Political Theatre category archive
Lies and Lying Liars 0
Thom marvels as to why CBS agreed not to fact-check J. D. Vance during the recent debate and then catalogs (some of) Vance’s lies.
Republican Family Values 0
Writing at the Las Vegas Sun, Mary McNamara suggests that Republicans should keep their grubby little propagandas off of her and others’ families. Here’s a bit:
Because honestly, you are giving parents a bad name. And what with the school shootings, the lack of subsidized child care and the current attack on reproductive rights, not to mention the fact that Christmas will arrive in stores Nov. 1, we have enough to deal with.
The Undecided 0
In a longer article in which he wonders why Kamala Harris does not have a wider lead in the polls, Robert Reich asks a question which I find well-warranted.
Follow the link for context.
Facebook Frolics 0
How dare you attempt to get out the vote in a non-partisan manner frolics.
One more time, “social” media isn’t.
Indeed, it seems increasingly anti-social, if not actually sociopathic.
Twits Own Twitter X Offenders
0
Self-proclaimed “free speech absolutist” Elon Musk bans (again) speech he doesn’t like.
One more time, “social” media isn’t.
“Facts Are What People Think” 0
Daniel Graham, writing at Psychology Today Blogs, looks at why persons cling to beliefs even when they are demonstrably false. In this disinformation age, it is a valuable read. Here’s a bit:
The investigations that launched this line of inquiry found that people reported a larger crowd size at Donald Trump’s inauguration than at Obama’s, even when presented with unambiguous photographic evidence to the contrary. Studies of the inauguration photos both immediately after Trump’s inauguration by Schaffner and Luks (2018) and in a recent replication by Ross and Levy (2023) found that upwards of one of every nine “strong” Trump supporters reported a larger crowd size in Trump’s inauguration photo when presented his and Obama’s side by side.
Follow the link for the rest.
Know Them by the Company They Keep 0
So suggests the editorial board of the Newark Star-Ledger:
Follow the link for more.
A Tune for the Times 0
Warning: Short commercial between minute one and minute two.
Artificial? Yes. Intelligent? Not So Much. Inimical? Most Definitely. 0
Security maven Bruce Schneier takes a deep look at the hazard posed to elections by AI and those who would manipulate it.
No excerpt or summary would do his article justice. Just go read it.
Devolution 0
Michael in Norfolk offers a theory as to why the party of Dwight Eisenhower, Everett Dirksen, and Nelson Rockefeller turned into the party of Donald Trump, Tommy Tuberville, and Lauren Boebert.
Afterthought:
Unmentioned, but methinks just as important, is Richard Nixon’s decision to throw down the welcome mat to racists and bigots odious Southern Strategy.
The Sequel 0
At the Portland Press-Herald, David Nyberg suggests a title for J. D. Vance’s next book.
A Tune for the Times 0
Mangy sings about Donald Trump’s grift for grab.
