“Until recently, presidential politics was significantly shaped by regional differences that were Civil War residues. In 1968, the Republicans’ ‘Southern strategy’ (following 25 years of steady gains in the South) facilitated victory in four of the next five, and five of the next seven, presidential elections. But in 2008, Barack Obama received a larger percentage of the nation’s White vote than Democratic nominees Michael S. Dukakis, Al Gore and John F. Kerry won in 1988, 2000 and 2004, respectively. In 2020, Donald Trump won at least 56 percent in 18 states but not in Florida (51.2), Texas (52.1) or South Carolina (55.1). Today, the nation has newer class-based and culture-fueled divisions, but is not happier for having somewhat transcended regionalism …” (05/03/24)
“MC and KS have more important things to do, so Rich E Rich Reads the News. HEADLINES: A Marxist Economist Explains Why Socialism Could Never Create a PS5 … Defending Individual Liberty … When Student Basketball Teams Unionize.” (05/04/24)
“While George H.W. Bush (whom they despised as an ideological poseur) was dreaming of forging a ‘new world order’ led by the United States, and Francis Fukuyama was writing his great book about the culmination of human history into American-style liberalism, a cranky counter-ideology was forming on the anti-liberal right. Dubbed ‘paleoconservatism’ to distinguish it from neoconservatism, it repackaged many of the Old Right’s positions for a new moment, and Patrick Buchanan tried them out on the stump during his surprisingly potent but ultimately unsuccessful primary challenge to Bush’s bid for re-election in 1992. Paleoconservatism blended hard-edged social/religious conservatism with hostility to immigration and free trade, opposition to an internationalist foreign policy, and a call for Republicans to reconnect to the economic and cultural struggles of the white working class.” (05/03/24)
“A driver died after a vehicle crashed into a gate at the White House Saturday night, but the fatal collision is being investigated ‘only as a traffic crash’ and there was no threat to the president’s residence, law enforcement authorities said. The male driver, who was not immediately identified, was found dead in the vehicle following the crash shortly before 10:30 p.m. at an outer perimeter gate of the White House complex, the U.S. Secret Service said in a statement. The Washington Metropolitan Police Department said the vehicle crashed into a security barrier at the intersection of 15th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW.” (05/05/24)
“In many industries, but aviation in particular, a stellar safety record is a competitive advantage. In High Reliability Organizations (HRO), such as airlines, safety is paramount to the success of the organization. After all, a single accident, regardless of how rare an occurrence it is, could yield a catastrophic result, either in terms of cost of lives or liability. Indeed, the primary, secondary, and tertiary victims are not the ones who made the unsafe decision but are left to bear the brunt of the result. Airlines, manufacturers, and their labor representation groups spend millions of dollars each year researching and developing safety protocols and procedures. … With effective safety protocols so high on the list of things that affect an organization’s health, it would follow that they would be closely-guarded industrial secrets. Except they are not.” (05/03/24)
“If commentators can call China’s treatment of the Uighurs genocide without being expelled from the realm of acceptable discourse, shouldn’t college students be able to call Israel’s treatment of the Gazans genocide without being expelled from the realm of acceptable discourse? You’d think. But a bill passed this week by the House of Representatives, if it becomes law, could lead to the expulsion of such students not just from the realm of acceptable discourse but from the colleges they attend. Of all the recent attempts to stifle criticism of Israel in the guise of fighting antisemitism, this bill may be the most pernicious.” (05/03/24)
“An Afghan diplomat in India, who was appointed before the Taliban seized power in 2021 and said she was the only woman in the country’s diplomatic service, has resigned after reports emerged of her being detained for allegedly smuggling gold. Zakia Wardak, the Afghan consul-general for Mumbai, announced her resignation on her official account on the social media platform X on Saturday after Indian media reported last week that she was briefly detained at the city’s airport on allegations of smuggling 25 bricks of gold, each weighing 1 kilogram (2.2 pounds), from Dubai. According to Indian media reports, she has not been arrested because of her diplomatic immunity.” (05/05/24)
“One irony of the 2024 election is that, at a time when Americans profess exceptionally low faith in their government and institutions, their choices for president represent the most insider slate of candidates in at least a quarter century, and perhaps longer. The Democratic nominee is Joe Biden, the sitting president, a former vice president, and a former U.S. senator of 26 years. The Republican nominee is Donald Trump, who is the most recent former president. The leading third-party candidate, the ostensible alternative, is Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who is, well, exactly who his name suggests. This produces another irony: Trump, despite being literally the former president, and Kennedy, despite being literally a Kennedy, have both worked to depict themselves as outsiders.” (05/03/24)
“When asked about his authoritarian rhetoric regarding being a ‘dictator for a day’ and ‘suspending the Constitution,’ Trump responded, saying, ‘I think a lot of people like it.’ Now, in fairness, Trump insisted that he was only joking and ‘being sarcastic’ when he said these things. Moreover, he suggested that normal people get it, while the overwrought press (who find joking about these things dangerous and are worried about ‘norms’ and the ‘social fabric’) keep getting trolled by him. This argument breaks down, however, when you consider that some of Trump’s most loyal fans took him seriously and literally when he summoned them to the Capitol on Jan. 6. … is it possible that more than a handful of kooks feel this way? Globally, authoritarianism has always had an appeal.” (05/03/24)
