Chait may be forgetting that he has both houses of Congress and the Supreme Court, plus a bunch of industries, on his side, in a way that simply wasn't true in his first term. Granted, these may have been all of his ideas, but if he has ideas that have to go through Congress -- and this is just a bit of Project 2025 stuff plus DOGE, so there are definitely more ideas -- he's in much better shape now than in his first term.
Obviously the filibuster is an obstacle, but don't be surprised of conservatives suddenly think getting rid of the filibuster is a good idea, and unlike the Feckless Party, actually do it.
You know that, unless you're looking at the "Latest" tab, what you see when you click on a trending topic is curated for you, and is not, say, what I see? Which is all people like "Even the Germans think it was a Nazi salute," and "Don't trust me, trust the actual Nazis," with screenshots of self-professed Nazis saying, "I can't believe he actually did it at the inauguration" or something to that effect.
I've watched the whole clip. It still looks like a Nazi salute. Again, I'm open to other interpretations, but there's only one person who can set the record straight, and so far he's just thanked the ADL.
I'm open to the possibility that it was an awkward gesture, but let's not pretend it isn't pretty much exactly like a Nazi salute. All it would take from Musk to confirm the awkward gesture would be something like, "Yeah, I see it too. I will try not to make that gesture in the future." Without that, he's just inviting both the people who don't like him, and the people who are very excited he just gave their salute, to misinterpret him.
I mean, if he were just some random billionaire, and didn't mind a bunch of people, including actual Nazis, thinking he's a Nazi, that'd be fine, but he's not: he has bought his way into an administration, and he did it at the friggin' inauguration.
On the one hand, this was eminently predictable. On the other hand, if there aren't electoral consequences for candidates who are materially supporting the genocide of your people, what's the point of even participating in elections?
If I were a Palestinian American right now, I'd see that Israel finally accepted a deal that Hamas had accepted 8 months ago, and that it took the intervention of Trump to get Israel to accept it, suggesting that in addition to continuing to supply Israel with the tools of genocide, the Biden administration had been one of the reasons Israel has not accepted Biden's own ceasefire proposal. So yes, from the perspective of a Palestinian looking only at the Middle East, Trump is bad, but is he worse than the guy who made sure that Palestinian children kept dying for 15 months?
Let me also add that both Everything is Recorded and Sampha are great. "Losing You" was also released last week on a 3-song single that features collaborations with mary in the junkyard, Noah Cyrus, and for us Xers, Bill Callahan. All 3 tracks are good, though Losing You is definitely the best of the 3.
Sampha is featured on a single released this week by John Clacier, Ocean Steppin': Sampha's voice is as divine as ever. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cDRFn2jUQAM
I'll try to drop some in later, but for now you can listen to the whole thing here (I recommend shuffle):
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/16DoIbNw0mO65tFKal7Juc?si=VuwaziEQSsqPfsCfnxC45w&pi=wBi0nY-BTfSpl
It's funny, my Twitter timeline is just Zoomers finding out China isn't a hellscape.
(China has a 40 hour work week, in case Jaybird's joke looks serious.)
It's weird that this story is only reported by The Information. It's not that I doubt that China's censoring content, but I am wary of drawing broad conclusions based on a single story in a tech news rag relying entirely on anonymous sources.
I think the circle of social conservatives is almost entirely contained within the circle of angry populists in the Euler diagram of American politics.
Though with so many of them moving to Texas, and Austin in particular, maybe it'll become more of a thing for them (it is quasi-legal in Texas, but this rests on a legislative blunder, and there will at least be efforts to undo this in this year's session).
It's not Hamas who's afraid of Trump. Hamas had agreed to basically this deal in May, and at least 2 other times. What's more, Hamas was able to get some last minute concessions that hadn't been in the May Biden deal that they had, again, already agreed to. It is Israel who is afraid of Trump. .
The best tweet I saw about this was something like, "If the Democrats had known losing the election would result in a ceasefire, they'd have tried harder to win it."
Or north. with California's farming, Silicon Valley, and shipping, Texas' oil and tech, Colorado's tourism, Kansas' wheat, Utah's Mormons, I mean tourism, and whatever it is that happens in Phoenix to draw so many people there, the economy of Mexico changes dramatically overnight.
My father is an older Boomer ('49). When his mother died, we found his old mop top wig in the attic, from when he was in a Beatles cover band in 1963-64. So it goes without saying that I grew up with the Beatles playing a lot.
I remember watching a late night TV preacher, many, many years ago, when he said he was a huge fan of the Beatles stuff, but only their early work, not their later godless hippie music, and though this was before the era of the "hot take," I still consider that to be the hottest Beatles take I've ever heard. I mean, if someone says they just don't like them, I get it, à chacun son goût, but to just love the teeny bopper stuff? That's going too far.
*Comment archive for non-registered commenters assembled by email address as provided.
On “Open Mic for the week of 1/20/2025”
Chait may be forgetting that he has both houses of Congress and the Supreme Court, plus a bunch of industries, on his side, in a way that simply wasn't true in his first term. Granted, these may have been all of his ideas, but if he has ideas that have to go through Congress -- and this is just a bit of Project 2025 stuff plus DOGE, so there are definitely more ideas -- he's in much better shape now than in his first term.
Obviously the filibuster is an obstacle, but don't be surprised of conservatives suddenly think getting rid of the filibuster is a good idea, and unlike the Feckless Party, actually do it.
On “Trump Term Two, Day One, Executive Orders”
The new Gilded Age will surely be an adventure.
