…the more things change [DOT 26/2/20]

“no quarter asked or given”

…the more they stay the same?

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2020/02/24/this-chart-is-best-explanation-middle-class-finances-you-will-ever-see/

…ever might be a little excessive – but it gets the point across…at least until the folks at informationisbeautiful get around to that sort of thing?

…but knock on effects are a bitch….or emergent properties if you prefer

https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/trump-s-chief-staff-admits-immigrants-help-economy-amid-u-ncna1140751

it’s looking fishy on the other side of the pond, too…

…& even the kinds of persistently un-emergent sorts of properties that come with tags starting “Exhibit…” can stink the joint up plenty

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/house-struggles-get-hyde-records-supposed-yovanovitch-surveillance-n1142016

…& sure, in the short term you can fool some fools that you’re pulling strings & making plays & everything’s going your way…but you can’t fool all the people all the time

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/judge-rips-trump-tweets-tainted-juror-while-roger-stone-lawyers-n1142866

…& if you’re the past-his-prime cut of orange lard claiming to be in charge of that crime-ing corporate clown-car he has the barefaced gall to call an administration…you can’t even fool most of them any of the time because you’re the international poster man-child for saying the quiet parts loud

Professor Nye coined the term “soft power” in 1989

…which is why the US is emptying coffers he doesn’t even know he’s spending because he’s too busy fraudulently enriching himself at the nation’s expense

I see nothing illegal…

…& wouldn’t you know it the effect of the just in time supply chain on the how bare is the cupboard equation might be more than a little costly?

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/white-house-seeks-2-5b-coronavirus-pelosi-says-s-not-n1142276

…& I didn’t even bring a facemask…now I feel underdressed

…it’s a good thing money’s not a problem, really…because there’s some big ticket items on the horizon by the looks of things

https://www.nbcnews.com/science/environment/humanity-poised-set-new-record-carbon-dioxide-atmosphere-again-n1142201

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/feb/25/newly-waterproofed-arctic-seed-vault-1m-samples-climate-change

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2020/feb/25/ecological-grief-i-mourn-the-loss-of-nature-it-saved-me-from-addiction

…so it might be nice if the alleged grown ups would grow up enough to get along…but that seems like another thing that might be too much to ask

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/feb/25/russia-world-war-ii-75th-anniversary-uk-us

…because home or away the apparatus of the state would seem increasingly preoccupied with demonstrating day after day that “the cruelty is the point”

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/feb/25/trump-family-separations-children-torture-psychology

…although mostly what they seem keen to specialize in is missing the point

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/national-security/u-s-intel-officials-worry-their-latest-findings-about-russian-n1142821

…although speaking of supposedly indomitable institutional leviathans with their roots in a cult of personality surrounding a rich old white guy with some dubious leanings…it’s apparently all change at the house of mouse

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/all/bob-iger-steps-down-ceo-disney-n1142781

…so remember boys & girls…we’re in harmony

[…oh…& there was…like…a debate?]

avataravataravataravataravatar

34 Comments

  1. The criminal criming more crimes is a given, and I think I’ve reached peak rage with it. Like I can’t get any more angrier. I wish we could just get on with the guillotine squad already.

    Now how the DNC pulled out all the stops to make Bloomberg look legit last night. That pissed me off. Anyone wondering why that crowd was so friendly?

    https://www.live5news.com/2020/02/06/charleston-voters-express-confusion-frustration-over-presidential-debate-accessibility/

    The Root “please don’t” stick us with Mike Bloomberg

    https://www.theroot.com/anybody-but-bloomberg-new-yorkers-of-color-pen-open-le-1841916652

    About those “comments” Bloomberg made to women

    “in 1989, when a male company salesperson was getting married, Bloomberg said to the female salespeople, “All of you girls line up to give him a blow job as a wedding present.”

    https://www.washingtonpost.com/context/sekiko-sakai-garrison-v-michael-bloomberg-and-bloomberg-l-p/6d9bea84-4783-4b88-8866-26bddfb14b6d/
    Meanwhile, the House and Senate Dem leadership is totally fine with Sanders as a candidate, and isn’t down with that whole scare tactic that’s being put out that he’ll hurt down ticket races. But fuck Pelosi because it’s the bare minimum and she did some stuff during the Bush years per LOD discord.

    https://thehill.com/homenews/house/484699-pelosi-confirms-that-shed-be-comfortable-with-sanders-at-top-of-ticket

    Also, you will no longer find me on that discord. I’ve had my fill.

    • That Bloomberg quote is so gross and also sounds about right for Finance Bros in the 80s. Even when I started in the late 90s it was baaad.
      One time my boss told me my idea so so good it gave him wood. I used to cry in the bathroom. It’s probably only marginally better now at the big firms.
      Hope you’ll stick around here, we love your insights.

      • Never had a problem with the reporting or commentary here. It’s actually a lot more balanced than I think you all give yourselves credit for.

        I’m sorry you had that experience. I’ve actually been pretty lucky with male employers. Especially for a late Gen Xer.

