Political Theatre category archive
It’s Bubbleiicious 0
Thom runs the numbers and makes the case that we are in (another) housing bubble.
Aside:
It has long been my opinion that anyone who considers his primary residence an investment property lives in a house occupied by an idiot.
Continental Divide 0
Robert Reich speculates on a best case scenario where this country is headed.
“A Republic, If You Can Keep It” 0
In a related vein, Washington Monthly offers a calm and reasoned look at the causes of the current spike in prices.
Twits Own Twitter 0
Jason S. Sexton is skeptical that Elon Musk’s acquisition of Twitter will have beneficent effects. He remarks that
Follow the link for his reasoning.
Twits on Twitter, Dis Coarse Discourse Dept. 0
At AL.com, Cameron Smith argues that Twitter is not the “public square.” A snippet:
We have far more control over our social media world than the real one. We follow what interests us, tell platforms that we’re not inclined toward certain topics, and we’re even able to block or mute individual voices. All the while Twitter’s algorithm observes our interaction with the platform and feeds us content that it expects we’ll want to see.
I’ve been to plenty of public spaces discussing the issues of the day. None of them function like that.
He may be right. Twitter may be more like Speaker’s Corner (where I once listened to a man rant passionately that toilet paper is the root of all evil) than Plato’s school.
Nevertheless, as long as persons, both on and off Twitter, act like it is a place of legitimate discourse, his point is moot.
We are a society that has sacrificed its soul for clicks and likes.
In the Tank 0
Steve Corbin argues persuasively that “think tanks” are tanking our polity. Here’s a bit of his piece:
Follow the link for his reasoning.
Misdirection Play, One Thing Is Not Like the Other Thing Dept. 0
Oh, Louie (to borrow a phrase from Juanita Jean).
A Tune for the Times, Sycophants Dept. 0
Mangy comments at the Youtube page:
Mangy Fetlocks recently watched a youTube video about what Republican candidates will subject themselves to in order to obtain Donald Trump’s endorsement (an endorsement of questionable value). Candidates must first negotiate with Trump’s “handlers” to be allowed to see The Orange Julius. Then, they must flatter, praise, and ingratiate themselves in any way possible. They are told that colorful pictures and charts about them and their candidacy are suggested, since Trump won’t read anything of length or complexity. Mostly, they must make Trump feel that he is the wisest and most powerful man on the planet, bar none. Mangy feels that all this kowtowing and bottom-kissing should immediately disqualify any candidate from office.
The Crabby Appleton Party 0
Mark Barabak argues that the Republican Party, like Crabby Appleton, is rotten to the core.
Follow the link for his reasoning.
Live in the Real World 0
Werner Herzog’s Bear reminds us not to confuse rhetoric with reality.
A Tune for the Times 0
Mangy comments at the Youtube page:
Kevin McCarthy said Trump was responsible for the January 6th insurrection, then he said Trump was in no way responsible for the insurrection, then he said there was no insurrection, then he said he was misquoted when he actually said Trump was responsible for a mid-course correction, then he said Donald was responsible for a major erection. Later, Kevin claimed he said none of those things, but he loved Trump like a brother and would even love him like Stormy Daniels if it meant he’d be Speaker of the House some day.
Kevin clearly is an opportunistic eel with no guiding principles or moral compass. Mangy thought Kevin needed a song to sing, since making statements that are self-contradictory is a bad look for him. By singing about his relationship with Trump, Kevin will engage a wider audience and prepare for a time when he is dumped from the U.S. House of Representatives and hoping for a big break on the has-been-celebrity version of America’s Got Limited Talent.
“Cluster of Weirdos” 0
An excerpt:
What we’re seeing here is that, to all these guys, . . . it’s just entertainment. They don’t care about what’s actually at stake, which is our democracy . . . .
Trump NDA DOA 0
Full Disclosure:
I once had a job that required me to sign an NDA.
In my case, though, I was working for a tech company with intellectual property and patents to protect, not for a con artist and charlatan with slimy things to hide.
All That Was Old Is New Again 0
Der Spiegel interviews British historian Antony Beevor about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
It is a fascinating read. Beevor sees many echoes of Russia’s imperial past (and echoes of previous military miscalculations) in what is happening right now. Here’s one exchange:
Beevor: Putin’s distorted mindset, obsessed with the triumphant war against Nazism, has turned everything inside out. Isn’t it a great propaganda task to liberate the enemy of Nazism? Putin and his ideologues grotesquely depict the Ukrainians as born-again Nazis who need to be eliminated and re-educated, as the utterly manic article in RIA Novosti by Timofei Sergeitsev describes. The role of liberator from Nazism did indeed give the Red Army the idea that it could behave as it wanted both personally and politically. It was a notion of superiority. Rights of conquest meant not only imposing a Soviet regime on neighboring states. It also involved the comprehensive looting of the country as a form of reparation, and the idea that what Ilya Ehrenburg called “the blonde witch” – German women and girls – should pay for their menfolk’s crimes in the Russian motherland.
All the News that Fits 0
Thom explores why Republicans seem to be so susceptible to fake news.
