;)
The Commentariat -- January 19, 2016
Afternoon Update:
Adam Liptak & Michael Shear of the New York Times: "The Supreme Court said Tuesday that it would consider a legal challenge to President Obama's overhaul of the nation's immigration rules. The court ... will now determine the fate of one of his most far-reaching executive actions."
Kelsey Snell of the Washington Post: "The federal budget deficit is expected to increase in 2016 for the first time in six years, due mostly to a massive tax package Congress passed last month as part of a year-end budget deal."
Michael Barbaro of the New York Times: "Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey and his wife, Mary Pat, underwent marriage counseling to wrestle with what he called 'really challenging times' in their relationship. They waited seven years to have children to ensure they 'definitely liked each other.' And to this day they retreat to a walk-in closet to loudly argue away from their children's earshot, according to a new book."
Dana Milbank on what British members of Parliament think of Donald Trump.
*****
David Nakamura of the Washington Post: "The Obama White House is working frantically to quell the political outrage among immigration rights advocates and Latino leaders who say they feel betrayed by a recent series of deportation raids launched by the administration, mostly against women and children from Central America. While the raids continue with administration support, White House aides announced an expanded State Department partnership with the United Nations to resettle Central American refugees in the United States and elsewhere, and Vice President Biden traveled to the region last week to meet with the presidents of Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador."
Eric Levitz of New York: "If the wealthiest 62 billionaires on the planet decided to pool their resources, they could buy up every last thing owned by the 3.6 billion people who make up the poorest half of humanity, according to a new report from Oxfam. The report, which was released just as some of those billionaires were arriving in Davos for the World Economic Forum, shows that the gap between rich and poor has grown wider in recent years: In 2010, the bottom half owned as much as the richest 338 individuals. Analyzing data collected by Credit Suisse, the anti-poverty organization further reports that the global one percent controlled as much wealth as the bottom 99 percent in 2015 -- a milestone that was reached one year earlier than Oxfam had previously predicted." (Also linked yesterday.)
Andrew Roth & William Branigin of the Washington Post: "Jason Rezaian, the Washington Post reporter freed Saturday after almost 18 months of incarceration in an Iranian prison, met with Post editors Monday for the first time since his release and said he was 'feeling good' physically as he recovers in a U.S. military hospital [in Landsthul, Germany]." ...
... Peter Baker of the New York Times: "The Iranian authorities held the wife and mother of the journalist Jason Rezaian without telephones for hours in a separate room at a Tehran airport on Sunday before finally agreeing under American pressure to let them leave along with prisoners released in an exchange with the United States. The last-minute conflict came close to unraveling a prisoner swap that was negotiated during 14 months of secret talks and that had already been announced to the world. In the end, Mr. Rezaian's wife and mother were permitted to fly with him to Europe later on Sunday, but the episode underscored that parts of Iran's factionalized system still strongly resist any rapprochement with the United States." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Emily Shapiro of ABC News: "The price of gas hit a stunning low -- just 47 cents per gallon -- in Michigan on Sunday. Michigan was the first state to have gas under $1 in likely over a decade, Patrick DeHaan, senior petroleum analyst at GasBuddy.com, told ABC News today. A gas station in Houghton Lake, Michigan, hit the 47 cents mark after a price war between three stations in the town, DeHaan said."
Robert Barnes: An Alaskan moose-hunter has his day in the Supreme Court. John Sturgeon's suit challenges the federal government's authority to regulate Alaskan rivers, even in national preserves.
Rebranding -- You're Going to Love These Avaricious Billionaires. Jane Mayer of the New Yorker: "As the Kochs prepare to launch the most ambitious political effort of their lives, they appear to be undergoing the best image overhaul that their money can buy." ...
... Speaking of manipulation, those of you enthralled with or enraged by the Netflix documentary "Making of a Murderer" should read Kathryn Schulz's New Yorker essay. Bronwen Dickey, writing in Slate, makes similar points about the series.
