Thursday Open Thread

11 thoughts on “Thursday Open Thread”

1. Chaos Monkey Musk. Paul Krugman Unleashed.

   "The Federal Government is an insurance company with an army".

   The news of the moment is the looming prospect that the federal government will shut down over the weekend.

   We’ll have to see how much damage this does, but it’s already clear that assuming the worst happens — and it’s hard to see how it won’t — this will be the dumbest shutdown ever. I’d say that the incoming Musk administration (so far Musk, not Trump, appears to be calling the shots) is trying to hold itself up for ransom, but it doesn’t even rise to that level. This isn’t like 1995, when Newt Gingrich shut down the government in an attempt to extract cuts in Medicare and Medicaid — a move that seemed (and was) a foolish act of petulance, but at least had a ghost of motivation.

   No, Musk is demanding — apparently successfully — that Republicans in Congress renege on a deal they had already agreed to, a continuing resolution that would keep the federal government going for the next few months. Why? Because, Musk says, of the outrageous provisions in that CR.

   Except none of the items Musk is complaining about are actually in the bill. No, Congress isn’t giving itself a 40 percent raise. No, the bill doesn’t fund a $3 billion stadium in Washington. No, it doesn’t block future investigations into the Jan. 6 committee. No, it doesn’t fund bioweapons labs.

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   1. Too soon to say the DOGE has caught the car?

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2. The Georgia Court of Appeals has disqualifed Fani Willis from the GA election case.  Her prosecutorial arrogance undermined her own case, and now, the case has to get re-assigned to a special prosecutor.  If Willis wants, she can appeal to the GA supreme court, and she may well do that.  Regardless, the case is now on hold for a long time, if not on life support.  

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   1. What "prosecutorial arrogance"?

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      1. Overcharging the case (too many charges, too many defenwdants, being oblivious to the clear appearance of impropriety of having a relationship with an appointed special prosecutor during the prosecution,  fighting the disqualification motion and thereby delaying any progress in the case and weakening it in the process, and taking a combative approach in her testimony.  Unfortunately, it's dime-a-dozen stuff for a lot of prosecutors these days.   

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      2. Aren't ALL prosecutors arrogant? Well, especially to the defendent.

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         1. Nope.  Having practiced criminal defense for a few decades, the best prosecutors are the humble, forthright, and honest ones.  And usually they are the tougher ones to beat.  Willis has managed to delay the case for how long now?  The case is likely dead now, at least as to trump, which is too bad because there was evidence to support charges and conviction.  

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3. Republicans Start Show Trials of their Enemies. H/T Heather Cox-Richardson.

   At 2:11 this morning, Trump’s social media account posted: “Liz Cheney could be in a lot of trouble based on the evidence obtained by the subcommittee, which states that ‘numerous federal laws were likely broken by Liz Cheney, and these violations should be investigated by the FBI.’ Thank you to Congressman Barry Loudermilk on a job well done.”

   To this, conservative writer David Frum responded: “After his successful consolidation of power, the Leader prepares show trials for those who resisted his failed first [violent attempt to overthrow the government].”

   Liz Cheney also responded. “January 6th showed Donald Trump for who [he] really is—a cruel and vindictive man who allowed violent attacks to continue against our Capitol and law enforcement officers while he watched television and refused for hours to instruct his supporters to stand down and leave.” She pointed out that the January 6th committee’s report was based on evidence that came primarily from Republican witnesses, “including many of the most senior officials from Trump’s own White House, campaign and Administration,” and that the Department of Justice reached the similar conclusions after its own investigation.

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4. The Headlines Write Themselves.

   “Billionaire Libertarian opposed to Farm Support or Disaster Aid.”

   Background music for the Econoclypse:

   “Good Luck Babe”, Chappel Roan.

   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1RKqOmSkGgM

   (“You’re standing face to face with I Told you so.”)

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5. Interesting. My blog yesterday about the CO2 footprint from wind has about 5X the viewers of my previous highs.

   And I did my first podcast today – take a look – Interview with Meredith Angwin

   Author of: Shorting the Grid: The Hidden Fragility of Our Electric Grid.

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6. This article explores the Theory of Quackenomics as practiced by FDFQ

   President-elect Donald Trump’s proposals on tariffs, immigration, taxes and deregulation may have far-reaching and contradictory effects, adding uncertainty to forecasts.

   Strain outlined a worst-case outlook for the economy, in which steep new tariffs discourage investment, mass deportations limit employers’ ability to find workers and mounting deficits drive up borrowing costs.

   If that happens, Americans could face both rising prices and slowing growth — a form of the “stagflation” that the U.S. economy last experienced nearly a half-century ago.

   “In this scenario, the price of imported goods, the price of groceries, the price of restaurant meals, the price of homes all shoot up dramatically,” Strain said.

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