Brian Tyler Cohen tells us about departing Repug U.S. House Rep (and 1/6 Commission member) Adam Kinzinger on his party’s infatuation with Our Former Ol’ Buddy Vlad Putin, including The Swanson TV Dinner Heir of course (remember when Dubya uttered this nonsense about Putin, by the way? And good commentary, but I think Cohen uncharacteristically “loses the plot” himself a bit conflating Mohammed Bone Saw and Saudi Arabia with Russia...unless he’s saying Repugs automatically align with oppressive regimes, and he’s right about that...have to laugh at our corporate media at this point actually being surprised by the descent of the "party of Lincoln" into authoritarianism - have you people been living under a rock?)...
...and speaking of right-wing idiocy, Ari Melber contrasts all of the “crack pipe” nonsense against Biden’s record on jobs and the economy (from Fix Noise to the treasonous Josh Hawley, little Marco Rubio, Senator Foghorn Leghorn, etc.)...
...but to be fair...I hate to agree with David Doel on this point, but I think he’s right about Biden stealing billions from Afghan civilians...don’t know any other way to describe it either (and yes, I realize this story is a little more complicated and families of 9/11 victims deserved to be compensated too, but I still think this is the wrong way to do it)...
Update 2/16/22: This is an important clarification.
...and John and Brian Unger of The Damage Report tell us that the DOJ is FINALLY looking into how Generalissimo Trump destroyed documents, at the request of the National Archives (who initiated the investigation of course)...
...and on the subject of wingnut discontent, Brett Erlich tells us of the great unwashed bailing on Dear Leader, including “conservative Barbie” literally wiping his name off her shirt (NSFW/H)...
...and Beau tells us that he thinks the Canadian government did a good job on handling the trucker nonsense in Ottawa (and I would tend to agree – and speaking of which, you’ve got to read this hilarious thread)...
...and RIP film director and special effects wizard Douglas Trumbull – yes, even though I think “2001: A Space Odyssey” and “Star Trek: The Motion Picture” were incredibly sloooowwwww films, they looked amazing and helped break ground for the type of movie innovations we pretty much take for granted now...what follows is a clip from the Trumbull-directed film Silent Running about astronauts tasked to guard pods which contain the last remaining natural resources on earth (and no spoilers here in case anybody hasn’t seen it...interesting story about how the mini-robots ended up involved in a lawsuit over Star Wars as I vaguely recall)...
...and props to Eminem for taking a knee at the Super Bowl – I think this is a relatively PG-rated number, so you should be OK without headphones or ear buds.
Ali Velshi, sitting in for Rachel Maddow, tells us about the anti-abortion nonsense in Oklahoma, New Hampshire and Flori-DUUUUHHH!...always “jobs, jobs, jobs” for Not Your Father’s Republican Party (Velshi speaks with Florida State Rep. Anna Eskamani)...
...and Sam and Emma V. discuss the “pause” of this Texas idiot named Shelly Luther, who apparently is running for elected office in "the land of the yellow rose" and caught herself saying that it was OK to make fund of trans kids, as Emma says, and tried to figure out some way to walk that back...well, it’s impossible to “walk back” something so grotesque, lady (I think this clip of this idiot is a few days old, actually - more is here...good job by Sam to draw a line from this garbage right to school choice)...
...and I hate giving Michael Smerconish the time of day, but he’s the only one saying anything so far about the Central Bucks County School District school administrator who didn’t want the kids to visit the Holocaust Museum but wanted them to “study” roller coasters at Dorney Park instead (tied to COVID immunization...uummm, it’s not “polarization,” Smerky...it’s AWFUL CONDUCT PRIMARILY BY ONE POLITICAL PARTY THAT’S DRIVING STUPIDITY LIKE THIS! I DEFY YOU TO PRODUCE A DEM PARTY EQUIVALENT TO THIS STORY! - more is here)...
...and this More Perfect Union clip tells us of that U.S. Senatorial Republican waste (which one, I know) RoJo, who apparently is washing his hands of trying to win unionized jobs for Wisconsin and is happy with letting them go to the non-union state of South Carolina instead...
...and regarding work in this country, this great Second Thought video tells us why millions are quitting their jobs...
...and RIP filmmaker Ivan Reitman, who brought us many memorable movie movements, including this one of course (as producer...NSFW/H)...
...and I know Presidents Day is a week from today, but the birthday of #16 was Saturday, so with that in mind, I wanted to change things up a bit with this clip...not sure how much longer the “button-down mind” is going to be with us, but hopefully for a good while yet...
Caroline Johnson of Rebel HQ tells us about the rich hoarding art during the pandemic while a good portion of the rest of this country tries to get by in our “gig” economy of Grub Hub and Door Dash deliveries (to say nothing of Amazon of course) and holding down multiple jobs to support themselves and their families...let me know when it’s time for the pitchforks and torches, OK? (and boy, am I ever SICK AND TIRED of these alleged news stories of the rich buying whatever playthings they want!!!)...
...and a big part of that IMO is the wealth accumulated by our politicians from stock trades, which should be illegal (Cenk and Ana tell us more, leading in with that Republican clown Tommy Tuberville, but there are plenty of Dems guilty of this behavior too... GREAT point by Cenk about tossing the filibuster to raise the debt ceiling but not for voting of course)...