        But yeah, Bloomberg quote is gross and I’m sure there’s plenty more where that came from. He and his mouthpieces (including his longtime partner) trying to waive it off as “in the past” is equally gross. This is how he spoke to his employees. I’m not buying the narrative that a billionaire insulated by his wealth and political power learned to change his ways in any sense. Just listening to how he talks about it tells me all I need to know.

        • I struggle with the speed discord plays at. I’m a 33 stuck in a 78’s world (ironic that the 78 is older, i know 😉 ) and can’t keep up with the posts.

          I’m greatful for both sites sites since our old hangs keep getting harder to use.

          • I feel like the speed of discord leads to a critical mass of hot takes just trying to keep in the discussion. People not really thinking through the impact and implications of statements. Creating litmus tests that are committed to for some kind of points. Hard pass.

            • …I think of that as a sort of cascade effect…mainly for similar reasons to those you outline…but also because apparently I too roll at 33rpm?

              I think it’s the lack of “nesting” within sub-threads that makes it indigestible once there are a lot of people on the same channel in discord but the sheer pace of the thing is hard to keep up with when trying to keep up with the rest of your day…which may very well just be long-winded for “I too am old”?

  2. Uuuuugh

    Biden is staking his candidacy on a win in South Carolina on Saturday that would deny Sanders a third consecutive clear victory. He got a boost Wednesday after earning the endorsement of U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn, the highest-ranking black member of Congress and a South Carolina political kingmaker.

    “I want the public to know that I’m voting for Joe Biden. South Carolina should be voting for Joe Biden,” Clyburn said, later adding “I know Joe. We know Joe. But most importantly, Joe knows us.”

    https://apnews.com/2446d3f704da071fba44b4444214a2ea

  3. It’s disappointing that people’s unease with Sanders (or, let’s be honest, Warren) is so great that they’d really rather have a guy who is clearly showing signs of mental decline.

    Like, the flashing lights above Biden’s head spelling out “I’M NOT UP TO THE TASK!” are so bright they are giving me tinnitus.

  4. On the topic of last night’s debate, this might lift some spirits:

    https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/democratic-debate-south-carolina-poll/

    Summary: Bloomberg’s and Steyer’s debate performances ranked the worst, and Sanders and Mayor Tryhard tied for first, although primary voters didn’t think *anyone* did particularly well.

    Ultimately, nothing we find out in the next week is going to mean much because all of this information overload is a bunch of noise in the giant Election2020 shit gumbo we’ve been simmering for the last several months. Super Tuesday is going to be a day of reckoning for many campaigns.

    I think it’s likely that Klobuchar and Steyer are cooked after Super Tuesday. I think Bloomberg realistically will be too (hopefully), but I also see him as more likely to push his candidacy further, since what he lacks in stature, he makes up for in unrestrained ego.

    But I fear that Super Tuesday is also make-or-break time for Warren’s campaign. Anything less than aggregated third place finish, and I think the writing is very possibly on the wall for her viability to gain the nomination.

    That said, I will be able to stomach Warren’s fade a lot more if Bloomberg wilts.

    • …much as I’d like to feel differently I think my misgivings about Sanders at this stage are mostly to do with the ways that a Sanders presidency (even with both houses in tow) would likely be hamstrung by an establishment eager to convince the electorate that such a choice was a disaster never to be repeated…whether that would truly be better in Warren’s case I guess I don’t know but I feel that it would be for a variety of reasons

      …so in a strange way what worries me is mayor Pete picking up second place when for my money any race that already dropped Booker & Harris & Beto ought to have shut him out along with?

      • I think you’re spot on about the establishment hindering a Sanders’ admin. I think we can look at Obama’s first couple years and the fight for the Public Option.

        I’m also concerned about Sanders in the general for most of the same reasons. He should be accepting Bloomberg’s help if he has the nom. I get the need to shit on each other in the primaries but if they can’t come together after the convention there really is no hope for November. The DNC can’t fight multiple fronts.

      • I share that misgiving, but ultimately, I’m not sure that it’s much better under a Warren presidency. Whatever ground she gains by the fact that she doesn’t bully pulpit her way through every speaking engagement, she loses by the fact that she lacks a Y chromosome.

        Both of them will have a baseline backlash to all the ways in which they want to improve people’s lives and reshape how we view government as working for us. Sanders will get some extra pushback because his brash demeanor further antagonizes people who already don’t agree with his views. Warren will get some extra pushback because… well, you know.

        My biggest misgiving with Sanders is that we haven’t really had a trial run on “Socialism” being a pejorative with a candidate who didn’t shy away from the label. That was a criticism of Obama, but it was baseless and didn’t really catch on. If only young voters, who are the least likely to be scared by such red scare adjacent garbage, would turn out en masse, I wouldn’t be as apprehensive.

    • Cash. I think the phrase you’re looking for re: Bloomberg’s unrestrained ego is effectively unlimited cash.

