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Ghost of LL

Burnt Ends
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Everything posted by Ghost of LL

  1. And by the way, there is a very interesting briefing article in The Economist this week about the electrification of heavy industry.
  2. There's a lot of truth to that. The human brain has a remarkable ability to forget traumatic events as a coping mechanism. And 2020 was an extremely traumatic national event. It wasn't just Covid. We had George Floyd and the whole Black Lives Matter movement. And, oh by the way, we damned near went to war with Iran after droning the head of the IRGC. But that's not to say that those suppressed memories can't be recovered. The only reason to advertise this far ahead of a November election is to define yourself or your opponent. But these candidates are already well-defined. You're right that anything that tries to talk up the status quo is a waste, because the status quo will change between now and November (whether for good or ill remains to be seen). I hate to tell you . . . and I really do hate to say this, because I abhor this type of cynicism in politics . . . but this is not going to be a positive election focusing on Biden's accomplishments. This is going to be a very negative campaign. And that is very good (albeit intensely cynical) politics. Because while there is no conclusive evidence that negative campaigning helps the candidate undertaking the mudslinging (or hurts him/her due to an anti-negativity backlash), there is conclusive evidence that negative campaigning reduces turnout. And that's what Biden and the Democrats have to want right now. As reflected in the midterms and every special election, Democrats excel in low-turnout races. That's because Democratic voters are (1) more educated, and (2) super-pissed about things like abortion. Biden has low approval ratings. That's just how it's going to be. But if he can convince marginal voters "they both suck, I don't want to vote for either of them," then that's probably a win for him. So buckle up, folks--we're probably going to see the most negative presidential election in our lifetimes.
  3. I mean, look--isn't that the completely predictable outcome? I can probably contract a sufficient waiver that would insulate a client against a wrongful-death lawsuit of the type that brought about this ruling. But that does nothing to insulate a client against a potential criminal prosecution. And this is Alabama--there's definitely the potential for a criminal prosecution. But here's the real fucking deal: if you're a woman who is (or might be) pregnant, you'd do well not to go anywhere near Alabama. It's kind of like a roller coaster in that way. Because if you have a glass of wine or take a draft on a cigarette or slurp down an oyster, you could be charged with injury to a child. Or ride on a motorcycle or a car without your seatbelt on, and you could face a charge of child endangerment. Because . . . and here's really the point . . . as a pregnant woman in Alabama, you do not have full civil rights. You are--and this is the important part--not a full human; you are an incubator.
  4. I mean, to precisely your point, that isn't Waterloo Records' forever home. And a mundane strip center--even if we really like one of the tenants--is far from the best use of that particular piece of real estate. I really don't think they'll have a hard time securing a lease elsewhere.
  5. No--that's in French Guiana. Which is to say, France.
  6. I mean, c'mon--we all know it's Noem because Trump thinks if he puts her on the ticket she'd owe him and he'd be able to leverage that into sex.
  7. Looks like Kristi Noem didn't get the message that the border isn't that great a GQP issue since they killed the border bill. But do take some time to reflect on the Gujaratis who have opened a dozen Hampton Inns, Four Points by Sheraton, and Homewood Suites in and around Eagle Pass over the last 18 months. They're making an absolute killing. Good for them.
  8. I mean, sure--if you're a Republican. Putting Judge Crump on the Court of Appeals means that her seat on the district court bench becomes vacant. Abbott would fill that. And you know he would fill it with the most loony-toons GQP nutter the Office of the Attorney General has to offer. Karin Crump is a good district judge. Keep her there. Keep Tom Baker on the Court of Appeals. Keep Abbott's loony MAGAt off the Travis County bench.
  9. I would just recommend doing the North Rim of the Grand Canyon if you're hitting the Utah parks. We did a huge Western United States during Covid, and Zion was our favorite. We really liked Kanab, which is really kind of in between Zion, Bryce, and the North Rim. It's a cool little town with a number of old roadside motels that have been refurbished and are pretty nice. And out of Kanab, we did a dune-buggy tour that was a real highlight. The North Rim is nice because it's about 1,500 feet higher than the South Rim, so it is a lot cooler in the summer. And, as an added bonus, it's a lot less crowded.
