Political Theatre category archive
Originalism Sin 0
David and his guest discuss the phony rationales for Constitutional “originalism.”
The Letter of the Lawyer 0
Joe Patrice parses an electronic epistle that Matthew Whitaker’s wife wrote in protest of a Slate article questioning the legitimacy of Whitaker’s position as “acting” Attorney-General. Here’s a bit; the italicized parts are from her email.
Are you hoping that all future appointees’ qualifications are to have sat at a desk and pushed paper around for 30 years?
Like a committed career government servant instead of a political grandstander? Is this supposed to sound like a bad thing?
It is a small comfort to me that the people who will want to work with him in the future are, let’s hope, really unlikely readers of Slate and similar publications.
Yes, we live in a world of media silos and thankfully for Whitaker the people who will want to work with him are too busy watching Alex Jones.
This is only a partial parsing; follow the link for the full treatment.
Walling a Wall-Eyed Piker 0
Mike Littwin comments on Nancy Pelosi’s and House Democrats’ strategy. A snippet:
Pelosi’s power play — to deny Trump his night of pomp and circumstance, a night in which he asks the nation to accept the notion that he is somehow fit to be president, a night he would surely spend slamming Democrats for refusing to pony up the $5.7 billion for a border wall — won’t end the shutdown. But for someone who has dreamed of a full-on military parade down Pennsylvania Avenue as he watches from his seat of honor, Trump must be enraged. As I write this, I await the rage-tweets to come.
Follow the link for the rest.
Starr Chamber 0
Shaun Mullen explains how the side effects of Ken Starr’s misbegotten and partisan investigation of Bill Clinton’s sexual peccadilloes may come back to haunt Donald Trump.
Aside:
When I was in grad school, one of my professors was fond of remarking on the “ironies of history.” If Shaun is correct, as he usually is, this would surely make his list.
Petty Arseny 0
Shorter Donald Trump: I’ll take your ball and go home.
Misdirectioned Play
0
You can argue that it’s also a misdirection play, as Russia is over there———————>.
Suffer the Children 0
Donald Trump’s government shutdown is now taking food out of the mouths of children.
Vance County Schools officials announced on Facebook late Tuesday that lunch menus “have been revised to a minimum level to conserve food and funding” starting Jan. 21. The county is about 50 miles northeast of Durham, along the Virginia state line.
More at the link.
Parks and Wreck 0
The San Francisco Chronicle looks at the Trumpling of the national parks. A snippet:
But that 2013 shutdown, he said, was “a stewardship act”: Without employees on duty to manage and provide stewardship, the parks would be vulnerable. “I think we’re actually seeing that play out now,” he added.
Wildlife has been dining on garbage that normally would be collected and secure — a wildlife buffet that contributed to the decision to close Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, and raised dangers of human-bear encounters at parks from Yosemite in California to Big Bend in Texas.
Much more disturbing stuff at the link.
Signs of the Times 0
In related news, real world consequences of the Trumpian Temper Tantrum are starting to pile up.
Image via Job’s Anger.
The Wall-Eyed Piker Gets It Wrong (Why Am I Not Surprised?) 0
In my local rag, historian Matthew Gabriele points out that, on the historical evidence, walls don’t work, despite Donald Trump’s claims that they do.
“Compassionate Conservatism” 0
Uh, yeah.