The Frankish Reich

thank you for flagging an incredibly stupid paragraph from an incredibly stupid book review of what appears to be a decent book. Check out this wonderful synopsis of the Frankfurt School in America: The post-1933 exodus of German intellectuals brought the Frankfurters to America, which they despised, minus Benjamin, who killed himself in 1940. Their ideology was institutionalized between 1968 and the Obama presidency. "Benjamin, who killed himself in 1940." Geez, I wonder why? As Paul Harvey used to say, The Rest of the Story: Benjamin was fleeing the Nazi occupation of Paris. His apartment was ransacked. Some friends helped him obtain documents to flee overland to Spain, but when he finally made it to the border, he found that it was closed and that would-be refugees would be sent back to the Nazi regime in France. He killed himself instead with vials of morphine he carried on his person in anticipation of this happening.

Say what you will about Mitch McConnell (and Thune is clearly McConnell's chosen one) -- he was the most successful Senate leader in decades. Trump's legacy owes an awful lot to him, not the least of which is his savvy manipulation of judicial confirmations.

A grown-up! Who would've guessed.

Surprised Gaetz got the bigger job. Must be his perfect skin.

Obvious. But not bad. Signs of improvement.

oh, it was worth the wait, and you know it

New First Lady Elon suits Trump well. She doesn’t get all pissy and refuse to take his hand. And she’s shorter than Donald, eliminating those uncomfortable “I’m not the tallest person in the room” moments that otherwise would call for a larger lift in his shoes. For similar reasons Vivek is a Better Barron. I like these Trump 2.0 fixes. More efficient than playing pretend happy family. Maybe Vivek can do up the White House for the Hindu Feast of a Better God. Or Elon can do it up for the Nietzschean Feast of the God is Dead, Long Live the Superman on Earth.

A random thought: Biden is taking the brunt of the criticism for not withdrawing earlier. He deserves it. But unspoken is the part about Kamala. Her approval ratings as VP were just as bad, if not worse. Did she HAVE to run in his stead? Was someone forcing her? No. She chose to run, no doubt campaigned behind the scenes at the White House to be made the anointed one. Just as egotistical as any politician. If she really believed that the future of our democracy hangs in the balance, she too should have stepped aside to allow a better candidate to step forward. And she's foolishly acting like she has a Third Act in presidential politics. Kamala, you were ... o.k. Just o.k. Low bar we set for you, and you cleared it. But not by enough. Go away now. The Presidency of the University of California at Santa Cruz awaits.

The funny thing about this: it isn't any more or less "convincing" than Trump's various 2020 fraud theories. The same anecdata. But what's left of the Democratic Party somehow can't take this nonsense seriously, unlike the Trump Party last time around.

First: fix immigration. A complete overhaul. Last time it was forgotten about in the rush to pass Paul Ryan's tax cut. Second: the budget. Taxing/spending. At least have a plan for not growing the deficit.

Not what it used to be, but still sharper than The Bee. On a serious note: the Hispanic men going 45% for Trump doesn't surprise me. I have Hispanic in-laws in the southwest who have been big-time Trump supporters. The whole concept of the "Hispanic" or "Latino" vote is stupid to begin with. And the Democrats have long deluded themselves that there is some unity of interest between southwestern U.S. Hispanics - many of whom trace their ancestry back to times before the American Revolution - and newly arrived illegal aliens. About time they noticed ...

But a majority of Floridians voted for it. Under Florida's constitution, they needed 60% to pass. They just missed. No. But Texas is a minefield. Anyone - anyone - can sue a person who has facilitated an abortion. Do you really think anti-abortion activists aren't going to press this when some group transports women from Texas to a New Mexico abortion clinic? I am not exaggerating when I say it will be the new Dred Scott, here implicating what rights states have to control the behavior of their citizens who interstate travel to engage in legal activity in the receiving state.

