orientation would be a mandatory legal requirement for labor representation in corporate governance.
    which exists, for example, in germany.

    It seems that Germany’s system doesn’t necessarily solve the problem of wealth inequality though.
    I wonder whether labor neutral social programs aren’t better suited to the modern economy. (And I am against protectionism for doctors and lawyers as well as manufacturing workers, although professional licensing in order to guarantee quality is certainly necessary – in case anyone chimes in to insist on that).

    Reply
  106. German (large) unions are not very worker friendly themselves and treat their own employees like shit. Their representatives in governance have more in common with the dirty capitalists on the boards than with their base. Those unions of medium size tend to be much better (pragmatic and reasonable).
    What unions still guarantee is at least a tolerable bottom level that I’d consider still to be far above that in the US. It’s been some time since someone over here suggested that people starving in the streets should be seen as an incentive for workers to accept starvation grade wages while I hear veiled versions of this regularly from US politicians (usually in combination with a certain Bible quote deliberately stripped of context).
    Germany is not Cockaigne but at least starvation is still at maximum a personal choice not collateral damage of an economical dogma put to practice.

    Reply
  107. German (large) unions are not very worker friendly themselves and treat their own employees like shit. Their representatives in governance have more in common with the dirty capitalists on the boards than with their base. Those unions of medium size tend to be much better (pragmatic and reasonable).
    What unions still guarantee is at least a tolerable bottom level that I’d consider still to be far above that in the US. It’s been some time since someone over here suggested that people starving in the streets should be seen as an incentive for workers to accept starvation grade wages while I hear veiled versions of this regularly from US politicians (usually in combination with a certain Bible quote deliberately stripped of context).
    Germany is not Cockaigne but at least starvation is still at maximum a personal choice not collateral damage of an economical dogma put to practice.

    Reply
  108. German (large) unions are not very worker friendly themselves and treat their own employees like shit. Their representatives in governance have more in common with the dirty capitalists on the boards than with their base. Those unions of medium size tend to be much better (pragmatic and reasonable).
    What unions still guarantee is at least a tolerable bottom level that I’d consider still to be far above that in the US. It’s been some time since someone over here suggested that people starving in the streets should be seen as an incentive for workers to accept starvation grade wages while I hear veiled versions of this regularly from US politicians (usually in combination with a certain Bible quote deliberately stripped of context).
    Germany is not Cockaigne but at least starvation is still at maximum a personal choice not collateral damage of an economical dogma put to practice.

    Reply
  109. I vote for that party, the Democrats, and have always considered myself to be on the left.
    I pretty much always vote (D) as well. My comment wasn’t meant to be critical of (D)’s or people who vote for them. The only point I was trying to raise is that, by any standard or usage that includes places other the US, the (D)’s are not particularly left-wing.
    There are no institutions of any consequence in the US that are meaningfully “left”, where for “meaningful” I simply mean left-wing in any sense that anyone other than an American would recognize.
    Yes, in the American context, you (sapient) *are* left-wing. In the American context, I’m more or less a sans-culottes, which is kind of comical. And, that’s my point.
    It doesn’t talk about the economics of providing that safety net in the us, it just assumes the underlying economic factors are equivalent.
    That’s a really good point, but I’m not sure the overall purpose of the article was to say “The US should be just like Denmark!”.
    As I read it, the purpose of the article was to make the point that the Nordic countries aren’t especially socialist.
    It seems that Germany’s system doesn’t necessarily solve the problem of wealth inequality though.
    I wasn’t actually arguing for adopting the German system, or holding it up as a shining example of socio-economic nirvana.
    It was just an example of what seemed, to me, a left-oriented public policy. As opposed to a liberal one.
    Basically, I was trying to clarify what I, personally, understand terms like “left” and “liberal” to mean.
    The reason I’m interested in this stuff at all is that it seems to me that the liberal agenda in the US is mostly remedial – direct public resources to poor or otherwise disadvantaged people, so they don’t starve or die of exposure, and as such, is always kind of a game of catch-up.
    I’m talking here only about the economic dimension, American liberalism also has valuable goals that aren’t strictly economic – social inclusion, defense of civil rights, etc. Those fall somewhat outside the fairly narrow point I’m trying to make here, but that is not to dismiss them or their value.
    It’s absolutely great to not let people starve or die of exposure. If people starving or dying of exposure is among the possibilities, I am emphatically agin it, and will support whatever efforts are available to prevent or remediate it. My preference, however, would be to organize our economy and society in such a way that remedial actions were hardly needed.
    Distribution, not re-distribution. That is my mantra.
    It’s not a point of view I see represented in our social and political dialogue.
    And no, the standard conservative line about “just get government out of the way, and the free market will solve it!” doesn’t get it done, either.

    Reply
  110. I vote for that party, the Democrats, and have always considered myself to be on the left.
    I pretty much always vote (D) as well. My comment wasn’t meant to be critical of (D)’s or people who vote for them. The only point I was trying to raise is that, by any standard or usage that includes places other the US, the (D)’s are not particularly left-wing.
    There are no institutions of any consequence in the US that are meaningfully “left”, where for “meaningful” I simply mean left-wing in any sense that anyone other than an American would recognize.
    Yes, in the American context, you (sapient) *are* left-wing. In the American context, I’m more or less a sans-culottes, which is kind of comical. And, that’s my point.
    It doesn’t talk about the economics of providing that safety net in the us, it just assumes the underlying economic factors are equivalent.
    That’s a really good point, but I’m not sure the overall purpose of the article was to say “The US should be just like Denmark!”.
    As I read it, the purpose of the article was to make the point that the Nordic countries aren’t especially socialist.
    It seems that Germany’s system doesn’t necessarily solve the problem of wealth inequality though.
    I wasn’t actually arguing for adopting the German system, or holding it up as a shining example of socio-economic nirvana.
    It was just an example of what seemed, to me, a left-oriented public policy. As opposed to a liberal one.
    Basically, I was trying to clarify what I, personally, understand terms like “left” and “liberal” to mean.
    The reason I’m interested in this stuff at all is that it seems to me that the liberal agenda in the US is mostly remedial – direct public resources to poor or otherwise disadvantaged people, so they don’t starve or die of exposure, and as such, is always kind of a game of catch-up.
    I’m talking here only about the economic dimension, American liberalism also has valuable goals that aren’t strictly economic – social inclusion, defense of civil rights, etc. Those fall somewhat outside the fairly narrow point I’m trying to make here, but that is not to dismiss them or their value.
    It’s absolutely great to not let people starve or die of exposure. If people starving or dying of exposure is among the possibilities, I am emphatically agin it, and will support whatever efforts are available to prevent or remediate it. My preference, however, would be to organize our economy and society in such a way that remedial actions were hardly needed.
    Distribution, not re-distribution. That is my mantra.
    It’s not a point of view I see represented in our social and political dialogue.
    And no, the standard conservative line about “just get government out of the way, and the free market will solve it!” doesn’t get it done, either.

    Reply
  111. I vote for that party, the Democrats, and have always considered myself to be on the left.
    I pretty much always vote (D) as well. My comment wasn’t meant to be critical of (D)’s or people who vote for them. The only point I was trying to raise is that, by any standard or usage that includes places other the US, the (D)’s are not particularly left-wing.
    There are no institutions of any consequence in the US that are meaningfully “left”, where for “meaningful” I simply mean left-wing in any sense that anyone other than an American would recognize.
    Yes, in the American context, you (sapient) *are* left-wing. In the American context, I’m more or less a sans-culottes, which is kind of comical. And, that’s my point.
    It doesn’t talk about the economics of providing that safety net in the us, it just assumes the underlying economic factors are equivalent.
    That’s a really good point, but I’m not sure the overall purpose of the article was to say “The US should be just like Denmark!”.
    As I read it, the purpose of the article was to make the point that the Nordic countries aren’t especially socialist.
    It seems that Germany’s system doesn’t necessarily solve the problem of wealth inequality though.
    I wasn’t actually arguing for adopting the German system, or holding it up as a shining example of socio-economic nirvana.
    It was just an example of what seemed, to me, a left-oriented public policy. As opposed to a liberal one.
    Basically, I was trying to clarify what I, personally, understand terms like “left” and “liberal” to mean.
    The reason I’m interested in this stuff at all is that it seems to me that the liberal agenda in the US is mostly remedial – direct public resources to poor or otherwise disadvantaged people, so they don’t starve or die of exposure, and as such, is always kind of a game of catch-up.
    I’m talking here only about the economic dimension, American liberalism also has valuable goals that aren’t strictly economic – social inclusion, defense of civil rights, etc. Those fall somewhat outside the fairly narrow point I’m trying to make here, but that is not to dismiss them or their value.
    It’s absolutely great to not let people starve or die of exposure. If people starving or dying of exposure is among the possibilities, I am emphatically agin it, and will support whatever efforts are available to prevent or remediate it. My preference, however, would be to organize our economy and society in such a way that remedial actions were hardly needed.
    Distribution, not re-distribution. That is my mantra.
    It’s not a point of view I see represented in our social and political dialogue.
    And no, the standard conservative line about “just get government out of the way, and the free market will solve it!” doesn’t get it done, either.

    Reply
  112. I wonder whether labor neutral social programs aren’t better suited to the modern economy.
    Coupled with “capital neutral” and “private property neutral” policies, we could have a discussion. However, it comes down to what those policies are.

    Reply
  113. I wonder whether labor neutral social programs aren’t better suited to the modern economy.
    Coupled with “capital neutral” and “private property neutral” policies, we could have a discussion. However, it comes down to what those policies are.

    Reply
  114. I wonder whether labor neutral social programs aren’t better suited to the modern economy.
    Coupled with “capital neutral” and “private property neutral” policies, we could have a discussion. However, it comes down to what those policies are.

    Reply
  115. what I mean by it [“meaningful ‘left'”] is, briefly, a social and political force that is favorable to labor.
    My somewhat complementary take would be that a real conservative (I obviously can’t use the phrase “true conservative”!) is of the opinion that “a workman is worthy of his hire.” (Indeed, a Christian who actually reads his Bible is going to find those exact words.) That doesn’t necessarily mean that a minimum wage law is necessary. Except that there are always those who decide to exploit the system, and a minimum wage law helps keep that restrained.
    I admit to a fondness for some kind of profit-sharing plan, simply because I think it is good if everybody involved in a company has some kind of stake in how well that company does. And what is capitalism about, if not creating companies which do well?
    It also tends to make management, capital, and labor all feel like they are on the same side. When they are opposed, you get strikes, mass layoffs, nasty treatment on both (sometimes all three) sides. It’s not a congenial place to work . . . and since we spend a significant portion of our lives working, it seems better to work where folks get along.
    I’d say that, overall, that position is “favorable to labor”. Albeit not necessarily to labor unions. But then labor unions are, as far as I can see, only peripherally about helping labor. They seem to be more about a) fighting management, and b) doing well for union management.

    Reply
  116. what I mean by it [“meaningful ‘left'”] is, briefly, a social and political force that is favorable to labor.
    My somewhat complementary take would be that a real conservative (I obviously can’t use the phrase “true conservative”!) is of the opinion that “a workman is worthy of his hire.” (Indeed, a Christian who actually reads his Bible is going to find those exact words.) That doesn’t necessarily mean that a minimum wage law is necessary. Except that there are always those who decide to exploit the system, and a minimum wage law helps keep that restrained.
    I admit to a fondness for some kind of profit-sharing plan, simply because I think it is good if everybody involved in a company has some kind of stake in how well that company does. And what is capitalism about, if not creating companies which do well?
    It also tends to make management, capital, and labor all feel like they are on the same side. When they are opposed, you get strikes, mass layoffs, nasty treatment on both (sometimes all three) sides. It’s not a congenial place to work . . . and since we spend a significant portion of our lives working, it seems better to work where folks get along.
    I’d say that, overall, that position is “favorable to labor”. Albeit not necessarily to labor unions. But then labor unions are, as far as I can see, only peripherally about helping labor. They seem to be more about a) fighting management, and b) doing well for union management.

    Reply
  117. what I mean by it [“meaningful ‘left'”] is, briefly, a social and political force that is favorable to labor.
    My somewhat complementary take would be that a real conservative (I obviously can’t use the phrase “true conservative”!) is of the opinion that “a workman is worthy of his hire.” (Indeed, a Christian who actually reads his Bible is going to find those exact words.) That doesn’t necessarily mean that a minimum wage law is necessary. Except that there are always those who decide to exploit the system, and a minimum wage law helps keep that restrained.
    I admit to a fondness for some kind of profit-sharing plan, simply because I think it is good if everybody involved in a company has some kind of stake in how well that company does. And what is capitalism about, if not creating companies which do well?
    It also tends to make management, capital, and labor all feel like they are on the same side. When they are opposed, you get strikes, mass layoffs, nasty treatment on both (sometimes all three) sides. It’s not a congenial place to work . . . and since we spend a significant portion of our lives working, it seems better to work where folks get along.
    I’d say that, overall, that position is “favorable to labor”. Albeit not necessarily to labor unions. But then labor unions are, as far as I can see, only peripherally about helping labor. They seem to be more about a) fighting management, and b) doing well for union management.