Amy Chozick & Brooks Barnes of the New York Times: "... 'Weiner,' a new documentary that The New York Times was allowed to view exclusively ahead of its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on Sunday, provides an unfettered look at the implosion of [Anthony] Weiner's [New York City] mayoral campaign and a wrenching inside account of [his & his wife's] interactions in the aftermath of his second explicit texting scandal.... The footage also centers on [Weiner's wife Huma] Abedin, who is best known as the closest aide to Hillary Clinton.... The film comes at an uncomfortable time for Mrs. Clinton's presidential campaign, as it grapples with attacks from both the Republican candidate Donald J. Trump and others reminding voters of the more sordid sexual episodes of her husband's past.... 'Weiner,' which will be released in theaters on May 20, is expected to have its television premiere on Showtime in October, just weeks before the general election."
"Happy Slaves." Sara Jerde of TPM: "Scholastic announced Sunday it was pulling 'A Birthday Cake for George Washington' from shelves after it received criticism for the way it depicted happy slaves. The publishing company wrote in a news release that all returns will be accepted and that the book needed more context on the 'evils of slavery.'... The book is about an enslaved worker who bakes the president a birthday cake alongside her daughter.... The publishing company had previously defended the book, saying it approached the topic with the "utmost care" and that it depicted a story of slaves who were living in 'near-freedom' and were happy because they found pleasure in cooking...."
Presidential Race
Amy Chozick: "Facing a tougher than expected challenge from Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, Hillary Clinton's campaign is preparing for a primary fight that could stretch into late April or early May and require a sprawling field operation in states and territories from Pennsylvania to Guam.... For all its institutional advantages, the Clinton campaign lags behind the Sanders operation in deploying paid staff members...." ...
... CW: I find this odd & worrying. Hillary now has been at the center of four presidential campaigns, more than anyone since the Roosevelts. In 2008, she practiced how not to run one. Yet she seems to be doing it again. If her operation can't beat Bernie -- once again because she was overconfident she would wrap up the nomination in February -- what will happen in a general election? ...
... The horse-race touts called the Democratic debate for Bernie Sanders, by a nose. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ...
... Jonathan Chait makes the case against nominating Sanders: "... it seems bizarre for Democrats to risk losing the presidency by embracing a politically radical doctrine that stands zero chance of enactment even if they win."
... Your Philosophy Minute. Harold Meyerson in the American Prospect: "In a sense, [the] difference [between Hillary & Bernie] calls to mind the famous essay by political philosopher Isaiah Berlinabout the fox, who knows many things, and the hedgehog, who knows one important thing. Hillary's the fox, of course; Bernie's the hedgehog." ...
... Henry Farrell in the Washington Post: Bill O'Reilly says that if Bernie Sanders is elected president, he will move to Ireland to escape Sanders-style socialism. Yes, Ireland, where "the effective top Irish income tax rate is a little over half of income"; where the government runs the hospitals & "everyone is entitled to free basic health care in hospitals"; where welfare benefits are far more generous than in the U.S.; & where Billo would not be able to own a handgun (luckily for his family). And the government is even promising to liberalize its draconian anti-abortion laws. Thanks to D.C. Clark for the link. (Also linked yesterday afternoon. Because this is very important.)
Hadas Gold of Politico: "The Republican National Committee officially severed ties on Monday with NBC for what was supposed to be a Feb. 26 Republican primary debate in Houston. Instead, CNN will host the debate in Houston on Thursday, Feb. 25, five days before Super Tuesday. The committee voted via conference call Monday after negotiations with NBC failed.... The RNC initially suspended the relationship with NBC on Oct. 30, following a debate on CNBC that angered many of the campaigns and the RNC for the network's handling of the debate format and the moderators' line of questioning."
David Brooks is desperately seeking Not-Trump/Cruz. Here's his dream candidate: "What's needed is a coalition that combines Huey Long, Charles Colson and Theodore Roosevelt: working-class populism, religious compassion and institutional reform." CW: I didn't make that up. What's most hilarious is that Brooks already has -- and opposes -- two out of his three ideal candidates; i.e., (1) Trump/Long & (2) Cruz (&/or Carson)/Colson. There are no Teddy Roosevelts in today's GOP. ...
