Political Theatre category archive
How Stuff (Doesn’t) Work, Trickle-On Economics 0
Note: Recorded on location, so the sound is a bit echoey.
Rule of Lawless (Updated) 0
It was Richard Nixon who famously said, “When the President does it, that means it’s not illegal.”
Addendum, Later That Same Day:
Dick Polman dubs it “the divine right of Trump.” A snippet from his article:
A Cavalcade of Hoaxes 0
Brian Greenspun, publisher of the Law Vegas Sun, tries to sort them out.
Recantation, Both Sides Not Dept. 0
In The New York Times, Thomas E. Mann and Norman J. Ornstein concede that they got it wrong. Oh, they make a half-heared defense of their past position, but, really, now. Here’s a nugget:
Which is not to say that we were totally off base in 2006. We stand by our assessment of the political scene at the time. What is astounding, and still largely unappreciated, is the unexpected and rapid nature of the decline in American national politics, and how one-sided its cause. If in 2006 one could cast aspersions on both parties, over the past decade it has become clear that it is the Republican Party — as an institution, as a movement, as a collection of politicians — that has done unique, extensive and possibly irreparable damage to the American political system.
We need more respected (forget whether they deserve respect–in many cases, that’s a whole nother story) voices in the media to realize that no, both sides don’t do it.
The End of Retirement, Pensioners in Penury Dept. 0
(Farron gets a bit heated in this report.)
The Art of the Con(sequences) 0
Chuck Jones, head of the United Steel Workers Local 1999 at the Carrier plant where Trump famously (fatuously?) promised to stem the outsourcing of American jobs, realizes that he and many of his fellows were among the jobbed. A snippet:
“I don’t think he’s really going to come through, even though I hoped he would,” one laid-off worker told me.
“He pulled a bait-and-switch on us,” another said.
The irony is that anyone who knew anything–I don’t mean research, I mean a casual acquaintance with healines–about Trump’s record in business saw through the con from the beginning.
No There There 0
Leonard Pitts, Jr., confronts the emptiness at the top. A snippet:
No, Trump’s problem is that he has nothing to say. And the more he says, the more obvious that becomes.
He is the proverbial empty vessel making the most noise.
Sexual Devolution 0
There is no rational way to claim that trapping women in one’s office and waving one’s genitals about is legitimate business (or any other) behavior, not in any context.
Not all men are pigs, but far too many are.
The Trumpled Welcome 0
As a nation, we are well on the way to pariah status.
Base Desires 0
Josh Marshall considers why Donald Trump and his dupes, symps, and fellow travelers keep getting off. A snippet:
If the constituency doesn’t care, the accused will be fine.
I’ve seen several complaints this morning that the news media has failed to hold President Trump to account for the multiple allegations against him ranging from inappropriate touching to assault and rape. I think this is wrong. We’ve seen a clear pattern playing out in all the allegations about sexual misconduct and the firings, resignations and apologies which have followed in their wake. The consequences track entirely to the constituency – either political, commercial or corporate – the accused serves and depend on.Follow the link for the rest.
The Bully’s Pulpit 0
Robert Reich is more optimistic than I.
Flights of Fancy 0
Daniel Ruth goes off on a wing and a boondoggle.
Behind the Hoopla 0
Foon Rhee is concerned that Donald Trump’s daily trollish behavior is distracting the public and the media from the concrete effects he is having on government and governance. Here’s a bit:
And while Trump railed against Obama’s executive orders during the campaign, he has issued nearly twice as many so far and is on the second fastest pace of any president in the last 50 years, behind only Dwight Eisenhower.