...and Krystal Ball of More Perfect Union has more on this issue (and Jon Ossoff, as Ball points out, is the guy in the Senate sponsoring the bill against stock ownership with Mark Kelly, interestingly enough since Ossoff is also mentioned in this clip as someone who has benefitted from this odious practice – I’m sure he sees the error of this ways)...
...and Thom Hartmann tells us more on Generalissimo Trump and “toilet gate,” along with the “burner phone” stuff from Stingray, which apparently downloads phone and computer data, as well as from other devices, and screws up those devices in the process, all without the knowledge of the device owner of course...and yeah, here’s a thought...the next time it turns out that a journalist or anybody else has evidence of a crime being committed and they do ABSOLUTELY NOTHING in response (like this author) and instead get it published in a book much later, how about if the person who does nothing GETS FREAKING PROSECUTED??!!...
...and Farron Cousins tells us the story of Repug Wisconsin Rep. Elijah Behnke, who tells his supporters that they have to "cheat like the Democrats" in elections (just say "oops" and get out...more here)...
...and I had only put up one tune by Joni Mitchell previously (under the heading of highlighting artists who don’t want anything to do with Spotify), and I thought I should include something having to do with parties since a certain football game is going to be played this weekend (torn on who I’d like to see win – it would be good if the Bengals finally pulled it off, but I’m glad to see Matthew Stafford in the spotlight after so many years with those bad Detroit teams)...with that in mind, I offer the following (“I told you when I met you I was crazy.” indeed...Court and Spark is one of the all-time great recordings IMO).
David Doel tells us about Amir Locke, who (apparently) is the latest African-American fatality (from yet another no-knock search) from the Minneapolis Police Force (oh, but somehow they’re blaming the St. Paul police for this too? Get your damn story straight, people!)...
...and Ana and Cenk of TYT bring us the latest on the document destruction by Our Treasonous Tiny-Handed Orange Pestilence (probably more than we’ll ever know), with lots of files that should have gone to the national archives somehow ending up at Mar-a-Lago instead (I honestly didn’t know about Trump stealing his own doctor’s records, but boy, it sure fits the profile, doesn’t it...more here)...
Update 2/10/22: Our corporate media does it again (here).
...and John and David Shuster of The Damage Report tell us about Sen. Mr. Elaine Chao making positive noises in response to the Cheney/Kinzinger censure...but yeah, at best, talk is ALL IT WILL EVER BE with that death eater, the Senate Minority Leader...I think the observation that he’s trying to distance himself from the Gropenfuhrer is spot-on, as well as the good point that McConnell wanted NOTHING TO DO with the 1/6 Committee...
...and Jackson White of Rebel HQ (tied to the prior clip a little) tells us of Kevin McCarthy’s latest stupidity, this time with his claim that the mask/vaccination mandates from the federal gov’t under Biden aren’t working...oh, and I LOVE this line about more people dying under Biden than Trump – TRUMP LET COVID EXPLODE IN HIS LAST YEAR B/C HE THOUGHT IT WAS A “HOAX”! BIDEN HAS HAD TO DEAL WITH IT LONGER THAN TFG!!!
Oh, and Our Boy Kevin is ready to "move on" from COVID, huh? What a shame that this person won't be able to hear Kevin's message...
And boy, is White correct on what we have to do about the midterms...
...and “liberal redneck” Trae Crowder tells us about the “Don’t Say Gay” bill in Flori-DUUHHH! (NSFW/H)...
...and I'll try to wrap this up on an upbeat note by wishing a happy 80th(!) birthday to Carole King.
I now give you Legitimate Political Discourse, ladies and gentlemen, courtesy of The Lincoln Project (and yes, I know these people are just grifting Republicans also trying to turn over a new leaf, but once more, they’re doing good work – very NSFW/H, but for a good reason...the DNC should be cranking out attack ads on this also, but don't hold your breath waiting for THAT to happen)...
...and Alisyn Camerota and Victor Blackwell of CNN tell us about 140 Republicans and so-called conservative leaders who signed a statement opposing the RNC’s censure of Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger...pass the popcorn (Stephanie Grisham is nothing but a Trump quisling as far as I’m concerned who’s now looking for a halfway decent payday for her book...and every time I hear the phrase “conservative principles,” I want to gag...Officer Fanone is spot-on of course)...
...and Beau gives us his take on the Canadian trucker antics in Ottawa...and of course, as usual, we’re talking about a noisy minority carrying on like spoiled brats...and as much as my opinion matters, I would have to share Beau’s take in that it’s best to wait out these life forms, though I know the people of Ottawa whose lives are being disrupted aren’t in the mood for that...and good point in that I really didn’t have “excessive border regulation” (which apparently these truckers are mad about) as something I thought Trump supporters would be pushing back against, seeing as how that is EXACTLY WHAT THEY WANT when it comes to our border with Mexico (and why am I not one bit surprised by this?)...
...and John and Francesca of The Damage Report tell us about Elon Musk offering a kid $5K to shut down a Twitter account that apparently follows the whereabouts of Musk’s plane ($5K? IS THAT ALL??? What a cheapskate!)...