... The WashPo's version of Brooks, in the person of Michael Gerson, is also warning against a Trump or Cruz victory: "For Republicans, the only good outcome of Trump vs. Cruz is for both to lose. The future of the party as the carrier of a humane, inclusive conservatism now depends on some viable choice beyond them." CW: The trouble, of course, is that the GOP has not represented "human, inclusive conservatism" for decades.
Meredith Griffiths of ABC News: "British MPs have spent three hours in the House of Commons debating whether they should ban US presidential hopeful Donald Trump.... UK legislators from all sides criticised Mr Trump during the heated discussion, branding him an 'attention seeker', a 'fool', a 'buffoon', a 'demagogue' and a 'wazzock'. But many more lawmakers opposed the ban, saying it would go against free speech. Ultimately the MPs did not vote on the matter, and the Prime Minister, who has the final say, had already indicated he had no intention of banning Mr Trump." ...
... According to Griff Witte of the Washington Post, it's the home secretary, not the PM, who has the authority to ban undesirables. ...
The WashPo is dumping its research on Donald Trump, Real Estate Mogul. Here's the latest installment: Robert O'Harrow: "The Post found that Trump's statements during the campaign about his companies' bankruptcies play down his personal role in the downfall of the Taj [Mahal casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey]. Trump took extreme risks in a shaky economy, leveraged the Taj deal with high-cost debt, and ignored warnings that Atlantic City would not be able to attract enough gamblers to pay the bills, documents and interviews show." It would seem Trump doesn't agree with the paper's reporting: "'This was not personal. This was a corporate deal,' he said. 'If you write this one, I'm suing you.'" ...
... Ben Jacobs of the Guardian: "'I am a Protestant and I am very proud of it,' Donald Trump told Liberty University..., on Monday, as he attempted to appeal to this key demographic in the Republican primary. The GOP frontrunner also told the crowd that if he is elected, 'every store will have to say Merry Christmas'. [CW: Including Katz Deli.] But a biblical reference fell flat when he introduced a passage from 2 Corinthians as 'Two Corinthians' rather than 'Second Corinthians.' Other than this, Trump did not seem to tailor his address to the crowd of clean-cut Christian students. Instead..., [he] talked about his poll numbers and discussed his desire to build a wall on the Mexican border, which he claims that Mexico will pay for." ...
... Kevin Drum: "... today's gaffe, as trivial as it seems, suggests ... that he literally has paid no attention to Christianity at all. In fact, given how hard that is in a country as awash in religious references as the United States, it suggests much more: Donald Trump has spent most of his life actively trying to avoid religion as completely as possible." ...
... CW: Oh, please. The fault lies with the staffer who found the citation (which is about "liberty" -- get it?) & wrote "2 Corinthians" instead of "2nd Corinthians" or "Second Corinthians." A 2 is a "two." I know enough to say "Second Corinthians" should I ever have occasion to do so, but when I read it, I always think "Two Corinthians." Because that's what it says.
... Martin Longman in the Washington Monthly: "Liberty University was founded by Jerry Falwell in 1971, in Lynchburg, Virginia. And Jerry Falwell was a segregationist who badmouthed Martin Luther King, Jr, James Farmer, and Desmond Tutu, and encouraged his followers to invest in the Apartheid regime in South Africa. So, really, Liberty University is a wholly inappropriate place to go to celebrate Martin Luther King Day." ...
... Kevin Cirilli of Bloomberg: "... Donald Trump won glowing praise from a Christian evangelical leader in one of the nation's biggest battleground states on Monday. Jerry Falwell Jr., head of the Virginia-based Liberty University, didn't formally endorse the billionaire, who spoke at the school's convocation, but his remarks went further than for any other candidate to speak there during this race." ...
