Political Theatre category archive
Racing Downward 0
At Psychology Today Blogs, Benjamin Mitchell-Yellin makes an argument that downward comparison is an element of Donald Trump’s appeal. Here’s one of his examples; visit the link for the complete essay.
Idiot Abroad, Reprise 0
Warning: Language.
The Galt and the Lamers 0
In the Hartford Courant, Colin McEnroe looks at the results of Tuesday’s elections and makes a some predictions. In particular, he suggests that the inside-the-beltway punditocracy will invariably draw the wrong conclusions (after all, that’s what they do–he doesn’t say that, I do).
I particularly want to highlight his “Three Commandments of Political Analysis”:
II. Thou shalt occasionally ignore I.
III. If a Libertarian lieth with a Green, everything whereon they subsequently sitteth shall be unclean.
In the bulk of his column, he focuses on item II, suggesting that Tuesday’s outcomes may well offer lessons for the 2018 national races; follow the link for his reasoning.
I want to comment a bit on item III:
Remember, a Libertarian is one who seeks an elaborate, fancy-smancy rationale for denying the existence of the common good. Libertarianism is a creed that appeals most notably to 15-year-old boys, regardless of their ages.
For all practical purposes, a Libertarian in today’s political scene is little more than a Republican who’s ashamed to admit it.
Idiot Abroad 0
Dick Polman assesses Donald Trump’s performance in China and finds it shedding light on his character–nope, not the right word modus operandi.
Follow the link for his reasons for saying that.
All the News that Fits 0
Consider what news reporting would be like if all news worked like Fox News.
Anomie 0
Thom and Richard Wolff discuss American gun massacres and wonder what about American society produces these solitary wolf predators.
Literacy Test 0
Gina Barreca suggests that we would be wise to expect our leaders to be literate. A bit:
I do.
Apparently this marks me as an “elitist” when it comes to education. But, to those who accuse me of elitism, I want to borrow the words of Inigo Montoya from “The Princess Bride”: “You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.”
Just the Facts, Ma’am 0
At Psychology Today Blogs, Alice LoCicero provides an interesting set of links to studies about the positive correlation between the “presence of firearms and violence.”
I commend her article to your attention.
(When you read the article, you will understand why this happened.)
Many Happy Returns, Reprise 0
Dick Polman runs the numbers and includes a quote from my elected representative incongruously assembled:
Scott Taylor is a full-blown wingnut, but one who, like many Virginia wingnuts, knows how to behave in public.
By the by, this is perhaps the most surprising and most gratifying single result of this election.
Swift Retribution 0
Joe Patrice explains that, no, copyright doesn’t work like that.
The Rule of Lawless 0
Josh Marshall highlights a troubling trend, one which surprises nobody who pays attention. A snippet:
Sleep Fright 0
Click for the original image.
Common Denominator 0
The New York Times wonders what could possibly account for the United States’s highest-in-the-world rate of mass shootings. Oh golly gosh gee, I wonder what it could be.
Let the Massacres Continue 0
Daniel Ruth excoriates the response of Donald Trump and many others to the most recent American gun massacre. If his column sounds kind of tired, the words “most recent” in the preceding sentence may give you a hint as to why. Here’s a snippet (emphasis added):
Even more bizarrely, Trump expressed astonishment that a gunman could enter a church in rural Texas and kill 26 people. “Who would think a thing like this could ever happen?” he wondered.
To answer Trump’s question there in second paragraph, anyone who pays freaking attention to the headlines, for Pete’s sake.
This is the very picture of weaponized imbecility.