From Pine View Farm

Political Theatre category archive

The Bullied’s Pulpit 0

Jim Wright is somewhat taken aback that Howard Schultz, the Man Who Ruined Coffee, is now complaining of being bullied because some persons had the unmitigated gall, the unutterable cheek, to ask him questions which were not of a fawning and obsequious nature. Here’s a nugget:

He wants to be president. President. And so he’s getting the scrutiny and the questions every candidate gets. No more, no less. But just like Trump, he thinks he’s special and he shouldn’t have to face it.

And that’s it, right there.

That’s the thing.

That is what makes Howard Schultz, and his ilk, ultimately unqualified to lead this nation.

It is not just that he doesn’t know how to handle that scrutiny, it’s that he doesn’t think he should have to handle it at all.

Do read the rest.

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The Art of the Con, Trickle-On Economics Dept. 0

Thom explains to a caller:

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Spy vs. Spied 0

Frame One:  Dozens of men and women, military and civilian, labeled

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How Stuff Works, Centrism Dept. 0

Group of cavemen surrounded by wheels of various shapes:  square, round, triangular.  They are cheering a round wheel with one flat side and congratulating themselves on having compromised.  Caption:  Establishment of the

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Florida’s Fantasy Realm 0

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Real Big Men . . . . 0

. . . react to a person whom they perceived as a threat to their phallic personality enhancers.

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Old News 0

Man reading newspaper with headline,

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Originalism Sin 0

Elie Mystal investigates the historical (“originalist,” if you will) meaning of the term “emoluments” and finds that Constitutional “originalists” have no grounds for defending Donald Trump against charges of violating the “Emoluments Clause” of the Constitution.

Then he has a revelation:

Oh, wait, I forgot originalism is a scam devised by Republicans who only care about it when it comes time to restrict the rights of minorities and women.

Follow the link for the rest.

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Giving America the Business 0

In the midst of a ruder-than-usual rant about Donald Trump’s shutdown, the Rude One summarizes why the “run the government like a business” mantra is a con and a scam.

This is why a business mogul should never be president. The government ain’t a corporation. The government ain’t responsible for maximizing the profits of a few. It’s gotta keep working in order to make life better for the most people, ideally.

Follow the link for the rest.

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Russian Impulses 0

Shaun Mullen leaves no turn unstoned.

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The Wall-Eyed Piker and Emerging Emergencies 0

Elie Mystal is deeply disturbed at how cavalierly the press and public is treating the talk that Donald Trump might declare a national emergency so as to foist his stupid wall on the polity. An excerpt; follow the link for the rest (emphasis added).

Well, we should be all terrified, but many people are not. Trump has successfully played the media into talking about Trump’s authority to declare a national emergency as if it’s just one tool among many to “break the stalemate.” Anybody with a working historical knowledge about THE DEATH OF REPUBLICS (sic) knows that strongmen taking on emergency powers when there is no “emergency” is a terminal cancer to representative self-government. Anybody who is from a country that had a democracy and lost it knows this is where things start to go irrevocably wrong. But America is a young country filled with uneducated and easily distracted people.

I commend the complete post to your attention.

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All the News that Fits 0

Steve M. discusses Fox News’s “coverage” of the arrest of Roger Stone.

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Stare Stared down 0

Donald Trump, wearing

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The Art of the Dealing with, Reprise 0

Stanton Peele, writing at Psychology Today Blogs, contrasts Nancy Pelosi’s and Donald Trump’s leadership styles (though, in the case of Trump, the word “style” might not be the best term, but I digress). Here’s a bit; follow the link for the rest:

4. Park your ego. Nowhere was the difference in the exercise of power more evident than in the aftermath of Trump agreeing to the conditions Pelosi had laid out at the start: keep the government going and work out a bipartisan border security plan. Now why didn’t I think of that? And, true to form, Trump acted as though he had thought of it when he announced “his” plan for going forward.

Others disagreed, prompting Trump to tweet, “This was in no way a concession.” Huh, that’s the word that is usually applied to giving in to the other side’s position.

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The Art of the Dealing with 0

Man and woman walking by newspaper box displaying the headline,

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A Nation of Immigrants 0

David and Tom Gjelten discuss the history of American immigration policy. It’s dirtier and more twisted than you might have thought (at least, if you have not studied it).

Aside:

I think I have mentioned before in these electrons that the history of American immigration laws is a tutorial in applied racism.

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Still Rising Again after All These Years 0

Wife to husband wearing MAGA hat:  I wish you'd remove that Confederate monument you're wearing.

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The Art of the Con 0

Eugene Robinson sees through the hype. A nugget:

Negotiations about a solution are at a standstill because Trump’s self-proclaimed negotiation prowess comes down to taunts and tweets.

Follow the link for more.

Afterthought:

Headlines today indicate that some sort of (temporary?) agreement may be pending.

That does not invalidate the above.

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Hotel California Moscow 0

Shaun Mullen points out that Donald Trump can check out, but he can never leave.

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All the News that Fits, Facebook Frolics Dept. 0

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