    Reply
  118. Hartmut, regarding starvation, it seems that food insecurity in Europe, including Germany, is a problem, possibly just as much of a problem as in the US. Food insecurity seems not to be documented in the same way in both places, so it’s hard to make a genuine comparison, although the problem does seem to exist in Europe.

    Reply
  119. Hartmut, regarding starvation, it seems that food insecurity in Europe, including Germany, is a problem, possibly just as much of a problem as in the US. Food insecurity seems not to be documented in the same way in both places, so it’s hard to make a genuine comparison, although the problem does seem to exist in Europe.

    Reply
  120. Hartmut, regarding starvation, it seems that food insecurity in Europe, including Germany, is a problem, possibly just as much of a problem as in the US. Food insecurity seems not to be documented in the same way in both places, so it’s hard to make a genuine comparison, although the problem does seem to exist in Europe.

    Reply
  121. I admit to a fondness for some kind of profit-sharing plan, simply because I think it is good if everybody involved in a company has some kind of stake in how well that company does. And what is capitalism about, if not creating companies which do well?
    The idea of employee-owned companies is really attractive. I’m not sure that employees actually do better financially, although I think that job insecurity is less than for public companies.

    Reply
  122. I admit to a fondness for some kind of profit-sharing plan, simply because I think it is good if everybody involved in a company has some kind of stake in how well that company does. And what is capitalism about, if not creating companies which do well?
    The idea of employee-owned companies is really attractive. I’m not sure that employees actually do better financially, although I think that job insecurity is less than for public companies.

    Reply
  123. I admit to a fondness for some kind of profit-sharing plan, simply because I think it is good if everybody involved in a company has some kind of stake in how well that company does. And what is capitalism about, if not creating companies which do well?
    The idea of employee-owned companies is really attractive. I’m not sure that employees actually do better financially, although I think that job insecurity is less than for public companies.

    Reply
  124. I’m not sure that employees actually do better financially
    In general, employees at employee-owned firms do better than at similar, non-employee-owned firms.
    There’s a lot of literature available on the topic if you’re interested.

    Reply
  125. I’m not sure that employees actually do better financially
    In general, employees at employee-owned firms do better than at similar, non-employee-owned firms.
    There’s a lot of literature available on the topic if you’re interested.

    Reply
  126. I’m not sure that employees actually do better financially
    In general, employees at employee-owned firms do better than at similar, non-employee-owned firms.
    There’s a lot of literature available on the topic if you’re interested.

    Reply
  127. I’m not sure that employees actually do better financially
    In general, employees at employee-owned firms do better than at similar, non-employee-owned firms.
    There’s a lot of literature available on the topic if you’re interested.

    Reply
  128. I’m not sure that employees actually do better financially
    In general, employees at employee-owned firms do better than at similar, non-employee-owned firms.
    There’s a lot of literature available on the topic if you’re interested.

    Reply
  129. I’m not sure that employees actually do better financially
    In general, employees at employee-owned firms do better than at similar, non-employee-owned firms.
    There’s a lot of literature available on the topic if you’re interested.

    Reply
  130. Conversation at a Trump employee-owned firm:
    Trump: You’re fired! Get your face outta mine!
    Employee: You can’t fire me, I own the joint.
    Trump: We need a little more violence around here!

    Reply
  131. Conversation at a Trump employee-owned firm:
    Trump: You’re fired! Get your face outta mine!
    Employee: You can’t fire me, I own the joint.
    Trump: We need a little more violence around here!

    Reply
  132. Conversation at a Trump employee-owned firm:
    Trump: You’re fired! Get your face outta mine!
    Employee: You can’t fire me, I own the joint.
    Trump: We need a little more violence around here!

    Reply
  133. A pretty good basic FAQ.
    The Harvard Business Review weighs in.
    An important distinction to make here is between ESOPs, i.e. employee stock ownership plans, and labor co-operatives.
    In the former, employees have an ownership stake, but not necessarily a voice in governance.
    In the latter, employees run the company.
    ESOPs are fairly common (and successful) in the US. Co-operative ownership and management is much more rare, here, although I think it’s not-uncommon in other countries.

    Reply
  134. A pretty good basic FAQ.
    The Harvard Business Review weighs in.
    An important distinction to make here is between ESOPs, i.e. employee stock ownership plans, and labor co-operatives.
    In the former, employees have an ownership stake, but not necessarily a voice in governance.
    In the latter, employees run the company.
    ESOPs are fairly common (and successful) in the US. Co-operative ownership and management is much more rare, here, although I think it’s not-uncommon in other countries.

    Reply
  135. A pretty good basic FAQ.
    The Harvard Business Review weighs in.
    An important distinction to make here is between ESOPs, i.e. employee stock ownership plans, and labor co-operatives.
    In the former, employees have an ownership stake, but not necessarily a voice in governance.
    In the latter, employees run the company.
    ESOPs are fairly common (and successful) in the US. Co-operative ownership and management is much more rare, here, although I think it’s not-uncommon in other countries.

    Reply
  136. The idea of employee-owned companies is really attractive.
    I was thinking more of employees each having some equity in the company, but not a majority. I.e., the company isn’t an employee cooperative.
    Otherwise, what Russell said.

    Reply
  137. The idea of employee-owned companies is really attractive.
    I was thinking more of employees each having some equity in the company, but not a majority. I.e., the company isn’t an employee cooperative.
    Otherwise, what Russell said.

    Reply
  138. The idea of employee-owned companies is really attractive.
    I was thinking more of employees each having some equity in the company, but not a majority. I.e., the company isn’t an employee cooperative.
    Otherwise, what Russell said.

    Reply
  139. But then labor unions are, as far as I can see, only peripherally about helping labor. They seem to be more about a) fighting management, and b) doing well for union management.
    This is so wrong in so many ways…where to start. I won’t bother. You appear to be starting from a point that reflects the general right wing default setting of pure ideological preference coupled with a distinct tendency to avoid actual, you know, facts.

    Reply
  140. But then labor unions are, as far as I can see, only peripherally about helping labor. They seem to be more about a) fighting management, and b) doing well for union management.
    This is so wrong in so many ways…where to start. I won’t bother. You appear to be starting from a point that reflects the general right wing default setting of pure ideological preference coupled with a distinct tendency to avoid actual, you know, facts.

    Reply
  141. But then labor unions are, as far as I can see, only peripherally about helping labor. They seem to be more about a) fighting management, and b) doing well for union management.
    This is so wrong in so many ways…where to start. I won’t bother. You appear to be starting from a point that reflects the general right wing default setting of pure ideological preference coupled with a distinct tendency to avoid actual, you know, facts.

    Reply
  142. I was thinking more of employees each having some equity in the company, but not a majority. I.e., the company isn’t an employee cooperative.
    Co-ops have been pretty successful.
    The poster child, really, for the worker co-op approach is the Mondragon Co-op, in Basque Spain. It’s a really large and really successful company, and it’s been around for a while.
    The biggest co-op in the US is Cooperative Home Care Associates, in the Bronx NY.
    I actually don’t have a good explanation for why this stuff is not more common here. I ascribe it to a lack of imagination, and/or lack of basic information.
    People could be a lot better off than they are, pretty easily.

    Reply
  143. I was thinking more of employees each having some equity in the company, but not a majority. I.e., the company isn’t an employee cooperative.
    Co-ops have been pretty successful.
    The poster child, really, for the worker co-op approach is the Mondragon Co-op, in Basque Spain. It’s a really large and really successful company, and it’s been around for a while.
    The biggest co-op in the US is Cooperative Home Care Associates, in the Bronx NY.
    I actually don’t have a good explanation for why this stuff is not more common here. I ascribe it to a lack of imagination, and/or lack of basic information.
    People could be a lot better off than they are, pretty easily.

    Reply
  144. I was thinking more of employees each having some equity in the company, but not a majority. I.e., the company isn’t an employee cooperative.
    Co-ops have been pretty successful.
    The poster child, really, for the worker co-op approach is the Mondragon Co-op, in Basque Spain. It’s a really large and really successful company, and it’s been around for a while.
    The biggest co-op in the US is Cooperative Home Care Associates, in the Bronx NY.
    I actually don’t have a good explanation for why this stuff is not more common here. I ascribe it to a lack of imagination, and/or lack of basic information.
    People could be a lot better off than they are, pretty easily.

    Reply
  145. You appear to be starting from a point that reflects the general right wing default setting of pure ideological preference coupled with a distinct tendency to avoid actual, you know, facts.
    Actually, I’m starting from views I learned at my father’s knee. He was a member of the carpenters’ union the whole time I was growing up. His view, based on his personal experience, was that a) unions should be legal, but that b) they were a really bad deal for anyone who was interested in actually working. I’m not quite that extreme, but it definitely colored my perspective.

    Reply
  146. You appear to be starting from a point that reflects the general right wing default setting of pure ideological preference coupled with a distinct tendency to avoid actual, you know, facts.
    Actually, I’m starting from views I learned at my father’s knee. He was a member of the carpenters’ union the whole time I was growing up. His view, based on his personal experience, was that a) unions should be legal, but that b) they were a really bad deal for anyone who was interested in actually working. I’m not quite that extreme, but it definitely colored my perspective.

    Reply
  147. You appear to be starting from a point that reflects the general right wing default setting of pure ideological preference coupled with a distinct tendency to avoid actual, you know, facts.
    Actually, I’m starting from views I learned at my father’s knee. He was a member of the carpenters’ union the whole time I was growing up. His view, based on his personal experience, was that a) unions should be legal, but that b) they were a really bad deal for anyone who was interested in actually working. I’m not quite that extreme, but it definitely colored my perspective.

    Reply
  148. a) unions should be legal, but that b) they were a really bad deal for anyone who was interested in actually working.
    I work in an industry that is pretty well paid, and where employee compensation in the form of equity, profit sharing, and/or regular bonuses is kind of the norm.
    It’s not uncommon for people who do what I do to retire early, and/or end up at the end of a career with quite a lot of money.
    No unions.
    Somewhere in that small set of facts is the magic formula for making unions unnecessary.

    Reply
  149. a) unions should be legal, but that b) they were a really bad deal for anyone who was interested in actually working.
    I work in an industry that is pretty well paid, and where employee compensation in the form of equity, profit sharing, and/or regular bonuses is kind of the norm.
    It’s not uncommon for people who do what I do to retire early, and/or end up at the end of a career with quite a lot of money.
    No unions.
    Somewhere in that small set of facts is the magic formula for making unions unnecessary.

    Reply
  150. a) unions should be legal, but that b) they were a really bad deal for anyone who was interested in actually working.
    I work in an industry that is pretty well paid, and where employee compensation in the form of equity, profit sharing, and/or regular bonuses is kind of the norm.
    It’s not uncommon for people who do what I do to retire early, and/or end up at the end of a career with quite a lot of money.
    No unions.
    Somewhere in that small set of facts is the magic formula for making unions unnecessary.

    Reply
  151. I actually don’t have a good explanation for why this stuff is not more common here. I ascribe it to a lack of imagination, and/or lack of basic information.
    Just from browsing around the Internet, and a little bit of anecdotal experience, it seems that ESOPs are more common in organizations that rely on workers who are harder to replace (like engineers) because there’s more incentive for founders of a company to share the profits with such people. Also, colossal ESOP failures, such as Enron and United Airlines, suggest that integrity and competence in management is possibly even more important in ESOPs than in public companies.
    I realize that this comment is just a general impression. But I actually do know someone who lost a lot of money (the bulk of his retirement fund) when an ESOP business failed because of bad management, which the employees seemed not to be able to stop, even though some of them saw it happening.
    On the whole, the data seems very favorable, but it may be that some enterprises are better suited to employee ownership than others.

    Reply
  152. I actually don’t have a good explanation for why this stuff is not more common here. I ascribe it to a lack of imagination, and/or lack of basic information.
    Just from browsing around the Internet, and a little bit of anecdotal experience, it seems that ESOPs are more common in organizations that rely on workers who are harder to replace (like engineers) because there’s more incentive for founders of a company to share the profits with such people. Also, colossal ESOP failures, such as Enron and United Airlines, suggest that integrity and competence in management is possibly even more important in ESOPs than in public companies.
    I realize that this comment is just a general impression. But I actually do know someone who lost a lot of money (the bulk of his retirement fund) when an ESOP business failed because of bad management, which the employees seemed not to be able to stop, even though some of them saw it happening.
    On the whole, the data seems very favorable, but it may be that some enterprises are better suited to employee ownership than others.