...and I realize this next little feature, as it were, has been inactive for a little while, but I’m going to try bringing it back at least for now, and that is “This Day In Doomsy History” (more or less) from 2/9/11...with Super Bowl 56 coming up (oh, excuse me – LVI), I think that gives us the opportunity to recall Billo The Clown interviewing Former President Obama, as well as another O’Reilly interview where he interrupted the former president 48 times as noted here (hey, the least Billo could have done was limit it to 44 to keep the numerical symmetry working).
Well, I think that calls for a replay of the following heralded moment (clip is also definitely NSFW/H because of potty mouth Billo)...
...and here is a bit of a wintry number to try and mellow things out a bit after Billo’s antics.
Richard Ojeda of Rebel HQ tells us about Rand “Fake Ophthalmologist” Paul claiming that masks don’t work when it comes to spreading COVID-19, and enabling morons like that guy on the plane arguing with a pilot about putting a piece of cloth on his face (the idiot passenger I mean)...what I would give to see somebody give Paul, Carlson and these other assclowns a dose of reality; they don’t have the guts to spout this lying garbage on a COVID ward or in front of a family watching a loved one slowly die from this plague...easy to spout this garbage courtesy of The Roger Ailes BS Factory where there will NEVER be any push-back (a response to Paul is here)...
...and Farron Cousins tells us that the land of Guv Ron #DeathSantis is trying to out-wingnut this entire country with voter suppression, white appeasement and anti-abortion laws, among other calamities (including this guy, who came from that alleged medical board where another member believes that women suffering from ovarian cancer are having sleep sex with demons, or something)...
...and I realize the bar is set pretty low when we’re talking about democracy vs. authoritarianism (shouldn’t be much to think about), but it looks like “Onward Christian Soldiers” Mike Pence said the right thing here (but let’s not forget this too)...
...and David Pakman tells us that Combover Caligula wanted to seize voting machines in battleground states that he lost in the 2020 election (and we should keep this in mind too, as well as this...I remember reading about Sandy Berger from the Clinton Administration allegedly hiding documents in his underwear – which of course was more utter BS from the wingnuts – FOR YEARS!!!)...
...and Chris Hayes tells us about Neil Gorsuch’s speech to a closed-door conservative gathering, in The Land Of The Mouse of course (which wasn’t recorded...what, you think this is REPRESENTATIVE DEMOCRACY? WHAT ARE YOU, A DUMB LIB OR SOMETHING?).
And by the way, when it comes to Gorsuch, let’s not forget this too...
...and RIP drummer Sam Lay of The Paul Butterfield Blues Band.
I couldn’t let the week come to an end without noting that beyond-ridiculous presser where Repug FLA guv Ron #DeathSantis basically blamed anyone remotely connected to the Democratic Party in any way whatsoever for the recent neo-Nazi uprising in “the land of the mouse” – yep, #DeathSantis has bigger political aspirations all right, and it apparently doesn’t matter to him how many dead bodies it takes from COVID or other stuff to achieve his foul ends (more here...and best to Rachel Maddow over her recent COVID exposure, though I guess she's on a hiatus now tied to her book)...
Update: And this sure figures, doesn't it (and just add it to the laundry list of reasons why "Almost Silent" Clarence Thomas on the SCOTUS should be impeached...and Gorsuch is on shaky ground also).
...and Richard Ojeda of Rebel HQ brings us more on those disgusting idiots in “the sunshine state”...like many of you I’m sure, my father gave up a big part of his youth serving this country in Europe during WWII, and he saw combat at the Battle of the Bulge against the forces these Florida lunatics claim to admire...if the people in this video besides Ojeda ever saw combat for real, they’d likely wet their pants and run to the nearest hidey hole...
...and the latest video from Second Thought tells us how trying to condition us to manage our carbon footprint, as it were, is a scam...not saying there aren’t roles all of us can play in the battle against climate change individually, but his point (one of them anyway) is that collective action is our best shot to try and reverse the damage, though I honestly wonder what we can do at this point because of years of apathy and inaction tied to propaganda mainly (but not exclusively) from right-wing think tanks...we still have to try as best we can, though (“It is infinitely more profitable to pollute than to be sustainable”...sad but true)...
...and David Doel gives us his take on Jeff Zucker leaving CNN...I really don’t give a fig about Zucker one way or the other, to be honest...good points from David Doel about Zucker and Mango Mussolini, sadly (spot-on also about turning policy that matters to actual human beings into “info-tainment” pretty much, along with normalizing Our Treasonous Orange Pestilence)...
...and John and Brett Erlich of The Damage Report tell us about Fix and Fiends doing the “happy dance” over anticipated bad job numbers from the Biden Administration, though of course they turned out to be completely wrong (oh, and “Build Back Better” is such a “laff riot”...ha ha – assholes...I’m inclined to believe John in that you can’t really pin down ANY president completely when it comes to job creation, even though trends are what matters IMO and Democratic presidents definitely do better than Republican ones when it comes to job creation as noted here...If Steve Douchebag and his pals had just reported it straight...which I’m sure is utterly impossible for them...I would have just left it there too, but of course, in their efforts to make EVERYTHING tribal and political, they ended up doing a major pratfall on the metaphorical banana peel, so they deserve all of the ridicule they get...more, actually...and let's not forget this too)...