... Molly Ball of the Atlantic: "There were many unbelievable moments over the course of Donald Trump's speech on Monday at Liberty University.... But the most breathtaking part of Trump's appearance may have come before he spoke. It was his introduction by Jerry Falwell Jr., the school's president and son of its founder, who praised the thrice-married, socially liberal tycoon at great length.... (The Falwells, with their history of racism and misogyny, have often spoken for a branch of the religious right that more thoughtful leaders find distasteful, [Liberty alum Jonathan] Merritt noted; in this, Jerry Falwell Jr.'s comparison of Trump to his father may not have been so far off.)" ...
... CW: Now here is a candidate who is knowledgeable about his Christian faith. This is actually quite an impressive sermon:
... AND it helps explain why Marco has no trouble believing, or at least spouting, other myths, like this one about the wrath of the Angel Ronaldo:
When I become President of the United States, our adversaries around the world will know that America is no longer under the command of someone weak like Barack Obama. And it will be like Ronald Reagan where as soon as he took office, the hostages were released from Iran. -- Marco Rubio, on "Meet the Press" Sunday ...
... CW: I forgot to mention yesterday how completely STUPID (accidentally hit the caps lock; stet) Marco's "I, Reagan" posture was (not to mention, Chuck Todd's failure to call him out). So here's Mike DeBonis of the Washington Post: "It wasn't the case, [Brian Jenkins of the Rand Corporation] said, that the release was simply prompted by a tough-talking Reagan's inauguration -- rather, diplomats under President Jimmy Carter negotiated a resolution finalized on Carter's last full day as president. Carter secured the 52 hostages' release in exchange for the unfreezing of Iranian assets, an American pledge not to meddle in internal Iranian affairs and the creation of a framework for resolving post-revolution financial claims.... Senior Reagan administration officials later went on to engage in secret talks with Iran to gain the release of hostages held by Iranian client groups in Lebanon. The deal negotiated by the Reagan officials included the sale of arms to Iran, the proceeds of which were funneled to right-wing rebels in Nicaragua, later exploding into the Iran-Contra affair." ...
... CW: STUPID is not funny in presidential candidates. I like Paul Waldman's comment: "Some Republican candidates say that when it comes to Iran, when they're president they'll Reagan like Reagan did, with extra Reagan.... [As for] Ronald Reagan's actual record on Iran. Here's a hint: Guess which president sold them weapons to give to terrorists?" ...
... "Die Hard Conservatives." AND here's what Paul Krugman has to say about Marco's Christmas gun that he bought to save his family from ISIS terrorists: "Adults are supposed to realize that they aren't characters in a Bruce Willis movie. But Republican presidential candidates not only have such fantasies, but are proud of them."
"New York Values." Paul Waldman in the Washington Post: "Arguments over cultural affinity are a mainstay of Republican politics, and [Ted] Cruz knows that if he's going to win, it's going to be by traveling a path where folks don't much like big-city Northeasterners, one that starts in Iowa and runs through the South. And that's what Cruz is really talking about when he mentions 'New York values' -- not a specific issue, not liberal politics, but the idea that New York is alien, different, even threatening, and the people from there just aren't our kind of people.... Ted Cruz's home town of Houston (population: 2.2 million) has more in common with New York than with, say, Osterdock, Iowa (population: 59). But bashing the big city is an easy way to tell Republican voters, 'I'm one of you.'" CW: A good deal like putting on blackface to accept the endorsement of the "Duck Dynasty" kook.
Jill Lepore argues in the New Yorker that Ted Cruz is eligible to become president "in the spirit of the Constitution," even if Ted doesn't share that spirit when it comes to everybody else. "To cling to the narrowest possible meaning of 'natural born citizen' is to cling to the narrowest possible understanding of citizenship. That may be what Cruz himself is doing. But it's not what the American people stand for." CW: Personally, I don't mind a bit seeing Cruz hoisted with his own petard.
Katie Zezima of the Washington Post: President Tailgunner Ted would get rid of a lot of stuff. Like the IRS, the ACA & ISIS. CW: I suppose in Ted's mind, one is as bad as the others. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ...