    Reply
  153. I actually don’t have a good explanation for why this stuff is not more common here. I ascribe it to a lack of imagination, and/or lack of basic information.
    Just from browsing around the Internet, and a little bit of anecdotal experience, it seems that ESOPs are more common in organizations that rely on workers who are harder to replace (like engineers) because there’s more incentive for founders of a company to share the profits with such people. Also, colossal ESOP failures, such as Enron and United Airlines, suggest that integrity and competence in management is possibly even more important in ESOPs than in public companies.
    I realize that this comment is just a general impression. But I actually do know someone who lost a lot of money (the bulk of his retirement fund) when an ESOP business failed because of bad management, which the employees seemed not to be able to stop, even though some of them saw it happening.
    On the whole, the data seems very favorable, but it may be that some enterprises are better suited to employee ownership than others.

    Reply
  154. Somewhere in that small set of facts is the magic formula for making unions unnecessary.
    Being in the same industry, I submit that it is a-typical. It’s a matter of supply and demand. The demand remains high. The supply of people who can do IT work is (still) quite limited.
    Attempts to outsource overseas (primarily to India) have not worked out well. So even companies which have tried to cut costs by doing so have discovered that they have severe problems in some (not all) areas — it’s partly a matter of Indian IT folks just not having the experience to deal with the inevitable problems in the software.
    Strong demand + limited supply = high wages.
    (Of course, many of us also put up with far longer hours than most blue-collar workers would consider acceptable….)

    Reply
  155. Somewhere in that small set of facts is the magic formula for making unions unnecessary.
    Being in the same industry, I submit that it is a-typical. It’s a matter of supply and demand. The demand remains high. The supply of people who can do IT work is (still) quite limited.
    Attempts to outsource overseas (primarily to India) have not worked out well. So even companies which have tried to cut costs by doing so have discovered that they have severe problems in some (not all) areas — it’s partly a matter of Indian IT folks just not having the experience to deal with the inevitable problems in the software.
    Strong demand + limited supply = high wages.
    (Of course, many of us also put up with far longer hours than most blue-collar workers would consider acceptable….)

    Reply
  156. Somewhere in that small set of facts is the magic formula for making unions unnecessary.
    Being in the same industry, I submit that it is a-typical. It’s a matter of supply and demand. The demand remains high. The supply of people who can do IT work is (still) quite limited.
    Attempts to outsource overseas (primarily to India) have not worked out well. So even companies which have tried to cut costs by doing so have discovered that they have severe problems in some (not all) areas — it’s partly a matter of Indian IT folks just not having the experience to deal with the inevitable problems in the software.
    Strong demand + limited supply = high wages.
    (Of course, many of us also put up with far longer hours than most blue-collar workers would consider acceptable….)

    Reply
  157. Strong demand + limited supply = high wages.
    At the risk of sounding heretical, I’ll say that building software is complicated, and difficult to do well, but no more so than (for example) building a house or other complicated physical structure.
    And the number of people who are really good at either are not so many. Really good tradespeople might be rarer, actually. Lots of people code, nowadays.
    I saw a guy make a tight right-hand turn with a very large flatbed rig earlier this week that was, truly, a thing a beauty. It was like ballet. The difference between a guy like that, and a guy who has to make a five-point-turn out of it, or who takes a mailbox out along the way, is measured in real dollars.
    Plain old craft-knowledge labor is enormously undervalued in this country. I’m a smart guy, the stuff I do is complicated and can be hard, and not everybody has the right mind to do it.
    But I think the same is true for good plumbers, or electricians, or home health aides for that matter.
    I have a friend who is a home health aide as kind of a retirement job. He deals with feeble, demented people who drool on him and are prone to bizarre fits of anger and confusion, that he has to walk them back from. He has to wipe shit off of their bottoms, some of them.
    He’s a better man than I am, I can tell you that.
    The value of white collar “knowledge” work is, IMO, overstated.
    All my two cents.
    (Of course, many of us also put up with far longer hours than most blue-collar workers would consider acceptable….)
    Sometimes I work a lot of hours, and sometimes I don’t. It ebbs and flows. And has done as long as I’ve been doing this, which is a little over 30 years now.
    At least I only have to work one job to make my nut. And, I don’t have to write code while hanging off the side of a building 200 feet up.
    I really don’t think technology workers are as special as folks think they are. There are a small-ish number who really do create stuff that generates ridiculous amounts of value, but most of us are kind of specialized mechanics.
    That’s my experience and observation. There are folks here on ObWi who have much more sophisticated skills than I do, you may well be one of them. But industry-wide, I think what I’m saying here holds up.
    I think of myself as being sort of equivalent to a pretty good CNC guy. Except the pretty good CNC guy is probably rarer.

    Reply
  158. Strong demand + limited supply = high wages.
    At the risk of sounding heretical, I’ll say that building software is complicated, and difficult to do well, but no more so than (for example) building a house or other complicated physical structure.
    And the number of people who are really good at either are not so many. Really good tradespeople might be rarer, actually. Lots of people code, nowadays.
    I saw a guy make a tight right-hand turn with a very large flatbed rig earlier this week that was, truly, a thing a beauty. It was like ballet. The difference between a guy like that, and a guy who has to make a five-point-turn out of it, or who takes a mailbox out along the way, is measured in real dollars.
    Plain old craft-knowledge labor is enormously undervalued in this country. I’m a smart guy, the stuff I do is complicated and can be hard, and not everybody has the right mind to do it.
    But I think the same is true for good plumbers, or electricians, or home health aides for that matter.
    I have a friend who is a home health aide as kind of a retirement job. He deals with feeble, demented people who drool on him and are prone to bizarre fits of anger and confusion, that he has to walk them back from. He has to wipe shit off of their bottoms, some of them.
    He’s a better man than I am, I can tell you that.
    The value of white collar “knowledge” work is, IMO, overstated.
    All my two cents.
    (Of course, many of us also put up with far longer hours than most blue-collar workers would consider acceptable….)
    Sometimes I work a lot of hours, and sometimes I don’t. It ebbs and flows. And has done as long as I’ve been doing this, which is a little over 30 years now.
    At least I only have to work one job to make my nut. And, I don’t have to write code while hanging off the side of a building 200 feet up.
    I really don’t think technology workers are as special as folks think they are. There are a small-ish number who really do create stuff that generates ridiculous amounts of value, but most of us are kind of specialized mechanics.
    That’s my experience and observation. There are folks here on ObWi who have much more sophisticated skills than I do, you may well be one of them. But industry-wide, I think what I’m saying here holds up.
    I think of myself as being sort of equivalent to a pretty good CNC guy. Except the pretty good CNC guy is probably rarer.

    Reply
  159. Strong demand + limited supply = high wages.
    At the risk of sounding heretical, I’ll say that building software is complicated, and difficult to do well, but no more so than (for example) building a house or other complicated physical structure.
    And the number of people who are really good at either are not so many. Really good tradespeople might be rarer, actually. Lots of people code, nowadays.
    I saw a guy make a tight right-hand turn with a very large flatbed rig earlier this week that was, truly, a thing a beauty. It was like ballet. The difference between a guy like that, and a guy who has to make a five-point-turn out of it, or who takes a mailbox out along the way, is measured in real dollars.
    Plain old craft-knowledge labor is enormously undervalued in this country. I’m a smart guy, the stuff I do is complicated and can be hard, and not everybody has the right mind to do it.
    But I think the same is true for good plumbers, or electricians, or home health aides for that matter.
    I have a friend who is a home health aide as kind of a retirement job. He deals with feeble, demented people who drool on him and are prone to bizarre fits of anger and confusion, that he has to walk them back from. He has to wipe shit off of their bottoms, some of them.
    He’s a better man than I am, I can tell you that.
    The value of white collar “knowledge” work is, IMO, overstated.
    All my two cents.
    (Of course, many of us also put up with far longer hours than most blue-collar workers would consider acceptable….)
    Sometimes I work a lot of hours, and sometimes I don’t. It ebbs and flows. And has done as long as I’ve been doing this, which is a little over 30 years now.
    At least I only have to work one job to make my nut. And, I don’t have to write code while hanging off the side of a building 200 feet up.
    I really don’t think technology workers are as special as folks think they are. There are a small-ish number who really do create stuff that generates ridiculous amounts of value, but most of us are kind of specialized mechanics.
    That’s my experience and observation. There are folks here on ObWi who have much more sophisticated skills than I do, you may well be one of them. But industry-wide, I think what I’m saying here holds up.
    I think of myself as being sort of equivalent to a pretty good CNC guy. Except the pretty good CNC guy is probably rarer.

    Reply
  160. Somewhere in that small set of facts is the magic formula for making unions unnecessary.
    The small set of facts raises some questions:
    1. Why is there not more competition (i.e., supply) for those positions? Has the operation of the free market been suspended?
    2. Revenues in your industry may be above that which is economically most efficient due to overly strong intellectual/property rights.

    Reply
  161. Somewhere in that small set of facts is the magic formula for making unions unnecessary.
    The small set of facts raises some questions:
    1. Why is there not more competition (i.e., supply) for those positions? Has the operation of the free market been suspended?
    2. Revenues in your industry may be above that which is economically most efficient due to overly strong intellectual/property rights.

    Reply
  162. Somewhere in that small set of facts is the magic formula for making unions unnecessary.
    The small set of facts raises some questions:
    1. Why is there not more competition (i.e., supply) for those positions? Has the operation of the free market been suspended?
    2. Revenues in your industry may be above that which is economically most efficient due to overly strong intellectual/property rights.

    Reply
  163. it seems that ESOPs are more common in organizations that rely on workers who are harder to replace (like engineers)
    The 100 largest ESOP firms (same link as CharlesWT’s, I think).
    It’s a mix. Many of the largest are grocery stores and other commodity retail, like drug stores.
    Some manufacturing.
    And, some more technical engineering firms.
    But most definitely not specific to industries where people are harder to replace.

    Reply
  164. it seems that ESOPs are more common in organizations that rely on workers who are harder to replace (like engineers)
    The 100 largest ESOP firms (same link as CharlesWT’s, I think).
    It’s a mix. Many of the largest are grocery stores and other commodity retail, like drug stores.
    Some manufacturing.
    And, some more technical engineering firms.
    But most definitely not specific to industries where people are harder to replace.

    Reply
  165. it seems that ESOPs are more common in organizations that rely on workers who are harder to replace (like engineers)
    The 100 largest ESOP firms (same link as CharlesWT’s, I think).
    It’s a mix. Many of the largest are grocery stores and other commodity retail, like drug stores.
    Some manufacturing.
    And, some more technical engineering firms.
    But most definitely not specific to industries where people are harder to replace.

    Reply
  166. BREAKING: Obama surrenders to Che!
    He doesn’t have his left hand making a fist and raised up above his head. Obviously a CINO (communist in name only).

    Reply
  167. BREAKING: Obama surrenders to Che!
    He doesn’t have his left hand making a fist and raised up above his head. Obviously a CINO (communist in name only).

    Reply
  168. BREAKING: Obama surrenders to Che!
    He doesn’t have his left hand making a fist and raised up above his head. Obviously a CINO (communist in name only).

    Reply
  169. Really good tradespeople might be rarer, actually.
    It’s definitely tricky to find a good plumber. Or mechanic. Once you find one, you hang on to them.
    But I was thinking more of manufacturing workers. Those jobs have gotten outsourced to places where job skills aren’t all that high. Suggesting that they didn’t require much here either.
    As for us being “specialized mechanics”, I think that holds up in some cases — especially the folks writing and maintaining business application code. But those folks aren’t, at least in my observation, the ones making the big bucks.
    Are we super-special? Nope. But what we are doing is more akin to what an auto mechanic does today. He also has to be real familiar with computer systems — the average car has dozens of computer chips, spread across multiple systems.
    Unlike manufacturing, what we do can’t be automated. Or even done without significant on-the-job experience. Heaven knows a lot of companies have tried. Without notable success.

    Reply
  170. Really good tradespeople might be rarer, actually.
    It’s definitely tricky to find a good plumber. Or mechanic. Once you find one, you hang on to them.
    But I was thinking more of manufacturing workers. Those jobs have gotten outsourced to places where job skills aren’t all that high. Suggesting that they didn’t require much here either.
    As for us being “specialized mechanics”, I think that holds up in some cases — especially the folks writing and maintaining business application code. But those folks aren’t, at least in my observation, the ones making the big bucks.
    Are we super-special? Nope. But what we are doing is more akin to what an auto mechanic does today. He also has to be real familiar with computer systems — the average car has dozens of computer chips, spread across multiple systems.
    Unlike manufacturing, what we do can’t be automated. Or even done without significant on-the-job experience. Heaven knows a lot of companies have tried. Without notable success.