...and here's another tune featuring a performer saying no to Spotify in response to Joe Rogan.
Farron Cousins tells us about some idiot Oklahoma state lawmaker (do I even need to mention the political party?) who wants to ban and/or fire teachers who teach anything contrary to religious belief, including biology of course...OK then, you know what? If kids from the affected schools apply to colleges, automatically invalidate their applications...a shame to have anyone besides the idiot politicians pay the price, but if the parents can go nuts about “CRT” at school board meetings, then they can go nuts over ridiculous laws like this too (more here)...
...and speaking of idiot Republicans, Brian Tyler Cohen tells us about news anchor Errol Lewis interviewing this U.S. House rep from Staten Island named Nicole Malliotakis and giving her the treatment she deserves on her vote against the 1/6 committee investigating the insurrection (oh, and did I mention that Malliotakis is another one of these Repug U.S. House wingnuts trying to take credit for the economic relief package she voted AGAINST, as noted here??)...
...and I’m kind of hot-and-cold on Chris Cillizza of CNN to tell you the truth, but he has a good video here IMO on the claim that athletes are supposedly dropping dead from the COVID vaccine, dutifully parroted by that idiot RoJo in the U.S. Senate...
...and Thom Hartmann, as he so often does, gives us some important historical context on presidential misbehavior and how that ends us as a precedent for other bad (and quite probably illegal) behavior from future bad actors...
...and John and Michael Shure of The Damage Report tell us about UCLA averting a potential mass shooting in the context of threats against HBCUs, just in time for Black History Month of course...sorry UCLA had to cancel classes, but it was the prudent thing to do under the circumstances (just chalk it up to Life In These United States, Part The Infinity as Charlie Pierce might say)...
...and here's a nod to a few folks saying no to Spotify as a protest against the COVID propaganda from Joe Rogan, as noted here (with a song written by Joni Mitchell, who has also joined the boycott of course).
Cenk and Ana of TYT tell us about the billionaire tears of Leon Cooperman, tied to a recent puff piece in the WaPo (cue the world’s tiniest violin – more is here about Cooperman having a hissy fit over the stuff about Gamestop artificially inflating their market valuation from about a year ago...oh, and I’m sure a bunch of hackers came up with that concept all on their own, right?)...
...and under the heading of Capitalist Exploitation 101, I give you this from More Perfect Union about Roark Capital’s treatment of workers of the Inspire Brands family of companies, in particular the Cheesecake Factory (the wretched status quo defended by Cooperman and his pals – this tells us about the most recent financial wrangling between Roark and The Cheesecake Factory FWIW)...
...and Robert Reich tells us about the 5 ways your employer may be exploiting you (and yeah, I can relate to the whole “exempt from overtime” thing)...
...and given the prior clips in this video, this is little more than ridiculous comic relief... Baby Ben Shapiro (or, excuse me...”Mr. Shapiro”) tries to look intelligent in front of school kids when talking about business, taxes, and government (Sam and Emma or The Majority Report tell us about it)...
...and turning to “the thin blue line,” David Shuster of Rebel HQ tells us about subway-riding cops in NYC almost entirely flouting the COVID mask mandate – and yes, I get it that they came from a funeral for a colleague killed in action (and all support to the slain officer’s family and friends), but that doesn’t let them off the hook (doesn’t exactly jibe with the whole “to protect and to serve” thing, now does it?)...
...and Mehdi Hasan had a clip from about 10 days ago about all of the garbage that local election officials all over the country have had to put up with from the Trumpist lunatics out there, with the focus on Georgia...in these parts, the Bucks County Courier Times recently had a pg. 1 article above the fold on PA election officials quitting in droves...can’t get to the article now of course... gee, maybe our thoroughly useless bought-and-paid-for corporate media should PAY FREAKING ATTENTION to all of the ways #45 and the “party of Lincoln” are trying to utterly wreck our elections, including this item...from what I read, the ruling will likely be overturned on appeal, but the fact that mail-in voting was blocked in PA at all is completely disgusting...IMO, we need a FEDERAL LAW with teeth to protect elections officials as well as people working on school boards as well as school officials from being harassed or doxed, and that goes for their family members too...like a lot of you I’m sure, I’ve bene watching this play out since Mango Mussolini ascended to power, and to say I’M FED UP WITH IT is as big of an understatement as you can possibly imagine (or if we have existing laws, they definitely need to be strengthened)...
...and Stephen Colbert tells us the latest about Black History Month in the context of the latest garbage inspired by Our Treasonous Orange Pustule; I was never big on the BHM concept, not because I don’t think the contributions of African Americans should be recognized and celebrated, but because we shouldn’t designate a single month to it as if to say “well, we fulfilled our obligation, so that lets us off the hook now” (and this tells us about corporations claiming to support Black History Month but also giving $$ to politicians trying to block voting reform, which would greatly benefit African Americans as well as others)...
...and I'm not sure if I've ever included a video for a tune here with somebody in a bathtub...what will those crazy kids think of next :-).
