“I worked with John Kelly, and he was totally unequipped to handle the genius of our great President.”
Stephanie Grisham, Trump’s Press Secretary. The leader in the clubhouse for the North Korean sycophancy award. Western hemisphere division.
Last week’s Demo debate ended with this set up and question from Anderson Cooper:
“Last week, Ellen DeGeneres was criticized after she and former president George W. Bush were seen laughing together at a football game. Ellen defended their friendship, saying, ‘We’re all different, and I think that we’ve forgotten that that’s okay.’ So in that spirit, we’d like you to tell us about a friendship that you’ve had that would surprise us and what impact it’s had on you and your beliefs.”
I thought it was great, in part because no one could’ve prepared for it. Poor Julián Castro for having to bat lead off. He kept swinging wildly, and missing badly, seemingly thinking, “If I just keep talking, maybe I’ll eventually utter something coherent.” But it wasn’t to be, he couldn’t come up with a single name.
Andrew Wang talked about a trucker he spent a few hours with as a part of a recent political event. Not someone he’d ever talked to before or is likely to ever talk to again, thus failing to earn even partial credit.
Amazing, not one true friend markedly different than them.
Buttigieg ran circles around those two and most of the others. He noted that the people he’d learned the most from were friends he’d made in the military:
“People who were radically different from me—different generation, different race, different politics—and we learned to trust each other with our lives.”
Then Buttigieg pivoted and called for national service, a worthwhile proposal deserving of discussion. One argument in support of it? The probability that future candidates’ answers to a “surprising friend” like question will be far more compelling.
Steve Kerr on being singled out by the President of the (dis)United States:
“I realize the horse was out of the barn a long time on this. But for me personally, this was my experience with, wow, has the office sunken low. My hope is that we can find a mature unifier from either party to sit in that chair and try to restore some dignity to the Oval Office again, and I think it will happen.”
Randi Mayem Singer on Twitter where she has changed her name to Randi Great and Unmatched Wisdom Singer:
“BREAKING: The president is refusing to be impeached on grounds that if he were impeached, then he would be impeached.”
Ruth Whippman in a New York Times essay, “Enough Leaning In. Let’s Tell Men to Lean Out.”
“So perhaps instead of nagging women to scramble to meet the male standard, we should instead be training men and boys to aspire to women’s cultural norms, and selling those norms to men as both default and desirable. To be more deferential. To reflect and listen and apologize where an apology is due (and if unsure, to err on the side of a superfluous sorry than an absent one). To aim for modesty and humility and cooperation rather than blowhard arrogance.”
The backlash in the comments from Whippman’s male readers speaks volumes about the validity and importance of her insight.
“What are a few severed body parts among allies?”
From “How to Sell Your Soul to Donald Trump” by Frank Bruni.
Aspiring opinion writers should study this stellar model of devastating and memorable political commentary for hours on end.
A week ago the President of the (dis)United States tweeted, “There has been no President in the history of our Country who has been treated so badly as I have.” Who knows why he capitalized “country”, and why he always plays the victim, something Republicans are never supposed to do.
Trump often wields the phrase “in the history of our country” like Senator-to-be Stuart Smalley using self-affirmations to feel better about himself.
Trump admiring himself in the mirror. . . “Greatest President in the history of the nation.” “Accomplished more than any administration in the history of the country.” It’s like Fox News using “fair and balanced” for their slogan. Continuously repeating it doesn’t make it true.
There’s a problem with these bizarre assertions beyond their laughable inaccuracy. Trump has admitted to not reading, so where is he getting the necessary historical understanding to proclaim himself King of Kings?
The next time he spouts his “history of our country” lunacy, it would be nice to see at least one journo quiz him on what other administrations have accomplished. Rest assured, he will not get the highest score in the history of our Country.
I can’t believe the President released the memo. What’s next, his taxes?
After reading the memo, as bad as things are in the (dis)United States, I feel even worse for the people of Ukraine given their comedian President whose ass kissing is more sickening than funny.
Informative twitter thread on the memo by Brad Simpson, University of Connecticut historian. Starts here.
