Month: September 2014

There’s a reason for gerrymandering (Spoiler: it’s called the Voting Rights Act of 1965).

Oh, God, this is rich:

[Ruy] Teixeira stresses that the main structural obstacles facing the Democrats— the legacy of GOP statehouse gerrymandering and the tendency of Democratic voters to be overrepresented in dense urban districts—mean that it’s all but impossible for the party to gain ground in this year’s midterms.

…as if the two conditions were not two sides of the same coin. That ‘gerrymandering’ exists because of those dense urban districts; those ‘dense urban districts’ are heavily minority, and the legislators that represent them are Democrats who are happy to work with Republican legislators to make sure that, frankly, white Democratic legislators take it on the chin.  The problem is, of course, that nobody official can actually come out and say Look, the GOP actually wants as many minority Democratic legislators as possible, given that white Democrats refuse to vote for minority ones and minority Democrats only vote for white ones when they don’t have a choice*.  That would imply that there’s been a Devil’s bargain, signed by multiple fiends… and God forbid that any of us should suggest that. Continue reading There’s a reason for gerrymandering (Spoiler: it’s called the Voting Rights Act of 1965).

Bruce Braley (D CAND, Iowa-SEN)… did *not* vote to authorize air strikes against ISIS.

I don’t care what he says here: Bruce Braley did not make the vote that he says that he made.

As in “I recently had the opportunity to vote to give the President limited authority to begin strikes against terrorists in Iraq and Syria.”  Except… that there hasn’t been a vote.  The President simply up and did it, because he says that the 2002 AUMF covers his actions with regard to Syria and Iraq.

Less than two months after President Barack Obama’s administration called for repeal of the Congressional authorization for the 2002 Iraq war, he is formally citing the 12-year-old measure as a basis for newly expanded airstrikes against the Islamic State of Syria and the Levant.

…Now, I happen to agree with the President on this, but I’m not going to pretend that there’s some kind of new Congressional authorization that covers this.  Why did Bruce Braley?  – Because what Bruce Braley DID vote for was something considerably less bomb-related: Continue reading Bruce Braley (D CAND, Iowa-SEN)… did *not* vote to authorize air strikes against ISIS.

Quote of the Day, I Want Them To Run Away When They See Me Again edition.

From a not-really-a-review of Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor:

The fact that the warlords remember you (previousEncounter=1) and talk trash when you come at them again is cool and unfortunately rather novel. Personally I think more games should have cut scenes where the bad guys acknowledge that I, the protagonist, have in fact killed 800 henchmen at this point in the game, making me one of the most successful spree killers in history.

I’ve thought this, myself. Probably everybody who plays video games has.  …I hope. because otherwise I’m just being weird.  Well, weirder than normal.

Do not expect the Democrats to panic until it is too late.

‘Too late’ being defined in terms of what I would find amusing or seemly, of course. And the reason for this is simple: the Democratic party’s propagandists – both official and unofficial – are no longer dedicated to winning the 2014 election cycle.  What they’re dedicated to right now is the task of keeping their base from panicking.

I could have sworn that I made this analysis before, but I can’t find it, so I guess that I’ll just have to repeat the thought from memory: the 2009 gubernatorial elections in New Jersey and Virginia demonstrate why panic is bad for a political party.  In Virginia: the, well, hapless candidate (Creigh Deeds) was widely considered to be DOOMed a month before the election.  And the Democrats abandoned him in a panic… and in the process also abandoned all the other candidates, which is one reason why in 2009 state Democrats got decimated in the General Assembly* and lost all three statewide positions. Contrariwise, New Jersey Democrats refused to panic, and they ended up with a situation where Chris Christie won election handily, yet failed to supply coat-tails for pretty much anybody else. Continue reading Do not expect the Democrats to panic until it is too late.

Greg Charlie Crist Orman.

First thing that popped into my head when I saw this tweet* about Greg Charlie Crist Orman:

…and this Washington Post article, listing the stuff that Greg Orman doesn’t want to get into.

Greenlight the Keystone XL pipeline? Orman said he doesn’t have enough information to say yes or no.

What about gun control? He said gun restrictions should be “strengthened” but would not specify whether he backs an assault-weapons ban.

And on the biggest question of all — Would he caucus with Democrats or Republicans? — Orman insists he’s not sure.

“It’s not in the best interests for us to say that,” Orman said in an interview here last week.

Continue reading Greg Charlie Crist Orman.

Barack Obama helpfully shows us what epistemic closure looks like.

All up close, and personal, like.

This tweet is making the rounds:

Not much point to further commentary on this, except to note that this is precisely what happens when somebody assumes that they know everything, and nigh-deliberately learns nothing. Although I will admit that it’s not like this is the first time that the people, to more or less quote Glenn Reynolds, have disappointed the Democrats.  That dang messy objective reality…

Moe Lane (crosspost)

PS: It will be fascinating to see who, if anybody, will attempt to justify this rather inane comment by Barack Obama. Because somebody of course will try.  I recommend a reaction to said attempts of basic contempt, with just enough pity to give the whole thing a little flavor…

PPS: Hey, which Democratic candidates agree with Barack Obama on this one?  Anybody?  Anybody?