Beau of the Fifth Column leads off with an analysis of that flesh lump Thomas Massie, Repug U.S. House Rep of Kentucky, and his attempt to sound profound with what he apparently thought was a quote from Voltaire...just say “oops” and get out (here)...
...and every once in a while, I think we need to hold up a bit of a mirror to these life forms who support Our Traitorous Orange Pestilence, and David Shuster tries to reach these characters with the reality perspective (oh, and in response to that woman saying you couldn’t submit absentee ballots in PA after election day in 2020, I offer this response)...
...and David Doel tells us about the Washington state trooper who apparently told Dem Gov Jay Inslee to kiss his ass over a vax mandate but then dies of...wait for it...COVID (mildly NSFW/H...God, the line on that graph for U.S. cases is just going straight up...un-freaking-believable - more here)...
...and John and Francesca tell us about the latest ranting from Combover Caligula in Texas last weekend, including his promise to pardon those responsible for 1/6 if he were returned to the presidency (as if any syllable that oozes out of his pie hole should be treated as anything remotely resembling the truth)...45 should be in prison awaiting trial on charges of treason and inciting an insurrection...
...and Farron Cousins tells us that, because of his obstruction, #MaseratiManchin sure is popular among Republican donors these days – figures (and I’m sorry if I sound like a snotty lib, but I can’t imagine what the f*ck is wrong with the people in West Virginia who support this criminal – I know, if not for Manchin, it would be an “R” seat, but it’s practically that anyway...more on Ken Langone is here)...
...and I know I featured tunes recently from Neil Young and Nils Lofgren, part of the trio boycotting Spotify (as far as I know, Peter Frampton's tunes are still on the service), but I hadn't included anything from Joni Mitchell, so I'd like to make amends for that here.
Brian Tyler Cohen tells us about more propaganda from The Roger Ailes BS Factory, in which one of their “news personalities” gives away the game when it comes to Republican obstruction, this time on Biden’s infrastructure bill (mildly NSFW/H – and when it comes to the PA bridge collapse picture here, we should definitely keep this in mind)...
...and the latest video from Second Thought tells us How Capitalism Destroys Radical Movements (and I have to admit that I didn't know about the BLM and Muriel Bowser stuff...and yeah, she deserved to be called out for that)...the discussion about Guy Debord in France, in particular about the mass media and consumer culture, made me think about this book, which I read many moons ago (and I’ll probably do more research into the concept of “recuperation” for what it’s worth)...
...and sticking with the economy, Ana of TYT gives us a rare bit of good news related to the High Court of Hangin’ Judge JR, in particular a ruling that people can still sue over predatory behavior tied to their retirement accounts...
...and I know I feature an awful lot of “culture war” idiocy from the wingnuts, but this is a bit of egg-headed behavior IMO from our side, and it has to do with the decision by the school board for the Mukilteo (Washington state) school district to remove Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird from the required reading list – fortunately the book isn’t being banned, thank God...actually, my gripe here is probably more with the parents than the board, which is probably caught in a “no win” situation (and no, I’m not African American and I don’t share that “lived experience” either, but I don’t think that demeans Lee’s work in any way – more here)...
...and RIP Howard Hesseman (alias Dr. Johnny Fever on WKRP in Cincinnati)...
...and I have to admit that I was a little irritated by the Chris Hayes clip that follows, and I’ll explain why – I’m not taking issue with the Gallup poll he presents here about how 67 percent of those polled have an unfavorable opinion of Biden and the economy (with many polled saying it doesn’t “feel” right because of inflation and people leaving their jobs), even though the economy has indeed grown at its fastest rate since 1984 as noted here.
I should point out that I saw this clip on Hayes’s program, and he led off by talking about the “Dean scream” (more here – of course, given how The Comcast Network hacks their video clips to pieces, I’m not surprised that it wasn’t included in the segment below). The “Dean scream” (related to the failed 2004 presidential campaign of then-Vermont Dem Governor Howard Dean) was a thoroughly manufactured BS “story” that barely anybody cared about back when it happened, and I can assure you that NOBODY cares about it now.
Hayes also includes in the clip that completely propagandistic “Morning in America” ad for The Sainted Ronnie R. Yeah, it’s pretty slick, manufactured by Reagan’s image makers. However, if you want some actual reality on what was going on at the time, please allow me to present the following from this book:
“Their lives (the lives of workers and their families) have been shattered by a new depression – the Carter depression. The Carter depression was created and molded by Carter himself.” (NYT – 8/28/80)
Whatever Carter did mold it was not a depression, or at least not according to Reagan’s own economic advisors. Alan Greenspan said, “I wouldn’t have used that term.” Martin Anderson pointed out that most economists believed the nation to be in “a very severe recession.” Anderson and his aides then went so far as to issue a clarification stating that “the Republican presidential nominee was not using the word “depression” the way most economists do.” Oh.
“Real earnings are at last increasing for the first time in quite a while.” (5/16/82)
Try decreasing. The Labor Department reported that in June 1982 real average weekly earnings for American workers declined 1.2%.
“For four quarters we have seen a growth in the GNP.” (9/28/82)
Inflation-adjusted GNP had been declining for two of the four quarters under discussion.
