Unless you have a Washington Post account, you'll need to google "trump boomerang" and click on the first link to be able to read this article (if you do have an account, here's the link: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/behold-the-trump-boomerang-effect/2017/07/30/8534a696-73ac-11e7-8839-ec48ec4cae25_story.html?utm_term=.ae30fdb60dff).
But it's worth it to see how Trump's attempts to damage our world and our society keep causing an opposite reaction.
Important and/or interesting political articles that often don't make the headlines but are worth a look.
Monday, July 31, 2017
The GOP Is No Longer A ‘Conservative’ Party
I remember having respect for the Republican party, even when I didn't agree with them. That was many, many years ago:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/republicans-no-longer-conservative-party_us_59767dd6e4b0e201d5776f8c
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/republicans-no-longer-conservative-party_us_59767dd6e4b0e201d5776f8c
Data Shows Summers are Now Either “Hot” or “Extremely Hot” Compared to 50 Years Ago
More evidence to use on climate change deniers:
https://futurism.com/data-shows-summers-are-now-either-hot-or-extremely-hot-compared-to-50-years-ago/
https://futurism.com/data-shows-summers-are-now-either-hot-or-extremely-hot-compared-to-50-years-ago/
Sunday, July 30, 2017
Who's Afraid of Donald Trump? Good Question.
And this is how the tide turns:
http://time.com/4878779/trump-healthcare-sessions-russia/?xid=newsletter-brief
http://time.com/4878779/trump-healthcare-sessions-russia/?xid=newsletter-brief
Saturday, July 29, 2017
Powerful testimony on exactly what Vladimir Putin wanted from Trump and why
A very interesting perspective on why there was such a push by Russians to overturn the Magnitsky Act:
https://m.dailykos.com/stories/2017/7/28/1684989/-William-Browder-breaks-down-exactly-what-Putin-wanted-from-Trump-and-why
https://m.dailykos.com/stories/2017/7/28/1684989/-William-Browder-breaks-down-exactly-what-Putin-wanted-from-Trump-and-why
Thursday, July 27, 2017
Anthony Scaramucci Called Me to Unload About White House Leakers, Reince Priebus, and Steve Bannon
THIS is what our government officials have come down to. Can you imagine how quickly this jerk would have been out on his ass if he had been in Obama's administration?
http://www.newyorker.com/news/ryan-lizza/anthony-scaramucci-called-me-to-unload-about-white-house-leakers-reince-priebus-and-steve-bannon
http://www.newyorker.com/news/ryan-lizza/anthony-scaramucci-called-me-to-unload-about-white-house-leakers-reince-priebus-and-steve-bannon
Republicans’ Obamacare repeal drive has revealed a political system where words have no meaning
The level of hypocrisy in the GOP, especially Mitch McConnell, is truly mind-blowing:
https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/7/27/16035644/republicans-obamacare-repeal-lying
https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/7/27/16035644/republicans-obamacare-repeal-lying
Tuesday, July 25, 2017
Utilities Knew About Climate Change Back In 1968 And Still Battled The Science
That's why regulation and oversight are so critical. Corporations are amoral, if not evil, and have priorities other than the long-term health of the planet and society:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/utilities-climate-change_us_597673e0e4b0c95f375dd60d
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/utilities-climate-change_us_597673e0e4b0c95f375dd60d
Whatever You Do, Do Not Take Your Eye Off Trump’s War on Science
Trump's anti-science agenda is shaping up to be the scariest thing about his administration:
http://www.slate.com/blogs/future_tense/2017/07/25/do_not_take_your_eye_off_trump_s_war_on_science.html
http://www.slate.com/blogs/future_tense/2017/07/25/do_not_take_your_eye_off_trump_s_war_on_science.html
House Science Committee Chair Says Climate Change Is A Good Thing
Of all the fucking ignorant stupidity...
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/lamar-smith-climate-change-beneficial_us_59765a54e4b0e201d577466d
For every good thing there will be ten BAD things!
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/lamar-smith-climate-change-beneficial_us_59765a54e4b0e201d577466d
For every good thing there will be ten BAD things!
Monday, July 24, 2017
The Triumph of Obama’s Long Game
A conservative says of Obama's ACA: "a testament to the skills and vision and tenacity of our greatest living president, whose political shadow completely eclipses the monstrous, ridiculous fool who succeeded him." Nicely said.
http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2017/07/the-triumph-of-obamas-long-game.html
http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2017/07/the-triumph-of-obamas-long-game.html
Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation, and why Trump is so afraid of it, explained
An excellent breakdown of the investigation into Trump and Russia:
https://www.vox.com/world/2017/7/24/16008272/robert-mueller-fbi-trump-russia-explained
https://www.vox.com/world/2017/7/24/16008272/robert-mueller-fbi-trump-russia-explained
Obama Derangement Syndrome
Lest we forget the vitriol conservatives dumped on Obama, who was better than Trump by virtually every presidential metric:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IhUrwWNlKuE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IhUrwWNlKuE
Saturday, July 22, 2017
Trump Is Setting The Stage To Fire Mueller
How far will he go before the GOP in Congress kicks back?
