2016 archive
Nothing To Do, Nowhere To Go 0
For all practical purposes, status quo ante.
(snip)
The number of people continuing to receive jobless benefits rose by 14,000 to 2.16 million in the week ended July 30. The unemployment rate among people eligible for benefits held at 1.6 percent.
Reminder: Not an Aberration, a Culmination 0
Excerpt:
So, yeah, Donald Trump is an atrocity, but he’s a Republican atrocity.
And Now for Something Completely Different 0
I do love Henry Mancini’s music.
Facebook Frolics 0
Shorter Mark Zuckerberg: You will look at my stupid, annoying, obnoxious ad and like it.
Full Disclosure:
I don’t use ad-blocking software. I use a HOSTS file.
Chris-Crossed, a Bridge Too Far Dept. 0
Of course he knew. It was not credible that his aides would pull a stunt like that on their own.
Christina Renna, who worked under deputy chief of staff Bridget Anne Kelly, texted: “Are you listening? He just flat out lied about senior staff and (former deputy chief of staff Bill) Stepien not being involved.” Renna, who was listed in the papers as Christina Genoveses. She added that if emails were uncovered in court discovery, “it could be bad.”
Parochial Political Purity Police, Resort Town Dept. 4
My Congressperson has been booted from his local party.
Rigell, who opposes party nominee Donald Trump, announced in a New York Times story Friday that he would vote for Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson, a former governor of New Mexico.
(snip)
The Republican Party of Virginia Beach’s bylaws say any member who endorses or gives a donation to a candidate who isn’t the Republican nominee is considered to have resigned from the local chapter.
I have voted against Mr. Rigell every chance I’ve had since moving to these parts; had I had more opportunities, I’d have voted against him more times. Nevertheless, despite disagreeing with him on almost every issue, I will concede freely that he has conducted himself like a grown-up in office.
He is still a member of the national Republican Party, who experience shows us will let almost any loon into the door so long as he or she repeats the loyalty oath to St. Ronnie of Reagan.
“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0
Politeness takes practice.
(snip)
Police say the man was cleaning his gun when he accidentally shot himself once in the chest.
Drinking Liberally Virginia Beach Tomorrow 0
Fun and fellowship for liberals. Join us and talk about anything in a relaxed atmosphere. (I’ll be talking about the Chapter Leaders Conference week before last in Philly._
When: Thursday, August, 6 p.
Where:
Croc’s 19 Street Bistro
620 19th Street (Map)
More here.
Backfire 0
Richard Wolffe offers an intriguing argument that the Republican Party misplayed its cards long before Trumping the trick.
The Snaring Economy 1
Dan Baker discusses Uber’s exit from Austin, Texas, ostensibly over a requirement that it’s drivers be fingerprinted and have their backgrounds checked. He suspects that was a ruse:
Rather, the issue was likely that Uber is worried about its drivers being labeled as employees. Uber claims that its drivers are independent contractors, not employees. As independent contractors, Uber is not responsible for paying Social Security taxes, nor is it liable for workers’ compensation for drivers who get hurt in traffic accidents. It also doesn’t have to withhold income taxes. And, independent contractors don’t have the right to unionize.
More at the link.
Chris-Crossed, Taming the Trump Dept. 1
Northjersey.com’s Alfred P. Doblin proposes Chris Christie to help keep Trump in line from behaving like Trump.
The full proposal is at the link.
Elsewhere, Timothy Egan has the vapors about the sore loser uprising.