“History shows that when the taxes of a nation approach about 20% of the people’s income, there begins to be a lack of respect for government...When it reaches 25% there comes an increase in lawlessness.” (Time, 4/14/80)
History shows no such thing. Income tax rates in Europe have traditionally been far higher than U.S. rates, while European crime rates have been much lower.
“As a matter of fact, if anyone wants to look closely, our original tax plan did not contain the reduction of the 70% bracket. That was suggested by the Democrats.” (11/12/81)
No it wasn’t. The original Reagan tax plan called for a lowering of the top rates from 70% to 50%, to be phased in over a period of three years. As (former Reagan Office of Management and Budget director) David Stockman so memorably explained, “Kemp-Roth (the original GOP tax reduction proposal) was always a Trojan horse to bring down the top rate.”
“I would like to have them (the critics of his tax plan) give a specific on where this is a budget for the rich. The bulk of the personal income tax cut goes right across from the lower income to middle America.” (2/8/82)
Well, here are some specifics. According to the Congressional Budget Office, 35.1% of the tax cuts go to the wealthiest 5% of the taxpayers. The National Journal, using CBO and Census Bureau information, estimated that, had the 1983 tax cuts gone into effect in 1981, they would have taken $1.2 billion from the poorest fifth of the income spectrum and added $36 billion to the incomes of the richest fifth.
If you want to read more related information, please click here. And yes, you can blame Former President Carter for the economy Reagan inherited a bit, but here is more context on that discussion.
However, I think what made me PO’ed the most about Hayes’s clip is that he totally absolves his own profession when it comes to any negativity surrounding the economic recovery taking place on Biden’s watch. And with that in mind, I give you this, as well as this from Eric Boehlert (this also, and this).
And here is more of what I'm talking about:
(By the way, I don't have a clue as to what the "Big Mac" Test is, and I assure you that I don't care.)
Am I saying that you shouldn’t hold Biden to account on the economy or anything else? Of course not. I for one would have liked to see him move on student debt relief and federally decriminalizing pot long before now. All I’m saying is that, if you want to hold Biden’s feet to the metaphorical fire, do it on substantive issues and not just manufactured perception BS.
Anyway, here is the Hayes clip (and I don’t know who he interviewed next – I have to admit that I was so disgusted by the lead-in to the interview that I turned off his program...this is disappointing because Hayes definitely knows better and should tell the story straight)...
Update 1 2/1/22: Yeah, I would call this a bit of insight into this issue (this too, based on this).
Update 2 2/1/22: And I would say that this speaks volumes too.
Update 2/5/22: It would actually be funny if it weren't so damn pathetic (here).
...and David Doel tells us that Spotify has lost billions in its confrontation with Neil Young (now joined by Joni Mitchell) over Joe Rogan (and to be fair, Young has said that he doesn’t approve of censorship – related to Rogan - but he just doesn’t want to be associated with an online service spreading COVID misinformation)...
...and as noted previously, Nils Lofgren has joined Young and Mitchell, so I’ll add some of his tunes to my impromptu playlist also.
I wonder if the life form pictured in this post knows about this (or, more likely, would just write it off as "fake news")?
In the matter of our regularly scheduled plague, Rachel Maddow tells us that FLA guv Ron #DeathSantis (and that assclown Joseph Ladapo...more here) are having a hissy fit with the Biden Administration over the decision by #46 not to send any more monoclonal antibodies to The Sunshine State since they’re basically useless against the Omicron COVID variant – elections indeed have consequences...
...and David Pakman tells us that Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco has confirmed a probe into the Trump bogus elector scam in seven states, allegedly run by "the mayor of 9/11" (more here)...
...and Richard Ojeda of Rebel HQ wonders some more about The Swanson TV Dinner Heir’s apparent infatuation with Our Former Ol’ Buddy Vlad Putin (to be fair, we were allies with the USSR in WWII, but yeah, it was an uneasy alliance at best I’ll admit, though we shouldn’t blow off the staggering losses suffered by that country in that global conflict)...
...and I thought Jim Acosta gave “Tuckums” and the Murdochs the treatment they deserve here (slightly NSFW/H at the beginning and the end, but for a good reason)...
Update: And speaking of The Roger Ailes BS Factory, Joeph Imperatrice is a f*cking coward for this (sure, violence against Dems - why the hell not, right?).
...and Beau gives us his take on what’s going on in Ukraine (this commentary definitely doesn’t put me completely at ease with what’s going on in that area of the world, but this is a pretty good, clear-eyed analysis...I have a feeling Putin will find a way to take control without firing a shot as Beau says, partly because of the typical idiotic political wrangling from the other side in this country, leading to a divided front when we should be united on this issue in particular...but I could be totally wrong about Putin of course)...
...and sticking with Rebel HQ, Brett Erlich provides some commentary on what makes conservatives afraid vs. what makes liberals afraid (borderline NSFW/H...and yeah, there may be a bit of an overload of a biological explantion here)...
...and this More Perfect Union video tells us about the importance of reversing jail convictions for cannabis, something the Biden Administration should have addressed yesterday IMO (very NSFW/H as soon as the video starts and at the end also, but also for a good reason)...