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/trump-is-setting-the-stage-to-fire-mueller_us_59721e4ae4b0545a5c30ff98
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/trump-is-setting-the-stage-to-fire-mueller_us_59721e4ae4b0545a5c30ff98
Friday, July 21, 2017
Of course he did: Trump picked climate science denier for Ag Department's top science post
Senate Confirms Federal Judge Who Compared Abortion To Slavery
Apart from hypothetical scenarios (e.g., nuclear war), actions like this are the biggest Trump nightmare:
The Trump Administration Has Quietly Cut More Than $213 Million From Teen Pregnancy Prevention Programs
Way to go, you short-thinking bastards:
http://time.com/money/4864983/teen-pregnancy-prevention-program-funding-cuts/
http://time.com/money/4864983/teen-pregnancy-prevention-program-funding-cuts/
Thursday, July 20, 2017
The Hard-Right Sticks With Trump No Matter What
This is the worst legacy of Trump:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/the-hard-right-sticks-with-trump-no-matter-what_us_5970eddae4b062ea5f9092e5
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/the-hard-right-sticks-with-trump-no-matter-what_us_5970eddae4b062ea5f9092e5
Immediate Carbon Capture is Critical to Avoiding Extreme Climate Change, Scientists Say
Oh, fuck. We need a moonshot for developing nanotechnology to enable negative emissions ASAP:
https://futurism.com/immediate-carbon-capture-is-critical-to-avoiding-extreme-climate-change-scientists-say/
https://futurism.com/immediate-carbon-capture-is-critical-to-avoiding-extreme-climate-change-scientists-say/
How Deranged Are Trump Supporters? New Poll Shows That It's Worse Than You Ever Imagined
Welp, time to completely ignore trying to recruit Trump voters and instead assemble the messages everyone else wants and run on that:
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2017/7/19/1682182/-How-Deranged-Are-Trump-Supporters-New-Poll-Shows-That-It-s-Worse-Than-You-Ever-Imagined
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2017/7/19/1682182/-How-Deranged-Are-Trump-Supporters-New-Poll-Shows-That-It-s-Worse-Than-You-Ever-Imagined
I’m a scientist. I’m blowing the whistle on the Trump administration.
Scientists need to fight back more:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/im-a-scientist-the-trump-administration-reassigned-me-for-speaking-up-about-climate-change/2017/07/19/389b8dce-6b12-11e7-9c15-177740635e83_story.html
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/im-a-scientist-the-trump-administration-reassigned-me-for-speaking-up-about-climate-change/2017/07/19/389b8dce-6b12-11e7-9c15-177740635e83_story.html
Inside the Secret Plan to Stop Vladimir Putin’s U.S. Election Plot
A comprehensive look at the whole election hacking issue:
http://time.com/4865982/secret-plan-stop-vladimir-putin-election-plot/
http://time.com/4865982/secret-plan-stop-vladimir-putin-election-plot/
Team Trump Used Obamacare Money to Run PR Effort Against It
This is all kinds of wrong:
http://www.thedailybeast.com/team-trump-used-obamacare-money-to-run-ads-against-it
http://www.thedailybeast.com/team-trump-used-obamacare-money-to-run-ads-against-it
Excerpts From The Times’s Interview With Trump
Trump confuses life insurance with health insurance, and other stupid things Trump blathers:
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/19/us/politics/trump-interview-transcript.html
http://www.cnn.com/2017/07/20/politics/trump-new-york-times-interview/index.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/19/us/politics/trump-interview-transcript.html
http://www.cnn.com/2017/07/20/politics/trump-new-york-times-interview/index.html
Wednesday, July 19, 2017
Sean Hannity Attacks ‘Pampered, Overpaid, Spoiled’ GOP For ‘Epic Failure’
The beautiful sound of conservative extremists attacking one another:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/sean-hannity-attacks-pampered-overpaid-spoiled-gop-for-epic-failure_us_596efb14e4b0a03aba85cc7a
Well ranted!
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/sean-hannity-attacks-pampered-overpaid-spoiled-gop-for-epic-failure_us_596efb14e4b0a03aba85cc7a
Well ranted!
Wendy Davis: Why Isn’t Texas Addressing Its Staggering Maternal Mortality Rate?
