The photos of the "crowds" at the tank parade remind me of when Bill Hicks would come on stage in an almost-empty club, scan the room slowly, and announce "I've had more people in bed than this" ...
When the president sends a cabinet member on TV to announce "We are using the military to liberate an American city from its elected leaders," where do you go from there. What is left to say. The idea of that being anything short of a near-universal "Wait, what the fuck is going on" moment proves how far we've backslid.
This is from 2022 but it was absolutely right. The practiced buffoonery of Trump 1, all the "just kiddings" and "seriously but not literallys" absolutely succeeded in desensitizing people who are hardly paying any attention to the harder stuff they always intended to do next. ...
The basic fallacy in chasing votes by being "tough on immigration" is that the modal American's position on the issue is "Deport the Bad ones and keep the Good ones," and they alone know who is which, and that simply does not translate into workable policy. So this kind of gestapo stuff horrifies some of the same people who cheered when Trump promised to do it. There are true sociopaths who love this, but "No, I meant only the BAD immigrants! Not my coworker/friend/neighbor!" is as likely a reaction as enthusiasm. You cannot do immigration policy that satisfies these people because what they want is nonsensical.
So by the time center-left parties fully commit to chasing the far right by "getting tough" on immigration, the backlash has already begun to build and they walk right into it. "I thought you people wanted this!" No, they want something impossible and convinced themselves they'd could have it - the "eat whatever you want AND lose weight!" of immigration policies.
It is hard to grasp but large masses of Americans are both racist/xenophobic AND not racist/xenophobic enough to applaud what Trump is doing. It's goldilocks shit, they want a level of racism/xenophobia calibrated exactly to their personal preferences, and you just can't make that policy. Don't try. ...
AP: Trump extends olive branch, invites Musk to White House cellar to taste some brand new amontillado ...
Elle says:
Take care of yourself, Ed. While vastly less entertaining, other blogs are available.
belle says:
same thing here, in another college town. traffic is a real bitch, too.
TValtharp says:
But…but…I've already *paid*.
acer says:
Your sudden lapse in productivity has done wonders for my self esteem.
Landru says:
Your politeness is a model for all, sir. From a functional perspective, I find that "Fuck you, I'm not your monkey" works pretty well too. Just sayin'.
SandStoneSun says:
Much thanks to you and all teachers this graduation season.
As someone who saw every My Three Sons episode at least 5 times and every Beverly Hillbillies at least 10 times and (skipping Lucy and Leave it to Beaver, etc.) every Gilligan's Island probably at least 20 times, I'm not immune to the allure of reruns. I'm not even immune to the allure of Rerun.
Here is Six Years Ago In G&T(5/18/2006) which gave me a huge "Awwwwww" as I see that Ed's comment is the longest of four.
anotherbozo says:
this disappointment, AND a split infinitive? Is there no end to his insults?
but Elle, alas, is right.
Mo says:
oh sweet jesus…this means my back's to the wall, I have to go read Mike's latest at Rortybomb.
cyclical-structuralist divide redux
I maybe understand the title, so we're off to a good start [pours another vat of coffee, not wanting to lose concentration and get dragged into the brush and eaten].
Chicagojon says:
I just figured you were microtrading Facebook
c u n d gulag says:
Seriously, you've always been terrific.
You deserve a break from NPF, so take one already.
And don't feel guilty.
So?
What?
Break done?
NO!
OK, then – NPS tomorrow?
Right?
And I was kidding about the break part – get back to work – slacker!
:-)
Neal Deesit says:
You hear it everywhere, so why not here: "Is the date of this historic non-posting going to be on the test?"
Hazy Davy says:
When I was younger, I wanted to be a cockroach shower. So Marsha and I got our guns, and went to the bike shop.
"Do you have any kiwi chapstick?" I asked the dolphin.
And he said "Screw you, tree-hugger." I'd never been so happy in all my life.
We flew the buffalo until all of the ceilings were obsolete. "That'll show 'em," the engineer squealed. "Yep, that'll …" and then he vomited a purple paste all over the sky.
The moral of this story is: don't count your sickles before lapel crimes.
c u n d gulag says:
Hazy Dazy,
When, at the Woodstock Festival in 1969, the stage announcement was made by legendary radio disc jockey Wavy Gravy, telling people:
"To get back to the warning that I received. You may take it with however many grains of salt that you wish. That the brown acid that is circulating around us isn't too good. It is suggested that you stay away from that. Of course it's your own trip. So be my guest, but please be advised that there is a warning on that one, ok?" you obviously DIDN'T listen!
Lovely, and hysterical thought, though…
Er… uhm… got any left?
"Sharing, is caring!"
Hazy Davy says:
Sometimes, the best way to hold on to your sanity is to act a little crazy.
(I almost cut my hair, c u n d gulag, but I'm busy growing a ZZ Top beard, as a protest. Alas, I wasn't on Yasgur's farm. My parents were busy being the man. And I was quite young at the time.)
c u n d gulag says:
I was 11, and we had just moved the previous month from NYC to upstate NY – but to the wrong side of the river.
I still remember the TV coverage of the NY State Thruway being backed-up with cars, and the other traffic messes because of that, so there went any chance of hitchin'-a-ride across the river.
I outgrew my long hair about 2 decades ago – got too tall for it, I guess, so it left me a long, long, time ago… :'-(
My 13 year-old cousin ran away from home, and made it to Woodstock – unfortunately, she took a bus to Woodstock, Vermont.
I can imagine one of the locals, when she asked him how to get to the concert, saying, "Ya can't get theah frohm heaah…"
She's a MENSA member, a brilliant poet, and still doesn't want to talk about that.
Robert Savage says:
Are you sure you are not just too busy drinking gin and eating tacos? Fess up!