    Reply
  171. Really good tradespeople might be rarer, actually.
    It’s definitely tricky to find a good plumber. Or mechanic. Once you find one, you hang on to them.
    But I was thinking more of manufacturing workers. Those jobs have gotten outsourced to places where job skills aren’t all that high. Suggesting that they didn’t require much here either.
    As for us being “specialized mechanics”, I think that holds up in some cases — especially the folks writing and maintaining business application code. But those folks aren’t, at least in my observation, the ones making the big bucks.
    Are we super-special? Nope. But what we are doing is more akin to what an auto mechanic does today. He also has to be real familiar with computer systems — the average car has dozens of computer chips, spread across multiple systems.
    Unlike manufacturing, what we do can’t be automated. Or even done without significant on-the-job experience. Heaven knows a lot of companies have tried. Without notable success.

    Reply
  172. Obviously a CINO (communist in name only)
    Bobby, there must be some way to make that come out ChINO. There just has to be….

    Reply
  173. Obviously a CINO (communist in name only)
    Bobby, there must be some way to make that come out ChINO. There just has to be….

    Reply
  174. Obviously a CINO (communist in name only)
    Bobby, there must be some way to make that come out ChINO. There just has to be….

    Reply
  175. I realize that this comment is just a general impression. But I actually do know someone who lost a lot of money (the bulk of his retirement fund) when an ESOP business failed because of bad management, which the employees seemed not to be able to stop, even though some of them saw it happening.
    Pivoting off of this, it’s going to become increasingly apparent over the next 20 years that the abandonment of defined benefit pension plans in favor of 401k plans and the like is a complete and utter disaster for the vast majority of people — a massive transfer of risk to labor and rewards to capital.
    But we need to cut entitlement programs…

    Reply
  176. I realize that this comment is just a general impression. But I actually do know someone who lost a lot of money (the bulk of his retirement fund) when an ESOP business failed because of bad management, which the employees seemed not to be able to stop, even though some of them saw it happening.
    Pivoting off of this, it’s going to become increasingly apparent over the next 20 years that the abandonment of defined benefit pension plans in favor of 401k plans and the like is a complete and utter disaster for the vast majority of people — a massive transfer of risk to labor and rewards to capital.
    But we need to cut entitlement programs…

    Reply
  177. I realize that this comment is just a general impression. But I actually do know someone who lost a lot of money (the bulk of his retirement fund) when an ESOP business failed because of bad management, which the employees seemed not to be able to stop, even though some of them saw it happening.
    Pivoting off of this, it’s going to become increasingly apparent over the next 20 years that the abandonment of defined benefit pension plans in favor of 401k plans and the like is a complete and utter disaster for the vast majority of people — a massive transfer of risk to labor and rewards to capital.
    But we need to cut entitlement programs…

    Reply
  178. Ah, one of those people who is so clearly smarter than the rest of us that we should be thankful that he blesses us with his attention. Like a mini-Ted Cruz. Among other things. Thanks cleek.

    Reply
  179. Ah, one of those people who is so clearly smarter than the rest of us that we should be thankful that he blesses us with his attention. Like a mini-Ted Cruz. Among other things. Thanks cleek.

    Reply
  180. Ah, one of those people who is so clearly smarter than the rest of us that we should be thankful that he blesses us with his attention. Like a mini-Ted Cruz. Among other things. Thanks cleek.

    Reply
  181. But I was thinking more of manufacturing workers.
    Yes, between off-shoring and automation, manufacturing line workers are basically SOL.
    It’s not a matter of being underpaid in their case, the jobs just don’t exist.

    Reply
  182. But I was thinking more of manufacturing workers.
    Yes, between off-shoring and automation, manufacturing line workers are basically SOL.
    It’s not a matter of being underpaid in their case, the jobs just don’t exist.

    Reply
  183. But I was thinking more of manufacturing workers.
    Yes, between off-shoring and automation, manufacturing line workers are basically SOL.
    It’s not a matter of being underpaid in their case, the jobs just don’t exist.

    Reply
  184. he’s a typical young, excitable, true believer who likes to imagine The Left is out to destroy America.
    But if it wasn’t for the elite anti-elites guys, how would we know that elites are bad for us…?

    Reply
  185. he’s a typical young, excitable, true believer who likes to imagine The Left is out to destroy America.
    But if it wasn’t for the elite anti-elites guys, how would we know that elites are bad for us…?

    Reply
  186. he’s a typical young, excitable, true believer who likes to imagine The Left is out to destroy America.
    But if it wasn’t for the elite anti-elites guys, how would we know that elites are bad for us…?

    Reply
  187. between off-shoring and automation, manufacturing line workers are basically SOL.
    It’s not a matter of being underpaid in their case, the jobs just don’t exist.

    Which probably means we need some serious re-training programs. (Preferably after some serious thought about “retraining to do what?”)
    A guy who who worked manufacturing car might not be trainable to support computer systems. (Although he might be. I note the case of my brother-in-law, who went from being an aircraft mechanic to running the computer network at Lawrence Livermore Lab.) But surely he could learn to be a decent auto mechanic. And we could definitely use more (competent) auto mechanics.

    Reply
  188. between off-shoring and automation, manufacturing line workers are basically SOL.
    It’s not a matter of being underpaid in their case, the jobs just don’t exist.

    Which probably means we need some serious re-training programs. (Preferably after some serious thought about “retraining to do what?”)
    A guy who who worked manufacturing car might not be trainable to support computer systems. (Although he might be. I note the case of my brother-in-law, who went from being an aircraft mechanic to running the computer network at Lawrence Livermore Lab.) But surely he could learn to be a decent auto mechanic. And we could definitely use more (competent) auto mechanics.

    Reply
  189. between off-shoring and automation, manufacturing line workers are basically SOL.
    It’s not a matter of being underpaid in their case, the jobs just don’t exist.

    Which probably means we need some serious re-training programs. (Preferably after some serious thought about “retraining to do what?”)
    A guy who who worked manufacturing car might not be trainable to support computer systems. (Although he might be. I note the case of my brother-in-law, who went from being an aircraft mechanic to running the computer network at Lawrence Livermore Lab.) But surely he could learn to be a decent auto mechanic. And we could definitely use more (competent) auto mechanics.

    Reply
  190. (Preferably after some serious thought about “retraining to do what?”)
    Can you have a sustainable economy based on political campaigns and lobbying?

    Reply
  191. (Preferably after some serious thought about “retraining to do what?”)
    Can you have a sustainable economy based on political campaigns and lobbying?

    Reply
  192. (Preferably after some serious thought about “retraining to do what?”)
    Can you have a sustainable economy based on political campaigns and lobbying?

    Reply
  193. Can you have a sustainable economy based on political campaigns and lobbying?
    How is that different from what we have now?

    Reply
  194. Can you have a sustainable economy based on political campaigns and lobbying?
    How is that different from what we have now?

    Reply
  195. Can you have a sustainable economy based on political campaigns and lobbying?
    How is that different from what we have now?

    Reply
  196. Can you have a sustainable economy based on political campaigns and lobbying?
    Now that we’ve gotten to never-ending campaigning, perhaps you can…. 😉

    Reply
  197. Can you have a sustainable economy based on political campaigns and lobbying?
    Now that we’ve gotten to never-ending campaigning, perhaps you can…. 😉

    Reply
  198. Can you have a sustainable economy based on political campaigns and lobbying?
    Now that we’ve gotten to never-ending campaigning, perhaps you can…. 😉

    Reply
  199. Look at dese undercover Commies hamming it up wit the mini-Castros, will ya.
    http://m.mlb.com/news/article/168383594/rays-chris-archer-plays-catch-with-fan-in-cuba
    The entire Tampa Ray Devil Rays roster are a bunch of traitors.
    If Shapiro and Cruz and Rubio aren’t able to stop this subversion, I predict within months baseball stadiums around our great country will be serving 50 cent gummint hot dogs and the guys and gals in the paper hats selling em will be making the same amount as we white collar vermin Republican grifters pull down in a month making sh*t up.
    Dat’ll be the end of capitalism as we know it, people. Pretty soon ya won’t be able to sell a hot dog anymore for more than the guy makes hourly who’s handing it over OR for more than the family buying six of em makes in a day.
    It’s got to be stopped.
    Why, I heard Obama by executive order is going to allow a guy to get a triple by cutting straight across the infield directly from first to third and cutting out second base altogether.
    And he wants more sacrifice …… bunting.
    Can you believe dat?
    It ain’t right. It was bad enough when dat commie Roosevelt removed 5th and 6th base from da game.
    Every Cuban pitcher we bring in here is gonna be putting foreign substances on the ball.
    We need a little more violence in dis here country.
    Against Drudge, Shapiro and the lot of them.

    Reply
  200. Look at dese undercover Commies hamming it up wit the mini-Castros, will ya.
    http://m.mlb.com/news/article/168383594/rays-chris-archer-plays-catch-with-fan-in-cuba
    The entire Tampa Ray Devil Rays roster are a bunch of traitors.
    If Shapiro and Cruz and Rubio aren’t able to stop this subversion, I predict within months baseball stadiums around our great country will be serving 50 cent gummint hot dogs and the guys and gals in the paper hats selling em will be making the same amount as we white collar vermin Republican grifters pull down in a month making sh*t up.
    Dat’ll be the end of capitalism as we know it, people. Pretty soon ya won’t be able to sell a hot dog anymore for more than the guy makes hourly who’s handing it over OR for more than the family buying six of em makes in a day.
    It’s got to be stopped.
    Why, I heard Obama by executive order is going to allow a guy to get a triple by cutting straight across the infield directly from first to third and cutting out second base altogether.
    And he wants more sacrifice …… bunting.
    Can you believe dat?
    It ain’t right. It was bad enough when dat commie Roosevelt removed 5th and 6th base from da game.
    Every Cuban pitcher we bring in here is gonna be putting foreign substances on the ball.
    We need a little more violence in dis here country.
    Against Drudge, Shapiro and the lot of them.

    Reply
  201. Look at dese undercover Commies hamming it up wit the mini-Castros, will ya.
    http://m.mlb.com/news/article/168383594/rays-chris-archer-plays-catch-with-fan-in-cuba
    The entire Tampa Ray Devil Rays roster are a bunch of traitors.
    If Shapiro and Cruz and Rubio aren’t able to stop this subversion, I predict within months baseball stadiums around our great country will be serving 50 cent gummint hot dogs and the guys and gals in the paper hats selling em will be making the same amount as we white collar vermin Republican grifters pull down in a month making sh*t up.
    Dat’ll be the end of capitalism as we know it, people. Pretty soon ya won’t be able to sell a hot dog anymore for more than the guy makes hourly who’s handing it over OR for more than the family buying six of em makes in a day.
    It’s got to be stopped.
    Why, I heard Obama by executive order is going to allow a guy to get a triple by cutting straight across the infield directly from first to third and cutting out second base altogether.
    And he wants more sacrifice …… bunting.
    Can you believe dat?
    It ain’t right. It was bad enough when dat commie Roosevelt removed 5th and 6th base from da game.
    Every Cuban pitcher we bring in here is gonna be putting foreign substances on the ball.
    We need a little more violence in dis here country.
    Against Drudge, Shapiro and the lot of them.

    Reply
  202. One problem is that we have been conditioned to accept shoddy work as long as we perceive it as cheap. Once we accepted that, the competent craftspeople were easily outbidden by less comptetent but outwardly cheaper rivals. Plus manual labor* has been devalued as far back as written records go no matter how much skill was involved (see e.g. sources from ancient Egypt).
    *including the arts at times (many a famous painter or composer got treated no better than a lowly craftsman).

    Reply
  203. One problem is that we have been conditioned to accept shoddy work as long as we perceive it as cheap. Once we accepted that, the competent craftspeople were easily outbidden by less comptetent but outwardly cheaper rivals. Plus manual labor* has been devalued as far back as written records go no matter how much skill was involved (see e.g. sources from ancient Egypt).
    *including the arts at times (many a famous painter or composer got treated no better than a lowly craftsman).

    Reply
  204. One problem is that we have been conditioned to accept shoddy work as long as we perceive it as cheap. Once we accepted that, the competent craftspeople were easily outbidden by less comptetent but outwardly cheaper rivals. Plus manual labor* has been devalued as far back as written records go no matter how much skill was involved (see e.g. sources from ancient Egypt).
    *including the arts at times (many a famous painter or composer got treated no better than a lowly craftsman).