With a hat tip to two of our best commenters on the football side-- 1. I'm not surprised that Trump won the electoral college. I am surprised that he won the popular vote - the first time a Republican has done so since 2004. It's certainly better than 2016 because we have some clarity. Trump now owns whatever happens politically (and yes, economically) for the next 4 years. He has the Senate and very likely the House, and a compliant Supreme Court. He sets the legislative and foreign policy agenda. Last time he set aside immigration, health care, etc. in favor of Paul Ryan's more standard Republican tax cutting agenda. If there isn't a strong comprehensive immigration reform bill in the first few months I'll have to assume we're in for more of the same. 2. Democrats obviously need to rethink their coalition. Highly educated whites + lesser educated black and brown people isn't going to work. It was an unstable coalition to begin with since there really weren't enough common interests. It just blew up. Good. Trump refashioned the Republican Party/coalition in his own likeness; he will now refashion the Democratic Party/coalition as they respond to the new reality. Where is their Bill Clinton? 3. Bond markets are pricing in increased inflationary expectations. Running for President is easy if you don't issue comprehensive policy plans but just try to target certain groups/states. No taxes on tips! No taxes on social security! But there's deficits, and there's real associated spending cuts that need to happen. 4. Abortion. Exit polls show about a 2:1 split in favor of some Roe-type abortion rights. It remains untenable to have a large swath of the country with abortion bans in this situation. We aren't done with the abortion wars by any means. My prediction: it will involve interstate travel to obtain an abortion. And I don't see how that resolves in a pretty way. 5. Hope for better governance? Well, some smart people have it. Here's one: https://marginalrevolution.com/marginalrevolution/2024/11/what-is-the-best-case-scenario-for-a-trump-presidency.html#comments. I could go along with this! But this is a fantasy. It would depend on having adult, experienced policy advisors. That's not what Trump has promised, and that's not our experience with him. Example from that blog: Trade Policy: Moderate tariff increases on China. No Chinese electric cars for us. But drop the “tariffs on everything” language. He can always say his rhetoric was a threat to get other countries to lower their tariffs. Let’s instead talk tough against our enemies but shift toward “friend-shoring”, maintaining or even lowering tariffs with allied nations, such as Canada, Europe, and possibly India, as part of a broader strategy to contain China’s influence. What are the chances something like this actually happens? 6. The 2028 race begins today. Trump is term limited. JD Vance will be the initial anointed one. Are other Republicans going to clear the field for him? Umm, no. Ron DeSantis isn't waiting. Several women are ready to grab that First Woman President that Hillary and Kamala couldn't deliver on. On the Democratic side, watch how they play this. I said a Bill Clinton type is what they need, but a significant faction will say why they lost is they marginalized their leftist wing. That wing will storm back. My take: Obama's success wasn't replicable; he was a rare political talent who built a cult of personality that was, of course, personal to him. Not transferable to Hillary or Biden or Kamala. Trump is likewise a rare political talent. The cult of personality around him is not transferable to DeSantis or Ted Cruz or Don Jr. So these are party identifications built on individuals who will exit the scene, not built on stable coalitions or policy choices. In other words, it's wide open. 7. We used to say That come the day We'd all be making songs Or finding better words These ideas never lasted long The way is up Along the road The air is growing thin Too many friends who tried Were blown off this mountain with the wind Meet on the ledge We're gonna meet on the ledge When my time is up I'm gonna see all my friends Meet on the ledge We're gonna meet on the ledge If you really mean it, it all comes round again 8. No one is rioting or filing lawsuits or screaming fraud. Maybe, just maybe, that phase of American politics has calmed down. We can hope.

Frank's Big-Bellied Defensive Tackle Rule: every big-bellied defensive tackle will have exactly two good seasons in an eight year career; you just never know which one and which season. I count exactly one good Jordan Phillips season, his first stint with he Bills. So the odds are in our favor.

Good point. Still: was Bernie known as a libertarian in any sense of the word? For smaller government? I'm sure it all fits together somehow. and are you sure that was a phantom punch?

I just fail to understand how that leftward drift of mainstream Dems would cause anyone to support the most successful ultra-left candidate in presidential history since Debs. I understand it as a “we want an outsider” thing (Bernie/Trump) but don’t pretend it makes any sense as a reaction against the leftward tilt of mainstream democrats.

Remember, Rogan was a democratic socialist for a while there too. His Bernie Bro phase. Most people get over this before they turn 30.

Steve Rattner is the best at explaining these things. The only reason to watch Morning Joe.

Oh, I’ve dragged them out. Some multiple times.

Is that blood I see coming out of her ... whatever?

Jerry worships some lame-ass gods if they're gonna be appeased by the ritual sacrifice of just Mike McCarthy. They may demand an additional cheerleader or two plus next year's 6th rounder.

Hey Dads! Make sure your teenage daughter dumps that beautiful baby on you to raise! It's in your best interest, and we'll make sure to do what's best for you whether you like it or not.

All true. His lawyers are arguing that Musk misspoke when he said a person who signed his fealty to the 1st/2nd Amendment pledge would be chosen AT RANDOM to receive a million dollars. They're saying that the Musk group would vet them to see if they'd be good spokespeople for his PAC, and that this makes them contractors rather than "winners." Suckered again by the world's richest man as he tries to weasel his way out of a plan that clearly ran afoul of the law as written.