Miscellaneous And Off Topic Subjects

[hack]

Agreed that the main mistake was having Hillary as candidate.

The conflict-of-interest stuff is really remarkable. Its easy to see impeachment in the near future, if the GOP decides it is in their interests to have Pence instead. It's also easy to see the next for years serving as the best-ever GOTV campaign for the left. But the judicial appointments element of this is scary. If Trump plays along with what the traditional big donors want, we could see a bought judiciary for years.

All is in play, to a much greater extent than usual, but IMO the most likely outcome is that nothing too pre-apocalyptic happens. The swamp's newest residents will find common cause with the more established ones, which is the most lucrative option for all of them. We'll get the distracting social issues in the meantime, so Trump voters won't have to consider that they got played.

[froot loops]

Maybe on the 20-30 year play. It has been in control of the GOP at the state hands for a long time but it's not like Detroit is going away, in fact in 20 years the city will be much stronger than it is now.

[hack]

IMO, no one in the media is asking substantive questions about policy which goes to your second point, DSL. I just turn the TV off when breathless reporters pose questions about Trumps business and the potential for conflicts of interest.


DON'T EVER GET NEWS FROM TV. It's that simple. And, not really from newspapers either, save for the WSJ (non-editorial page) and sometimes the NYT and Post. There's good coverage out there that is focused on policy. War on the Rocks for security. Politico for politics/process stuff. FT, Reuters, Bloomberg. The Economist for big-picture context.

Which reminds me, Geezer -- you asked my opinion on a 60 Minutes segment, I think on Turkey? Didn't see it. Again, I have never and will never get any news from TV. I can guarantee you that if 60 Minutes did it that it is stale and oversimplified.

[hack]

it's not like Detroit is going away, in fact in 20 years the city will be much stronger than it is now.

Why do you think that?

[froot loops]

Because I worked in downtown Detroit in 2008 and work currently down there. The contrast is startling. When they put up Ford Field and Comerica Park, it was a modern ghost town in that area. Now Gilbert is claiming that class A office space is gone and they may have to spill back into the burbs for awhile until new buildings can be built.

Just having a competent mayor in office does wonders and the bankruptcy did wonders.

[Wild Hoss]

Maybe on the 20-30 year play. It has been in control of the GOP at the state hands for a long time but it's not like Detroit is going away, in fact in 20 years the city will be much stronger than it is now.

Its all about the demographics IMO, because all politics are identity politics...which will continue to spurn Talent's overuse of exclamation points and anxiety meds for years to come.

The irony is that many simpletons in the media took the election of Barack Obama as a demographic paradigm shift and ran with it, ignoring the reality that was all around them. The D's have been losing the battle of ID politics...but they didn't figure it out until Nov 9th.

Last I heard they were going to double-down and continue with Pelosi as de facto head of the party, despite the ruination that has befallen it under her leadership. Destined to repeat and all that.

[hack]

Because I worked in downtown Detroit in 2008 and work currently down there. The contrast is startling. When they put up Ford Field and Comerica Park, it was a modern ghost town in that area. Now Gilbert is claiming that class A office space is gone and they may have to spill back into the burbs for awhile until new buildings can be built.

Just having a competent mayor in office does wonders and the bankruptcy did wonders.

Gotcha, ok.

[froot loops]

It will be interesting to see how that new arena works in the Midtown area, there has been an influx of hipsters there.

[hack]

Its all about the demographics IMO, because all politics are identity politics...which will continue to spurn Talent's overuse of exclamation points and anxiety meds for years to come.

The irony is that many simpletons in the media took the election of Barack Obama as a demographic paradigm shift and ran with it, ignoring the reality that was all around them. The D's have been losing the battle of ID politics...but they didn't figure it out until Nov 9th.

Last I heard they were going to double-down and continue with Pelosi as de facto head of the party, despite the ruination that has befallen it under her leadership. Destined to repeat and all that.

I think the election of Obama obscured a reality, but, in hindsight, the atavist reaction to it was obvious. We should have expected a snapback from people feeling threatened.

I don't know what's going on with the Ds. One the one hand, it seems like Sanders/Warren are the face of the party and its spokespeople. On the other, Schumer and Pelosi seem to be the formal power centers. I don't follow closely enough to know, but perhaps the question of whether Sanders gets his boy Ellison into the DNC Chair spot will be telling.

[iam416]

Just for "Wild" Hoss: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/20/op...iberalism.html

I don't consider it particularly insightful as I have argued as much for a long time now. But, it does come from WH's hallowed NYT's editorial pages and, even better, a liberal member of Hoss's beloved academic elite.

I would post block quotes, but, as I said, you've heard it from me already and, to be fair, far more eloquently than this Columbia Humanities jabroni.

[froot loops]

Its all about the demographics IMO, because all politics are identity politics...which will continue to spurn Talent's overuse of exclamation points and anxiety meds for years to come.

The irony is that many simpletons in the media took the election of Barack Obama as a demographic paradigm shift and ran with it, ignoring the reality that was all around them. The D's have been losing the battle of ID politics...but they didn't figure it out until Nov 9th.

Last I heard they were going to double-down and continue with Pelosi as de facto head of the party, despite the ruination that has befallen it under her leadership. Destined to repeat and all that.

I was speaking more in terms of the state of Michigan though. It's not like demographics are going to improve in rural Michigan. Trump showed up a lot, Clinton didn't.

[Jeff Buchanan]

...... speaking of which, DJT just released a YouTube Video - his first public "appearance" with some very general statements that, in milder terms, speaks to what his policies might be as POTUS. None of DJT's more ugly campaign rhetoric about deporting Muslims and Illegal Latinos (Mexicans), building a wall, etc. are mentioned in the video.

One commentator on the video said, we're seeing the better (nicer) side of Trump who knows very well he has two personas. This video seems to be portraying him as presidential and appears to be trying to appeal to those who remain skeptical about his presidency.

It's noteworthy, but not surprising at all to me, that he's working different media handles to get his message out.

[AlabamAlum]

Columbia Humanities?

No thanks! Still paying off Columbia Record Club. 1-cent for 12 Statler Brother albums my ass!

[hack]

I think the bottom line about identity politics is that those are changing. How many brown people would you have to kick out to reverse the long-term trend? Don't know, but for most brown people the motivation to go vote, and to vote for Ds, has never been higher. The question is whether the Ds will fuck this up or not.

[Wild Hoss]

I think the bottom line about identity politics is that those are changing. How many brown people would you have to kick out to reverse the long-term trend? Don't know, but for most brown people the motivation to go vote, and to vote for Ds, has never been higher. The question is whether the Ds will fuck this up or not.

I don't know that there is a long-term trend hack...we've been hearing that there is for 10+ years, and we're in a completely opposite place than what has been predicted by said demographic shifts. This election in particular was repudiation of that line of thinking.

I think we saw an unusual circumstance where, because of a specific candidate, the Ds got certain demographics to punch near their weight in two elections. In the interim, they have not, and the Rs have cleaned their clock. The outlier has been misconstrued as a trend.

There are demos that consistently punch near their weight, and the Rs own most of them. Getting some of those has to be the future.