    Reply
  205. This is Ben Shapiro.
    http://americablog.com/2014/04/ben-shapiro-holocaust-mozilla-gay-brendan-eich-prop-8.html
    He is one of those punks from “The Village Of The Damned”
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-AUBlW5EWnI
    “Village of the Damned is a strongly compelling Science-Fiction highlight and easily of the eeriest movies I ever saw. Although it’s a very modest and simply made production, the scary-effect of this film is a lot more effective than some of its big-budgeted colleagues. On a random day, the entire English village of Midwich falls into a trance-like sleep. Completely inexplicably, they awake again seemly normal but two months later it appears that every fertile woman in town got pregnant on the day of the blackout. The newborns show a strange resemblance in looks and – what is even more bizarre – they’re telekinetic! Due to their amazing intelligence and emotionless behavior, they form a huge threat and freak out the entire little town. `Village of the Damned’ is loyally adapted from John Wyndham’s novel `The Midwich Cuckoos’. Throughout the whole film, you don’t get much explanation and, as a viewer, you’re forced to guess at the mystery’s origin. Although highly unlikely, the events in Midwich really are alarming and make you feel uncomfortable. This effect is reached through solid tension and macabre atmosphere much more than through special effects. The eerily lit eyes of the ‘children’ are the only real effects but they cause a lot more fear than gallons of blood ever could! Village of the Damned also owes a lot of its power to a terrific casting job.”
    Shapiro used to brag about being a virgin, on account he was afraid he would give someone something.
    Then he got married, and still claims he’s a virgin, even though his wife somehow lost hers but picked up a bug.
    Apparently the way right wing conservatives do it is they only do it to poor people, usually from behind without permission, but it let’s them keep their virgin creds, in their minds.
    They are like Dagny Taggart in Atlas Shrugged, except for the socio-economic milieu within which she would only do her you-know-whating.

    Reply
  206. This is Ben Shapiro.
    http://americablog.com/2014/04/ben-shapiro-holocaust-mozilla-gay-brendan-eich-prop-8.html
    He is one of those punks from “The Village Of The Damned”
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-AUBlW5EWnI
    “Village of the Damned is a strongly compelling Science-Fiction highlight and easily of the eeriest movies I ever saw. Although it’s a very modest and simply made production, the scary-effect of this film is a lot more effective than some of its big-budgeted colleagues. On a random day, the entire English village of Midwich falls into a trance-like sleep. Completely inexplicably, they awake again seemly normal but two months later it appears that every fertile woman in town got pregnant on the day of the blackout. The newborns show a strange resemblance in looks and – what is even more bizarre – they’re telekinetic! Due to their amazing intelligence and emotionless behavior, they form a huge threat and freak out the entire little town. `Village of the Damned’ is loyally adapted from John Wyndham’s novel `The Midwich Cuckoos’. Throughout the whole film, you don’t get much explanation and, as a viewer, you’re forced to guess at the mystery’s origin. Although highly unlikely, the events in Midwich really are alarming and make you feel uncomfortable. This effect is reached through solid tension and macabre atmosphere much more than through special effects. The eerily lit eyes of the ‘children’ are the only real effects but they cause a lot more fear than gallons of blood ever could! Village of the Damned also owes a lot of its power to a terrific casting job.”
    Shapiro used to brag about being a virgin, on account he was afraid he would give someone something.
    Then he got married, and still claims he’s a virgin, even though his wife somehow lost hers but picked up a bug.
    Apparently the way right wing conservatives do it is they only do it to poor people, usually from behind without permission, but it let’s them keep their virgin creds, in their minds.
    They are like Dagny Taggart in Atlas Shrugged, except for the socio-economic milieu within which she would only do her you-know-whating.

    Reply
  207. This is Ben Shapiro.
    http://americablog.com/2014/04/ben-shapiro-holocaust-mozilla-gay-brendan-eich-prop-8.html
    He is one of those punks from “The Village Of The Damned”
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-AUBlW5EWnI
    “Village of the Damned is a strongly compelling Science-Fiction highlight and easily of the eeriest movies I ever saw. Although it’s a very modest and simply made production, the scary-effect of this film is a lot more effective than some of its big-budgeted colleagues. On a random day, the entire English village of Midwich falls into a trance-like sleep. Completely inexplicably, they awake again seemly normal but two months later it appears that every fertile woman in town got pregnant on the day of the blackout. The newborns show a strange resemblance in looks and – what is even more bizarre – they’re telekinetic! Due to their amazing intelligence and emotionless behavior, they form a huge threat and freak out the entire little town. `Village of the Damned’ is loyally adapted from John Wyndham’s novel `The Midwich Cuckoos’. Throughout the whole film, you don’t get much explanation and, as a viewer, you’re forced to guess at the mystery’s origin. Although highly unlikely, the events in Midwich really are alarming and make you feel uncomfortable. This effect is reached through solid tension and macabre atmosphere much more than through special effects. The eerily lit eyes of the ‘children’ are the only real effects but they cause a lot more fear than gallons of blood ever could! Village of the Damned also owes a lot of its power to a terrific casting job.”
    Shapiro used to brag about being a virgin, on account he was afraid he would give someone something.
    Then he got married, and still claims he’s a virgin, even though his wife somehow lost hers but picked up a bug.
    Apparently the way right wing conservatives do it is they only do it to poor people, usually from behind without permission, but it let’s them keep their virgin creds, in their minds.
    They are like Dagny Taggart in Atlas Shrugged, except for the socio-economic milieu within which she would only do her you-know-whating.

    Reply
  208. Bobby, there must be some way to make that come out ChINO. There just has to be….
    Communist hippy in name only?

    Reply
  209. Bobby, there must be some way to make that come out ChINO. There just has to be….
    Communist hippy in name only?

    Reply
  210. Bobby, there must be some way to make that come out ChINO. There just has to be….
    Communist hippy in name only?

    Reply
  211. Can someone splain sumpin to me, hanh?
    How come when Republicans go all Trayvon on a person, maybe because that person was, ya know, stalking em a little bit, how come when these people are assaulted by the Republicans, they can’t act exactly as Republicans/Libertarians have counseled the “citizenry” to act when assaulted, that is, to go all George Zimmerman right back at em, by shooting em in the f*cking head?
    Or is the guy who use to explain these matters to me no longer commenting here?

    Reply
  212. Can someone splain sumpin to me, hanh?
    How come when Republicans go all Trayvon on a person, maybe because that person was, ya know, stalking em a little bit, how come when these people are assaulted by the Republicans, they can’t act exactly as Republicans/Libertarians have counseled the “citizenry” to act when assaulted, that is, to go all George Zimmerman right back at em, by shooting em in the f*cking head?
    Or is the guy who use to explain these matters to me no longer commenting here?

    Reply
  213. Can someone splain sumpin to me, hanh?
    How come when Republicans go all Trayvon on a person, maybe because that person was, ya know, stalking em a little bit, how come when these people are assaulted by the Republicans, they can’t act exactly as Republicans/Libertarians have counseled the “citizenry” to act when assaulted, that is, to go all George Zimmerman right back at em, by shooting em in the f*cking head?
    Or is the guy who use to explain these matters to me no longer commenting here?

    Reply
  214. Hey, ladies of the media (whatever that is), The Supreme Court just gave the green light unanimously that Corey Lewandowki can be dealt with in no uncertain terms:
    http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/corey-lewandowski-reported-inappropriate-behavior-female-reporters
    Here’s what they said:
    http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/supreme-court-gives-boost-stun-gun-owners-n542566
    Clarence Thomas wrote a scathing concurrence, which should hearten Anita Hill the next time he offers her a Coke.
    A stun gun right up against a conservative gonad ought to tame the animal spirits.

    Reply
  215. Hey, ladies of the media (whatever that is), The Supreme Court just gave the green light unanimously that Corey Lewandowki can be dealt with in no uncertain terms:
    http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/corey-lewandowski-reported-inappropriate-behavior-female-reporters
    Here’s what they said:
    http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/supreme-court-gives-boost-stun-gun-owners-n542566
    Clarence Thomas wrote a scathing concurrence, which should hearten Anita Hill the next time he offers her a Coke.
    A stun gun right up against a conservative gonad ought to tame the animal spirits.

    Reply
  216. Hey, ladies of the media (whatever that is), The Supreme Court just gave the green light unanimously that Corey Lewandowki can be dealt with in no uncertain terms:
    http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/corey-lewandowski-reported-inappropriate-behavior-female-reporters
    Here’s what they said:
    http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/supreme-court-gives-boost-stun-gun-owners-n542566
    Clarence Thomas wrote a scathing concurrence, which should hearten Anita Hill the next time he offers her a Coke.
    A stun gun right up against a conservative gonad ought to tame the animal spirits.

    Reply
  217. “Going in a different direction, we have this for those who might be under the illusion that the US has cornered the market on nut cases:”
    Fear not the nutcase gap between us and the Brits closing anytime soon. We have silos full of nutcases ready to go against whatever they can bring.
    I’d put up our arsenal of sociopathic cretins against their charming, peculiar Mr. Beans and Basil Fawltys any time.
    Not even a contest.
    We raise and succor professional nutcases. They grow down to be President.

    Reply
  218. “Going in a different direction, we have this for those who might be under the illusion that the US has cornered the market on nut cases:”
    Fear not the nutcase gap between us and the Brits closing anytime soon. We have silos full of nutcases ready to go against whatever they can bring.
    I’d put up our arsenal of sociopathic cretins against their charming, peculiar Mr. Beans and Basil Fawltys any time.
    Not even a contest.
    We raise and succor professional nutcases. They grow down to be President.

    Reply
  219. “Going in a different direction, we have this for those who might be under the illusion that the US has cornered the market on nut cases:”
    Fear not the nutcase gap between us and the Brits closing anytime soon. We have silos full of nutcases ready to go against whatever they can bring.
    I’d put up our arsenal of sociopathic cretins against their charming, peculiar Mr. Beans and Basil Fawltys any time.
    Not even a contest.
    We raise and succor professional nutcases. They grow down to be President.

    Reply
  220. The photo of Obama in front of the mural of Che is interesting. Having been to that precise plaza, let me say a thng or two.
    First, the image of Che is one of three on adjacent buildings, the others being Fidel himself and Camilo Cienfuegos, a top commander of Fidel’s revolutionary forces.
    More important, the images are high up and not that close to the Plaza, which is in fact a big parking lot in front of a tall government building. It’s a more or less mandatory part of a visit to Havana, but of no interest whatsoever.
    The images are not close to the plaza, so to create the impression of Obama posing in front of them it was probably necessary to use a very long lens, which compresses distance.
    In other words, to claim that Obama was posing under an image of Che is idiotic. It’s roughly like catching an image of him walking by a T-shirt stand selling shirts with images of Che.
    Haters gotta hate.

    Reply
  221. The photo of Obama in front of the mural of Che is interesting. Having been to that precise plaza, let me say a thng or two.
    First, the image of Che is one of three on adjacent buildings, the others being Fidel himself and Camilo Cienfuegos, a top commander of Fidel’s revolutionary forces.
    More important, the images are high up and not that close to the Plaza, which is in fact a big parking lot in front of a tall government building. It’s a more or less mandatory part of a visit to Havana, but of no interest whatsoever.
    The images are not close to the plaza, so to create the impression of Obama posing in front of them it was probably necessary to use a very long lens, which compresses distance.
    In other words, to claim that Obama was posing under an image of Che is idiotic. It’s roughly like catching an image of him walking by a T-shirt stand selling shirts with images of Che.
    Haters gotta hate.

    Reply
  222. The photo of Obama in front of the mural of Che is interesting. Having been to that precise plaza, let me say a thng or two.
    First, the image of Che is one of three on adjacent buildings, the others being Fidel himself and Camilo Cienfuegos, a top commander of Fidel’s revolutionary forces.
    More important, the images are high up and not that close to the Plaza, which is in fact a big parking lot in front of a tall government building. It’s a more or less mandatory part of a visit to Havana, but of no interest whatsoever.
    The images are not close to the plaza, so to create the impression of Obama posing in front of them it was probably necessary to use a very long lens, which compresses distance.
    In other words, to claim that Obama was posing under an image of Che is idiotic. It’s roughly like catching an image of him walking by a T-shirt stand selling shirts with images of Che.
    Haters gotta hate.

