Political Theatre category archive
Robot Wars 0
Even as he chuckles at the antics of Rubio supporters vs. Rubio robots, Cenk marvels at the right-wing “Get Out of Jail Free Card.”
Image via Job’s Anger.
Chris-Crossed, I Know You Are but What Am I Dept. 0
Alfred P. Doblin marvels as Chris Christie unleashes his inner bully. A snippet:
Of course, Christie knows that, and that is why he is resorting to schoolyard antics. “And so are you” is not exactly Madison or Jefferson, but when you are 10 or 12, it can pretty much end the conversation. The governor is appealing to the lowest common denominator. The problem with this strategy is that 12-year-old boys cannot vote in a Republican primary.
There was a time when Chris Christie was a rising star, the tell-it-like-it-is public official. I bought that line. If that was ever authentic, I can’t say now, but the governor has chosen to abandon the people of New Jersey and chosen to abandon any pretext of being “the adult in the room.”
Forget the Race; Look at the Racers 0
Chauncey Devega argues that far too much attention is paid to the differences amongst the Republican candidates for the presidential nomination. He find their similarities to be much more important–and troubling. Here’s a bit from his typically long and tightly-reasoned post:
1. That the United States should bomb and kill many thousands of innocent people in the Middle East and elsewhere in order to supposedly stop the spread of ISIS and other terrorist organizations.
2. Torturing suspected terrorists—even though such acts are both immoral and ineffective in retrieving actionable intelligence information—is acceptable.
3. “God’s law” should supersede the United States Constitution.
4. They are anti-science and do not believe that global warming is a real, scientifically proven, empirical fact.
(Follow the link for the rest of the list)
The contemporary Republican Party is a radical political organization that has betrayed the core tenet of “conservatism,” what is a belief in stability in the face of radical change. To that end, movement conservatism seeks to undo the consensus politics of the World War II and post-World War II era because it views the great successes of the New Deal, the Great Society and the civil rights movement(s) as a threat to the excesses of unrestrained capitalism and white male power.
A Toast to “The Smart One” Is Toast
0
Aside:
The surest way to skewer one’s campaign is to make oneself look silly. Enough voters will abide–nay, relish–bigotry, venality, brutality, and hypocrisy to keep a campaign alive; silliness sounds the death knell.
Via Job’s Anger.
If One Standard Is Good, Two Must Be Better 0
Without taking a stand on Hillary v. Bernie thing, I can nevertheless commend Jane Martin’s musing on double standards in political news coverage to your attention.
The Smart One 0
You could almost feel sorry for him. On second thought, no–no more than he felt compassion for the Schiavos.
No News Is Good News 0
I can dig it.
When cable news — and the partisan political commentary that often accompanies the breaking news coverage — was involved, library patrons couldn’t find the center of the aisle.
Libraries should be places of quiet reflection, not of digital deception.
The Galt and the Lamers 0
Ian Millhiser asks, “What Libertarian movement?”
And Now for Something Completely Different 0
C&L points out that Donald Trump’s nauseating “Freedom Girls” schtick syncs perfectly with a tune my Nine Inch Nails–a tune that is much more appropriate than the original.
Flint-Hearted behind Closed Doors 0
At the Boston Review, Anna Clark considers the public poisoning of the residents of Flint, Michigan, and the climate of secrecy that is endemic to Michigan government. She fears that the guilty may go not only unpunished, but also unidentified. A snippet:
(snip)
(Michigan Governer Rick–ed.) Snyder’s actions to date have done little to peel back the layers of secrecy. As revealing as the release of his emails from 2015 and 2014 has been, it is striking that he did not also release messages from 2013—the year when the emergency manager changed Flint’s water source. While Flint elected officials supported the move to a new independent water system, there is no indication that they were in favor of using untreated river water as a short-term source. That nuance has been muddled in statements from both the governor and the then-emergency manager, seemingly to sidestep culpability. The 2013 emails would clarify who was responsible for the fateful decision.
“Because It Says in the Bible, That’s Why” 0
Paul Prather tries to understand why persons who call themselves “Christian” support Donald Trump. He expresses his wonderment:
And yet a great throng of Christians love the guy.
Follow the link for his theory as to why he attracts them.
Aside:
That whole “2 Corinthians” flap was stupid and silly (sort of like Trump). It wasn’t even a mistake, it was just a less common usage.
“The Most Dangerous Man in America” 0
Der Spiegel takes a long look at Trump. The picture is not an attractive one. Here’s a little bit:
Salon.com wrote: “(Trump) embodies that well-worn if still stinging observation about the country he hails from: that ‘America is the only country that went from barbarism to decadence without passing through civilization.'”
Do read the whole thing.