Thanks for the reminder about the premium issues. I called the Tribune again because I keep getting those extras and was told that I won't be charged but will still receive them. Makes no sense.
Gah! Even in the world of visual tweets, the political one always wins, whether it's funny or not--and this one isn't. I agree with its point. I'm pro-choice. If I already think it, it's not funny. Funny is the art of surprise.
Many people do not appear to understand the risk that they are taking when they travel or do business in authoritarian countries. Particularly countries that have laws that are specifically prejudicial to people like themselves. Similarly, there is a long history of Americans thinking that they can get away with 'bending the rules' because they fail to understand the difference between the US and other legal systems. There are at least two other Americans that are currently held in Russia, one since 2017. Whether a trade is made is generally a political issue.
Thank you once again Eric for your very reason. Overview of the Brittney Griener detainment in Russia. You are exactly correct on both counts – that she is likely being more heavily penalized because of her celebrity status and value as a trading partner for a Russian spy, but that also she is receiving much more attention and support than other totally innocent Americans who languish away unfairly in detention.
And unfortunately predictably, Griener's wife also has multiple times played the race card alleging that the US is not doing enough to get her back because she is black. That is a farce on its face as there has been an incredible about of energy and attention devoted to her by the State department and even the White House. But, always so easy to play the race card for everything these days.
Eric, you complain "And we are seeing 50 years of history unraveling when it comes to women’s reproductive rights. How long will majority factions quietly take the insult of policy decisions forced on them by a minority?"
All take notice, indeed. Yet, I expect that you had no problem whatsoever when said (unelected) minority made the mockery of a policy decision in reversing the statutes of a majority of the states, based merely on said minority faction's personal feelings and certainly not on any notion of constitutional law. I also expect that you are undisturbed by the inconsistency not to say contradiction in your thoughts.
I also see that, in Illinois at least, said majority faction has already, enacted a statute protecting such reproductive rights (as some call them), to the detriment of the entity (a "fertilized egg, embryo, or fetus" as the law holds, or life, dare I say) being carried. So it seems, you have little to thunder about whereas I, being in the minority faction, will vote with my feet and money to quit this pathetic state for friendlier climes as soon as my affairs are in order.
To wit, I'd rather live in a slave state than one that permits abortion. The slavers, vicious and miserable creatures that they were, at least had the common sense not to kill their chattels.
Regarding your exchange with Marc on optimism v. pessimism, I'm reminded of something I heard on a podcast, don't remember which one, something to the effect of (to use Cassidy Hutchinson's favorite phrase), it's easier for liberals to contemplate radical structural change on the one hand or total collapse of democracy on the other than to imagine a Democrat winning a Senate race in Indiana. The solution to most of your problems is for the good guys to broaden their appeal. This isn't actually a bad outcome, democracy-wise. That's what has always been necessary to get big stuff through. Your worries are less worrisome when that happens. The Senate's malapportionment is an outrage, a vestige of EU-ish federalism that not even Madison wanted then, a necessary compromise, but, as you say, it won't ever be fixed, so time to let that one go. And, indeed, it wasn't so much of a problem before the Big Sort, which gave all those extra votes to tiny red states. Small states always got extra federal largesse, but it didn't create a partisan advantage until relatively recently. Democrats need to transcend the Big Sort. That needs to be their main mission at this point.
Overruling Roe is bad, I agree, but even that fits into Marc's overall-progress-amid-setbacks model. Before Roe, abortion was widely outlawed in this country, in most cases I think without exception. Roe overturned the abortion laws of nearly every state. We will now backslide, but not to the pre-Roe nightmare. Abortion will remain widely available in the U.S., including in pill form. I don't want to minimize the problems, but neither do I want to exaggerate them. The Supreme Court is in conservative hands now. So they're going to get their way on some important things for a while, just as liberals got theirs on lots and lots. And some of those conservative positions aren't even obviously nuts. It's not the end of the world, and, even with this 6-3 majority, you won't see Thomas and those of his more radical ilk get their frightful druthers.
Re gerrymandering, I think Democrats should make it a signature cause to outlaw partisan gerrymandering nationally once and for all. It's a popular position, one that most Democrats share and most Republicans oppose, and few know it. In the meantime, they need to change the laws or state constitutional requirements -- via referendum or whatever -- in Maryland and New York that turned this latest district-drawing from a Democratic victory to a Republican one (albeit not quite as bad as before). Be clear: we stand ready to end partisan gerrymandering and are eager to do it, but so long as you Republicans insist on picking your voters rather than letting them pick you in red states, we're sure as shit going to do the same thing in blue states to the maximum extent possible.
Our regime, in the political science sense of "system of government," has proved remarkably durable. It's among the oldest on the planet. Its imminent demise, amid far more dire and challenging circumstances than we face today, has been predicted at many points throughout history. I look at our current situation as akin to a bear market -- we're backsliding a bit democratically and in other ways as well. But bear markets eventually turn into bull markets and the long view reveals overall gains and counsels patience and holding on to your stock.
Regarding political optimism and pessimism, I recently read that in the Forties there was a saying among Jewish immigrants: "The pessimists are in New York; the optimists are in Auschwitz." Maybe that's too extreme to be relevant, but it underscores an important reality: there are points after which there is no coming back. It's not a good idea to wait till then....