...and given Neil Young’s courageous decision to tell Spotify that they have to choose between Young and Joe Rogan (here), and given Spotify’s decision to go with Rogan instead, I plan to periodically feature tunes from Neil Young for the foreseeable future (I’m sure what I do or don’t do won’t mean diddly to Young, but I still want to make the gesture – and apparently there was a rumor out there that Barry Manilow did the same thing...nothing against Manilow one way or the other, but the rumor is apparently unfounded).
Update: And kudos to Peter Frampton also (here) - I'll highlight his songs over the coming days as well (and Joni Mitchell also - here).
John and Viviana Vigil of The Damage Report tell us about the reaction from The Swanson TV Dinner Heir to the news the President Biden plans to nominate an African American woman to the Supreme Court (I think the context from this article about The Sainted Ronnie R matters also)...yeah, if “Tuckums” isn’t making his audience of elderly conservative white people angry, scared or agitated in some way, then he’s not doing his job (and it’s so ridiculously typical for the Fix Noise talking head to say that, if you support Biden, then you support segregation, which is typical BS...and I have a feeling that African American women are more than 7 percent of the population too - this I'm sure is closer to the truth...I guess we really can’t expect much more from a network that gets agitated over "progressive" M&Ms and Minnie Mouse in a pants suit...here)...
...and sticking with The Roger Ailes BS Factory, Chris Hayes tells us how that network’s lies about the COVID vaccine are killing Trump voters in an interview with journalist Eric Levitz...
...and Beau talks about the school board in Tennessee deciding to ban the book Maus about the Holocaust (to commemorate #HolocaustRemembranceDay...nice touch, and yes, I'm being sarcastic...and I think Beau absolutely nails it when he says that the parents fell down and don't want to be embarrassed about missing the rise of authoritarianism under TFG – more here)...
...and every damn time I hear about somebody in this country trying to ban a book or shove LGBTQ individuals back into a metaphorical closet (to basically preserve the white patriarchy served by that abattoir of a TV network noted in the first two clips), I find myself recalling this clip from this great movie...
Update 2/1/22: And news items like this make me recall the prior clip also.
...and I need to catch up with my Second Thought videos, and the latest one has to do with Why Student Loan Debt is So Hard to Forgive (and the “military coinage slavery complex,” huh? Interesting...and yes, Biden should forgive student loan debt, but I think the notion that he somehow failed in his first term merely because of this single issue, along with Manchinema’s antics, is completely absurd...still, though, I think #46 should make that happen: Markos of Daily Kos makes a powerful argument for that here, and kudos to Dem U.S. House Rep Dwight Evans for this also)...
Beau gives us his take on the stuff with Fix Noise’s Peter Doocy and President Biden (and apparently 46 called Doocy later to try and smooth things over a bit, which is more of a courtesy than Doocy deserved IMO...oh, and when it comes to that network’s nepotism hire and getting his butt handed to him, let’s not forget this too)...
...and today’s bis story, as it were, is the news that SCOTUS Justice Stephen Breyer will retire at the end of this year’s term – thank God!...and by the way, if I were Biden, I’d put down a marker right freaking now on #Manchinema and let them know that they will truly suffer political hell if they try to screw up THIS also...
...and speaking of the High Court of Hangin’ Judge JR, John and Francesca tell us that they’re now looking at affirmative action...I hope John was kidding at the end with that remark about a poll questioning whether or not the SCOTUS is on the presidential ballot...I know HRC was an awful campaigner, but she said that it was in 2016, and she was right on the money (actually, it is in EVERY federal election for the U.S. Senate and the White House...and I wonder if our corporate media is going to go back to the confirmation hearings of the justices in the conservative majority and point out the fact that THEY ARE ALL UNMITIGATED LIARS, since they have no inclination whatsoever to respect “settled law,” including this ruling written by their predecessors)...
...and speaking of Arizona’s U.S. senatorial mistake, Sam and Emma of The Majority Report tell us about Chuck Todd trying to get Dem U.S. House Rep Elissa Slotkin of Michigan to play along with the “divided Dems” corporate media game, in light of the censure of “Curtsy Kyrsten” (God, we’re stuck with this wretched character until 2024...and I certainly don’t mean Slotkin...and God knows how long we’ll be saddled with Todd as well)...
...and Adrienne Lawrence Esq. of Rebel HQ tells us about that idiot financial advisor who threw a smoothie at a Robeks employee in CT (yes, I get it that peanut allergies are severe, but that doesn’t excuse this idiot’s behavior in any way)...
...and I feel a bit like a need a somewhat newer tune as a pick-me-up, so how about if we give this a try?
John and Brett Erlich of The Damage Report tell us about that nutty woman in Virginia who threatened to bring guns to school, punctuating it with that “see you Monday” quote; I get it that officials running these meetings are in a difficult spot and they have my respect, but just once I’d like to see them “clap back” at these nut jobs and threaten them with jail or a heavy fine for their disgusting idiocy (and the Cuellar reference has to do with this)...
...and CNN's Jim Acosta speaks with Dem U.S. House Rep Zoe Lofgren on developments around the 1/6 investigation by the U.S. House committee on which she serves (as well as the latest nonsense from Baby Newton Leroy – more here)...
Update 1/26/22: And speaking of the disgraced former U.S. House speaker, I think this is pretty interesting.