  10. That's hilarious, because Morgan is literally the only Republican who can win that district. If a primary challenge is successful, that's the same as handing that seat over to the Dems.
  11. It's definitely not more than I've had in my life, because I like a good cheesesteak. And this is very important--Cheez Whiz is the proper cheese product to put on a cheesesteak. But it has no business anywhere near an enchilada. The proper cheese for an enchilada of the cheese variety is, as everyone knows, Land O Lakes Extra Melt Shredded Processed Yellow American Cheese.
  12. My god, man. Seriously--what the fuck is wrong with you?
  13. Eh, . . . can I maybe just visit for a few hours? Like fly into Fargo, cast a ballot, and then fly right back out?
  14. I think people sleep on Alaska, and your overview kind of reflects that. Alaska has stayed Republican because, well let's face it, it's a reasonably new state and a lot of its partisan alignment is the direct result from the issues over statehood and the personal brand of certain long-serving officeholders (Hawai'i is the same way). Alaska is hugely supported by the federal government. So nobody has really cared whether Ted Stevens or Don Young or Frank Murkowski is a Dem or a Rep; all that matters is whether they bring home the federal money. But the fundamentals don't completely favor the GQP. As noted above, it has an enormous non-white population. And it is actually surprisingly urban. And while the percentage of the population with a bachelor degree is low, there are comparatively few Evangelicals. So when Don Young died, it's not particularly surprising that Peltola won. And she's now the most popular figure in Alaska politics. And that's the model. It's the Arizona model. Get the Native American population on board and mobilized for voting Democratic. And then blend that with the urban and educated suburban electorate. Oh, and weird thing--they really like weed in rural Alaska. So that's another occasional base for Democratic support (particularly in the bush).
  15. We need more of the mayor's dirty little wife.
  16. This seems . . . not ideal. eta: Oh, fun--it looks like "Cuban Missile Crisis II: Nukes in Space" is coming. I kinda think I'm not going to like this sequel.
  17. How long until the Ukrainians start launching these drones up north and taking out the Baltic Fleet?
  18. Ok. But they just changed the admission rules on the Centurion Lounge. I can't remember what the deal is exactly, but they've imposed some spending requirements to get the access you used to have just by being a member. But if you meet those spending requirements, then you also have access to the Delta SkyClub. So that's nice.
  19. The polls are broken because there's a bunch of people who only fucking come out when Donald Trump is on the ballot. They view politics as entertainment. And they're not going to go to the show if Bette Midler isn't going to be on stage that night. They're showing up for the star, not the fucking understudy. Polls of "likely voters" can't account for that. So you're saying you voted in 2016 and 2020? Well, you're probably a likely voter for purposes of the likely-voter screen. But--and stay with me here--that person really isn't a likely voter in a special election in the middle of February if he didn't vote in 2022 or 2018 or any fucking presidential election before 2016. But is he a likely voter in November with Trump on the ballot? My guess is "yes." So, Donald, you fucking moron, here's the real scoop: Souzzi won by the margin he did entirely BECAUSE OF YOU! Pilip went out and toed the GQP line in favor of killing the (formerly bipartisan) border deal. And Souzzi fucking hung her with that. He argued that immigration is a clusterfuck and the border is in crisis, and it is Republicans like Pilip who refuse to do anything about it. They're imperiling national security for perceived political gain. "Blame me," said Trump, and the voters fucking did. I don't think Souzzi could turn immigration into a positive for Democrats. But he sure showed the gameplan for how to neuter the issue. And the gameplan exists entirely because of Trump. He's the one who took his own best issue off the field. It's like having Reggie Bush on the fucking sideline for 4th and 2. Fucking unbelievable (thanks, Sark).
  20. I suspect they don't have a real good whip count because . . . well, they just really suck at it. But even if they were good at it, this would be a challenging situation given the flight schedules and the weather.
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