      But same on like everything else.

      Oh, speaking of unlimited cash….I’ve been seeing a few references to Bloomie scooping up all the available career campaign organizers with huge salaries, and how people feel that shows he plans to run as an independent if he doesn’t win.

      “Sore Looser” statutes have been referred to as a roadblock to such an endeavor, as have concurrent filing deadlines for primary and general ballots in many states. The actual legal questions of such a campaigns viability are new ground for me. Anyone more educated on these matters have an opinion?

      • I’d like to think that Bloomie as an independent siphons off the “reasonable” Trump supporters who don’t mind his policies or initiatives, just wish he wouldn’t “curse so durn much”, so to speak.

        But the problem is that I think he also siphons off some Democrats who buy into the media frenzy about SOSHULISM.

        • I don’t know, he also has play with moderates and DINO’s who made the jump to dem before Trump. But my question is more about if it’s legally possible for him to campaign as an independent if he fails to clinch the nom. Like, the possibility of Gabbard doing it was floated, and people kinda just laughed it off because she’s polling at what 1%? But Bloomberg has the money to fund this on his own, is embedded into the establishment due to his billions invested in campaigns nationwide, and has managed to poll high thanks to his inundation of the airwaves with propaganda.

          So now I’m concerned about whether these sore looser laws, and registration deadlines really lock him in to campaigning as a dem, and accepting that decision.

          • …it’s a fair question (or at any rate seems so to me) since a full-throated run as an independent surely gives away the ball game by splitting the vote & letting the strapped-for-cash dotard molest the taxpayers’ purse for another 4yrs

            …but if he were, in essence, a one-man billionaire super PAC with the sole goal of campaigning for not-trump…I dunno…I might could maybe come around to the idea?

          • I don’t see why it wouldn’t be legal. it won’t be easy to get on the ballot in some states but it legal

            the question is if you plan to do that, why enter a primary and become ‘damaged goods’? now he’d be a loser if he enters the general as an independent

            oh, I forgot the ego his bazillions create…

    • Will he take his unrestrained ego and go home, or will he unleash it on an anti-Trump campaign anyway? Because you know Trump’s going to ridicule him for dropping out, and it would be funny to then see Bloomberg spend his actual billions on taking the fucker out.

  5. Meanwhile, President Dumbass tries to single-handedly boost the stock market with tweets:
    https://www.thedailybeast.com/donald-trump-wants-you-to-know-he-has-the-coronavirus-totally-under-control?ref=home

    With predictable results:
    https://www.investors.com/market-trend/stock-market-today/stock-market-tumbles-hopes-for-bottom-fade/

    Tangerine is obviously unaware of certain salient facts:
    1. The decline has very little to do with the coronavirus. The market was already due for a correction: https://www.marketwatch.com/story/the-main-reason-for-the-stock-markets-decline-is-not-the-coronavirus-2020-01-27

    2. Nobody in their right mind would take investing advice from an orange idiot. Trump tweet: Stock Market starting to look very good to me!

    3. Very few of the aforementioned orange idiot’s base know what the stock market is. They are barely comfortable with the concept of a supermarket.

    • Ehh, I agree with 2 and 3, but there is definitely some Covid-19 influence on the market. It’s about supply chain. China basically shut down production for an extended period and locked up a quarter of their workers. That put a stop to the conveyor belt for not only finished product, but the parts for many domestically produced products. Both here and worldwide.

      Then there’s the impact on world tourism. Chinese citizens with recently increased disposable income are a primary driver for tourism both domestic and internationally. They’re responsible for something like 80% here in Seattle. The Seattle times just did a write up on how local tour groups/hot spots are feeling the impact, and the ripple effect will likely result in cheaper domestic travel deals for us as the industry looks to make up the loss.

      And we’re not even getting into the xenophobia the virus has generated having impacts on Asian small business nationwide. I’ve come across more than one article like this.

      https://apnews.com/a2d312755662ca7c7b5f0bb49dfe8633?fbclid=IwAR0Cz90byNTg6u2VwIwEtm9H6ieKMg7BrMJtg6W64pBhPaSxQtPvxJaII64

      • I think the markets have been in a bubble state and Coronavirus is the pin that is popping it.

        I don’t think the bubble is as bad as 2008 — the reregulation has helped — but there are still too many dodgy financial products and not nearly enough risk for finance CEOs.

    • The virus has an effect, yes, but you can’t attribute the decline solely to that single event. Blue dogcollar’s take is probably the correct one: The market was already overheated and on edge, and the coronavirus helped push it off the cliff. But calming “fears” of the coronavirus isn’t going to reverse the decline. It’s kind of like dropping a pebble and it hits an unstable slope and the next thing you know, it’s an avalanche.

      That’s awful about Asian businesses. But it figures — how many people were googling “virus corona beer”?
      https://www.forbes.com/sites/brucelee/2020/01/30/coronavirus-is-not-the-corona-beer-virus-what-people-are-googling/#57d176925884

Leave a Reply