...and Mehdi Hasan speaks with Jane Mayer of The New Yorker over her latest great column on Ginni Thomas - I know I linked to a post on this yesterday (Thomas being the wife of the SCOTUS justice of course), and Thomas’s history of attacking George Soros, with her “Democrat” Party garbage included also for good measure (I’ll never understand what the wingnuts have against this elderly Hungarian man trying to live out his life in upstate New York...once more, the link to the Mayer piece is here)...
...and Brian Tyler Cohen brings us the speech from Dem U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff of Georgia after the voting rights bill failed (and kudos to Ossoff and Mark Kelly for this)...
...and Farron Cousins tells us about U.S. House Repugs STILL taking credit for the infrastructure bill they voted against, including this Ashley Hinson person (here); for the record, here are the 13 Repugs who voted in favor of the bill, including Bri-Fi...
...and it looks like it’s time for famous musicians to push back against celebrity grifters; this tells us about Neil Young and Joe Rogan over Spotify, and Graham Nash apparently issued a statement for that worm RFK Jr. to cease and desist from using Nash’s tune “Chicago” at Jr.’s anti-vax rallies (here)...surprised Jr. didn’t reach out to Van Morrison or “slow hand,” since I’m sure either would be glad to help...here's a Nash tune for the occasion (and happy upcoming 80th to Nash on 2/2 by the way).
I thought this was a pretty comprehensive Meidas Touch video of the events leading up to the 1/6/21 insurrection as well as the aftermath, including all of the bogus anti-voting laws passed by Republican state legisaltures in support of the Big Lie...
...and this Lincoln Project clip tells us that the SCOTUS won’t let Mango Mussolini stonewall the 1/6 commission (the vote was 8-1 against, including all 3 Trump justices - more here...and of course, leave it to Almost Silent Clarence Thomas to side in favor of Combover Caligula...some interesting info IMO related to Thomas is here)...
...and John and Brett Erlich of The Damage Report tell us about that lunatic (which one, I know) Lauren Boebert asking Jews in the Capitol if they were conducting “reconnaissance”...I think Boebert is just too damn stoo-pid for words and yeah, she’s likely hip deep in involvement with the 1/6 insurrection and was trying to make a joke out of it...
...and this clip for the 49th anniversary of Roe v. Wade a couple of days ago tells us that the aforementioned U.S. Supreme Court has heard arguments about a Mississippi law that would basically ban abortion before women knew they were even pregnant (in addition to organizing and speaking out - and that's true for all of us - make the people responsible for this garbage pay a price at the ballot box...and when it comes to clueless Republicans on this issue, I give you this)...
...and with the prior clip in mind, I now give you the latest installment of “This Day In Doomsy History” (more or less) from 1/23/14 about stuff on the ground in Mississippi at an abortion clinic, along with Wendy Davis’s filibuster of Texas’s awful anti-abortion law...yeah, women with means can get whatever they need – echoing the Now This clip – but it’s the poor women who will pay the price as usual when it comes to this issue, among others...not sure how many of these URLs are still active and I’m sure some of the people in charge have moved on, but there are bound to be a lot of ways to connect with at least some of the organizations listed at the end...
Update 2/2/22: This is a tragedy regardless of where it happens, but it's definitely a look at a post-Roe future in this country too.
...and Joy Reid discusses Sen. Mr. Elaine Chao leading the charge against the John Lewis Act, Freedom to Vote or whatever it’s called in the U.S. Senate (sorry I’m a little late with this – #MitchPlease...more here and here)...
...and David Doel tells us that Dem U.S. House Rep Jamaal Bowman was recently arrested protesting for voting rights (and I am SO GODDAMN SICK AND TIRED of hearing that Biden and the Dems “haven’t delivered for anybody” as Doel basically says – that’s bullshit! Yes, they’ve given us half a loaf I know given the failure of BBB, but WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU WOULD HAVE GOTTEN FROM THE OTHER SIDE??!!).
And by the way, I’ve heard similar comments from Cenk, Ana and John of TYT, which are also equally wrong. And equally infuriating!
I plan to do phone banking and/or canvassing for Democratic candidates later this year, and spreading around that garbage is DISTINCTLY UNHELPFUL to that effort. And it’s not as if Dems don’t have a lousy record overall in participating in mid-term elections...that negativity definitely drives down participation. It shouldn’t – you should just vote anyway as part of being a responsible citizen – but it definitely does.
I’ve said this a few times before, and I guess I’ll have to say it again. Movement conservatism was flat on its metaphorical back in 1964 with the rout of Barry Goldwater in the presidential election, but they regrouped and reorganized; it took them 16 years, but they were finally able to ascend with the election of The Sainted Ronnie R in 1980, to our eternal detriment (one of the tragedies is that the movement was barely hanging on that year, but Reagan totally revitalized it, though not by himself of course).
What I’m saying is that it’s going to continue to be a long, hard fight to get where we need to go. And if you’re not going to be part of that, then shut up and get the hell out of the way while we move forward without you (and by the way, A LOT MORE like this too...also this)...
...and this tune is about a year old, but it’s still relatively newer compared to other selections here...works for me and hopefully you also.
