Jonathan Rauch has a new article up at the Atlantic that is basically a rehash an updating of his free book Political Realism: How Hacks, Machines, Big Money, and Back-Room Deals Can Strengthen American Democracy. The article is getting praise from people like Robert Samuelson.1 Last fall, I devoted three posts to refuting Jon’s little…
David Brooks on the Road to Character
You’ve always wanted David Brooks’ classic Road to Character in a dee-lux, golden, signed edition, haven’t you? Sure you have! Go ahead! Admit it! It feels good, doesn’t it? This shining, gold on gold on gold edition of Dave’s masterpiece, a full six inches wide by nine inches high, will take pride of place in…
Brexit, Part 2: What is to be done?
The impact of Brexit continues to roil and rumble. Paul Krugman say’s it’s not that big a deal—well, not unless you live in the UK itself, where “it looks all too likely that the vote will both empower the worst elements in British political life and lead to the breakup of the UK itself.” So,…
Alan Vanneman’s absolutely unique take on Brexit
That’s right: Other sites sell you candy pills, but here’s the real dope.1 Plenty of people2 are having a high old time praising the Brexit vote as an uprising of the “people” against the pointy-heads, ignoring the fact that the vote also polarized the old against the young, and the “Celtic Fringe”—Scotland and Northern Ireland—against…
Pseudo New Yorker
Legal humor here. “Because Mommy likes to win.” “Fuck yeah it’s CPSC-approved!” “Oh, Hell yes! It’s as age-appropriate as a mother fucker!” “Because Baby likes to feel the Burnie, that’s why.” “At our house we believe in manual transmissions. Manual transmissions and a whole lot of other things.” “I’m a…
Larry Wilmore for due process
Comedy Central’s Larry Wilmore is taking on the “No Fly” list, suggesting, among other things, that the list in itself is a violation of due process and that expanding it to become a “No Fly, No Buy” list simply compounds the injustice. Larry also notes shrewdly that anything endorsed by both Donald Trump and Hillary…
Art Pepper—“Rhythm a Ning”
Art Pepper, doing a very nice job with Monk’s take on Gershwin’s “I Got Rhythm,” known in the biz as “Rhythm changes.” With Milcho Leview, piano, Tony Dumas, bass, and Carl Burnett, drums. Not clear when it was filmed. Posted by Jazzoduc13
Democrats hold a Tea Party
From all accounts, Democrats in the House of Representatives are delirious over their defiance of decorum, their recent all-nighter on the House floor, where they pushed the envelope to the extent of shouting down House Speaker Paul Ryan, perhaps the most pummeled personage in the history of this blog. Well, I have a hard time…
Pseudo New Yorker
Legal humor here. “Thrust and parry! Thrust and parry! Hey, big guy, we’ll make a soldier out of you yet!” “’Smatter, boy! Can’t handle a lefty?” “Oops! Too much ice tea put out your fire? Whoever left all those potato chips lying around sure didn’t do you a favor!” “Oh, sure! Fire’s…
Loretta Lynch, super hack
Loretta Lynch is our first black female U.S. attorney general, and there’s a reasonably good chance that she will also be our worst black female U.S. attorney general, because, frankly, you’d have to go pretty far to be more of a witless hack than poor Loretta, who simply can’t tell the difference between the Obama…