Political Theatre category archive
The Pushers and the Pushees 0
In a lengthy article at The American Scholar, physician and journalist David Brown explores the genesis and state of the prescription opioid* problem in the United States. He traces the history of it in terms of evolving attitudes towards the treatment of pain and patients’ perception of pain in the medical profession and in society and ends with some recommendations.
I’m not sure how much I buy the recommendations, but, given the growing problem, I commend the article to your attention. Here’s a bit:
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*Remember, when Not White people do it, it’s simply “drug addiction” and get them off the streets.
Flat Out Denial 0
Dick Polman applauds while deriding Florida Governor Scott on Irma and climate change. A snippet; follow the link for the rest (emphasis added).
Misdirection Play, DACA Dept. 0
Robert Reich wonders why Trump tossed DACA into the mix when the Republicans have already demonstrated that they can’t get anything done.
“I Know I Am but What Are You?” 0
John Diaz considers Donald Trump’s reflexive response to criticism.
Where’s the Buck? 0
Pap and Ed Schultz discuss Donald Trump’s DACA dodge. Their conclusion may surprise you.
Ryan’s Derp 0
Farron reports the Paul Ryan has trouble on his right flank.
“The Plain Light of Day” 0
Peter St. Onge, writing at The Charlotte Observer, suggests that that is the one thing that whiteright-wing policies cannot survive.
The Trumpled Budget Deal 0
Josh Marshall tries to understand why Trump cut a budget deal with Democrats. He concludes that it is completely consistent with Marshall’s theory that Trump thrives on dominance. A snippet:
But the political or ideological manifestations are secondary to the personal one. Trump needs to dominate people. Clearly Trump felt that McConnell and Ryan are not serving him well enough or loyally enough or both. So he lashed out or tried to damage them. Schumer and Pelosi were simply the most convenient cudgels available.
Follow the link for more.
“Uppity” 0
Leonard Pitts, Jr., points out that “uppity” is still a thing.
Tales of Trumplings Past 0
Elsewhere, Sasha Abramsky is has similar thoughts. Follow the link for the complete article:
As in, “Can you imagine Franklin Roosevelt telling the world that many Nazi protestors were ‘good people’?” As in, “Can you imagine Ronald Reagan crowing about his crowd size while touring a region utterly devastated by hurricane winds and rain?” As in, “Can you imagine John Kennedy publicly urging “the torture” on terrorism suspects and the roughing up by the police of criminal suspects?”
The answer, of course, to all of these questions is that such utterances are, quite simply, unimaginable.
Image via Job’s Anger.
Seizure in September 0
Farron looks at what the Republican-controlled Congress is facing and concludes that it ain’t pretty.