For those who wonder what healthcare in conservative states is like:
http://motto.time.com/4862727/wendy-davis-texas-maternal-mortality-rate/?xid=newsletter-brief
http://motto.time.com/4862727/wendy-davis-texas-maternal-mortality-rate/?xid=newsletter-brief
Tuesday, July 18, 2017
WSJ torches Trump and Don Jr.: ‘They have created the appearance of a conspiracy’
So now even the conservative WSJ is attacking the Trump administration:
https://www.yahoo.com/news/wsj-torches-trump-don-jr-created-appearance-conspiracy-144342071.html
Nice!
https://www.yahoo.com/news/wsj-torches-trump-don-jr-created-appearance-conspiracy-144342071.html
Nice!
Monday, July 17, 2017
I Ran Oppo Research Against Donald Trump. He Has No Idea What He’s Talking About.
More evidence Hair Furor has no idea what he's doing:
http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/07/15/i-ran-oppo-research-against-donald-trump-he-has-no-idea-what-hes-talking-about-215381
http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/07/15/i-ran-oppo-research-against-donald-trump-he-has-no-idea-what-hes-talking-about-215381
Saturday, July 15, 2017
Trump Is Violating The Iran Deal
More pettiness against Obama and reckless behavior from Trump, which isn't getting much coverage:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/trump-is-violating-the-iran-deal_us_5968cd05e4b03389bb16ccdb
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/trump-is-violating-the-iran-deal_us_5968cd05e4b03389bb16ccdb
GOP-Led House Approves Defense Bill Declaring Climate Change a 'Direct Threat to National Security'
At least the military gets it. And this is a screw you to Trump. But the GOP approves???
http://time.com/4858987/defense-bill-climate-change-military-spending/?xid=newsletter-brief
http://time.com/4858987/defense-bill-climate-change-military-spending/?xid=newsletter-brief
The Uninhabitable Earth
How bad it could very well be:
http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2017/07/climate-change-earth-too-hot-for-humans.html?mc_cid=077aedcc63&mc_eid=c4215c6c8c
http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2017/07/climate-change-earth-too-hot-for-humans.html?mc_cid=077aedcc63&mc_eid=c4215c6c8c
Friday, July 14, 2017
How Donald Trump Jr.'s Emails Have Cranked Up the Heat on His Family
A good primer on the whole Donald Trump Jr. mess:
http://time.com/4856233/donald-trump-jr-emails/?xid=newsletter-brief
http://time.com/4856233/donald-trump-jr-emails/?xid=newsletter-brief
Wednesday, July 12, 2017
What Would Happen If Humans Disappeared?
Assuming we succumb to climate change (won't happen, but still this is an interesting thought experiment):
https://futurism.com/videos/what-would-happen-if-humans-disappeared/
https://futurism.com/videos/what-would-happen-if-humans-disappeared/
Teen Abortions Surged In Texas After Republicans Defunded Planned Parenthood
As if we couldn't see this coming:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/texas-planned-parenthood-teen-abortion_us_59653229e4b09b587d63018a
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/texas-planned-parenthood-teen-abortion_us_59653229e4b09b587d63018a
Tuesday, July 11, 2017
The Majority Of Republicans Think Colleges Are Bad For The U.S., Poll Shows
This is so profoundly wrong:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/republicans-college-poll_us_59639fe2e4b0d5b458ec4481
They truly are the party of stupid....
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/republicans-college-poll_us_59639fe2e4b0d5b458ec4481
They truly are the party of stupid....
Monday, July 10, 2017
Report: The U.S. Will Exceed Its Paris Accord Goals Despite Trump’s Official Withdrawal
America and reality sticks its thumb in Trump's eye:
https://futurism.com/report-the-u-s-will-exceed-its-paris-accord-goals-despite-trumps-official-withdrawal/
https://futurism.com/report-the-u-s-will-exceed-its-paris-accord-goals-despite-trumps-official-withdrawal/
Why Trump Pulling Out of the Paris Agreement Led to a Stronger Global Climate Change Plan
Sometimes it takes a villain to inspire heroes:
http://time.com/4850421/g20-trump-paris-agreement-climate-change/?xid=newsletter-brief
http://time.com/4850421/g20-trump-paris-agreement-climate-change/?xid=newsletter-brief
Saturday, July 8, 2017
What on Earth Is Wrong With Connecticut?
