I used to be disgusted, and now I try to be amused.

[Hank Chinaski]

Originally Posted by Greedy,Greedy,Greedy

Speaker Ryan takes a selfie with the Republican interns. Notice anything here?

There are way more R congress people than 1/2?

[SlaveNoMore]

Originally Posted by Greedy,Greedy,Greedy

Speaker Ryan takes a selfie with the Republican interns. Notice anything here?

A lot more women than in a "Obama on the golf course" photo?

Everyone is smiling, unlike any photos of Hillary's supporters?

Everyone is fairly attractive, unlike any photos of Bernie's supporters?

Bill Clinton gave his cell number to all of the 6 women in the front row?

BTW - are we sure someone didn't just photoshop Ryan into a picture at Facebook? Or Google? Or Yahoo?

SlaveNo(whereas, I'm sure the Keith Ellison photo of interns looks like a Jackson Pollack)More

[taxwonk]

Originally Posted by Greedy,Greedy,Greedy

And who registers them?

Why the Recording Secretary, of course.

[taxwonk]

Originally Posted by Greedy,Greedy,Greedy

Since Wonk did a three-peat

I got to do that. Kind of like the Bulls back when Michael and Scotty ruled the roost. That's why it's called "wonking." Off my corner, ho.

[taxwonk]

Originally Posted by Greedy,Greedy,Greedy

Speaker Ryan takes a selfie with the Republican interns. Notice anything here?

[mic drop]Vote for Trump or all these public employees will lose their jobs.

Just kidding. We'll only take their collective bargaining, health care, and pensions,

[/mic drop]

[Greedy,Greedy,Greedy]

Originally Posted by SlaveNoMore

BTW - are we sure someone didn't just photoshop Ryan into a picture at Facebook? Or Google? Or Yahoo?

Ryan (or one of his staffers) posted this on his instagram feed.

So someone also seems oblivious to how this looks.

But aren't you glad the bitter jokes about Bill are back in now? I mean, it's not like they got old two decades ago, is it?

[Adder]

Originally Posted by SlaveNoMore

Because the slow burn over in Europe that seems to be leading to the modern equivalent of WWI is far less important than - uh, I dunno - a guy that dislikes Planned Parenthood and some other "righty" stuff (so I'm told).

I think world-changing events like these are slightly more important than BS media mud-slinging, but call me an optimist.

Helpfully the nutjob who sparked an HIV outbreak in his state by cutting health care funding and his orange boss are equally unqualified and unworthy of trust to deal with the mess over there too.

[Adder]

Originally Posted by Greedy,Greedy,Greedy

Better than a blog - BOOKS!

For some interesting reading by a (generally fairly conservative) historian, try some of Bernard Lewis' stuff on Turkey - try the essays in "From Babel to Dragomans", there are a couple on the role of the army following Kamal. They really became the guarantors of Kamalism after Attaturk established the Republic, and in that role periodically step in to guarantee a western-oriented Turkish nationalistic regime. They also have a broader role in society than our civilian controlled military, including control over some state owned enterprises.

Some great tweets coming on this stuff.

Someone from Lebanon just tweeted that they can't have a coup d'etat there, since they have no etat.

For some lighter (sorta) reading that touches on some of this, Eric Bogosian's Operation Nemesis is interesting.

More scholarly is The Fall of the Ottomans.

[Greedy,Greedy,Greedy]

Originally Posted by Adder

For some lighter (sorta) reading that touches on some of this, Eric Bogosian's Operation Nemesis is interesting.

More scholarly is The Fall of the Ottomans.

I enjoyed the Fall of the Ottomans. It's pretty readable.

Anyone else looking forward to seeing what our Funk selections will be for the TrumPence Convention?

[SEC_Chick]

Originally Posted by Greedy,Greedy,Greedy

Snark aside, what is the basis for a national right or center/right party in the US today? Where is there a political platform that will have demographic appeal outside of the increasingly smaller group of deep red states?