On “Open Mic for the week of 1/20/2025”
You know that, unless you're looking at the "Latest" tab, what you see when you click on a trending topic is curated for you, and is not, say, what I see? Which is all people like "Even the Germans think it was a Nazi salute," and "Don't trust me, trust the actual Nazis," with screenshots of self-professed Nazis saying, "I can't believe he actually did it at the inauguration" or something to that effect.
"
I've watched the whole clip. It still looks like a Nazi salute. Again, I'm open to other interpretations, but there's only one person who can set the record straight, and so far he's just thanked the ADL.
"
I'm open to the possibility that it was an awkward gesture, but let's not pretend it isn't pretty much exactly like a Nazi salute. All it would take from Musk to confirm the awkward gesture would be something like, "Yeah, I see it too. I will try not to make that gesture in the future." Without that, he's just inviting both the people who don't like him, and the people who are very excited he just gave their salute, to misinterpret him.
I mean, if he were just some random billionaire, and didn't mind a bunch of people, including actual Nazis, thinking he's a Nazi, that'd be fine, but he's not: he has bought his way into an administration, and he did it at the friggin' inauguration.
"
On the one hand, this was eminently predictable. On the other hand, if there aren't electoral consequences for candidates who are materially supporting the genocide of your people, what's the point of even participating in elections?
If I were a Palestinian American right now, I'd see that Israel finally accepted a deal that Hamas had accepted 8 months ago, and that it took the intervention of Trump to get Israel to accept it, suggesting that in addition to continuing to supply Israel with the tools of genocide, the Biden administration had been one of the reasons Israel has not accepted Biden's own ceasefire proposal. So yes, from the perspective of a Palestinian looking only at the Middle East, Trump is bad, but is he worse than the guy who made sure that Palestinian children kept dying for 15 months?
On “Weekend Plans Post: One Single Good Song in 2024”
I've been exceptionally busy, but I've got a list ready to start posting, so maybe with this long weekend.
"
Oh yeah, it was released last year, I think on a single with the Callahan collaboration.
I dunno what how the music industry works these days, but releasing songs on multiple singles seems common now.
"
Let me also add that both Everything is Recorded and Sampha are great. "Losing You" was also released last week on a 3-song single that features collaborations with mary in the junkyard, Noah Cyrus, and for us Xers, Bill Callahan. All 3 tracks are good, though Losing You is definitely the best of the 3.
Sampha is featured on a single released this week by John Clacier, Ocean Steppin': Sampha's voice is as divine as ever. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cDRFn2jUQAM
So we've already got good songs in 2025, too.
"
I'll try to drop some in later, but for now you can listen to the whole thing here (I recommend shuffle):
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/16DoIbNw0mO65tFKal7Juc?si=VuwaziEQSsqPfsCfnxC45w&pi=wBi0nY-BTfSpl
"
My list of songs I like that were released in 2024 is currently 62 hours and 33 minutes.
On “Open Mic for the week of 1/13/2025”
It's funny, my Twitter timeline is just Zoomers finding out China isn't a hellscape.
(China has a 40 hour work week, in case Jaybird's joke looks serious.)
It's weird that this story is only reported by The Information. It's not that I doubt that China's censoring content, but I am wary of drawing broad conclusions based on a single story in a tech news rag relying entirely on anonymous sources.
"
They're blocking us on an app, we're banning an entire app to keep their content from Americans... It's like we're soul mates!
"
RIP David Lynch.
On “Trump’s Ace in the Hole”
I think the circle of social conservatives is almost entirely contained within the circle of angry populists in the Euler diagram of American politics.
On “The Shakedown”
Yeah, legal in Cali, so why bother? FYIGM.
Though with so many of them moving to Texas, and Austin in particular, maybe it'll become more of a thing for them (it is quasi-legal in Texas, but this rests on a legislative blunder, and there will at least be efforts to undo this in this year's session).
"
So basically the libertarian experience in the 90s/Aughts?
On “Reports: Isreal and Hamas Agree To Cease-fire Deal”
It's not Hamas who's afraid of Trump. Hamas had agreed to basically this deal in May, and at least 2 other times. What's more, Hamas was able to get some last minute concessions that hadn't been in the May Biden deal that they had, again, already agreed to. It is Israel who is afraid of Trump. .
The best tweet I saw about this was something like, "If the Democrats had known losing the election would result in a ceasefire, they'd have tried harder to win it."
On “No Fighting In the War Room: Pete Hegseth Confirmation Hearing Livestream Edition”
If we're in a two front war against Russia and China, I suspect we'll have much bigger problems.
On “Open Mic for the week of 1/13/2025”
Or north. with California's farming, Silicon Valley, and shipping, Texas' oil and tech, Colorado's tourism, Kansas' wheat, Utah's Mormons, I mean tourism, and whatever it is that happens in Phoenix to draw so many people there, the economy of Mexico changes dramatically overnight.
"
Make Texas Mexico Again!*
*Also everything taken in the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo.
On “Trump Sentenced to Unconditional Discharge in NY Criminal Case”
Parli italiano? No lo sapevo.
On “Open Mic for the week of 1/6/2025”
My father is an older Boomer ('49). When his mother died, we found his old mop top wig in the attic, from when he was in a Beatles cover band in 1963-64. So it goes without saying that I grew up with the Beatles playing a lot.
"
I like Paul too (I meant Paul as the 1 of 4), but yeah, I like George until he starts singing about money.
"
I remember watching a late night TV preacher, many, many years ago, when he said he was a huge fan of the Beatles stuff, but only their early work, not their later godless hippie music, and though this was before the era of the "hot take," I still consider that to be the hottest Beatles take I've ever heard. I mean, if someone says they just don't like them, I get it, à chacun son goût, but to just love the teeny bopper stuff? That's going too far.
*Comment archive for non-registered commenters assembled by email address as provided.