... Zeke Miller of Time: "In an interview with Time in Iowa Sunday, [Chris] Christie issued a sharp rebuttal to [Ted] Cruz, who recently characterized 'the values in New York City' as 'socially liberal and pro-abortion and pro-gay marriage.' Christie called Cruz's language divisive and insulting to the people of New York and of his own state across the Hudson River, before mocking Cruz for taking money from the very people whose views he was disparaging.... 'You want to be President of the United States, you have to unite this country. And for him to somehow be implying that certain values are more appropriate, more American, depending upon what region of the country you're from, is to me just asinine.'"
Beyond the Beltway
So Cal Gas Decides Not to Set Off Catastrophic Explosion. Matt Hamilton of the Los Angeles Times: "Southern California Gas Co. said Monday that it has abandoned a plan to capture and burn the leaking natural gas that has forced thousands of Porter Ranch residents to relocate, citing safety concerns. The announcement came just two days after the South Coast Air Quality Management District announced that the company's proposal to burn the gas would be placed on hold because of the risk of a catastrophic explosion. The AQMD said the burn plan needed approval from state and federal regulators, along with fire officials."
Mara Gottfried of the St. Paul, Minnesota, Pioneer Press: "St. Paul police have placed a sergeant on leave as they investigate a report that he posted on Facebook, 'Run them over,' in response to an article about an upcoming Black Lives Matter protest. The comment detailed what people could do to avoid being charged with a crime if they struck someone during the unpermitted march on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, which blocked traffic on the Lake Street-Marshall Avenue Bridge."
News Ledes
Washington Post: "A high-impact snowstorm for the [Washington, D.C.,] region is nearing inevitability and there is some chance it will be historic, paralyzing travel and disrupting normal routines. Every major computer model is now forecasting double-digit snowfall totals for the D.C. area Friday and Saturday."
New York Times: "Rescue workers on Tuesday combed the beaches and waters off the north shore of Oahu for a fifth day, searching for any sign of 12 Marines who went missing after two helicopters apparently collided last week.... It was not immediately clear what caused the helicopters to disappear. The Marine Corps has released the names of the aircrew." The article includes the names of the Marines.
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Reader Comments (15)
I find it very odd that Amy Chozick paints the Clinton campaign organization as not up to snuff in relation to Sander's. Just last night Ezra Klein was saying how Hillary's campaign was run much more skillfully and had more outreach in the states than Bernie.
Two Corinthians walk into a bar...good lord! all this fuss over the Wazzock's (love that British term for the Donald--means stupid or annoying) wee mistake when the big mistake was speaking at Liberty in the first place. Oh––shucks, I take that back––I keep forgetting Trump's base––Liberty–-bastion of all things Christian sprinkled with the dust of racism, homophobia, sexism...and so much love, as Jerry used to say.
The piece in the New Yorker on "Making a Murderer" is excellent. It only makes the whole mess more intriguing and infuriating.
Meanwhile–-the leaking gas goes on.
Regarding the NY Times piece on the documentary "Weiner." I happen to be close friends with the mother of the filmmaker, Josh Kriegman. Her comment on the article: "This was not how I saw the film--or how it was intended ... (and the part about refusing to let them see the film--totally made up)."
I was surprised at first at the slant the Times took with it--Oh, let's see how we can make this a problem for Hillary--and then realized I wasn't surprised at all.
@Elizabeth: Thanks for your reporting. Most news reports contain some inaccuracies. Year ago, I was often the subject of local news reports, & I was happy with the stories that were at least 85 percent accurate, even if they didn't present me in the best light. (Okay, they usually weren't too incriminating, at least from my POV.)
The problem for Hillary -- and I'm not convinced it's significant -- is that it's a reminder that Bill will be back in the White House. But I think most voters know that story. If Hillary's general-election opponent should try to bludgeon Hillary with a Weiner, it would likely help, not hurt her.
Marie
Regarding the Long/Colson/TR composite candidate serving as an obscure object of desire for Our Miss Brooks, it occurs to me that the Colson comparison requires a bit of tinkering. In order to make a more perfect union of past and present, Cruz or Carson, preferably both, would need to spend some time in prison, a checklist outcome that might certainly obtain should either gain the White House and initiate any of their many promises of illegal activity. But rather than waiting, could we arrange for a little jail time first, please?