    Reply
  223. The well-known Commie front organization, MLB.com, corrupts our children right under our noses here in the Homeland. By God, the very apples in Mom’s apple pie have been flouridated:
    http://m.mlb.com/news/article/168361890/commissioner-rob-manfred-rays-begin-cuba-trip
    “That’s the way your hard-core Commie works. I first became aware of it, Mandrake, during the physical act of love… Yes, a profound sense of fatigue, a feeling of emptiness followed. Luckily I — I was able to interpret these feelings correctly. Loss of essence.”
    It started a long time ago. When Luis Tiant turned his back to the plate during his windup and threw that Latin slop up there, that was a signal to the Russkies to just bide their time:
    http://www.baseball-almanac.com/players/birthplace.php?loc=Cuba

    Reply
  224. The well-known Commie front organization, MLB.com, corrupts our children right under our noses here in the Homeland. By God, the very apples in Mom’s apple pie have been flouridated:
    http://m.mlb.com/news/article/168361890/commissioner-rob-manfred-rays-begin-cuba-trip
    “That’s the way your hard-core Commie works. I first became aware of it, Mandrake, during the physical act of love… Yes, a profound sense of fatigue, a feeling of emptiness followed. Luckily I — I was able to interpret these feelings correctly. Loss of essence.”
    It started a long time ago. When Luis Tiant turned his back to the plate during his windup and threw that Latin slop up there, that was a signal to the Russkies to just bide their time:
    http://www.baseball-almanac.com/players/birthplace.php?loc=Cuba

    Reply
  225. The well-known Commie front organization, MLB.com, corrupts our children right under our noses here in the Homeland. By God, the very apples in Mom’s apple pie have been flouridated:
    http://m.mlb.com/news/article/168361890/commissioner-rob-manfred-rays-begin-cuba-trip
    “That’s the way your hard-core Commie works. I first became aware of it, Mandrake, during the physical act of love… Yes, a profound sense of fatigue, a feeling of emptiness followed. Luckily I — I was able to interpret these feelings correctly. Loss of essence.”
    It started a long time ago. When Luis Tiant turned his back to the plate during his windup and threw that Latin slop up there, that was a signal to the Russkies to just bide their time:
    http://www.baseball-almanac.com/players/birthplace.php?loc=Cuba

    Reply
  226. http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/trump-ivanka-beautiful-jewish-baby
    “Black guys counting my money! I hate it. The only kind of people I want counting my money are little short guys that wear yarmulkes every day.”
    “I know why you’re not going to support me. You’re not going to support me because I don’t want your money …Look, I’m a negotiator like you folks, we’re negotiators.” (Today at the RJC.)
    Read more: http://forward.com/news/breaking-news/326020/5-cringeworthy-things-donald-trump-has-said-about-the-jews/#ixzz43aNEU8Pk
    http://www.cnn.com/2016/03/14/politics/mark-burns-bernie-sanders-donald-trump/index.html
    http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2012/06/david_duke_of_the_kkk_hates_jewszionists_more_than_blacks.html
    Of course, the republican big tent admits hate-ridden assholes and ruthless pricks from every walk of life and gives them marquis billing regardless of race, religion, sexual persuasion, and nationality.
    It’s a freak show.
    A Gypsy could turn in his mother to Hitler’s SS and he’d get a Cabinet position in a Trump Administration solely on his ability to avoid political correctness.
    He COULD join the Cruz crowd and prolong his demise until God rains down his murderous violent fire on non-believers, but at least with Trump he gets the cheap all-you-can-eat at the casino until doomsday.

    Reply
  227. http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/trump-ivanka-beautiful-jewish-baby
    “Black guys counting my money! I hate it. The only kind of people I want counting my money are little short guys that wear yarmulkes every day.”
    “I know why you’re not going to support me. You’re not going to support me because I don’t want your money …Look, I’m a negotiator like you folks, we’re negotiators.” (Today at the RJC.)
    Read more: http://forward.com/news/breaking-news/326020/5-cringeworthy-things-donald-trump-has-said-about-the-jews/#ixzz43aNEU8Pk
    http://www.cnn.com/2016/03/14/politics/mark-burns-bernie-sanders-donald-trump/index.html
    http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2012/06/david_duke_of_the_kkk_hates_jewszionists_more_than_blacks.html
    Of course, the republican big tent admits hate-ridden assholes and ruthless pricks from every walk of life and gives them marquis billing regardless of race, religion, sexual persuasion, and nationality.
    It’s a freak show.
    A Gypsy could turn in his mother to Hitler’s SS and he’d get a Cabinet position in a Trump Administration solely on his ability to avoid political correctness.
    He COULD join the Cruz crowd and prolong his demise until God rains down his murderous violent fire on non-believers, but at least with Trump he gets the cheap all-you-can-eat at the casino until doomsday.

    Reply
  228. http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/trump-ivanka-beautiful-jewish-baby
    “Black guys counting my money! I hate it. The only kind of people I want counting my money are little short guys that wear yarmulkes every day.”
    “I know why you’re not going to support me. You’re not going to support me because I don’t want your money …Look, I’m a negotiator like you folks, we’re negotiators.” (Today at the RJC.)
    Read more: http://forward.com/news/breaking-news/326020/5-cringeworthy-things-donald-trump-has-said-about-the-jews/#ixzz43aNEU8Pk
    http://www.cnn.com/2016/03/14/politics/mark-burns-bernie-sanders-donald-trump/index.html
    http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2012/06/david_duke_of_the_kkk_hates_jewszionists_more_than_blacks.html
    Of course, the republican big tent admits hate-ridden assholes and ruthless pricks from every walk of life and gives them marquis billing regardless of race, religion, sexual persuasion, and nationality.
    It’s a freak show.
    A Gypsy could turn in his mother to Hitler’s SS and he’d get a Cabinet position in a Trump Administration solely on his ability to avoid political correctness.
    He COULD join the Cruz crowd and prolong his demise until God rains down his murderous violent fire on non-believers, but at least with Trump he gets the cheap all-you-can-eat at the casino until doomsday.

    Reply
  229. I will vote for Hillary myself if she is the nominee. But I read Sanders and while I might not agree with every word, that’s the speech of an adult speaking to other adults.
    I read Clinton and Trump and both their speeches are big steaming piles of fecal matter. They are obviously designed to appeal to people who could not care less about Palestinians–Clinton’s boilerplate support for a 2ss is totally negated by everything else she says. Why should Netanyahu change one single thing he does given what Clinton says here?
    I won’t bother with Trump. If he gets into office there is no way to know what he will do– he probably doesn’t know himself.

    Reply
  230. I will vote for Hillary myself if she is the nominee. But I read Sanders and while I might not agree with every word, that’s the speech of an adult speaking to other adults.
    I read Clinton and Trump and both their speeches are big steaming piles of fecal matter. They are obviously designed to appeal to people who could not care less about Palestinians–Clinton’s boilerplate support for a 2ss is totally negated by everything else she says. Why should Netanyahu change one single thing he does given what Clinton says here?
    I won’t bother with Trump. If he gets into office there is no way to know what he will do– he probably doesn’t know himself.

    Reply
  231. I will vote for Hillary myself if she is the nominee. But I read Sanders and while I might not agree with every word, that’s the speech of an adult speaking to other adults.
    I read Clinton and Trump and both their speeches are big steaming piles of fecal matter. They are obviously designed to appeal to people who could not care less about Palestinians–Clinton’s boilerplate support for a 2ss is totally negated by everything else she says. Why should Netanyahu change one single thing he does given what Clinton says here?
    I won’t bother with Trump. If he gets into office there is no way to know what he will do– he probably doesn’t know himself.

    Reply
  232. If I’m remembering what I’ve been reading here the past few months (no bets!):
    – nobody here is a Clinton fan. Not even close. And on multiple issues.
    – given a choice between Clinton and Trump, or Clinton and Cruz, pretty much all of us are going (sometimes extremely reluctantly) to vote for her anyway. Just because the alternative is worse.

    Reply
  233. If I’m remembering what I’ve been reading here the past few months (no bets!):
    – nobody here is a Clinton fan. Not even close. And on multiple issues.
    – given a choice between Clinton and Trump, or Clinton and Cruz, pretty much all of us are going (sometimes extremely reluctantly) to vote for her anyway. Just because the alternative is worse.

    Reply
  234. If I’m remembering what I’ve been reading here the past few months (no bets!):
    – nobody here is a Clinton fan. Not even close. And on multiple issues.
    – given a choice between Clinton and Trump, or Clinton and Cruz, pretty much all of us are going (sometimes extremely reluctantly) to vote for her anyway. Just because the alternative is worse.

    Reply
  235. Not sure if she has to pander in this fashion. It was so over the top. She also loses votes pandering– only an idiot would actually choose to vote for Trump,but idiots exist and others might stay home or vote Stein or whatever. And no, I don’t think people should do this.
    I am curious, though, if they have competent ( and cynical) pollsters figuring these things out, or if it is just instinct.
    There should have been a wider field of Democrats. I like Sanders, but don’t know what happens to his numbers if he is the nominee and the opposition research kicks in–I’ve heard about a vacation in Moscow. Clinton has negatives, obviously, some of it made up, some not.

    Reply
  236. Not sure if she has to pander in this fashion. It was so over the top. She also loses votes pandering– only an idiot would actually choose to vote for Trump,but idiots exist and others might stay home or vote Stein or whatever. And no, I don’t think people should do this.
    I am curious, though, if they have competent ( and cynical) pollsters figuring these things out, or if it is just instinct.
    There should have been a wider field of Democrats. I like Sanders, but don’t know what happens to his numbers if he is the nominee and the opposition research kicks in–I’ve heard about a vacation in Moscow. Clinton has negatives, obviously, some of it made up, some not.

    Reply
  237. Not sure if she has to pander in this fashion. It was so over the top. She also loses votes pandering– only an idiot would actually choose to vote for Trump,but idiots exist and others might stay home or vote Stein or whatever. And no, I don’t think people should do this.
    I am curious, though, if they have competent ( and cynical) pollsters figuring these things out, or if it is just instinct.
    There should have been a wider field of Democrats. I like Sanders, but don’t know what happens to his numbers if he is the nominee and the opposition research kicks in–I’ve heard about a vacation in Moscow. Clinton has negatives, obviously, some of it made up, some not.

    Reply
  238. There should have been a wider field of Democrats.
    I agree, or at least believe that the Democrats need to be more obviously grooming younger people to run when she’s finished (assuming, hoping, she wins).
    I like her, much more now than in 2008. I prefer Obama, but I am happy about supporting her. I think that most of the criticism of her is unfair, and some of it is plain wrong. I understand the Bernie appeal, but certainly hope that his supporters aren’t embittered.
    I didn’t listen to the AIPAC speech. When I came home from work, I turned on the TV and heard Kasich, then wanted to listen to Trump to see what he would sound like if actually giving a policy speech. I was unable to stick it out for long.
    Hillary supports the Iran deal, and the Republicans got huge cheers whenever they demonized Obama for it, and vowed to throw it in the garbage. Maybe she felt she had to make up for her support for it.

    Reply
  239. There should have been a wider field of Democrats.
    I agree, or at least believe that the Democrats need to be more obviously grooming younger people to run when she’s finished (assuming, hoping, she wins).
    I like her, much more now than in 2008. I prefer Obama, but I am happy about supporting her. I think that most of the criticism of her is unfair, and some of it is plain wrong. I understand the Bernie appeal, but certainly hope that his supporters aren’t embittered.
    I didn’t listen to the AIPAC speech. When I came home from work, I turned on the TV and heard Kasich, then wanted to listen to Trump to see what he would sound like if actually giving a policy speech. I was unable to stick it out for long.
    Hillary supports the Iran deal, and the Republicans got huge cheers whenever they demonized Obama for it, and vowed to throw it in the garbage. Maybe she felt she had to make up for her support for it.

    Reply
  240. There should have been a wider field of Democrats.
    I agree, or at least believe that the Democrats need to be more obviously grooming younger people to run when she’s finished (assuming, hoping, she wins).
    I like her, much more now than in 2008. I prefer Obama, but I am happy about supporting her. I think that most of the criticism of her is unfair, and some of it is plain wrong. I understand the Bernie appeal, but certainly hope that his supporters aren’t embittered.
    I didn’t listen to the AIPAC speech. When I came home from work, I turned on the TV and heard Kasich, then wanted to listen to Trump to see what he would sound like if actually giving a policy speech. I was unable to stick it out for long.
    Hillary supports the Iran deal, and the Republicans got huge cheers whenever they demonized Obama for it, and vowed to throw it in the garbage. Maybe she felt she had to make up for her support for it.

    Reply
  241. She needs to get elected. For that she needs to pander. Sad but true.
    From all historical evidence it would appear she is not pandering. She actually believes that shit.

    Reply
  242. She needs to get elected. For that she needs to pander. Sad but true.
    From all historical evidence it would appear she is not pandering. She actually believes that shit.

    Reply
  243. She needs to get elected. For that she needs to pander. Sad but true.
    From all historical evidence it would appear she is not pandering. She actually believes that shit.

    Reply
  244. … only an idiot would actually choose to vote for Trump…

    Ned: Bluebottle – how do I know when the silent TNT has exploded?
    Bluebottle: Oh, I never thought of that. I suppose that, when you hear nothing, that’s it.
    Ned: Can’t anybody hear it explode?
    Bluebottle: Only idiots.
    [ Huge explosion ]
    Bluebottle: Did you hear anything, Captain?
    Ned: No.
    Bluebottle: Good. ‘Cuz only idiots can hear explosions like that.
    [ Running footsteps approaching ]
    Eccles: Here! What was that big explosion! It blew me backwards out of my underpants! I’m back to front now – for Christmas, of course.