Thanks for the reminder about the premium issues. I called the Tribune again because I keep getting those extras and was told that I won't be charged but will still receive them. Makes no sense.
Gah! Even in the world of visual tweets, the political one always wins, whether it's funny or not--and this one isn't. I agree with its point. I'm pro-choice. If I already think it, it's not funny. Funny is the art of surprise.
Many people do not appear to understand the risk that they are taking when they travel or do business in authoritarian countries. Particularly countries that have laws that are specifically prejudicial to people like themselves. Similarly, there is a long history of Americans thinking that they can get away with 'bending the rules' because they fail to understand the difference between the US and other legal systems. There are at least two other Americans that are currently held in Russia, one since 2017. Whether a trade is made is generally a political issue.
Thank you once again Eric for your very reason. Overview of the Brittney Griener detainment in Russia. You are exactly correct on both counts – that she is likely being more heavily penalized because of her celebrity status and value as a trading partner for a Russian spy, but that also she is receiving much more attention and support than other totally innocent Americans who languish away unfairly in detention.
And unfortunately predictably, Griener's wife also has multiple times played the race card alleging that the US is not doing enough to get her back because she is black. That is a farce on its face as there has been an incredible about of energy and attention devoted to her by the State department and even the White House. But, always so easy to play the race card for everything these days.
Eric, you complain "And we are seeing 50 years of history unraveling when it comes to women’s reproductive rights. How long will majority factions quietly take the insult of policy decisions forced on them by a minority?"
All take notice, indeed. Yet, I expect that you had no problem whatsoever when said (unelected) minority made the mockery of a policy decision in reversing the statutes of a majority of the states, based merely on said minority faction's personal feelings and certainly not on any notion of constitutional law. I also expect that you are undisturbed by the inconsistency not to say contradiction in your thoughts.
I also see that, in Illinois at least, said majority faction has already, enacted a statute protecting such reproductive rights (as some call them), to the detriment of the entity (a "fertilized egg, embryo, or fetus" as the law holds, or life, dare I say) being carried. So it seems, you have little to thunder about whereas I, being in the minority faction, will vote with my feet and money to quit this pathetic state for friendlier climes as soon as my affairs are in order.
To wit, I'd rather live in a slave state than one that permits abortion. The slavers, vicious and miserable creatures that they were, at least had the common sense not to kill their chattels.
Regarding your exchange with Marc on optimism v. pessimism, I'm reminded of something I heard on a podcast, don't remember which one, something to the effect of (to use Cassidy Hutchinson's favorite phrase), it's easier for liberals to contemplate radical structural change on the one hand or total collapse of democracy on the other than to imagine a Democrat winning a Senate race in Indiana. The solution to most of your problems is for the good guys to broaden their appeal. This isn't actually a bad outcome, democracy-wise. That's what has always been necessary to get big stuff through. Your worries are less worrisome when that happens. The Senate's malapportionment is an outrage, a vestige of EU-ish federalism that not even Madison wanted then, a necessary compromise, but, as you say, it won't ever be fixed, so time to let that one go. And, indeed, it wasn't so much of a problem before the Big Sort, which gave all those extra votes to tiny red states. Small states always got extra federal largesse, but it didn't create a partisan advantage until relatively recently. Democrats need to transcend the Big Sort. That needs to be their main mission at this point.
Overruling Roe is bad, I agree, but even that fits into Marc's overall-progress-amid-setbacks model. Before Roe, abortion was widely outlawed in this country, in most cases I think without exception. Roe overturned the abortion laws of nearly every state. We will now backslide, but not to the pre-Roe nightmare. Abortion will remain widely available in the U.S., including in pill form. I don't want to minimize the problems, but neither do I want to exaggerate them. The Supreme Court is in conservative hands now. So they're going to get their way on some important things for a while, just as liberals got theirs on lots and lots. And some of those conservative positions aren't even obviously nuts. It's not the end of the world, and, even with this 6-3 majority, you won't see Thomas and those of his more radical ilk get their frightful druthers.
Re gerrymandering, I think Democrats should make it a signature cause to outlaw partisan gerrymandering nationally once and for all. It's a popular position, one that most Democrats share and most Republicans oppose, and few know it. In the meantime, they need to change the laws or state constitutional requirements -- via referendum or whatever -- in Maryland and New York that turned this latest district-drawing from a Democratic victory to a Republican one (albeit not quite as bad as before). Be clear: we stand ready to end partisan gerrymandering and are eager to do it, but so long as you Republicans insist on picking your voters rather than letting them pick you in red states, we're sure as shit going to do the same thing in blue states to the maximum extent possible.
Our regime, in the political science sense of "system of government," has proved remarkably durable. It's among the oldest on the planet. Its imminent demise, amid far more dire and challenging circumstances than we face today, has been predicted at many points throughout history. I look at our current situation as akin to a bear market -- we're backsliding a bit democratically and in other ways as well. But bear markets eventually turn into bull markets and the long view reveals overall gains and counsels patience and holding on to your stock.
Regarding political optimism and pessimism, I recently read that in the Forties there was a saying among Jewish immigrants: "The pessimists are in New York; the optimists are in Auschwitz." Maybe that's too extreme to be relevant, but it underscores an important reality: there are points after which there is no coming back. It's not a good idea to wait till then....