There is a lot in the Republican platform that annoys me, but more interesting is what there is in it that annoys key constituencies. The two big things seem to me how the Republicans relate to their traditional business communities and how they relate to their cultural warriors. These folks don't seem to get along any more.

With the abandonment of free trade in the platform and presidential candidate for the R's, we're left with neither party formally supporting one of our defining business and foreign policy positions worldwide, as an advocate of free-trade capitalism. This is a massive abandonment of the big business/chamber of commerce types in the Republican party.

There's a significant part of the party that is just not on board with the anti-gay stuff, but you aren't going to keep the CINO evangelical crowd on board without hating on gays. Same on choice issues.

Race is a whole separate issue, and a problem that's not new for the R's. They just keep digging that hole that Nixon started to win over the Wallace/Thurmond types.

http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/ar...ty-realignment


I thought this piece from Bloomberg did a decent job of breaking down the shift in the Republican party. It was always a loose coalition based on an agreement with respect to smaller government and lower taxes, but that has been a commitment of words only for a while now. I no longer know what it is to be a Republican, but I am pretty sure it's not a fit for me any more.

Tonight's theme, Make America Safe Again, sounds like a great slogan for a police state, and the filling of convention speaking spots with Trump family has a bit too much of a North Korea vibe for my tastes. I may continue to vote in the R primary, as in many cases here in TX, it is effectively the election for statewide races, but Mr. Chick and I are being pretty careful with our campaign donation dollars in down ballot races. He wanted to give to the CO Senate candidate, Darryl Glenn, but he agreed not to after he learned Glenn is on the Trump train. It's become a bit of a litmus test.

I almost feel bad for Pence. It seems he was asked today if he agreed with Trump on liking soldiers who weren't captured and stuttered until Trump told him how to respond. Look forward to the next 4 months of that buddy.

I miss the TP logo, because it made me want to put my shirt over my head and do a Cornholio impersonation.

[taxwonk]

Originally Posted by SEC_Chick

I miss the TP logo, because it made me want to put my shirt over my head and do a Cornholio impersonation.

Live streaming video.

[Greedy,Greedy,Greedy]

Originally Posted by SEC_Chick

I miss the TP logo, because it made me want to put my shirt over my head and do a Cornholio impersonation.

While we're on graphics (where's NCS?), cafe press took down a trump shirt because they thought it violated the "Cheetos" trademark. Question for the resident IP experts: doesn't this mean there's a substantial likelihood that Trump could indeed be confused with a mass-produced puffed cheese snack?

[Greedy,Greedy,Greedy]

Originally Posted by SEC_Chick

It was always a loose coalition based on an agreement with respect to smaller government and lower taxes, but that has been a commitment of words only for a while now.

I mean, let's be honest, that's been a joke for quite a while.

Probably the last time anyone thought there was any real chance of a Republican-backed bill actually shrinking government was the first year of the contract on america congress, and the most successful president at shrinking the bureaucracy in our lifetime was Carter (though the award for most successful politicians at shrinking government would have to be a bipartisan award to Gramm, Rudman and Hollings).

[Greedy,Greedy,Greedy]

Originally Posted by taxwonk

Live streaming video.

2.

No, 3. Three peat! Wonked!

[SEC_Chick]

So Dump Trump has signatures from enough state delegations to force a floor vote on the rules package. The Secretary of the Convention is reportedly hiding, literally, behind a curtain and armed guards, to escape delivery of the petition.

Trump's people are on the floor allegedly threatening and intimidating those who signed the petition. The challenge will of course fail, but the delegates want the votes on the record.

As a small government conservative, I have obviously been pretty disappointed with the GOP for many years. It is now beyond shameful. In any case, Trump's new coalition is destined to fail spectacularly, and I will feel nothing but sweet, sweet Schadenfreude. He said he didn't need us and did not even want our support, while at the same time threatening those who opposed him.

ETA: They did the floor vote, forced it through and determined the Ayes had it even though it was pretty balanced. Refused a roll call vote. Chairman walked off the floor. State delegations are walking out. This is an entertaining dumpster fire. Frankly, it looks like they could use a registered parliamentarian.