    Reply
  245. … only an idiot would actually choose to vote for Trump…

    Ned: Bluebottle – how do I know when the silent TNT has exploded?
    Bluebottle: Oh, I never thought of that. I suppose that, when you hear nothing, that’s it.
    Ned: Can’t anybody hear it explode?
    Bluebottle: Only idiots.
    [ Huge explosion ]
    Bluebottle: Did you hear anything, Captain?
    Ned: No.
    Bluebottle: Good. ‘Cuz only idiots can hear explosions like that.
    [ Running footsteps approaching ]
    Eccles: Here! What was that big explosion! It blew me backwards out of my underpants! I’m back to front now – for Christmas, of course.

    Reply
  246. … only an idiot would actually choose to vote for Trump…

    Ned: Bluebottle – how do I know when the silent TNT has exploded?
    Bluebottle: Oh, I never thought of that. I suppose that, when you hear nothing, that’s it.
    Ned: Can’t anybody hear it explode?
    Bluebottle: Only idiots.
    [ Huge explosion ]
    Bluebottle: Did you hear anything, Captain?
    Ned: No.
    Bluebottle: Good. ‘Cuz only idiots can hear explosions like that.
    [ Running footsteps approaching ]
    Eccles: Here! What was that big explosion! It blew me backwards out of my underpants! I’m back to front now – for Christmas, of course.

    Reply
  247. – nobody here is a Clinton fan. Not even close. And on multiple issues.
    I agree with the multiple issues, but I wonder if the problem is more the post-media world we live in than problems specific to her. 20 even 10 years ago, the long run up would be taken as indication of the opportunity to gain experience and connections whereas now, they just serve to undermine her. She also has to deal with the weight of modulating her rhetoric and opinions as a woman over the course of her career, which is now cited as evidence that she is insufficiently feminist. Which is to say that a lot of my issues with Clinton may be issues with the whole political system rather than specifically with her.
    Certainly, she plays into that a lot. By taking the traditional route of trying to make the nomination a fait accompli, it served as a signal to many of the constituency that Obama brought into vote that they were not going to be taken seriously, which probably drew a lot of people to Sanders. And looking at the way Bush got yanked off the stage, it is hard for me to imagine any future elections where being the establishment candidate is any kind of advantage in terms of perception (I’m sure that there are a lot of advantages in organization and connections, but rather than supporting the candidate’s persona, I think they are going to have to be hidden or at least separated from the candidate in future elections and I can’t imagine us going back)
    I do wonder what would have happened had Biden ran, though I’m wondering, given the way the system works, who else might have possibly been in the field. Ironically, by attempting to ‘defeat’ all the candidates before they stepped up, Clinton probably made things worse for herself.

    Reply
  248. – nobody here is a Clinton fan. Not even close. And on multiple issues.
    I agree with the multiple issues, but I wonder if the problem is more the post-media world we live in than problems specific to her. 20 even 10 years ago, the long run up would be taken as indication of the opportunity to gain experience and connections whereas now, they just serve to undermine her. She also has to deal with the weight of modulating her rhetoric and opinions as a woman over the course of her career, which is now cited as evidence that she is insufficiently feminist. Which is to say that a lot of my issues with Clinton may be issues with the whole political system rather than specifically with her.
    Certainly, she plays into that a lot. By taking the traditional route of trying to make the nomination a fait accompli, it served as a signal to many of the constituency that Obama brought into vote that they were not going to be taken seriously, which probably drew a lot of people to Sanders. And looking at the way Bush got yanked off the stage, it is hard for me to imagine any future elections where being the establishment candidate is any kind of advantage in terms of perception (I’m sure that there are a lot of advantages in organization and connections, but rather than supporting the candidate’s persona, I think they are going to have to be hidden or at least separated from the candidate in future elections and I can’t imagine us going back)
    I do wonder what would have happened had Biden ran, though I’m wondering, given the way the system works, who else might have possibly been in the field. Ironically, by attempting to ‘defeat’ all the candidates before they stepped up, Clinton probably made things worse for herself.

    Reply
  249. – nobody here is a Clinton fan. Not even close. And on multiple issues.
    I agree with the multiple issues, but I wonder if the problem is more the post-media world we live in than problems specific to her. 20 even 10 years ago, the long run up would be taken as indication of the opportunity to gain experience and connections whereas now, they just serve to undermine her. She also has to deal with the weight of modulating her rhetoric and opinions as a woman over the course of her career, which is now cited as evidence that she is insufficiently feminist. Which is to say that a lot of my issues with Clinton may be issues with the whole political system rather than specifically with her.
    Certainly, she plays into that a lot. By taking the traditional route of trying to make the nomination a fait accompli, it served as a signal to many of the constituency that Obama brought into vote that they were not going to be taken seriously, which probably drew a lot of people to Sanders. And looking at the way Bush got yanked off the stage, it is hard for me to imagine any future elections where being the establishment candidate is any kind of advantage in terms of perception (I’m sure that there are a lot of advantages in organization and connections, but rather than supporting the candidate’s persona, I think they are going to have to be hidden or at least separated from the candidate in future elections and I can’t imagine us going back)
    I do wonder what would have happened had Biden ran, though I’m wondering, given the way the system works, who else might have possibly been in the field. Ironically, by attempting to ‘defeat’ all the candidates before they stepped up, Clinton probably made things worse for herself.

    Reply
  250. We do live in strange times when a person of Jewish heritage runs a popular campaign for president and is smeared for not denouncing BDS for alleged “antisemitism”, yet right wingers, including Jewish right wingers (AIPAC) pal around with the most vicious members of the hard right (KKK, etc.) who routinely exhibit the basest hatred for Jews as a “subhuman race” (right out of Mein Kampf) and the evangelical Christians who only support Israel so they can have orgasms when it is destroyed as part of some imaginary Biblical prophecy.
    It is only 3 cushion bank shots like this that bring me to even imagine voting for such a terrible (Democratic Party) candidate as Hillary Clinton.
    Those on the center left who have expressed disappointment with Obama (a view that is wrong in many respects) will be driven to despair by a Clinton presidency. She will make charges against Obama for “negotiating with himself” look like the noblest of moves to hold true to sacred principles.
    If she is elected, and the Republicans hold the Senate, it will be “the end of welfare as we know it” for just about anything with respect to public policies.
    I’m with Lindsay Graham on this. If your choice is hanging or the firing squad…some choice.

    Reply
  251. We do live in strange times when a person of Jewish heritage runs a popular campaign for president and is smeared for not denouncing BDS for alleged “antisemitism”, yet right wingers, including Jewish right wingers (AIPAC) pal around with the most vicious members of the hard right (KKK, etc.) who routinely exhibit the basest hatred for Jews as a “subhuman race” (right out of Mein Kampf) and the evangelical Christians who only support Israel so they can have orgasms when it is destroyed as part of some imaginary Biblical prophecy.
    It is only 3 cushion bank shots like this that bring me to even imagine voting for such a terrible (Democratic Party) candidate as Hillary Clinton.
    Those on the center left who have expressed disappointment with Obama (a view that is wrong in many respects) will be driven to despair by a Clinton presidency. She will make charges against Obama for “negotiating with himself” look like the noblest of moves to hold true to sacred principles.
    If she is elected, and the Republicans hold the Senate, it will be “the end of welfare as we know it” for just about anything with respect to public policies.
    I’m with Lindsay Graham on this. If your choice is hanging or the firing squad…some choice.

    Reply
  252. We do live in strange times when a person of Jewish heritage runs a popular campaign for president and is smeared for not denouncing BDS for alleged “antisemitism”, yet right wingers, including Jewish right wingers (AIPAC) pal around with the most vicious members of the hard right (KKK, etc.) who routinely exhibit the basest hatred for Jews as a “subhuman race” (right out of Mein Kampf) and the evangelical Christians who only support Israel so they can have orgasms when it is destroyed as part of some imaginary Biblical prophecy.
    It is only 3 cushion bank shots like this that bring me to even imagine voting for such a terrible (Democratic Party) candidate as Hillary Clinton.
    Those on the center left who have expressed disappointment with Obama (a view that is wrong in many respects) will be driven to despair by a Clinton presidency. She will make charges against Obama for “negotiating with himself” look like the noblest of moves to hold true to sacred principles.
    If she is elected, and the Republicans hold the Senate, it will be “the end of welfare as we know it” for just about anything with respect to public policies.
    I’m with Lindsay Graham on this. If your choice is hanging or the firing squad…some choice.

    Reply
  253. Clinton will give liberals 80% of what they want. Trump will give them -75%.
    somehow, this math drives liberals to despair.

    Reply
  254. Clinton will give liberals 80% of what they want. Trump will give them -75%.
    somehow, this math drives liberals to despair.

    Reply
  255. Clinton will give liberals 80% of what they want. Trump will give them -75%.
    somehow, this math drives liberals to despair.

    Reply
  256. “I’ll still vote for Hillary, if only to get in an extra year of baseball, compared to Trump/Cruz, before nuclear war brings it all down.”
    but how will you react when the Cubs move to Havana, in the hopes of breaking their losing streak?

    Reply
  257. “I’ll still vote for Hillary, if only to get in an extra year of baseball, compared to Trump/Cruz, before nuclear war brings it all down.”
    but how will you react when the Cubs move to Havana, in the hopes of breaking their losing streak?

    Reply
  258. “I’ll still vote for Hillary, if only to get in an extra year of baseball, compared to Trump/Cruz, before nuclear war brings it all down.”
    but how will you react when the Cubs move to Havana, in the hopes of breaking their losing streak?

    Reply
  259. My take, cleek, is that Clinton will give liberals 80% of what they want, Trump will give them maybe 10% of what they want, and they argue Clinton will give them 180% and Trump -75%. As “not a liberal”, though, my perspective may be skewed.

    Reply
  260. My take, cleek, is that Clinton will give liberals 80% of what they want, Trump will give them maybe 10% of what they want, and they argue Clinton will give them 180% and Trump -75%. As “not a liberal”, though, my perspective may be skewed.

    Reply
  261. My take, cleek, is that Clinton will give liberals 80% of what they want, Trump will give them maybe 10% of what they want, and they argue Clinton will give them 180% and Trump -75%. As “not a liberal”, though, my perspective may be skewed.

    Reply
  262. Clinton will give liberals 80% of what they want. Trump will give them -75%.
    Imo Hillary means status quo. I would not expect anything major from her*. That’s still far better than anything any GOPster or associated biped would do.
    *just fiddling a bit with the ACA to get some kinks out but no movement towards single payer, some cosmetical changes to the immigration mess and the like. Definitely no major initiatives with regard to Wall Street.

    Reply
  263. Clinton will give liberals 80% of what they want. Trump will give them -75%.
    Imo Hillary means status quo. I would not expect anything major from her*. That’s still far better than anything any GOPster or associated biped would do.
    *just fiddling a bit with the ACA to get some kinks out but no movement towards single payer, some cosmetical changes to the immigration mess and the like. Definitely no major initiatives with regard to Wall Street.

    Reply
  264. Clinton will give liberals 80% of what they want. Trump will give them -75%.
    Imo Hillary means status quo. I would not expect anything major from her*. That’s still far better than anything any GOPster or associated biped would do.
    *just fiddling a bit with the ACA to get some kinks out but no movement towards single payer, some cosmetical changes to the immigration mess and the like. Definitely no major initiatives with regard to Wall Street.

    Reply
  265. For those who may have missed it (I sure had) the state of Utah declined to pay for today’s primary there. So the parties are on their own. While the Democrats are going with paper ballots, the Republicans are going with electronic voting.
    It occurs to me to wonder: given the difference in Internet savvy across the generations, might this seriously reduce voting by older voters, and increase voting by younger voters? And what will that mean for the kinds of politicians/policies which succeed?
    It will be interesting to see if it results in less conservative GOP nominees, compared to past primaries in the same state.

    Reply
  266. For those who may have missed it (I sure had) the state of Utah declined to pay for today’s primary there. So the parties are on their own. While the Democrats are going with paper ballots, the Republicans are going with electronic voting.
    It occurs to me to wonder: given the difference in Internet savvy across the generations, might this seriously reduce voting by older voters, and increase voting by younger voters? And what will that mean for the kinds of politicians/policies which succeed?
    It will be interesting to see if it results in less conservative GOP nominees, compared to past primaries in the same state.

