Today's Tweet

I don't know exactly what "leadership" is, but since 45* took over, I know a lot more about what it isn't.

A reminder: change in confidence in US leadership from Obama to Trump
Germany: -75%
South Korea: -71%
France: -70%
Canada: -61%
UK: -57%
Australia: -55%
Japan: -54%
Russia: +42%
Source: Pew Research

— Brian Klaas (@brianklaas) November 11, 2017

 

Today's Pix

Click a pic to start the show

Careful What You Ask For

The GOP movers-n-shakers have been pushing for a radically de-centralized system for a good long time - recently pimping a particularly self-destructive brand of conspiracy and paranoia.  Well, fellas, you got it. It's here. Is it workin' OK for ya?

WaPo:

Roy Moore’s refusal to bow out of Alabama’s special election for a Senate seat is the latest demonstration of the diminished power of congressional leaders and other, once-powerful institutions in Washington.

The Republican nominee, accused of sexual contact with a 14-year-old when he was a 32-year-old local prosecutor, brushed off calls for him to stand down as part of plot by establishment figures to “undermine this campaign” before the Dec. 12 ballot. Moore ignored the severing of financial ties by the National Republican Senatorial Committee for similar reasons.

He summed up today’s environment in a fundraising pitch to supporters Friday morning: “I will NEVER GIVE UP the fight!”

Moore is right — it might be entirely up to him when or if he will ever give up the fight. The tools available to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and other Washington figures to drive him out of the race either no longer exist or have been rendered impotent by the rise of a new political structure. From the media to big corporations to Congress, public distrust has grown across the board and made it easier for outlier figures such as Moore to thumb their nose at the so-called leaders.

Today's Today

Armistice - at the 11th hour, on the 11th day, of the 11th month

Roy Moore Pickup Lines

"Hey, girl - wanna see my little gun?"

"Want to go to dinner with me, darling? Kids eat free on Tuesdays." #RoyMoorePickupLines

— Arthur Vandelay (@Arthur_6985) November 11, 2017

Come back to my place and I'll show you a "little Moore"#RoyMoorePickUpLines pic.twitter.com/ap4jK6k6sy

— (((Paul Green))) (@bigsexy_tote) November 11, 2017

 

"On a scale from 1 to 10, how old are you?"#RoyMoorePickupLines

— Arthur Vandelay (@Arthur_6985) November 11, 2017

 

#RoyMoorePickUpLines

Don't you just love Ted Nugent?

— Doody Giuliani (@DoodyGiuliani1) November 11, 2017

 

American Capitalism

Unfortunately, this isn't new. I think we saw this several years ago. But no matter - when you'll sell armor plates to parents for their grade-schoolers' backpacks instead of insisting that lawmakers address the problem at its source, you have to stop pretending you're arguing against reasonable gun laws from any kind of principled position.

CNN:

A Miami private school is offering parents an unusual item for sale: bulletproof panels for their kids' backpacks. 

The Florida Christian School website has a list of items available for purchase. These include winter wear, red school logo T-shirts and ballistic panels. 

George Gulla, dean of students and head of school security at Florida Christian School, told CNN the bulletproof panels would add "another level of protection" to students of the pre-K through grade 12 school "in the event of an active shooter."

Any foolish claim you've made to the Moral High Ground is now forfeit.

And also too - nobody ever went broke underestimating the taste or intelligence of the American public.

The More They Stay The Same

Levittown PA in the 1950s.

"I have no prejudice against the coloreds, it's just that I wouldn't like to have one as a neighbor."

Today's Tweet

I need to learn how to do some of this

Jabba the Trump!

Why did it take me so long to see this obvious #art ?#TheResistance pic.twitter.com/Vw3INAyBOG

— John Moffitt (@JohnRMoffitt) November 9, 2017

That Pesky 9%

If they'd known then what they know now - yeah, prob'ly be no different.

Nice to think about it though.

A Map

Just wanted to throw this one up and look at it for a while.

(WaPo)

I don't do colors very well, but to me, this looks a lot like Virginia has seen a significant shift towards the Blue end.

Even all that wide open space in the western and southwestern parts don't have that deep red thing going on like before.

But what's really odd is the purpling of places like Fredericksburg and The Tidewater (Norfolk etc) because of the fairly heavy National Security presence in those areas.

I guess it's possible that the GOP's insistence on the belt-tightening fiscal regime that eventually led to the choking effects of Sequestration is making life difficult in places that depend a lot on federal money. We heard a little of that leading up to Tuesday's elections.

I dunno.

Once upon a time, a friend who knows about such things told me the reason most US Military people have been way more inclined to vote Republican is that the Democrats were the ones who sent them to war in stupid places, for stupid reasons - Korea, Vietnam, etc - while cutting their budgets and talking shit about them, but now they're drifting to the Dems because it's the GOP who's been doing all that lately.

I dunno again.

It's pretty weird, and getting weirder - Bob Goodlatte (R-VA06) just announced he's not running in 2018, which makes him like the 20th Repub to bail - so I think it doesn't start getting un-weird for a while yet.

The more we learn, the less we know - just keep watching I guess.