The Frankish Reich

Ol' Tarheel on quite the rampage this morning. More crappy polling for Trump? Bingo!

Notice the Politico article is, umm, accurate. That's what she promises. We could, of course, read the article, which tells us quite accurately that: Earlier this year, when Biden still led the ticket, Democrats tried to move to the center on the issue — leaning heavily on the failed bipartisan border security effort in the Senate. But it was not obvious that Harris — who adopted much more progressive stances on immigration as a senator and a presidential candidate in 2019 — would follow suit. Notably, Harris joined other 2020 Democratic hopefuls in suggesting that entering the country without authorization should not be a criminal offense. But so much more fun to read only what's pushed to you on your Twitter feed!

Coward? Perhaps. Layer? As in on a couch, in a compromising position? That's the other guy.

Works for me. I cannot believe they allowed this "athlete" to mock the time-honored Olympic tradition of Breaking/Break Dancing, which we have treated with the dignity and respect it warrants since three days ago.

James Lindsay must be a helluva lot of fun at parties. She is in the great tradition of the Jamaican Bobsled Team or Eddie the Eagle Edwards, or that oiled-up shirtless guy from Tonga. They make movies about these oddball "athletes" who see an opening and grab it. It was a lot more fun than watching the serious competitors, none of whom will be remembered.

The military would do well to eliminate a few of these layers for enlisted men and women.

WTF is that??

This is why I posted the video of The Clash playing White Riot. It wasn't a joke. It gets at the truth of the matter. The "I want to feel like I belong to a great movement," that I'm standing up to the man just like the black Notting Hill riots of 1976: White riot - I want a riot White riot - a riot of my own White riot - I want a riot White riot - a riot of my own Black people got a lot a problems But they don't mind throwing a brick White people go to school Where they teach you how to be thick And everybody's doing Just what they're told to And nobody wants To go to jail! All the power's in the hands Of people rich enough to buy it While we walk the street Too chicken to even try it

Maybe take a few days (or even a few hours) away from this place and actually read Orwell. Start with this quite manageable short work: The Lion and the Unicorn: Socialism and the English Genius It is a call for a peculiarly English form of socialism, a socialism reached not through revolution but through gradualism of the type advocated for (wait for it) The Fabian Society. If anything, Orwell thought the Fabians a bit timid in their approach; he advocated a faster path toward a socialist society that did not dispense with the possibility of violence. In other words, James Lindsay is an idiot. And people who cut-and-paste his stupid tweets are idiots on stilts.

Yes, that's what the article is getting at.

Of course it would be Trumpist Man Crush James Lindsay to post perhaps the dumbest take on Orwell yet. Maybe we should ask George himself: "The Spanish War and other events in 1936–37, turned the scale. Thereafter I knew where I stood. Every line of serious work that I have written since 1936 has been written directly or indirectly against totalitarianism and for democratic socialism as I understand it."

Yes, if you are on the Trump/Vance side, that's what you do. Particularly since Vance was actually deployed to a war zone. This is where message discipline is lacking. The more they talk about Eyes Glaze Over stuff like what his final rank was, the more people tune out. That seems to really matter to some career military people, but it means nothing to the rest of us. Just a little unsolicited advice.

Stuck in the Policy Queue right behind his Health Care Plan.

This is why Glenn supports the party that introduces their presidential candidate with this fine person.

Wow, there's a shocker. A political party invites its prior presidents and presidential candidates to speak. Would never happen with that other party, the one that was created in 2016 with the nomination of a former Democrat/Reform Party charlatan. No time for that when a face-tattooed soft porn star gets a prime time slot!

True. I find no excuse for his comments suggesting, or even downright saying, that he was deployed to a war zone. That's a fair criticism. As far as his exact rank: I think that's more like a government official claiming he was the Deputy Assistant Attorney General when he was really the Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General. It's so far into the weeds that it is incomprehensible to someone who isn't in that particular business. There's a particularly idiotic title in the civilian federal sector: "Senior Official Performing the Duties of the Director." It seems that Walz's explanation is that's basically what he was, performing the duties of "Command Sergeant Major." Whatever. That doesn't strike me as a valid criticism (it's just puffing up one's resume), unlike the "I was in Iraq/Afghanistan."

Yes, for the third time by your accounting.

I hear Disney's new Go.com is gonna be the next big thing after Alta Vista finally fades out.

Strange dream I had last night. I had commented that the presidents of the various Ivy League universities made the appropriate decision under the First Amendment and their university policies not to expel pro-Palestinian protesters. I was excoriated by various right wingers here. Of course they should be expelled if not arrested and convicted! Was Willie Brown there with Trump too?

Sometimes I forget that racism is alive and well. Why would anyone be offended by three tremendous black athletes sharing the podium? It's like they feel good that Jordan Chiles was bounced out of the bronze later on. I felt sorry for the Romanian girl, but that's not the same as feeling happy for an American losing a medal. Let me introduce you to our resident American "patriots." But Tom Cruise ziplined in at the end, making it all safe for normal Scientologist Americans again.

I know a lot of people who think this is the height of comedy. Even when they have a sense of humor, it is an extraordinarily unsophisticated one.

You know what else I can't be bothered to find out? Whether Trump was actually on a helicopter ride with Willie Brown. Another big who cares.

https://doctorow.medium.com/googles-enshittification-memos-2d6d57306072

I will admit I have no idea of what a Command Sergeant Major is compared to a Master Sergeant. And I can’t be bothered to find out. You’ll find that 95% of Americans are with me on that.

Many perfectly regular guys dress in drag, not just weirdos. Even Rudy Giuliani was known to don a dress, heels, and lipstick from time to time.