In a shameless effort to appear a wee bit younger and hipper, I’ve finally started listening to podcasts. Sometimes during the commute, but primarily when I run and cycle with me, myself, and I.
Here are ones I’m enjoying:
Against The Rules by Michael Lewis. About the decline of “referees in American life”. Maybe things really are at least semi-rigged.
The Happiness Lab by Laurie Santos. Yale prof who created a Positive Psychology class that went viral both on campus and later on-line. Since reading this, I’m a positive psychology skeptic, but so far my bullshit alarm has not sounded. Episode 2, “The Unhappy Millionaire” is particularly interesting.
Bundyville by Leah Sottile. Everything you wanted to know about Cliven Bundy and his anti-Government hangers on, but were afraid to ask. Thorough and thought provoking.
The Retirement Answer Man by Roger Whitney. Granted, this one won’t help me appear any younger/hipper, but great case studies of ordinary people trying to save and invest enough to stop working.
Bogleheads on Investing Podcast by Rick Ferri. Interviews with smart financial analysts who adhere to Jack Bogle’s philosophy of investing. Bogle is the recently deceased founder of The Vanguard Group, an investment management group.
Conversation with Tyler by Tyler Cowen. One intellectual talking to others about everything under the sun. Recent guests included Samantha Power and Masha Gessen. Next up, Salmon Rushdie.
The Nation, Start Making Sense. Insightful lefty analysis of current events. My conservative friends will say “insightful lefty” is an oxymoron, but I will not take their bait. :)
What else dear reader should I be listening to on my now pitch black, drizzly morning runs? Think politics, social sciences, personal finance, sports, comedy.
The utter look of terror on the infant’s face is totally understandable. What’s a baby to do? All in on Elizabeth Warren, but not quite old enough to run away from home.
1. Exactly how did the Egyptians build the Pyramid of Khufu and its two great successors on the Giza Plateau? Super detailed which my engineer friends will appreciate. And no, it wasn’t space aliens, supernatural powers, or super-advanced predecessor civilizations. Makes me want to visit.
2. The big lie: What it’s like to cycle illegally as a woman in Iran. The things we, meaning cyclists in the west, take for granted.
“The boy cyclists used to tell me, ‘you have good co-ordination’. I owe this skill to the police — I learnt it when they were chasing me in the car and I used my bike riding to escape.
But there were times when they caught me. It was as though they had caught a thief. They would push me into their car, shouting, with several police women guarding me till we got to a police station. One time they even threw my bike in the street — even then I stuck to my bike and wouldn’t let go of it.”
3. I had the pleasure of serving with Sidney Rittenberg on my university’s Chinese Studies Program committee. Wicked bright, funny, and personable. Who has had as long and interesting a life? The one thing I never understood about him. How two lengthy imprisonments seemingly softened his stance on China, capitalism, and US-China business relations.
4. ‘You Failed Us’: Teen author asks 40 students of color to share their experiences at Seattle schools. The disadvantage of being one of the only students of color in a classroom?
“It’s more than having someone to laugh with during class,” Savage writes. “It’s the advantage of having someone to ask for help on homework, to study for the test with, to stand up for you, to confront the racist teacher with.”
If a country is the “greatest” in the world, what kind of health care system would we expect at minimum?
I spent 15 minutes with a dermatologist recently. She examined my skin; froze one spot; and scraped another small, suspicious one on my upper back; and sent that to the lab. Fortunately, as per usual (so far), it came back as another basal cell carcinoma.
I am very fortunate to have health insurance through my employer. I pay a small amount of the monthly premium, but in exchange for that I have a high deductible, and I am limited to docs in my network.
The bill was $1,058. I owe $812. 40% of Americans can’t afford a $400 emergency. So, what are people doing in light of run away health care inflation? In many cases I’m sure, they’re choosing not to seek care. Which, of course, is more costly in the long run.
This case study may shock international readers, but not my U.S. friends who no doubt have their own depressing stories, some I’m sure, that make mine laughable by comparison.
Pressing Pause 