Political Theatre category archive
The Price of the Polity 0
Oliver Wendell Holmes once said, “I like paying taxes. They buy me civilization.”
David addresses the farcical notion that taxation (otherwise known as “paying your fair share”) is theft.
What Center? 0
Thom wonders what is this “center” of which the pundits speak, then goes on an epic rant about Republicans’ 90 year history of calling Democrats “socialists.”
The Bully’s Pulpit 0
Thomas Hills, writing at Psychology Today Blogs, dissects Donald Trump’s negotiation* strategy. A snippet:
Now when the bully (sorry, intimidator) pulls out, he says “We’re not going to pay you amount X.”
And the cycle continues . . . .
Hills goes on to explain why this is a loser’s tactic in international relations and accounts for so many of Trump’s “diplomatic” (I use the term loosely, natch) failures. Give it a read.
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*”Negatiation” would be more like it.
Code Breaker 0
If there’s not something against this in the Flag Code, there should be.
Republican Family Values, Protect the Children Dept. 0
Thom marvels at failed attempts to raise the female age of consent in Idaho, where it is currently 13 years of age.
I remember when my daughters were 13. Words fail me.
Profligate Proliferation 0
Nicholas Kristof looks at the effort on the part of Donald Trump and, in particular, Jared Kushner, to supply Saudi Arabia with nuclear reactors capable of use in creating nuclear weapons. He cuts to the quick (emphasis in the original):
Trump seems to believe that the Saudis have us over a barrel: If we don’t help them with nuclear technology, someone else will. That misunderstands the U.S.-Saudi relationship. The Saudis depend on us for their security, and the blunt truth is that we hold all the cards in this relationship, not them.
Follow the link for the entire article.
“The Weaponization of Ignorance” 0
David distills the weirdest moments from Donald Trump’s bizarre CPAC speech.
Aside:
I suspect that my two or three regular readers did not watch the speech. I certainly didn’t. As you know, “I’ll read about it tomorrow” is my M. O. even for things I’m interested in, but this is truly beyond beyond the fringe.
Beyond Beneath Right and Wrong
0
Bruce Lowry considers Donald Trump’s recent remarks about the death of Otto Warmbier and earlier remarks about the murder of Washington Post journalist and Saudi Arab expatriot Jamal Khashoggi.
He reaches a chilling and quite unsurprising conclusion.
I do not wish to summarize or excerpt his article. Just follow the link to read it.
Clear and President Danger 0
Shaun Mullen argues that the time to act is now, before the damage is irreversible.
Methinks his arguments deserve a hearing.
AOC ABC 0
If you recall, a couple of days ago I wondered why the right-wing is so worked up about Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, noting that she’s a freshman Congressperson with no clout.
Steven M. offers a theory.
What Puts the “Neo” in “Liberalism”? 0
David attempts to define “Neoliberalism.”
In my opinion, he does okay, not great, but I think it’s worth a listen, because neoliberalism has had what I consider a pernicious influence on the polity for the last 40 years.