Marie, your continued use of the word STUPID makes me want to present another science issue.
All living things evolved for one purpose only - reproduction. As I reminded medical students, your genome doesn't give a damn about you after you finished making babies. So the human mind evolved to ensure enough intelligence to make sure the babies have an environment so they can grow up and make more babies. That's it.
Our brains are not designed to develop computers or go and visit Mars. So a very small proportion of brains have the potential to create technology, a larger number has the ability to understand the technology and the great majority have no idea what I am talking about. They know how to have sex and feed the children and that is it. So the complex environment produced by technology scares the hell out of the majority. The perfect environment for Republican politics.
Now also note that intelligence has two parts, IQ and education. As I like to say, if Einstein was never taught how to read we would never have met him. So Republicans POTUS candidates have two problems with intelligence. Some are not too bright and some simply have no interest in the facts. I doubt that Adolf has ever used Google. As I said before, he and every other GOP candidate never tell lies. They can't because they have no clue what the truth is.
And a perfect example of this type of behavior was provided by Bill O'Reilly.
So commenters on Reality Chex have a rare habit. We keep looking for the truth. Most of America hides from the truth. It is all their brains can do.
And lastly, Stephen Hawking thinks that the human race may come to an end in 100 years. http://www.aol.com/article/2016/01/19/stephen-hawking-humans-may-not-survive-another-100-years/21299325/?icid=maing-grid7|main5|dl1|sec1_lnk2%26pLid%3D-1267646288
And I am willing to bet that none of the Republican candidates will ever see this article.
Don't know how many RCers don't know what to do with their $500 that few Americans have saved, but my wife passed this on to me:
A website where you can donate some of that extra cash, should you have it, to "Getting the Occupiers of the Historic NWR Evicted," or www.gohomemalheur.org
The Oregon brothers who set it up promise that all the proceeds of their (partially tongue in cheek?) fund drive will go to organizations like the Southern Poverty Law Center and other they'd entities they brothers imagine the Bundyites hate.
http://registerguard.com/rg/news/local/33965823-75/story.csp
It's rare, but have to love that social media when it pokes its finger in the right eyes....
The "Reagan like Reagan with extra Reagan" comment referring to the goal of every St. Ronny wannabe (all winger pols, pretty much--with extra Reagan on the side) reminded me of the Monty Python bit about the Dead Bishop in which a woman offers her husband a list of dessert items that all happen to have rat as the main ingredient. Just substitute "Reagan" for "rat":
K: What's for afters?
M: Rat cake, rat sorbet, rat pudding, or strawberry tart.
D: (eyes lighting up) Strawberry tart?
M: Well, it's got *some* rat in it.
K: 'Ow much?
M: Three. Rather a lot, really.
K: Well, I'll have a slice without so much rat in it.
One slice of strawberry tart without so much rat in it later:
K: (putting down fork and knife) Appalling.
So then, could we have a candidate without so much Reagan in it, please?
(Oh, and the bit this comes from may suggest a future direction for Confederates of the Christianist persuasion (all of them), a new law and order group, the Church Police ("What's all this then, Amen?"). Look for President Cruz to send the Church Police out to arrest non-conforming secularists. And anyone who doesn't like extra rat, er, I mean Reagan.
Re Kevin Drum's piece on Trump's faux-Christianity (linked in the Commentariat)...
The awesome title is "Two Corinthians Walk Into A Bar..."
Somebody tell Kevin Drum he can take the rest of the month off.
"CW: ... There are no Teddy Roosevelts in today's GOP."
And ain't it wonderful how the wingers love the Rough Riding, Canal Building, Big Game Hunting, Big Stick Toting TR, while ignoring the Progressive, Trust Busting, National Park Founding, Conservationist?
And Marvin brings up Stephen Hawking. Remember this one?