    Reply
  267. For those who may have missed it (I sure had) the state of Utah declined to pay for today’s primary there. So the parties are on their own. While the Democrats are going with paper ballots, the Republicans are going with electronic voting.
    It occurs to me to wonder: given the difference in Internet savvy across the generations, might this seriously reduce voting by older voters, and increase voting by younger voters? And what will that mean for the kinds of politicians/policies which succeed?
    It will be interesting to see if it results in less conservative GOP nominees, compared to past primaries in the same state.

    Reply
  268. i love that accusation.
    one affair? people would be surprised and titillated.
    but five! people are like “yeah right. like Cruz could find five woman to sleep with him.”

    Reply
  269. i love that accusation.
    one affair? people would be surprised and titillated.
    but five! people are like “yeah right. like Cruz could find five woman to sleep with him.”

    Reply
  270. i love that accusation.
    one affair? people would be surprised and titillated.
    but five! people are like “yeah right. like Cruz could find five woman to sleep with him.”

    Reply
  271. But cleek, do people who read tabloids (which is who that seems to be aimed at – it’s the Sun, after all) actually care about plausibility? “Yeah, right.” 😉

    Reply
  272. But cleek, do people who read tabloids (which is who that seems to be aimed at – it’s the Sun, after all) actually care about plausibility? “Yeah, right.” 😉

    Reply
  273. But cleek, do people who read tabloids (which is who that seems to be aimed at – it’s the Sun, after all) actually care about plausibility? “Yeah, right.” 😉

    Reply
  274. one affair? people would be surprised and titillated.
    but five…

    Reminds me of a similar scandal a while back involving a Conservative cabinet minister, giving rise to the Sun headline:
    “Yes, Yes, Yes, Yes… Minister”
    Terrible paper; talented headline writers.
    One interesting (alleged) thing about this is that Breitbart and others have known about it for some time, and have sat on the story.

    Reply
  275. one affair? people would be surprised and titillated.
    but five…

    Reminds me of a similar scandal a while back involving a Conservative cabinet minister, giving rise to the Sun headline:
    “Yes, Yes, Yes, Yes… Minister”
    Terrible paper; talented headline writers.
    One interesting (alleged) thing about this is that Breitbart and others have known about it for some time, and have sat on the story.

    Reply
  276. one affair? people would be surprised and titillated.
    but five…

    Reminds me of a similar scandal a while back involving a Conservative cabinet minister, giving rise to the Sun headline:
    “Yes, Yes, Yes, Yes… Minister”
    Terrible paper; talented headline writers.
    One interesting (alleged) thing about this is that Breitbart and others have known about it for some time, and have sat on the story.

    Reply
  277. But cleek, do people who read tabloids (which is who that seems to be aimed at – it’s the Sun, after all) actually care about plausibility?
    i doubt any of us here do… but here we are talking about it!

    Reply
  278. But cleek, do people who read tabloids (which is who that seems to be aimed at – it’s the Sun, after all) actually care about plausibility?
    i doubt any of us here do… but here we are talking about it!

    Reply
  279. But cleek, do people who read tabloids (which is who that seems to be aimed at – it’s the Sun, after all) actually care about plausibility?
    i doubt any of us here do… but here we are talking about it!

    Reply
  280. Setting aside the danger of one of these sociopaths becoming President, and starting a nuclear war or something, you have to admit the Republican contest is hugely entertaining.

    Reply
  281. Setting aside the danger of one of these sociopaths becoming President, and starting a nuclear war or something, you have to admit the Republican contest is hugely entertaining.

    Reply
  282. Setting aside the danger of one of these sociopaths becoming President, and starting a nuclear war or something, you have to admit the Republican contest is hugely entertaining.

    Reply
  283. Well, it would explain why Trump hasn’t gone after Cruz with the sort of “Little Marco” and “Low energy Bush” comments that hit his other opponents’ sexual prowess. I figure Trump couldn’t wrap his head around the idea that something like this might, you know, hurt a candidate. Since, after all, it doesn’t hurt him….

    Reply
  284. Well, it would explain why Trump hasn’t gone after Cruz with the sort of “Little Marco” and “Low energy Bush” comments that hit his other opponents’ sexual prowess. I figure Trump couldn’t wrap his head around the idea that something like this might, you know, hurt a candidate. Since, after all, it doesn’t hurt him….

    Reply
  285. Well, it would explain why Trump hasn’t gone after Cruz with the sort of “Little Marco” and “Low energy Bush” comments that hit his other opponents’ sexual prowess. I figure Trump couldn’t wrap his head around the idea that something like this might, you know, hurt a candidate. Since, after all, it doesn’t hurt him….

    Reply
  286. Trump has tiny fingerprints on his stubby-fingered leprechaun hands.
    Don’t get too excited yet; this reeks of Roger Stone.
    But start making a list of the barnyard animals Hillary will be accused of having conjugal visits with once the Death Panel in Cleveland gets done choosing their murderer-in-chief.
    Besides … Cruz slept with five women? That doesn’t hold a candle to the millions of Americans he’s f*cked. Heck, his political platform lists the names of the tens of millions more he promises to assault anally once elected.
    As for Trump et al, go sign it:
    http://juanitajean.com/go-sign-it/
    These subhuman republican scum deserve every opportunity to kill each other in Cleveland to cull the fascist herd before it sics itself on us, win or lose.

    Reply
  287. Trump has tiny fingerprints on his stubby-fingered leprechaun hands.
    Don’t get too excited yet; this reeks of Roger Stone.
    But start making a list of the barnyard animals Hillary will be accused of having conjugal visits with once the Death Panel in Cleveland gets done choosing their murderer-in-chief.
    Besides … Cruz slept with five women? That doesn’t hold a candle to the millions of Americans he’s f*cked. Heck, his political platform lists the names of the tens of millions more he promises to assault anally once elected.
    As for Trump et al, go sign it:
    http://juanitajean.com/go-sign-it/
    These subhuman republican scum deserve every opportunity to kill each other in Cleveland to cull the fascist herd before it sics itself on us, win or lose.

    Reply
  288. Trump has tiny fingerprints on his stubby-fingered leprechaun hands.
    Don’t get too excited yet; this reeks of Roger Stone.
    But start making a list of the barnyard animals Hillary will be accused of having conjugal visits with once the Death Panel in Cleveland gets done choosing their murderer-in-chief.
    Besides … Cruz slept with five women? That doesn’t hold a candle to the millions of Americans he’s f*cked. Heck, his political platform lists the names of the tens of millions more he promises to assault anally once elected.
    As for Trump et al, go sign it:
    http://juanitajean.com/go-sign-it/
    These subhuman republican scum deserve every opportunity to kill each other in Cleveland to cull the fascist herd before it sics itself on us, win or lose.

    Reply
  289. Assume, just for the sake of discussion, that Cruz really did what is alleged. And that his campaign implodes as a result. Then it would seem that the Anti-Trump folks’ only remaining option is Kasich.
    Which leads to the obvious question: Did Kasich know? And is that why he has doggedly stayed in the contest, dispite pressure to quit splitting the anti-Trump vote? (Conspiracy theorists will know what must be true…;-)

    Reply
  290. Assume, just for the sake of discussion, that Cruz really did what is alleged. And that his campaign implodes as a result. Then it would seem that the Anti-Trump folks’ only remaining option is Kasich.
    Which leads to the obvious question: Did Kasich know? And is that why he has doggedly stayed in the contest, dispite pressure to quit splitting the anti-Trump vote? (Conspiracy theorists will know what must be true…;-)

    Reply
  291. Assume, just for the sake of discussion, that Cruz really did what is alleged. And that his campaign implodes as a result. Then it would seem that the Anti-Trump folks’ only remaining option is Kasich.
    Which leads to the obvious question: Did Kasich know? And is that why he has doggedly stayed in the contest, dispite pressure to quit splitting the anti-Trump vote? (Conspiracy theorists will know what must be true…;-)

    Reply
  292. I figure Trump couldn’t wrap his head around the idea that something like this might, you know, hurt a candidate.
    i assume Trump’s never brought it up because he didn’t need to. Cruz has never really been a serious challenge, and it was always in Trump’s best interest to have Cruz and Rubio hanging around to split the establishment GOP vote.

    Reply
  293. I figure Trump couldn’t wrap his head around the idea that something like this might, you know, hurt a candidate.
    i assume Trump’s never brought it up because he didn’t need to. Cruz has never really been a serious challenge, and it was always in Trump’s best interest to have Cruz and Rubio hanging around to split the establishment GOP vote.

    Reply
  294. I figure Trump couldn’t wrap his head around the idea that something like this might, you know, hurt a candidate.
    i assume Trump’s never brought it up because he didn’t need to. Cruz has never really been a serious challenge, and it was always in Trump’s best interest to have Cruz and Rubio hanging around to split the establishment GOP vote.

    Reply
  295. IF (and it’s a huge if) this ends up with the GOP nominating Kasich, I foresee a book (or several) with a title like “Dodging Bullets: How the GOP Avoided Nominating Two Guys Who Would Have Destroyed the Party.”

    Reply
  296. IF (and it’s a huge if) this ends up with the GOP nominating Kasich, I foresee a book (or several) with a title like “Dodging Bullets: How the GOP Avoided Nominating Two Guys Who Would Have Destroyed the Party.”

    Reply
  297. IF (and it’s a huge if) this ends up with the GOP nominating Kasich, I foresee a book (or several) with a title like “Dodging Bullets: How the GOP Avoided Nominating Two Guys Who Would Have Destroyed the Party.”

    Reply
  298. via mistermix at Balloon Juice:
    http://www.cafe.com/friday-mailbag-tiny-saturday-predictions/
    Cruz, the human being. I can see that going down pretty well with the Republican base.
    Gee, he’s just like us.
    On-the-Trump/Cruz-fence Tea Party, fed up Republican, asked his/her opinion of Trump/Cruz’s sexual peccadilloes:
    “Look, if the both of them keep their pledges to the letter to murder worthless parasites with pre-existing medical conditions now on Obamacare, round up the towel heads and wetbacks and torture them, and screw over the n&ggers, the f*ags and the liberal ho’s, I’d get down on my knees and fellate the two of them for the duration of their first term.”
    “Whatever it takes to make America stand erect again, by the holy thrusting pelvis of Jesus Christ Superratf&cker!”

    Reply
  299. via mistermix at Balloon Juice:
    http://www.cafe.com/friday-mailbag-tiny-saturday-predictions/
    Cruz, the human being. I can see that going down pretty well with the Republican base.
    Gee, he’s just like us.
    On-the-Trump/Cruz-fence Tea Party, fed up Republican, asked his/her opinion of Trump/Cruz’s sexual peccadilloes:
    “Look, if the both of them keep their pledges to the letter to murder worthless parasites with pre-existing medical conditions now on Obamacare, round up the towel heads and wetbacks and torture them, and screw over the n&ggers, the f*ags and the liberal ho’s, I’d get down on my knees and fellate the two of them for the duration of their first term.”
    “Whatever it takes to make America stand erect again, by the holy thrusting pelvis of Jesus Christ Superratf&cker!”

    Reply
  300. via mistermix at Balloon Juice:
    http://www.cafe.com/friday-mailbag-tiny-saturday-predictions/
    Cruz, the human being. I can see that going down pretty well with the Republican base.
    Gee, he’s just like us.
    On-the-Trump/Cruz-fence Tea Party, fed up Republican, asked his/her opinion of Trump/Cruz’s sexual peccadilloes:
    “Look, if the both of them keep their pledges to the letter to murder worthless parasites with pre-existing medical conditions now on Obamacare, round up the towel heads and wetbacks and torture them, and screw over the n&ggers, the f*ags and the liberal ho’s, I’d get down on my knees and fellate the two of them for the duration of their first term.”
    “Whatever it takes to make America stand erect again, by the holy thrusting pelvis of Jesus Christ Superratf&cker!”

    Reply
  301. Seems like both parties in this election cycle is determined to concede a lot more than the usual one percent to the Libertarian candidate. Spoiler alert!

    Reply
  302. Seems like both parties in this election cycle is determined to concede a lot more than the usual one percent to the Libertarian candidate. Spoiler alert!

    Reply
  303. Seems like both parties in this election cycle is determined to concede a lot more than the usual one percent to the Libertarian candidate. Spoiler alert!

    Reply
  304. Top comment on the cricket website covering the World Cup:
    “Afternoon all,” begins James, reasonably brightly. “England’s destiny in their own hands. Unfortunately as an England supporter that is the last place you want it to be.” …

    Reply
  305. Top comment on the cricket website covering the World Cup:
    “Afternoon all,” begins James, reasonably brightly. “England’s destiny in their own hands. Unfortunately as an England supporter that is the last place you want it to be.” …

    Reply
  306. Top comment on the cricket website covering the World Cup:
    “Afternoon all,” begins James, reasonably brightly. “England’s destiny in their own hands. Unfortunately as an England supporter that is the last place you want it to be.” …

    Reply

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