Liberal Connecticut is failing...but why, exactly? The reasons are complicated but interesting:
https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2017/07/connecticut-tax-inequality-cities/532623/?mc_cid=ce3cb55747&mc_eid=c4215c6c8c
https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2017/07/connecticut-tax-inequality-cities/532623/?mc_cid=ce3cb55747&mc_eid=c4215c6c8c
Friday, July 7, 2017
How to Deal With North Korea
All the choices for dealing with North Korea suck mightily:
https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2017/07/the-worst-problem-on-earth/528717/?mc_cid=ec93894bd4&mc_eid=c4215c6c8c
https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2017/07/the-worst-problem-on-earth/528717/?mc_cid=ec93894bd4&mc_eid=c4215c6c8c
Wednesday, July 5, 2017
As GOP moves toward repeal, a government report shows Obamacare is working well
Fix it, don't break it!
http://www.latimes.com/business/hiltzik/la-fi-hiltzik-cms-risk-report-20170703-story,amp.html
http://www.latimes.com/business/hiltzik/la-fi-hiltzik-cms-risk-report-20170703-story,amp.html
Tuesday, July 4, 2017
America’s Future Is Texas
A long-ass article on the growing impact of Texas on the political sphere. Despite its increasingly blue state leanings, conservatives have taken over the government:
http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/07/10/americas-future-is-texas?mc_cid=0c42379bd4&mc_eid=c4215c6c8c
http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/07/10/americas-future-is-texas?mc_cid=0c42379bd4&mc_eid=c4215c6c8c
Monday, July 3, 2017
A Record 58% of People in Scotland Have No Religious Affiliation
Nice to see these trends continuing in this direction:
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2017/07/02/a-record-58-of-people-in-scotland-have-no-religious-affiliation/
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2017/07/02/a-record-58-of-people-in-scotland-have-no-religious-affiliation/
How the Left Lost Its Mind
The left (including me) can be guilty of passing on unsubstantiated stories:
https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/07/liberal-fever-swamps/530736/?utm_source=hpfb
But at least the left tends to abandon such stories when they turn out to be false, unlike so many on the right:
http://www.niemanlab.org/2017/05/republicans-seem-more-susceptible-to-fake-news-than-democrats-but-liberals-dont-feel-too-comfy-yet/
https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/07/liberal-fever-swamps/530736/?utm_source=hpfb
But at least the left tends to abandon such stories when they turn out to be false, unlike so many on the right:
http://www.niemanlab.org/2017/05/republicans-seem-more-susceptible-to-fake-news-than-democrats-but-liberals-dont-feel-too-comfy-yet/
Saturday, July 1, 2017
An on-point message from Gideon Lichfield at Quartz
Another week, another crude Twitter outburst from the US president, another torrent of outrage from his detractors. But what if we just agreed to ignore the man?
At Quartz it’s already our policy not to write stories about how crazy the latest crazy thing he said is. But even the not-crazy things he says are increasingly irrelevant. The president has essentially ceded foreign policyto his generals and his son-in-law, and when he does speak on such issues as NATO or Qatar he only creates confusion. His staff manage him like a child. Foreign governments go around him(paywall). NATO has learned to look like it’s doing his bidding, increasing its budget just slightly faster than before. State and local governments set their own policies when they don’t like his. When he promises to build a wall with Mexico, punish China, or cancel Nafta… well, we don’t need to tell you.
A normal US president is like a creature in the middle of lake, his every move creating far-reaching ripples. This one is like a rock in a stream; he creates turbulence and is to be avoided, but everything flows on around him.
OK, he has nuclear codes. You don’t ignore a man with nuclear codes. But you don’t have to lavish attention on him either. Actually, attention is what gets him riled up.
It’s time to stop being outraged. It isn’t even really outrage—it’s gloatrage, when you’re secretly thrilled that he’s proving himself to be just as bad as you thought. (Admit it.)
The president of the United States is an irrelevance. Pay close attention to those around him, but ignore the man himself. We can do it. We have the technology.
Look, we didn’t even say his name.
At Quartz it’s already our policy not to write stories about how crazy the latest crazy thing he said is. But even the not-crazy things he says are increasingly irrelevant. The president has essentially ceded foreign policyto his generals and his son-in-law, and when he does speak on such issues as NATO or Qatar he only creates confusion. His staff manage him like a child. Foreign governments go around him(paywall). NATO has learned to look like it’s doing his bidding, increasing its budget just slightly faster than before. State and local governments set their own policies when they don’t like his. When he promises to build a wall with Mexico, punish China, or cancel Nafta… well, we don’t need to tell you.
A normal US president is like a creature in the middle of lake, his every move creating far-reaching ripples. This one is like a rock in a stream; he creates turbulence and is to be avoided, but everything flows on around him.
OK, he has nuclear codes. You don’t ignore a man with nuclear codes. But you don’t have to lavish attention on him either. Actually, attention is what gets him riled up.
It’s time to stop being outraged. It isn’t even really outrage—it’s gloatrage, when you’re secretly thrilled that he’s proving himself to be just as bad as you thought. (Admit it.)
The president of the United States is an irrelevance. Pay close attention to those around him, but ignore the man himself. We can do it. We have the technology.
Look, we didn’t even say his name.
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