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/08/12/hawking_british_and_alive/
Marie:
We know you don't like to (your own words I believe) "toot your own horn," but I'm sure I speak for everyone here when I say we'd like to know what local news reports "year ago" in which you were the subject.
The Long and the Short Con(federates)
Marie points out the apparent sincerity beaming from Marco as he Rubios the rubes in the clip linked above, not to mention his donning of the Reagan mantle (I see a small boy wearing his dad's trousers). He really does seem to believe, as do all of the other Confederates in the running, that his snake oil is primo, A#1, gold medal, Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval stuff, sure to cure what ails ya, make you rich into the bargain and help you"remove embarrassing stains from contour sheets".
I'm always a tad awestruck at the ability of these jamokes to lie through their teeth without the slightest hesitation (Carly Liarina's whopper about the live baby having his organs torn out comes to mind). The Rat was a text book exemplar of this technique. That guy would have tried to convince his mother that he wasn't her son if he thought it would get him the White House. And people (some) bought his slick show of manufactured sincerity. Bush, Cheney, both slippery eels, spit out falsehoods like Gatling guns of deceitfulness. Trump, of course, beats all. If he had just told you you looked like a ratty-assed racoon dry humping a tree, in the very next breath he'd ask you what you could be thinking of to accuse him of saying such a stupid thing. Brazen? Like you read about.
How can these people lie with such equanimity? It's not like I've never told a lie (it was actually ME who cut down that cherry tree, Parson Weems!) but I'm pretty awful at it. Not to mention the angst that comes along with it. Not because I'm the morally better person (although there are probably plenty of career criminals morally superior to Ted Cruz), but because I have a hard time making the case for something I know to be untrue.
And I think that may be it.
I listened to an interview last week with Maria Konnikova, a New Yorker scribe who has just come out with "The Confidence Game", a book about, well, con artists. She was asked whether those playing the game were able to convince themselves that their lies were gold plated truth. She replied in the affirmative. According to Konnikova, the best con games are played by those who can get themselves to believe the most outrageous horseshit in order to con the rubes and take their money (or get their votes).
So even though these people are liars of the first order, their game, their success, relies in large part on being able to convince themselves that either their lies are not bad--or not even lies--or that bald-faced mendacity is simply necessary for a better end: their personal empowerment and enrichment.
But worse than that, as Konnikova makes clear, con artists are successful because the people they con want desperately to believe that the snake oil they're hawking is just what they need.
And now here's Marco Rubio with this once in a lifetime offer to purchase a bridge in Brooklyn! Take it away, Marco! After that, he'll help you with your contour sheet problem...
@Nancy: No tooting of horns required. I was on the borough council of a small town in New Jersey, & naturally much of the time I was at odds with other council members over their draconian ideas. In fact, I was elected because I opposed the council's plan to allow trucks carrying chemicals to run thru the town, then dump the chemicals -- perfectly safe when diluted! -- into the Delaware River. (I didn't plan to win -- I looked at the run as a protest against one of the old-timers who was an instigator of the chem-dump plan.)
The council did fairly often come around to my way of thinking -- begrudgingly -- because lots of townspeople agreed with me &, after I raised an issue & it made the local papers, folks would give the rest of the council what-for about it. The mayor found it impossible to be civil to me because he often ended up with egg on his face (or that's my interpretation -- couldn't be because I was a royal pain-in-the-ass).
Anyway, that was back when "all politics was local," and the most mundane matter could become front-page fodder.
Marie
Palin endorses Trump. Of course she does. She needs the spotlight back, she had to sell her home in Arizona and she died off on cable. The "family values" cohort is mumbling in a corner, thanks to the daughter. Palin likely thinks she can score another VP candidacy. For that, she can ignore the dead squirrel on Trump's head. The rest of the shtick (that she comprehends) is pretty much catnip.
Match.com, another successful hook-up.
Diane,
My humorometer measured at least eight smiles in only seven lines...and I'm still smiling. Thanks.
Thanks, Marie, for the explanation of your local involvement and for giving the locals "what-for." You never hear that word anymore, so thanks for that, too.